The trials and privations of the early settlers were innumerable; but those who came here were of a class to face discomfort bravely and defy the adverse fate which seemed to encompass them. Comfort and happiness is always comparative. For example, the descendants of the pioneers feel irritated to-day if, through some accident, the prompt delivery of the daily mail is rendered impossible. In those earlier days, the mails were almost unheard-of luxuries. Weeks would frequently elapse before a letter could reach its destination after it was posted; and even in Marion, in 1839-40, it was no uncommon thing for a letter to remain in the post office for several weeks after its arrival, because of the charges thereon. It then cost 25 cents to transport a letter from the nearest office to the county seat of this county, and few of the settlers had spare quarters to devote to such uses. Everything in the way of business was conducted on the "dicker" plan, and Uncle Sam did not recognize deer skins or corn as legal tender. Mr. Addison Daniels was the first Postmaster, and many a cordial word is still spoken of him for the favors he so frequently conferred on early settlers. Such kindness is never forgotten. Lawyers rode the circuit in company with the Judges, and turned an honest penny by a much more laborious system of professional work than our present legal gentlemen could endure with good grace. The early bar of Linn was one of the best in the district, but traveling practitioners frequently came to this county. The social world was primitive, but enjoyable in spite of the lack of buttonhole bouquets and croquet. The fair sex were willing to "sit up" with the gallants who came in uncouth attire and leaned their rifles in the corner of the one room before making their formal addresses. The topics of conversation were different from those of to-day, but men found phrases in which to tell their willing listeners the old though never wearisome tale of love. Marriages were solemnized in simple form, and happy homes built up on the broad prairies. The children's children now visit the scene where grandfather performed his marvelous deeds of marksmanship, and grandmother toiled long but cheerfully for the protection and improvement of her family. There are memories clustering about the old homesteads that make them sacred in the eyes of all who are related to the pioneers. From more than one of those whose simple stories go to form this volume comes the earnest testimony that the old days were good days, despite the absence of latter-time necessaries. The recital of these narratives proves that happiness is comparative, and that the training in younger years prepares one for the channel in which one's measure of contentment is full. To the youth of this generation the labor incident to pioneer life seems appalling; but it is the verdict of those whose heads are white with honorable years, that the burdens of 1840 were less onerous to them than many of the social restrictions are now. ance. "We enjoyed ourselves a hundred times better then than folks do now," said one cordial representative of the county, and he was sincere in his utter"We did not always have a supply of delicacies, but we had enough to eat. When meat was wanted, all we had to do was to step out in the edges of the grove and shoot a deer. Sometimes we ran out of flour, and then we ate potatoes, or pounded corn in a home-made wooden mortar with an iron wedge. fastened in a long stick. We used to grind corn in coffee mills until our arms ached. For coffee we used browned corn, and for tea we steeped up such herbs as we could gather in our fields. We seldom went hungry, for there was no need of that while shooting was plenty. Prairie chickens were to be had without limit, and larger game ran by our cabins constantly." The ride over the trackless prairie, which had to be accomplished before the "claim" of the new-comers was reached, would to-day kill the average citybred woman. But the mothers and daughters of the precursors of Iowa's farmer-capitalists were built of sterner stuff. They endured the slow transportation with remarkable fortitude of body and spirit. It is no weak sentiment to accredit those women with attributes of a noble nature, for surely they possessed them. The manner of speaking solely of the men who came first is far too customary. Women came as well as men, and women figure in the creation of this State co-equal in all respects with the stronger sex. The loyalty to country, the devotion to principle, the heroism in the presence of danger, manifested by Iowa sons during the rebellion, show that Iowa mothers were made after a grand model. Mr. Horace N. Brown relates that it was customary in those days of which we write, to accept whatever was of value in the way of "dicker," in lieu of cash, for taxes as well as for private dues. At the age of 21 years, Mr. Brown was elected Justice of the Peace, and was retained in office for a considerable period of time. In 1845, he took charge of the finances of the county, at the will of the people, and was compelled to travel extensively in the labor of collecting the assessments. The law provided that, in default of payment by a certain time, the Treasurer should visit the delinquents and urge prompt settlement. Money at those times was as scarce as angels' visits, and every possible expedient was resorted to to create a circulating medium. Among the methods adopted was that of hunting the prairie and gray wolf and obtaining its scalp, for the presentation of which a reward or bounty was offered by the County Commissioners. A common wolf was valued at $1.00 for the young and $2.00 for the old; while the gray wolf, from its more dangerous character, naturally rated higher, and commanded $2.00 and $5.00 respectively. A certificate of the death of the wolf at the hands of the applicant for bounty, and within the limits of the county, was required. Such certificates Mr. Brown, as Justice of the Peace, was empowered to issue; and when the taxpayers could not raise money for their assessments, he would swear the property-holder, according to law, and accept wolf scalps, at the values named. For