USA > Iowa > Floyd County > History of Floyd County, Iowa : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 53
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A loan of five per cent, on the assessed valuation was recom- mended to the county by the directors and committee. The direct- ors resolved that the center of section seventeen (17), township ninety-four, (94), range fourteen (14), Nashuabe, a point on the road, provided Chickasaw County would vote five per cent. of its assessed property in bonds, and give the right of way free of charge; that the means raised in each county be expended in the county, in grading, engineering and other necessary work; that the location of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Road be from the State line, at the southern terminus of the Minneapolis & Cedar Valley Road, southward to a point near St. Ansgar, in Mitchell County; thence between East and West Mitchell, near Osage, at. or near Watertown, at or near Floyd, and to a point at or near St. Charles City; provided that the right of way be made free, and that the chief engineer immediately proceed to the actual location of the road.
On the 16th of September, 1858, ground was broken, at Cedar Falls, upon the line of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad, at the time of the Editorial Convention there, in the presence of a thousand witnesses and under imposing ceremonies. A procession was formed, headed by music; speeches were made by Colonel Sessions, Wm. B. Fairfield, A. B. F. Hildreth, Jesse Clement and others, and winding up with a grand supper, and toasts and speeches, in the evening.
Dec. 1, 1868, by a vote of 533 to 175, Floyd County issued bonds to the amount of sixty thousand dollars ($60,000) to aid in the construction of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad, de-
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
livered them to the company, and for security took the bond of private individuals of Cedar Falls and vicinity for the faithful ap- plication of the proceeds. The stipulations, as worded in the bond of the Cedar Falls parties were:
"Now, if the said Floyd County shall issue its bonds to said company for sixty thousand dollars ($60,000), as aforesaid, and the said railroad company, within as short time as is in their power, shall locate and build said railroad from Cedar Falls to the State line, in Mitchell County, Iowa, on the westerly side of the Big Cedar River through said county of Floyd, within one-half mile of St. Charles City, and within one-half mile of the village of Floyd, both situate, etc .; and if said railroad company will, within two years from the date of issuing said county bonds, appropriate and expend the proceeds of said bonds in locating said railroad within said county of Floyd, and if said railroad company will promptly pay the interest on said county bonds for two years from the date thereof, according to their tenor and effect, and if the said railroad company shall pay or cause to be paid to said Floyd County or its assigns, interest in stock at the rate of ten per cent. per annum, payable annually, on the sixty thousand dollars ($60,- 000) full paid stock, issued by said railroad company to said Floyd County for said county bonds, until said railroad is built, finished and in running order and operation, then this obligation is to be void, otherwise in full force."
In 1859 the company decided to grade the road from Cedar City, opposite Cedar Falls, to Janesville, a distance of seven miles; also a contract was let to Silas Smith, of Floyd, for grading two miles of road near that place. The company had advertised for propo- sals to grade, bridge and tie the road throughout; but, on account of hard times, very little was done during that year.
Jan. 8, 1860, Colonel Erastus Edgerton, of Dedham, Mass., exe- cuted on behalf of some parties in Boston a contract with the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad Company, to build the entire road from Cedar Falls to the State line ; namely, to construct and equip the road to Waverly, the county seat of Bremer County, by the first of the following January; to Floyd, this county, by Jan. 1, 1862, and to the State line by Jan. 1, 1863 ; unless the Minneapolis & Cedar Valley Railroad should be completed sooner, in which event the contractors obligate themselves to build the road to the State line by the time the Minneapolis & Cedar Valley Railroad is in operation to that point. The foregoing contract was published at
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railroad meeting in Bremer County by Colonel Sessions, Financial Agent, who announced that it contained the two following provi- sos: "That the county take stock in said road to the amount of $60,000," and that $35,000 individual stock be subscribed by the citizens of the county.
As the Supreme Court of the State had decided that bonds voted for railroad purposes were illegal, resolutions were passed at this meeting conceding the legality of the decision, but maintaining that in justice to the counties which had so voted bonds the Legis- lature then in session should immediately pass an act legalizing such bonds.
