USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 35
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issuing the Colfax Clipper. The next several years were spent in Des Moines. He came to Boone in 1896 and spent three years writing locals and articles concerning anything that needed mentioning for the Daily News. The Independent is now fifteen years old and con- tains fifteen years of Mr. Swick's life work. For the last two or three years his son, Bert D. Swick, has been a partner in the Independent establishment and gives full evidence of a disposition to rival his father in the length of time he expects to devote to the printing and editorial business. The newspaper field in Boone would not be filled without the unmuzzled Independent.
THE METHODIST BULLETIN
was first issued in 1910 and is edited by George D. Crissman, pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Boone. It is four pages in size, each page about 4x9 inches. It is mailed every Friday, the members of that church being almost its exclusive recipients, and it is devoted wholly to the interests of that church. It gives a pro- gram of both the morning and evening services, noting the texts to be used and the hymns that will be sung. In the reading matter will be found notices of church meetings and items of interest relating to the different members of the church. It is a very interesting pub- lication and conveys news to the members of the church which it would be impossible to disseminate in any other way.
This closes the list of papers that have been started in Boonesboro and Boone during its newspaper history-fifty-eight years. Of the list above mentioned, one daily and eight weeklies were established in Boonesboro before its consolidation with Boone, which official date was March 21, 1887, or eight days short of two and a half years after the first town lots were sold in Boone. Of the eight weekly papers established in Boonesboro, not one exists today under the name given it at birth. The Advocate, established in 1865, name changed to Republican in 1873, when the office was moved to Boone, then consolidated with the Boone News in 1907, under the name of Boone News-Republican, is the only one that has any Boonesboro history connected with it.
In Boone three daily papers have been started, the Boone Daily News being the oldest. It was started in 1885-nearly twenty-nine years ago-and is still doing business. The Boone Daily Republican was published about six months in 1896 and then discontinued. The Boone Evening Republican was established in 1899, was consoli-
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dated with the Daily News in 1907 under the name of News-Repub- lican and now is the only daily in the city.
Ten weeklies have had their beginning in Boone, but four only now continue to make their weekly appearance, namely: the Boone County Democrat, the weekly News-Republican, the Boone Inde- pendent and the Methodist Bulletin. The other six have closed their careers for all time.
MONTHLIES
Three monthly publications mailed through the postoffice accord- ing to United States postal laws have been started in the county. There have been several others published for a few months at a time to further some particular interests, but none except the three here- inafter named that were mailable as second-class matter. The first monthly published in Boone County was the
REVIEW AND ADVERTISER
It was started by W. H. Gallup in 1899. It contained eight pages, six columns to the page and fully three-fourths of it devoted to read- ing matter. It made a specialty of giving a review of the county news for the preceding month, and as far as possible giving the news by townships. It was discontinued after thirteen numbers had been issued.
THE OPTIMIST
was started by H. S. Kneedler in 1900. He was also owner and publisher of the Daily evening and weekly Republican at that time. The pages were about 6x9 inches and each issue contained forty- eight or more pages. It was purely a literary publication, the mat- ter nearly all from Mr. Kneedler's pen, as he was an easy, smooth, and in many ways a brilliant writer. Large numbers of each issue were published and put on sale at the various news stands through- out the country, but the sales were not sufficient to make its estab- lishment a financial success, hence it was discontinued before it had reached its first year's anniversary
THE WESTERN CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
was commenced in 1909, by J. Charles Crawford, and is for the purpose of representing the work of the western district of the Vol. 1-25
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IHISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
Christian Alliance and spreading information as to the work, aims and advancement of the Boone Biblical College and its associated institutions. It carries no ads, but devotes its entire twelve pages of each issue to giving the best information possible of the Biblical College, the Old Peoples' Home and the Children's Home institu- tions which Mr. Crawford has built up in the City of Boone in the last twenty years. It should receive a hearty support from all those who are interested in the moral and religious advancement of the community.
