Post # 22 Gus Norlin Research Material

        Today is March 31 2008.  It’s been raining off and on all day….thought it would be a good time to post an update on our research project of Lyman Dillon. 

     I got the picture of Lyman Dillon (above) from our friends Larry and Kathy.  Along with his photo, I also got one of his wife  Charlotte, who are both buried in the Protestant section of the Cascade Iowa Cemetery.  There will be more photo’s in my book…this one is just a teaser so there will be a photo on the Internet of Lyman Dillon.  As far as I know, this is the only one you will find on-line (I’ve looked)

     Through a chance conversation with Pam  at her antique store, I was able to look through her dad (Gus Norlin’s )  research on Lyman Dillon which as far as I know was never formally published.   Gus was the president of the local Historical society for several years…he had several pieces of research I had not seen before.  Pam was gracious enough to let me take everything home and scan and make copies before I returned it to her…THANK YOU PAM!!!  

     Gus had tracked down a  Granddaughter believe it or not of Lyman Dillon in California in the 1980’s….She (Florence Cordelia Parrott Lippert) was born 7/3/1885 in Cascade Iowa daughter of Lima Dillon (Parrott)

     Florence Lippert eventually donated a highchair to the Jones County Historical Society in Edinburg Iowa where it resides today.  The chair was built by Lyman Dillon himself from lumber from his sawmill which used to exist North of Cascade Iowa on the North Fork of the Maquoketa River.   The sawmill was located West of Lyman’s home.  We have been out there to take pictures..nothing remains of the sawmill which was owned by several people…originally the Delong Brothers, then Dillon,  at some point was a paper mill, still later converted into a flouring mill known as Myer’s.

       I have additional material from the Norlin papers, which  I am hoping to include in my book if the family gives me permission to include it….stay tuned!

Post # 21- Oral History Interview Number 5 And Another Book For The Monk Collection

    

      Saturday February 16th 2008 I headed to Mt Vernon Iowa with L. and K. P. to interview R. P.  a local historian.  He had agreed to let me bring my camcorder .  He’s 87 yrs old - sharp as a tack.  Names of people and places rolled off his tongue.   We talked about a horse thief ring that had operated in the 1800’s out of some caves West of Mt.Vernon.   We talked about he and his dad paving Hwy 1 for $.50 an hour.   I came home with 2 hrs of conversation  and an old photo of the first bridge over the Cedar River by Ivanhoe.    We tried to go to Sutliff for lunch but it was standing room only- ( a snowmobile convention had beat us there). 

     It was at this point, I remembered something L.P.’s mother-in-law D had mentioned about possibly  making us lunch…we’d turned her down thinking we were going to be in Sutliff….Well, it was 1:15, no place to go except Hardees and her offer sounded awesome. A cell phone call later and we were making a bee line for Mt. Vernon…. we sat down to home made soup, fresh bread and cheese, black coffee and German Chocolate cake.    Boy did that taste good!!!!!

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   Painting depicting Scottish emigrants coming to Scotch Grove Iowa…from the collection of Bill and Jane Corbin

     The second big thing that happened this week was receiving Iowa Sketches- John Newton Hughes -edited by Michele Shover in the mail.  It is a limited edition… talks about the Hughes Family in Rural Nineteenth Century Scotch Grove, Jones County Iowa.  Here’s an excerpt from the book describing what it was like in the winter:

        ” In the dead of winter, when skies were clear and snow deep, farmers were then getting their year’s supply of wood for fuel, their timber for posts and rails, their dimension timbers for framing of farm buildings….A procession of bobsleds with axes for cutting and chains for binding the logs, and poles and timbers tied securely to the bobsleds for the journey homeward.  With well-matched teams of spirited horses, trim and slick and glossy from good feed and early winter’s rest.  Here, a pair of dapple greys, their check-reins taut, their silver mane and tail waving in the morning breezes.  Next a team of blaze-faced, white-footed sorrels; then a span of blacks, each girdled with his string of bells that made sweet music, or so we thought, at every move of those nimble limbs.  Witness the scene as the procession moved gently and firmly on.  No roar of engine or blur of gear or clash of clutch or honk of horn; only the hoof of horses and steel of sled runner on the noiseless snow, and the bells always jingling and pealing in the crisp, frost air;  only these and their merry jingle, jingle, jingle.  A thousand notes medlied, mixed and confused, yet always in harmony, always sweet; always stirring…often a half-dozen bobsleds might be seen approaching our highway from the west; sometimes even more, all in one silent company and driving as close as comfort and safety would permit….

