By Aimee Bissell, CommonGround Iowa
The border between Iowa and Missouri may seem like a simple line on a map, but its history is anything but straightforward. The story of the Iowa-Missouri border dispute, famously known as the Honey War, is a tale of surveying errors, conflicting claims and an almost-battle fought with pitchforks and butter churn dashers. What began as a disagreement over land and tax collection escalated into a full-fledged standoff between the two states. While the border was firmly established long ago, passion for the land remains strong among Iowa’s farmers, who continue to invest in conservation and restoration.
The 1st Problem: John C. Sullivan line
In 1816, the U.S. Government commissioned John C. Sullivan to draw a border line between the Indigenous Osage and Missouri territories. He started at the convergence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers and drew a 100-mile line straight north. From there, he wanted to work straight east, but his line drifted north into the Des Moines River; he’d failed to factor in the difference between the magnetic and polar norths.
The 2nd Problem: Des Moines Rapids
In 1821, Missouri became a state, and officials used “the rapids of the Des Moines” as a reference point for the end of Sullivan’s line. The problem was that the Des Moines River had no major rapids. Here’s where it gets tricky: If you continued east on Sullivan’s line, it would intersect with rapids in the Mississippi River. And here’s where it gets even trickier: The rapids in the Mississippi River were called the “Des Moines Rapids.”
The 3rd Problem: John C. Brown line
In 1837, the governor of Missouri ordered John C. Brown to resurvey the border. Brown intended to start at the Des Moines Rapids in the Des Moines River, but, as previously stated, they didn’t exist. So he continued north along the river, found some gently cascading waters, and started there. Ultimately, this moved the line 9-13 miles north, providing Missouri with an additional 2,600 square miles of fertile land.
The 4th Problem: Four Potential Boundary Lines
Iowa and the federal government ordered a third survey of the border, which found four legitimate lines to consider: Sullivan’s line, Sullivan’s line if it hadn’t shifted north, a line intersecting the Des Moines Rapids on the Mississippi River and Brown’s line.
The Honey War, 1839
With the rich agricultural land at stake, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs claimed jurisdiction up to the Brown line. Iowa Governor Robert Lucas countered by claiming jurisdiction down to the Sullivan line. To counter that, an angry Missourian chopped down three trees full of honey in the borderland, hence the name “the Honey War.” This enraged Iowans, especially since the wayward lumberjack escaped to Missouri before he could be arrested.
To add insult to injury, Governor Boggs directed Sheriff Uriah “Sandy” Gregory to enter the disputed territory to collect taxes for Missouri. The first time he tried, the settlers ran him off. The second time, they were ready. Sheriff Henry Heffelman arrested Sherriff Gregory on charges of “usurpation of authority” and threw him in jail.
Capitalizing on Missourians’ rage over Sherriff Gregory’s arrest, Governor Boggs rallied the militia. Iowans responded with a militia of their own, which was smaller but more innovative. They set out for battle with pitchforks, a butter churn dasher, a sausage stuffer, a plow blade strung on a chain and a six-foot sword cut from a sheet of iron. But by the time they arrived at the border, the Missouri militiamen were gone.
The Strong Resolution
Little did Iowa’s militia know that cooler heads had been working behind the scenes to defuse the situation. Delegations traveling back and forth across the border soon agreed that a full-blown war over a boundary line wasn’t worth it. The conflict was called off, Missouri’s militia was sent home, and Iowa militiamen found themselves without an enemy to fight. Sherriff Gregory was set free, but the charges plagued him until they were dropped years later. In 1841, Missouri paid him $250.75 (equivalent to $8,565.16 today) for losses and expenses incurred.
Even though the most intense moments of the conflict were over, the border dispute between Iowa and Missouri dragged on for years. In 1849, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the original, slightly crooked Sullivan line was the official boundary. To settle the matter once and for all, surveyors redrew the line and marked it every 10 miles with monuments made of cast iron and granite. Legend says it took 32 oxen to haul the sturdy monuments from Saint Joseph, Missouri, to Bedford, Iowa.
The Sweet Ending
The story of the Honey War demonstrates Iowans’ deep passion for and connection to the land. Today’s farmers continue to fight for their land, not with sausage stuffers and sheet-metal swords, but through conservation and restoration projects — like the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Habitat Restoration Project. Implemented by the Iowa Soybean Association in cooperation with Syngenta and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this program works to restore habitats for the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee and many other pollinators. Is there any better way to honor the fallen three bee trees that started the Honey War?
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The Honey War
By Missourian John Campbell
Ye freeman of the happy land,
Which flows with milk and honey,
Arise! To arms! Your pony’s mount!
Regard not blood or money.
Old Governor Lucas, tiger-like,
Is prowling ‘round our borders,
But Governor Boggs is wide awake,
Just listen to his orders.
Three bee trees stand about the line
Between our state and Lucas.
Be ready all these trees to fall,
And bring things to a focus.
We’ll show old Lucas how to brag,
And seize our precious honey!
He also claims, I understand,
Of us three bits in money.
Now, if the governors want to fight,
Just let them meet in person.
And when noble Boggs old Lucas flogs,
‘Twill teach the scamp a lesson.
Then let the victor cut the trees,
And have three bits in money,
And wear a crown from town-town,
Anointed with pure honey.
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