USA > Iowa > Clayton County > History of Clayton County, Iowa : from the earliest historical times down to the present : including a genealogical and biographical record of many representative families, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information, Volume I > Part 36
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other smaller bridges were washed out and it was not until June 24th, that traffic was reopened.
The storm at McGregor was much more severe than in any other part of the county, nearly all the business houses were flooded and the paving which was under construction was damaged to the extent of $1,000. At North McGregor, the loss to the Milwaukee railroad reached $500,000. A great flood rushed down Bloody Run, the round house collapsed with a crash, the yards were entirely water swept, every sidetrack was washed out, engines and cars were tossed about by the flood, a big iron bridge, 90 feet long, was carried thirty rods down the stream; but for warning, sent by the operator at Giard, the loss of life from the eight-foot wall of water would have been large. Seven bridges were washed out between Beulah and McGregor. Great loss was sustained to freight in the yards and this fell upon the individual owner. The Milwaukee railroad had been planning to raise the yards and tracks at North McGregor and up Bloody Run and much material was lost in the flood. As a result of the flood, the railroad began operations at once to make such improvements as will make a repetition of the disaster impossible and $1,000,000 is to be spent in raising the road bed and the yards and erecting permanent terminal facilities. All railroad travel was stopped by the flood and it was a number of days before even a temporary track could be laid. Sny Magill was also at flood. Crops were damaged in Clayton and Garna- villo and Farmersburg townships and a number of buildings were blown down. The storm was extensive and adjoining counties suffered greatly. On the Sunday following the storm thousands of people from Clayton and other counties visited McGregor to view the wreckage. A pontoon bridge was provided to cross the channel by the west yards. A charge of five cents was asked and during Sunday, 4,085 crossed. the receipts from this enterprise amounting to $197.85.
Criminal Sensations-The county was remarkably free from crime of a serious or sensational nature, showing the steady improvement in the grade of citizenship. In November, 1906, John L. Bowland of Highland township was murdered by Ed West. The details of the crime were particularly bloody and revolting. Frank Meisner notified the officers that there were evidences of a tragedy and that Mr. Bow- land was missing. Sheriff Dittmer and others went to the Bowland place and after considerable search, his body was found buried in a corn field. The head and body were badly mangled and it was evident that the crime had been committed with a claw hammer. The evidence pointed to Ed West as the guilty party, as he had been seen at the place with torn and bloody clothes and later he had returned to his home and had his wife wash the blood soaked garments. West had worked in the field all the next day and was arrested on his way home. He was tried for this crime and sentenced to life imprisonment. A tragedy, which created wide-spread interest and sympathy, occurred, in January, 1915, when Mildred Sweeney, a teacher, was burned to death at the home of Ben Meyer, in Cox Creek township. Miss Sweeney gave the alarm by which the family was able to escape, but the fire spread so rapidly that she was unable to leave the burning build- ing and efforts to rescue her, made by Mr. Meyer, were unavailing.
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County Seat Events-According to the census of 1900, Elkader had a population of 1,321, this being an increase of 576 over 1890. The years immediately preceding had been the nearest approach to a boom that Elkader has ever known and it was filled with hope and confidence for the future. In December of 1899, the Catholic church had been dedicated and the bridge, the new hotel and the Molumby block were accomplished facts. The first thing which occupied the attention of the citizens in 1900 was the question of an electric light franchise. Schmidt Bros. & Co. made a proposition to furnish electricity and a special election was held to vote on a franchise. There was consider- able controversy as to the terms of the contract, many holding that with the rapid improvements being made in electrical apparatus the rates were too high and others contended that this was not the case and urged the city to take a forward step. The election was held in February, the vote being 217 for the franchise and 62 against. On the passage of the franchise, steps were immediately taken to install a plant and it was instituted without unnecessary delay. In April, 1900, the Congrega- tionalists of the city were delighted by a generous gift on the part of Mrs. Caroline Hartrich, who purchased a residence adjoining the church, for the sum of $2,000, and presented it to the society for par- sonage purposes. Some of the events of the year following were the agitation for a canning factory, a meeting being held and a committee appointed, but without results. In April, the Coterie Club gave a book carnival, the hundred volumes presented being the nucleus for the present school library.
For the first time, perhaps, the people became greatly interested in base ball and the interest was increased by the fact that Fred Schoch, an Elkader boy, had become a star pitcher in the Pacific League with the Seattle Club.
