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numbered 1056 men. Company E, of Winneshiek, and Company F, of Fayette, were likewise consolidated, and afterward known as Company K. Capt. Rogers, of Company F, and Lieutenant Green, were relieved of duty, and T. R. Crandall made Captain. H. T. Shumaker, of the original Company F, was made First Lieutenant, and O. J. Clark made Second Lieutenant. Companies D and K were likewise consolidated. The ThirtyFourth participated in the siege of Fort Gains and Fort Morgan, on Mobile Bay, and here it remained until these forts capitulated. The Thirty-Fourth was also present at the charge on Fort Fisher. The regiment was engaged in the last battle of the war, which was the taking of Fort Blakesly, the day before Lee's surrender. In this engagement, in just eighteen minutes, over 1,500 Union soldiers were slain and wounded. The regiment was mustered out of the service at Houston, Texas, but did not disband until it reached Davenport.

COMPANY D, 6TH IOWA CAVALRY.

Company D, Sixth Iowa Cavalry, was the last company donated to the Union cause by Winneshiek County. Although the men composing this company enlisted with the intention and expectation of fighting rebels, they were transferred to other fields of duty-which was even more undesirable that of fighting Indians. The company was mustered into the United States service in February, 1863, with the following officers: Captain-T. W. Burdick.

First Lieutenant-Sherman Page.
Second Lieutenant-Timothy Finn.

Orderly Sergeant-W. H. Fannon.

The United States forces, in which was Company K, had several engagements with the Indians, each time coming out victorious, with great loss to the Indians and small loss to themselves.

CHAPTER VIII.

Record of Events from the First Settlement of Winneshiek County to the Present Time Chronologically Arranged.

This chapter will be devoted largely to a brief review or chronology of prominent events in the history of the county, bringing them down to the present; omitting, however, the records of elections and the officers elected in the county each year, as they are given for each successive year in Chapter V. We also omit some other things of which a regularly yearly record is made in other

chapters, but give a general chronological record of events of special prominence, going into details in matters not already described in other chapters.

The Winnebago Indians, who occupied the territory now embracing Winneshiek County, when the white settlers first came in, and the Sacs and Foxes who precede the Winnebagoes, are sufficienty referred to in previous chapters of this volume. This chapter will take up the record from the time of the incoming of the whites.

In 1840, Fort Atkinson was erected to provide headquarters for the supervision of the Winnebago Indians and to protect them from predatory bands from other tribes. The fort was commenced June 2, 1840. Details of its erection and history are given in the sketch of Fort Atkinson in another chapter.

In June, 1842, Old Mission, about four miles southeast of Fort Atkinson, was established for the education of the Indians.

In 1840 a government teamster froze to death between Joel Post's and Fort Atkinson.

In 1841 Joel Post built the first log house at Postville, just outside of our county limits. This cannot be properly received as the settlement of the county, but is given because of its close contiguity to us.

The first events here briefly recorded, are generally given in more detail elsewhere in preceding or following chapters.

June 6, 1841, the first white child, Mary Jane Tupper, was born at Fort Atkinson.

In 1843, first grist mill, erected by Col. Thomas, of Old Mission. In 1846, Capt. E. V. Summer, afterwards General Summer, who commanded at the fort from the first, left to join the United States Army in the Mexican War, and Capt. James Morgan, of Burlington, succeeded to the command of the infantry, and Capt. John Parker, of Dubuque, to the command of the cavalry.

In 1847, Capt Morgan's company was mustered out, and Capt. Parker given charge of the fort till the Indians were removed in 1848,

In 1847, Gotlob and Gotleib Kruman and others are said to have come and settled near Fort Atkinson. Details are given elsewhere. There seems to be a little doubt about the exact date of their coming.

In 1818 the Winnebago Indians were ordered removed, although some of them strayed back here, and the permanent settlement of the county commenced; for details of which, see earlier chapters and the township histories in succeeding chapters.

Fort Atkinson was abandoned as a military post in 1848, but it remained in charge of the Government until 1853, when it was sold at auction.

1n 1849, first settlement of Decorah by Wm. Day and familya notable event in county history.

Wm. Painter came here in 1849 and commenced running a small grist mill at the present site of the Spring Mill, or Dunning's mill, Decorah.

First settlers at Moneek in July, 1849.

The same year quite a number of other families settled in the county, as will be seen by records in first chapter.

1850.

Settlements were made in what are now Decorah, Bloomfield, Springfield, Glenwood, Canoe, Pleasant, Madison, Frankville and Military townships.

Burr Oak was probably settled at about the same time; for in the fall of 1851, Judge M. V. Burdick visited the place and found where the village of Burr Oak is now located, a hotel, a store and a blacksmith shop.

Judge Burdick also found, in 1850, at the present site of Spillville, Mr. Spillman to be the only settler; while at what is now Twin Springs or Festna, then, there was a saloon.

The same year, 1850, the federal census was taken, showing a population of 570.

First immigration of Norwegians took place this year.

1851.

An act of the Legislature, organizing Winneshiek County, was approved Jan. 15, 1851. It appointed John L. Carson, Organizing Sheriff, to assume duties March 1st.

