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NEW PEOPLE IN AN OLD LAND – THE COMING OF THE EUROPEANS
EXPLORERS, TRADERS, AND SOLDIERS into U.S. control, however, the British also main- near the Sauk and Meskwaki settlements in the
tained a strong influence in the region until their vicinity of what is now Wapello and near the
In 1673 Marquette and Joliet became the first defeat in the War of 1812 (Peterson 2009:13). Ioway village at Iowaville.
Europeans known to have visited Iowa. Others
arrived soon after. The first regular visitors were With the addition of the lands of the Louisi- Before becoming a state, Iowa was part of the
primarily itinerate trappers and traders seeking ana Purchase, American expansion west of the Territory of Wisconsin. Van Buren County was
to cash in on the booming fur trade. In the 17th Mississippi began in earnest. Lewis and Clark created by first legislature of the Territory in
century the Iowa fur trade was under nominal undertook their adventure up the Missouri River 1836. It was named for Martin Van Buren who
control of the French who traded with a number to the Pacific and Zebulon Pike was dispatched was then Vice President of the United States
of Native American allies in a network that en- to explore the shores of the Mississippi River. (1833–1837) and would later become President
compassed Canada and the Great Lakes region Pike’s cartographer Anthony Nau created a map (Anderson 2004:13). In 1839 the Territorial
(Whittaker 2009:4). They did, however, have in 1811 that shows Des Moines River valley, the legislature passed an act establishing Keosau-
competition. It is known that British fur traders locations of the Ioway village at Iowaville, and six qua as the county seat, requiring the town to
were operating along the Des Moines as early trading post forts.
as 1799 when Jean Baptist Faribault established Voltaire P. Twombly. Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Iowa,
a trading post for the Northwest Company at EURO-AMERICAN SETTLEMENT Iowa City. Published with permission.
a location on the Des Moines River, upstream
from present day city of Des Moines. By 1801 The earliest known, non-native people living in
the Mackinac Company was also represented what is now Van Buren County were “some
with a post near the river’s mouth. While trade Frenchmen” who may have been monks or
items like glass beads, brass kettle fragments, missionaries, and who apparently lived along
and iconographic rings, have been found in many the river in the vicinity of what is now Keo-
Native American village sites, these early trad- sauqua (Anderson 2004:14). Although there
ing fort sites have never been documented in were other settlers, explorers, and traders in
the archaeological record (Whittaker 2009:5; the area earlier, Euro-American settlement of-
Peterson 2009:14). ficially began in 1833. The Sauk and Meskwaki
were forced to surrender their land in eastern
The French controlled trade in this region from Iowa after the Black Hawk War of 1832 and the
1680 to 1762. In an effort to keep the lucra- region was open to settlers. Within 20 years
tive business away from the British they ceded Iowa was transformed into a state almost com-
the land to Spain in 1762. The Spanish tenure, pletely settled by Euro-Americans (Whittaker
however, was brief. Napoleon Bonaparte gained 2009:1). By the late 1830s thriving communities
control over the Spanish interests in North had been established at many locations along the
America in 1801 and negotiated the Louisiana Des Moines River including Farmington (1833),
Purchase with the United States in 1803. The Bentonsport (1836), Bonaparte (1837), and Keo-
Louisiana Purchase technically brought the land sauqua (1839). Trading posts were established
The University of Iowa Off ice of the State Archaeologist 27
