USA > Iowa > Linn County > History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 48
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Secret Societies - Cedar Rapids Lodge No. 25, A. F. & A. M. (organized 1850), Hiram Deem, W. M .; Isaac N. Whittam, secretary. Meets first Monday after new moon. Hope Lodge No. 201, I. O. O. F., organized 1851. Hiram Deem, N. G .; Joseph G. Davenport, secretary. Meets every Tuesday evening.
Select Schools - Misses Farnham, in rooms under the Episcopal church ; Miss HI. Latshaw, on Washington street.
Buildings Erected in Year - William Stewart, briek store, one story; R. C. Rock, brick store, three stories; J. F. Ely, two brick stores, three stories; A. Hager, machine shop, brick, three stories; Gabriel Carpenter, three stores. brick, four stories ; S. C. Bever, store, brick, three stories ; H. G. Angle, store, briek front, two stories; Bates & Tousley, banking house, brick. three stories: Shattuck & Dewey, two stores, three stories; P. W. Earle, store, three stories above basement ; S. L. Pollock, addition to plow factory ; Greene & Graves, stone machine shop, three stories; Greene & Graves, blacksmith shop and foundry; public school building, brick, three stories.
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Brick Dwellings - F. A. Lee, William Greene, James Bates, B. E. Baker, W. & S. Johnson, Elihu Robbins (two), M. Ohler, Ezra Havens, H. G. Angle, Watrous & Gillett, A. Whitensack.
Frame Dwellings - H. Riefensthall, W. W. Smith, John Graves, Lowell Dan- iels, G. W. Westlake, H. L. Bryan, A. J. Reed, P. W. Reeder, W. Harvey, Henry Ward, S. A. Shattuck, D. S. Bryan, G. Dewey, Rev. Samuel Starr, Freeman Smith, - Jordan, J. Crabil, Mary Lucore, Mr. MeDougal, Mary Clark, Mr. Coon, Mr. Seabury.
As yet, however, the improvements were confined to but a small portion of the present city. Iowa (First) avenue had been used as a sand bank, at the conven- ience of builders, and being left in ridges and hollows was impassable to teams. Lot owners on Eagle street (Second avenue) were urged to cut out the under- brush in the street so that wagons might pass, and thus that section of the city become attractive for residences.
From Wolfc's Business Directory for 1869 we may note a few of the business houses and professional men.
Agricultural Implements - Averill & Hamilton, A. C. Churchill, Fleck & Dorwart, Higley Bros., Patterson & Co., F. J. Upton.
Ammunition - J. A. Nye.
Architect - S. S. Spaulding.
Attorneys - Boyd & Smith, J. J. Child, Craft & Sosel, A. V. Eastman, R. H. Gilmore, H. II. Gray, Hubbard & Belt, J. W. Leslie, M. P. Mills, A. St. C. Smith, O. O. Stanchfield, I. N. Whittam.
Baker - P. Seitz.
Banks - City National, First National.
Bankers - Carpenter, Stibbs & Co.
Barbers - Brown & Bolin, W. K. Harris, Lightenberg & Reiss.
Billiard Halls - F. Witousek, D. T. Williams.
Blank Book Makers - J. C. Stoddard, C. Barthel, S. B. Carl, Cook & Funk, J. E. Davis, R. H. Dutton, C. Everlien, C. A. Files, J. Hough, A. S. Mershon,
J. M. Nell, Delia Rudolph, L. Turner.
Book and Job Printers - Ayers Bros., W. A. Ballard.
Book Stores - E. R. Derby, J. G. Graves, F. G. Bennett.
Boot and Shoe Dealers - E. R. Bradford, J. Gates, McClelland Bros., J. E. Morrison, P. Necomb, A. G. Plumb, O. Robinson, C. Tomasek, T. S. Wilson, J. Wolfe.
Brewers - C. Magnus, owner of the Eagle Brewery, Will Williams, Cedar Rapids Brewery, owned by Joe Schneider.