The Opera House erected by the Turners was opened in August, 1901, with the play, "Peaceful Valley," and, in September the Opera House was the scene of the Memorial meeting when all heads were bowed with grief over the death of President Mckinley. John Everall and D. D. Murphy were the speakers on this occasion.
The eleventh anniversary of the founding of the Elkader band was made a matter of public interest, in March, 1902. The band was organized in 1890, the first officers being H. D. Brown, president; M. E. Munger, vice president ; G. H. Grotewohl, secretary ; W. E. Prior, treasurer. Other members of the band were A. P. Bock, W. F. Reinecke, R. F. Schmidt, B. F. Falkenhainer, W. J. Vaupel, J. A. Kramer, J. Kepple, G. A. Candler, and S. F. Steinhilber. The band was uniformed in 1897 and in 1899 new instruments were obtained. The receipts of the band for eleven years were $3,261 of which but $103 were donated. This was an institution of which Elkader was justly proud.
It appears that the saloons in Elkader and throughout the county had been doing very much as they pleased during the decade preceding. In April, 1902, Judge Fellows instructed the grand jury that there must be stricter observance of the law and that if this was not done indict- ments must be found. He, however, gave time for the desired reforma- tion. The mayors of the towns consulted and as a result the saloons
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of Elkader were closed on Sundays for the first time in eleven years and other regulations were enforced.
Following the flood of 1902, the business men of Elkader protested against the slowness with which the work of repairing bridges was being prosecuted. Particularly did they complain of the fact that the bridge at Stulta had been out for several months. An indignation meeting was held and a committee composed of J. G. Hempel, Joseph Lamm and G. H. Shoulte was appointed to confer with the supervisors and through their efforts the work was hastened. It was at this time, July, 1902, that the first mention of an automobile appears in an Elk- ader paper. It was in July, 1902, also, that the council authorized the ladies to take charge of the Elkader cemetery. They incorporated and began their work by building a driveway and they have since cared for the cemetery in a way most satisfactory to all.
Two prominent business men left Elkader during this year. Henry Meyer who had been serving as bank examiner went to Des Moines to accept the vice-presidency of the First National Bank, and Sen. F. D. Bayless moved to Prairie du Chien where he organized a sanitarium company with a capital of $100,000 and later established Bayless College. In 1903, there was a continuation of the long struggle between the citizens of Elkader and the Milwaukee railway. One train was taken off and the only train left arrived at 11:10 A. M. and left within an hour at 12:05. The business men held a meeting of protest and at once began to take interest in an interurban project, the line to run from Oelwein via Arlington and Volga. Double train service was restored within a few weeks after the state railway com- mission had been appealed to, but the interest of the interurban per- sisted and at a meeting held in February, John Jamison of Oelwein met with the citizens and outlined the plans, it being the intention to use gasoline motor cars.
Opera House-In February, 1903, the Turner Opera House, which had been dedicated but a short time before, was burned to the ground and Elkader was left without any place of amusement. The hall had been built in 1883, at a cost of $2,500 but in 1901, improve- ments to the extent of $3,500 had been made and the Opera House was a paying concern. The Turners at once made an effort to rebuild, but it was felt desirable to build on a much larger scale and thereupon action was taken by the citizens as a whole and an Opera House com- pany was organized with R. E. Price as president and L. E. Corlett as secretary. A building committee consisting of William Becker, L. J. Kramer, J. J. Kann and L. E. Corlett was appointed. Shick and Roth submitted plans. Stock was solicited and there were 139 stockholders, the largest contribution being $200. Ten thousand dollars was thus raised and the Turners donated the old site upon certain privileges of use being given them. The work was pushed rapidly and the grand open- ing was held November 17, 1903, with the play, "The Governor's Son." The ticket sale amounted to $2,213. Not content with this improve- ment a proposal was made to macadamize the business streets, but this was met with sharp protest.
Elkader was baseball wild, in 1903, and the "Browns" were the heroes of the day and their defeats and victories were taken very much
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to heart. The discovery of a new pitcher, Roggman by name, by whose aid Prairie du Chien was beaten, 7 to 3, was hailed with great delight. It was in September, 1903, that the Waukon Republican had a little fun at the expense of Elkader in the following paragraph : "The people of Elkader are now craning their necks all on account of the appearance of a locomobile just bought by County Attorney Davidson and the query now, instead of 'Have you seen our bridge?' will be 'Have you seen our locomobile?'"
