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 26
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The St. Louis, St. Paul and Minneapolis Packet Company had several boats here early in the nineties; their boat St. Paul passed to the Diamond Jo Company. The Windom (revenue cutter ) was being built here in 1893-94.
In spite of all, the old river men could not help noticing the great decadence in river traffic from thirty and forty years before. Short- run packets were resorted to in 1893-94 to meet new conditions.
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The cut of 30 per cent in railroad freight rates was a severe blow to river men, but the Diamond Jo Company seemed to do well. Small draft and short line boats were greatly in evidence; St. Paul, Pittsburg, Sidney, Mary Morton and Gem City were their boats.
The Ericsson torpedo boat was launched here by the Iowa Iron Works in May, 1894; Miss Carrie Kiene christened the vessel; 20,000 people witnessed the launching. This boat went down the Mississippi and saw service in the Spanish-American war. It was defective in several important particulars, but in the end did good service. In August, 1894, the river here was the lowest in thirteen years. In December of this year the Upper Mississippi Pilots' Asso- ciation assembled here. Early in 1895 three new torpedo boats were called for ; the Iowa State Iron Works bid for each $137,000, but others were a little lower. In April, 1895, the Windom torpedo boat was nearly ready here. Jay Morton was president of the Dia- mond Jo Line. The new steamer Dubuque arrived from St. Louis in April, 1897. By 1898 the Iowa Iron Works had built or partly built over one hundred boats. In 1898 this company launched two large iron hulls in the ice harbor. One was a transfer boat, 303 feet long, and was No. 43 of its class built here; seven other boats were under construction at the time. About this time the Iowa Iron Works pay roll was about $11,000 per month; in fourteen months ending June, 1899, that company paid out over $400,000 for labor and material ; it liad about 230 men on the pay roll. The Acme Packet Company ran packets and other boats about this time. Capt. Thomas Parker and his six sons, all river men, were known to everybody. Captain Winans and Captain Streckfus ran boats of their own. The Dubuque Boat and Boiler Company began business about 1906-07; it built two dredge boats in 1907. Early in 1907 it began on the giant transfer boat Albatros, and in June it sailed down to Vicksburg. Other boats have been built recently, among them the B. F. Yocum, now being finished. Capt. Steve Dolson, a well-known river man, died in 1909. The river business is not what it used to be.
RAILWAY PROJECTS.
r T O AN early citizen of Dubuque, John Plumbe, Jr., is given the credit of taking the first steps to build a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi and on to the Pacific ocean. As- early as 1836 he commenced the preliminaries for the con- struction of such a line. Two years later he drew up a petition for the establishment of this line, which was numerously signed and for- warded to Congress bearing the date April, 1838. It began as fol- lows : "The connection of Lake Michigan with the Mississippi river, at or near the Borough of Dubuque, by means of a railroad to be located upon the most eligible ground within the territory is a sub- ject of such importance, etc. * The entire length of the Lake * Michigan and Dubuque railroad would be only about one hundred and fifty miles * : * Within little more than eight months of last year (1837) the total number of steamboat arrivals and departures at the port of Dubuque amounted to no less than 717." General Jones, who was then in Congress, secured an appropriation to defray the expense of locating the first division of the road. It should be said that in 1849 Mr. Plumbe, at his own expense, discovered and inspected a practical route through the South Pass for a railroad to the Pacific coast, being the first to accomplish this task .- (Times, July 10. 1857.) Asa Whitney was one of the foremost in the struggle for a Pacific railroad.
It is true that Mr. Plumbe not only projected the line, prepared the petition and secured the Congressional appropriation, but in person and at his own cost began the inspection, if not the survey, of the line from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi. He did not relinquish his efforts, and in 1847 proposed a grant of land from the government to aid the project ; the proposal contained the fol- lowing points: (1) The grant to consist of alternate sections of land ; (2) the stock to be $10 a share; (3) at the time of subscrip- tion 50 cents to be paid on each share; (4) the railroad to be man- aged by a board of directors ; (5) the government to enjoy forever the free use of the road; (6) editors, ministers, missionaries, etc., to ride free.
The citizens of Dubuque, in 1838-9, warmly favored this pro- posed Lake Michigan and Mississippi railroad, which was projected westward from Milwaukee, presumably to the Mississippi at Du- buque. A bill for a survey of this road was defeated in the Iowa Territorial Legislature on the ground that it was outside of the
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territory. It was further presented that such a road should not be designed for Dubuque county alone, but for the whole territory ; and as Dubuque county and town were the only parts to be benefited the bill should not pass.
