USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > History of Dubuque County, Iowa; being a general survey of Dubuque County history, including a history of the city of Dubuque and special account of districts throughout the county, from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 103
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In 1910 there was an enrolled membership of 825, the full mem- bership being 13,112. The total expenditures were $8.673.95 ; total receipts, $11.955.17 ; total tax collections, $8,090.64; total circula- tion, 99,484; accessions, 1,989 volumes; volumes in the library, 29,793 ; total books, including pamphlets and unbound books, 41,- 950. The library received valuable gifts from Judge O. P. Shiras, Mrs. Emma Ward and others. Special attention is paid to the children's department. Jacob Rich is president of the board of trustees and Miss Lillian B. Arnold, librarian.
The public schools' exhibit in the spring of 1911 was a most praiseworthy success ; it covered three departments of school work : Art, penmanship, domestic science. The exhibit was made in the art rooms of the public library.
The Dubuque Town Clock Company was organized December
935
-
936
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
II, 1865. The officers elected were: P. Smith, president ; R. A. Babbage, secretary and treasurer; Dr. Asa Horr, regulator ; trus- tees, Dr. Horr and G. D. Wood. The clock was regulated every Saturday evening by means of a well-mounted astronomical in- strument and seldom varied five seconds in a week. The latitude of Dubuque was determined as 42° 30' at a point near the junc- tion of Iowa and Seventeenth streets, and the longitude as 90º 39' 50.7" at the center of the crossing of Main and Seventh streets.
In 1855 C. H. Rodgers & Co. began building a shot tower on Commercial avenue, or Seventh street extension, at side of one of the yards of the Standard Lumber Company. The new enterprise did not prove to be very successful. Up to this time Chadbourne & Foster, of St. Louis, enjoyed a monopoly of shot manufactur- ing. The smelters of Dubuque had to send their lead by boat to St. Louis, where the shot was made. When Chadbourne & Lewis learned of their Dubuque competitor they reduced the price of shot in order to crush the rival concern here; for a time they actually sold at less than cost. No "trust" today can work more effectively. Under the circumstances Rodgers & Co. did not continue the busi- ness. In the spring of 1859 it was leased to Peleg Tallman & Co .. who conducted the business for only a few months, after which Cook & Langworthy managed the industry for the rest of the year, when it fell into the hands of J. K. Graves, who proved him- self equal to a contest with the St. Louis firm. He manufactured shot on a large scale for a time, when the St. Louis people again reduced the price to a losing basis. Mr. Graves then advised all customers who quoted the St. Louis prices to buy of those people at prices named. Chadbourne & Lewis soon grew tired of the losing venture and bought the local tower for $3,000, after which not a shot was made in that tower. In 1874 Mr. John Deery ob- tained permission from the new owners to place on top of the tower an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, made by Thomas Kav- anaugh, father of J. J. Kavanaugh, the artist. The statue was placed on the tower by John Dreyhouse and remained there till 1881. The tower was destroyed in the disastrous fire in the Stand- ard Lumber yard on the morning of May 27, 1911, so that noth- ing now remains but the bare walls. When Chadbourne & Lewis bought the tower simply to crush the local industry they had no thought of the possibilities of a mineral shaft. J. K. Graves, Will- iam Carter, Gen. C. H. Booth and Richard Cheney erected a build- ing over the 157-foot mineral shaft on the south line of Highland farm on Asbury road and conducted the business from 1861 to 1886. Graves, however, soon disposed of his share to Carter, who then owned half the stock and was known as the superintendent, with E. J. Royce actively superintending the work.
In 1863 "Jim" Hughes began making shot in a similar way
937
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
near where now stands a brick house near the junction of West Fifth and Delhi streets, a few rods west of the West Dubuque engine house.
LOCATION OF CHURCHES IN 1859.
St. John's Episcopal, corner Locust and Ninth streets.
Congregational, corner Locust and Tenth streets.
First Presbyterian, corner Locust and Eleventh streets.
Second Presbyterian, Ninth between Locust and Bluff streets.
German Presbyterian, corner Iowa and Seventeenth streets.
Methodist Episcopal, Main between Eleventh and Twelfth streets.
Centenary, corner Locust and Seventh streets.
