The end of Chapter 9. WHY BUFFALO FELL BEHIND When Buffalo was so prosperous, Black Hawk's Purchase had but two counties, Dubuque and Des Moines.  The territorial legislature, during the winter of 1837, subdivided the two counties into many others and in the assembly Dr. Eli Reynolds, of Geneva, (four miles above Bloomington, now Muscatine) wanted to make his town as near central as possible, while Alex McGregor, of Davenport, also a member, wanted to kill Buffalo, as we had the most thriving town between Burlington and Dubuque.  The two men then joined forces and ran Muscatine county up to its present boundary on the river and McGregor gave Montpelier township to Muscatine county, so as to throw Buffalo near the lower end of Scott conty, thus rendering it impossible for Buffalo to become the county seat; and this is the reason Buffalo dropped behind in the race for the seat of government.  Had Scott county been extended down to Salem, (now Fairport) Buffalo would have been the county seat and the largest town in Scott county. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L