USA > Iowa > Linn County > History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 55
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After the election of Mr. A. R. West to the position of chief engineer, the old original No. 1 Fire Engine Company, or a large proportion of its members, at one of its meetings passed the following resolution :
"Whereas, The city council has seen proper to persecute and finally to de- clare us not an organized fire company, and
"Whereas, We who compose the Fire Engine Company No. 1 have since or- ganization labored faithfully to make the department as efficient as possible and have in all cases discharged our duties as firemen, therefore
"Resolved, That we turn over to the city council all the fire apparatus in our possession. That we refuse to offer our services as firemen so long as any mem- ber of the city council who has been persistent in our persecution shall remain in said council.
"Resolved, That we condemn the city council in thus deliberately and in- tentionally using their power to eripple and destroy the efficiency of the fire department.
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"Resolved, That we preserve our company organization and that each and every one refuse to touch, use or handle any of the fire apparatus belonging to the city of Cedar Rapids."
This old, original company, No. 1, was then a fire company to all intents and purposes, acting under the original organization, with most of the original mem- bers belonging, but they had no apparatus, no engines, nothing to use in case of fire. But this did not long remain. A subscription was started among the members of the company, and they with the aid of their friends and citizens soon had subscribed a sum sufficient to buy a substantial hand engine of a late pattern, together with 5,000 feet of new hose, a new hose cart, and also to put up a comfortable and neat engine house in which to hold their meetings and to shelter their engine and the other necessary equipment.
This engine was purchased of Josiah Gates & Son, Lowell, Mass., and cost the sum of $800, which amount was paid in cash from the proceeds of the many sub- scriptions. It was called the E. S. Hill Independent Fire Company, in honor of E. S. Hill who was the patron saint in all their contentions with the city council, being an alderman from the First ward, and also one of the most liberal sub- scribers to the fund to procure the engine, he having led the subscription list with $200.00.
The hose cart was procured from Quincy, Ill., where it had been previously used by that city, and cost $300.00 all complete. The hose to the amount of 500 feet cost the sum of $500.00. The material for the building of the engine house was obtained free from the local dealers and the construction was almost all done by the members of the company.
After this company had procured their apparatus and were domiciled in their new building they developed into a very aggressive company of fire fighters, and it was the boast of some of its members that they could get out to a fire, ex- tinguish the flames and be ready to return home before the steam engine company could get to the fire and be ready to work.
A. R. West, who had been duly elected chief engineer of the fire depart- ment, together with John T. Hamilton, who was appointed assistant fire engineer, succeeded after much labor in bringing order out of the chaos that had so long existed in the affairs of the fire department.
The steam engine, together with the hook and ladder equipment, was put into the hands of a newly organized company, most of the members of which had not been identified with any of the previous unpleasantness between the council and the fire department.
For the next five years Cedar Rapids had two fire departments, the one be- longing to the city and under municipal control, and the other denominated the "Independent, " owning their own equipment and subject to no official orders from the city.
This continued until the advent of the Cedar Rapids Water Co., who put in their system of waterworks and established hydrants in all parts of the city.
MRS. ROCK'S REMINISCENCES
Mrs. R. C. Rock, one of the earliest of the pioneers, is still living in a serene and vigorous old age. She is a relative of Judge Greene, and came west to Dubuque in 1849 at his request to assist him in getting out his first volume of Iowa Reports, which was printed in New York. She later came to Cedar Rapids with the judge and assisted materially in getting ready for the press and in proof reading the matter for the other volumes of his Reports. The members of the supreme court would frequently gather in Cedar Rapids in chambers to prepare their opinions and to O. K. them for publication. Mrs. Rock did much of the
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law copying for these judges. Their decisions were turned over to her to record and to edit for publication. She says JJudge Williams was flowery in his language and it became necessary to do a good deal of trimming of his decisions so as to condense them properly before publication, as attorneys were not so mneh inter- ested in the language of the court as they were in getting quickly at the meat of the decisions. Mrs. Rock did not hesitate to do a great amount of pruning, with the result that Judge Greene received many compliments over the improvements noted in his second volume as compared with the matter that appeared in the first publication.
