USA > Iowa > Black Hawk County > History of Black Hawk County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 43
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY
The pastors who have served the Cedar Falls church, in order, have been : Revs. Jacob Schaefer, C. Pfeil, H. Kleinsorge, J. Keiper, J. Berner, J. Harlacher, E. J. Schultz, J. Nuhn, C. C. Pfund, M. Gruener, O. Rall, E. Nolte, A. L. Hauser, George Knoche, A. Goetze, George Zellhoefer. Rev. B. R. Weiner is the present pastor. The membership of this church is good.
UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
For many years there was an Universalist Church in Cedar Falls and early in the '80s a small church was constructed on Main Street opposite the Carnegie- Dayton Library. Services were discontinued about twenty-five years ago and their building afterward used by the Christian Scientists.
CHURCH OF CHRIST
The Church of Christ was organized in August, 1906, with thirty-two mem- bers, at which time services were held on Sunday afternoons in the Free Metho- dist Church. The membership increased rapidly and in 1911 the old Presbyterian Church, located on Main Street, between Sixth and Seventh, was purchased at a cost of $3,600. Rev. J. M. Morris is the pastor.
ST. JOHN'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
This is a small church located on the corner of Eighth and Tremont streets. Rev. A. C. Fritz is the pastor. The congregation is very small.
ZION EVANGELICAL CHURCH
Plans are now prepared for the construction of the handsome new edifice of this society. The money, $40,000, has already been subscribed. The present building will be razed in the spring of 1915 and work on the new structure begun. Half of the above named amount of money was subscribed by Henry and Gus Pfeiffer of Philadelphia.
CHURCHES OF LA PORTE CITY
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The pastor who organized the first Methodist class in La Porte City was Rev. S. W. Ingham. He formed a class one mile from town in 1855. Later Rev. R. Hollensworth organized a class within La Porte City on the north side of Big Creek. Services were held at different places until the year 1872. At that time, under Reverend Ricker, the first Methodist Church building was con- structed, costing $3,500, and was dedicated in October, 1872, by Rev. J. W. Clin- ton. The articles of incorporation of the new church were signed by O. G. Day, S. S. Torbet, A. P. Hayes, William Chapple, E. F. Smith and E. B. Lyon. In 1896, feeling strongly the need of a new church building, the members built a new Vol. I-23
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structure which cost $7.500. It was dedicated by Rev. J. B. Ives, of New York. in December. 1896.
The pastors who were in charge of the Methodists prior to the year 1872 were: Reverends Burley. Young. Hollensworth. Taylor. Donaldson, Holbrook, Fawcett. Shaffer. Beach. Rains. Ingham. Ricker. Since 1872 the ministers have been : Reverends McGee. Wheat. Gilruth. Freer. Pottle, Fawcett. Clinton, May- nard. Gould. Delamater. Chipperfield. Swearingen, Skinner, Lusk, Coates, Fred N. Willis. G. E. Shear. R. D. Black. D. S. Staebler. I. L. Lockard. Rogers. H. E. Wilcox. W. A. Henke.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Rev. N. C. Robinson held the first Presbyterian services in La Porte City in November. 1857. in a log cabin on Commercial Street. This was the funeral services for a child of Dr. Jesse Wasson. The church was organized November 4. 1867. by a council consisting of Reverend Dodd and R. N. Wylie. The first members were : James McQuilkin, T. L. Mayes, R. J. McQuilkin. Jennie H., and John McQuilkin. William P and Annie Mayes. J. A. Hoyt was the first pastor. In 1868 the society purchased the church built years before by the Adventists and occupied it until 1873. when they sold it to the German Evangelical Society. In t873 the lot now occupied by the church was bought and the erection of a church begun. The building and site cost over eight hundred dollars.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Catholic Church of La Porte City was erected in 1888 at a cost of $2,000. It is a frame building on the corner of Main Street and Bishop Avenue. For many years the church was a mission under the charge of Father M. F. MacIn- erney of the Vinton Parish.
