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Shortly after Iowa became a Territory a contro versy arose with the State of Missouri over the location of the southern boundary. Due to a discrepancy of two surveys a strip of land miles wide was claimed by both Iowa and Missouri although Iowans were in arrued pos session. The story of the conflict is told by Erik Mc Kinley Ediksson in “The Palimpsest”’ published by the State Historical Society of Iowa. Rich agricultural land with numerous bee trees lay in the contested region. The cutting down of thre of the coveted bee trees by a Missourian aggravate! the quarrel. Feeling on both sides of the line ran high when the sheriff of Clarke County, Missouri, attempted to collect taxes in Van Buren county, Iowa, and was ar rested by the Iowa sheriff. Governor Robert Lucas of the Territory of Iowa and Governor Lilburn W. Boggs of the State of Missouri each issued a proclamation setting forth the alleged right of his respective government In northern Missouri over two thousand men began to assemble to defend their claims while on the Iowa side of the border a motley army gathered at Farming ton, each man uniformed and armed according to his fancy. While these martial activities were in progress cooler-headed men on both sides of the line were direct ing their efforts to prevent hostilities and to save the decision of the dispute to the courts. Aided, doubtless, by the cold winter weather which made amateur sol diering an uncomfortable experience opponents of an armed conflict won, and the nondescript soldiers on both sides of the line returned home. It was not, however until over a decade later that the Supreme Court of the United States decided the boundary question in favor of Iowa.
Newspaper Details
Fairfield Weekly Ledger Journal
Fairfield, Iowa, US
Thu, Nov 13, 1924
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Patty P.
MO, USA 21 Jan 2026
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