East Village, Des Moines

A Brief History

Hope Mitchell

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781625857439
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

East Village was not always the fashionable destination it is today. When the first settlers arrived in 1843 on the muddy banks of the Des Moines River, it was in direct violation of a treaty with the local natives. The settlement grew so quickly that by 1855, the fledgling city had been selected to be the state capital, and the building was constructed in East Village. The next century saw rivalries with the western half of the city, the birth and battle of one of the city's largest red-light districts and the construction of some of Des Moines' most prized historic treasures. Historian Hope Mitchell investigates the people and events that shaped the culture and landscape of Des Moines' most dynamic neighborhood.

Chapter 1

EARLY EAST DES MOINES

On the morning of May 9, 1843, a lone steamer named the Ione chugged slowly up the Des Moines River in search of the ideal site for a new fort. Captain James Allen, the leader of this expedition, was soon on deck shouting orders to his small detachment of troops. Captain Allen was an experienced and determined officer and was widely regarded as a man in possession of sound judgment and excellent military talents. The Sioux Indians who inhabited the area were a constant threat in the newly acquired territory. Government officials worried that the cunning and merciless Sioux would easily overwhelm any incoming settlers and therefore sent in Captain Allen and his detachment of soldiers to establish a fort in the new territory as a measure of protection.²

As the Ione continued to chug upriver, the men came to a point that was then known as the Raccoon Forks, where the Des Moines River intersected with the Raccoon River. Sailing just a little farther north, the ship laid anchor on the western bank of the Des Moines River at the foot of what would someday become Court Avenue. The men quickly began trekking through the muddy riverbank, unloading what little baggage they had carried north with them. More importantly, they also began unloading the military stores and materials that would help them assemble their new fort. Allen instructed the men to begin work building the fort while he headed back downriver with the steamer, promising to return in a month or so with more troops to assist in constructing and manning the fort.³

A month or so later, Captain Allen kept his promise and returned with the remaining troops, and they quickly began work on building the barracks necessary to house all the men. In Captain Allen’s absence, the men had set up camp where Court Avenue now sits, and while life along the river was not always comfortable, the men managed to stay in good spirits. The work was certainly long and hard, but the men kept up a jovial atmosphere around the campsite. Every morning, a beating drum and a loud calling of a bugle echoed from the surrounding hills, signaling the start of the day. The men would groggily rub the sleep from their eyes; they were maybe even invigorated by the balmy healthful air of the countryside, which had yet to feel “the despoiling hand of civilization.” Their days were filled with hard labor building the fort and camaraderie, while at night the sound of their songs and laughter mingled with the constant lull of the rushing river. The fort they constructed extended north along the Des Moines River, with a second portion running parallel to the west, forming a triangular structure that opened out to the north and west and looked over to the eastern bank of the river.⁴

In total, they numbered approximately one hundred men. Their party was made up of two companies: one infantry, commanded by Lieutenants King and Potter, and one cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Greer. With all these able-bodied men, the fort grew quickly from the initial structure. The men quickly set to work constructing several long one-story log structures in what would eventually become the business district of the city. All in all, the soldiers constructed approximately twenty buildings that served as barracks to keep the men warm through the long Iowa winters and stables to house their horses.⁵

It was no mistake that Allen and his crew had chosen to build their fort on the western bank of the Des Moines River. As historian H.B. Turrill recounted in his 1857 history of the city:

The eastern side is not so favorable, by nature for a town site, as the western. The space between the rivers and the adjacent hills is narrower, and a considerable portion of the valley is low and subject, in times of high water, to be partly overflowed. There is a level stretch of ground near the bluffs that is higher, and were it sufficiently extensive would constitute an admirable site for a town.⁶

While all this early development occurred on the west side of the Des Moines River, the construction ultimately drew settlers to the area surrounding the new fort, and in spite of the unfortunate topography on the eastern bank, many incoming settlers made their home in what would ultimately become East Des Moines.

A photo of the eastern bank of the Des Moines River; note the steep grade of the riverbank. DMPL available through a CC-BY License.

