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to be found on the pages of history and the most pathetic which has been wrought by the stern vicissitudes of time.

The Des Moines River furnishes an exception to the rule, as it is of French rather than Indian origin. For a time it was thought that the word Des Moines was an Indian word, but this theory is no longer held by anyone who has taken any pains to look up its etymology.

According to Nicollet the name Des Moines, which has been attached to the largest river, one of the first counties organized and the capital of the State, is a corruption of an Indian word signifying "at the road." He remarks, "but in the later times the inhabitants associated this name (Revere des Moins) with that of the Trappist Monks (Moines de la Trappe) who resided on the Indian mounds of the American Bottom. It was then concluded that the true reading of the Revere Des Moins was Revere Des Moines or River of the Monks, by which name it is designated on all the maps."

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The older settlers have doubtless noticed quite a change in the spelling of this name in later years, the approved way of spelling in former times having been Demoin.

From an article written by Judge Negus, of Fairfield, published in the Annals of Iowa, some ten years since, entitled "The River of the Mounds," we make the following extracts. We devote considerable space to this subject as it certainly deserves more than a passing notice. The Des Moines River is not only the chief river of the county but of the State, and there is no citizen of Marion county but will be interested in its history:

"Nearly every State has some one particular river which especially attracts the attention of its citizens; on which their minds delight to dwell; about which they bestow their praise. Iowa has the beautiful river Des Moines, on which her citizens delight to bestow their eulogies. More has been said, done and thought about this river than all the other rivers in the State. In beauty of native scenery, in productiveness of soil, in mineral wealth, and in the many things that attract attention and add to the comfort of man, the valley of the Des Moines is not surpassed by any locality in the world.

"The banks of this great water-course and the surrounding country bear the marks of having been the home of a numerous people, centuries in the past, and that the people were possessed of many of the arts of civilized life. But of what race of people they were, and of the acts and scenes which have taken place in this beautiful valley we may imagine, but probably never know. Of their habits and customs they have left some marks; but still there is wrapped around these evidences of their doing a mystery that is hard to solve.

The writer then proceeds to give an account of the first discovery of the river by Europeans:

"About sixty leagues below the mouth of the Wisconsin, on the west bank of the Mississippi, for the first time they (Marquette and Joliet) discovered the signs of human beings. There they found in the sand footprints of a man. Following these tracks they discovered a trail leading across the beautiful prairie and leaving their boats in the care of their companions, themselves alone pursued the unknown path, to ascertain whose feet had made it. After walking about six miles they discovered an Indian village on the bank of a beautiful river, and three other villages on a slope at the distance of a mile and a half from the first. This stream

was what is now known as the crystal waters of the river Des Moines, which at that time was called by the natives Mon-in-gou-e-na or Moingona." The writer then proceeds to speak of the mounds:

"These works bear the marks of great age and from facts gathered concerning them we may deduce an age for most of these monuments of not less than two thousand years. But by whom built and whether their authors migrated to remote lands under the combined attractions of a more fertile soil and a more congenial clime, or whether they disappeared before the victorious arms of an alien race, or were swept out of existence by some direful epidemic, or universal famine, are questions probably beyond the power of human invention to answer. These mounds are numerous in Iowa, and especially in the region of the river Des Moines and the lower rapids of the Mississippi.

"In Wapello county there is a chain of mounds, commencing near the mouth of Sugar Creek, and extending twelve miles to the northwest, at a distance between reaching as far as two miles. The one nearest to the Des Moines River is one hundred and forty feet in circumference, and is situated on an eminence, the highest point in the vicinity. The second mound lies directly north of the first, at a distance of about one-fourth of a mile. This mound is two hundred and twenty-six feet in circumference. In May, 1874, a party made an examination of the larger mound, and upon digging into the center of it they found a ledge of stones at the depth of four feet, which bore all the marks of having passed through the fire. They also found a mass of charcoal, a bed of ashes and calcined human bones."

Cedar Creek is a small tributary of the Des Moines, flowing into the latter stream below Ottumwa. Speaking of a bluff on this creek the writer

says:

"At the first settlement of the country, the bluff on the north side, from the bank of the creek, for some thirty feet or more high, was nearly perpendicular and mostly composed of a solid sandstone, and then for several feet more, gently sloping back was earth and rock. This location must have been a place of attraction and visited by those who had some knowledge of the arts of civilization, long before Iowa was permitted to be settled by the whites, for when this place was first seen by the early settlers of the country, at a point on this bluff most difficult of access, near the top, there was discovered, bedded in, and firmly bolted on to the solid sandrock, an iron cross, the shaft of which was about three feet and the crossbar eighteen inches long. A short distance from this place, a little northeast, on the summit of a high ridge, there is a series of mounds which give evidence of having been built by human hands many years in the past." The writer then proceeds to speak of some mounds located on one of the chief tributaries of the Des Moines.

