Title: The Honey War: A Sweet Conflict of 1839
Iowa and Missouri once almost went to war over a boundary dispute sweetened by beehive thefts.
In the early 19th century, as the United States expanded westward, there was a peculiar dispute that nearly escalated into an armed conflict between Iowa and Missouri. Known as the Honey War, this almost-forgotten slice of history occurred in 1839, rooted in a mix of poor cartography and agrarian theft. Although it sounds almost whimsical today, the Honey War is a tale of how territorial disputes in America could escalate over small provocations, including the theft of honey.
The story begins with the ambiguous wording and inaccurate mapping of the Missouri state boundary as described in its 1820 state constitution. The boundary was intended to follow the course of the Des Moines River, but due to the poor mapping techniques of the time, the exact course was unclear. This ambiguity led to a dispute over where Missouri’s northern boundary truly lay, affecting several square miles of territory.
In 1837, Missouri’s then-Governor Lilburn Boggs, decided to take administrative action over the disputed area, which was populated and being used by settlers from what was then Iowa Territory. Missouri attempted to collect taxes from the settlers in the disputed zone, who were more inclined to consider themselves a part of Iowa. Resistant to the notion of paying taxes to a state they didn’t believe they belonged to, these settlers protested.
The situation escalated when a Missouri tax collector not only conducted tax collections but reportedly cut down three honey-laden bee trees, which were highly valued by the local Iowa settlers. The act of cutting down the bee trees —which were an important source of income due to the honey they produced— infuriated the Iowans and further fueled the dispute.
The brewing conflict came to a head when the sheriff of Missouri attempted to collect taxes from the settlers and enforce Missouri laws in the contested area. Iowa was not yet a state but was a part of Michigan Territory initially and later Wisconsin Territory before becoming Iowa Territory in 1838. The territorial government of Iowa was determined to defend its claim.
In December 1839, the disputed escalated when Missouri’s governor mobilized the state militia to protect its claim and enforce the collection of taxes. In response, the then-governor of Iowa Territory, Robert Lucas, called up a militia comprised of roughly 1,200 men. These militia members were not only ready to protect the territory’s claim but were also angling to defend the rights of their beekeeping enterprises—a significant economic activity for frontier settlers.
Interestingly, although both sides were armed and mobilized, no actual combat took place. The militiamen mainly exchanged threats and engaged in a few standoffs. At one point, the conflict seemed likely to escalate into violence, but the winter weather and perhaps cooler heads prevailed, leading to negotiations instead of gunfire.
The matter was ultimately decided not by military might but by the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1849, a decade after the skirmish around the bee trees, the Court ruled in favor of the Iowa Territory’s boundary claim, resulting in the establishment of the current border. This decision effectively placed the disputed area within the borders of what would become the state of Iowa.
The Honey War is emblematic of many such border disputes in American history but stands out due to its quaint name and the unusual economic interests at its heart—namely, the production of honey. Today, this incident is commemorated by the State Historical Society of Iowa and across educational platforms, although it remains a lesser-known event in U.S. history.
Understanding these regional disputes provides a clearer window into the social and economic issues that concerned early American frontier settlers, including their reliance on natural resources such as honey. The Honey War, while nearly escalating to violent conflict, ultimately shows the course of American expansion and the significant role that seemingly trivial matters like honey could play in the broader narrative of U.S. territorial history.
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