Carpenters - Boss & Gray, M. J. Bourne, M. Moore, Null & DeCamp, W. Richmond, S. S. Spalding, J. M. Waldt.
Carpets - I. N. Isham, J. Bell & Co., P. Newcomh.
Clothing - Arnold & Louchcim, Arnold & Levi, Jackson & Lincoln, Otto Co., R. B. Tomlinson, J. Wiener.
Commission Merchants - H. L. Bryan, Charles & Carroll, C. H. Hall, R. L. Porter, J. J. Snouffer & Co.
Dentists - E. Ebi, A. K. Miner.
Drugs -G. C. Haman, J. C. May, L. Roth, A. H. Taylor, W. L. Weller, Wetherby & Bowen.
Flour Mills - Aetna Mills, by J. J. Snouffer & Co., Cedar Rapids Flouring Mills. W. B. Leach & Co., Union Mills, by W. S. Cooper.
Grocers - O. B. Coe, Anderson & Pettinger, Al Jacobs, P. G. Garret, Hilde- brand & Lansing, A. C. Keyes, P. Keech, W. Lench, C. L. Lutz, Sam Neidig, G. Parr, F. Plucshel, P. Seitz, J. B. Spry, J. II. Stibbs, T. S. Wilson, J. J. Witwer, Wood & Wolcott.
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Six hotels on the east side, and several on the west side, known as Kingston.
The doctors were- C. F. Bullen, J. H. Camburn, G. P. Carpenter. J. P. Coulter, J. W. Edes, Mansfield & Smith, F. MeClelland, J. North, Israel Snyder. C. H. Thompson, W. Bolinger.
The live real estate agents were - Carpenter, Stibbs & Co., R. H. Gilmore, St. Clair Smith, O. O. Stanchfield, West & Eastman.
There were about twenty saloons operated.
The wagon makers were - R. C. Hall, John IIesse, Jos. Hrbek, John Mehan. Star Wagon Co., run by Upton, Chambers & Co.
Kingston also boasted of two blacksmith shops, one boarding house, three hotels, several grocers, wagon makers, lumber dealers, etc. The population of Kingston as given by this directory was 300.
LINN COUNTY STATISTICS FOR 1856
General Figures - Number of dwelling houses, 2,518; number of families, 2,612; number of males, 7,911; number of females, 6,791; colored, 6; married, 5,110; widowed, 307; native voters, 2,946; naturalized voters, 236; aliens, 215; militia, 2,795; deaf and dumb, none; blind, 1; insane, 1; idiotic, 14; owners of land, 1.824; paupers, 3; total population of county, 14,792.
Agricultural Statistics - Aeres of land improved, 66,132; acres of land unimproved, 155,991; acres of meadow, 3,871; tons of hay, 8,551; bushels of grass seed, 306; acres spring wheat, 14,739; bushels harvested, 212,573; aeres winter wheat, 249; bushels harvested, 1,532; aeres oats, 5,854; bushels harvested, 180,- 674; acres corn, 24,251; bushels harvested, 1,025,375.
Live Stock Figures - Number hogs sold, 16,905; value of hogs sold, $127,942; number of cattle sold, 3,284; value of cattle sold, $79,273.
Farm Products - Pounds butter made, 153,646; pounds of wool sold, 14,143; pounds of cheese sold, 25.506; value of domestic manufactures, $7,269; value of general manufactures, 212,795.
