USA > Iowa > Black Hawk County > History of Black Hawk County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 33
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These experiments, with others of less pretentious character, naturally dam- pened the spirit of business men in the ambitions to build up a manufacturing city by paying bonuses for the transplanting of old plants from other localities and made business men wary in the consideration of such propositions. But as a good shipping and distributing point, by reason of its excellent railroad facilities, Waterloo held out superior inducements to real, live factory men and offers to come with their plants or to start new ones, with little help guaranteed, continued to come from outsiders.
Of these one of the most important of the earlier ones to be accepted and secured was the Morgan & Kelley Well Drilling Factory, established here in 1889. This proved a success from the first and a money making enterprise which rapidly grew in importance, sending its products to all parts of the earth, not alone well- drilling machinery, but drilling machinery used in prospecting for minerals. On the death of Mr. Morgan the firm name was changed to the Kelley & Taney- hill Company.
Other factories followed but were largely such as were required to meet local demands.
The second one to really cut an important figure in the factory life of Water- loo was the Tallerday Steel Tank Company. This was secured as the well drilling factory, with a small outlay of cash, a pittance of $200 to be used in the erection of a building. It was a humble building erected on leased ground. But they man- ufactured an article which was wanted and which sold readily and in a short time the plant was enlarged. Mr. Tallerday came here at a time when money was close in 1895 and doubts were expressed at the meeting at which the proposi- tion was discussed as to the possibility of raising the money. But in fact the money was raised in a few hours. In a few years the products of the factory were in demand in all parts of the United States and Canada and steel piping was added to their output. The company reorganized and incorporated, built a large brick building toward the lower part of the city on Sycamore Street.
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While, as shown by the census returns, Waterloo's growth in population was slow, about keeping pace with the surrounding country, yet it must be taken for granted that the city itself did not show marked improvement from year to year. For it did. The people made money, many of them rapidly, and some grew rich. They built better residences, some fine ones, and many decidedly larger and more convenient. Every year marked an advance in these respects. So that when the annual summing up was made of the building done and the money expended therefor the showing was such as to make Waterloo people proud and boast some. The comparatively slow growth in population was overlooked.
For more than forty years from 1858 these conditions continued. The popula- tion increased slowly, while the wealth of the citizens multiplied and the city vastly improved in appearance. We had the railroads and all facilities for business far in excess of what was done. The elements of further growth were lacking. It was necessary that more should be done. The fact was recognized and more spasmodic efforts made to introduce factories with the results already stated. The determined spirit had not yet been aroused. The people were not fully awakened up.
The Rath Packing Company was secured in 1891. The panic followed in 1892. Other factory owners were negotiating for locations here and hope awoke in the hearts of the people and the building spirit prevailed over the financial de- pression and building went on briskly during every year of the existence of the panic.
In 1896 the electric street car lines appeared. The franchise of the old one- horse street car line was purchased and the city had a genuine street car linc. The new Waterloo may be said to date from that time. That was the beginning of the real growth of the city. Not especially because of the electric car lines, nor the company, though these were important factors in the subsequent growth, but because of the manner in which the money was raised to secure the lines. Two tracts of ground were laid off into lots and a certain portion of them were donated by the owners and sold for the purpose of raising funds, requisite to secure the improved line. The plan was a success. Citizens purchased lots liberally, paying what appeared on the face of it, steep prices. The line was to be extended through these lots to Chatauqua Park and the purchasers of lots, instead of losing, made money by their investment. This line of action became popular at once and was resorted to in several instances, to secure grounds for factories and money to aid in securing them. The people had caught the spirit of factory building and found the way of securing them, thus entering upon the new era of growth and development, not only in material wealth but in population.
Factories give employment to people. Factories bring in wealth, money from near and far. Not all nor nearly all of the factories of the more than a hundred were brought in from the outside or were added from the local contribu- tions. Some of the ones which now employ the most hands were individual en- terprises pure and simple, starting on a small scale and being built up by the business sagacity, enterprise and energy of the promoters, men who had caught the factory spirit and who possessed the business sense, public-spirit and courage to make use of it.
