Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/29



fertility. They brought from distant states and countries habits, customs, religions, prejudices, and virtues of widely separated communities and nationalities. It was through compromising and harmonizing these diverse elements that our first laws were evolved, schools established, and churches organized.

Among the earliest educators and civilizers were the pioneer newspapers which made their appearance soon after the first civil government was extended over the land acquired by treaty with the Indians. The files of the first weekly journal printed on Iowa soil, before it became a separate Territory, bear unmistakable evidence of the spirit of progress which even then characterized the newspaper, long before the advent of regular mails, railroads, or telegraphs. It was the leader in local enterprises, public opinion and the policy of the earliest forms of government. The files of early newspapers, wisely preserved by Theodore S. Parvin, and Chandler Childs of Dubuque, and the State Historical Society of Iowa City, contain much of the current history from 1836 to 1850 that would otherwise have been lost. Many of these ancient Iowa newspapers are now accessible to the public in the fireproof rooms of the Historical Department at Des Moines. While newspaper history is not always reliable, it leads the investigator to the fixing of dates, examination of additional authorities and the resurrection of many forgotten events which might have been lost to the historian.

The “Annals of Iowa,” established in 1863 by the State Historical Society, and now published by the Historical Department, the “Historical Record” of Iowa City, the publication by the State of the valuable papers and addresses of the “Pioneer Lawmakers' Association”—furnished a large amount of material of inestimable value which has been liberally drawn upon in the preparation of this history.

Among the authorities consulted relating to the earliest