Nativity of population - Ohio, 3,758; Indiana. 1,320; Pennsylvania, 1,914; Iowa, 2,770; New York, 1,209; Maine, 111; New Hampshire, 83; Vermont. 189; Massachusetts, 188; Connectieut, 124; Rhode Island, 7; Virginia, 436 ; Kentucky, 242; Illinois, 453; Michigan, 87; Alabama, 1; Louisiana, 2; Mississippi, 4; North Carolina, 59; South Carolina, 23; Tennessee, 55; Missouri, 40; Georgia, 2; Mary- land, 208; New Jersey, 178; Wisconsin, 51 : Delaware, 10; England, 166: Ireland, 204; Wales, 4; Scotland, 72; Germany, 278; France, 11; Austria, 36; Russia, 0; Prussia, 5; Norway, 16; Sweden, 2; Ilolland, 2; on the ocean, 1; Canada, 161; New Brunswick, 11; Switzerland, 6; Denmark. 1; West Indies, 2; Bohemia, 139; Nova Scotia, 52; Prince Edward Island, 8; District of Columbia, 4; Poland, 1; Moravia, 6; Hungary, 5; Unknown, 1.
From "Historical Sketch of the City," in the Cedar Rapids Directory for 1870-71, we cull the following :
"During the year 1838 the first land claim was made by a certain Wm. Stone on what constituted the present site of Cedar Rapids. This was not the first claim made, however, as John Mann, Esq., had the honor of being the first settler in the county, having located at Pine Grove in the early part of the same year.
"The attention of the carly pioneers being drawn to the manufacturing re- sourees of the county, the present site was early chosen as most suitable for a city, as the swift current of the river at this place would afford, in all proba- bility, a valuable and extensive water-power. In 1841 the town was laid out, and within a short time thereafter the improvement of the water-power was com- menced. The land lying along the margin of the river and commanding the
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water privileges was soon purchased by Messrs. N. B. Brown, George Greene, H. W. Gray, and others, who early eommeneed the construction of the dam and the building of those mills and manufactories which have since been the pride of the city and which have contributed so much to its permanent growth and development.
"N. B. Brown, Esq., has added an attractive feature to the city by erecting a costly and elegant hotel on North Commereial street, which, when finished, will be one of the finest west of Chicago. In addition to these, the building of the mammoth machine shops of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota R. R. Company is shortly contemplated. This will involve an expense of several hun- dred thousand dollars, for which purpose fifty thousand dollars have been appro- priated to the company by this city and township.
As to educational interests Cedar Rapids has maintained a high position among her sister cities of the state. It is generally eoneeded that Iowa is the banner state of the Union, regarding her system of free schools and the ad- vantages derived therefrom. This city has no less than thirty-five thousand dol- lars in school buildings, including the one recently built in West Cedar Rapids. The schools are classified and graded under the latest improved system, and are presided over by an able eorps of teachers, chosen with special reference to their attainments and adaptation to impart instruction. James E. Harlan has at present the entire superintendenee of the schools, and by his efficiency he is main- taining the high reputation which the schools have before sustained. Over thirteen hundred pupils are in constant attendance, and the number is yearly increasing.
The Young Men's Christian Association deserves even more than a passing notice. The rooms of the Association are in Mansfield's Block, over the postoffice, and are opened each morning and evening through the week.
The Young Men's Library Association is also a pleasant feature of the city. The enterprise has established a choice and well selected library, consisting of historic, scientific, poetie and biographic works, chosen from the best authors in the land. The library rooms are in charge of Miss Mary Thomp- son, a lady of rare grace and culture, who takes delight in entertaining her guests and exhibiting the many works of interest that adorn the shelves of her library.
The social, moral and religious elements blend here in sweet har- mony, and much of the refinement and culture witnessed in eastern cities and in eastern society is equally exhibited here; hence to those wishing to settle in a place combining the advantages of ehureh, schools and refined society, as well as a place of good business facilities will find Cedar Rapids a desirable city in which to locate. We venture the assertion that Cedar Rapids, in the future as in the past, is destined to excel, in wealth and numbers, her neighboring rivals, and evermore sit as queen in the rich valley she so beautifully adorns."
The following obituary appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in March, 1909, and gives a sketch of a person who had passed through much of what is now the history of a thriving city, and is for that reason made part of the history of the eounty. Mrs. Brown was at her death the widow of one of the foremost men who ever lived in Cedar Rapids.
