On a recent trip through
Burlington to Wapello, I spotted a road sign which pointed to "Tama
Beach" along
Route 99, not far north of US 34. Perhaps that was the site of the original settlement.
Also, I received the following through an email from Lynn Kopatich -
"I found several references to Tamatown in the Dan
Dustman 1978 (or so ) book, Times to Remember,
Benton Twp. Rural.
There is a story about an 1894 triple drowning in the
Mississippi of 3 men from Tamatown, telling that all were members of the M.E. Church at Tama. The names of those who drowned were
Silas Walker, Martin
Walker, son of
Silas, and Thomas H. Walker.
There are also several references to Tamatown men playing baseball against Oquawka men, as well as going through Tamatown, then Stony
Hollow to go fishing.
According to the book,
Benton township was originally named Tama and changed to
Benton in 1842. "The township was divided by the bluff into what was called
Lower and
Upper Tama Town
Prairie. It is said that
Lower Tama Town was located on the east side of
Route 99 or toward the river. Upper Tama town was later known as the
Walker settlement. The story being that the people flooded out of
Lower Tama moved up to the high bluffs and called it
Upper Tama Town."
"South of the (Yellow Spring) creek was called Tamatown or the
Walker settlement, West of the
Walker area was
Latty."
"A territorial road ran in a northwesterly direction from Tamatown. Along it the early settlers made their homes. Among them were names of
Latty, Cornic,
Eads, Penny,
Pool, Howard,
Jackson, Steinrod and a
Walker family from
Virginia."
As I read this, it is in
Benton Twp. where the
Walker settlement is today. Looks like Sections 21, 22, 27, 28 area."