The Bellevue war

the long version

This history shows Iowa and adjacent areas as the early American Wild West, circa 1833-1850. Based on historical writings, documents, and records, it offers the definitive account of a gunfight between approximately 100 vigilantes and outlaws that occurred in Bellevue, Iowa Territory, on April 1, 1840, along the Mississippi River--the fate of the prisoners decided by a vote of colored beans. The book also explores settlement patterns and daily life on the trans-Mississippi frontier; organized crime as it moved with settlement across America; the coexistence of vigilantism and statute law in early America; more than 150 years of controversy surrounding the Bellevue War; and the lives of major people involved, including men who influenced the territory, state, and nation.