Prior to the construction of the fort, a treaty had been signed with the Native Americans in the area that agreed to keep white settlers off the land until October 1845. Unfortunately, the rumors of the fertile land in the Iowa territory proved too tempting for some, and a few settlers did manage to gain permission from the government agents and were able to settle near the newly constructed fort at the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. Many of the settlers brought their families along with them, and soon enough, the fort that had once housed soldiers and their horses began to resemble a quaint little village. Often, these families were able to gain access to the restricted lands because of the services they promised to provide for the residents of the fort. John and W.A. Scott, whose farm was located on the eastern bank of the river approximately where Grand Avenue runs today, not only provided agricultural provisions to the fort but also supplied a ferry service across the river for residents in and surrounding the fort. Like the Scott brothers, farmers William Lamb and Alexander Turner were contracted to supply the fort with hay, grain and various other agricultural products. Likewise, Charles Weatherford served as blacksmith and J.M. Thrift and James Drake worked as gunsmiths for the Native Americans in the area.⁷

With the construction of the fort on the west side of the Des Moines River, many of the incoming settlers took up residence on the east side of the river, making them the original east siders. The inaugural building in what would become East Des Moines was the Agency House; the agency was an extension of the fort and housed a trading post operated by Phelps and Company. After the fort was abandoned a few years later, the Agency House and its surrounding property were acquired by prominent East Des Moines resident Dr. T.K. Brooks. Of all the new settlers to arrive at the fort on the Des Moines River, the Ewing brothers, Washington George, or W.G., and George Washington, known as G.W., were potentially the most noteworthy additions to the newly founded fort. The uniquely named brothers were known as “men of rare energy, shrewdness, and courage.”⁸ The Ewing brothers were Indian traders and set up shop on the east side of the Des Moines River. Aside from operating their trading business, the brothers were credited with constructing the first “regular dwelling house” in Polk County. Like the other original structures surrounding the fort, the house was a “rude log cabin.” Along with the Ewing brothers, several others made their home on the east side of the Des Moines River. The American Fur Company was one such business to set up shop. Just to the east of the American Fur Company, Native American agent Major Beach and interpreter Joseph Smart took up residence, since proximity to the Native Americans and traders was clearly advantageous for both parties. Beach and Smart’s dwelling was near several smith shops operated by the Sturdevant and Drake families, who provided smithing services for the Sac and Fox tribes in the area.⁹

Aside from the soldiers’ arrival on the banks of the Des Moines River on May 9, 1843, the second most exciting day in the written memory of this city might be October 11, 1845. This was the day when the treaty with the neighboring Native American tribes ended and the settlers who had made their way to the fort were finally able to officially stake their claims on up to 320 acres of land. In fact, this night was so highly anticipated that in the weeks leading up to the end of the treaty, the current residents who had gained permission to make their homes around the fort by providing for the soldiers had already begun making arrangements with one another and verbally reserving the most valuable tracts of land for themselves. Some settlers had even gone so far as to actually measure and stake out their claims using temporary markers so as to make it easier to find and quickly mark out their plots of land when the treaty ended at midnight on October 11. Of course, these actions carried no real weight, but they did demonstrate the seriousness of staking claims and worked to heighten anticipation for the end of the treaty.¹⁰

A view of the original Fort Des Moines from the eastern bank. DMPL available through a CCBY License.

As the clock approached midnight on the eve of October 10, 1845, the residents of Fort Des Moines anxiously waited just outside the square-mile perimeter that had been plotted around and reserved for the fort for the signal to begin plotting their claims. Soldiers from the fort were stationed throughout the eager masses with orders to assist settlers by measuring out claims. As the clock struck twelve, a shot sounded from the Agency House on the hill of the eastern bank of the Des Moines River to announce the end of the treaty. In return, shots rang out for miles around in celebration as hundreds of settlers rushed the land to claim their future homes and fortunes. With the moon sinking slowly in the west casting a dim light over the fields, it was possible to watch the bobbing torches of settlers move across the field from the Agency House.¹¹

While the land surrounding the fort on both sides of the river was busy being claimed and developed by the incoming rush of settlers, the fort itself was experiencing the opposite effect. Shortly after the end of the treaty in October, some of the troops were removed from the fort and relocated elsewhere. The remaining troops continued on at the fort until June 1846, when they were also removed. After the removal of the troops, Congress gave the 160 acres belonging to the fort, as well as all the structures on the land, to the recently formed Polk County. Ultimately, the removal of the troops worked to the benefit of the continued development of the community growing around the fort. As the soldiers evacuated the fort, the influx of newly arrived citizens and the new community that developed as a result used the former fort’s barracks to house various public offices for the county.¹²

