USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 36
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A wagon load of goods often reached the value of $1,000, and it was understood that a teamster was held for all goods lost or dam- aged while in his possession. An attempt was made to steal from a teamster's wagon one night in July of 1856 near Birmingham, in Van Buren County. The barking of a faithful dog aroused the teamsters just as the thieves were starting away with a box of ready made cloth- ing. Some of the teamsters discharged their firearms, which caused -
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the thieves to drop the box and make their escape. This they suc- ceeded in doing. It was said that a band of thieves was located on the river, not far from Birmingham and that they made some suc- cessful robberies of this kind, but this was the only one of which the writer had any personal knowledge.
WESTERN STAGE LINE
The Western Stage Company, operating the Western Stage Line, established its line between Des Moines and Boone in 1854. At that time E. S. Alvord, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was president of the company and Col. E. S. Hooker was its manager. He opened the new quarters in Des Moines and inaugurated the new service to Boone. Others prominently connected with the line were: Kimball Porter, of lowa City; W. H. Sullivan, D. Talmage, Mr. Shoemaker and Mr. Campbell, of Ohio. Colonel Hooker retired from the posi- tion of manager in 1866, being succeeded by R. Lounsberry, who continued as manager of the line until its final abandonment on the advent of the railway.
The stages of the Western Stage Line carried the members of the Thirty-third and Thirty-ninth lowa Infantry, with all their per- sonal equipment, to Davenport, when they left to join the Union army at the front during the Civil war. Only two days were required for the transportation of each regiment, which was excellent time in those days. These stages also carried detachments of the Second, Sixth, Tenth and Fifteenth regiments to their rendezvous. In this way also most of the members of the state Legislature were trans- ported to the capital and returned to their homes.
The last coach belonging to the company in Des Moines was sold to James Stephenson, of Omaha, in 1874. This company was an important factor in the early days of the settlement of lowa. It had two lines to Council Bluffs, one to Fort Dodge, by way of Boonesboro, and branch lines leading in many directions. It was the only means open to the general public for the transportation of the mails and of passengers in those days. The arrival and departure of the stage then was a much greater event to the communities along the lines than that of the palatial railway trains which now pull majestically in and out of the railway stations so many times each day. The schedule was changed gradually from semi-weekly to tri- weekly and finally to daily trips, as the state settled up and business increased. In one year the receipts of the stage company on the line
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between Des Moines and Boone reached the sum of $100,000-a large business for that day.
With the building of the railroads, wagon transportation of goods over long distances and stage transportation of passengers gradually ceased. The teamsters and stage drivers turned to the peaceful pur- suits of home, which was better, but not so exciting.
THE RAILROADS
At the time that Boone was organized as a county there was not a railroad within its borders. This was not so strange when it is considered that the great City of Chicago, then beginning to assume proportions, was without this great transportation facility which has made this country what it is today. There were then less than five thousand miles of railroad in the United States and not a mile of track laid west of the Mississippi River. It was not only thought im- possible to secure railroad communication with the East, but for many years the efforts to bring Illinois and Iowa together by the building of a bridge across the Mississippi River appeared to be not only a phys- ical impossibility but one to be resisted by the river interests. This latter fear was fully realized after the first bridge was built span- ning the Mississippi River and connecting Rock Island, Illinois, with Davenport, Iowa. It was presumed by many that river navigation sufficient to take care of the traffic along the navigable streams would meet the necessities of the people for practically all time to come. Thus it was that the opening up of water communication was first adopted in this state. It was supposed that by means of locks and dams the Des Moines River could be made navigable, and even prior to the time the first settlements were made in Boone County, over- tures were made to the National Congress for appropriations to be used in improving this great inland river of the Hawkeye state. A large grant of lands for the purpose was made by Congress in 1846. Appropriations of large sums of money were also made and work of a stupendous character was applied to the reclamation of the stream in the effort to secure this body of water to the people for practical navigable purposes. The money, time and labor were all expended in vain and it is a question today among certain interests and the Government whether or not the Des Moines River is actually a navigable body of water, within the meaning and spirit of the term.
