History -- teaches from experience, and its teachings are always beneficial to a
generation that will heed them -- either as an inspiration or as a warning.

Mrs. Zeruiah Post, the Mother of Postville, was born in the State of New York. She married Joel Post, and in 1838 they headed westward and ended with the coming down the Wisconsin River in a canoe. In 1840 they took charge of the Half-Way House on the Military Road between Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien and Fort Atkinson. This fort being built for the protection of the Winnebago Indians from the Musquaka and Sioux tribes and where they might receive their supplies from their Great White Father -- Government in Washington.

Many of the following excerpts are taken from the old Postville Review newspaper, founded in Postville, March of the year 1873.

The document which gave them permission reads as follows:
"Joel Post is hereby granted the privilege of occupying the house and stable on the Military Road from Fort Crawford to Turkey River during the pleasure of General Brooke or the commanding officer at Fort Crawford. The said Post has the privilege of cutting a sufficient supply of hay for the use of the public and has the privilege of cutting wood and timber, for building and fuel, as he may find it necessary for his own use and travelers. It is hereby further contracted by the said Post that he is not to keep spiritous liquors in his house, on any pretense whatever, neither is he to sell liquors, either directly or indirectly to Indians or U.S. Soldiers under the penalty of being immediately removed, and further that he is not to trade with the Indians, unless by permission from the Indian Agent."

All government wagons in use in the building of Fort Atkinson were hauled by 6 mules, driven by one line. The driver, with his six-foot-black-snake-whip could really make the mules "git-up-and-git" and pull for dear life, and by the sound of the crack of the whip, give notice of their coming to the Post's Half-Way House.

Their only neighbors in the early 1840's were the Indians and their teepees, and two log cabins "Dens of Iniquity" sprug up near where the town of Luana is now located. These two cabins were built on the Military Road and were about a half a mile apart. these were called Sodom and Gomorrah by their patrons.

The proprietor of Sodom was a reckless character called Taffy Jones. The owner of Gomorrah was Graham Thorn. Thorn would take nothing but cash or pelts for his merchandise, and never drove a drunken Indian out into the cold. Tough Taffy Jones at the Sodom would take off every rag and when he became too drunk to stand, he was hauled outdoors to freeze, and in more than one case, to die. The universal testimony as to Jones was that -- he was worse than an Indian.

Drunken brawls were of frequent occurence in both cabins and many hot encounters between the proprietors, teamsters, soldiers and roving Indians are remembered. The U.S. Dragoons were constantly on the trail between Fort Crawford and Fort Atkinson.

Quite a few young U.S. Soldiers stayed overnight at the Post house. Mrs Post's favorite young soldier was Lieutenant Alfred Pleasanton who became a famous Union General during the War. It was just 20 years later that some became Generals on both sides, North and South, in the long and bitter Civil War.

Other Prominent People who visited the Post House:

Zachary Taylor, who served his country well for 40 years as a soldier and only 16 months as President of the United States. He died in the White House in 1850.

H.M. Rice, of Minnesota, a frontier Indian trader and an Indian Commissioner. He became one of the first United States Senators from Minnesota.

The Hercules Dousman family of Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien. They were dominent fur traders and early pioneers of Wisconsin.

The first school was started in one of the chamber rooms in the Post's Half-Way house in the summer of 1846, under the leadership of Mrs. Post. She had 16 pupils.

The first religious services were held in the same room, in the same year by the good Rev. Howard, a Methodist preacher who traveled among the early settlers by horseback. He admonished the young, warned the old and cheered the despondent. "Grapple with your soul and seek the Lord."

Mrs. Post's Story
This is a story told by Mrs. Zeruiah Post to Postville historian, A.R. Prescott -- in her own words:
"In the early part of the 1840's we were often visited by the Indians. One time eight or ten Indians, of both sexes came into our cabin and asked for food. I gave them what I had cooked, but did not appear to satisfy them. One of them commenced searching the cabin for more food, which did not surprise me or cause any alarm until I discovered that he held in his right hand a butcher knife with blade drawn, which he tried to conceal under his blanket, but which I discovered probably in time to save our lives. For as soon as I saw it and noticed the manner in which he held the knife, I was satisfied that he intended to take our lives. I immediately stepped to one corner of the room and caught hold of an ax, which was the best weapon within my reach, ran over and gave it to my husband and told him waht I had seen. He immediately told them to go out of the cabin which order was obeyed with some apparent hesitation."