April 7, Decorah was elected to be the County Seat. [Interesting details of the fight with Moneek are given elsewhere.]

In 1851, the first Post Office in the county, excepting those at Fort Atkinson and Old Mission, was established at Jamestown, in what is now Frankville township, James B. Cutler postmaster. His commission was dated Sept. 15, 1851.

On Oct. 5, 1851, occurred the first marriage in the countyJohannes Evenson to Catharine Helen Anderson.

Aug. 4, 1851, David Reed, who had come to this county in 1848, was chosen County Judge, and held the position till 1855.

Geo. Bachel, first County Sheriff, and other county officers elected, as recorded elsewhere.

Hesper and Highland townships were settled this year.

In Sept., 1851, the first County Court was opened at the log house of Wm. Day, Decorah. There being no business, it adjourned to the first Monday in October, when the first marriage license was granted.

The Heivly water power was improved by Mr. Painter and "Uncle Phillip" Morse, who arrived here in 1851, and built the saw mill, some of the ruins and the race which are to be seen between the present Arlington House and the old stone grist mill. In July the first lawyer came to Decorah.

This year also saw the first mercantile firm in Decorah, Aaron Newell and his partner, named Derrick. They opened their goods in the smoke house on the premises of the Winneshiek House, afterwards removed to a slab shanty, and soon built the first frame building in town-a store known as the Pioneer Store, which has since burned. It stood on the present site of the store of C. N. Goddard, on the southwest corner of Washington and Water Streets.

This same year, 1851, came to Decorah the first minister of the gospel, Elder Bishop, preaching here monthly on a circuit described elsewhere. A few weeks afterwards a Congregational minister, A. M. Eastman, came and established monthly meetings at the log tavern. From these spring the Methodist and Congregational churches of Decorah.

The first mails came to Decorah in June, 1851. C. Day, postmaster, and Lewis Harkins, mail carrier.

1852.

Lincoln Township was settled during this year.

At the April election 180 votes were cast in the county; at the .August election 150.

March 8, 1852, the County Court ordered elections to be held at three precincts; 1st, at the house of Wm. Day, Decorah; 2d, at the house of Francis Rogers, Lewiston, in the southwest part of the county; 3d, at the house of John DeCow, Moneek. For furher and later divisions of the county, see a preceding chapter.

Moneek was surveyed and platted in January, but the plat was not recorded till November.

The Pioneer Store building in Decorah commenced in 1851, was completed in 1852, a public hall, known as Newell's Hall, being in the second story.

In August and September, there was built by Philip Morse, the first frame dwelling in Decorah, the one now occupied by Mr. Bonstell, not far from the Arlington House.

The

The first term of District Court for this county was held in Decorah on Friday, July 9, 1852, Thos. S. Wilson, Judge. first indictment found by the Grand Jury was against Francis Teabout, for gambling; the second against Philander S. Baker, for selling intoxicating liquors; the third was against James T. Moore, for gambling. Each were held to bail to the next term of court in the sum of $100.00.

1853.

The number of votes cast in the county in April, 1853, was 224; and the number steadily increased in successive years, as will be seen by the record elsewhere.

The present city of Decorah was surveyed and platted in August of this year.

The village of Frankville was surveyed and platted in October. This year Ammon & Co. came to Decorah and were the first to add steam power to our water power, finally resulting in their foundry, machine shop, and wagon manufactory.

The government property at Fort Atkinson was this year sold at auction and Mr. Cooney, who was in 1852 appointed to take charge of the old fort and government buildings, found his "occupation gone."

In the winter of 1853-4 the first Bohemian settlers came in and settled not far from Fort Atkinson. To those settlers the present village of Spillville largely owes its existence.

1854.

The village of Freeport was platted in May.

The first building in Calmar was erected this year; and the village of Calmar was platted in November.

The Decorah House was built this year, and also the Tremont House, which was burnt in 1857, and which stood on the site of the present Arlington House, Decorah.

The famous Decorah hotel, the Winneshiek House, was built in 1854-5, and a part of it, rejuvenated and repaired, still remains as our popular hotel of the same name.

1855.

Early this year Ossian was platted as a village, and the plat recorded April 30th.

Decorah, which had become quite a village, received an additional impetus by the Land Office being established here, the office being opened the day before Christmas, 1855. It was removed the following year, but much of the business which it brought remained.

In the winter of 1855-6, there were nine banking houses in Decorah, two of which, the First National and the Winneshiek County Bank, are the outgrowth.

1856.

This year witnessed the famous but unsuccessful fight of the then flourishing and enterprising village of Freeport to take the county seat from Decorah; this contest is told in detail elsewhere.

A county loan of $6,000 was also voted this year to build a Court House at Decorah, the tax to be levied in the years 1857 and 1858.

A special election was also held October 10, and the county voted $100,000 in bonds to aid in the building of the Northwestern Railroad; there being 926 votes cast for the tax, and 505 against it. As the road was not built the county was not burdened with the tax.

The year 1856 also gave the county its first newspaper, the Decorah Chronicle. It was edited and published by a man named

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