Dan Baker takes us back to Lucas County in 1854

This image is a segment of the J.H. Colton & Co. 1855 map of Iowa. The full map is shown at the end of this post. A higher resolution version of the map can be located online by anyone interested.

+++

Daniel M. Baker was a lad of 11 and second-eldest of Walker W. and Eliza Jane Baker's 15 children when the senior members of that vast family rolled into Lucas County during the fall of 1853 and settled on a prairie farm atop the White Breast Creek hills in Whitebreast Township west of Chariton.

Just shy of 20 years later, Dan was named editor of The Chariton Leader, which arose on April 27, 1872,  from the ashes of John V. Faith's Democrat. Mr. Faith, a gentleman of considerable talent but with a cantankerous nature and no humor, had worn out his welcome in Lucas County and headed for Osceola with printing press, cases of type and family in tow.

At some point during The Leader's first two years, Dan wrote the following memoir of his first full year in Lucas County, 1854, his own memories augmented no doubt by stories he had heard from others and a little research. Surviving files of The Leader do not commence until August of 1874, so this little piece would have vanished had a copy of the issue in which it appears not fallen into the hands of a much later Leader editor, who republished the history and a few local items in his edition of April 13, 1922.

Baker remained at the helm of The Leader until April of 1881, when he sold his interest in the newspaper to devote full attention to editing, promoting and writing the local history section of Lucas County's definitive history, dated that year and published by the State Historical Company, Des Moines. Two years later, Dan and his family moved to Santa Ana, California, and he picked up his newspaper career there and earned a reputation as one of southern California's leading print crusaders.

Here's the text of what remains the earliest surviving example of his history-related writing:

+++

As the geologists say, let us give a scenic description of the country at the time we reached it.

The western part of the county was still a wilderness. From the beautiful prairie where we located, we could see, far to the southwest, the cabins of Jacob Burley and the Powers. Away to the west could be seen the little log house of Wm. Quinn, on the county line --- other cabins at intervals occasionally gladdened the eye of the traveler, but were few and far between.

The prairie grass was generally long and heavily matted, and was well calculated to cut out pants and boots in a short time; accordingly, many of the settlers had adopted the novel, yet economical, plan of "foxing" the forepart of their pants with buckskin or bed ticking, which afforded a good protection for them.

Game abounded in great quantities, and the game trails were as numerous then as were the paths and highways traversed by man.

Snakes formed one of the objectionable features of the country, and especially rattlesnakes, which were exceedingly abundant, and it was generally remarked that it was unsafe to start across the prairie without first sending a messenger ahead to snake out the road, which usually meant to kill the venomous portion of the original tempters, so that a moderate degree of safety on the trip could be assured to the cautious traveler. 

Many were the prodigious snake stories repeated to newcomers by the early settlers, who had probably told them so often that they at least believed them themselves. And it was truly amusing to see the huge google eyes of a backwards Hoosier protrude from his head with amazement when some waggish settler would quietly inform him that killing and piling up two cords of snakes before breakfast was considered a fair morning's job, especially if the season was favorable.

Hunting was both a luxury and a necessity; Sunday hunting constituting the luxury. And many are the good, honest and sincere Christians of the present day who piously devote  their Sabbaths now to searching for the ways of peace, who then spent their time just as industriously in hunting for deer on Sunday, and were probably just as successful in their researches then as now.

Chariton was small, but Ed Culbertson had finished up and opened out in good style the hotel now known as the Chariton House (later known as the St. John House, located east of the alley on the south side of the square).

Times were good, and the town and county were completely overrun with strangers in search of land. Gold and silver were abundant. the land office refused to take any other kind of money, hence all the newcomers were careful to provide themselves with a legal tender that moth could not eat and that bore on its face evidence of its worth. Dry goods and groceries were high, everything being hauled from Burlington or Keokuk in wagons at from $1.50 to $2.00 per hundred, the trip occupying from twelve to eighteen days, according to the condition of the roads. (Note: The federal land office serving the southern district of Iowa moved from Fairfield to Chariton during February of 1853.)

The first survey of the B. & M.R.R. (Burlington & Missouri River Railroad) was made in October, 1853, and of course the people felt considerable elated at the happy prospect of so great a blessing (the railroad was not built until 1867).

Emigration continued the whole winter of 1853-54, the roads being in splendid condition and the weather mild. The hardy emigrants could be seen wending their way westward, with stovepipes stuck out at the top of their wagons, as comfortable as could be wished for.

The spring of 1854 was very forward and beautiful, and plowing began in February, while most of the small grain was sowed before March had passed.

The April election, as usual, came around, there being but two officers to elect. Mr. Ed Temple was the democratic candidate for school fund commissioner and Mr. James Hall, candidate for prosecuting attorney, to fill a vacancy, probably --- both were democrats and no opposition was made by the Whigs to their election. They were somewhat disheartened over the previous democratic victories of the August election, and were doubtless gathering strength for the next August contest. Of course, both gentlemen were elected.

Mr. Ed A. Temple still lives in Chariton and occupies the responsible position of cashier of the First National Bank of this place.

Mr. James Hall many years ago removed with his family to the state of Minnesota, where he has since held the responsible position of district judge, and at last accounts was still in that state practicing his profession.

Mr. J.E. McClurg was chosen by the good people of Liberty township as the successor in the justice's chair to Mr. J.B. Custer, who had moved away. McClurg was every way fitted for the position. Of rather a wild and turbulent nature himself, he was peculiarly adapted, from his original ideas of law and legal formalities, to fill the seat of justice with honor to his constituents. He totally disregarded all the simple, little legal technicalities that had hitherto obstructed the pathway of his predecessor and adopted a code of his own. Desiring to make out a deed for a tract of land he gave a description of it by "commencing at Mumford's corner; thence north, east, etc., back to said Mumford's corner." With the assistance of a few plat books, the county surveyor and all the neighbors, the purchaser after some difficulty was enabled to find his land. McClurg, living not far from the Marion county line, was one day called upon by a party residing in Marion to come over and officiate at a marriage ceremony in that county. He promptly responded and with his usual spirit of courtesy and accommodation went over and united the loving souls in the bonds of bliss. Not till it was intimated to him that there was some danger of prosecution being commenced for the offense, did it occur to this modern solon that he had transcended his authority by going out of the county to perform a marriage ceremony. McClurg cooly told them "they could all go to ---- if they didn't like it," and so the affair ended.

Substantial improvements began to appear the present year (1854) throughout the county. A steam sawmill was built at Newbern by Mr. I.C. Cain and others. A man named Shed also put up one on the spot where the brewery now stands and another one was erected near Freedom.

During the summer, Whitebreast township built her first school house; a little log concern situated just north of (what became) the railroad crossing on the old Osceola road a few miles west of town. Mr. Jeremiah Callahan dedicated it by teaching the first school, the writer of these sketches constitutes one of his brilliant subjects upon which to operate during the term.

James Baker, another attorney, located in Chariton during this year; also Honest John Edwards, of national fame, made his appearance in Chariton and was admitted as a practioner at the Lucas county bar at the November term of court.

The tax list of 1854 for county purposes was $2,158; for state, $552; for school, $331, the levy not varying but little from previous years.

Crops were unusually good, and the farmers' corn pens, which were substituted for cribs, groaned beneath their load a grain. With a beautiful fall and serene commencement of winter, the year 1854 quietly disappeared, leaving a memory of its past to be written on the tablets of time.