The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-09

Edgar R. Harlan. grand nephew,
in Des Moines Register and Leader:
Aaron Ward Harlan was born Nov
10, 1911, in Dearborn (now Union)
county, Indiana He was descendant
of George Harlan, who, with his broth
er, Michael Harlan, Irish Quaker col
onists under William Penn, we're the
first of the name in America.
Aaron went to the Wabash settlement
early in 1888 and clerked in mercan-
tile establishment until on Aug. Is of
that year he was sent by his employ
ers to conduct three flat boats loaded
with produce to the city of New Or
leans. OF that trip he wrote: Il had
never seen cook stove, lucifer
match nor an iron safe. Ny employer
gave me some written authority to
look after some of his business, but
there was nothing to identify or rec
chants of that day seemed to trust
everybody. To show the way bust
ness was done, will say that Mr..
Patterson from the Wabash, was TAX
ing down several loads at the same
time. Cholera broke out among his
men and mine. and times were SO un-
certain that he stopped his boats ct
Natchez, and went on down to Orleans
to determine what to do. On the
steamboat, another merchant, falling
sick, called in the captain and in his
presence stated that he now turned
his boats over to Patterson. then died.
The boat tied up, the body was car
ried ashore and buried, and Patterson
went on to New Orleans. l was in
the city when the boats came ins
their loads and those | had were dis
posed of, and we took the same steam
boat to return. Passengers fell sick
every day, and handed over to fellow
travellers their yaluables with verbal
directions for their disposal. Patter'
son carried some fifteen thousand
dollars and l carried Ave thousand
without the scratch of pen to show.
We reached the Wabash with scarcely
hands enough to run the boat"
Early in 1884 he took to the river.
and in a few weeks was among the
missions along the Missouri river and
west, in what is now the state of
Kansas. Returning to ST. Louis, al
ways as a boat hand, he reached
Camp Des Moines, now Montrose. Lee
County, September II, 1884. and went
to work as a carpenter. After few
days absence up the Des Moines to
the Great Bend, he returned to Camp
Des Moines, where he remained sever.
al months Shortly after my first ar
rival at Camp Des Moines," he
writes, authority reached Lieut.. c. r
Crossman, then in command Of the
fort, to proclaim civil government. All
the whites were called together and
the proclamation was read by Morti-
mer McCarver extending the civil jur-
isdiction of Michigan over that coun-
try. Lieutenant Crossman drew his
sword, and, holding it aloft, said,
with all my troops | am ready to en-
force the civil law AS there We're
but one corporal and four privates
and about a dozen of my fellow labo-
ers besides Lieutenant Crossman who
could be called troops, thought at
the time it was a piece of mock he
roles. / lived to learn that 1t was the
ed"
1t was here and during the time of
Mr. Harlan's residence at Camp Des
Moines, that the famous traveller and
artist. Cat1in, visited the camp of
Chief Keokuk, and made the famous
picture of the chief on his prancing
horse and of other noted Indians.
In December, 1884, Mr.. Harlan pur-
chased claim on the Des Moines
river, near the foot of the Great Bend
of Critington Forquerean. He built Il
cabin, lived alone and raised crop
of potatoes and corn during the sea-
son of 1885. During his residence
here he was among the Sac, Fox and
Iowa Indians during the years 1S34-5-
G, at which time he partially acquired
their language. became acquainted
with Black Hawk. Keokuk, Wapello
and others of the leaders. and an init
macy with Naseaskuk, Chequest and
others of minor Importance. He gain
ed much of the information later
printed. and now constituting our lit
erature, upon Indian legends and life
in the lower Des Moines valley. Par
ticularly is he entitled to share the
credit for preserving the date and de-
tails Of the final battle on the site of
old Iowaville in 1924 between the
Iowas and Sac and Foxes. While he
was not present at the celebration
held on the grounds by the victors in
1884 as were his neighbors, the Av-
erys and Henry Netherton, yet, learn
ing the facts from those in the Eng
fish, and from Bash-a-ba-ho Chat
name, he says. in the Indian tongue
was sounded with b, not p) in the ma
tive language. Mr. Harlan. as was his
habit through life, carefully wrote out
the account near the time, and later
it was published in substantially the
/ form now accepted, as authority
Exchanging his claim in 1886 for