German Methodist, Clay between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets.
Baptist, corner Main and Tenth streets.
Christian, Locust between Sixth and Seventh streets.
Universalist, Globe building, corner Main and Fifth streets.
German Lutheran, Clay between Eleventh and Twelfth streets. The Bishop's church, Bluff between First and Second streets.
St. Patrick's, corner Iowa and Fourteenth streets.
German Catholic, corner White and Eighth streets.
PUBLIC HALLS IN 1859.
City hall, southeast corner Iowa and Thirteenth streets.
Globe hall, northeast corner Main and Fifth streets.
Julien theater, corner Locust and Fifth streets.
Lorimier hall, southwest corner Main and Second streets. Masonic hall, southeast corner Bluff and Eighth streets.
Odd Fellows' hall, southeast corner Bluff and Eighth streets.
Turners' hall, corner Iowa and Sixth streets.
People's theater, southeast corner Bluff and Eighth streets.
Postoffice, corner Bluff and Eighth streets.
On Sunday, January 29, 1899, there was published in the Chi- cago Tribune an account substantially as follows: There was then living at 310 South Illinois street, Belleville, Ill., a lady named Mrs. Adeline (La Croix) Chandler, who was born at Marievoais Ferre, near the present site of Peoria, Ill., on December 6, 1806, and was the daughter of Michael and Catherine (Dubuque) La Croix. She was reported to be the granddaughter of Julien Dubuque, the founder of Dubuque, Iowa, her mother, it was alleged, being Cath- erine Dubuque, daughter of Julien. Michael La Croix was an Indian agent at Peoria before Thomas Forsythe received the ap- pointment and after that date kept a store there. With other French settlers he left that locality in 1812 and established him- self at Cahokia and there soon died. In 1817 his widow, Catherine, married Governor John Reynolds, moved to Belleville in 1832 and there died about 1834 or 1835, aged forty-five years. Adeline was
938
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
sent to school at Kaskaskia and came to Belleville with her mother and stepfather in 1832, and two years later, January 21, 1834, married Samuel Chandler and resided at Belleville until her death.
Upon receiving the above information the publishers of this book wrote a letter of inquiry to Belleville, Ill .. and received the fol- lowing reply :
1512 East St. Louis Ave., East St. Louis, June 10, 191I.
Dear Sirs: Your letter was turned over to me to answer by my son, Judge Boneau. I am the great-grandniece of Julien Dubuque. John Baptist Dubuque, a brother of Julien Dubuque, was my great- grandfather. The family came to Cahokia in very early times and there John Baptist Dubuque passed the remainder of his life, but Uncle Julien went to Iowa and there lived and died; he was never married ; this fact we know. Adeline Chandler and my father, René Lacroix, were the children of Catherine Dubuque and Michael Lacroix. The father of Catherine was John Baptist Dubuque. Grandmother Catherine was born in Cahokia September 13, 1783, and moved here in 1805. Aunt Adeline and my father were born at a trading post on the Illinois river at a place called Marievois Terre near Peoria. Their father ( Michael Lacroix) was an In- dian trader. Aunt Adeline died eleven years ago, having lived with me twenty years, being ninety-five years old at the time of her death. My stepgrandfather, Governor John Reynolds, as you know, wrote one of the earliest histories, if not the earliest history, of, Illinois; so we have always kept in touch with its history. Yours truly,
(MRS.) H. A. BONEAU.
Missing Its Aim ?- Is this Greater Dubuque movement to be converted into a city beautiful movement? Are we forgetting that the Dubuque Industrial Corporation was organized primarily to secure new industries and not to convert every possible factory site into a park? Now at all. There is no danger whatever that the main purpose of the Dubuque Industrial Corporation will be i overlooked. The directors are giving their attention primarily to the matter of securing new industries. The matter of civic im- provement is getting most attention in the newspapers because this is a matter that rests with the community itself, requires commu- nity co-operation, and for this purpose a general community knowl- edge of the aims of the committee. One thing which cannot be too strongly impressed on the public mind is the value of a clean, sanitary and attractive city, considered as a commercial asset. If we had the best kept town in the state we couldn't provide the ground demanded by manufacturers in search of new locations. The manufacturer is interested in labor supply and therefore in the attraction the city offers the working people. Finding the town
939
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
well kept puts his mind at ease on this point. He knows he will have no trouble finding help in a town in which it is a pleasure to live because it possesses natural beauty, river and dale, good public institutions, well-kept public resorts, adequate transportation to places of amusement and is up to date in the matter of public com- fort, sanitation and civic cleanliness. Dubuque has between ninety and 100 miles of improved streets. ( Times-Journal, May 10, 1911.)
