The Loess Hills run down the western border of this part of Iowa, a geological phenomenon
found only here and in China. The Loess Hill were thrown up from dust and sand created by
centuries of glaciation that pushed across Iowa during the Ice Age. Then, huge megafauna like Wooly Mammoths, Giant Sloths and Woodland Bison roamed. Later, humans arrived to seek food and build shelters, and found, ultimately, settled communities.

On July 19, 1804, two to three miles upstream and opposite Nebraska City NE. William Clark
wrote in his journal:

“breakfast which was on a rosted Ribs of a Deer a little Coffee I walked on Shore intending only to Keep up with the Boat, Soon after I got on shore, Saw some fresh elk Sign, which I was induced to prosue those animals by their track to the hills. after assending and passing thro a narrow strip of wood Land, Came Suddenly in to open and bound less Prairie, I Say bound less because I could not see the extent of the plain in any Derection, the timber appeared to be confined to the River Creeks & Small branches, this Prairie was Covered with grass about 18 Inches or 2 feat high and contained little of anything else, except as before on the River Creeks & branches. This prospect was So Sudden & entertaining that I forgot the object of my prosute and turned my attention to the Variety which presented themselves to my view Renewed our voyage and passed a number of sand bars, Halted for dinner where we found a great quantity of cherries, called by some choak-cherries.”

And so, what would become Fremont County only 45 years later was first laid open before
an American explorer. Home to Iowa, Pawnee, Oto, and Omaha, at various times. It was not
long before French trappers, white and Indian settlers and government surveyors would cross, re-cross and take up residence on this land. The Pottawatomie settled here, moved from the western shores of Lake Huron; their hereditary chief Waubonsie spent the last of his life here. By 1900, Fremont’s population was over 16,000 and a rich history had shaped its citizens; a border dispute over a survey error, called the Honey War, had ultimately wrested control of a good bit of its territory from Missouri, and tensions over Abolition had made Fremont a logistical center for John Brown’s crusade in Kansas and Missouri. In the parlance of today, Fremont had served as a guerrilla stronghold in the story of “Bloody Kansas”. Mormon settlers passed through in 1846, contributing to the local culture and history, though most of them moved on to their “shining city” of Salt Lake. When Civil War came, The Southern Border Brigade patrolled the border with Missouri to guard against confederate attack. Yet, were there Southern sympathizers in Fremont?

An attempt was made during the war to blow up the Courthouse in Sidney, and while he never came out and said it, Iowa Governor Kirkwood believed the county to have elements of Southern sympathies. So it continued; outlaws and brigands occasionally appearing from hinterlands to the south and west, progress in technology and transport arriving from the east, settled villages becoming comfortable little farming towns, and always, the people.

This county’s history is the story-line, one unique among Iowa Counties. The telling of this story is key to the visitor’s understanding that they are indeed in a special place. At the same time, it is important to help them relax by providing a pace that varies a little, letting an ebb and flow of tone help keep the experience fresh. The story of Fremont County has aspects of great historical moment: Lewis and Clark, the Abolitionist’s Struggle, Statehood and Civil War, and so on. It has pathos and drama, but it also has humor- the story of Polk Wells the Outlaw seems ridiculous in overstatements and exaggeration, but at the same time is very revealing to us about the period.

Telling the stories of individuals and their lives, whether pithy, historic, courageous or silly is
what makes history so interesting, and it is history’s humanity revealed that connects it to the living as real.

Excerpt from:
A Master Plan and Exhibit Design For The Fremont County Historical Society Museum, Armadillo Arts

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