tienne Cabet 1853

The Situation in Iowa

The three wagons sent last September 26, transporting to the Icarian commune of
Iowa the fourth expedition, arrived at the establishment on October 10, left the
16th and returned to Nauvoo the 28th. The news they brought was in all regards
satisfactory and increased the ardor of the community. Here are the reports rece
ived along with extracts from a few letters.
Report from the small colony in Iowa to the large colony of Nauvoo
Adams Country, October 15, 1853
Dear Citizens:
Since the departure of our brothers we are actively occupied with making hay. We
will continue until September 1, the date until which we believe we have suffic
ient provisions.
Around that time we fell sick one after the other: Louviers suffered from a sun
stroke that caused us to fear for his life; several among us have fevers, which
paralyzes us in our labors.
Citizens Marchal and Gobel, and Citizens Connefray, Sauge, Gobel, Busque, Vidal,
and Mirault were the only ones spared. Those in good shape are working at the b
uilding of a kitchen, of a cellar for our vegetables, a dairy, and a second cell
ar for our dairy products.
Marchal has baked a batch of bricks. He was going to make another, as well as so
me lime, when he was struck down by fever.
Vidal made us a bread oven, and chimneys for our houses, half with baked bricks
and half with dry bricks.
Our heating is assured for the winter, which makes us quite happy.
Our animals are in very good shape: we have suffered no losses. We were forced t
o kill one of our calves, though this was a great sacrifice for us, but the heal
th of our friends demanded this and we didn t hesitate to do it. Know well that we
consider our herd as a thing not to be touched except in case of absolute neces
sity, which, we hope, will not often arrive.
We have planted 10 acres of wheat and rye. We would have planted more but we wer
en t able to find seeds. It has grown well and beautiful.
Our corn harvest was quite good. We hope to have between 3-4,000 bushels, and a
hundred bushels of potatoes.
The bean production was good. We ate of it all summer and we still have several
bushels after having taken the seeds neeeded for next year. We have a quantity o
f vegetables of all kinds.
We have begun to extract stone. Marchal s opinion is that it will be good for lime
. It is four miles from our habitations.
We know of a spot where it is easy to extract sand.
We have made cart furrows across a great extent of land in order to guarantee fr
om fire a portion of our woods and to assure pasturage for our animals.

Roy has put up the saw and he is convinced it will go well. Several Americans ha
ve come to ask us to saw their wood: we will do this if it is to our advantage.
It remains to us to construct before winter a hen house to shelter a hundred of
our hens, a stable for our milk cows, and a small log-house [in English in the o
riginal] to smoke ham.
We can only attribute the cause of our illnesses to the drought, the extreme hea
t, and the need to work under the baking sun.
Our illnesses have not in any way modified our opinion as to the salubriousness
of the country. Nevertheless, there are a few sanitary labors easy to be done al
ong the banks of the small river. We will do this as soon as possible.
The general health is beginning to be reestablished; there are still a few conva
lescents and some with fevers. These physical sufferings of our friends have not
at all altered their resolution and perseverance.
The more we march the more we see that the spot we occupy can suffice to meet th
e needs of the community, and that it can grow here.
The most perfect harmony reigns among us.
This report is signed by:
The director: Krisniger, farmer
The interim secretary, Briere, cobbler.
Martinet, carpenter, left from Nauvoo July 3, writes:
... Finally, after 16 days of walking we arrived at our voyage s goal. The next da
y we visited the area, and we were happy to see beautiful plains and especially,
much lovely wood.
From the sketch I sent you, you know my opinion of our establishment. We are on
a height, facing onto a river, more or less as we are at Nauvoo, with this diffe
rence that the river here is to our north.
We live soberly, as all colonists must do at the beginning. In the morning we ea
t cornmeal soup and fresh cheese; at noon potatoes and beans; the evening ham or
something else, with this fresh cornbread.
The two female citizens who are here don t have caf au lait. They live like us, but
all of this will progressively improve by our labors.
Busque, tailor and cook, writes to Couloy (the younger):
Like every countryside in America through which we've passed, the country is not
in the least enchanting, but it breathes peace and promises us abundance. It se
ems to change the dispositions of men, for here everyone takes an equal or commo
n part. One feels at home and that you are working for yourself. When something
lacks one easily does without, and without complaining. There are countries wher
e a terrific cornbread is made. Well here, with our barrels full of wheat meal w
e eat cornbread, and we would have liked to eat it till next year because wheat
is too expensive. And all of this without any effort and of our own free will, w
ithout our leadership asking it of us. So you see that in this regard we are mak
ing progress.
Those who like to eat well can say: It s not surprising that 14 people fell sick t

