Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory 1882-3, Part 2

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Publication date: 1883
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USA > Iowa > Polk County > Des Moines > Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory 1882-3 > Part 2

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With the extensive network of railroads centering in our city, to- gether with our many natural resources, the advantages for the growth and prosperity of Des Moines are almost unlimited. The year 1882 promises to be unprecedented in railroad building for Iowa. The main lines of road in our State, nearly all of which touch Des Moines, are among the best equipped, having the most secure road-beds and

the finest rolling stock in the United States, and the management : rests with gentlemen of honor and experience in their business. The railroads of Des Moines extend in almost every direction, so that we can leave our city for Chicago, by any one of the trunk lines, arriving there about the same time and without change of cars. We can; go to St. Louis by two different roads, and to St. Paul, Minneapolis or Milwaukee by either of two almost direct lines; to Kansas City, Leav- 'enworth and the Southwest by either of three routes; and we can take any one of three principal roads for Council Bluffs, Deaver and the Pacific Coast. The many roads centering here will ere long, unite in the building of a union depot.

The roads of Des Moines are the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Chicago & Northwestern; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific; Keokuk & Des Moines; Des Moines & Ft. Dodge; Des Moines Northwestern; Des Moines, Indianola & Missouri; Des . Moines, Winterset & Southwestern; Des Moines, Osceola & South- ern, and the St. Louis, Des Moines & Northern .. The lines con- templated and in process of construction, are the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; Burlington, Des Moines & Sioux City; Des Moines & Kansas City; Minnesota, Iowa & Southwestern, and the Des Moines & McGregor!

Thus our railroad facilities are superior to those of any in the State, which extends our trade hundreds of miles in every direction, open- ing many new and rich portions of the country, all tributary to the trade and commerce of our city."

Des Moines being characteristically a railroad center, it is expedi-

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY. 21

;ent to include here, the following specific information regarding the roads entering the city.

| CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND AND PACIFIC.

This road entered Des Moines in September, 1867, and is one of the great trunk lines extending across Iowa, and connecting at Coun- cil Bluffs with the Union Pacific. | The growth of business and com- mercial interests in the west, has made this road to rank among the first in the country. Their business during the past year shows a remarkable increase, which Has been advantageous not only to Des Moines, but to the entire State. ments during the past year, in their road bed, in They have made many' improve- relaying |the track with steel rails, and in the extension of their road, in various branches through the State! The road is equipped with all those essentials which pertain, to first class accommodations, and the management gives evidence of the ' highest ability.

KEOKUK AND DES MOINES.

This is one of the important north and south lines of the State, and was the first road built to Des Moines, entering the city in August, 1866, being then known as the Des Moines Valley road. ; It is now one of the principal branches of the C., R. I. & F. R. R., has been put in the best condition, and is a road of much importance to Des Moines.

DES MOINES, INDIANOLA AND MISSOURI,

This is a branch of the Rock Island, extending south from Des Moines, and is an important feeder to that road. It is probable that this line will be extended southward at no distant day, as important towns in northern Missouri are looking to a connection with Des Moines via this route.

: DES MOINES, WINTERSET AND SOUTHWESTERN

This is also a branch of the O., R. I. & P. R. R., and active meas- ures'are now in progress for the speedy extension of this road south- ward to a connection with the railway system of Missouri. It's busi- ness during the past year has been great, for the extent of the line, and its advantage to Des Moines is highly appreciated by our citi- zens.

CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY.

This was the first road which crossed the Mississippi river at Bur- lington, and is one of the great trunk lines of Iowa, as well as one of

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

the wealthiest corporations in the west, and to-day it is unexcelled, by any railroad in the world for general excellence, quantity and quality of equipment, and everything necessary for the comfort and convenience of its patrons. The line is a popular one and will always be a competing road with any and all lines entering Des Moines, giving us direct communication with St. Louis as well as Chicago.

CHICAGO AND NORTHWESTERN.