For a time Mrs. Rock did editorial work on the Progressive Era, which was published from the Greene Bros. building. J. O. Stewart was then "devil" in the office, and many a time brought to her the proofs of her contributions. The files of this early Linn county newspaper were burned in a fire which destroyed the publication office, so that now there are in existence but a few scattered issues. An early one was given a few years ago to the Masonic Library by Mrs. Roek who found it by accident among some of her effects.
Mrs. Rock came west by boat from Buffalo to Milwaukee, and then by stage to Dubuque in 1849. The next year she removed to Cedar Rapids, coming here by stage over the Old State Road laid out from Iowa City to Dubuque by Engineer Barney of Washington, D. C. This road was a very erooked one. ITis son, W. J. Barney, on being twitted about its many windings replied that he believed his father was entirely sober when he staked out the route, and that its numerous windings were necessary to avoid the sloughs and swamps.
Mrs. Rock well remembers some of the trips she made on the old stage from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids. It was customary to make 25 miles of the journey the first day. On one trip on arriving at the usnal stopping place it was found impossible to obtain any hay for the weary horses. After a further drive of five miles a stop was made at a farm eabin, it being customary for the settlers at any place to provide entertainment for travellers. Here they found feed for the horses, but they were told there was no bread or flour in the house, the man not having returned from the distant mill with his grist. There was some milk, and at last a little flour or meal was discovered. The two were mixed and put in a pan on the stove to cook. Unfortunately it was so badly burned that it could not be eaten, and the travelers were compelled to go to bed supperless. During the night the man returned with his grist, and Mrs. Rock and party had a fairly good breakfast of saleratus biscuits and pork.
One day while living in Cedar Rapids Mrs. Roek learned of the Spirit Lake massacre. She states the people here for a time had a genuine Indian seare, but nothing came of it.
Mrs. Rock has distinet recollections of prairie fires here. She says they were beautiful but terrible to behold. They were especially prevalent every fall on the west side, and many a time has she seen the bright flames eover the hills that are now incorporated in the city of Cedar Rapids. Judge Greene had early plant- ed a large orchard at Mound Farm, and onee after it had borne fruit for a num- ber of years it was threatened with destruction from a prairie fire. All Cedar Rapids went out to help fight the flames. They saved the orchard at this time, but later the trees were killed by an unusually severe winter.
The ladies of Cedar Rapids were very patriotie during the war years. They made all the uniforms for the boys of Col. T. Z. Cook's company, and supplied them with generous quantities of bandages and lint. It happened that after the severe engagement at Wilson's Creek those bandages were the only ones available on the field. Mrs. Rock's brother, then 18 years old, enlisted under Colonel Cook. After the hundred days for which the company had entered the service he re-enlisted under Captain Stibbs, being wounded at Ft. Donelson. He then again entered the army under Captain Coulter, father of Ed. Coulter now living
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in Cedar Rapids, and was later killed in the south. Captain Coulter's company was known as the "Brindle Brigade," because it was made up of men from so many regiments that had disbanded.
There were some lawless people among the earliest settlers, says Mrs. Rock, and they occasionally appropriated a horse or two, necessitating some corrective action by the community. On one occasion N. B. Brown borrowed a horse from a man whose discipline was decreed and went to Westport to secure tar for the purpose. At dusk the horse was returned to the barn. C. C. Cook seized the individual, assisted by Gainor and others. His legs were tied and he was taken to the side hill on B avenue where his clothes were removed and he was treated to a coat of tar and feathers. The following day he appeared among his fellows, and my relator states there was "not even a smell of tar about him," but the treatment proved effectual.
One of the early settlers, Joe Leverich, had a fine library, was a great reader, a shrewd observer of human character, and his descendants are people of intelli- gence and high morality. Among those who came later were Dr. J. F. Ely and Dr. S. D. Carpenter in 1849, Judge Greene in 1850. They were men of education and attainment. Soon followed Miss Legare of Washington, D. C., the Bryans, and Stoneys from Charleston, S. C., A. S. Belt, a lawyer, son of Commodore Belt, of Maryland, the Taylors from Virginia, and many others whose character and culture gave moral and mental tone to the growing community. In religious in- tercourse a broad and kindly feeling characterized all, and now in 1910, the same feeling prevails. The Daniels brothers erected a store, three stories, where the Masonic Temple now stands. In 1849 the Green Brothers ereeted a three-story brick building diagonally across, the first floor being used for merchandizing, the second for Judge Greene's office and ware rooms. In one large room in this build- ing Miss Calder, from New York, opened a school for girls in the fall of 1850. In a hall on the third floor, a Masonic lodge was organized the same year. Miss Calder [Mrs. Rock] drew designs for the emblems and atended to making the aprons.