In January, 1904, the city was plunged in grief over the death of Henry Beyer, wife and daughter, Grace, who perished in the awful tragedy at the Iroquois fire in Chicago. The bodies were identified and were brought to Elkader for burial.
May, 1904, was notable for a reunion of Company D, Twenty- first Iowa. Many friends attended and many letters were read but there were but seven members of the company present. The first good roads association in Elkader was formed in May, 1905. D. D. Murphy, John Everall and W. W. Davidson were members of the committee appointed to meet with the council to urge road improve- ment and as a result $1,000 was appropriated. This same association secured the presence of D. Ward King, in January, 1906, to exhibit his road drag at Elkader. The semi-centennial jubilee of the Masonic lodge of Elkader was the great event of June, 1905. There was a banquet, addresses, and a history of the lodge prepared by John H. Hill, and many visiting Masons. In October, a proposition was made for the establishment of a gas company and in the following month this franchise was granted by a vote of 168 to 64 and the plant was erected, the contract being let in July, 1906.
The Elvidge Creamery was sold, in August, 1906, to the Beatrice Creamery Company and it was announced that the manufacture of butter at this place would be discontinued and the cream shipped to the company's plant at Chicago. It was in this month also that the retail merchants of the county organized to encourage home trade. M. J. Poull was president and J. G. Hempel, who had, the year pre- vious, been honored by appointment as a member of the state voting machine commission, was the secretary. The first farmers institute in Elkader was held in November, 1906, and P. G. Holden, afterward a candidate for Governor, was judge of the corn contest and delivered a lecture on corn culture. In August, 1908, the Register purchased the Argus from F. L. Wolf & Co. and continued the publication under the present name of The Register and Argus, until 1916, when the "and Argus" was dropped, thus reducing the number of newspapers in Elkader from four to three. During 1908, Elkader was much inter- ested in high school debating contests, the Elkader team, consisting of Malcom Greenleaf, Martha Cameron and Loy Molumby, winning from Osage, but later losing to Cedar Falls for the championship of northern Iowa. On May 22, 1908, the Elkader mills were burned for the second time. Henry Wolf discovered the fire and gave the alarm but it spread rapidly and practically nothing was saved and the loss was $30,000. The mill was built in 1849, was destroyed by fire Decem- ber 25, 1860, and was wrecked by flood in 1880. Schmidt Bros. & Co. proceeded at once with plans for rebuilding.
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The inevitable "booster club" made its appearance in 1909. This was incorporated and the officers were J. F. Becker, president, and F. J. Uriell, secretary. One of the first things taken up was the inter- urban project from Oelwein and $346 was raised for a preliminary survey. The Oelwein Interurban Company was formed and G. H. Shoulte of Elkader and W. A. Smith of Volga were directors. The survey was completed in December, 1909, and it was declared that the line was feasible, that the average grade was less than 1 per cent and at no place more than 2 per cent. The project, however, was soon dropped for nothing more appeared concerning it. One of the old land marks of Elkader passed away when the little round church was sold and torn down. This was the church built by the Congregation- alists, in 1857. The first pastor was L. P. Mathews. In 1870, the building was sold to the Universalists, it later fell into the hands of James Partch who willed it to the state Universalists society. The old bell, bought by public subscription, in 1870, was sold to the German church.
The Elkader Commission Company of which W. J. Moran was secretary, held a meeting in March, 1910, and proposed reopening of the creamery. The matter was pushed and, in August, arrangements were made with Fritz and Gunderson, to start November 1, the council to repair the old building. In 1912, there were three projects which interested the people. The booster club demanded better rail service and a committee was appointed to secure three trains if possible. In October, N. S. Ketchum, of the Iowa Railroad Com- mission visited Elkader, inspected the depot and yards and agreed to urge improvements and better service. There were no results from this visit, however, and in September, 1913, the boosters were still at work, asking better service. In December, 1914, connections at McGregor for Dubuque were discontinued except on Friday and Satur- day, making the railroad facilities of Elkader poorer than before. In May, 1915, there was a wreck at Pony Hollow and the Register com- plains that there are hundreds of rotten ties, that but little track work had been done and the whole line was in bad condition. During the flood of 1916, there was no service for nearly a month and at present the line has been but temporarily repaired. There is no question but that Elkader is greatly handicapped by inadequate train service, and it is to be regretted that it would appear from the record that the rail- road company has made no concessions to Elkader, during all its his- tory, except when forced to do so.