many years, a large share of the taxes of Benton County, then a part of this county for legal purposes, was paid in wolf scalps. This system of payment aided the settlers very materially, but it did not fill the treasury of the county to an overpowering degree. THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. But four decades have passed since the Indians celebrated the "Dog Feast," by the side of the Mosk-wah-wak-wah and exercised high dominion over the broad prairies and shady groves. In the presence of men still living in the vigor of advanced manhood, the solemn festival was observed, with such wierd and fantastic accompaniments as to impress the scene in lasting lines upon the tablets of memory. Here, too, the youthful brave was laid to rest, while his soul took flight toward the happy hunting ground, amid the lamentations of his tribe. Still less is the period of time which marks the disappearance of the last painted band of warriors on their forced march westward, while the setting sun -typical of the waning glory of their race-threw grotesque shadows of their train on the crude farms of the venturesome white man. Brief indeed have been the days between the era of savagery and the era of civilization. But short as that intervening space has been, it was ample for the sowing of seeds which will, beyond peradventure, bear marvelous fruitage. The hand of intelligent man was laid upon this region, as it were, but yesterday. To-day one beholds the finest farms, the best tilled acres, the richest orchards, the most substantial buildings and the newest implements of husbandry that can be met with throughout the length and breadth of "Beautiful Iowa.' Where once the fierce blasts of Winter howled with unceasing monotony over unobstructed plains, the dense grove now stands a barrier between man and the elements, in silent protest against the forces of the air. Where once the single camp fire of the lonely hunter wreathed its slender spire of smoke, as he reposed, solitary and silent, near the beaten path of the deer, there now ascend the choking fumes of many furnaces, as they glow and grumble in the busy centers of manufacture. Where once the Indian hunter carved his rude arrows by the river bank, now whirl the wheels of mammoth factories. Where once the deer-slayer leveled his deadly rifle at his noble game, there stands today an industry fourth of its kind in magnitude in all the wide world. Churches and school houses, those edifices which proclaim the moral development of a country, and represent the two greatest factors in the problem of civilization, dot the prairie on every hand. At the centers of trade these institutions stand, eloquent evidences of the intelligence of the populace, and point to a still grander outcome. Wealth has succeeded poverty, and privation has given way to comfort. The children of the pioneers have grown up surrounded by refining influences, and bear the stamp of training in a broader school than their parents were privileged to attend. Books and music have their appropriate place in the farm houses of Linn, and social intercourse is no longer restricted to the range of oxcart communication. The finest horses, the choicest animals and the largest herds graze in rich pasture lands. It is no longer necessary to "turn the cattle into the big lot," as a pioneer expressed his early method of caring for his patient oxen. Fences mark the boundaries of farms and subdivisions of farms. As year succeeds year, the flocks increase in number and condition, and the markets of the East find profit in choosing the cattle from Linn's thousand hillocks. The dairies of the county supply the choicest table butter and cheese, and rank in size and excellence among the foremost of the West. Vil Railroads stretch in various directions across the county, affording facilities. for transportation that were so much desired a quarter of a century ago. lages have sprung up upon these lines of traffic, and added to the market value of the lands in their vicinity. Timber, which was so highly prized when first the region was sought out, now ranks far below the open prairie lands in point of value. Modern inventive genius has found a way to meet the requirements of the day for fences, and coal is rapidly becoming an article of general use as fuel. Hence it is found that groves are prized more for the sake of their protective qualities, than for the intrinsic worth of their products. Where formerly the settlers were compelled to traverse the country for flour and provisions, consuming days in the tedious journey, are now busy mills, which supply the local needs of the communities. Great jobbing houses in Cedar Rapids satisfy not merely the demands of county retailers, but send their agents throughout the Northwest, and extend their trade circles to remote sections of the country. At the metropolis of the county the superb water power is improved by enterprising men, and manfacturing business is conducted on a large and profitable scale. It is no longer necessary to rely upon the uncertain visits of friends to a distant post office for infrequent mails, for the system of postal delivery reaches to the farthest limits of the country, and the rapid transit of news matter is an established affair, accepted without surprise or even a second thought. Slow wagon trains of immigrants are seen no more, unless it be in the case of those who form the floating element of society. In such exceptional instances, the sight of the jaded teams provokes comments of pity from all beholders. Thirty years ago, there were few papers received by the settlers, and these few came from other and older localities, while now the press of Linn ranks high among the uncounted host of publications. Daily and weekly issues are scattered broadcast over the region, carrying news from the Earth's four quarters, and enabling the pioneers, even, to read the transactions of Church and State simultaneously with the denizens of the great cities of the nation. The telegraphic wires bring to their doors tidings from commercial marts, and tell them when and how best to dispose of the enormous products of factory and farm. Banking