"Sac City, the county seat of Sac county is situated on a beautiful bend of the Raccoon River. Within the limits of this town there are found eight mounds, arranged in a general direction from northeast to southwest, but without regular order, the distance between the extremeties in that direction, being a little less than eight hundred feet, and in the transverse direction less than one hundred feet. Two of the mounds are elliptical in shape, and the others are circular. The two elliptical ones are located farthest north; one of them is ninety feet in diameter east and west, thirty feet north and south, and two feet high. The circular mounds range from sixty to eighty feet in diameter and from two to six feet high. These

mounds have been dug into, but no human bones or works of art have been discovered."

Mr. Negus says further, that he had understood that mounds abound along the whole valley of the Des Moines but that he has been unable to gain any authentic information with regard to any except those specified. Had he taken the necessary steps to find out, he would have ascertained the fact that within the bounds of Marion and Polk counties there were originally numerous vestiges of this prehistoric race and that especially in the county north of Polk there were quite a number.

A remarkable chain of bluffs or hills, called Mineral Ridge, extends the entire width of the north side of Boone county. The surveyors declared that the ridge contained deposits of iron from the fact that their compass needles were deflected when running lines in that locality. This is the reason why the elevations were called Mineral Ridge.

An old record says:

"Opposite to Honey Creek in section 18, township 84, range 26, is a row of ancient mounds, nine in number, the largest one being in the center and over fifteen feet high."

There is a township in that county called Pilot Mound, which takes its name from an elevation just across the Des Moines River, and the early settlers were so impressed by the peculiar appearance of the mound that they held it in great veneration.

An old record says:

"A great battle was once fought by the Indians near Pilot Mound, one of the elevations of Mineral Ridge, on the east side of the river in this county. Keokuk commanded the Sacs and Foxes, and Little Crow cominanded the Sioux. This battle must have been fought sometime prior to the Black Hawk War. The bones of the slain were frequently plowed up by the early settlers in the vicinity of Pilot Mound, and a number of skele tons have been exhumed from the top of the mound. Keokuk is said to have been victorious. Several hundred warriors were engaged on either side."

The fact is still further confirmed by investigation at an early day, by Col. L. W. Babbitt, one of the first settlers of Marion county.

The first white man who resided in the present limits of Boone county was Col. L. W. Babbitt. He had been for a number of years commanding a detachment of United States dragoons, and while serving in that capacity had frequently crossed the country. During these excursions from Fort Des Moines to the vicinity of Fort Dodge, he was struck by the beautiful scenery and natural resources of the country lying along the Des Moines river. He had also noted what he regarded as a particularly favored point just above the present site of Moingona, formerly familiarly known as Noah's Bottom, but more recently called Rose's Bottom. At this place he had discovered the remains of a former village. The character of these remnants of human habitation convinced him that the people who had previously dwelt there were not representatives of the Sioux, Pottawattamies, Sac and Fox Indians, nor yet of any tribe or tribes of savages known to the civilized world. The dwellings were of a more permanent character, and the tools used in their erection were evidently of a better quality and a more approved model than the Indians referred to had been known to possess. There were also found the remains of cooking utensils, which the

savages were not accustomed to use and other unmistakable evidences of a prehistoric civilization.