By act of December 7, 1836, the Belmont & Dubuque Railroad Company was incorporated and two of the commissioners were John Foley and Francis K. O'Ferrall, of Dubuque county. In February, 1837, books for subscriptions to the stock of this road were opened in this city. The subscriptions were under the man- agement of the commissions appointed by the act. During the latter part of 1838 the route between Milwaukee and Dubuque was surveyed. At this date also a survey was made of the Chicago & Galena Railroad.
Milwaukee was anxious to secure the railway westward to Du- buque for the double purpose of keeping Chicago out of northern and central Iowa and of winning that promising field for herself. Chicago had the same double end in view. In the end Chicago won by building the Chicago & Galena Union Railway. Numer- ous other lines connecting the lake and the Mississippi were pro- posed during the early forties; one was to connect Madison, Wis- consin, with the Mississippi at Dubuque. In October, 1847, at a big railway mass meeting here Gen. James Wilson spoke at length favoring the proposed connection of Milwaukee and Dubuque by rail. On May 20, 1848, a large railroad convention was held here, Theophilus Crawford serving as chairman. Resolutions favor- ing the railroads and the subscription of stock were passed.
What was called the "Railroad Committee of Dubuque County" was organized early in 1848 by the election of Peter A. Lorimier, Mayor, president, and Patrick Quigley secretary. The committee announced itself ready to receive reports from the several commit- tees appointed in accordance with the resolutions of the railroad convention held at lowa City January 17, 1848.
On the State Railroad Committee appointed at the railroad con- vention held in Iowa City in January, 1848, were Peter A. Lori- mier and Lucius Langworthy, of Dubuque county; Thomas H. Benton, Jr., of Dubuque county, served as president of the con- vention. The people of the State were in earnest regarding rail- roads. The one now proposed was to extend from Keokuk to Dubuque.
At a large railroad meeting held in Dubuque in March, 1848, to consider connecting Lake Michigan and the Mississippi, Col. C. H. Booth served as chairman and W. H. Merritt and A. P. Wood as secretaries. The objects of the meeting were explained by General Jones and L. H. Langworthy. A committee of seven was appointed to draft resolutions-L. H. Langworthy, G. W. Jones, Lincoln Clark, W. Y. Lovell, E. Fitzpatrick, Charles Miller and N. Nadeau. The resolutions warmly favored the construction of
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a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi at Jordan's Ferry, opposite Dubuque. Steps to prepare a memorial to Congress were taken. The committee to memorialize Congress were L. H. Lang- worthy. W. W. Coriell, George W. Jones, Lincoln Clark, W. Y. Lovell, T. S. Wilson and Timothy Mason.
In 1848-9 Congress passed an act donating alternate sections of land to the Dubuque & Keokuk Railway ; this was the first Dubuque county land thus granted. Dubuque was particularly anxious for rail connection with Lake Michigan, because during the thirties and forties business men here were at the mercy of St. Louis, there being no competition. It became known here that combinations to keep up the prices at up-river points existed at St. Louis, and that the boat lines were in collusion with St. Louis to extort large reve- mues from Dubuque and other up-river points. Thus during the late forties numerous railway projects were considered by large and enthusiastic mass meetings and conventions. In February, 1849, the citizens gathered at the courthouse to listen to a railway project described by William B. Ogden, of Chicago.