Des Moines is fortunate in this addition to her railway facilities, and this road is an active and powerful competitor for eastern and western bound passenger and freight business. . It was the first of the three great trunk lines to extend its road across the State, and to connect with the Union Pacific at Council Bluffs. This is one of 1 the great corporations of the country, and its lines extend not only. where trade and commerce will at present justify, but it also acts as a pioneer in developing new territory. It has contributed also to the reduction of freights, giving our merchants the advantage of another competing eastern route. It is noted for the speed and com- fort which it secures to its patrons, is under able and energetic management, and is constantly extending its field of operations.

DES MOINES AND FT. DODGE.

This is one of the most important north and south lines in the State, and the business of the past year shows the great advantage of the road, not only to Des Moines, but to the entire State, as it connects with the lines running east and west. This road has been of practical benefit to our city, and. our citizens and business men appreciate it. The company proposes an extension of the road north to a connection with Milwaukee and St. Paul, which will open trade with the pineries, and also furnish a market for the immense coal mines of Des Moines and Central Iowa.

WABASH, ST. LOUIS AND PACIFIC.

Only those persons who have given the subject careful study, can . realize the importance of this road to Des Moines, not only giving us a shorter and cheaper outlet to the sea-board for our products, but also another direct and through line to St. Louis, New York and Chicago. This new outlet of transportation opens to our trade, a neiv field of operations for our manufacturers and business inen. We quote the following in regard to this road, from the Iowa State Regis ter: : : a 0

23.

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

Only those who have thought the subject out to the end, realize the great good that the Wabash road will bring Des Moines. It means St. Louis wrestling with Chicago on Iowa ground, and it means St. Louis backed by New Orleans and English capital as against Chicago backed by New York capital. Aye, it means more than this. It means the arrival of the time for a separation of Chicago and New York or a separation of their interests, for now comes up a rivalry as ; between the old allies as to which shall best take care of itself in this . new time; so that it will not be simply Chicago contesting in Des Moines and Towa with St. Louis for trade, but it also means New York itself contesting here with both of its rivals. It must hold'its own, if it can, and to do that it must fight for it. Fortunately for it, too, the entrance of the Wabash into Iowa gives a through line to Des Moines, independent of Chicago, so that it pan deal with this city direct, and this city with it. ! So that while the Wabash will bring us a shorter and cheaper outlet for our grain, it will also bring us a direct and through line to New York, under one management, for what commerce we may have with it.

And New York will come even to Des Moines to contest with Chicago and St. Louis and Europe for Iowa business. Then will there spring up a direct trade with this city and New York. When the Wabash comes it will bring through cars from New York, and before a year we expect to see Pullman cars standing on the tracks in Des Moines to make through trips from Des Moines to New York --- with- out going through Chicago or stopping on the way, and making the time in less than two days. | That's a part of what the Wabash in Des; Mbines will mean,

DES MOINES NORTHWESTERN. 1 This is a part of the great Wabash system, extending from Des Moines into the rich agricultural region northwest of this point through the counties of northwestern Iowa, where it is cordially welcomed as a valuable accessory to the development of that portion of the State. It is being rapidly extended into the great wheat-growing regions of Minnesota and Dakota.

ST. LOUIS, DES MOINES AND NORTHERN.

This is another branch of the Wabash line, extending north to Boone, and it is proposed to extend this line through northern Iowa and Minnesota to St. Paul. This will give a direct line from St. Louis to St. Paul via Des Moines, by means of the Wabash. The road is designed to operate in connection with the barge lines from St. Louis, and work is being rapidly pushed forward to a speedy completion of' this route. Trains are now running to a point twenty miles north of. Des Moines.

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

DES MOINES, OSCEOLA AND SOUTHERN.

This road opens to us a field of rich territory and adds largely to the aggregate value of our network of railways. It is anticipated that this ling will be extended southwest from Osceola to St. Joseph or, Kansas City, giving us another important southwestern connection.

RAILROADS IN PROSPECT.

DES MOINES AND KANSAS CITY.

This proposed road will be one of great importance to our city, and will, we understand, be entirely independent of all other lines now centering here. The survey has been completed, and the work of construction will soon be commenced and pushed forward as rapidly as capital and labor can accomplish it.

MINNESOTA, IOWA AND SOUTHWESTERN.