     In the afternoon or early evening the whole picture was changed.  The journey reversed.  They were bound homeward.  Then the woods empty themselves as by magic and from narrow trails, the teams appeared, moving, seemingly from nowhere, into the prairie.  They were headed homeward.  The sleds were heavily loaded.  there were groaning now, and screeching and barking as the iron runners sank into the hard packed snow, and crunched and smoothed out every hummock or irregular surface.   Some were loaded with logs, others with cord wood, still others with long poles suitable for dimension timbers.  Others laden with wood of many lengths and when suitably dried from the summer’s sun would find its way in the cook-stove.  The men were tired after a long day at work in the woods.  There is not much gaiety and little thought for the pipes.  The horses are tired too.  But they have pep and courage; they lean forward in their collars, the harness creaks under the strain- you feel that the traces must surely snap.  Their hoofs dig into the snow, though by much travel it is as hard as ice.  Their fine legs twist and tremble as they feel for footing in the ice and snow.  The whole picture was that of rugged individualism that has made its mark on he economy of our age.”

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Note:  A special thank you to  Michele Shover for helping us get a copy of this  book…and for the Corbin’s for letting us see their picture.  DM

Post # 20 Life In Iowa 1838

 

    This account comes from the History Of Johnson County  page 305

      “Early in the summer of 1838, Patrick Smith moved into the claim cabin whch stood on the bank of the Iowa river, in the town site of Napoleon, the first county seat.  Mrs Smith was the sister of Philip Clark, and she gave birth to a daughter sometime in August 1838 in that cabin.  It is remembered that her delivery was lingering and tedious; that she lay in great suffering about two days;  Mr. Towbridge had got onto his horse and started to Bloomington (Muscatine) for a doctor, but was called back by the news that the child was born.  Some Indian women of Wapashasheik’s village had heard that the “white squaw’s” condition, and immediately gathered wild herbs or roots from which they made a deconction and gave her to drink;  and in a few minutes thereafter she was safely delivered.  When Towbridge was going to the stock range to catch his horse he met some of the Indian men and told them why he must hurry and get his horse and ride to Bloomington for a doctor; they told their midwife women about it- and the result was as above stated.

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   By the way, the picture is our family- we took it on our one and only family vacation.

    

    

   

Post # 19 A Prairie Almanac 1839-1919 and Poem About Lyman Dillon

    

      Several good things have been happening the past two weeks as far as research.  We conducted (2) additional Oral history interviews, have a 3rd on the calendar for Saturday, received a new book called A Prairie Almanac 1839-1919  by Jean Strong(picked up on Amazon off the internet).  It is the journal of Isaac N.Kramer who came to Iowa in 1839 and settled in the Linn Grove area (which is right between Cedar Rapids and Mt. Vernon). 

     I also got a call from a local woman whose dad had been researching Lyman Dillon and Old Military road for several years before he died.  She offered to let me look through her dad’s research…now that completely blew my socks off.

     This past Friday, we made a spur of the moment trip to Iowa City to check out the State  Historical Society  Original Manuscripts section.    We have been making regular “sleuthing” trips with a friend J.A. and this trip was one we had talked about and are still planning on making again….I only mention this here because if you J. A. are reading this :-) we need to make several more trips.  One of the highlights of our trip this past Friday (1/25/0 was to see some original photo’s from the Brigg and Hansen  trip taken in 1920 . They wrote about their trip here.  On Friday, I was able to see photos of both men as well as some of the things they saw when they walked.

     I came across several old newspaper articles about Lyman Dillon.  Here is a poem from one of them I’ll share with you on the blog

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Lyman Dillon And His Plow
Lyman Dillon is plowing tonight.  And he bends Far out into the ridgy Silence. Where the known world ends;  Far out into the weary wash of broken winds he goes a plowing  a black long furrow-  Over the hill, past the thicket  Or the burrow of foxes and wolves.  The prairie is bowing before the sight of Lyman Dillon.  Thin hands that never felt the air.  Since they were buried there before the civil war.  Are parting the sod in front of the plow;  Like ghostly knives they cut.  They have been reaping  for their God until now…..Someone else is weeping- but Dillon goes on ahead  Cleaving the prairie, instead  On to the place where the dark river shows….High out on the road that was made for the soldiers.  Lyman Dillon goes plowing  With a sway of his shoulders  and shadowy hips….the wind sings above,  and the breath of it’s unnoticed lips  Is sighing and soughing.

