The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-03
Old Iowa Times
seventy-two Years Ago.

seventy-two Years AGO.
seyenty-two years have made many
changes in Iowa, and the experiences
Of men who were here that long ago
ia \ matter Of historical interest ana
for comparison with the conditions OF
the present day.
October 2, 1884, Captain William
HilIhouse, pioneer OF the early days
attended a tri-state old settlers meet
ing at Rand park in this ci:y' 2.
which there was largo gathering Oh
pioneers and old settlers from Iowa,
Missouri and Illinois. number OF
whom made remarks, giving many OF
their recollections and experiences
when Iowa was very young.
CAPTAIN Hillhouse was among the
number and it has been kept In mem.
DRY that on that occasion he dispeleo
the idea that buffaios never ran VINO
on the prairies Of Iowa. That mad
been stated as a fact 80 prominently
that many people had come to believe
t. Captain Hillhouse did not intl'
mate In his remarks that he had heard
this buffalo story and that his re-
marks were to refuts it, but merely
gave It in recital OF his earliest e1'
periences here, with others which
were equally as interesting.
Called to the platform he said IN
substance, after bowling to The presl.
dent and addressing the ladies' ana
gentlemen present: "Forty-four years
ago this month. October Is. 1910,
landed in Burlington, Iowa territory.
1t has been thirty years since that
sentence was uttered and these ex-
periences were given by Captain Hill
house. Add thirty years to the for
ty-four years he had been In Iowa
then and his experiences dated back
from this time about seventy-four
years, and what remarkable aistory
has been recorded since then.
Continuing no said substantially:
THAT after spending q year among the
pioneers in and around Burlington, l
mounted my horse and started out
west. After one days ride found
myself across the line Of civilization.
in among the original pioneers OF the
red men of the forest.
The Sac and Fox Indians owned the
land through to .he Missouri river at
that time. I went to the clerk In the
Indian trading, located on the Dies
Moines river, in the Fox village OF the
old chief Mish-e-quah-Quiet or Hard
Fish" Eddyville has taken the place
where the Indian village was. In the
summer of 1912 accompanied che
Sac and Fox Indians on their annual
buffalo hunt and traversed all through
what Is now the state Of Iowa. and
we found great herds of buffalo and
elk feeding on the vast prairie OF the
state, both north and west. Hun
dreds Of them were killed on tina.
hunt, and the meat dried and prepared
for winter use. The Indians returned
home from the hunt and prepared
themselves to meet the agent OF the
government commissions so as to re-
ceive their annual payment. After
the payment was over they made a
treaty and sold all their remaining
lands to the Missouri river. In the
spring OF 1s43 we moved up to what
was called Raccoon Forks Of Des
Moines. now the capital of the state.
Keokuk, chief of the Sac tribe, built
The village just below the Raccoon
Forks. I knew the old chief well,
and have smoked many pipe OF
kfnnekinick with him, and many q
meal / have eaten in the wick-e-up
with the family of that noted old
warrior Black Hawk"