The beginning of Chapter 9. This is such a wonderful Chapter. I was sorry to see it end. CHAPTER IX. IOWA'S EARLIEST LIVING RESIDENT. Capt. Warner L. Clark and his varied experiences - Acquainted with many men of prominence - Has remarkable memory - Pioneer customs - Capt. Clark's home town the first to be platted in Scott county - Description of the pioneer cabin - Indian neighbors - Incidents of Indian life - Why Buffalo fell behind in the race. (Pictures included with this chapter are:  W. L. Clark - Teddy and Carrie, the Cinnamon Bears at Fejervary Park.) On the morning of a beautiful sunshiny day in the early part of March, 1910, the writer and an expert stenographer reached the quiet little village of Buffalo and upon inquiry, learned the location of Captain Clark's home, which proved to be quite a half mile distant from the depot and commanding a prominent and most desirable position overlooking the "fater of waters."  The visitors were early ones, it being but a few minutes past 8 o'clock, yet when ushered into the cottage, which was built in 1845 but is in a splendid state of preservation, they found the old pioneer in his sitting room, ready to receive his callers.  Captain Clark was soon in possession of the reason for being called on to entertain strangers and soon the reminiscent muse impelled him to gratify the desire to obtain, at first had, his recollections of the primitive times, scenes and people of this locality.  We were told by him that his memory, although almost eighty-eight years had passed over his head, was practically as good as when he was in his prime, and he made the statement an emphatic one when he said he never permitted himself to assert the truth or falsity of a thing unless he knew he was right.  His rule of action has probably been that attributed to Davy Crockett - "Be sure you're right, then go ahead."  And the kindly, interesting old gentleman opened up his Pandora's box of precious tales of the early days in Scott county and after handing over the copy of an article he had written for another publication, he let his memory carry him hither and yon, first on this subject and then on that, always, let it be understood, keeping in view the main object - the past and its relation to Scott county. Captain Warner Lewis Clark will be eighty-eight years old in November and is now living on the claim taken up for him by his father seventy-seven years ago.  Today he is the oldest living pioneer and settler not only of Scott county but also of the state of Iowa.  The relation of early times and events in this locality herein recorded is from the lips and pen of Captain Clark and is of much importance as a part of this work. >From 1847 until 1859, Captain Clark made his home in Davenport, but in the latter year returned to Buffalo, where for the past half century he has resided.  Fifty years ago he put on the river a packet line, to connect with the railroad, and during the twelve years he resided in Davenport, his main business was that of steamboating.  While retired from active business pursuits, he is still able to keep an eye on whatever concerns his financial affairs.  The following incident relates to his remarkable talent for remembering things:  He was walking past the Democrat office one day when David N. Richardson (Dick) espied him and called him into the editorial den.  "Dick" Richardson, thinking he had the captain on the hip and that the latter would have to step down from his pedestal of infallibility in the correctness of his historic data, opened up on the patriarch by asking him:  "Captain, who was the first postmaster of Davenport and of Buffalo?"  "Why," immediately answered the captain, "my father was the first postmaster of Buffalo and Antoine LeClaire was the first one of Davenport.  I have told you that before."  "I must confess to you, Captain Clark," returned the editor, "that in this you are wrong, and it is the first time in our long acquaintance that I have ever found you making a mistake of that kind.  Now, to prove to you that you did make a mistake as to these postmasters, here is a letter from the postoffice department in Washington, in which it is stated positively that Duncan C. Eldridge was Davenport's first postmaster and the first in Buffalo to handle the mails was M. N. Bosworth.  I am sorry, captain, but you'll have to admit your mistake in this instance," concluded Mr. Richardson.  But Captain Clark stood his ground and reinstated himself on his pedestal.  He proved to the satisfaction of Editor "Dick" Richardson that notwithstanding the postal officials in Washington had given Eldridge and Bosworth a place in Scott county history, that might have tickled the vanity of those gentlemen and given the postoffice historian at Washington an abnormal assurance of his importance as a collector of statistics, still, he, Captain Clark, knew that Eldridge and Bosworth were  not in Scott county for a year or more subsequent to the appointment of his father and Antoine LeClaire.  And Mr. Clark was right. 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