History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Black Hawk
BLACK HAWK COUNTY, created on the 17th of February, 1847, by act of the General Assembly, lies in the third tier south of the Minnesota line and fourth west of the Mississippi River and contains sixteen congressional townships embracing an area of five hundred seventy-six square miles. It was attached to Buchanan in 1851.
The first white settler was Paul Somaneux, a French trader who, in the summer of 1837, ascended the Cedar River to the rapids where Cedar Falls stands, there built a cabin and opened a profitable trade with the Indians in furs and skins. Robert Stuart, another trader, reached the rapids the same season and engaged in traffic with the Indians. In 1844 William Chambers of Louisa County came to the rapids, built a cabin and also opened trade with Indians, but none of these earliest settlers engaged in farming. In the spring of 1845 William Sturgis and wife of Michigan and A. E. Adams and wife of Johnson County made an excursion of the Cedar River in search of good water power. They were charmed with the beauty of the valley and finding excellent water power at the rapids, took claims on the river banks where Cedar Falls now stands. Mr. Sturgis soon began to construct a dam across the river and for many years the settlement was known as “Sturgis Falls.” In May, John Hamilton and his sons came to the new settlement and took claims. George Hanna and family, John Melrose and William Virden soon after took claims near Black Hawk Creek, while E. G. Young and James Newell settled in the northern part of the county. In February, 1847, John W. Overman, D. C. Overman and J. F. Barrick came to Sturgis Falls, purchased the water power and land belonging with it, finished the dam and erected a sawmill. In 1851 a town was laid out and named Cedar Falls. Andrew Mularky opened a store in his log cabin, the first in the county, which was known as the “Black Hawk store.” In 1846 Mrs. J. F. Taylor opened the first school with six pupils. For many years the site of Cedar Falls was covered with beautiful forest trees which gradually disappeared.
The county remained unorganized until the summer of 1853 when the first election was held for county officers with the following result: J. R. Pratt was chosen county judge; Aaron Dow, treasurer; John H. Brooks, clerk, and John Virden, sheriff. The county-seat was located at Cedar Falls. The first term of district court was held in June, 1854, at which Judge Thomas S. Wilson presided. On the 11th of July, 1853, W. H. McClure and S. H. Packard established the first newspaper in the county at Cedar Falls with A. F. Brown as editor.
In June, 1846, James Virden and Charles Mullan located claims on the west side of the river about seven miles below Cedar Falls at a point known as Prairie Rapids and erected a cabin. In the fall they with G. W. Hanna and J. H. Brooks laid out a town which they named Waterloo. The first store was opened by Nelson Francher in his log cabin and a public house by Seth Lake in another cabin. Charles Mullan was the first postmaster and in 1853 Eliza May taught the first school.
In 1854 James Eggers built a dam across the river at Waterloo and erected a sawmill. In 1856 George W. Couch built a flouring-mill. The spring and summer of 1858 were noted for heavy rains which raised the streams to flood height and a small steamer at Cedar Rapids came up to Waterloo loaded with freight afterward making several trips. In 1855 a movement was inaugurated to remove the county-seat from Cedar Falls to Waterloo. At an election held for that purpose three hundred eighty-eight votes were cast for Waterloo and two hundred sixty for Cedar Falls. The removal was delayed several months by legal proceedings. A newspaper was established at Waterloo in December, 1855, by William Haddock named the Iowa State Register. After the close of the Civil War a home for soldiers' orphans was established at Cedar Falls.
In June, 1855, Jesse Wasson laid out the town of La Porte in the southern part of the county. The Cedar River runs diagonally through the county from north to south and the Wapsipinicon runs through the northeastern portion, both having many tributaries. The county was named for the famous Sac chief. In 1861 the Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad was completed to Cedar Falls. The Burlington and Cedar Rapids road follows up the valley of the Cedar River.