History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Jackson
JACKSON COUNTY lies immediately south of Dubuque on the west shore of the Mississippi River. It was created in 1837 from the territory originally embraced in Dubuque County named for General Andrew Jackson. The county contains an area of six hundred thirty-eight square miles and large tracts of native woodland lie well distributed over the county. The Maquoketa River runs from west to east with several large tributaries. The first settlers came in as soon as the Indian title was extinguished and took claims along the Maquoketa River.
Among the earliest pioneers were William Jones, James Armstrong, Alexander Reed, Thomas Nicholson, David Dias and his sons. They built cabins in the forests and cleared the timber for farms near the Mississippi in the vicinity of Bellevue. James McCabe, Nicholas Carroll, Arthur Mullen and Anson Newbury made claims near Sabula. At the time the county was created it had a population of two hundred forty fur. J. E. Goodenow, in the spring of 1838, took a claim, built a cabin and the next year laid out a town which he named Springfield and a few houses were built. But in the winter of 1856 Mr. Goddenow in company with A. Spaulding and Z. Livermore platted a large tract of land owned by them embracing that upon which Springfield had been laid out and gave the new town the name Maquoketa. John Shaw purchased a claim now in the limits of Maquoketa, in 1837, and removed to it in 1841. The first store was opened by S. M. Marr in 1844. In 1837 John Kindly took a claim and built a cabin at Andrew. The county was organized April 2d, 1838, by the election of the following officers: commissioners, William Jones, J. Leonard and William Morden; treasurer, John Sublett; probate judge, J. K. Moses; clerk, J. H. Rose; recorder, John Howe.
A movement was made to secure the county-seat to the new town of Andrew laid out on Hindley’s farm. Commissioners were appointed to relocate the county-seat and they selected Andrew in 1841. In 1845 a weekly newspaper was started there by M. H. Clark and Andrew Keesecker, with Ansel Briggs editor. In 1851 the county seat was again removed to Bellevue, and in 1861 it was again transferred to Andrew. In 1873 it was moved to Maquoketa where it has since remained. In the fall of 1835 John D. Bell made a claim, built a cabin, laid out a town and gave it the name of Bullevue. It was a beautiful site on the bank of the Mississippi River and protected on the north and west by a semi-circle of wooded bluffs. A hotel was built the following year by Peter Dutell. In 1837 Bellevue was made the county-seat.
In early days desperadoes settled in the Big Woods along the Maquoketa. They had confederates in Illinois and Missouri at points along the Mississippi River and for a time Bullevue appeared to be their headquarters. Horse stealing and passing counterfeit money were their chief crimes though they did not hesitate to commit murder when attempts to arrest them were made. In the spring of 1840, after a series of desperate conflicts between the criminals and the sheriff’s posse under the direction of Captain W. Warren, known as the “Bellevue war,” the gang was broken up and twelve of the number captured.
The county was organized April 2d, 1838, by the election of the following officers: county commissioners, William Jones, J. Leonard and William Morden; John Howe, recorder; J. K. Morse, probate judge; John Sublett, treasurer; and J. H. Rose, clerk.
Sabula is a thriving town on the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of the county. The Milwaukee Railroad follows the valley of the Mississippi through the eastern part of the county.