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF WATERLOO, 1904
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THE GREATEST EPOCII, 1896-1914
Greater Waterloo had its birth in 1896. From that year dates its rapid progress. It was at that time a second class city of 7,000 people or such a matter, the growth of forty-eight years. Efforts to secure manufacturing plants had not been wanting, but practically all of those secured before 1896 were failures from one cause or another. The woolen mill died after a run of four years, entailing a heavy loss on the proprietors. It started at just the time when sheep raising was being transferred from the Iowa prairies to the plains and mountains. The agricultural implement plant, a substantial building, finely equipped, promoted by eastern men and liberally contributed to by Waterloo citizens, went to the wall. A harvester company, several years later, in the same building, promoted by an eastern man, shared the same fate. A bus and carriage factory, a street car, and several other factories of like importance, did a little business and then dropped out of the race. The Gage Stove Works was another disastrous venture. A packing house of considerable promise was burned to the ground and never rebuilt. Forty or more thousands of dollars were sunk in an effort to make a second water-power at the lower end of the city. A large and apparently paying cracker factory was consolidated with the factory of the same kind at Sioux City and lost to Waterloo. The above brief statement which covers but a partial list of the industries which have existed for a time preceding 1896 will serve to illustrate the persistency of the people in efforts to secure factories and their cour- age in bearing the reverses in continuing the fight. The experience was costly, yet valuable, and in 1896 began to yield returns.
A proposition was made to build the Rapid Transit Interurban Railway and money was necessary to induce its construction. Two tracts of land along the proposed line and adjoining the city were laid off into lots, part of which was sold for the purpose. The sale was a success. Lots were sold to the amount of $57,000 and the improvement secured without costing the citizens a cent. In purchasing the lots some bought with the expectation of practically donating the price of the lot, but instead made money by the operation. The example of this raising of money to build factories was quickly followed in every quarter of the outlying districts.
Westfield, Litchfield and a string of other factories in different parts of the city are some of the products of that idea. The efforts made by the business men through the Commercial Club, Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce and by individual citizens in the last two decades has been remarkable and the suc- cess which has been obtained has challenged the admiration of the whole coun- try. In this branch of the business more can be judged by the factory statistics published in the chapter, "Industrial Growth," in another part of this volume.
One industry follows in the wake of another. Get the people and the business follows. Have the means of giving employment to men and they come, singly and with families. Better stores, larger and better stocks of goods, afford greater attractions to the people of outlying districts to come in and trade and it follows as a natural result that more work is supplied. Waterloo has grown with amazing speed by multiplying the means of employment and will continue to grow at an accelerated speed as long as the sources of employment increase and no longer.
CHAPTER VIII HISTORY OF CEDAR FALLS
EARLY SETTLEMENT
The site of the first settlement was called Sturgis Falls, a name derived from the natural waterfall and the name of the first settler. The village was known by that name until the year 1849, when it was given the present title of Cedar Falls. The recital of the early settlement of this city has been presented in the chapter devoted to the early settlement of Black Hawk County, so that the narration of these first events here will be largely repetition, hence it is pro- posed to touch but lightly on these topics.
These two first settlers, William Sturgis and E. D. Adams, came here with their families in 1845 and hastily pitched their log cabins. However, they were not the very first to visit this region of the state. Of course, the Indians were the first here; then the first white man was G. Paul Somaneux, a pious Frenchman, who came here in the spring of 1837 and hunted and trapped on the banks of the beautiful Cedar. During the same summer a surveyor named Robert Stuart also came to this section and chummed with the Frenchman and the Sacs, Foxes and Winnebagoes. With the coming of winter these adventurers packed their bags and trekked farther to the West and from this time until the coming of Sturgis and Adams there is no record of white settlement.
The two latter settlers made a division of the land at this point, Sturgis tak- ing a tract on the north side of the river, including the mill site and the water power, and Adams taking the land south of the river and extending from the James Rownd farm to Dry Run. The first sod turned in the county was here in the summer of 1845, when Adams and Sturgis both turned five acres of prai- rie land. In 1845 two other families moved to this section. They were the Hanna and Virden families. They settled to the southeast, near Black Hawk Creek. In the next spring Jackson Taylor and family, four persons in all, came and constructed a cabin on land now the present Main Street. Then the popu- lation numbered exactly twelve people.