School Building-In June, 1912, a proposition was presented to the people for a bond issue of $12,000 for the erection of a new school building. The vote was men, yes 118, no 81 ; women, yes 111, no 10, total vote being yes 229, no 91. This was the first election in which the women of Elkader took part. A contract was made with Fuelling and Hinsch of Farmersburg for the erection of the school building at the cost of $10, 110 and the building was dedicated in February, 1913. At this time Miss Marie Seward was acting superintendent, Superin- tendent Reinow having gone to Independence after eight years' service in Elkader. At the dedication D. D. Murphy delivered the address and it was stated that Elkader was one of the 56 accredited high schools
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of the state. In 1914, Prof. J. P. Street was elected superintendent and under his charge the schools have been developed and improved and Elkader is now a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The new building is of brick and is well constructed. It is of two stories height with large basement and contains four grade rooms, a music room and rooms for the domestic science and manual training department. The school also has an excellent commercial course, and with the old building is well equipped for the present needs of the city.
The year 1912 witnessed the founding of the Auto Club with W. W. Davidson as president and W. C. Reimer as secretary and it also was the first year in which oil was used on the streets. A promi- nent social event of the year was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the service of Rev. Father F. J. Reilly as priest of the Elkader parish. The kindly Father was surprised by a large number of friends and parishoners and D. D. Murphy made the address presenting him with a purse of several hundred dollars. It was during 1912, also that Schmidt Bros. & Co. planned the building of the fine concrete dam which now harnesses the Turkey river at Elkader and which was so thoroughly tested in the flood of .1916. The work was pushed to completion and was finished without accident, until January, 1915. At this time, in blowing out the cofferdam, there were two tremendous explosions which broke window lights all over the town and threw rocks and debris for several blocks in all directions. A fifteen-pound rock went through the roof of the Register and Argus office and the skylight of Hales Photograph gallery was a complete wreck. Follow- ing the completion of the dam new rates were adopted, these being 12 cents per kilowatt with a sliding scale of discounts and a power rate of 5 cents per kilowatt. The company with its new machinery now furnishes power to Garnavillo and Guttenberg, the rates charged at these places being 21/2 cents per kilowatt.
By 1915, the city was able to announce that it had reduced its debt from $7,000 to $4,500 and would soon be able to reduce it still farther. This favorable report encouraged those anxious for further improvement and in September, 1915, the petition for paving of the Main street was presented to the council. This was promptly met by remonstrance stating that paving was "unnecessary, extravagant and unwise at this or any time in the near future." A step toward paving was taken when M. Tschirgi & Son were employed to fix the perma- nent grades of the city and, in June, 1916, the council passed a resolu- tion of necessity looking towards paving in the future and committees have already inspected paving in other cities and it is probable that in the course of time the example of McGregor will be followed.
In 1915, Elkader sported a team of professional ball players. A company was formed with R. L. Senneff as president and Carl Reinecke, Jr., secretary. The business men pledged financial support, but although the city had a fine team, the wet season made it a financial failure and suit is now pending, relative to the payment of the guaran- tee fund. In 1916, the team was on a strictly amateur basis. In May, 1915, Elkader adopted a curfew ordinance which is well enforced. As has been noted, the increasing number of automobiles has made this
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a considerable industry in Elkader. The auto club has done much to promote this and in 1914, an automobile institute was held, although the attendance was disappointing. Concerning the automo- bile industry the following is taken from the Register and Argus: "Elkader is fast becoming prominent in northeastern Iowa as an automobile center and its dealers and repair shops are doing an enor- mous business. Allen Bros., Dittmer & Stallbaum, and the Elkader Auto Company have purchased and sold about 150 new machines this year, together with a large amount of supplies and accessories. Their repair shops, together with the vulcanizing plant of C. E. Stone for the repair of tires, are the best in this whole territory and widely recognized as such. We understand the gross business of these firms will amount to from $200,000 to $250,000 this year. Elkader is to be congratulated upon the enterprise of these firms with their well equipped repair shops and skilled mechanics." There was much rejoicing among the high school "fans" when the Elkader team won the county declamatory contest, thus securing the permanent posses- sion of the county cup. This cup was won by Elkader in 1906-07-09- 10-11-14-16; by Edgewood in 1908 and by Guttenberg in 1912-13.
