From the bluff there is a beautiful view of the town below and of the Mississippi for miles up and down. This town is very prettily situated, in part on a level on the river for two streets back, when the ground rises and the remaining street is elevated in benches, the whole standing in a rise enclosed by a range of high bluffs which runs around it in a semicircular form, forming beautiful sites for residences. Contains about 2000 inhabitants, is the natural depository for a vast amount of trade from the surrounding country, has many neat residences and several spacious brick mercantile establishments- a large steam mill, one smaller one, two printing establishments, 6 churches, 4 physicians, 8 lawyers, an neat court house and jail, Masonic lodge, etc. Its situation on one of the great bends of the Mississippi has great commercial advantages is the seat of justice of Muscatine County. Williams wrote a brief description of the settlement:īloomington is a fine town, one of the most important points in the state. Major William Williams, who was visiting in 1849 when the town was still called both Bloomington and Muscatine, claimed, "Muscatine in English is Fire Island," in his list of the meanings of Siouan language names. In the 1838 General Land Office map, the town is labelled Musquitine, which may be a variation of Musquakeen, an alternative name for Muscatine Island Musquakeen may have derived from the Meskwaki indigenous people who lived close by. : 66 In 1819 Muscatine Island was known as Mascoutin Island. The Mascoutin lived along the Mississippi in the 1700s. It may have been derived from the Mascouten Native American tribe. The origin of the name Muscatine is debated. Before that, Muscatine had also been known as "Newburg" and "Casey's Landing". Muscatine was incorporated as Bloomington in 1839 the name was changed to reduce mail delivery confusion, as there were several Bloomingtons in the Midwest. Muscatine began as a trading post founded by representatives of Colonel George Davenport in 1833.
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