Post # 18 The Blizzard of 1856

     Below is an excerpt from the Jones County Historical Review Volume 7 #1 1981.  On a previous post I mentioned  hearing about a mother, father and baby who had died on the portion of Old Military Road near Langworthy, Iowa having been caught in a surprise blizzard, leaving behind 10 children.  I came across this detailed account of the incident and thought I would include a portion of it now.

     It was December 3, 1856, and it was to be a day of tragedy, long to be remembered in Jones County.  On that day a killer blizzard struck Iowa, moving into the state from the northwest….

     A pioneer family by the name of Wade, consisting of Mother, Father and 10 children had homesteaded on a piece of ground some two years before slightly south and west of the then small village of Monticello.  The military trail passed directly in front of their cabin.

     The cabin, of more than average proportion had been constructed with a large rock fireplace at one end of the combination kitchen and eating area, and two large bedrooms, narrow but long at the other end.  The bedrooms were separated from the eating area and one another by log partitions.

    Crude bunks for beds had been fashioned against the outer walls, then covered with prairie grass “ticks” and in these two bedrooms, children of the family slept- boys in one room , girls in the other.  Brothers and sisters were almost evenly divided in number.

     Mr. and Mrs. Wade retired nightly to a made up “tick” in the kitchen area, so they might keep the fireplace stoked, especially in damp or cold weather….

      This early homestead was the first place on the left-hand  side of the “Lower Prairieburg Road,” from it’s intersection with today’s highway 151.  In 1856, this portion of the road…..was still part of the original military trail from Dubuque to Iowa City.

      Mr and Mrs Wade had business in Langworthy on that ill-fated day.  All of the children except the very youngest, a baby girl less than one year old, were left at home to fend for themselves, which for pioneer children wasn’t too difficult, and seldom was cause for anxiety to the parents..”

      The day had dawned bright, clear and relatively mild.  Not a great deal of snow lay on the ground; In fact, not enough to warrant taking the “bobsled”, rather than the farm wagon.  Very little traffic at that time assured that there would be bare spots which would require an exertion on the pulling ability of the team, should the sled be used.

     Heading out of the driveway, they turned left at the Military Road and progressed westward about a mile, where the trail then followed the land contour into a small gully, where the trail crossed a clear running stream.

     Mrs. Wade was probably in high spirits, for she was going to Langworthy, and it would give her an opportunity to bargain for a few of the simple niceties at the “Buckhorn,” a combination provisions store and tavern.”

     (Editor’s note:  At this particular time the settlement was not officially known as Langworthy, but was most often referred to as  “Spencers Place” due to the fact James Spencer had been the first to build a long cabin on the north bank of the stream.  It was also referred to as “Buckhorn,” although there were many other “Buckhorns” scattered throughout the area.)

(Editors note:  Evidence of the original route can still be found in this section for almost three-fourths of a mile, and is perhaps the ONLY clear cut portion of the “old military trail” still in existence between Dubuque and Iowa City)  (and as I DM type this account January of 2008 it is still there, having visited it myself this past Summer)  This portion is not only part of the military trail but is part of “Dillon’s Furrow” which pre-dated the military trail some six months, and which the Military engineers, under command of Jefferson Davis, later President of the Confederacy, followed in large part.)

       I’m going to stop there with the account.  In addition to this material there is additional information in the two volume Jones County History set which tells about what happened after it was discovered the parents had in fact died.  I’m intending to include all of the information from both of these sources in my book On The Trail Of Lyman Dillon  hopefully to  be published sometime in 2009.  Drop me a note if you have any specific questions or suggestions on anything you read on this blog.  Sincerely,  DM

    

Post # 17 1879 Maps and Cross Stitch Project

 

     It’s been a while since I posted anything.      This Fall, I acquired 4 original maps from the 1879 Andreas Atlas of Iowa.  They are the counties of Dubuque, Jones, Linn and Johnson Counties.  Why?  Because they show  what Iowa looked like in 1879, including vast portions of native timber, towns that no longer exist and the route of Old  Military Road.