McGregor Incidents-The improvements at McGregor during 1900 exceeded $50,000 and these were continued in the next year, when Dr. H. H. Clark founded a large hospital which was made an official hospital of the Milwaukee road. In April, 1901, West McGregor voted to discontinue its incorporation and to become part of McGregor proper, thus ending the official career of Michael Klein, who was the first and last mayor of West McGregor, holding the office continuously for 22 years. McGregor Heights continued to be a popular resort and in July, 1901, the North Eastern Iowa Veterans held a two days' reunion there, and in August the Modern Woodmen attracted a crowd of 5,000 from cities all over northeastern Iowa. The Methodist church, which had been interested in the Heights, relinquished its claim in 1902 and the city took control and it has since been the scene of annual chautauqua assemblies and has become famous as a cool and beautiful resort, many delightful summer cottages having been erected.
Both McGregor and North McGregor have suffered severely by fires as well as by floods. In January, 1903, the elevator of the Spencer Grain Co. and two warehouses were burned; the loss in buildings and grain reaching $150,000. In December, of the same year, the Bergman opera house was burned and the stock of Kramer Bros. Clothing Store destroyed, the loss being $60,000. The electric light plant was burned in January, 1904, and in January, 1906, Kramer Bros. were again burned out with a loss of $50,000. In August of the same year, during an electric storm, the residence of Alfred Wooden, near McGregor, was struck by lightning and the owner killed. There were several smaller fires and in March, 1910, the Wingen saw mill at North Mc- Gregor, formerly the Flemming plant, burned with a loss of $30,000 and in the following December the Milwaukee depot and the hotel at North McGregor were consumed. The Berry Hotel was opened Oc- tober 1, 1904, with James Berry as proprietor, and it was the finest hotel between Dubuque and St. Paul.
The sensation of the year 1902 was the mysterious death of Henry
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Wilson. A Miss Lillian Elsworth was arrested in connection with this death and told many conflicting stories concerning it. She was tried and acquitted. At the trial William Wandell, of Edgewood, was fined $25 for asking a juror to acquit. According to Miss Elsworth, Wilson and she went for a walk, sat down upon the railroad track and fell asleep. She heard a passing train and then found that Wilson had been run over and killed. There were marks upon the body which indicated that blows had been struck rather than that the injuries had been inflicted by a train, but, while other arrests were made, no one was punished for the crime, if such it was.
Pearl Button Industry-For many years all the pearl buttons used in America were manufactured in Austria, where labor was cheap. Under the Mckinley tariff a considerable duty was levied and this prompted the opening up of the industry in America. Muscatine was the first center of the pearl button industry along the Mississippi. It was found that there were many varieties of clam shells which were suitable and the industry rapidly spread all along the river. Button factories were established at many points and the river was fairly black with the boats of the clam diggers and little settlements sprang up along the shores. The bed of the stream was raked and the shells carefully dried and sorted. Those engaged in the industry were able to earn from $15 to $25 a week and the factories gave employment to many. Added to this certain reward for the shells, there was the added excitement of the hunt for pearls. Many pearls of great value were found and a man who was a poor clam digger today might find a fortune in any rakeful. With this great lottery in which the capital prizes were sometimes in excess of $2,000, it is no wonder that the whole river front was excited. There were pearl buyers at all the larger cities. In 1901, Fred Houdak found a pearl valued at $1,500. Ida Brooks found an egg-shaped pearl of 20 grains, valued between $20 and $30 a grain. In an interesting article on the industry, written for the Times in 1903, it is stated that the highest priced pearl found in that vicinity sold for $2,000, and that at least ten pearls had been found along the river which brought the finder more than $1,000 each, although many of lesser value were found. The white round pearl was the most valuable. It was stated that in 1902 $1,500,000 was paid to the clammers along the 300 miles of the Mississippi river. The search was continued throughout the winter by the means of a long fork operated through a hole in the ice. So eager was the search that before many years the best clam beds were exhausted, and while the business is still carried on it is not nearly so extensive as in former years.
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