"Susan Emery, daughter of Nathan Emery and Cornelia Broadhead, his wife, was born August 19, 1824, at Dingman's Ferry, Pike county, Pennsylvania, and died March 4, 1909, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, thus having lived 84 years, 6 months and 15 days, a period of time much longer than the average allotted to mankind. A woman in her younger days of a noble, perhaps an imperious presenee, strong in mental and physical make-up; self-reliant and unswerving in
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the object sought to be attained by her. Strong in likes and dislikes, no truer, more loyal friend among mankind than she. She came of a long-lived, stubborn warrior raee. Through her mother, Cornelia Broadhead, she was descended from Daniel Broadhead, a Yorkshire Englishman, a captain of Grenadiers, who fought for Charles the Second during the civil wars of England, and by him was com- missioned to serve under Colonel Nicholls in the expedition to the new world to wrest New Netherlands from the Dutch, that the same mnight become a new world kingdom for James, duke of York, brother to the king.
"Captain Broadhead was made military governor of a portion of New Nether- lands, with his headquarters at the old Indian town of Wiltwyek, called by the Hollanders Esophus and after the English occupation named and is still known as Kingston, in the state of New York. Captain Broadhead died in 1670. A grandson, Daniel by name, in 1733 migrated through the wilderness, down through the Jerseys to the water gap and located there. Ile with his sons refused to be driven out of the country and off his possessions by the savages during the Indian wars and fought for what they considered their own and won ont. From this Daniel were deseended three revolutionary soldiers - General Daniel Broadhead, a noted Indian fighter and close friend of George Washington ; Luke Broadhead, a captain and friend of LaFayette, and Garret Broadhead, a captain. John Romeyn Broadhead, the historian, was of this family of Broadheads. From this it will be seen that Susan Brown came from no mean stoek. In her younger days she was known to be generous and charitable to any worthy poor. Her giving was of the quiet and unostentatious kind, and to a considerable extent. This trait of character remained with her through her old age. She was a woman of striet integrity, spotless purity. and the world and community in which she lived was undoubtedly the gainer for her having lived in it. In 1852 she was married to her kinsman, Nicholas Broadhead Brown (a pioneer of 1840), coming immediately with her husband and sister, Mrs. Han- nah E. Higley, to Cedar Rapids and has remained here continuously from that time, thus making her, with possibly one or two exceptions. at the time of her death, the oldest continuous resident of this city. In laying the foundation and the early upbuilding of this city were a number of potent and conspicuous men and women, such as George Greene, Alexander Ely, Addison Daniels, and others, but none more so than Nicholas B. Brown and his wife Susan."
It is entirely proper to make some mention in these pages of Captain Joshna John Snouffer, who came to Cedar Rapids in 1852 when the city contained less than 400-people. He too had an intimate knowledge of what it meant to be a pioneer.
Captain Snouffer was born in Maryland February 24, 1825, and though he was a loyal citizen of Iowa he never eeased to love his native state, nor did he ever forget its history, its traditions, and its people. He entered the Meviean war where he was wounded in the head on the field of battle on November 9, 1847. This wound troubled him all the remaining days of his life. At the time he was wounded he was first sergeant of a company of dragoons, and on several occasions had commanded a company.
As a member of the firm of W. D. Watrous & Company he was closely identi- fied with the milling industry of Cedar Rapids. He superintended the erection of "the briek mill" in 1875. With J. J. Child he was the joint author of the eity's charter. He took an active part in the building of the Iowa & Nebraska Railroad, now the Northwestern. He was a prime mover in establishing the water works, and was one of those who gave the city its first street railway. At various times he was a member of the eity government both as alderman and mayor. He was a skilled parliamentarian, and an honest man in every sense of the word.