EMANUEL EVANGELICAL CHURCH
In the spring of 1856 the bishop visited La Porte City and appointed Jacob Pilafle and Moher to preach a year, alternately. The first meeting was held in the house of Levi Kennicott. Christian Esher and later in the schoolhouse. In 1870 the first church was built. In 1875 they bought the Presbyterian Church Building. The new church was constructed in 1888.
Until 1874 the societies of the English and German Evangelical Associations were united. In that year they divided. The English society continued to occupy the church until the spring of 1895, when on account of dissension the local society vacated the building and it was occupied by the Evangelical Association of North America.
EBENEZER UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCHI
This church withdrew from the Evangelical Church of North America in 1895. In the same year a new church was built and dedicated by Bishop Dubs. The congregation is very small.
CHAPTER XIII
ROADS AND RAILROADS
FIRST EFFORTS
The first efforts to place Black Hawk County into communication with the outside world by steel rails was on August 10, 1856. H. B. Allen, an enterprising settler, who first came here in 1855, read a paper before the Old Settler's Associa- tion in the late 'gos in regard to the railroad movements which had taken place in this county. This paper has been printed before, but its value as historical matter is great, so it is recorded as follows :
"There was one incident in the early history of Black Hawk County, con- nected with the attempted construction of the first railroad through the county, which greatly affected the material interests not only of the inhabitants and tax- payers of the time, but of the present generation and generations to come. In August, 1856, John Randall, judge of the County Court. having jurisdiction of the financial affairs of the county and the official who located the courthouse on its present site. upon the petition of a few of the citizens and the request of the officials of the Dubuque & Pacific Railroad Company, called an election of voters of Black Hawk County to be held on September 10, 1856, to confer authority upon the county judge to subscribe for and take in behalf of the county 2,000 shares of $100 each of the capital stock of said railroad company, and to pay for the stock in bonds of the county the sum of $200,000, payable in twenty years, with interest at 10 per cent per annum, payable annually, and to be delivered-$10,000 when executed, $10,000 for three months. $10,000 six months, $10,000 nine months, and the balance, or $160,000, on the call of the board of directors. The record of the County Court recites that the proposition was carried by a majority of votes in its favor, but the record is silent as to the number of votes cast for and against it. nor can any evidence of the canvass of votes be found.
"On the 16th day of August, an order was made for the subscription. of the stock and the issue of bonds and an agreement was signed by J. P. Farley, presi- dent of the road, that the company would faithfully perform on its part the condi- tions on which the election was based. The conditions were that the company should build a railroad through the county, crossing the Cedar River at Water- loo, and build and maintain passenger and freight depots within one mile of the center of business in the cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The company gen- erously offered to prepare and furnish the blank bonds ready for execution, which it did in lithograph, regardless of expense.
"But before this was accomplished, J. H. Hubbard, a resident and postmaster of Waterloo, and who was elected as the successor of Judge Randall at the fall
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election, was inducted into the office of county judge, and then an altogether different man had control of the financial affairs of the county. In due time the officials of the road appeared with blank bonds, all properly waxed, and gaily ribboned, and applied to the judge for his official signature and seal. The judge was not a lawyer, but although not a lawyer was an honest man. He was a man of good judgment and hard sense. He had doubts as to the legality of the proceedings upon which the bonds were to be issued, doubts as to the right of the company to the bonds before the road was built, and above all he disliked, until compelled, to saddle upon the taxpayers of the county a debt which would hang over them like an incubus for at least a quarter of a century. He took legal advice and advice of friends; he acted upon their advice and his own convictions of right and refused to sign. They coaxed, flattered and promised, but the judge stood firm. Baffled in their first attempt they came again, reinforced by their attorneys and an array of legal talent calculated and intended to awe the modest judge into compliance. After exhaustive arguments to no purpose they threatened legal proceedings by mandamus to compel official action, but to no usc. The judge steadfastly refused. At last they tried on a larger scale the scheme that played havoc with Judas, but the judge refused to betray his master, the people, and his indignation at their base attempt knew no bounds. Finally, the company made a show of an effort to comply with its part of the contract by doing some grading in different parts of the county. It threw quite expensive embankments on both sides of the river at the crossing at Waterloo and with a great flourish of trumpets and a band of music and speeches broke grounds for the Cedar Falls Depot in the southern part of the city. But the financial panic of 1857-8 put an end to their efforts, the road was never built by the company and the bonds were never issued.