PAPERS STARTED IN BOONESBORO
Boone County News, 1856, by L. C. Sanders; Boone County Democrat, 1857, by N. W. Dennison ; Boone County Herald, 1860, by Cornelius Beal; Boonesboro Times, 1861, by John A. Hull; Boones- boro Tribune, 1863, by J. F. Alexander; Boonesboro Index, 1865, W. H. Gallup; Boone County Advocate, 1865, O. C. Bates; Boones- boro Herald, 1880, by J. N. Reynolds; Boonesboro News, 1880, by Evans & Rickard ; Twin City Daily, 1880, by Frank Rice.
PAPERS STARTED IN BOONE
Boone Standard, 1867, by L. M. Holt; Boone County Democrat, 1868, by L. Raguet; Boone County Republican, 1873, by Means & Downing; Der Boone Herold, 1883, by Herold Printing Company; Nachrichten aus Schleswig-Holstein, 1885, by Henry Kaul; Boone Daily News, 1885, by Shulters & Mitchell; Boone Weekly News, 1886, by E. C. Erwin; Boone Saturday Globe, 1886, by Stillman & Wilkins; Boone County Advocate, 1893, by A. E. Evans; Boone County Herald, 1893, by F. E. Moore; Svenska Herald, 1895, by Ernest Carlson ; Boone Daily Republican, 1896, by Gallup & Gold- thwait; Boone Evening Republican, 1899, by H. S. Kneedler; Boone Independent, 1899, by Swick & Alexander; The Methodist Bulletin, 1910, by George D. Crissman.
MONTIFLIES
Review & Advertiser, 1899, by W. H. Gallup; Optimist, 1900, by H. S. Kneedler; Western Christian Alliance, 1909, by J. Charles Crawford.
EDGAR R. WILLIAMS
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
OGDEN
Ogden is the chief town of Boone County on the west side of the Des Moines River and contains a population of about fifteen hun- dred. It was laid out by the Cedar Rapids & Missouri River Rail- road Company when it was pushing the railroad across the state with the greatest possible speed. Its favorable location, being the first town on the level beyond the river bluffs, speedily established its reputation as a good trading point as well as being a place where a newspaper could expect a liberal amount of patronage and speedily win a good paying line of business. The first paper to be established in the town was called the
OGDEN REPORTER
which is still doing business there and just completing the fortieth year of its existence. It made its first appearance June 17, 1874, Ed E. Adams being its founder and promoter. Mr. Adams was a Boone young man who learned his trade in the Boone printing offices. He continued with the paper only about four months, when he sold to Earl Billings, a young lawyer from the northern part of the state. Mr. Billings proved to be a stayer, publishing the paper for thirty years and being the second longest continuous newspaper record in Boone County, John M. Brainard of the Boone Standard exceeding Mr. Billings by about two years. In 1904 Mr. Billings sold the paper to Williams & Lund, two energetic young men of fine news- paper ability and both practical printers, who had learned their trade in the Reporter office. They continued the paper in a flour- ishing condition, enlarging its patronage and influence for ten years. They retired in February, 1914, and were succeeded by W. D. Miller, who associated with him in the general and business management of the paper L. R. Ross, a gentleman of newspaper experience as editor and owner of the Grand Junction Globe. Messrs. Williams and Lund have not as yet taken up any new newspaper work. Mr. Bill- ings was very successful, both editorially and financially, and now resides in Washington, D. C., with his only child, Mrs. Gardner, whose husband is a government employe.
THE OGDEN. MESSENGER
was Ogden's second paper and was established in 1891, by J. W. Thompson and Charles A. Weaver. Mr. Weaver was the practical
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printer and manager of the office, while Mr. Thompson was the writer and general outside worker. The firm of Thompson & Weaver continued about four years, when Mr. Weaver retired, and Mr. Thompson continued the paper until about 1910, when its pub- lication was discontinued. Its material was moved to Boone and used in the publication of The Western Christian Alliance. Mr. Thompson still resides in Ogden, a cheerful, philosophical octogena- rian. Mr. Weaver is a resident of Los Angeles, California, where he holds an important and prosperous position as linotype operator.i
OGDEN NEWS .
was the third and last paper to make its appearance and was started in 1908 by Mr. Copper, a lawyer of good ability legally but not of good ability financially. It attained quite a good circulation, but after a few months, finding that the financial burden was growing heavier and heavier to bear, the subscription list was sold to the Boone County Democrat. Mr. Copper afterwards moved from Ogden and died in Polk City two or three years later.
