The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-01-26
Some Iowa History.


Sixty-four years ago today Presi-
dent James X. Polk signed the Dill
which made the territory OF Iowa
the twenty-ninth state OF the union
and on the following day Shepherd
Leffler a farmer from Des Moines
county and S. c. Hastings, a lawyer,
from Bloomington (now Muscatine)
took their seats in the national
house of representatives. Both
gentlemen were democrats. A fight
in the legislature prevented an cleo
ton of United States senators and
Iowa for the first two years, as
state, was without representatives
in the upper house of congress. In
1S4S Augustus Caesar Dodge of this
city and George w. Jones of Du-
buuue were elected senators and took
the oath of office. These two pioneer
legislators were also of the democrat
ic faith. The first governor was
Ansel Briggs of Vermont.
The history of Iowa is an inter-
esting one. The late DR.. William
Salter of revered memory tells us
in his admirable history Iowa, the
First Free State in the Louisiana
Purchase, that the first white men
to behold the country, destined to
become the garden spot of the world
were Marquette, Jesuit mission
airy from France and Joliet, Cana
dian trader. 1t was on June II,
1873, when these two intrepid ex-
plorers, emerging from the mouth OF
the Wisconsin river came upon the
site, where now is located the thriv-
ing town of McGregor.
The first American, according to
Dr.. Salter, who is known to have
been in Iowa, was Jonathan Carver,
a Connecticut Yankee.
From 1882 to 1870 the twenty
ninth state belonged to Spain and
from 1910 to 1903 Spain held con-
troll. In November 1903, Louisiana,
of which Iowa was part, was
transferred by Spain to France, and
in the following year, through the
negotiations of President Jefferson
and Minister to France Robert Llv-
ingstone, Napoleon sold the vast
domain to the united States.
Until the year 1912 low . was in
the territory of Louisiana, but in
April of that year that country
which is now the state of Louisiana
became a state and Iowa with the
remainder of the Louisiana Purchase
was known as the territory of Mis-
souri, and had to be Shown until
1912 when that part of the purchase
now known as the state of Missouri
Joined the sisterhood in it's union.
From that date until 1884 Iowa ran
wild in the back yard of the nation.
1t was left without law except the
prohibition of the slave trade and
laws to regulate the Indian trade.
Its only visitors were Indian traders
and now and then officers and sold
iers of the United States army. The
savage had things his own way.
From 1884 to 1886 it was a part
of the territory of Michigan and
from 1886 to 1888 it was of the
territory of Wisconsin.
From 1888 it was known as the
territory of Iowa until it became a
state on December %, 1916.
Robert Lucas of Virginia was the
first territorial governor and Theo-
dore Parvin was his private secre-
tary. The capital was Burlington
ana the capitol was Old Zion church
which stood on the present site of
the Grand opera house. The first
delegate to Congress was William
w. Chapman, a law partner OF
young James Wolson Grimes, des-
tined to serve his state as governor
and United States senator; Angus
tus C. Dodge was the second dele
gate. Judge Manson of this city was
the first chief of police.
On April 1874 it was voted con-
vention should be held to form a
constitution. In August seventy
two delegates were elected to the
convention. The convention met at
Iowa City in October with Shepherd
Letter as president. A dispute over
the state boundaries destroyed the
purpose of this convention. On May
IS, 1916, another constitutional con-
vention convened, constitution
was submitted and during the fol-
lowing October an election of Off
GERS was held. The constitution of
the state was presented to congress
on December 18th and on the 28th
Iowa took her seat among the sister,
hood of states of the union.
The president of the last consti-
tutional convention was Dr. Enos
Lowe, of this city. Another Bur-
lingtonian who was member was
Hon. Shepherd Leffler.-Burlington
Gazette of Dec. 28th.
Most people are conceivable