The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-30
Comes From tho Indians md the
Word Iowa Means "This is
the Place." and So
IL is.
ANDREWS TELLS IT
/. T. Andrews, the Iowa Historian
Tells How the State Received
Its Name From the
Red Men.

L. r Andrews in the Des Nome.
Register and Leader tells how lows
was named. He writes as follows:
me Sank and Fox tribes, as nea,
as can be learned from their tradi
IONS. originally came from Canada
that they descended from the great
Chippewa nation, which was of AL
gonkin origin. In their migration
westward around the lakes, fighting
the French, the Sioux and other In
dlans to Fox river, in 1850, the Sauhs
had become so decimated and weak.
ened. that for mutual protection, a
union with the Foxes was formed
which existed for nearly a century.
Under the compact there was to be
TWO chiefs, one of war, or fighting,
the other of civil affairs, but in all
matters respecting the sale of land.
the two divisions must act together
When they finally settled in the
Rock river section. the principal
Sank village was on the point OF land
at the forks OF Rock river with the
Mississippi, about four miles below
Rock Island. They at once began
subjugating other tribes on the south
to add to their grounds for winter
hunting. They not only drove away
their implacable enemy, the Sioux,
but a strong federation of other
tribes, and became immensely pros-
porous. In that village Black Hawk
was born. in 1857, at what is now
Rock Island. His father. Paw-hese,
son OF Na-mah-ke., or Thunder, was
the war chief under the union com
pact. Black Hawk was not bern
chief, but at the age OF Is. having
shown great bravery in killing and
scalpfng several Osages he was made
a brave" but could not paint. nor
wear feather. When 10 wears old.
his father was killed when fighting
the Cherokees, and Black Hawk be-
came his successor. Cc-tempora-
neous with him was Keokuk, chief
OF the civil, or peace division.
In 1880 a treaty was made by the
United States and the confederation
under which the Indians sold their
land and agreed to move 10 the west
side of the Mississippi river. Black
Hawk refused to sign the treaty.
claiming that his people did not get
what their land was worth; that it
did not agree with the treaty of 1904.
He became angry and went away for
two years, then returned. a peace was
arranged, he agreed to the treaty and
crossed the Mississippi at the po.at
where Davenport now is, which he
said was "Kiowo" He very soon
went on the warpath westward broke
up band o. Sioux and drove them
across ("Kiowo') a river.
At Fort Armstrong was Antoine LIE
Claire, the official Interpreter Of the
Sauks, Foxes and other tribes for
about twenty-five wears. His wife
was the daughter of a Sank chief
A-yo-qua (the kettle. He spoke the
different Indian dialects and had great
influence over the sauks and Foxes.
and their esteem for him was such
Keokuk gave a section Of his land Ia
his wife. the Sank and Fox compact
gave him another section on which is
now the city Of LIE Claire; the Pot
tawattamies gave him section on
which is now the CRY Of Moline In
1888 he was appointed to settle ali
matters Of difference between whites
and Indians respecting land purchased
OF the Sauks and Foxes of the Mis-
sissippi from Dubuque to Burlington.
AS the years passed interest in
creased in the effort 10 get the true
meaning Of the word @Kiowa.s and
in 1850, Theodore s Parvin. the far.
famed antiquarian and pioneer OF
Iowa long before It was admitted as
state, wrote 10 Mr. lie claire ASH
ing the defaition Of the word. The
reply was - tribe OF Indians were
in search Of a home. or hunting-in
fact wandering-and when they
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