As the new county continued to grow and develop, the citizens who had made their homes there continued to experience many firsts. The first election in Polk County took place on the first Monday of April 1846 for the purpose of electing county officers. Three polling centers were made available throughout the county: Thomas Mitchell’s place in Camp Creek precinct, J.D. Parmelee’s home located near Allen’s Mill and finally a polling center was placed in a former dragoon house, known as the Point, in the old fort. The first election garnered a total of 175 votes, with 42 votes cast at Mitchell’s home, 63 at the location near Allen’s Mill and 70 votes cast at the fort. This was an impressive turnout for the very first election, as the total number of inhabitants in the county in 1846 was between two and three hundred. Prominent citizens G.B. Clark, W.H. Meacham and T.K. Brooks oversaw the three polling sites. This was quite an honor, considering that both Meacham and Brooks were east siders. Brooks had taken over the Agency House, and Meacham ran a horse-powered sawmill on the eastern bank of the river. Among the county officers elected, both Clark and Meacham were chosen as county officials, with Meacham serving as one of the three appointed county commissioners and Clark elected to the post of county assessor. They were joined by Thomas Mitchell, who was elected as the first sheriff of Polk County; James Phillips as coroner; and Addison Michael as the county collector. These newly elected officials soon made their office in a log cabin on the western bank of the river belonging to the former fort. Even though the citizens of East Des Moines had certainly played a prominent role in the fort’s first official election, it is worth noting that just two months later in June 1846, when the citizens of Fort Des Moines drafted their first town charter, those residing on the eastern bank of the river were excluded.¹³

While the newly elected county officials made their home in the former fort, ready to set about maintaining order across the county, a more developed justice system also made its way to Polk County. The newly formed county fell under the jurisdiction of the Honorable Joseph Williams. On April 2, 1846, Williams took up office near the newly appointed county officials in another log shanty once belonging to the former fort. Williams quickly set about appointing a band of grand jurors composed of twenty-two men. While these men were a self-described “uncouth and barbarous looking set,” they were nonetheless a group of good men who were determined to maintain peace within the county. Judge Williams, who had also been appointed to keep the peace within the county, joked that these men had “clean hearts under dirty shirts; and that in a new county every allowance was to be made for their personal attire and appearance.” Thankfully, their job was quite simple, as there was very little crime within the newly established Polk County.¹⁴

Starting on July 15, 1846, a notice ran for the following three weeks in the Iowa Capital Reporter in Iowa City, the Burlington Hawkeye and the Iowa Democrat in Keosauqua announcing the sale of lots in Fort Des Moines. Many of the lots advertised were along what would become prime real estate in the coming years. For example, lots along Court Avenue were sold for as little as $18, and just ten years later, it was estimated that those same lots had skyrocketed in value up to $5,000. With the sale of these lots, buildings began to rapidly spring up around the Des Moines River. This continued development of the city was fueled by all the natural resources along the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. The heavy timber that lined the rivers provided all the necessary lumber, while the coal and stone beds that lay in the nearby hills also provided opportunity for future development and industry.¹⁵

The sale of these plots took place in Iowa City in 1848, but the purchasing of this land was not nearly as easy as one would expect. The settlers had chosen and held their claims on the basis of pre-emption, which enabled settlers to hold one hundred acres. This land would eventually be surveyed and brought to market, but the settler would have the right to purchase his preempted land at the minimum rate of $1.25 per acre. This was an incredible bargain, given that the land around the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers was covered in valuable timber, rich prairie and rich deposits of stone, coal and other valuable materials. These tracts of land were valued at anywhere from $2.00 to $12.00 an acre. Even though the United States government held ownership of the land until the time of the sale, those who had claimed these tracts of land were considered to be quite fortunate.¹⁶

Unfortunately, it was common knowledge that speculators roamed the land and had taken note of the most valuable acres to be found around Fort Des Moines. Even though settlers had already claimed these tracts of land, the speculators were willing to pay a higher price for these portions of land when they came to market. The settlers who had claimed this land and spent the last several years taming and managing it were obviously enraged by the thought that their hard-earned land might be stolen right from under them. The fear of speculators caused the settlers to view any new passersby in the area with extreme distrust, worrying that their intent might be to steal their claimed land. In order to ensure that these speculators did not steal their land, the settlers around the former fort appointed R.L. Tidrick to act as their agent at the land sales. Along with a corps of armed men instructed to “use any means however forcible and violent,” Tidrick was to make his way to Iowa City carrying all the money allotted for the purchasing of land around Fort Des Moines in order to protect “the rights of the settlers in [that] vicinit...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Early East Des Moines
• 2. Constructing the Capitol
• 3. State Fair
• 4. Red Lights of East Des Moines
• 5. Building Up the East Side Business
• 6. Civic Engagement in East Des Moines
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• About the Author