The site upon which Littleport is situated was
formerly the rallying ground of the Indians of this
section of the country. They made this point their
center. Here were held their councils of war; here
was smoked the pipe of peace. Often were the red men
called together, and the manner of which they
assembled has been described by Mr. Quigley. One of
the chiefs would ascend the highest hill in the
vicinity of Littleport and there discharge his rifle
three times, the report of which attracted the
attention of neighboring camps, and these signalled
their neighbors in a similar manner, and so on until
all the tribe were notified. In a short time they
were all assembled in the valley, feeling themselves
secure in the ravines and under the dense forests of
the Volga and Elk. It was here too, where they
concealed their stores when starting upon an
expedition. After one of the gatherings above
described, they would load their canoes with piles of
peltry and move down the Volga, stopping at the mouth
of the river, where Colonel Wayman and Fred Hartge
kept a trading port, where they exchanged their furs
for powder and whisky. Drinking usually commenced of
such occasions, and quarreling was its natural
result.
The unassuming village of Littleport is situated
on the Volga River, nine miles from Elkader and
twelve miles from Volga City. It was laid out in 1857
by Dennis Quigley, on the southeast quarter of
section 25, township 92 north, range 5 west. G.L.
Gifford's addition was laid out Nov. 9 and 10, 1874,
and upon it are located the hotel, depot, warehouse
and lumber yard.
Mr. Quigley, the founder of Littleport, settled on
its site as early as 1846. He was a fearless old
pioneer, who had no terror of redskins or frontier
life. He lived there twenty-five years, during which
time he held the offices of Postmaster and Justice of
the Peace. In his seventy-fifth year the spirit of
the pioneer seized him again, and in company with his
wife he traveled 600 miles by wagon and made a new
home on the inviting prairies of Western Kansas.
Everything looked lovely to his eye until ravenous
pests destroyed his crops, when he and his good old
wife sighed to be back again on the unpestered lands
around Littleport, and made the journey in their
wagon as they had when they were westward bound with
hearts full of hopeful expectations. The spirit of
unrest revived again, however, and again he went
westward and settled in Osborne County, Kan., where
he has made a permanent home, and is now, although in
his eighty-second year, said to be as full of life as
he was when he fought a pitched battle with a bear,
which in the early days of his Littleport life made
an attempt to rob him of a pig. In that attempt Bruin
forfeited his life as a penalty for his greed and his
disregard for Mr. Quigley's pluck. Since his
settlement in Kansas he has made eight trips by wagon
to his old home, making in all distnace of 9,300
miles.
G. L. Gifford, who came to the valley in 1839 with
his parents from the East, when but fifteen years of
age, settled in Littleport in 1851, and engaged in
merchandising, hotel-keeping and farming. In 1859 he
went to Pike's Peak, where he remained one year. He
still lives in Littleport, one of its most respected
citizens. He relates many reminiscences of early
times. Among his interesting stories he relates one
of a family of Winnebagoes, in which there were two
brothers, known by the whites as George and Joe.
George, the elder brave, although he was
characterized as a sour, ill-natured fellow, was
lucky enough to win the affections of two meek-eyed,
copper-colored maidens, both of whom he made his
wives. Joe had set his heart on the younger of
George's wives and yearned to take her to his bosom.
The spark of jealousy which crept into George's heart
grew day by day into a flame, the full force of which
burst out on the occasion when the tribe was
celebrating the birth of his first child by his other
wife. All the braves had imbibed very freely of the
dangerous fire-water, the natural effect of which was
to furnish fuel to George's jealousy, and urge him to
imitate the deed which branded Cain as the first
murderer.
While under the maddening influence of liquor he
seized a club, and with one demoniac blow dashed his
brother's brains out. His brother-in-law, Chunkter,
espoused the cause of the slain Joseph, and
challenged George to deadly combat. The women of the
tribe, in expectation of trouble, had hidden their
warlike weapons, but the antagonists forced them to
produce two monstrous knives, armed with which they
engaged in what proved to be a deadly fray. The first
plunge of George's weaon sent Chunkter's spirit to
the happy hunting grounds, and he himself withdrew
from the contest holding his bowels in with his
hands, to keep them from escaping through an aperture
opened in his diaphragm by Chunker's unerring blade.
His doom was already sealed, but under a law of the
Winnebagoes the father was reqired to end the
existence of one son, who should be guilty of the
life-blood of another, and with the firmness of the
old Roman Praetor, who condemned his son to die, old
Cutnose seized the shot-gun and sent a deadly load of
leaden bullets into the throat of his fratriciadal
son.
The three bodies were buried in one grave at the
foot of a hill, near the water's edge, in the
presence of several whites, among whom was Mr.
Gifford.
Old Cutnose felt like the old chief Logan, and
dolefully chanted, "There is no one left but
Cutnose now," for the only male members of his
family occupied that grave at the foot of the hill.
