You can read the whole chapter on the Iowa History Site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STORIES OF IOWA FOR BOYS AND GIRLS CHAPTER X ALBERT M. LEA AND THE NAMING OF IOWA One morning in June, 1835, there was a great stir at old Fort Des Moines, which, you remember, had been built near the site of Tesson's apple orchard. Three companies of mounted soldiers, called dragoons, were starting out on a long march northward into Minnesota. Their leader was Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny. The first part of their journey was up the valley of the Des Moines River. There were no roads and no houses anywhere. The horses of the dragoons walked over the green grass and flowers which covered the prairie at this season. There were many wild strawberry plants, and the juice from the ripe berries reddened the hoofs of the horses. How the men enjoyed eating the strawberries for they had had no fresh fruit for a long time. Deer, turkeys, grouse, ducks, and prairie chickens were shot for meat. Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ IAGENWEB: Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm Gerischer Family Web Site: http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/

Thanks for your contributions Debbie. My eyes lit up because my great grandma Elizabeth Williamson later Beebe, who was born near Des Moines City spoke of childhood stories about her father Chawncey Williamson as chasing renegade Indians all over northern Iowa and into Minnesota. I always hoped an old roster would someday crop up that had his name and those that he served with on it. From what she said, he was basically a farmer, but also must have belonged to some kind of militia. He probably was not part of the regular army, but I do not know that to be a fact. Thanks again. Don Kelly ----- Original Message ----- From: <Bare67deb@aol.com> To: <IOWA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2004 6:11 AM Subject: [IOWA] Albert M. Lea an the naming of Iowa > You can read the whole chapter on the Iowa History Site. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > STORIES OF IOWA FOR BOYS AND GIRLS > CHAPTER X > > ALBERT M. LEA AND THE NAMING OF IOWA > > One morning in June, 1835, there was a great stir at old Fort Des Moines, > which, you remember, had been built near the site of Tesson's apple orchard. > Three companies of mounted soldiers, called dragoons, were starting out on a long > march northward into Minnesota. Their leader was Lieutenant Colonel Stephen > Watts Kearny. > > The first part of their journey was up the valley of the Des Moines River. > There were no roads and no houses anywhere. The horses of the dragoons walked > over the green grass and flowers which covered the prairie at this season. > > There were many wild strawberry plants, and the juice from the ripe berries > reddened the hoofs of the horses. How the men enjoyed eating the strawberries > for they had had no fresh fruit for a long time. Deer, turkeys, grouse, > ducks, and prairie chickens were shot for meat. > > > > Debbie Clough Gerischer > Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County > http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ > IAGENWEB: Special History Project: > http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm > Gerischer Family Web Site: > http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ > > > ==== IOWA Mailing List ==== > The IOWA Lists now have their own website with unsub > instructions, list rules and other useful information. > Visit & Bookmark http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >