Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/387



United States, Acts Establishing the Territories of Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, Constitution of Iowa, Acts of Congress Relating to the Admission of Iowa into the Union, Acts of Congress Relating to Naturalization of Foreigners and other State papers of minor importance—the whole making a volume of six hundred and eighty-five pages, known as the “Code of 1851.”

In the House Journal for 1850-1 was published several documents of historic interest, among which were the following: Decree of the United States Supreme Court settling the boundary controversy between Missouri and Iowa, report of the commissioners who surveyed and established the line with the full field notes, showing the establishment of mile-posts and monuments and a description of the character of the land on each side of the entire route, the streams, surface of the country, varieties of timber, etc. The entire length of the line as established was two hundred and eleven miles and thirty-two chains. There was also published a complete list of the teachers of the public schools of the State for the year 1850, showing the name, age and birthplace of each teacher and the county in which each school was taught. This is probably the only published record ever made of Iowa teachers in pioneer times. In looking over this roll of teachers we find the names of many who became prominent as lawmakers, judges, editors and educators.

The season of 1851 will long be remembered for the vast amount of rain which fell during the spring and summer. The floods began early in May and continued into July. Rain fell in torrents until the sloughs and ravines were filled with water which flowed into the swollen creeks and rivers, carrying fences and bridges away. The roads became almost impassable, the cultivated fields were quagmires, the river bottoms were inundated miles in width.

In a large portion of the State farmers were unable to put in crops, and where they had been planted the floods destroyed them. The low lands became vast lakes, while