![]() William Williams visited Burlington, writing a brief description in his journal: ![]() A historical marker commemorates the site of the church and early territorial government. The government used "Old Zion," the first Methodist Church in Iowa (located near what is now Third and Washington streets), to conduct its business. The Iowa Territory was organized in the following year, and Burlington was named as its first territorial capital. ![]() In 1837, Burlington was designated the second territorial capital of the Wisconsin Territory. The Grays' daughter Abigail was born in Burlington that same year, the first American settler child born on Iowa soil. Gray chose to name it Burlington in honor of his hometown in Vermont. In the spring of 1834 they allowed John Gray, who purchased the first lot with his wife Eliza Jane, to rename the town for $50. McCarver crossed the Mississippi River from Big Island and staked claims there. Settlement began in 1833, shortly after the Black Hawk Purchase, when Samuel (aka Simpson) White, Amzi Doolitle, and Morton M. The American Fur Company of John Jacob Astor established a post in the area in 1829. ![]()
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