"Will the citizens not try to effect a communication with the East by means of a railroad and thus have an outlet for their in- creasing productions ? There is nothing to hinder if we will agree. The Chicago & Dubuque Railroad will afford the quickest means of communication with the East. But we have no time to lose. Our merchants, men of property and citizens generally, must ex- hibit a better public spirit before they can accomplish anything. Let us begin with our harbor. What is its condition? Is it a place where any sensible man would make it the terminus of a railroad ? We believe Dubuque great, but we must convince others also. We must provide an accessible and commodious landing. Keokuk, Burlington, Bloomington, Rock Island and even Bellevue have done more for a practical landing than Dubuque. To what is this to be ascribed? I say positively to a want of that unanimity which is so characteristic of us. If the City Council can't make this improvement out of the islands, or under the power granted in the present charter, let us have a new one, with power to levy a certain tax to construct this harbor and to do it when it best suits with reference to the best interests of all."-(Iowa, in Miners' Express, December 5, 1849. )
"The whole country-North, South, East, and West-cities, towns, hamlets, and villages, are crying out 'Railroads! Let us have railroads !! ' This cry is approaching us from all directions. while here we are in Dubuque as unconcerned as if 'Whiskey Hill' and 'Dirty Hollow' were ever to be the only thoroughfares from and to Dubuque. Our neighbors of Galena are making arrange- ments to go and meet the Chicago road ; Milwaukee and her sister towns are engaged in a vigorous effort to connect themselves to the Mississippi a few miles above us: while here we are asleep in
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a kind of dreamy-drowsy-stupid lethargy. We should make im- mediate provision to unite ourselves to the Chicago and Galena road at the latter place. The company is under no obligation to come to Dubuque. When in the future the road is extended to the Mississippi where is the guaranty that Dubuque will be the point reached?"-(Miners' Express, December 12, 1849.)
The Miners' Express, in 1850, had so much to say on the subject of railroads and there were so many rumors and projects afloat that it established a "Railroad Department." In January, 1850, the plan was considered to connect Dubuque with the Red River of the North and to make Dubuque the focus of all lines of the North- west. About this time a railroad westward from Dubuque pass- ing through Cascade had been proposed, and at a railroad meeting in the latter village Bell, Banghart, Langworthy, Eaton and Dillon delivered addresses. Lovell and Langworthy were agents of the Dubuque & Keokuk line. In 1850-I the Chicago & Galena Union Railway and the Illinois Central Railway were under course of construction and it was seen here that one or both of them would eventually reach Dubuque. The people here were asked to take stock in both roads, but refused unless they would be constructed to this point.
In August, 1852, Galena prohibited the passage through that city of the Illinois Central Railway and took this step to prevent that road from building on to Dubuque, hoping to become the western terminus of that road and thus the business focus of the North- west. This step forced the Illinois Central to pass around Galena on its way to Dubiique or Dunleith. At a mass meeting of the citizens September 22, 1852, the proposition of taking one hundred thousand dollar stock in the Milwaukee, Janesville & Mississippi Railroad was considered ; eight thousand dollars was subscribed on the spot. In a few weeks this city voted in favor of this stock, only nine votes being polled against it. When it was announced in June, 1852, that the Chicago & Galena Union Railroad would be finished to Galena in eighteen months great excitement and rejoicing ensued. In May, 1853, one hundred and fifty citizens petitioned the Council to take one hundred thousand dollars stock in the Dubuque & Pacific Railway. The Miners' Express opposed the loan, but not violently. The question was submitted to the voters and carried by 466 to 79. The vote in the whole county on two hundred thousand dollars subscription was 954 for and 717 again. New Wine, Concord, Jefferson, Peru, Iowa, Mosalem, White Water, Liberty, Prairie Creek, Cascade and Dodge town- ships returned majorities against the subscription. The over- whelming vote in Julien township in favor of the project, 666 for to 160 against, carried the question. Work on the road was soon commenced. Colonel Mason was chief engineer here, J. P. Farley was president, F. S. Jesup treasurer and Platt Smith attorney. In
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the summer of 1853 Dunleith (now East Dubuque) was laid out, as the Illinois Central was fast approaching. The Milwaukee road, though voted stock, was not built. By Stepember, 1854, cars began to run from Galena to Chicago, the fare being $5.25 ; the fare from Dubuque was $6.25
"To the President and Directors of the Dubuque & Pacific Rail- road: Perceiving that some of our citizens think so much of our useless island and seem disposed to want a much larger price for it than it is worth, I will offer you free of charge twenty acres of land for your depot grounds and a sufficient quantity of it shall be on the river to accommodate the business of your road. The land is situated at my furnace, where the largest class of steamboats can land at all stages of water, and a part of said land is within the present city limits. Hoping you will give this your favorable consideration, Yours respectfully, P. A. Lorimier, December I, 1853." This offer seemed to bring the citizens to their senses.
In October, 1853, President Nelson Dewey, of the Southern Wisconsin road, came here and asked the Council to aid his line with fifty thousand dollars. On this question the Council voted as follows: For the grant-Burt, Heeb and Langworthy ; against the grant-Samuels, McNamara, Wilde and O'Hare.
