Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/530

 River south of Sioux City. The Senate passed the bill as introduced but it was amended in the House by striking out “Floyd” and inserting “Wahkaw,” an Indian name.

An act of the Legislature approved January 12, 1853, provided for the organization of the county and selected commissioners to locate the county-seat, the name of which should be Sergeant’s Bluff. A later act of the same Legislature changed the name of the county to Woodbury, and on the 22d of January, 1853, Wahkaw County ceased to exist. WAPELLO COUNTY was created in February, 1843, from territory embraced in the original county of Demoine. It lies in the fourth tier west of the Mississippi River and in the second north of the Missouri State line and contains four hundred thirty-two square miles. The Des Moines River flows through it from the northwest to southeast, dividing it into nearly equal parts. The banks were originally covered with a heavy growth of timber and more than half of the county is underlaid with coal of good quality. The county was named for the Fox chief Wapello, his name signifying “the prince.”

On the 1st of May, 1843, the lands of this county were opened to settlement and several hundred persons who had camped along the western border of Jefferson hastened in to take claims. Many conflicts arose over the hastily made boundary lines which were usually settled peaceably by the claim committees chosen by the settlers for the purpose of deciding such contests.

The first election was held in April, 1844, at which the following county officers were chosen: J. M. Montgomery, L. E. Temple and C. T. Harrow, commissioners; P. C. Jeffries, probate judge; Joseph Haynes, sheriff; Thomas Foster, treasurer; M. J. Spurlock, recorder; Charles Overman, clerk; and Hugh George, surveyor. The commissioners chosen to locate the county-seat selected the