A Memorial Hall-It is said that patriotic societies other than the Grand Army and the Spanish-American War Association would use a new building, but they don't need it. The town is already full of halls suitable as meeting places for such societies and the building of more would be a pathetic waste of good money that could more profitably be employed in beautifying the city. The fund the Soldiers' Memorial Association has on hand should be turned over to the library trustees for the institution and perma- nent maintenance of a war relic room at the public library. Here the owners could deposit all war relics they desire preserved for the benefit of posterity. Such a room would be open at all times for the benefit of visitors to the library and would be visited pe- riodically by the history classes in the schools. If it were pro- posed to build an auditorium and armory and call it a memorial hall that would be another matter. Dubuque needs an auditorium. ( Times-Journal, May 10, 1911.)
In the annual contest of the students of the German department of St. Joseph's college, held in May, 1911, John Theobold captured the first prize, a gold medal. The second prize, a silver medal, was awarded to Casper Brenner. There were four contestants, Will- iam Goetzinger and Stephen Mauer being the other two. All the young men acquitted themselves in a most creditable manner and displayed a familiarity and knowledge of the German language remarkable in American born students. The judges were: Rev. N. J. Ries, of Bellevue ; Rev. Fr. Holthaus, assistant pastor at the Sacred Heart church, and Mr. N. C. Gindorf.
In 1911 Henry Riker bequeathed his home and eight lots at 305 Wilde street "to be used and appropriated to either of the follow- ing purposes : A college of learning or academy of learning, or a home devoted to charity for the needy."
Earnings of the Water Works-The revenues of the water de- partment will this year ( 1911) approximate something over $60,- 000 and the operating expenses $40,000, insuring net earnings of about $20,000. This is equal to 4 per cent on the purchase price of $545,000. If the city were paying, less taxes that would be re-
940
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
ceived, what it would be paying a private company for the water used for fire purposes, street sprinkling, sewer flushing, etc., the net revenue would be a sum about equal to 71/2 per cent on the purchase price. From the dollars and cents viewpoint municipal ownership is paying. There is a surplus of some $40,000 in the city treasurer's hands to the credit of the water department. It is the purpose to use $5,000 of it in the retirement of outstanding water bonds and thus reduce the city's interest obligation. Exten- sions of mains already planned will take a good many thousand dollars more. A new pump for use in furnishing water to the hill districts will be bought soon. Then there is in prospect a res- ervoir to create a high pressure downtown system and which shall hold from four to six million gallons of water and will cost per- haps $10,000 per million gallons to build. A reservoir must be complemented with a new 20-inch or 16-inch main laid through town and feeding other smaller mains, the cost of which will ap- proximate $50,000-the two items together involving an outlay of some $100,000 more or less. The idea is that these improve- ments should be paid for out of the net revenues of the water de- partment, and not from the proceeds of new taxation. With these objectives in view the trustees will from year to year slightly in- crease their surplus, but all the time meet demands for main ex- tensions where the conditions the trustees impose preliminary to the making of extensions are complied with. It ought to be very gratifying to the people of Dubuque that the water works is be- ing so admirably managed, and it ought to suggest to them the wisdom of broadening the application of the principle of honorary service. (Times-Journal, May, 191I.)
On May 27, 19II, an extensive fire probably of incendiary origin destroyed in the eastern part of the city five to seven blocks of finished lumber mostly, the Standard Lumber Company being the heaviest loser. The next day another incendiary fire, still more dis- astrous, swept the Standard company's yards at the south. The estimated loss at both fires aggregated over $500,000. Other losers were Conklin & Kearn, Star Brewing Company, telephone and telegraph companies, several house boat owners, etc. A reward of $5,000 was offered for the arrest and conviction of the in- cendiary. The fire department did desperate work, but could not wholly stop the conflagration. Immense crowds witnessed both fires. The cause of the fires was a matter of conjecture; several arrests were made.