The first railroad to enter lowa was laid into Davenport in May. 1857. and is now the main line running west from the City of Chicago
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of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific system. The iron track (they had no steel rails in those days) was completed in the year above mentioned from Davenport to lowa City-a distance of fifty-four miles. This created, one might say, a passion among the settlers of that primitive time for the building of railroads, and the question was continually in the minds of the people and discussed in private and public places. Numerous lines were projected, some surveyed, but it soon became evident that the roads already projected, and new ones in embryo, could not be built without very material aid from the people themselves, or from the state. This position developed into a movement, fostered by numerously signed petitions, asking the state for a public grant of lands to aid in the construction of rail- roads. These petitions, with the influence of senators and representa- tives from the state, had the desired effect, and grants were finally made. The act granting land was approved May 15, 1856, and was made to aid in the construction of four lines of railway to cross the state from east to west. One of these was known as the lowa Central Air Line Railroad, which was to cross lowa as nearly as practicable on the forty-second parallel. This road received a grant of land comprising about seven hundred and thirty-six thousand acres. For some reason, however, the lowa Central Air Line failed to take advantage of the grant and the land set apart for this project was regranted to the Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad, which was essentially the same as the Air Line above reefrred to, and now known as the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. This was the first railroad to be built through Boone County and is today part of one of the greatest systems of railroads in the world.
The grant of land to this road was approved May 15, 1856. Before the railroad could come into possession of the lands it was necessary for the company having the project in view to locate the trend of the improvement and deposit in the general land office at Washington a map showing all the physical details of the proposed route.
The act granting to the Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad Com- pany the tracts of land within the State of lowa was approved May 15, 1856, and the Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad Company was allowed to modify or change the incompleted portion of its line. which had been built in the eastern part of the state. This was to enable the company to secure a better and more expeditious line to the Missouri River. At least that is the reason given by promoters of the railroad company, but it has often been intimated that the
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real object of the railroad company wanting the privilege to change the location of the line was to permit it to secure in a more or less arbitrary manner subsidies in the way of lands, depot sites, right of way, money, notes, labor and the like from individuals owning prop- erty in the towns along the proposed line and from the various coun- ties whose territory it would traverse. Special legislation was secured and then certain citizens of Boonesboro and other parts of Boone County received communications from John I. Blair and W. W. Walker, the principal promoters of the Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad Company, to meet them in Cedar Rapids, in order to con- sult among themselves the question of building the line of railroad through the county and county seat of Boone. The invitation was accepted and after the interview with Mr. Blair and Mr. Walker it developed that in order to secure the railroad through Boone County it would be necessary for the county to donate to the railroad company all its available swamp lands and swamp land funds.
It further developed that the people of Boonesboro, in order for them to secure the road and have a depot established there, would be compelled to donate to the railroad company twenty acres of depot grounds, right of way through the county and $10,000 in money.
It is needless to say, when one considers how eager the people of the early days were to secure railroad facilities, that each and every one of the demands set before them by John I. Blair and W. W. Walker were acceded to, and the board of supervisors did thereupon enter into the following contract :
"That the said party of the first part, in consideration of the sum of one dollar, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, and of the stipulations hereinafter mentioned, and for the purpose of making or aiding in making the Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad through the County of Boone, has this day bargained and sold, and by these presents does bargain and sell, to the parties of the second part, all and singular the interests, rights, privileges and powers which the County of Boone has or may hereafter acquire in and to the swamp lands and funds which may be received from the sale of said lands, or as indemnity for lands heretofore sold by the general Government under the several acts of Congress and of the State of Iowa in rela- tion to such lands, so far as same pertain to or are applicable to such swamp land and swamp land funds in said County of Boone, hereby intending to place fully at the disposal of said party of the second part all the said lands and money or serip or notes, or other obliga-
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tions received in lieu of such lands, whether now at the disposal of said county or hereafter accruing to said county under any law or laws of Congress or of the State of lowa, which are now in force or may hereafter be enact d in relation to said swamp land and swamp land funds, as full as the same now or hereafter may be at the disposal or under the control of said county.
"Provided, however, that this grant is made subject to the condi- tions imposed by law in relation to such swamp lands and swamp land funds, and that the title to the same shall not be delivered to the said party of the second part until at least ten miles of said road westerly from the east line of said county is completed and put in operation in said County of Boone, except that the money now on hand, or that may hereafter be received by said county, may at any time be paid to the said party of the second part by order of the board of supervisors, to be used by the said party of the second part as the work progresses, but only in the construction of said road in said county.
"Provided, further, that if the ten miles of the said road westerly from the east line of said county is not completed and put in opera- tion in said county on or before the ist day of January, 1866, then, and in that case, this contract shall become null and void, but not otherwise.
"It is, however, agreed between said parties when said road is completed as aforesaid, or in respect of the moneys and notes on hand, or that may be received during the progress of said work, as the work progresses in said county the same shall be conveyed, assigned, paid over and delivered to said party of the second part, to which end the said party of the first part hereby agrees and cov- enants with the said party of the second part shall be entitled to the same under this contract any and all deeds, releases, assignments so as fully to carry out the object and intent of this contract. And the said party of the second part agrees to carry out all the legal con- tracts heretofore made by said county for the sale of said swamp lands upon terms and conditions agreed upon between the county and said purchasers.