The news of this contract awakened renewed interest, inspired more perfect confidence and calmed the rising fears in the entire community along the line of the road. McGregor, about three days' journey with team from Charles City, had been up to this time the nearest way out to the commercial world ; and now the time seemed to be drawing nigh when Floyd County itself should be made practically nearer the Eastern markets than ever Mc- Gregor had been.
At this time sixty-five miles of the Minneapolis road had been graded, and some of the heavy work done on the remainder of the road. Eastern capital was pushing it, and the public was satisfied that ere long this great public thoroughfare would be completed. The Dubuque & Pacific Railroad was then in running order to Independence, and was exercising its magnetic influence upon trade in this county. The Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad was building up business at Cedar Rapids, from the Cedar Valley, the "garden of the West." As the Dubuque Herald said, the upper portion of this valley was the superior part of this " garden," and it was doubtless evident that the keen eye of east- ern capital was centering in this direction.
May 5, 1862, the Cedar Falls & Minneapolis Railroad Company elected R. B. Mason, President ; Wm. H. Sessions, Vice-Presi- dent ; John A. Elliott, Treasurer ; and L. L. Huntley, Secretary. They also chose an Executive Committee and hoped to go forward with the work of building their road.
In June, 1862, the Supreme Court of Iowa, in the case of "The State, on the relation, etc., of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad Company vs. the county of Wapello," decided that the General Assembly had never conferred, and had not the power to confer,
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upon counties the right to issue bonds in payment for stock in railroad companies, and that such bonds are invalid.
In the section of this work devoted to the doings of the Board of Supervisors, we allude to the contest had there over the matter of the county bonds. The result was the adoption of the follow- ing resolutions by the Supervisors of Floyd County :
"1. That a committee of three be appointed by the board, whose duty shall be to effect the following arrangement with the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad Company, viz: That three years of the coupons of the Floyd County bonds be cut off and deposited in the hands of a trustee or trustees, to be chosen by said commit- tee and the said railroad company; said trustee to be obligated to deliver over in the following order to the railroad company: the first year's coupons, when said company complete, or cause to be completed, the said railroad to Waverly, Bremer County, Iowa; the second year's coupons, when said railroad company complete said road to south line of Floyd County, Ia .; and the third year's coupons, when said company complete the road to Charles City : Provided, first, that said railroad is completed to Waverly within two years from July 4, 1862; secondly, that said railroad is to be completed to the south line of this county, within three years from said day; thirdly, that it be completed to Charles City within four years from said day. And, in consideration of the fore- going, the said committee is hereby authorized to surrender the individual bonds, held by Floyd County, Ia., as security for Floyd County bonds; also, the certificates of stock for the same amount, upon condition that the remaining coupons, with the Floyd County bonds, be surrendered to said committee.
"2. That, in case of a failure to effect the foregoing resolution, the committee are hereby authorized to surrender the individual bond held by Floyd County as security; also, the sum of $55,800, in stock of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railway Company, upon said company's delivering to said committee the bonds of Floyd County to the amount of $55,800, and the coupons for eight years attached thereto.
"3. That the committee notify the officers of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad Company of their authority to settle the matter, and request a meeting of the Board of Directors of said company to effect said object.
"4. That, in case the committee are unable to effect a settlement in accordance with one of the two foregoing propositions, it shall
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be their duty, and they are hereby authorized, to procure compe- tent counsel, and proceed by law, to protect the interests of Floyd County, Iowa, as in their judgment may seem best; and that the committee befully authorized to do any and all acts necessary to carry into effect the foregoing resolutions; and nothing in the foregoing resolutions shall be so construed as to prevent the said committee from making any arrangements, by which said coupons, so deposited with said trustee, good and valid against Floyd County, Iowa.
" 5. That the Treasurer and Clerk of Floyd County, Iowa, be authorized to deliver to said committee all certificates of stocks, bonds, coupons, and all'other papers in their hands, in relation to this matter; all of which is respectfully submitted.
" R. N. MATHEWS, BENJAMIN REED, &Committee." RUDOLPH REX.
At this time Platt Smith of Dubuque, a large owner in the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, began again to move in behalf of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad. Three-fourths of the busi- ness of the D. & S. C. road was derived from the country north of Cedar Falls. In view of this fact, certain capitalists, as Dean Richmond, who owned an elevator at Dubuque, an I Pres. Osborn, and others, of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, who had an elevator at Dunleith, opposite Dubuque, subscribed liberally this season for the C. F. & M. road, enough to build and equip the road to Waverly. It now stood the Floyd County people in hand to make immediate provision for redeeming the coupons upon their bonds as they became due, that the road might be pushed through to this county.