It was probably in part due to desire to investigate these remains of the former village, and partly due to the fact that the surroundings were of such a nature as to make this location a desirable winter quarters that Col. Babbitt, on retiring from the United States service, determined to locate at this point. He arrived there in the autumn of 1843, and erected temporary quarters in which he and his attendants could comfortably pass the winter. Provisions were readily procured at points further down the river, and by reason of his familiarity with the country he had a comparatively easy and covenient communication with the white people who had located in the older settled country to the south and east. Then, too, the country for miles in every direction being entirely new, and many parts of it scarcely if ever before having echoed to the sound of that great instrument of civ ilization, the rifle, game of all kinds was abundant, of the best quality, and easily obtained. Fish were easily caught in great numbers, and the choicest of fur-bearing animals were numerous. Added to this the further fact that the Colonel had for many years spent his time on the frontier, and by reason of many a solitary march and lonely camp in the solitudes of the wilderness, had accustomed himself to being shut off from the conveniences and luxuries of civilized society, he doubtless found his temporary home in Noah's Bottom a very pleasant and enjoyable one. In regard to the remains of the former habitations already referred to, Col. Babbitt, on careful examination and mature deliberation, came to the conclusion that they had constituted the dwellings of a band of half-breeds who were known to have dwelt along the shores of the upper Des Moines in very early days. These half-breeds were a cross between the French and Sioux, and by reason of their relationship with the Sioux were allowed to remain in that region long before it would have been safe for any white people to dwell there. These people, half French and half Indian, were frequently referred to in the Indian traditions; at one time they were quite numerous along the upper Des Moines, and it was probably they who gave the name to the river. Authority has already been cited for the statement that the word Des Moines is a corruption of the French phrase Rivere des Moines, meaning "river of the mounds."

From what is known of these Indian half-breeds it is certain that they had nothing to do with the mound-building no matter what may have been their connection with the village whose remains were noticed and studied by Colonel Babbitt.

A former publication says that "fifteen mounds, the work of a prehistoric race, dotted the surface of the original site of Fort Des Moines. One of these ancient relics stood where Moore's Opera-house now stands, on the summit of which was erected the old residence of W. W. Moore. Another one stood on the site of the court-house and others were scattered about in different localities. They are supposed to be the places where the dead of antiquity were buried as bones have frequently been exhumed from them. The curious reader in search of more minute particulars is referred to a very interesting treatise on the Prehistoric Races written by J. W. Fos

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ter."

In the concluding paragraph of the article entitled "The River of Mounds " Mr. Negus draws the following conclusions:

"From the fact that there were a great many mounds in the valley of

the river of Des Moines and above the lower rapids of the Mississppi, it is reasonable to suppose that the Indian name of Moingona was abandoned and that this river was designated by the French as the river Des Moines, which means the river of the mounds."

It will be remembered that a large part of the country through which the Des Moines River flows was a part of the Louisiana purchase and as such belonged to the French prior to April 30, 1802. The locality attracted the attention of the French and Spanish traders at a very early day and was probably visited by them long prior to its settlement by the English.

The full, accurate and precise history of the Des Moines River navigation has never been written, and probably never can be. The writer who would undertake the task, would, in the very beginning, be met by that problem of the Des Moines River navigation improvement, which seems to have thoroughly bewildered every one who ever attempted to write on the subject. If there be any one living who fully understands just what the improvement company was, what it did and the compensation received and the benefits accruing to the State, he has never spoken, or having spo ken his words have not been preserved and transmitted. Certain it is tha neither the National Congress nor State Legislature understood the problem.

Without the aid of locks or dams, however, boats came up the river as far as Des Moines, as early as 1843 and continued to make occasional trips till 1858. It is said one boat went up as far as Fort Dodge. This matter will be treated elsewhere.

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Skunk River-The next river in size and importance in the county is the Skunk. The name came from the Indian word Checauqua, which means Skunk, and it was an exhibition of very bad taste on the part of the early settlers in translating it. This detestable custom of dropping the pleasant sounding Indian name and the substitution of one which is unpleasant to the ear and repulsive to the eye may possibly be regarded as an evidence of the etymological researches of the pioneers and as such is creditable to them; but it is more creditable to their industry than to their good taste. There is nothing romantic or poetical about the name Skunk, but those who think lightly of the river on that account should remember that the Garden City of the West derives its origin from no better source. cago and Chicauqua are slightly different pronunciations of an Indian word that means the same thing. Skunk River proper is formed by the junction of two streams called, respectively, North and South Skunk, the point of confluence being in the southeastern part of Keokuk county, about four miles from the county line. After leaving Keokuk county it flows through the southwestern corner of Washington, thence through Henry forming the boundary line between Des Moines and Lee, and empties into the Mississippi some twenty miles above the mouth of the Des Moines. The stream which passes through Marion county is the main or south fork and rises in Hamilton county. That portion of the stream which lies in Marion county is some seven miles in length and flows in a southeastern direction. The bed of the stream is sandy and some rock is found therein. The current in the main is very sluggish, though in some places the fall is sufficient to afford good water-power. The slope of that part of the channel which lies in Marion county averages between three and four feet per mile. At some points the land slopes gradually away from the stream, thus permitting

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