For weeks he and the squaws of his family tarried
near the sacred ground, chanting their supplications
to the Great Spirit to turn away his wrath from them.
To appease the Deity they nightly kept a blaze
burning on the graves, visited it in the evenings,
poured out the sorrows of their desolate hearts, and
again at midnight. It is to be charitably hoped that
he was heard. He believed he had been, for when
pinching hunger finally drove him out in quest of
meat, he killed a deer, and to him this was a token
that he had been heard, and that the Great Spirit
would pursue him no longer with vengeance.
Old Cutnose's war spirit was broken, however, for
which he may be charitably excused, when it is known
that the frosts of eighty winters had helped to
whiten his head. When a short time afterward the Sacs
and Foxes made a raid on the Volga from the
Maquoketa, and slaughtered fifteen Winnebagoes, and
there was reason to believe that they would follow
down the river and wage further war, the subdued old
warrior ungallantly sought refuge under Mr. Gifford's
bed, deeming that a haven of perfect safety from the
old-time enemies of his tribe.
Shortly after, Mr. Gifford abandoned the
mercantile business, and another store was
established by Morat and the Peick Bros. A. Hofer now
of the McGregor News, was also among the
prominent citizens of Littleport in its earliest
days.
The first wagon-maker was Anton Buchael. The first
blacksmith was Charles Helderman. The first shoemaker
was Wm. Bremner. The first saw-mill was built and
operated by Dennis Quigley, in 1849. A wagon and
carriage manufactory was begun in 1865, by Charles
Helderman and Anton Buchael. Charles Riegnitz
manufactures hoop-poles largely, and ships them to
many cities.
The first school was taught by Cynthia Abbott. The
first sermon was preached by Rev. N.W. Bixby, of the
Free-will Baptist church in G.L. Gifford's residence,
in 1854.
The first physician was M.M. Newman, who came in
1879. The only physician at present resident in Cox
Creek is Dr. John Fisher, a graduate of Rush Medical
College.
The hotel built by Mr. Giffordf is now leased to
William Brown. Mr. Quigley was the first Postmaster.
He was succeeded by F. Moradth, and he by F. Peick.
The present Postmaster, Emil Tiede, received his
commission in 1880.
The Roman Catholic church, a short distance from
the village, was built in 1870, by the parish of
Littleport. It was superintended and erected by D.
Hays. Father J.J. Quigley was the first pastor and
preached the first sermon. After one year he was
succeeded by Father Michael Quirk, in 1872. He was in
charge nearly five years, and was succeeded by Father
B.W. Coyle in 1876. He is the present pastor. The
first executive committee were Dennis Hays, John
Farrell and Timothy Murphy. They purchased forty
acres of land in 1876 for the church and for a
cemetery. The present membership is about thirty-five
families. There is a Sunday-school of 100 in
connection with the church.
Mederville
(page 735-736)
This village, formerly known as St. Johan, was
laid out in October, 1868, by County Surveyor J. A.
Cramer, for Louis Reuther and Henry Meder.
The first house was built by James Beatty, in
1854. The first store opened by Louis Reuther, in
1869. Joseph Unternahrer came from Chicago in 1868
and opened a blacksmith shop.
A saw-mill was built in 1854 by James Beatty. This
was torn down and a fine new one erected by Henry
Meder and Louis Reuther in 1866. In 1867 they also
built a fine stone flouring mill, with three run of
stone. Both these mills run by water.
The first school was opened in 1857, and was
taught by John Nugent. Present school is taught by
Bridget Downing. It has an average daily attendance
of fifty-five. There is no church organization here,
but there is occasional preaching by the Methodists
and Lutherans in the school-house.
There are two hotels here. The first one was built
in 1879, and is run by Ferdinand Albrecht. The second
one was built first for a store, in 1879 it was
opened as a hotel; it is run by H. L. Gifford.
The postoffice of Mederville was established in
1870. Mr. Henry Meder has been Postmaster from the
first.The business of the office averages about
$70.00 a year.
The population of Mederville is about fifty at the
pressent date.
Osborne
(page 736)
Osborne was surveyed Nov. 15, 1879, by S. L. Peck,
County Surveyor, for Thomas and Elizabeth Osborne,
proprietors. It is situated on the southwest quarter
of the southwest quarter of section 9, township 92
north, range 5 west.
The postoffice of Osborne was established in 1878,
with J. J. McDermott as Postmaster. He was succeeded
by a P. Schmitz, the present incumbent. The first to
settle here after Mr. Osborne was William Carter, who
built the hotel just north of the railroad. The Volga
River and the railroad known as the Volga Branch of
the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, both
run by the place. Besides the hotel and postoffice
there is a store owned by Alfred and Mary Albrecht, a
wagon-shop managed by William Knospe and a
blacksmith-shop kept by P. Schmitz. The depot was
burned in 1880.