"It is also agreed and understood that said party of the first part may reserve in the even numbered sections a sufficient number of acres of said swamp lands, not exceeding three sections, or 1920 acres, to satisfy the swamp land warrants now outstanding in said county. one-half of said three sections to be selected by said county, and the other half by said company.
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"It is further agreed that any indebtedness of the County of Boone to the swamp land fund, to the said County of Boone shall be and is hereby balanced and canceled.
"And the said party of the second part hereby accepts the said grant, subject to all the provisions of the act of Congress of Septem- ber 28, 1850, and hereby expressly releases the State of lowa and the County of Boone from all liability for reclaiming said lands.
"This contract is to be and become of full force and effect, to be ยท binding on said parties hereto according to the true meaning and intent thereof, from and after the same shall be satisfied by a vote of the people of said county as in such cases made and provided for by law.
"THOMAS SPARKS, "President of Board of Supervisors. "JAMES CHAPMAN, "Clerk. "W. W. WALKER,
"For Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad."
The proposition being submitted to a vote of the electorate, was ratified. Similar arrangements were made with other counties along the line and the work of construction was pushed forward, so that by the year 1865 it had reached the limits of Boone County. Work had already been accomplished beyond Boonesboro and ties were strewn along the roadbed, to be placed for the setting of the rails, but at this juncture John I. Blair and W. W. Walker exhibited some dissatisfaction regarding the conduct of certain of the leading Boones- boro people in that the entire amount of their subsidy had not been raised. It was therefore agreed that the subsidy of Boonesboro should consist of $7,000 and an additional amount of land, besides the twenty acres already secured for depot purposes, and a right of way across the county. All the conditions had been complied with excepting the payment of $1,200. Blair insisted that John A. McFar- land should endorse the notes issued for this amount. McFarland refused and then Blair informed a committee of the Boonesboro citi- zens having the matter in hand that he would give the people of Boonesboro three days to arrange matters.
A. B. Holcomb, one of the pioneer business men, had as early as 1856 conceived the idea that if a railroad was built through the county it would take a course a few miles east of Boonesboro and that a depot would be established at a point of deflection which would be at too great a distance from Boonesboro; hence, a new town Vol. 1-26
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would spring up in the neighborhood of the depot. Feeling well assured in his mind that he had figured the matter out properly he secured possession of a tract of land near where he thought the depot would be established. A man by the name of Keeler, who had the same idea in regard to the matter as Holcomb, erected a frame build- ing designed for a hotel near where the depot is now located. A man by the name of Beal also secured an interest in the land adjoining the place where Holcomb conceived the depot would be placed, and eventualities have proven that Holcomb either had prophetic visions, or was in touch with individuals giving him information not reach- ing others who might be interested. The road was built as Holcomb judged it would be, and with the building of a depot Holcomb, Keeler and others realized large profits on their investments in land and drawing the business interests of Boonesboro to the new town of Montana, now the City of Boone, which was laid out and platted by John 1. Blair, a leading factor in the construction of the Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad, now a part of the great Northwestern system. The road was completed across the county, leased to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company and long since has become a part and parcel of its great property interests.
Since its inception the Northwestern has invested large sums of money in valuable properties here. Their vards are filled with cars that contain merchandise consigned to all parts of the civilized world, giving employment to many crews of men, totaling probably two hundred. In addition, there are men employed in great numbers at the roundhouse and repair shops.
The passenger traffic through Boone, which is the lowa division of the road, is also very heavy. Many passenger trains pass through the city loaded with tourists and travelers and for the accommoda- tion of those who stop off in Boone, the company maintains a hotel and restaurant at the station-a splendid brick structure, erected by the company.
The company has a thirty-eight stall roundhouse, which took the place of a large brick stable built for its engines early in the com- pany's existence. This building was condemned and demolished in the summer of 1914.
The construction of the viaduct was begun in 1899 and two years were required in the building. At the time it was the greatest bridge of its kind in the world and was opened for traffic by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad on Sunday morning, May 19, 1901. The primary object of the construction of this expensive piece of work
FORT DODGE. DES MOINES & SOUTHERN BRIDGE. NEAR BOONE
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was annihilation of distance. The bridge is located four miles west of Boone and crosses the Des Moines River at one of its most pic- turesque spots. It is 2,685 feet long, 27 feet wide and stands 185 feet above the water. The cost was $1,000,000.
THE CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RAILROAD
The Hubbells and other capitalists of Des Moines constructed the Boone branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, which enters the county at the south, having Madrid for its first sta- tion. Its passenger and freight traffic makes this line one of the important ones of the county. It has a very neat and comfortable depot on West Sixth Street, which is easily reached by the trolley.
