Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/480

 settled in Wapello were John Drake, Jacob Minton, John Gilliland, C. McDaniels and William Thomas. Francis Springer was one of the first attorneys. In 1841 Clark and Noffinger established the first newspaper, the Wapello Intelligencer. The first school in the county was taught by John Ferguson.

The county-seat was located on the banks of the Iowa River about eighteen miles from its mouth on the site of an Indian village where the chief Wapello lived many years and is named in his memory. Columbus is a thriving town in the northern part of the county at the junction of Burlington and Cedar Rapids, and the Chicago and Southwestern Railroads. LUCAS COUNTY was created in January, 1846, and at that time embraced a portion of Clarke County but in 1849 was reduced to its present limits. It lies in the second tier north of Missouri and midway between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and contains twelve townships embracing an area of four hundred thirty-two square miles. The county was named for Robert Lucas the first Governor of the Territory of Iowa. In 1846-7, the year of the Mormon exodus through Iowa, several families stopped at Chariton Point near the river of that name in Lucas County, where they built cabins and remained several years. They were the first white settlers in the county. In September, 1847, William McDermott and family made a claim ten miles east of the Chariton River. In March, 1848, Elijah Baldwin and family settled west of McDermott’s and in June, James Rolland located south of them. Before the close of the year there were eight families in the neighborhood. During the following year many families made homes in various parts of the county.

In August, 1849, an election was held and the following officers chosen: William T. May, Jacob Phillips and J. G. Robinson, county commissioners, who proceeded to