At a special session of the Board of Supervisors of Floyd County, Aug. 22, 1863, called to consider the railroad bonds, the com- mittee made two reports, the majority report, signed by John Chapman and Benj. Darland, being as follows: "We would recom- mend that the county surrender the stock of the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad Company, received as payment for the interest coupons, and retain the stock received as payment for the $2,700 of the bonds of the county negotiated by said railroad company, until a final settlement shall be made between the county and the railroad company." But the board adopted the minority report, signed by R. N. Mathews, which was as follows: "That Floyd County surrender all the certificates of stock of the Cedar Falls
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
& Minnesota Railroad Company, now held by the county to said company, on condition that said railroad company surrender all the interest coupons of the county bonds, now held by Platt Smith, Edward Stimson, H. L. Stout as trustees to this county; and that the contract now in the hands of said trustees be also sur- rendered, and that the same be canceled on the part of said rail- road company."
Chester Butterfield was appointed a committee to carry out these arrangements, and the board adjourned sine die.
Dec. 1, 1864, this railroad was completed to Waverly; and the Illinois Central Railroad Company having leased the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, the Cedar Falls & Minnesota Railroad Com- pany finally leased their road also to the Illinois Central Company for a term of twenty years, with the agreement that they would complete the building of the road from Waverly to the Minnesota State line which they did. It was completed to Charles City Sept. 12, 1868, the first passenger train arriving here on the 15th of the next month.
During the first nine months after the opening of the Iowa Divis: ion of the Illinois Central Railroad to Charles City, there were shipped from this point 218,770 bushels of wheat, 4,900 bushels of oats, 4,050 bushels of barley, 9,630 barrels of flour and 780 dressed hogs; total weight, 14,328,060 pounds. Amount earned by the railroad company on freight forwarded, $75,226.56. During this period the freight received at Charles City was: 1,955,830 feet of lumber, 1,333,000 shingles, 390,500 lath, 1,672 barrels of salt and cement, and 58 car-loads of agricultural implements; total weight 16,395,840 pounds. Amount earned by the company on freight received, $67,786.91; advance charges on above, $24,143. 18. Total number of local passenger tickets sold, 4,553, at a total of $17,427.30.
BURLINGTON, CEDAR RAPIDS & NORTHERN RAILROAD.
This road passes through the westerly portion of Floyd County, entering the county on the south near the southeastern corner of Union Township, and running north westerly through Union, Ulster, Rockford and Rock Grove townships; the principal towns on the line being Marble Rock, Rockford and Nora Springs. The main line of this road extends from Burlington on the Mississippi River, via Cedar Rapids, to Albert Lea, in Minnesota, 252 miles; connect- ing there with the Minneapolis & St. Louis road. It is now being
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operated by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, in connection with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road, running through trains from St. Paul and Minneapolis respectively, to Chicago and St. Louis.
It was completed through Floyd County in the fall of 1871, the towns along the line having donated the right of way, a five per cent. tax, and a considerable amount in money in aid of the same. It was built largely by the avails of mortgage bonds sold in the East. This mortgage was foreclosed some years since, at which time the company was reorganized by its new owners, and its or- iginal name changed from the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minne- sota Railway, to that of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway, by which latter name it is now known.
Its first president was the late George Green of Cedar Rapids whose enterprise and energy did much towards promoting its suc- cess. It is now doing a large and thriving business in the trans- portation of coal and other merchandize to Minneapolis and further northwest, running a large number of freight trains daily, as well as fast passengers trains to Chicago and St. Louis. This road is doing much to develop and improve this section of Floyd County.
MINNESOTA, IOWA SOUTHWESTERN RAILWAY.