FORT DODGE, DES MOINES & SOUTHERN RAILROAD
The coming of the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern Railroad to Boone was hailed with acclaim by all her citizens. It was in February, 1906, that under the direction of the general manager, J. L. Blake, it was determined to electrify and lease from the Newton & Northwestern Railroad Company, a steam road running from Newton to Rockwell City, that part of the line from what is now Fort Dodge Junction to Des Moines Junction, and build lines inter- mediary between the junctions and the cities whose names they bear, tapping a rich rural territory and making a short line from Des Moines to Fort Dodge. The Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern Interurban was organized for this purpose, and in the deal the Fort Dodge street car system and the Ames and College dummy line were included, involving the construction of a seven-mile branch from Kelly to the Iowa State College, the electrifying of the College road and the building of a college depot. The work of construction was immediately begun early in the year 1906 and was completed in 1907. The track, roadbed and rolling stock were designed and constructed to handle heavy freight and traffic as well as a fast passenger service. The Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern crosses or reaches every trunk line in the State of Iowa, has through freight rates and billing arrangements with every one of them, and through these agreements Boone enjoys almost the same advantages of transportation facilities as if it were actually reached by these trunk lines.
The main powerhouse was built at Fraser at a great cost. The roadbed can hardly be surpassed, as it is well constructed with
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70-pound steel rails, laid upon the best white oak ties. The streams are crossed by steel bridges, one of which, over the Des Moines River, five miles south of Fort Dodge, is of the very highest character in point of material and construction. Another is the trestle which spans one of the canyons west of Boone, which is 100 feet long and 150 feet high.
The general office building of the road was constructed in 1907 and stands on the east side of Story Street, between Tenth and Elev- enth streets. It is a two-story brick and affords depot facilities and office rooms for officials located here. The car barns are at Eleventh and Harrison streets.
IOWA RAILWAY AND LIGHT COMPANY
No enterprise in the City of Boone has shown such rapid develop- ment as its public utilities. We would especially mention the street railway system and the electric lighting system of the city. In the beginning these were separate. Now they are combined under one ownership and management and have grown to enterprises of great magnitude.
In 1883 J. R. Whitaker, L. W. Reynolds and I. B. Hodges organ- ized the Boone & Boonesboro Street Railway Company, with a capi- tal stock of $30,000. Tracks were laid from the courthouse square to Eighth and Story streets, and thence one block north, along prac- tically the same route as is now traversed by the street railway line. The track was narrow gauge, the cars were drawn by a single horse, and the seating capacity of the first cars was for ten people, although frequently three times this number crowded aboard. Later as pat- ronage increased cars of twice the capacity of the first ones were purchased, the track broadened and two horses were employed in pulling the cars. The horse cars continued until 1893; in the mean- time Mr. Reynolds had acquired the entire ownership of the property.
The first electric lights were installed in 1885. In that year the Boone Electric Light Company was formed with the following cor- porators and officers: Louis Goeppinger, president; Frank Champ- lin, secretary and treasurer; Louis Burgis, superintendent; C. J. A. Ericson, J. M. Herman and F. Holbrook. The capital stock was $10,000. The articles of incorporation adopted by them declared the business to be "the establishment and operation of central lighting stations at Boone and Boonesboro." These men were the principal owners of the Boone Linseed Oil Company, and they had conceived
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the idea of generating electricity at the linseed oil mill with the en- gines used to run the mill during the daytime. A franchise was readily granted them by the city; lines were extended to supply such customers as wished the service, but electric lighting besides being novel was regarded much as an experiment, customers were few, the cost of manufacture and distribution was expensive and the service was regarded as a luxury. It must be said for the promoters of this enterprise that they were the pioneers in the field of electric lighting in Central lowa. The system they installed, then called the Edison system, was among the first, if not the first, of its kind, in the state. This plant continued to operate until April 1, 1892, when it was found that the same would have to be rebuilt, involving larger expen- ditures, and these men, who had been operating the plant largely out of public spirit, wished to retire from the field, and closed down the plant. For more than a year the city had no lighting system.
Came forward now L. W. Reynolds. He had long been one of Boone's leading attorneys. He was a builder and organizer. He was the owner of the horse street railway, he was observing the growth of the city, he could see its bright future, he had been watching the application of electricity as a motive power, electricity for lighting had passed its experimental stage and had become a necessity rather than a luxury. His proposition was to unite the lighting and street railway systems and operate the latter with electric power. Many looked upon this as an experiment, and an unwise one at that, but he was willing to hazard his capital, and the coterie of gentlemen who had started the Boone Electric Light Company joined hands in the enterprise.
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