here, but we can judge better than those who are far away, and we don t think that
food had anything to do with it. It should be noted that when we fell sick we h
ad no more cornmeal and we were eating wheat bread.
We attribute our fevers to several causes. In the first instance the new country
had to be cleared; then there was an extreme drought, and finally a few swamps
had to be purified.
I'm not a connaiseur of soil but after the season we had if it wasn t good we woul
d have had nothing. Nevertheless, though our harvest wasn t abundant we are quite
satisfied with our production.
As concerns me personally, I am a cook. I was even the best baker until the arri
val of the accursed Blanch, who has come to take my job. I have nevertheless pre
served some partisans and there is talk of returning me to my functions. I don t k
now how this will turn out. If I get my bakery back I'll let you know by telegra
ph.
Conefray, blacksmith, writes to his wife:
I can give you my opinion of our situation. I have traversed all of our possessi
ons and if we can preserve them our position is better than that which we had in
Texas. (Conefray is a member of the first vanguard that went to Texas in 1848.)
What is more, we have a small river that, despite the summer drought, has not c
eased to flow at the same level since the day we arrived here (July 19).
We have an excellent spring, which will meet our needs even if we became more nu
merous. A basin was built there where the female citizens go to wash.
We have hazelnut trees from which I harvested a small bag of nuts that Louvier w
ill give to Agathe. I won t tell you more; the reports we approved give all the de
tails.
Vidal, mason and plasterer, also writes to his wife:
I don t need to tell you how much I want top see you. But though I know you are a
resolute woman I must warn you that we will have much pain and privation to put
up with, though we will already be in better shape next year. Don t think that thi
s is said as a complaint or to frighten you, rather it s so you can say to those w
ho want to pretty up the picture that you have to wait for the wheat to be ripe
before cutting it!
You ask for many details of our colony. I can only repeat to you the report appr
oved by all. Our harmony is spoken of there: this is a word often written and wh
ich usually exists only on paper, but I can assure you that here it is in action
. We are all in agreement and all have the love of the common good. There are ne
ver quarrels or criticisms of the leadership or management. We don t have meetings
where we discuss at length the means of living well, rather they are filled wit
h work projects and the distribution of products.
Since we are far from all centers we sometimes lack certain provisions. Everyone
puts up with privations without complaining or grumbling.
In telling you that society can prosper in this place I am doing nothing but rep
eating what all the letters from here must be saying.
Mirault, joiner, writes to Bloudeau:
Since the day we arrived here I haven t had a moment to spare. Nevertheless I have
profited from my Sundays to see the woods and plains. The woods are more beauti

ful than I thought. Most is of red oak with a bit of white oak. The lime trees a
re beautiful and there are many of them, and it s the same for black walnut.
The river runs alongside the woods, and since it is always at the same level we
all think that we can set a mill up there.
I think that there s nowhere the Society could place itself where the woods or the
view would be more beautiful.
You speak to me about hazel nuts, my dear Blondeau. They are profuse here and I
regret that I can t send any to your children, but I dedicate my hours of rest to
hunting for ducks for our sick ones.
Uttenweler, carter, writes to his wife:
You won t regret coming here. I can assure you that the countryside is beautiful a
nd that I'm very happy here. I went about for two days in order to see everythin
g, but the fields are so vast that I haven t yet seen anything.
I my opinion we'll have enough wood to establish ourselves here and make somethi
ng beautiful.
As for agriculture, it s as our friends said: good land and soil. We can plant her
e everything we want. Corn and potatoes will come in abundance. As for wheat, th
at which we harvested grew well and looks good.
As for the calves, we can have thousands of them.
I kiss you a thousand times and I ask you to tell pre Cabet that I want you to co
me join me next summer.
Finally, the Director Krisinger ends his later by saying:
In summary, what I can tell you is that I see here a happy future and prosperity
for our Society here where we are established.
These are the reports sent to us from Iowa. The letters written by those who are
there, either to their wives or their friends in Nauvoo are in agreement in con
sidering their position agreeable, and the soil as good. Those who went there wi
th the wagons and returned speak in the same way. All of this gives us hope for
complete success.
Cabet