       Earlier this Fall I wrote on my “I Also Live On A Farm Blog “ about a cross stitch project I was working on.  You know how one thing leads to another…well I finished the project,  and decided I would  do a cross stitch of these original maps….they measure 12 inches by 18 inches .  I started working on the first map this past weekend (see photo above).    It is causing me to slowly memorize the map of Jones County as it looked in 1879.   If you were to ask me at this moment to describe the layout of Jones county I would have to say “I’m not sure” …but as I’m working my way North on the cross stitch project, I getting  an awesome grasp of the details.  I anticipate by the time I finish I will know the map of our county like the back of my hand…

     This morning when I woke up, I   the  map on my brain,   probably because  I was working on it right before I went to bed.  Martelle…what’s East of Martelle..I thought to myself…way to the East (and South) is Oxford Junction….then Hale.  Actually it’s called Hale City on the  map.   And the town of Olin, is not on the map…but there is a town called “Rome”.   The towns of both Oxford Junction and Center Junction  which both exist today were towns where the rail lines crossed.  A  North and South track intersecting with an East and West Track…hence… the term “Junction.”I know this is not rocket science, but for someone who has lived most of his life in this area and is just discovering these things about local history it has been enjoyable.  My goal is to finish as much of these for maps before the actual time I do my “walk about.”

Post # 16 Old Newpaper Clipping

Earlier this week a friend Larry P. dropped of this newspaper clipping  from about 1937.  As you can see, it talks about a house that once served as a hotel on Old Military Road.  Digging for clues puts me in mind of digging for gold.  You never know where you are going to hit “pay dirt”.    The more people who are aware of what we’re doing the better.  So, this post is a shameless plug to say to you the reader…if you have ANY INFORMATION about Historical Eastern Iowa…specifically Old Military Road or the towns along the route (Dubuque, Cascade, Bowens Prairie, Monticello, Langworthy, Anamosa, Fairview, Martelle, Mount Vernon, Solon, Iowa City), old books, specific people or events, drop me a comment on the blog .  Don’t assume I don’t know something…Sure I’ve done some reading, and sure I have purchased a few volumes of local history, but there has got to be a lot more information out there, that people know, (and I have yet to hear about)…and in the end, this is really  a combined effort of many people who have an interest in preserving the past, specifically as it relates to Eastern Iowa from 1835-1935.  After my “walkabout” the Fall of 2008, I do intend to write a book, with the goal of writing something filled with interesting accounts from days gone by, plus a portion on today (what’s left of Old Military Road, etc.)  Here is a copy of that newspaper clipping: 

And if you happen to have any old newspaper clippings or photo’s you would be willing to e-mail me so much the better…Drop me a comment on the blog.  I check my blog comments daily. Sincerely, Douglas M.

 

 

Post # 15 Langworthy Iowa Roots

      Langworthy Iowa.   Situated on the original route of Old Military Road.  I grew up 2 miles West of Langworthy.  Until starting this local history project I didn’t have a clue  where Langworthy got it’s name.   Well here’s where:

 Quoting from the Palimpsest Vol. 2 February 1921 # 2:

      ”The Langworthy brothers (James, Lucius and Edward) were given contracts for the construction of the road from Dubuque as far as the Cedar River.  Edward Langworthy states that after the surveys were made Tilghman (the project engineer) engaged Lyman Dillon to plow a furrow along the route, under his direction, for the guidance of the contractors.”

 

       The Langworthy brothers were big shakers and movers  back in the 1830-40’s.   That is who Langworthy is named after. The town of Langworthy is also where my family  set down roots , coming from Germany.    The family farm is  about a mile West of town.  Opa’s father ( Henry) was a hog buyer in Langworthy.  Farmers would come to town, my great grandfather would then buy them and then  ship them by rail to Chicago .  (That is one detail I will need to do some additional verification). 

     Opa is  low German for Grandpa.  My Opa was a large man growing up.  One of 8 brothers, he stood 6 ft  3 and in his prime weighed 240 pounds.        Opa was not yet married when this incident happened.  I supposed he was 19 or 20 yrs old.  A shy hard working farm boy.  It was a Saturday night,  Opa  had to stop at Clarence Heyen’s General store   which would have looked something like this:

  As grandpa recounts it, there were 4 or 5 young men hanging around outside the general store late on Saturday afternoon waiting for a dance to start.  Grandpa told the guys “hi” but all he got were a few grunts.   Grandpa was collecting $ for the Wayne Zion Lutheran Church and needed to talk to Clarence Heyen, owner of the general store.  When he came back out the door a few minutes later, someone hit him from behind, knocking him down, at which point the 4 or 5 young men all piled on.    Ever hear of the phrase…”Don’t mess with the bull or you’ll get the horn”?