The summer of 1846 brought considerable growth to the new village and by the next spring it is recorded that there were ten whole families residing here.
In the month of December, 1847, the Overmans and Barricks came and immediately bought the water power and land owned by Sturgis. Shortly, J. M. and D. C. Overman hollowed out the ground south of the river and made a mill- race. The dam was strengthened and made more effective and by 1848 a sawmill was running in full force, turning out timbers for the building of better homes in the village. In 1850 this mill was enlarged and the addition was utilized for Vel. 1- 18
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the grinding of wheat. The first grist mill had but one run of buhrs and they were made from the boulders which lined the river bank. This was the first grist mill in this part of the state. The nearest ones were at Littleton, Quas- queton and Cedar Rapids.
In the summers of 1851 and 1852 people came from far and near with their wheat and other grains, to get them ground at the Cedar Falls mill. Often sixty or seventy-five teams would line up near the mill, awaiting their turn, thus lend- ing quite a business air to the small settlement. The census gave a population of 135 people, 75 males and 60 females, at this time.
About this time the first lawyer to settle here came to town. He was Samuel Wick. Col. W. H. McClure was another early comer of this profession.
TOWN PLAT
The town plat, locating the settlement on sections 8 and 9. township 89. range 14, with John M. Overman, Phoebe Overman, William P. Overman, Har- riet C. Overman. Dempsey C. Overman, and Edwin Brown as proprietors, was acknowledged on April 12, 1853, and ordered to be recorded by O. H. P. Roszell. county judge of Buchanan County, on April 26th. Through the generosity of the Overmans, who gave the county sixty-six lots in order to raise funds with which to provide county offices, the new town was given a great impetus and increased prestige. On the day before Christmas, 1853, a sale of lots was held and eleven were sold. J. R. Cameron bought the first one for the sum of $10.50.
FIRST COMERS
O. E. Mullarky claims to have the honor of being the oldest living white child born on the townsite proper in Cedar Falls. He was born in 1851 and was the son of Andrew Mullarky. The father arrived with a stock of goods from Freeport in the spring of 1850. In 1853 he built a store building where the Burr House later stood. Andrew Mullarky succeeded Mr. Overman as post- master when the latter gentleman carried the mail in the crown of his hat. Andrew Mullarky helped to lay out Butler Center and assisted in building up that place as well as Cedar Falls. He was accidentally drowned in the mill- race in 1863.
Another early settler was Lanfear Knapp. He came here with his family from Lockport, Illinois, in 1854. He served as justice for almost forty years and also filled other official positions.
GOVERNMENT
The town of Cedar Falls was organized as early as 1851 and J. M. Overman was the first pioneer mayor. He was succeeded by Edwin Brown, J. F. Jaquith. and M. W. Chapman. In the year 1865 Cedar Falls was legally incorporated as a city of the second class. The first officials of the new city were: T. B. Car- penter, mayor; J. B. Powers, solicitor; J. T. Knapp, treasurer ; L. Knapp. assessor ; A. Trowbridge, clerk; F. Sessions, marshal; F. Sessions, street com- missioner. The city was divided into four wards, with two members for each.
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The successors of Mayor Carpenter have been : A. Allen, 1866-7; F. A. Bryan 1867-70; E. Townsend, 1870-2; A. S. Smith, 1872-4; F. F. Butler, 1874-6; B Culver, 1876-8; A. S. Smith, 1878-9; W. T. Williams, 1879-81; C. C. Knapp, 1881-4; H. H. Markley, 1884-5; C. A. Wise. 1885-7; William Morris, 1887-9; L. H. Severin, 1889-91; W. R. Graham, 1891-5: Peter Melendy, 1895-1901 ; L. O. Robinson, 1901-2; H. C. Hemenway, 1903-5; W. H. Merner, 1905-7 ; H. Jacob Pfeiffer, 1907-9; W. H. Merner, 1909 -.
INDUSTRIES
The City of Cedar Falls at first had an amazing growth. The removal of the county seat from here to Waterloo without question deterred the progress of the city for many years, although it is at present prosperous and satisfied. When the people here lost the county seat they entered a period of inactivity. This was a perfectly natural result, for their one best feature had been stripped from them and to the mass of people nothing seemed to be in store for them in the future. However, the location of the state normal school here increased the prestige of the town very materially and then there came a time when manufac- turing reached a conspicuous point in volume and in variety. Twenty-five years ago Cedar Falls had more factories than Waterloo, but today Waterloo has such a number that the comparison would not be worth while.
