Spirit Lake Massacre Route Through Iowa In 1857
A diary excerpt recounts the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre era as INDIANS and settlers faced blizzards, hunger and frontier hazards. Jane Bitnell, a 19 year old pioneer, chronicles life near the Little Sioux River with the Kirtners, their cabins, friendly initial contacts, and the Indians’ later departure in mid December. The account highlights early settlement struggles, daily life, and cultural notes from that winter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Spirit Lake
Inkpahutah
Jane Bitnell
Kirtners
Little Sioux
R. E. Heywood
Peterson
Early 1812 Visit Claim Recasts Buena Vista History
Storm Lake reports rekindle debate on first white presence in Buena Vista County Iowa through a 1931 claim by L C Sutherland. The article centers on Dickson a Scotch trapper trader from northern Minnesota who allegedly visited the region decades earlier than surveyors of 1855.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buena Vista County
Iowa
L. C. Sutherland
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune
Dickson
Minnesota
Northwest
Dickson-McKnight Trail Through Iowa to St Louis
Scottish settlers evicted to Hudson Bay shores in 1811 moved via Fort York led by Selkirk agents to Manitoba. A cattle and sheep trade grew along a route from Hudson Bay through Buena Vista County Iowa to St Louis, created by Dickson and associates the McKnights, giving their passage name to the Dickson-McKnight Trail.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scotland
Hudson Bay
Fort York
Lord Selkirk
Manitoba
Canada
Winnipeg
Buena Vista County
Iowa
Dickson
Lake Traverse
Minnesota
St. Louis
Midwest
McKnights
Dickson-McKnight
Abner Bell Pioneer of Buena Vista County
Early surveyors traced a trail from Lake Traverse to the Des Moines River ending near Keosauqua Iowa then south to St Louis. Abner Bell, county clerk, faced disputes over bills and forged records while overseeing the board of supervisors. He moved into a log mansion used as a courthouse and mentored a rough frontier court culture before dying in Sioux Rapids.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lake Traverse
Big Stone Lake
Lake Benton
Spirit Lake
Dickinson, Clay
Buena Vista
Sac
Carroll Counties
Pittsburg
Des Moines River
Keosauqua
Iowa
St. Louis
Canada
Little Sioux
Bell
Inkpadutah
Smithland
William R. Weaver
Weavers
Sioux Rapids
Board of Supervisors
Court House
Storm Lake
Hubbard Sanderson
Sanderson
W. S. Lee
G. W. Struble
Hardy Old Pioneer
Isaiah Hollingworth
County Board
Sioux Rapids Court House
Abner Bell
Buena Vista County
John” Burr
This
Also Mentioned on This Page
Thru County
Bitwell
Kirtner
Sioux City
Des Moines
Pittsburgh Landing
Early County
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