December 31, 1841 – Oliver Weld – a 25-year lawyer from Keosauqua, who had a memorable adventure getting himself to Iowa City for legislative meetings held in Butler Hall, writes his mother – Mrs. Mary Weld – back in Beverly, Massachusetts.
In December 1841, the Fourth Iowa Territorial Legislature met – for the first time – in Iowa City. The sessions were held – not in Iowa’s new capitol building – but in a 30′ x 60′ wood-framed meeting hall that was nicknamed – Butler’s Capitol.
Here’s one young man’s story – Oliver Weld – a 25-year lawyer from Keosauqua – who had a memorable adventure getting himself to Iowa City for those meetings! And on December 31, 1841, Ward, who had just completed another long day of those legislative meetings in Butler’s Capitol, and is stuck in Iowa City over the long New Year’s weekend – sits down and writes his mother – Mrs. Mary Weld – back in Beverly, Massachusetts.
In that letter, Oliver tells us about his amazing 150-mile/8-day adventure as he and a friend traveled from Keosauqua to Iowa City on The National Road in the midst of an early-December snowstorm!
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE.
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