    Well, obviously those guys hadn’t either, and you’ll have to read my book On The Trail Of Lyman Dillon   to find out what happens next  to be published upon the completion of my “walkabout” 2008

Post # 14 Field Trip to Dubuque/ More about Tim Fanning

  Saturday November 10th found us heading Northward, back to the Dubuque area as I continue to explore local history.  I’ve been reading Dubuque: Frontier River City  35 historical sketches and have come across a couple of entries pertaining to a Tim Fanning.  That is the same name on the Log Tavern originally located at the beginning of the Old Military Trail in Dubuque.   I wrote about it here

    According to Dubuque: Frontier River City   Tim Fanning was  elected as an alderman,  as well as granted exclusive rights to run a ferry from Dubuque to Illinois.  This agreement with Fanning was for 20 years starting in 1838.    As Iowa experienced a rapid influx of immigrants, Fanning’s ferry could not keep up so the City of Dubuque asked Chas. Gregoire to also run a ferry service.  His was a steam ferry with a capacity 6 times as large as a horse drawn ferry.   Even with that boat in service, they were hard pressed to keep up with the demand.  Fanning sued Gregorie and the suit eventually went all the way to the US Supreme court with Fanning loosing. 

     I’m entertaining having some type of celebration at the bar that is currently situated on Tim Fanning’s original log cabin site  when I finally make it to Dubuque.  It appears to be a 5 story bar currently, with rooms upstairs for rent.

      On a different note, yesterday as we headed to Dubuque to explore we stopped at  Czipar’s Apple  Orchard  located 4 miles South of Dubuque on Hwy 52.  Run by Dick and Joan Czipar, they have 2000 apple trees and are open 7 days a week during Apple season.  Dick gave us a tour of their business.  Very gracious people, would highly recommend them to anyone!  We came home with a couple of bags of apples ourselves, since ours are already gone.

      We stopped by an antique store in down town Dubuque where I found an awesome framed  cross-stitck  for just $10.00.  The frame was weak, so I took it apart and restapled the corners.  As I pulled the cross stitch out from under the glass, was I ever in for a surprise…

       The “cross-stitch” was not a cross stitch after all, but a picture!!!  Boy did I get fooled.  I showed it to some friends the next day, and they couldn’t believe it either.   There was a tag on the front of  it saying  “pic”…duuu…I thought it was the initials of someone consigning it in the store.  live and learn…decided to keep it and hang it up anyway,…there must be a lesson in this somewhere.

     Coming back from Dubuque we got lost (not really, but just a little)  we were taking a different pavement from Farley which I thought would bring us into Cascade the back way.   Didn’t turn when we should have, and wound up North and East of Cascade.  It gave me a very small taste of what it must have been like before there were roads.  People got lost all the time before Old Military Road was created.    We stopped at Marilyn’s in Cascade on the way home.  And that was the end of another day of exploring local history.

Post #13 Reading / Research Continues

I wanted to post a brief update in case you are one of the few people who have been reading/ checking out this blog. We haven’t done any field trips since that last “dry run” I did Sept. 15th.  I have been busy however….I am continuing to read  from the various books I’ve picked up on local history….here is a sampling of some of the stories I’ve come across.

     The “Know Nothings”    Early in Jones county Iowa history, in the Castle Grove township to be exact,  there was a group of locals who called themselves the “know nothings”.  Basically, they were a  group of red necks who were opposed to Catholic Immigrants  moving into the area.  The day before the local Catholic church in Castle Grove was to dedicate their new church building, it was burnt to the ground by this   group.  They called themselves the “know nothings” because when they were arrested they would always say “I know nothing”….I googled the name and sure enough, there is stuff on the internet about them.   You can read more about them here: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0827946.html

     Another incident I came across took place in Iowa City in the 1857.   A certain Philip Clark returned from California after no communication with his wife for 7 years…(Sometimes men would leave for California for the gold rush, leaving behind a wife…they were called “California widows”.  To make a long story short,  Philip Clark did come home, his wife had divorced him….sold the farm, and at this point, things started to get crazy….some of the key players include a hired thug, a whaling captain, a barefoot boy, 2 lynch mobs, a drowning…yep, it has been interesting  to read  of these incidences of local mob violence….

     I ordered a book this week of historical sketches from Dubuque Iowa….still have several pages to digest from the two volume Jones County History….I’m hoping this Winter to catch up on my reading….My next field trip is tentatively headed back to Dubuque to check out the bar that is situated on the Tim Fanning’s log cabin site.  I’m toying around with reserving  some room there for a celebration when  I finally make it to Dubuque  Sept. 2008….