The first district school house was built several years previous on the lot on Second avenue and Fifth street. The Cedar Rapids Business College is now located on this site. This was used also for religious services on Sunday. Squire Abbe's daughter taught the first school, and Miss Louisa Roberts, daughter of the Congregational minister, the second. Squire Abhe was a member of the Territorial Legislature.
Miss Calder's school prospered; and two other teachers were secured; one from New York for the piano, and another, Miss Parkhurst, to assist in the Eng- lish branches. She was a recent graduate from Miss Sill's seminary at Rockford, Illinois. Miss Calder herself continued with some of the English grades, also with French and Drawing. Pupils were attracted from neighboring towns, Marion, Vinton, Dubuque, Muscatine, Burlington, Fairfield, ete., but after a few years, failing health caused her to relinquish it to two young ladies from Ohio, and' within two years it eeased to exist. The following year Miss Calder married R. C. Rock, a hardware merchant. About the same date the Rev. Williston Jones, Presbyterian minister, opened a school for boys in his private residence, and after a few months turned it over to Mr. Blakeley, when it was transferred to the "Little Muddy" church. Mr. Blakeley's public examination was the occa- sion of a lampoon by Dr. S. D. Carpenter, but he was a fine man and a good' teaeher. Geo. E. W. Leonard was financial agent for this school.
These efforts resulted in Rev. Mr. Jones seenring from Daniel Coe, of Green county, New York, a gift of $1,000.00 with which was purchased eighty acres of land adjoining the town, a part of which is now occupied by Coe College and from which numerous lots were sold to aid in establishing this school. The first college building was erected by subscription of the citizens. The only sur-
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viving incorporator of the institution is Dr. Seymour D. Carpenter, now residing in Chicago, aged about eighty-four.
The first religious services were Methodist, held in the district school house, and their eirenit riders came every two weeks. They organized a Sunday school and insisted on a union school. The Presbyterians. New School, effected the first organization in 1847 in Mr. Vardy's shop, corner Third street and Sixth avenue. They, too, worshiped in the school house. Dr. Ely read the sermons, but their first minister, Mr. Roberts, of Marion, was a Congregationalist. He was succeeded by Rev. W. Jones, before mentioned. The first Episcopal clergy- man was Rev. James Keeler, who found an occasional opening for service in the school house, but soon eame to using Miss Calder's school room for regular Sunday service.
WHEN LAND WAS DIRT CHEAP IN CEDAR RAPIDS
Real estate investments have always been sueeessful and profitable in Cedar Rapids, and probably will always continue to be so. As shown in other articles, the land upon which Cedar Rapids is built was originally owned by five mnen, Judge Greene, Nicholas Brown, Addison Daniels, Win. Sanford, and Alexander Ely. The division of the property was made in 1849 as is shown elsewhere, and it is from that time that most of the real estate transfers were made. All the gentlemen made fortunes from their speeulations.
How these five gentlemen came to be possessed of all the land in the city of Cedar Rapids would make an interesting story, especially if the prices they paid for each lot could be secured. They doubtless bought up the elaims for almost nothing. We get some inkling of how the lots came into their possession by a curious old document which was deposited by Mr. C. G. Greene with the eurator of the museum for the semi-centennial week.
The property mentioned in it is the Grand Hotel corner, and this is a copy of it :
"Received, Cedar Rapids, Sept. 7, 1848, of John L. Shearer, one yoke of oxen valued at thirty-five dollars, in full for Lot 9 in block No. 23 in the town of Cedar Rapids.
"Geo. Greene."
