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The town was
settled in 1839 and laid out March, 1848, it being one of the
oldest towns in the county. It was on the most popular
route from Iowa City to Oskaloosa, and was the first station
on the line of the underground railroad, laid out by
Superintendent Woodin in 1856. Much
interest being aroused at Iowa City concerning the fate of
Kansas during the slavery agitation, a public meeting was held
at which several spirited speeches were made, but after the
public meeting of a general character adjourned, a private
meeting for special purposes met. It was at this private
meeting that the following address or commission was drawn up
and placed in the hands of Mr. Woodin, who seems to have been
chiefly instrumental in opening up a line of communication: "To
the friends of the Kansas Free State Cause in Iowa:" "The
undersigned have been appointed a committee to act in
connection with similar committees appointed in Chicago, and
in other States, and with committees of like character to be
appointed in various counties of this State, and especially in
those counties lying west and southwest of us." "The
plan of operation is the establishment of a direct route and
speedy communication for emigrants into Kansas. The
committee have appointed Messrs. George D. Woodin, Esq.,
William Sanders and Captain S. N. Hartwell to visit your place
for the purpose of having a committee appointed there to
facilitate the general plan of operation and carry out the
details. They will explain to you the minutiae of this
plan at greater length than we are able to do in this
communication." "Captain
Hartwell is a member of the State legislature in Kansas, and
is recently from the scene of the ruffian atrocities which
have been committed in that embryo State." "We
have here pledged 'our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honors' to make Kansas a free State, and we shall
expect our friends from this place westward will give us their
hearty co-operation." 'Yours
in the cause of Freedom, Iowa
City, June 10, 1856" W.P.
Clark, Chairman
C.W. Hobart, Secretary
H.D. Downey, Treasurer
I.N. Jerome
Lyman Allen
J. Teasdale
M.L. Morris As
before remarked Mr. Woodin in particular was active and
diligent in transacting the business delegated to him.
He made a complete tour of the counties lying in the proposed
route of the "emigrants" and established
committees. He succeeded in enlisting in this enterprise
the most active and reliable men in the various towns which he
visited who were in sympathy with the movement. Most of
these men are still living, and many of them have since
achieved a national reputation. The following are the
names of the individuals composing the committees at the
various points along the route: Wassonville
- Isaac Farley, Myron Frisbee, N.G. Field
Sigourney - (names)
Oskaloosa- (names)
Knoxville - (names)
Indianola - (names)
Osceola - (names)
Quincy - (names)
Winterset - (names)
Des Moines - (names)
Newton - (names) It
was necessary to observe great caution and secrecy, as the
administration was at that time in sympathy with the
pro-slavery party and United States Marshals were on the
lookout for armed bands on their way to Kansas from the
north. The underground railroad having been put into
good running order, Superintendent Woodin and his station
agents did quite a business in forwarding
"emigrants" during the fall, winter and following
spring and summer. | 