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CEDAR RAPIDS TODAY
W. I. Endicott, in The Saturday Record, July 10, 1909 :
Cedar Rapids has had a civic existence since January 15, 1849, on which date a town charter was adopted and town officers elected. In 1856, a new city charter was granted by the legislature and under that charter the affairs of the city were conducted until April 6, 190S, when the charter was abandoned and the city went under what is known as the "Commission Plan." Under the pro- visions of this law all ward lines and divisions were abolished and five men -a mayor and four councilmen or commissioners are elected at large. In the hands of these five men is placed all responsibility for the appointment of the entire city official staff and the management of city affairs.
The new plan is working in a most satisfactory manner in Cedar Rapids and many things are being accomplished under it that were impossible of accomplish- ment under the old ward system. The improvements under way are all planned with a view to actual necessity and the harmonious building up of the city in all its sections. Modern business methods are in use in the conduct of the city's affairs and unwise or extravagant expenditure of the public money is not per- mitted. The council meets nearly every day and the citizen who has business to transact with the council is given instant hearing and attention.
Under the law, the mayor is paid a salary of $2,500 and each of the council- men $1.800 annually, and they devote full time and attention to the work of the city. The city's business is divided into departments and each man is in charge of and responsible for a certain department. The mayor is head of the department of Public Affairs and as such, exercises a general supervision over all phases of the city business. Then there are the departments of Accounts and Finances, the department of Public Safety, the department of Streets and Public Improvements, and the department of Parks and Public Property. The men elected have first to be successful in a wide open primary and then in the regular city election secure a majority of all the votes cast. In the election of 1908 there were 48 candidates for councilman and nine candidates for mayor on the primary ballot. From these names the two who received the highest number of votes for mayor and the eight who received the highest number of votes for councilman were declared the nominees and their names appeared on the ballot at the regular election, the names appearing in alphabetical order on both the primary and reg- ular election ballots, and without any party or other designation.
In 1908 the council accomplished the sale of the old city hall site and the pur- chase of May's Island for park and public buildings purposes. This island has an area of about six acres, and lying in the Cedar river in the very center of the city, forms an ideal place for a civic center. The city offices are now occupying temporary quarters on the island and as rapidly as possible the low places are being filled with dirt from the various evcavations for business buildings, and from other sources, so that what was once a municipal disgrace, is being rapidly trans- formed into a place of beauty, to say nothing of forever setting at rest any possi- bility of divisive strife between the two sides of the river.
THE CITY'S ASSETS
The public improvements of the city of Cedar Rapids represent expendi- tures running into the millions of dollars. Few cities of like size are so thoroughly or excellently paved. On the first of Jannary, 1909, the city had three miles of asphalt, twenty miles of brick, and five miles of macadam paving, or a total of twenty-eight miles. There are now under construction, or already completed on contracts carried over from 1908, two miles of brick and one mile of tar treated macadam, giving Cedar Rapids at the present time thirty-one miles of paving.
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The contraets let for 1909 will add more than five miles to that total, so the city will have approximately thirty-six miles of paving at the end of the present year.
Sidewalks are practically all of cement construction and laid under city supervision. On January 1, 1909, there were more than 102 miles of walk in the city, and of this more than ninety-six miles were of cement, nearly four miles of brick or stone and only about two miles of wooden construction. The contracts let for this season will represent the construction of about eight miles of walks, giving the city a total of 110 miles of sidewalks.
Cedar Rapids has two systems of sewers, sanitary and storm water. Some of the storm water sewers are of large size, being seven feet in diameter, and one - the Vinton ditch sewer, is even larger.
Cedar Rapids has an excellent fire department, equipped with the best of apparatus. There are five stations - one central station and four outlying hose houses.