A mass meeting was held at the Christian church in Charles City, April 30, 1881, to discuss the necessity of action in order to secure competing railroad lines, now in contemplation; also, to consider the development of manufacturing interests in this city. F. A. Roziene made some statements in regard to a private corre- spondence with the president of the St. Louis, Des Moines & North- ern Railroad Company, whose line was sure to come in this direc- tion, via Eldora, Aplington, Allison, Greene, Charles City, Rice- ville and toward La Crosse. If the people of Charles City desired the road, some decided and encouraging efforts must be made. Remarks were also made by Judge Reiniger, Col. Barney, A. R. Spriggs and others.
About May 20 articles were filed by a company organizing itself as the "Minnesota, Iowa Southwestern Railroad Company," and electing S. W. Soesbe, President; F. A. Rozine, Vice Presi- dent; G. L. Mills, Secretary; O. W. Hart, Treasurer. Directors: B. W. Stevens, J. C. Cole, J. Seaton Kelso, John Rath, John L. Stevens, A. D. Barnum and A. R. Spriggs. A surveying party
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was at once put into the field, who laid out a route from the State line near Leroy, southwest to a point near Des Moines, a distance of about 120 miles. The floods of July temporarily retarded fur- ther survey this season.
The stockholders of the Minnesota, Iowa Southwestern Railway met at Greene, Butler County, Jan. 11, 1882, and elected F. A Roziene, of Charles City, President; S. W. Soesbe, of Greene, Vice-President; G. W. Hart, Charles City, Treasurer; G. L. Mills, Greene, Secretary. Executive Committee: F. A. Roziene, S. W. Soesbe, J. S. Kelso, of Acklen, Hardin & Co., A. R. Spriggs and B. W. Stephens, Charles City, and John L. Stevens, of Ames, Story & Co. The objective points southwest are supposed to be Council Bluffs or St. Joseph.
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Under the laws of Minnesota, a company is organized called the La Crosse & Southwestern Railway Company, to construct and op- erate a railroad from La Crosse, Wis., to the Minnesota and Iowa State line, connecting with the M., I. S. W. R. R. at or near Hes- per, Winneshiek County. The city of La Crosse possesses a charter granted by the General Government, authorizing the con- struction, use and maintenance of a railway bridge across the Mis- sissippi River at that place, and this will be available for the con- templated railway. A preliminary survey has been made, and in this State it is proposed to run the road through Hesper, Burr Oak, Bluffton, Cresco, Busti, Charles City, Greene, near Allison, to Ackley, Robertson, four and one-half miles northeast of Ames through Nevada, and so on to some point on the Missouri River. From Nevada, or some point in Story County, a branch is to run to Des Moines.
By this route the road will cross numerous other railroads, Charles City being the most important point between La Crosse and Des Moines.
Feb. 27, 1882, Charles City and St. Charles Township gave 433 votes in favor of a tax of five per cent. for this road, and 336 against it ; while Niles gave 44 in favor and 116 against. In the notice given for this election certain promises were made as to making Charles City a point on this line, and accordingly, Sept. 7, 1882, the Board of Supervisors adopted the following resolu- tion: "That there be levied a tax of five per cent. upon the tax- able valuation of St. Charles Township for 1882, including the City of Charles City, in aid of the Minnesota, Iowa Southwestern Railway Company ; said tax to become due, payable and col-
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
lectible as follows : Two and a half per cent. in one year and two and a half per cent in two years, from date of voting the same; to wit., Feb. 27, 1882 ; the penalty for non-payment of said taxes to take effect in no case until sixty days after due to said railroad company, as provided hereinafter. The said tax in no case shall be payable to said company until it shall have com- plied with the following conditions, to-wit : It shall have the road completed through the said township of St. Charles, and operating and running trains. Provided further, that said railroad shall be of standard gauge, and that said company shall erect and main- tain good and suitable buildings, with the necessary side-tracks, within seven-eightlis of a mile from the intersection of Kelly and Main streets in Charles City."
A large amount of local aid has already been voted for this road by the citizens of several townships along the line. The aid voted St. Charles Township and Charles City will amount to over $40,000.
RECAPITULATION.
The number of miles of railroad now operated in Floyd County, exclusive of side-tracks, is as follows :
Miles.
Milwaukee & St. Paul
24.82
Cedar Falls & Minnesota 18.96
Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota 20.45
Total, 84.23
The Cedar Falls & Minnesota reached Charles City Sept. 17, 1868 ; Milwaukee & St. Paul reached Nora Springs in October, 1869 ; and the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota reached the latter place in November, 1871.