A company was recently organized and incorporated under the laws of Iowa and Minnesota for the purpose of building a railroad .from LaCrescent, Minn., opposite the city of LaCrosse, Wis., through to a connection at Des Moines with a proposed line to Kansas City, and thus gaina through line, from the Mississippi to the Missourifrive intersecting this State from northeast to southwest. This line will . connect the great lumber producing regions of Wisconsin with the Iowa coal fields, and also the stock raising districty of Kansas and the southwest. -

WISCONSIN, IOWA AND NEBRASKA.

This road will give direct connection between Des Moines and the northeastern and southwestern portions of Iowa, and will be one of very great importance. Indeed no road could be built which would be of more importance or more beneficial to Des Moines than this will be. It is surprising that a road whose usefulness is so apparent, and which will pass through a country so rich, should not have been built long before this. This will be the first road to give direct connection between the central and the northeastern and southwestern portions of the State, and from our knowledge of the men who have the manage- ment, we believe the road will be pushed to a speedy completion, ba opening up by shorter routes the lumber regions of the north to all central and southern Iowa, and affording also an outlet to the north- east and southwest to the coal of central Iowa, and giving the two

BUSHNELL'$ DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

railroad connections necessary to complete the railway systemof Des Moines!

CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE AND ST. PAUL.

This company, which we believed should have built their road into Des Moines before this date, have changed their route somewhat, run- ning north of this city, directly west, between the C., R. I. & P. R. R. and C. & N. W. R. R., but we have been informed that they intend to build a branch, into Des Moines at an early date. From the impor- tance to this road, of connection with the network of roads in this city, and of securing a southern and southwestern outlet, we feel reason- ably sure of this road, the present year, and we hope it may be built. Another connection with the markets of Milwaukee and St. Paul will be of great benefit to Des Moines.

.MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. LOUIS.

This is another important road connecting Centra! Iowa with Min- neapolis and St. Paul, and the lumber regions of the north. One of the principal objects in the building of this road, was to reach the rich coal fields in this section. It is now completed to Coaltown, a point a short distance from Des Moines. The object of the company is to build a road from Minneapolis, through Minnesota and Iowa, to both St. Louis and Kansas City." The line south from the present terminus has not yet been definitely located, but we believe that either the main line or a branch of it, will be built into Des Moines this year.

FAST FREIGHT LINES.

Five lines have established agencies in Des Moines, the Union and National Through Freight Lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad . Com- pany, the Ecle and Pacific Dispatch, the Great Western Dispatch and the Merchant's Dispatch, representing the Erie Railway Com- pany. These lines contract for freight to be delivered to New York Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Albany; and the, principal eastern cities of the United States, and all European points. They ship all' perishable goods, such as butter, eggs, fruits, poultry, &c., in superior refrigerator cars. The question, of transportation, and of the quickest and cheapest routes, are and always will be of primary importance in. connection with successful business. These agencies afford increased facilities for carrying, and impart additional vigor to trade. These. lines are represented in this city by gentlemen of enterprise and rec- ognized ability in business management.

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BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

TRANSPORTATION BY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

The importance of this movement as regards its effect upon Iowa products can hardly be over-estimated, and it is now attracting gen- eral attention all over the West and Northwest. When this fertile portion of the country is placed in connection with the barge lines of ) the Mississippi river, all classes will appreciate the great benefits of the line.

The Mississippi Valley Transportation Company is entitled to the claim of being the first company organized for the transportation of grain and cereals from the great West, via St. Louis, to New Orleans for European transportation; and from a very small beginning a mag- nificent and profitable business has been developed.

The general understanding is, that the river can carry grain to European ports for what the ordinary rail carriage would be from the Mississippi River to New York .:

The barge system is, however, merely in its infancy, and, without .doubt, it has capabilities that have not yet been reached, so that it is fair to suppose that the minimum of cost for transportation on the river has not yet been arrived at, and still further reductions will, no doubt, in time be realized.

. The importance, then, of the barge lines can scarcely be over esti- máted.