On the question to grant ten acres of land to the Dubuque & Pacific road for depot purposes the vote stood in 1854: For, 677, and against, 285. In September, 1855, the city voted on taking an additional one hundred thousand dollars stock in the Dubuque & Pacific road-for, I,OII ; against, 109. In January, 1855, the city voted as follows on the question of taking one hundred and fifty thousand dollars stock in the Mississippi & Milwaukee road: For, 574; against, 135. This was the same road, with name changed, that stock had been voted for in 1853. At this time many objected to any stock subscription to the last-named road, declaring that the outlet to Chicago was sufficient and that Dubuque should now help build the roads leading westward in order to open new fields to Dubuque.
"The city has already pledged its credit for one hundred thousand dollars to the Southern Wisconsin road; one hundred thousand to the Dubuque & Pacific road. Individuals in the city are pledged to the latter for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The county is pledged to the same for two hundred thousand dollars, and the bonds of the city are already in the market for thirty thou- sand dollars. This makes five hundred and eighty thousand dol- lars. Add to this one hundred and fifty thousand dollars voted on the 2d inst. and we have the handsome little sum of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Truly, we are a progressive people."- (Express and Herald, January 4, 1855.)
In July, 1855, R. B. Mason & Co. contracted to build thirty miles of the Dubuque & Pacific road next to Dubuque. On June
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II, 1855, a party of about twenty ladies and gentlemen of Dubuque was carried from Dunleith to Galena on the construction train. This was a special arrangement and may be said to have been the first passengers to go over that part of the road; seats were placed on the gravel cars and the run was made in about forty minutes.
"A train of passenger cars arrived on Saturday night (June 9, 1855) about twelve o'clock at Dunleith. This is the first train through and it ushers in a new era for the prosperity, business, wealth and growth of Dubuque and the adjacent country." -- (Express and Herald, June 13, 1855.)
On the question of granting the north half of Middle Island to the Dubuque & Pacific Railroad, in September, 1855, the city voted 130 in favor of the grant and 614 against it. The completion of the Illinois Central to Dunleith was the occasion of an immense celebration here. Many visitors were present-a number from Chicago. The citizens had subscribed a sum to cover expenses, but the costs ran $402 over that sum.
"We must say that if we, the people of Dubuque, are so stupid or so niggardly of our present wealth or so lazy that we will not push out our railroads to the West and Northwest immediately, why, then, if we are left behind in the path of advancement we can blame nobody but ourselves. Dubuque has got to wake up and go to work at once to secure the trade and business of the country west or she will be not only tributary to others herself but an unim- portant secondary point. We have the start now, let us keep it. Railroads have made Chicago what she is and will make Dubuque." -- (Express and Herald, June 25, 1855. ) In the summer of 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad was completed to Dunleith, this city held a big celebration of the event.
On the question of taking two hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars stock in the Dubuque & Northwestern Railroad the county voted : For the subscription, 2, 166; against the subscription, 1,010. On October 3, 1856, steam was raised in the engine "Dubuque" for the first time ; this was the first engine in Dubuque; it required considerable care and skill to bring this engine across on the ferry and to load and unload it. The Tete des Mortes branch of the Dubuque & Pacific road was considered in 1855-6 and early in 1857 was being constructed. By January 1, 1857, the Dubuque & Pa- cific road was completed to within five miles of Dyersville.
By proclamation of Mayor Wilson December 13, 1856, was set as the date of the special election to decide whether the city should borrow five hundred thousand dollars for railroad purposes. The election was duly held with the following results: For the loan, 1,456; against the loan, 4; rejected by canvassers, I ; majority for the loan, 1,451. "We congratulate the people upon the result of the ballot yesterday. It has settled the railroad policy of Dut-
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buque to have a system of railroads reaching to the Southwest and the Northwest."-(Express and Herald, December 17, 1856.)
All Dubuque was urged to assist all Northwest, Southwest, Du- buque & Bellevue and Turkey River Valley railroads. "These roads will do more to build up Dubuque than all other means com- bined. Before Dubuque will be, next to Chicago, the great city of the West, the lines of roadroad in course of construction and those recently projected must be pushed on towards completion."-(Ex- press and Herald, January 28, 1857.)