But it appears that Judge Greene did not think he had a very great bargain, for only seven months later, in May of the following year, the county records show that this same lot upon which the Grand Hotel now stands, and forty feet ad- ditional, 120x150 feet in all, was sold by Judge Greene back to John L. Shearer for $75. Up to 1865 it passed through several hands, with slightly increased valne, when it was sold by Ilenry MeBride to Charles Weare for $1,100. Weare sold immediately to S. B. Fleek for $1,500, and Fleek sold it in 1871 to E. M. Greene for $9,000. In 1877 Greene sold 80x140 feet to John T. Waterhouse for $10,000, and this property which originally brought $75, could not now be purchased, if unimproved, for less than $100,000. It is now held by a syndicate.
William Stewart originally owned the ground where the Cook & Laurance store used to be located. Ile traded an Indian pony for it in the early days, and held it until 1873, when he sold it for $7,500 ..
The property upon which the Calder buildings now stand. 60x140 feet, was also originally owned by Judge Greene. He sold it to Alexander Ely, who sold it to Harvey Higley and Samuel Hook, and they in turn sold it. in 1850, to Frederick Miles for $82. Miles held it until 1875, when he sold it for $1,500. Mr. Calder's friends told him at the time that he was throwing his money away, but now it doesn't look that way, as the land unimproved would sell for many times that sum.
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Where the Golden Eagle store is now located, 60x140 feet was sold in 1848 by James M. Berry to Homer Bishop for $150. After passing through several hands the ground was purchased by P. Mullally and W. W. and M. A. Higley, who, in 1874, sold 60x140 feet of it to John T. Waterhouse for $12,300.
The ground where George A. Mullin's store is located, 120x140 feet, was sold by Mary A. Ely in 1853, to D. M. McIntosh, for $350. H. G. Angle bought it in 1854 for $600. It was afterwards taken by creditors, and was held by them until 1875, when it was sold to J. T. Waterhouse for $13,000.
These are cases illustrative of the wonderful growth in the value of Cedar Rapids real estate. It will of course some day find its level, and will very probably go above it, but it is quite safe to say that just now it is worth all that is paid for it.
Every time a real estate transfer is made it is amusing to get an "old citizen" started, and have him bemoan his failure to invest a few dollars in a block or so twenty years ago, and hold on to it until the present time. If he had done so he would have been rich - but the trouble is he didn't do it.
Thomas McGregor, who was working for a Mr. Robinson in the fifties, was offered lots where the Quaker Oats plant is now located at $10 a lot, but needed the money to keep his family on as he got only 75 cents per day.
On arrival of the first steamer in Cedar Rapids lots were offered free to pas- sengers and crew in case they wanted to locate. Many lots were given away by real estate boomers in those days to increase the population of the city. Many of these lots were later lost because the owners thought so little of their value that they let them go to tax sales.
Property on Second avenue between Second and Fourth streets was then only residence property, sand hills, and the like. Now all of this has become valuable business property and is held at not less than $1,000 a front foot, and still going higher. These lots were sold less than fifty years ago at $25 a lot.
Property on Third avenue was even less valuable than property on Second avenue. With the location of the station here with the hotels, bank buildings, etc., lots are now selling at fabulous prices. With the advance of prices rents have also advanced. I. C. Emery some twenty years ago had the same location which he has recently gone into, and paid at that time about one-third of the rent he pays today. Rents on the ground floor in the Kimball building, the Ely block, the Dows block, and in others of the old buildings have gradually advanced in accordance with the advance in prices of the real estate holdings, and pretty much in the same ratio.
Large office buildings have been erected from time to time, and it has been said that the city would never demand such quarters. It has only been a little time till there has been a demand for more office and store buildings on a larger scale and these have been filled without any trouble.
The property where is located the Denecke building was once used for a livery stable, and the property on which is located the Magnus block was occupied as a dwelling house. These properties were traded back and forth for a song. The O'Haras finally snapped them up and began improvement and were thought at the time to be crazy. Mr. Denecke then began purchasing and the same was said of him. When Mr. Magnus made his purchase of the block in 1894, during the depression, they said he would never get his money out of it. Today he has been offered more than twice what he paid and refuses to consider the offer. The corner where the Security bank is now located had been sold and re-sold, and no one thought it worth anything, and when G. F. Van Vechten purchased a few feet for a bank location many years ago the people of the town still thought it im- possible that this corner would be worth so much. The bank later had to pay a handsome price in order to get ground enough to make the improvements desired, and would have made money by having bought much earlier. The Taft
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building was purchased by the late Judge Hubbard some ten years ago at $55,000, and is now worth twice that sum.