institutions of solid worth exist, and monetary matters are conducted on as large a scale as in many an Eastern city. Social clubs and amusement societies relieve the routine of business after the approved methods of cosmopolitans. Secret societies flourish, and celebrate their mystic rites in richly-appointed lodge rooms, and hold honored rank among the general bodies of their respective crafts. The social world is as brilliant in its state and cultured in its character as that which graces the salons of the capitals of the East. Wealth and refinement are evidenced in the bearing of the people. The honest housewife of the olden times may look with distrust upon the grander display at civil ceremonies, but cannot stay the tide as it sets toward the obliteration of simple habits. There may be much truth in the often-repeated assurance that "girls were worth more in the early days" if the estimate of excellence is based upon physical prowess and domestic "faculty;" but it must be remembered that each generation plays its separate part in the drama of life. As the poet writes of individuals, * * * "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players, so is society constructed upon a plan that places each succeeding division in a role different from that which preceded it. The standard by which to measure woman's might to-day is not that which tests her qualities as a pioneer, but, rather, that which proves the use she has made of the advantages of the present. It would be as just to condemn the young man of to-day because he is not drilled in woodcraft and able to read the marks of Nature like the red man. The fathers who paved the way for the introduction of modern ideas needed, perforce, to know the signs by which the Indian chief governed the warriors of his band; but those symbols are obsolete now, and would lumber the mind with useless information. The man whose genius introduced the principles of mechanics in the working of farms signed the last pages of the first volume of the history of the pioneers, and inaugurated a new era from which the present power of man must be calculated. The farmer who tills a thousand acres now is surely no weaker than he whose limit was a hundred in the "good old days." "good old days." Yet the muscular development has not increased during the half century past. It is mind, not matter, which governs, and the tendency of this age, which is truly termed the mechanical, is to produce maximum results from minimum forces. The laborious method of planting and harvesting by hand has given way to the more praiseworthy plan of employing mechanical devices in the work. Linn County ranks her neighboring counties in just the degree that the intelligence of her people has progressed. The end is far away, for the improvements over the original settlement are insignificant compared with the capabilities of her men and the possibilities of her resources. Nature has lavished unbounded wealth upon her, and it remains for man to extract it from the earth. The farms are inexhaustible in productive qualities, if rightly cultivated. The rivers within the reach of manufacturers are, as yet, barely employed. The future promises much more marked changes in every branch of trade and commerce, and there remains for man a glorious harvest of results. The farming interest is not the only one which will be forced with greater activity in the progress of events. Cedar Rapids has already reached a point where retrogression appears to be impossible. Certainly it is so if the spirit of improvement which now prevails does not flag. It is within the grasp of man to secure for Linn County the largest and most thriving inland city in the State, with possibly one exception. If this does not prove a true prediction, the blame will belong to those who have now the opportunity to accomplish it, and no sane man feels disposed to doubt the substantiality of the leading citizens of the "Valley City." Beautiful for situation, rich in material wealth, peopled by energetic men, and abounding in an atmosphere of heathful mental vigor, the county of Linn is destined to become a leading county in the Northwest, as it is to-day a leading county in the State. The responsible duty of developing it is intrusted to good men and true, and the dawn of the nineteenth century will behold in this lovely region a source of constant pride. ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. The establishment of Linn County antedates the creation of the independent organization of Iowa. While this vast and fertile region was yet a part of the Governmental Territory of Wisconsin, a bill was passed by the Legislature, at its second session, which began November, 1837, defining the geographical boundaries of this county. The name was chosen in honor of the distinguished Senator from Missouri, Hon. Lewis F. Linn, who served in the United States Senate from 1833 to 1843. The Territory of Iowa was created by act of Congress, approved June 12, 1838. Among the bills passed at the first session of the Legislature of 1838–9 was the following, which is: AN ACT to organize the County of Linn, and establish the Seat of Justice thereof. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Iowa, That the county of Linn be and the same is hereby organized from and after the 10th June next, and the inhabitants of said county be entitled to all the rights and privileges to which, by law, the inhabitants of other organized counties of this Territory are entitled, and the said county shall be a part of the Third Judicial District, and the District Court shall be held at the seat of justice of said county, or such other place as may be provided until the seat of justice is established. SEC. 2. That Richard Knott, Lyman Dillon and Benjamin Nye be and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to locate the seat of justice in said county, and shall meet at the house of William Abbe, on the first Monday of March next, in said county, and shall proceed forthwith to examine and locate a suitable place for the seat of justice of said county, having particular reference to the convenience of the county and healthfulness of the location. D |