In the matter of parks the city has made a most promising start. There are now in the city twenty-eight parks, counting large and small and not ineluding any street parkways. Of this number Bever Park, Ellis Park, Daniels Park, May's Island Park, Riverside Park, and Whittam Park are considerable tracts, while George Greene Square, opposite the union station, with its beautiful display of flowers and rich green lawn, is one of the show spots of the city. Bever Park, the largest of the parks, in the woods to the east of the city, was the gift of James L. Bever, George W. Bever, and John B. Bever, as a memorial to their father, Sampson C. Bever, who was one of the pioneers of the city. Bever Park is flanked one side by picturesque Vernon Heights and on the other by beautiful Ridgewood, forming an almost continuous park of great extent and beauty. Daniels Park is the newest of the city parks. It is located on the Old Marion Road and has been transformed into a beautiful floral park, with well-arranged walks and driveways. Riverside Park is the close-in park, being located on the bank of the river south of Eleventh avenue, and this has been made a play park, with plenty of out-door gymnasium apparatus for the children and young people. Ellis Park, located on the river bank above the city, is one of the most beautiful and attractive of all the parks, and when adequate means of reaching it are installed, it will without question be one of the most popular parks in the city. The river with its excel- lent boating facilities, gives a charm to Ellis Park that is denied the other breathing places of the city. The city of Cedar Rapids is spending more than twenty thousand dollars each year on its park system, and it is money well spent. There are about two hundred aeres in the park system, and a conservative value of the park grounds and improvements is well over $300,000.
The Free Public Library is a most valuable asset to the city and aside from the unmeasurable good done in the dissemination of knowledge, represents a money investment of well toward $150,000. The building proper was the gift of Mr. Carnegie and cost $75,000, the grounds and other items and the contents of the library will add another $75,000 to the valuation. It is supported by a eity tax and costs about $12,000 per year to operate. Its affairs are in charge of a board of trustees, appointed by the council.
The city owns and maintains five bridges across the Cedar river. Of these bridges four are of steel construction and one - the Second avenue bridge - is a magnificent reinforced concrete bridge of Melan arch design. This bridge is one of the best and most attractive in the middle west. Its cost was more than $100,000.
{ The city contracted in 1909-10 a new conerete bridge to replace the old steel bridge on Sixteenth avenue at a cost of $80,000. It is 40 feet wide and 2,600 feet long, and was opened for traffic Jannary, 1910. A new concrete bridge will be contracted in 1911 at Third avenue to replace one of the oldest in the eity. ]
SIXTEENTH AVENUE BRIDGE, CEDAR RAPIDS
i
FIRST STREET, CORNER SECOND AVENUE, IN 1869
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The city water works are owned by the city of Cedar Rapids, and are managed by three trustees appointed by the council. The plant was purchased from the water company July 1, 1903, at an agreed price of $473,000. Of this amount, $23,000 was paid in cash and the remainder was put in the form of bonds. In the past six years $158,000 of these bonds have been retired, leaving a net indebted- ness against the water plant of $315,000. The net earnings of the plant from July 1, 1903, to July 1, 1908, were $79,952.30, and for the year ending July 1, 1909, were almost $25,000. In addition the eity gets free hydrant rental and fire pro- teetion. A conservative inventory of the water plant will show a valuation of well over $600,000 at the present time. The water is taken from large wells on an island in the Cedar river belonging to the eity and located some distance above the C. & N. W. bridge. It is filtered by the Jewell system and is forced through the mains by large pumps. There are three of these pumps in use, one of two mil- lion gallons daily capacity, one of three million gallons eapaeity and one of five milion gallons capacity. The necessary power is supplied by two water tube boilers of 350 horsepower each, and three tubular boilers of 70 horsepower each. The filter system has a capacity of three million gallons per day, and an additional reservoir for the filter is now under construction. There are at the present time 390 fire hydrants and an excellent and satisfactory fire pressure is maintained for all fire alarms. A loop of twelve-inch mains encircles the business district and this loop is supplied by a twenty-inch main direet from the pumps, giving the business seetion a fire protection unexeelled by that of any eity in the west.
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