The Dubuque Southwestern Railroad was let to contractors in January, 1857, and was thirty-one miles long-four between Du- buque and the junction with the Dubuque & Pacific and the balance between Farley and Anamosa. The road was let at twenty-five thousand dollars a mile. The newspapers at this time indulged in pleasing dreams as to the future of Dubuque. Several made it the center of the railroads of the West-that is, west of Chicago.
In January, 1857, the following officers of the Dubuque, St. Paul & St. Peters Railroad were elected: F. E. Bissell, president ; J. W. Taylor, treasurer : B. M. Samuels, attorney ; H. E. Fellowes, secretary ; James Langworthy, Gen. John Hodgdon, Governeur Mor- ris, W. J. Barney, G. L. Nightingale, Gen. W. Lewis, Hon. G. W. Jones, directors.
By a handbill dated February 23. 1857, the citizens of Cascade called a railroad meeting to be held in that town March 7 "to secure the location of the Great Northwestern Railroad on the route from Galena to this place." George W. Trumbull was chairman of the citizens' committee which called the meeting.
By special act of Legislature approved January 28, 1857, the city of Dubuque was authorized to subscribe for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars stock of the Dubuque, St. Peters and St. Paul Railroad and to issue bonds for that purpose.
The vote here, March 31, 1857, as to whether the city should lend her credit by issuing bonds to the amount of five hundred thousand dollars additional to aid the Dubuque, St. Peters & St. Paul Railroad, resulted as follows: For the loan, 1, 129; against the loan, 94; illegal, 5 ; total vote, 1,228. By May 20, 1857, work had been commenced by the Dubuque & Southwestern Railroad Company along Lake Peosta, near Eighteenth street. "The first shipment from the interior on the Dubuque & Pacific road was brought in on Thursday from Dyersville. It consisted of a con- signment to West & Hopkins of 450 barrels of flour for shipment." -(Express and Herald, May 20, 1857.)
Mayor Wilson, Edward Langworthy and F. Herron, in June, 1857, were successful in negotiating this city's railroad bonds in New York City, where they had been sent for that purpose. The building of the Dubuque Western Railroad in 1857 led to the rapid growth of Farley Junction. Many buildings were soon in process
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of construction. The Illinois Central and the Dubuque & Pacific railroads secured in the summer of 1857 a large site for a station and depot at Jones and Iowa streets, extending through to Dodge. The two roads pledged themselves to build a union depot that would cost one hundred thousand dollars. A fine railroad bridge across the river was also planned. In consequence land near that spot advanced fifty percent within a few days.
Dubuque expected by the Northwest Railroad to cut off and capture nearly all the trade of southern Minnesota by running to the rear of McGregor's Landing, La Crescent, Winona, Reed's Landing and Hastings, and draw off much of the trade of St. An- thony, Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Pacific road would bring here the trade of all northern Iowa and the Southwestern road to Ana- mosa on the Iowa Central Line would bring central Iowa trade here, cutting off Sabula and Lyons .- (Express and Herald, April 22, 1857.)
"Look Out for the Locomotive .-- The trains on the Dubuque & Pacific road commence tomorrow to make regular trips to Dyers- ville."-(Express and Herald, April 22, 1857.) "Brought Over. -The Dubuque & Pacific road has had brought over and placed upon the track their two passenger cars. On Monday they will bring over their new locomotive 'Black Hawk,' then 'look out for squalls.'"-(Express and Herald, April 29, 1857.)
The Dubuque Western Railroad and the Dubuque, St. Peters & St. Paul Railroad occupied joint depot grounds and were upon the main channel of the Mississippi and centrally located. The first mentioned road leased the line of the Dubuque & Pacific company as far as Farley Junction, from which point it passed southwestward to Anamosa, its object being to strike the Iowa coal fields. This road could not go via Cascade owing to the heavy grades. "The contract cost of the first thirty miles from Dubuque to Dyersville is $1,100,000, which is $36,666 per mile; this in- cludes building, rolling stock, etc., except fencing and ballasting." -(Express and Herald, November 4, 1857.)
The Dubuque Western Railroad had two locomotives named "Lonsdale" and "Columbiana." The former went into a slough, but was raised. Previous to October, 1858, the citizens of Du- buque voted loans for railroad purposes as follows :
Dubuque & Pacific. $ 200,000
Dubuque Western
250,000
Turkey River Valley 200,000
Dubuque & St. Peters
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