"Some time later, in the same year, my husband and I being at our cabin together, seven strong-looking Indians came from the west, and upon speaking with them we discovered that they intended mischief. The first words spoken by them were threats to burn our cabin. After hearing their threats, we bolted the door. But as soon as we shut the dooor against them, they commenced trying to break it down by throwing their weight against it. About the same time they commentce trying to break down the door, a couple of teamster wagons from Fort Atkinson came along and the Indians withdrew from our cabin. The men stayed with us that night"

"What the result would have been if not the wagons came just at that time, I am unable to determine. Had the Musquaka Indians persisted in their attack upon our cabin we should have defended it to the utmost of our power, but they might have overpowered us and our lives sacrificed. I shall ever remember with much gratitude the timely aid rendered by the men from Fort Atkinson."

"Several times when my husband was out hunting, some Indians would peer in at the window (or holes that served for windows) or walk into the cabin, unannounced, for food or barter. Nothing could be raised on the open on account of the thousands of big, gray wolves, and sometimes we had trouble with the stealing by the Indians."

"One year my husband killed twelve bears, and about 30 deer. Some of the venison was wagoned to Fort Atkinson."

"Later on, the Indians here then were the Winnebagoes, and they were not troublesome unless the 'civilized' white men gave them some whiskey -- for 'fire-water' was the curse of the Indians."

Fort Atkinson was abandoned in 1850 only 10 years after it was founded and 6 yeares after its newest buildings were completed. Scavengers helped themselves to the Fort's windows, dorres and hardware before what buildings and land remained were sold by the War Department to the surrounding settlers.

In the early 1850's early settlers started to arrive in this area and the federal government sold Iowa land at from $1.25 to $1.50 per acre. Among the new settlers was James Stevenson, a brother of Mrs. Post; Reuben Smith, the builder of the Old Stone House; the Prescott family, including A.R. Prescott - then a young man; and many others following in close succession.

A.R. Prescott remembers Mrs. Post once tell the story of a man coming along who had a barrel of whiskey or some kind of strong drink, which he urged her to buy and sell to the patrons. She would not be persuaded to do so. He left the barrel on the wagon for the night, and found it empty in the morning. No one could explain the leakage. Mrs. Post said she thought the liquor was less harmful on the ground than in a man's stomach.

[...I dare say that when the man came that way again he was more watchful of his wet goods.]

Mrs. Post was a real pioneer woman, very temperate and strong-willed. She was a charter member of the Postville WCTU. Joel Post died in January of 1849 and Zeruiah remarried. Her divorce, from the second marriage, in the early 1850's is the first divorce court case in Allamakee county. She built a large rambiling National Hotel in the 1850's, right on Military Road, hauling much of the lumber used in construction from McGregor herself. The National Hotel was torn down in 1928. She died in Postville of paralysis, in December of 1886.

The large, spacious home of Mrs. Elrie Ruckdaschel (nee Florence Swenson) on 185 Front Street * was built by Mr. James McEwen, a former Mayor of Postville, in the 1880's. It is on the exact site of the old Post's Half-Way House and Stables -- which were the beginning of the Town of Postville. The old well and what is left of an old pump is still visible in the yard. [*Mrs. Ruckdaschel sold her home in 2002.]

The manner in which the Post's welcomed their guests and the early immigrants to their Half-Way House in the late 1840's was to make the nucleus around which the Town of Postville was to be developed. It is no wonder that the town was also to take its name from these hardy pioneers who were first to settle permanently here.

A Birthday Surprise. A goodly number of the older residents of Postville met at the Commercial parlors last Friday to dine with our "Towns Mother", Mrs. Z. Post, who was making that house a visit on her 69th birthday. We learn that it was a total surprise to her, having been started but a few hours. Someone accidently learned that Mrs. P. intended to celebrate her birthday by her first visit to the Commercial, taking dinner there, and the surprise was soon arranged. Everyone entering into the plan with zeal, and at early noon over 60 persons of both sexes filled the Commercial parlors. The gathering was presided over by Mayor S.S. Powers. The attention of Mrs. Post was held by her daughters, Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Roll, until dinner was announced, when Mrs. P., and her family were quietly seated at the table, and the company was called in. Order was then called by Mayor Powers, the Divine Blessing was asked by Rev. J.L. Paine, when the ample dinner was discussed and conversation and friendly chat whiled the time. After dinner the Mayor introduced Dr. L. Brown, who extended the greetings of the company to Mrs. Post and family, in a particularly neat five minutes speech. He was followed by Mr. A.R. Prescott, who as Postville historian, read a sketch of the life of Joel and Zeruiah Post, from their birth to the death of Mr. Post in 1849, being part of the early history of Post Township now being written by Mr. Prescott. After the reading was finished, the company repaired to the parlors where a purse was hastily gotten up, and a pair of elegant gold-bowed spectacles were purchased, and presented to Mrs. Post. As it was an exceedingly busy time with most of the male part of the company, it broke up about two o'clock, all wishing Mrs. Z. Post a long life and many happy returns of such birthday enjoyments.

- published on the Allamakee co. IAGenWeb with the generous permission of Stan Schroeder
- original transcripts provided by Stan Schroeder & transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall

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