MADRID
The first newspaper published in Madrid was called the Madrid Pilot. The first number was published in August, 1881. Edward Lunt was its editor and manager. The Pilot flourished only a short time. In about three months it suspended publication and the press was moved back to Perry, from whence it came. The Pilot died for want of financial nourishment, having insufficient patronage.
MADRID REGISTER
In 1882 M. N. Tomblin shipped a printing press and outfit to Madrid and in the autumn of that year began the publication of the Madrid Register. Mr. Tomblin continued the publication of the Register until 1887, when he sold the paper to D. B. Davidson. In September of the same year Mr. Davidson was nominated for state senator, and in the same month he sold the paper to Clint Schoonover, who was not at that time an experienced newspaper man. He con- tinued in the business only a little over a year and on January 1, 1889, the paper was sold back to D. B. Davidson. After another year Mr. Davidson sold the paper to J. W. Lucas and R. M. Keigley.
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. HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
In about a year Mr. Keigley sold his interest to Lucas & Company, who continued to publish the paper until March, 1894, when iney sold it to C. S. Lawbaugh. A few months prior to this time D. V. Smith had commenced the publication of the
MADRID NEWS
The two papers were consolidated under the name of the
MADRID REGISTER-NEWS
and the firm name of Smith & Lawbaugh. This partnership so con- tinued for a little over a year, when Mr. Lawbaugh sold his interest to his partner, who became sole editor and proprietor of the paper. Mr. Smith continued to edit the paper until February, 1897, when his health failed and he died soon after. In April of that year the paper was sold to G. B. Heath, who continued to occupy the editorial chair until September 15. 1899, when he transferred his interests to C. A. Silford. For about five years Mr. Silford gave the people of Madrid a good local newspaper. In December, 1904, he disposed of the paper, together with the supplies and fixtures which he had added to it, to J. G. Lucas, the present editor and proprietor.
PILOT MOUND
This progressive small Boone County town is situated on the west side of the Des Moines River, near the north line of the county, and is surrounded by as good $300 an acre land as can be found in lowa. It has its churches, its grade schools with an able corps of teachers, its mayor and city council, and ranks equal to the best towns of the state of its size. About fifteen years ago it began to feel the neces- sity of a newspaper all its own, and this public want was supplied by A. R. Samuelson, who established the
PILOT MOUND MONITOR
The first number appeared in November, 1898. After about a year Mr. Samuelson sold the paper to A. J. Wolf, who continued as its proprietor until 1906. During the six years he owned the paper, except for a few months when it was leased to a young man by the name of Daniels, Mr. Wolf was actively engaged in publishing it.
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
Mr. Daniels soon surrendered his lease and moved to Nebraska and Mr. Wolf then resumed the publication of the paper until he was succeeded by Mr. Kick, who was owner of the Monitor from March, 1906, to May, 1913 over seven years. He was succeeded by Jerome C. Burton, who is its present editor and owner. Mr. Burton had the misfortune to have his office destroyed by fire, but has secured a new outfit and the Monitor is now brighter than ever before. When Mr. Wolf retired from the paper he returned to the farm, where he is extracting dollars faster than he could make them in a printing office. Mr. Kick is now at Hinton, in Plymouth County, where he is editor and proprietor of the Hinton Gazette.
ANGUS
The modest little cluster of houses in the southwest corner of the county containing today a probable population of one to two hun- dred, was some thirty-two or thirty-three years ago a hustling and bustling small city of an estimated population of thirty-five hundred. It was purely a mining town, its citizens miners, and its business houses almost exclusively handling miners' goods and dependent upon the miners' patronage for their business and prosperity. Like all other small cities of rapid growth and apparently great future possi- bilities, it needed its newspapers to spread abroad its wonderful attractions and apparently future greatness. To meet this severely felt want, a newspaper called
THE BLACK DIAMOND
was established there about 1881 or 1882, by Robert A. Lowry, who was a lawyer as well as a newspaper man. He kept the paper run- ning about five years. But the miners' strike, which occurred in the fall of 1883, closed every mine but one and paralyzed the business of the place. People commenced leaving the town until only dead mines, empty houses and abandoned store buildings were all that was left of its once famed prosperity. The Black Diamond made a brave fight for two or three years after hope had ceased to exist, but finally acknowledged the inevitable and closed its career. Its editor remained a few years longer, carrying on his law business, but finally journeyed to Guthrie, Oklahoma, where he is reported to have made good in his law business, and was elected to the territorial Legislature, where he served with distinction.