We append an

Times:"

1.1 article on this subject from the "New Orleans

Transportation by barges on the Mississippi river has become the solution of the great problem of restoring to the river its great high- way for the commerce of the west. The palatial steamers that flost on its waters and once monopolized the freight and passager traffic of the Mississippi valley, having found themselves unable to compete in cheap freights with the railways, and still less unable to compete in speed, were placed at a great disadvantage, and forced to abandon all. the transportation business except that which the railways could not reach, or did not possess the ability to carry:

Thetrailways crossing the country at right angles to the course of the river, and reaching the Atlantic seaboard at the nearest and the most convenient points, became the great carriers of the products of the Mississippi valley, and poured into eastern ports much of the commerce that had once sought New Orleans. This city, for years without a railway reaching out to the rich and rapidly growing regions of the west and northwest, and finding commerce diverted more and more from the river route, seemed to have left but one hope; and that was to restore to the river the capacity to transport

freights more

.27

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

cheaply than could be done by the railways. The successful solution to this problem has been found in the barge line. Nowj a small, cheaply handled, but powerful steam tug, with a very small crew, will move upon the river in one tow six enormous barges, carrying at least 40,000 bushels of grain cach, or an aggre- grate of a quarter of a million bushels as a single cargo. The ma- chinery for doing this business is so simple and inexpensive, when compared with the palatial, steamboats of the old style, with their costly appointments and numerous crews that once would have been required to do the work, it is, readily seen how vast a reduction of expense has been accomplished.

MANUFACTURING,

We are pleased to notice the progress of our home manufactur ling, and our people appreciate the value and inportance of, this great interest. New factories are springing up rapidly and the old ones. are increasing their capacity, and works to meet the demand. Our Agreat agricultural resources make this a most profitable field for manufacturing. Situated in the center of the State, in one of the richest agricultural regions of the world, where is found an inexhausti- ble supply of the best coal, even within the limits of the city, as fine - a water power as there is in the country, large bodies of timber along our main water courses, convenient of access to the city, and suitable for manufacturing purposes or for fuel; and having railroads leading cast, west, north and south, yith intermediate lines in progress of construction, and in contemplation, Des Moines is the very place to . which, manufacturers should come. Good screened coal can be had for five to seven cents per bushel, and best lump coal for eight cents 1

All articles of food and provisions are in the for manufacturing.

Imarket at, greatly reduced rates, in comparison with the eastern markets .; The success of the factories already established and the rapid settlement of the adjacent country, are warrants for the estab- lishment of many more. 'Our starch factories, flour and oat meal mills are shipping all over the world; our plows, drills, corn planters,. . and other machinery, are ordered in large quantities from all parts of the country! Manufacturing lies at the foundation of industrial life in all towns that flourish. It means a manufacturing population which would otherwise be elsewhere-an aggregation of people in cities and villages. These people are to be fed. They want precisely. what the farmer has to sell; they provide him the very market he desires, and either directly or indirectly, benefit all classes. Our : broad acres of cheap lands give us a great surplus of agricultural and

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

meat products, and, our labor-saving machinery and the skill and ingenuity- of Our artisans enable us to increase our manufactured products and reduce the cost, to successfully compete in quality, qaun- i tity and price with the old established manufactories of Europe.

STATISTICS OF MANUFACTURING.

The following table gives the statistics of manufacturing in Des

: Moines for the year 1881:

Agricultural Implements $138,000

Lithographing

35,600

Alcohol

1,422.975

Marble works

23,730

Artificial ; sione and sewerage.

pipe. L

180.000

Bakeries and cracker factories ..

2.5.234

Barbed wire .!

435.000

Blacksmithing

109,500

Boller works.

69,000

Picture frames

16,000

Book binderies.

210,6351

Planing mille ..

160,000 152,600

Brass'works

12.500

Pork packing.

2,563,000

Breweries.

327.500

Printing (Job)

176,000

Brick and cut

stone.

250,800

Pumps

$3,000

Brooms.

13,600

Rendering works

80,000

Carriages

50,420

Sash, doors and blinds.

75,000

Cigar boxes

·5,000

Sawmills.

15,000

: Cigars ..

197,450

Scales.

35,500 8,500

Contractors and builders

1,831,750

Confectionery

53,575

Boap.

30,000

Drain tile.

126,000

Stereotyping

25 500

Dress and cloakmsking.

197,750

Stoneware ..

71,609

Flouring-mills

158,000

Tin and sheet iron

280.0 0

Forulture ..