"It is an easy problem to estimate what was saved to the taxpayers of the county by the good judgment, decision, firmness and sterling integrity of Judge Hubbard in resisting the persuasions, the threats, the blandishments and tempta- tions of the powerful and influential corporation. At 10 per cent simple interest the amount doubles every ten years. Two hundred thousand dollars in ten years would amount to $400,000; in twenty years to $800,000; if allowed to run until the present time they would amount to over $3,240,000. If issued the county would sooner or later have had the bonds to pay. The Federal Court held that bonds of other counties issued under like conditions were valid against the counties issuing them in the hands of innocent purchasers; and the counties of Scott, Cedar, Johnson and several others had been compelled by order of the United States Court to levy a tax upon the payment of such bonds with all the accumulated interest and costs."
The people felt the importance of railroad facilities as the more prairie sod they turned over, the more wheat they raised and the more hogs they fed. The Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad had been completed to Cedar Rapids in 1858 and the certain extension of the line west to the Missouri River or up the Cedar Valley from Cedar Rapids spurred the people to extra exertion to get this line. The Cedar Rapids & Missouri River Railroad Company had been formed, backed by the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska, and went before the Legisla- ture and secured the transfer of a great land grant which had been previously voted to the Iowa Air Line, projected from Lyons to Council Bluffs, on one condi-
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY
tion that the eighty miles of road be completed and in running order by a specified date. The Air Line Company had failed to meet the conditions, in fact, had done very little in that direction. The transfer of the land grant was made, which assured the building of the road to the Missouri River, but the company was ambitious and sought to secure encouragement from the people up the Cedar Valley to promote the work. Accordingly, in 1858, on July 15th, a Cedar River Valley railroad convention was held at Waverly, Bremer County, in that interest. A large attendance of delegates from Linn, Black Hawk, Benton, Floyd, Chicka- saw and Mitchell counties were present and L. B. Crocker, president of the Chi- cago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad Company was also present, directing the deliber- ations of the convention.
Judge Maxwell, of Bremer County, was the president of the convention. Among the vice presidents were Morris Case and William H. McClure of Black Hawk County, and Robert Gilchrist of Benton County. Among the editors se- lected for secretaries were W. W. Harford, of the Vinton Eagle and William Haddock of the Waterloo Register.
A committee on resolutions reported in favor of the organization of an inde- pendent company composed of stockholders and directors along the line of the road; also for the commencement and completion of the road as soon as possible. During the discussion of this report, the delegates from Cedar Falls presented a proposition for the junction of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota with the Cedar Valley project ; and labored hard to effect this purpose, but the convention flatly refused to enter into any such arrangements and determined to make the Cedar Valley Company entirely independent and to run their line upon the straightest and most economical lines from Cedar Rapids to the state line, crossing the Cedar River at Waterloo, thence to Janesville, leaving Cedar Falls to the left on the west side of the river.
Articles of incorporation were drafted and adopted and a board of directors elected, among whom were: Sheldon Fox and George W. Couch of Black Hawk County ; J. C. Traer and Alexander Runyen of Benton ; L. B. Crocker of New York; Charles Walker and William J. McAlpine of Chicago and Franklin Steele of Minnesota. The board of directors elected L. B. Crocker, president; W. P. Harmon of Bremer, vice president ; Sampson C. Brever of Linn County, treasurer ; W. W. Walker, secretary, and Milo Smith, chief engineer.
The editor of the Waterloo Register in the report of this convention, said : "By this it will be seen that the railroad policy of Cedar Valley is definitely set- tled, although we have no doubt it will be some time before we shall have the pleasure of riding over the road. But it is to be built sometime and upon the Air Line principle as nearly as may be. Much will depend upon the people along the valley, as they are to grade and tie the road themselves, without any assistance from abroad."
This attempt at railroad building came to naught, as did the Cedar Falls and Minnesota scheme for a railroad.