The first industry in Cedar Falls was the milling business. The Overmans were the pioneers in this work, as has been written elsewhere. The Overman Mill was sold to Fox and McClure and they sold to G. N. Miner, who sold in 1892 to the Cedar Falls Milling Company. The Dayton Mill was built by Van Saun and Wilson in about the year 1862 and these gentlemen sold it to J. E. Rhodes and M. N. Dayton, who formed a stock company known as the Rhodes, Dayton & Gandolofo Company in 1882. W. A. Dugane came to Cedar Falls in 1884 and then the mill was run under the name of the Cedar Falls Mills Com- pany. In 1898 they bought the property of the Forrest Milling Company. In 1900 the Cedar Falls Mill Company and the Waterloo Union Mill Company consolidated with a capital of $500,000. This new concern was given the title of The Waterloo & Cedar Falls Union Mill Company. This concern bought the paper mill in 1901 and now owns all of the water power on the river, both at Cedar Falls and Waterloo.
Another prominent firm which started business in Cedar Falls in 1876 was the Harris & Cole Brothers Factory. They purchased the old starch factory building and began the manufacture of wooden pumps. They subsequently added house finishing supplies.
Another industry was the Monarch Feeder and Stacker Company, organized here in 1899. This company was sold out to the Monarch Self-Feeder Company. organized in 1904. The W. E. Williams Manufacturing Company was organized in January, 1903, for the manufacture of overalls, duck coats, etc. The Cedar Falls Manufacturing Company is a successor to Flinn and Miller, who bought the W. T. Williams overall factory, established in 1886. The Iowa Rug Factory was started in 1900 by Harry Onan. The Iowa Gate Company was established in 1900.
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY
Cedar Falls has the distinction of having the first barbed wire fence factory in the country. Salmon Thompson of this city first conceived of the advantages of barbed wire for fencing. After many years of patient work Mr. Thompson fashioned a barbed wire which was successful and succeeded in establishing a small factory here. "Beat 'em All" was the trade name given to this wire and for a time Thompson was secure in his rights. Other covetous syndicates learned of Thompson's invention and slowly they made inroads upon his rights, finally squeezing him out entirely and robbing him of what little money he had possessed.
The principal manufactures in Cedar Falls today are flour, barley, cereals. corn meal and feed, hardware specialties, house finishings and turned goods. agricultural implements, farm gates, school supplies, skirts, garments, brooms, lumber, cement blocks, farm goods, printing, creamery products and vulcanizers.
No little impetus to the commercial and industrial growth of the city has been given by the Commercial Club. The town suffered from inactivity before the organization of this club and the future did not seem to hold much in the way of civic growth. The Cedar Falls Commercial Club was reorganized in 1909 and. taking on new life, began to revolve the wheels of the city a little faster. Many new industries have been induced to locate in Cedar Falls, among them the following: Waterloo Skirt & Garment Company, Cotton Theater, Standard Manufacturing Company. Viking Pump Company, Dumont Manufacturing Com- pany. Universal Hoist and Manufacturing Company, Broom Factory, Wagner Manufacturing Company, Iowa Gate Company, International Harvester Com- pany of America, Black Hawk Hotel, Cedar Falls Hospital, Bancroft's Green- houses, Cedar Falls Foundry. Municipal Electric Plant, Main Street Electroliers, Nu-Way Mop, Cedar Valley District Fair, Sims Wet Process Concrete Company, Thompson Eraser Cleaner. There are now about forty factories in Cedar Falls. The total building in the city for the past year, including residences, factories and business blocks, has amounted to over one million dollars.
NEWSPAPERS
The oldest paper in Cedar Falls is the Gazette. It was established March 16, 1860, by H. A. and George D. Perkins. Antedating the Gazette was the Cedar Falls Banner, established in 1854 and which was the first newspaper published in Black Hawk County. This was then fathered by W. H. McClure and Doctor Meredith, who purchased the hand press and the other necessary material at Tipton, Iowa. The material was hauled overland to Cedar Falls and the first copy of the paper was issued on July 11. 1854. The editor was A. F. Brown and S. C. Dunn and Joseph Farley were the printers. The paper was a six column folio and independent in politics. In October. 1854. Doctor Meredith sold his interest in the plant to S. H. Packard, who assumed the editorial management. Shortly afterwards McClure and Packard sold the plant to Hill and Ball, who were in turn succeeded by W. H. Hartman in August, 1858. The material was moved to Waterloo in December of the same year, where the publication of the Waterloo Courier was started.
The Gazette is now fifty-four years old. George D. Perkins enlisted in the volunteer service during the Civil war but after a year spent in service was dis-
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CEDAR FALLS FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE, 1853
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY
charged. In 1866 the two Perkins brothers sold the paper to Rev. S. B. Goode- now, who retained control until 1867, when he disposed of the property to C. W. Snyder of Vinton and A. C. Holt of Cedar Falls. Mr. Holt sold his interest in 1868 to E. A. Snyder of Cedar Falls. In 1869 the Snyder brothers sold out to George K. Shaw and L. D. Tracy. In April, 1869, E. A. Snyder again came into possession of the property and L. S. Merchant purchased an interest. Mr. Snyder stayed with the paper for about thirty years and W. H. Hurd was a partner with him for a long time during this period. In 1902 A. L. Anderson of Grundy Center bargained for E. A. Snyder's interest, which he gave up after a few months, when it reverted to Snyder. In 1903 Snyder and Hurd sold out to J. F. Carson and A. L. Sebille. Since that time there have been many owners of the Gazette.
The Cedar Falls Globe was established by George Gallarno and J. G. Packard. At the beginning of the paper Mr. Gallarno was the editor and manager and had had previous experience on the Cedar Falls Argus, a paper which had a short time subsequent to the Globe been moved away. On December 13, 1890, Gallarno retired from the newspaper business. George A. Fabrick, who had for a number of years been foreman in the Gazette office, bought the paper and became editor. J. G. Packard took charge of the business part and retained an interest. On April 15, 1894, William F. Burk purchased a one-third interest, which he held until January 15, 1895, when his interest was bought by Mr. Packard. Fabrick retired from the paper on May 20, 1895, selling his interest to F. G. Ellsworth. The latter continued as editor until June 1, 1897, when his part was bought by C. D. Mills. The paper continued under the firm name of Packard and Mills until August 17, 1901, when Mills bought out Packard and became sole owner and pro- prietor. This paper was discontinued several years ago.
The Northwest Democrat was established by a stock company at Cedar Falls and the first number was issued in June, 1862. Early the next year the managers concluded to let the paper expire on account of sundry threats by the republican population.
The Cedar Falls Recorder was established in October, 1872, by S. G. Sher- burne. He remained as proprietor until February, 1874, when he sold out to H. C. Shaver, who had been foreman of the office. In November, 1875, Shaver sold out to L. Hawkins, who converted it into a semi-religious paper. He dis- posed of the paper six weeks afterward to J. B. Abbott & Company, who made it republican. It soon passed back to Shaver and in May, 1877, Isaiah Van Metre bought a half interest and assumed editorial control. In 1878 J. W. Merrill bought Shaver's interest and later Van Metre's. Merrill ran the paper for some months and then sold out to E. A. Snyder of the Gazette and the Recorder was absorbed.
The Cedar Falls Journal was started in August, 1883, by T. W. Bishop and was sold in August, 1885, to Hand & Boehmler. In January, 1886, they sold the subscription list to the Gazette and the office material was moved to Wisconsin. It was a seven column quarto and republican.
Two other papers have been issued in Cedar Falls. The Record was operated in 1866 by A. C. Holt and the Real Estate Journal by T. L. French & Company two or three years later.
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY
The Cedar Falls Record, now being issued in Cedar Falls, was started in 1899 by Walker and Johnson. J. W. Jarnagin became the owner shortly afterward and formed the Record Company, a stock concern. In August, 1911, L. E. Bladine purchased the plant and dissolved the stock company. The quarters were moved in 1913 from the old location to the present modern and well equipped building occupied by the publication. The paper is issued daily and is an 8-page, 7-column edition.
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