120,000

Wagons

25, 000

Harness, collars and saddles

65,000

Hominy mills.

60,000

Lime:

86,000

Linseed ofl.

114,000-

$12,738 781

COAL.

Des Moines is situated in the center of the great coal fields of Iowa, and the mining of coal is one of the principal industries of the city. There are seventeen mines in operation in this vicinity, em- ploying about twelve hundred med, and the value of the coal mined here last year was over $1,055,000.

Polk county has the three great cdal measures of the State' underlying its territory, and the veins vary from three to eight feet in thickness. The conl is the best qual- ity of bituminous, and is unexcelled by any found west of the Miss- issippi. Coal for manufacturing purposes can be obtained at $1.50 per ton, and slack much cheaper.

WATER POWER.

A dam six hundred feet long having a fall of eight feet, was built : across the Des Moines river several years ago, giving a power suffi- cient to keep in motion large manufacturing establishments, employ-

-----

Boots and shoes.

45.540

Plumbing and gas, fitting

98,000

Millinery. ..

Newspapers

350,500 529,340

Oat Meal

100,000

Painting.

150.450

Cipthing (merchant talloring)

173.750

Sesis, stamps, and stencils Shirt factories.

16,952

Cooperage

40,175

Spice mills.

69,327

Files ..

6,500

Syrup and glucose.

131,000

Foundries and machine-shops'

293,899

Vinegar and pickles .. 30,100

Hair goods.

10,000

Sundry manufactures (Including seventeen branches of bust- ness).

330,000

Mill furnishing.

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY;

ing thousands of operativesy and to-day the only use made of this power is in the operation of a large flouring mill and a saw mill at the west end of the dam. The State confers upon water power improve- ment companies the power to condemn land for the right of way for canals, water ways, buildings and other necessary purposes, a power as ample as that exercised by railroad companies.' The east end of the dam having the same power is now idle, but presents a rare. opportunity for finanufacturing , enterprises. The organization of a company for the purpose of building a race to increase the facilities for manufacturing is contemplated. By raising the dam one or two feet, which can be done under the charter, additional power can be secured sufficient to operate almost unlimited machinery. If such a company were organized, the power could be rented to manufactur: . ers at from one-half to one-fifth the cost of steam power.

CLAY8.

Clay of excellent quality for the manufacture of brick, abounds in this . section, which fact is apparent in the number and extent of our brick yards. Not only common brick of the best quality are manufactured in abundance, but also pressed brick. Nearly all the finest buildings in Des Moines are of brick, manufactured in this vicinity, which for durability and general excellence are unsurpassed. Fire clay also exists here, as well as potter's clay, which is found in abundance, and the products of our extensive potteries amount to thousands of dul- . lars annually. Last year they manufactured 1,600,000 gallons of ware. We have the largest drain tile works in the State, and the product of these establishments is in great demand throughout the country, and the same is true of our artificial stone and sewerage pipe works. : Clay for the manufacture of mineral paints, is also found here. It is well known that wherever bituminous coal is abundant, there also exists excellent clay suitable for making the finer grades of brick, and for terra cotta, and this is found to be the fact in this locality, this quality of clay being found here in liberal quantities.

SAND8.

Sand suitable for the manufacture of glass, is found of. superior quality and in great abundance near this city. By actual test, the glass manufactured from this sand, has been shown to be of superior quality to that made from sand found in other States, and this with the other advantages possessed by Des Moines should be an induce- ment for the location of large glass works at this point .. The sand

BUSHNELL'S DES MOINES DIRECTORY.

found on the banks of our two rivers | is largely used in the manufac .. ture of artificial stone:

FLOURING MILLS.

The increasing facilities for the shipment of grain from the great wheat growing districts of the northwest, enables our millers to suc- cessfully compete with other sections of the country in the production of flour, and as they have the latest and most improved machinery, the product of our mills is equal in quality to the best produced elsewhere in the northwest, They can now manufacture about three hundred barrels per day, but expect to largely increase their capacity this year, as the demand is greatly in excess of their ability to supply. OAT MEAL MILLS.

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Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory 1882-3, Part 2

Author: Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher:
Number of Pages: