For several years, he taught school. He engaged in charcoal burning for a while, disposing of the product at the blast furnaces. In December, 1849, aware of the
California Gold Rush, he started for
California by way of the
Isthmus of Panama, and on account of difficulties with the officers of the ship on the
Pacific Ocean side, helped to take possession of it, and after several months of voyaging, arrived at
San Francisco. For some four years, he was engaged in mining and other pursuits in California, returning by way of Nicaragua, shipping for
New York City at
Greytown, in 1854. The following year he removed to
Iowa. In 1855, he bought
The Iowa Central Journal, then located at
Lafayette, (later Albion), Marshall County, of Messrs. Wilson, Dunn and Tripp. Associated with him in the conduct of the paper was Mr. R. H. Barnhart. The paper was a champion of Marietta, and as Chapin had declared that he would not take the paper to the new county seat, in case of removal, he sold out his interest to his partner, who removed the paper to the new county seat. During the year 1857, Chapin settled in
Marshalltown, Iowa and started
The Marshall County News, which was subsequently destroyed by fire. During several years following this loss, he bought and sold
The Times many times. In 1881, he was connected with
The Reflector. He held several offices of trust and responsibility during his residence in Iowa. He was a member of the board of supervisors, and postmaster of Marshalltown under President Lincoln. In 1864, he was sent to
Mississippi to take the vote of the Iowa soldiers, under appointment of
Governor William M. Stone. Chapin was removed from the office of postmaster in 1865 by President Johnson, for alleged "offensive partisanship", Chapin having the honor to be the first official removed by President Johnson for political reasons. Chapin was re-appointed postmaster by President Grant, in 1876. In the development of the railroad system of Iowa, he bore a leading part, and when improvements were under consideration in Marshalltown, or in the county, he took the progressive side. ==Personal life==