These first three railroad schemes failed to materialize anything practical, but the people were not discouraged: the country was rapidly settling up and promised business for any road which reached this section. Cedar Falls and Waterloo were already important business points, their flouring mills and the general enterprise of their citizenship giving them prominence. The country
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was becoming widely known as one of unsurpassed business and wealth pos- sibilities. The Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company was heading this way and actually reached here and began running trains in the fall of 1860.
This was the first direct railroad communication this section had with the East and marked an era in the history of the county. As a public and general convenience in saving a long and expensive trip to the Mississippi River, both to market what was produced for sale and to secure supplies, it was direct in its benefits and was appreciated and made the object of great rejoicing.
In a single decade or less the pioneers were in direct railway touch with the hustling, busy world to the east of them. Within four years after the first move was made in the county looking to permanent settlement, a United States mail route and postoffice was established at Cedar Falls. Six years after the estab- lishment of the postoffice a large flouring mill was erceted in Waterloo and one at Cedar Falls. The people had postoffices, saw and flouring mills and railroad facilities and were in better shape to live well and comfortably than five-sixths of them had ever been to live on their old home stamping grounds, and all this within the short space of less than ten years.
The Grinnell. Cedar Falls & Winona Railroad was another carly project which did not succeed. Great agitation was caused by it and strennous efforts were made to secure recognition of the company by capitalists able to make the project a success. Several meetings were held in Cedar Falls, at which repre- sentatives of all the towns along the proposed route were present. One of the chief promoters was J. B. Grinnell, a member of Congress. Surveys were made and a 5 per cent tax voted in many townships. At the first election in Cedar Falls for this purpose the 5 per cent tax was defeated by a majority of ten votes, but later the tax was voted. Mount Vernon also voted a 5 per cent tax, but as the road was not built the people did not have the tax to pay.
The people of the county, already in possession of one railroad, were appar- ently as anxious for another as they were for the first. A line of railroad running up the Cedar valley had early claimed the attention of far-seeing rail- road men and the progressive men whose numbers were large among the settlers. An early project in that direction has already been given attention. Such a con- nection with the Mississippi River, traversing one of the richest river valleys in Iowa would open up communication with St. Louis and New Orleans. Chicago was not any means as important as now. But when a railroad was completed and in operation to Cedar Rapids only fifty miles distant, a line up the valley seemed highly feasible. However, the Civil war came on and railroad enterprise in this direction was forced to wait. But in 1866 came peace over the land ; tens of thousands of young men had been mustered out of war service and this vast multitude, which for four years had been engaged in the work of destruc- tion, was henceforward to be enlisted in the army of production. They were seeking lands out of which to make homes, thousands of them recruited in the East were discharged in the West and swelled the ranks of western volunteers, settlers and home-makers. They came to lowa by the thousands and the Cedar valley had the choicest portion of the state. Black Hawk County shared in the good fortune and the energy and muscle which they brought for the develop- ment of the country.
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY
The project was advanced to extend the Cedar Rapids & St. Paul Railway through this county. The citizens were deeply interested and anxious to see the enterprise successful. One railroad was a good thing, but a second would result in competition and thereby be of great advantage to the people. On May 31, 1866, a meeting was held in Waterloo, which was addressed by William Green of Cedar Rapids, superintendent of construction, and J. C. Traer, of Vinton, sub- scription agent.
Mr. Green made a statement of the railway situation. Work was being actively carried on in Benton County in the construction of the road bed. The company desired to extend the line north if the people manifested an interest in it in a practical way. They wanted the people along the line from Vinton to Waterloo to subscribe to the amount of $60,000. It was easy for anyone to see that the amount was small compared with the advantages to be derived from the building of the road. Mr. Traer followed on the same line of reasoning. while the people were anxious to have the road they were apathetic in their acceptance of the proposition to donate $60,000 towards building it. But committees were appointed to solicit subscriptions and by the 13th of September Waterloo had subscribed $23,355, La Porte City and vicinity, $7.905, Orange Township, $4,100, a total of $35,360. The private subscription and township tax system in promoting railroad buildings at this day seems like foolishness. It was all reasonable enough in early days and served a good purpose. Most of the roads thus promoted would doubtless have been constructed some time anyway, but the people wanted them and helped to build them and enjoyed the advan- tages of the investment instead of waiting and hoping, all the while marketing their produce and hauling their goods by wagon to and from points fifty or one hundred miles distant.
