Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, May 6 “Two Volumes Bound in Black”
Imagine receiving this letter…”Dear Sir. By tomorrow evening’s mail, you will receive two volumes of the ‘Irrepressible Conflict’ bound in black. After perusal, please forward, and oblige.” ‘Read more’ for details on how Clinton and the area played a major role in the ‘underground railroad.
That letter, which was sent by G.W. Weston from Low Moor to C.B. Campbell in Clinton on May 6th, 1859, had nothing to do with books or literature. Instead, it was code, used to tell Campbell to expect the arrival of fugitive slaves travelling through what was known as the Underground Railroad.
Typically, the actual railroad was not used by those who were making their way across Iowa to freedom. The roadbed was the normal traffic path, and buggies, oxcarts, wagons, and other vehicles of the era were used to move the passengers from station to station. The phrase “underground” refers to the secrecy of the whole operation.
The main line of the Underground Railroad in Iowa entered near Tabor in southwest Iowa, and ran through Lewis, Des Moines, Grinnell, Iowa City, West Liberty, Tipton, DeWitt, and Low Moor, crossing the Mississippi River at Clinton into Illinois.
The whole endeavor relied on the support of sympathetic citizens along the way, since the slaves were escapees, and anyone helping a salve to escape was violating the law.
And word quickly spread, making the route through Iowa very popular among those who literally took their lives in their hands, escaping from their masters and making their way to a place called Iowa, where they might get help.
That was clever code, referring to a book called “irrepressible conflict” and saying the book was bound in black…that language, used in a letter sent by Mr. Weston alerting Mr. Campbell of the arrival of fugitive slaves in Clinton using the Underground Railroad, on this date in 1859.
And that’s Iowa Almanac for May 6th…Listen to the extended audio version of today’s story by clicking on the audio player below. The show is heard M-F about 12:20 on-the-air
“Iowa Almanac” is a copyrighted production of Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