The second paper established in Angus was called
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THE TENDER-FOOT
and was launched by O. M. Brockett, now a prominent lawyer of Des Moines. Mr. Brockett, when applied to for a history of his newspaper career there, gave a full and interesting description of the influences that led him to locate there and of his career while living there. He writes :
"About the month of February, 1883, I went to Angus with a view to considering its desirability as a location to practice law. I received the report that it was a town of about thirty-five hundred people; that there was but one lawyer there, who was also engaged in publishing a newspaper. It is my recollection that the place was then about three years old. Possibly one or two of the coal mines had been operated longer, but the real growth of the town at that time had been confined to a period of about three years. There seemed to be work for everybody and money was plentiful. On visiting the business men and talking with some of the leading miners, I met with the suggestion and encouragement, apparently from all classes, to start a competing newspaper as well as law office.
"I had never had any experience in newspaper work and had no means, but the use of money was voluntarily offered to get a newspaper outfit. Robert A. Lowry was the name of the young lawyer who was then publishing the established newspaper called The Black Diamond. As soon as he learned that I was being encour- aged to consider the proposition to conduct an opposition news- paper, he began the publication of a series of irritating personal paragraphs and articles on the subject, frequently alluding to me as the 'tender-foot.' It was probably the element of truth in the asser- tion that made it irritating. Instead of deterring me, however, it had the opposite effect of inclining me to rashness involved in the venture.
"It was learned that W. A. Helsell, an attorney of Odebolt, had acquired the press and outfit with which a newspaper had been pub- lished at that place by some Georgia fire-eater, whose name I can- not now recall, who had made a financial failure of his venture, but who afterwards went south and acquired considerable fame because of his peculiar style of writing. This material was bought on credit and a newspaper was issued some time in the spring, which immedi- ately attained considerable local popularity because it appropriated the characterization that Mr. Lowry's paper had applied to me, and called itself 'The Tender-foot.'
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"Things went fairly well considering that it had neither experi- ence nor money behind it, until the following fall, when the miners' organizations declared a general strike in that district, which involved all the mines except one. I immediately investigated conditions as thoroughly as I could and became satisfied that the operators could not afford to give the increase of pay the miners demanded and upon so announcing a boycott was immediately directed against my paper and against those who patronized it. I was wholly unfamiliar with such a condition as existed and was probably poorly prepared to understand the class of people who largely composed the population. Some time afterward 1 changed the name of the paper to the Times, but continued to tell what I believed to be the truth about conditions during the strike, which lasted all winter, and was one of the worst that ever occurred in the state. About October of the following fall I abandoned the publication and disposed of the material in some way, as I now remember it, that effected a payment of the balance due on its purchase price.
"That was in the fall of 1884. I then moved to Ogden and con- ducted a law office there for one year, at which time I moved to Boone and entered into partnership in the practice of law with Judge M. K. Ramsey."
CHAPTER XXXV
TRANSPORTATION
Some people think there was no pleasure to be enjoyed, and that no progress could be made, in the days that antedated the railroads. This is a mistake. All phases and conditions in life have their good things and their bad things. All periods of life have their means of progress and have to all appearances been satisfied with that prog- ress however slow it may have been.
To those of the present generation it would indeed be a gloomy outlook were they reduced to the necessity of hauling all of their supplies 200 miles on wagons, with the slow-going ox teams, as was the case during the early settlement of the county. All of our commercial towns were then on the Mississippi River and in touch with the steamboats. It took twenty days to make a trip from Boone County to one of these commercial towns and back, with an ox team. From 3,000 to 4,000 pounds made a good load for two spans of oxen, over the kind of roads we had in those days, and the price paid for hauling was from $2 to $2.50 per hundred. The question is often asked, why it was that ox teams were so generally used in those days. The main reasons are that ox teams were better adapted to the unim- proved roads of the early settlement of the country than horse teams. They could also live upon the grass in the open country along the roads at that time, while feed had to be purchased for horse teams, which made them rather too expensive.