There was a halt in the subscription and the amount asked was reduced to $45,000. The $9,640 additional necessary to raise the sum subscribed to $45,000 was subscribed. Of the money raised for the building of the road $25,000 was subscribed by the citizens of Waterloo. The La Porte City subscription and that of Orange Township were larger in proportion to that of Waterloo, but it should be said that La Porte City had no railroad and was ready to bleed freely in order to get one. The grading of the road bed was completed in 1867. At the time this road was projected it was expected that the Chicago & North- western would operate it and our people were pleased at a report that that company had leased a line in Minnesota and would extend it south to connect with the Cedar Rapids & St. Paul at some point north of here. But the Burlington & Cedar Rapids line was also being built and the original calcula- tions were off, as the two valley roads united their destinies, making the Bur- lington, Cedar Rapids & Northern, now a part of the Rock Island System. Regular trains over this line of road reached Waterloo in September, 1870.
Still not satisfied, the people of the county, or particularly of Waterloo, joined heartily in the project for a line of railroad running diagonally from Des Moines to McGregor in the extreme northeastern part of the state.
A large and enthusiastic convention was held in the county seat March 24, 1869, to promote the building of the Des Moines & McGregor Railroad. There were delegates present from the two extremes and along the route. The com- pany was pronounced a strong one and the road seemed to be a surety. But
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there were growlers at the efforts made to get the road. The growler seems to be ever present when any enterprise is proposed.
This proposition fell through, but the proposition for a narrow gauge railroad between Waterloo and McGregor was again before the people in April. A large meeting was held and articles of incorporation were submitted and agreed upon.
H. B. Allen and R. H. Pardee went East and visited and examined the narrow gauge railroads then in operation for information upon the subject. At that date, 1872. and for several years, narrow gauge railroads were in high favor in the West, their comparative cheapness forming their chief recom- mendation. Through systems of railroad transportation were not thought of, in fact systematized railroad traffic was in an embryotic state, even in the East. The people of western towns and villages wanted to get somewhere by rail; it did not matter to them whether the connection was made by broad or narrow gauge roads : the easiest one to get was the one wanted. Then towns the size of Waterloo and Cedar Falls wanted these narrow gauge roads as feeders to the roads they had and they had for years striven to have this diagonal line. It would get them direct to the Des Moines and save a long ride around by Cedar Rapids. Another thing, any fairly good railroad man favored the nar- row gauge. It thus happened that all the talk during the spring of 1873 was of these, and of this particular road from Des Moines to McGregor. Fortunately, no money was thrown away on that enterprise. The interest gradually sub- sided, and before another railroad venture was launched the narrow gauge fad had run its course.
But Waterloo and vicinity had not given up the idea of direct communica- tion with Des Moines and in January, 1871, several meetings were held to pro- mote the building of the railroad from Des Moines via Waterloo to connect with the Cedar Rapids & St. Paul Railroad. A final meeting was called and a committee appointed to look after the matter, consisting of: Matthew Par- rott, L. Alford, A. T. Weatherwax, H. B. Allen, H. Boies and H. W. Jenney, to look after the interests of Waterloo in other premises. L. Alford and Par- rott left at once for Marshalltown and Des Moines for the purpose of further- ing the project.
This movement looked like business and the longed for railroad connection with Des Moines seemed to have grown near. There was much talk indulged in and confidence of success expressed. Visits between the various important towns along the line were frequent and much counseling done for a year or two, resulting in nothing definite until the latter part of 1881, when the name of the company was changed as the enterprise had come into new hands, or had gained support of men of greater means. The name of the new company was the Wisconsin, Iowa & Nebraska Railway Company, practically to be run on the old agitated route diagonally from the northeast to the southwest. The survey was completed between Marshalltown and Waterloo by May 20, 1882. On April 30th a 5 per cent tax was voted for the road in Waterloo and East Waterloo townships. This looked favorable, but the road turned out to have been lacking in financial backing. It was promoted largely by parties at Marshalltown and a 5 per cent tax along the line in both counties was asked and in many of them granted. The idea was to build this fifty mile stretch of road largely by sub-
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