December 27, 1845 – Forty-one pioneers from Davis County send off a signed petition to Iowa City, asking the Iowa Territorial Legislature to approve funding for their first Territorial Road.

By the mid-1840’s, other roads had been constructed – connecting most of the existing communities of the Territory, including a route that wandered as far west as Ft. Des Moines. In 1842/1843, newly-formed counties – such as Davis, Appanoose, and Kishkeekosh (Monroe) – began to open up to new settlers, and these counties had very few roads – other than the one that connected Keosauqua in Van Buren County and Ottumwa in Wapello County with Ft. Des Moines in the west and other points to the east. While Lee County residents – in 1844 – turned down the opportunity for a new Territorial road, the good citizens of Van Buren, Davis, and Appanoose Counties felt just the opposite.

READ MORE HERE…

Did you know? is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

Click here to go on to the next date…