However old settlers say that for years real estate in Cedar Rapids did not move and it was a drug on the market, and the rents were not in ratio with the values. For years town lots were peddled about the town and traded for stoeks of goods, for old horses, and other personal property, and it was always thought that the person who obtained the real estate got the poor end of the bargain.
William Stone, Osgood Shepherd, Thomas Gainer, David King, H. G. Angle, and others of the early settlers did not know what a mine they possessed had they only hung on long enough. Stone settled on the Iowa river and later left for Wis- consin, and Shepherd soon followed, all thinking he had made a good thing by selling his squatter rights to Brown and his friends.
Dr. E. L. Mansfield arrived in Cedar Rapids in 1847, going overland to Cali- fornia in 1850. He traded the west one-half of the block between Third and Second avenues west, and between First and Second streets for a rifle, which was considered a high price in those days. On this lot. Dr. Mansfield erected a large dwelling house and lived there for many years. He purchased the lot on which the Whelihan drug store now stands for $600, and the lot adjoining many years later for $10,000, at what was then considered a very high price. Thus the property of 140 feet fronting on Second street and 120 feet fronting on Second avenue were purchased for less than $12,000, property which is now some of the most valuable in Cedar Rapids. Dr. Mansfield also held part of the property which was later purchased by the Cedar Rapids Savings Bank, and was held by him up to the time of his death. This had been purchased at an early day at low prices, when it was nothing but the cheapest kind of renting property.
A. C. Taylor, holder of much valuable real estate in Cedar Rapids, first owned the property where the First Christian church now stands. He also purchased the property on First avenue near the Union block. Mr. Taylor is the second oldest merchant in Cedar Rapids, and has not moved more than a block from the time he came here to locate in part of the postoffice on the alley where the Masonic Temple now stands. In speaking of rents, Mr. Taylor says that he has been sur- prised at the way rents have gone up year by year.
Osgood Shepherd, of whom it is said that he jumped Wilbert Stone's claim, held this claim till 1847, when he disposed of his squatter interest in what became Cedar Rapids to N. B. Brown, George Greene, II. W. Gray. A. L. Roach, and S. H. Tryon for the sum of $3,000.
FIRST DECORATION DAY CELEBRATION IN CEDAR RAPIDS
FROM THE CEDAR RAPIDS REPUBLICAN, SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 1906
When was the first Decoration Day celebration in Cedar Rapids! That is a question which many might find it hard to answer, and the story of the prepar- ations for that day and of the day itself is so interesting that it is well worth a place here. There were comparatively few graves to decorate on that occasion. Not many of those who fought in the war had passed over the great divide in the year 1873, more than thirty years ago. Men whose heads are silvered and their steps trembling were then young and they marched firmly to the cemetery to take part in the exercises on that first. Decoration Day. Since that time many of them have been laid beneath the sod and their comrades have done for them what they helped to do for others.
The day was made memorable by an eloquent and beautiful address by the late Judge Hubbard, a man who always loved the flag and the men who fought for it. Patriotism was one of the subjects that always lay nearest his heart.
S. C. BEVER
THOMAS GAINER
E. D. WALN An Early Settler
REV. ELIAS SKINNER
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The first meeting to arrange for the Decoration Day exercises was held May 8, 1873. The Cedar Rapids Daily Republican of the following morning has the following interesting account of the meeting :
"The meeting called for the purpose of taking measures to suitably observe Decoration Day, took place at the City Hall last night.
"It was called to order by A. D. Collier, Esq., upon whose motion J. II. B. Otto was elected president of the meeting.
"On motion of Hiel Hale, A. N. Neidig was chosen secretary.
"On motion of Mr. Collier, a committee of five was appointed to recommend names to the meeting for the various committees to be appointed to make prep- arations for that day.
"The following persons were selected as said committee :
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