It would not be possible to supply the interior cities of Iowa at the present date with teams only. If lowa had no railroads today her populous and commercial cities would all be on the banks of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and her present interior cities would be small villages.
Some people think that the life of a teamster and particularly the ox drivers was one of extreme hardship. While this is true in a large measure, it is also true that here and there a glimmer of pleasure was found. When the weather was good and the roads were dry
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
the teamster enjoyed his employment, but in time of wet weather and muddy roads the teamster had plenty of hardships and little pleasure. In such seasons as many as eight teams would travel together. If one of them got fast in the mud the others would hitch on and pull him out. In this way they could travel on the ungraded roads, crossing the unbridged and swollen streams in times of wet weather, but no teamster could travel alone at such times.
I remember that at one time the merchants of Boone County ran out of coffee and for ten days could not furnish their customers with a single pound. At the end of that time six teams arrived from Keokuk, having on board sixteen sacks of coffee. There was great rejoicing over this arrival and lovers of coffee were once more happy.
At another time there was not to be found in the county a single sack of flour for sale. The roads were extremely muddy and had been for two weeks. The people were becoming much alarmed over this state of affairs when three ox teams, belonging to the famous Goul brothers, unexpectedly arrived from Oskaloosa with 150 sacks of flour. Two hours after the arrival of these teams in Boonesboro every sack of this flour was sold, which created another season of rejoicing.
One of the most exciting circumstances I ever witnessed during the days of wagon transportation of goods occurred near the Town of Mount Pleasant, in Henry County. This was in September, 1855. Three teamsters, the father, a brother and the writer of this article, went to Burlington the first of that month to haul goods for the firm of Shanon & Grether, whose store stood across from the courthouse on the east side of the square in Boonesboro (now the Fifth Ward of Boone).
Down near Oskaloosa we fell in company with two young men from Red Rock who were on their way to Burlington after a steam boiler. They had two new wagons attached together with a platform of strong timbers built upon each wagon. The intention was to place the ends of the boiler on these platforms, making each wagon carry one-half the weight of the boiler. Hitched to these wagons were six spans of oxen, and the young men were very proud of their big team. They were all very nice animals and the smaller teams had to give the road.
Just before entering Mount Pleasant we met two heavily loaded four-horse stages coming at a high speed. They belonged to the Western Stage Company and this was their second year in lowa. The drivers were saucy, bold and aggressive, and claimed that all
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teams should give them the road, because they carried the United States mail. The oldest of the two brothers from Red Rock was in the rear of the string of teams, riding and talking with the father of the writer, all unconscious of what was about to take place at the front. The younger brother was driving the big team and was in the lead of all the other teams. He felt very important and was as saucy, bold and defiant as any one on the road. He said his team was too big and important to give even a stage more than half of the road, if it did carry the mail. The stage in the lead came dashing up and was just in the act of running against the big ox team, when the young ox driver from Red Rock struck the front span of stage horses a ter- rific rap upon the head with his big ox whip. In spite of all the skill of the stage driver they made a quick turn to the other side of the road, pulling the wheel horses around with them, and turned the stage coach over on its side. The stage driver leaped from the box and caught his leading span of horses by the bits. The passengers crawled out through the upper door of the coach as it laid upon its side, and as good fortune would have it none of them was hurt. though most of them were badly scared. There was loud talk between the two drivers, mixed up with much profanity.
About this time the older brother came up from the rear. He was greatly astonished at what had happened and, feeling more grave about it than his brother, he was very apologetic. He peremptorily ordered his brother to pull around the stage and drive on, while he assisted the stage driver in getting his horses disentangled, then as- sisted the passengers and aided in turning the coach right side up again. He then made a genteel apology for what his brother had done and assured the stage driver that if he had been present nothing of the kind would have happened. This apology and the assistance rendered by the elder brother pacified the stage driver and he went on his way rejoicing. One of the passengers in the coach which was turned over was from the East, and he said that if this was a sample of how things were done in Iowa he wished to get out of the state as soon as possible.
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