The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul received from St. Charles Township a tax of $16,626.14, and cash, $7,000; from Rudd Township, town lots to the value $2,500, and cash, $1,500; from Nora Springs and vicinity, cash, $7,000; lots, $9,000.
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Company cost the township of Rock Grove a tax of $11,584; right of way, $1,300; and individual donations, $5,000; the township of Union, a tax of $9,380; depot grounds, $600; individual donations, $20,000; Scott Township, $5,809; Rockford Township, a tax of $8,491; right of way, $2,000; depot grounds, $1,000; cash, $10,000.
Total donations of the county to all the three roads, $117,780.14.
CHAPTER XII.
EDUCATIONAL.
Probably no county in the West has paid more attention to the education of children and youth than that of Floyd, and probably no newspaper in the State of Iowa has taken a deeper interest in educational matters than the Charles City Intelligencer. Mr. Hil- dreth, for the first fourteen years of its existence its editor, was for six years also a member of the State Board of Education, a body having legislative powers, and existing from 1858 to 1864. We are obliged to notice here some of the prominent measures in- troduced in that Legislature by this worthy representative of Floyd County, which were adopted and which remain on the statute books. to-day.
In December, 1858, a bill was introduced before the State Board "for the government and regulation of the State University of Iowa." On the 23d, Mr Hildreth offered the following amend- ment to give equal advantage to either sex:
SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Board of Education of the State of Iowa, that the object of the State University of Iowa, established by the Constitution at Iowa City, shall be to provide the best and most efficient means of imparting to the youth of the State, of both sexes, a thorough education, and a perfect knowledge of the dif- ferent branches of literature, the arts and sciences, with their va- rious applications.
Mr. Hildreth is also the author of the following law: " That the Bible shall not be excluded from any school or institution in this State, under control of the board; nor shall any pupil be required to read it contrary to the wishes of his parent or guardian."
The establishment of the State Board of Education was an effort toward eliminating partisan politics from the educational interests of the State; but as it failed of this object, and as two co-ordinate legislatures within one commonwealth were liable to conflict, it was desirable to abolish the educational body as a needless expense. Accordingly, in 1864, Mr. Hildreth introduced a bill in the Gen- eral Assembly " to abolish the State Board of Education, and to
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provide for the election of a superintendent of public instruction." The bill was passed in the House by seventy-nine yeas to seven nays.
Previous to 1864 the school fund was loaned by the county su- pervisors, who took real-estate securities, called " school-fund mort- gages." The stringency of the times caused by the panic of 1858, and the succeeding war of the great Rebellion, occasioned the debt- ors, and consequently the Board of Supervisors, to be considerably behindhand with the collection and proper disbursement of these school moneys, the law all the while remaining that these moneys should be kept intact. In many counties of the State the arrear- ages were considerable. In this stage of affairs, Mr. Hildreth, in the General Assembly of 1864, introduced "a bill for an act to provide for the loan of the permanent school fund, and fixing the rate of interest thereon, and limiting the price at which school lands may be sold, and for other purposes." This bill required the supervisors to collect these moneys loaned, by foreclosing the mort- gages, if necessary. When the subject came up for discussion, Charles Paulk, of Allamakee County, led off in opposition to the bill. The fact was, from $12,000 to $20,000 were loaned out in his county, a large portion of which was a dead loss. Other mem- bers of the House then followed Paulk in the opposition, and, on a vote, refused to pass the bill. The fact was developed that more than half the members of the Assembly were debtors to the school fund. They passed a substitute, in regard to the rate of interest. Mr. Hildreth followed this substitute into the Senate, and had three of the most important sections of his bill incorporated in it as it passed that body. Being chairman of the standing committee on schools and the State University, Mr. H. let the matter lie quiet until near the close of the session, waiting for a favorable oppor- tunity to call it up in the House. Accordingly one evening, when the members felt humorous and got parliamentary matters into some confusion, Mr. Hildreth hinted the matter to the Speaker, who was favorable to the bill and who promised to aid in its pas- sage; and in due time the bill was called up, when, without debate and scarcely any one knowing what he was voting on, the bill was passed, by sixty-eight yeas to four nays !
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