"An Interesting Early History of Decatur County"by Mrs. O.N. Kellogg |
| Chapter Four GARDEN GROVE AN OASIS-ARTILLERY GROVE-GRAVE HOLLOW-DR. ROBERTS INDUCES IMMIGRATION OF PERMANENT SETTLERS-SNOWED IN |
| The first settlers who came to Decatur County and settled north of
the line claimed by Missouri as the state line, arrived at Garden Grove,
October 18, 1846. This beautiful grove of timber extending out upon the
high ground from Weldon fork of Grand River, was a lovely sheltered spot
and appeared tot he Mormon refugees as an oasis in a desert. The name
embodies their appreciation of it. At the date above mentioned there
were two approaches to this place, neither of which was very direct, one
through Missouri passing through Artillery Grove in the edge of Wayne
County-long an important land mark in navigating the almost unbroken sea
of prairie-the other through the second tier of counties passing through
a fearful gorge named Grave Hollow deriving its name from a circumstance
which illustrates the hazards through which the pioneer was obliged to
pass, it being the last resting place of a Mormon woman who was killed
in making a descent of the hill. Artillery Grove was the camping ground of the authorities of the Mormon Church who were accompanied by some of the pomp and circumstance of war-hence the name. As has been clearly set forth by the document kindly furnished me by the church historian, the Mormons never intended any thing more than a temporary residence in Decatur County. In some instances two or three families together came with one little pair of steers or heifers to pull a light wagon with a few things they had fled with in their haste and affright. They could not possibly proceed further until they had time to recuperate and raise more cattle. Until 1849, when the State Line was permanently located, the settlers in the south part of the county were for all practical purposes citizens of Missouri. Harvey Duncan represented this county in the legislature of Missouri and afterwards in the Iowa Legislature of the same domicile; consequently it appears that the first immigrants who came to Decatur County seeking home and expecting to settle here and labor to develop the county came in 1848 as above stated. They were eighteen in number: William and Ruth Davis and five children; Enos and Mary Davis and little daughter Amasa; and Asabel Davis and John S. Brown-young men; my husband, Ozra N. Kellogg, myself and our three little boys. We were influenced to come here, passing over millions of acres of as beautiful land as the eye ever rested upon, then equally open to settlement, by the glowing description of the advantages which this county possessed which were made by brother-in-law Dr. Daniel Roberts. He visited us and made the acquaintance of several of our neighbors near White Pidgeon, Michigan, in the fall of 1846, and being of great ability-brimful of wit, humor and anecdote, he acquired a prestige which was afterwards well supplemented by his letters. In these he displayed a comprehensive and far-seeing wisdom, which overlooked all minor annoyances and inconveniences. For instance, he set forth the fact that this region of country, though only moderately undulating, is really the highest land between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The Chariton River rises here and flows southward; also the Weldon and the Thompson forks of France River, while the White-breast and Three Rivers rising not far from her flow northward to the Des Moines. From these premises he argued that this must always be an exceptionally healthy country, and being well timbered as well as well watered, it could not fail to attract immigration. He failed not to mention also the Nishnabotna, between here and the Missouri River, a stream in the open prairie of such surprising dimensions as the be perfectly startled to the unsuspecting traveler. This stream was abundantly supplied with fish and the Mormons in their frequent trips to and from the Bluffs availed themselves of the circumstance to vary their diet. When, to the natural advantages of the country, was added the crowning one of cheap improvements, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the doctor anticipated for his friends a future of successful achievement. True, they had to go forty miles to mail or receive a letter, Princeton, Mercer County, Missouri, being the nearest post-office, and for three months the first winter they were effectually isolated from the world as if they had been inhabitants of another planet. But what did it matter? There was plenty to eat and the river furnished abundance of water and every family had a barrel set on a crotched limb for a sled, and if they had not team there were plenty of boys who would haul it for a trifle. Besides, there was snow that winter three feet deep on a level and all good housekeepers know that melted snow is the best of water. There were no wells of living water in the neighborhood, although some had been dug and walled up with wood split out in short slabs and held together with wooden pine. These wells served a useful purpose to keep water cool in after it was brought from the creek and in default of cellars were useful to keep butter, cream, fresh meat, etc. in, but as a general rule in a prairie country no one expects to have a good well by digging in timberland, whereas on the prairie, water is easily possessed in abundance, and of excellent quality. There were among the Mormons some mighty hunters who supplied us with turkeys at from twenty to twenty-five cents, according to size, and prairie chickens five cents apiece. We made butter to sell at ten cents per pound and had wheaten bread unbolted, buckwheat also, as well as corn meal. It seemed odd to have no fine flour for cake or pie crust but we sifted it, and it answered very well. The horse-power mill owned by the Mormons was a great convenience that winter, for without it we would have been obliged to boil our wheat and parch our corn; or, as a settlement northeast of us did, soak the corn, then grate it. The snow was so deep that it was as impossible to travel over the prairie as it would be to mount upward to the skies. The wind blowing the sloughs and hollows full of snow, they presented a smooth surface, when in fact, the adventurer, deceived by appearances, would soon find himself floundering in ten, fifteen, or twenty feet of snow with his horse atop of him. However, it was lively enough in Garden Grove. The young people were out sleigh-riding almost every evening and as the boys drove good horses, they made the bells jingle right merrily. They kept the road open from the south side of their improvement, where Mr. Van Buren lived who had a daughter, Mary, and over the north side where some young folks, thence to the creek, making a circuit of about three miles. |
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