Dubuque many times in the past and at present has been torn with labor dissensions and troubles; it is not improbable that re- cent fires and other disasters are the misdirected and ungoverned
941
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
outgrowth of the differences here between labor and capital, or perhaps between anarchy and capital.
The Dubuque County Medical Society held its annual meeting in 1911 and elected officers for the coming year. The reports of the officers were given and then the election took place. The officers named follow: President, Dr. E. R. Lewis; vice-president, Dr. J. R. Guthrie ; second vice-president, Dr. McNeil, Epworth ; secre- tary. Dr. M. J. Moes; treasurer, Dr. Joseph Loes; delegate, Dr. H. B. Gratiot ; librarian, Dr. H. G. Langworthy. Dr. Kime, of Fort Dodge, lectured before the society on Thursday night on "Tuberculosis."
The recent organization and activities of the Dubuque Industrial Corporation are events of great importance. The board of trade subscribed about $170,000 to aid the objects of the organization. Clarence A. Cotton, an expert in industrial work, was secured to act as secretary. He said: "The leading men of the commercial world are coming to know that cities which are beautiful, well governed, healthful and generally attractive to live in and visit are the ones which will do the business of the future. There is a wave of sentiment along the line whereby good citizenship will come to be necessary to good business. Everything else being equal, buyers will make their purchases in the city which is the mnost pleasant to visit, conventions will go to the town which is the most beautiful and has the most points of interest ; while there is no question that as labor becomes more advanced intellectually factories will find it more difficult to obtain enough satisfactory help in communities which are lacking in which is ideal. Men are coming, more and more, to believe that life itself and happy living come first of all."
In the early part of 1911 the people of Dubuque looked forward with pleasurable anticipation to the coming regatta in July under the auspices of the Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association. Trophies and prizes were offered and a large reception fund was raised. The acquirement by Dubuque in 1911 of the works of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company was a triumph of the indus- trial movement actively at work in this city.
1
POPULATION OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.
1910.
1900.
1890.
Cascade Township, including part of Cascade town.
1.179
1,250
1,196
Cascade town, part of
583
584
514
Total for Cascade town in Cascade and White Water Townships, and Richland Townships, Jones County. Center Township
1,268
1,266
955
Concord Township, including
Holy
Cross town
960
1,049
1,005
Holy Cross toren
I43
II5
Dodge Township, including Worthington town and part of Farley town.
979
1,062
1,048
Farley town, part of
29
.
...
Total for Farley town in Dodge and Taylor Townships
676
513
582
Worthington town
314
288
Dubuque Township.
1,517
1,510
1,484
Iowa Township.
688
738
703
Jefferson Township
1,200
1,300
1,49I
Julien Township, coextensive with Du- buque City
38,494
36,297
30.31I
Dubuque City-
Il'ard I.
5,454
WVard 2.
5,240
Ward 3.
6,627
Ward 4.
7.719
. .. . .
Ward 5.
13.454
Liberty Township.
806
955
940
Mosalem Township.
724
942
814
New Wine Township, including Dyers- ville and New Vienna towns.
2,829
2,724
2,579
Dyersville town . Now Vienna toren
188
245
. .. . .
Peru Township.
848
976
1,020
Prairie Creek Township, including Bern- ard town
735
872
803
Bernard town
95
II3
..
Table Mound Township
973
951
1,068
1,5II
1.323
1,272
. ..
. .
942
1,046
1,210
1,165
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
943
Taylor Township, including Epworth town and part of Farley town. Epworth town
1,888
1,884
1,606
520
549
348
Farley town, part of
647
513
582
Vernon Township
812
853
882
Washington Township, including part of Zwingle town.
692
737
749
Zwingle town, part of.
46
Total for Zwingle town, in Washing-
ton Township and Otter Creek Township, Jackson County.
69
.
. .
White Water Township, including part of Cascade town. .
1,080
1,093
98.4
Cascade town, part of .
533
534
44I
Dubuque County total
57,450
56,403
49,848
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