USA > Iowa > Marion County > History of Marion County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 24
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To estimate even the amount of money expended by the county in the construction of bridges would be a difficult undertaking. Be- sides the four bridges across the Des Moines River, Cedar, English and White Breast creeks have each been bridged at several points by structures of considerable size, while smaller bridges have been erected across the minor streams of the county on all the principa! roads. On January 3, 1911, the board of supervisors issued bridge bonds to the amount of $65,000, and on January 4, 1915, the board passed a "resolution of necessity," to expend over fifty thousand dol- lars in the construction of sixty-one small bridges, seven of which it was proposed to build of steel and the others of concrete. The largest of these proposed bridges is one of sixty-eight feet across English Creek, about three miles south of Knoxville.
THE RAILROAD ERA
The first railroad in the United States to be operated successfully was a line about nine miles in length running from the City of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, to some coal mines. It was advertised far and wide as a vast improvement over old methods of transportation, and progressive men everywhere predicted that the railroad would soon come into general use as a common carrier. That prediction has been fulfilled, but not without opposition. About 1828 some young men of Lancaster, Ohio, requested the school board to permit them to use
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
the school house to debate the question as to whether railroads were feasible as a means of travel. To this request the board sent the fol- lowing reply :
"We are willing to allow you the use of the school house to debate all proper questions in, but such subjects as railroads are rank infi- delity and not fit to be discussed in a building devoted to the cause of education. If God had intended his creatures to travel across the country at the frightful speed of fifteen miles an hour, he would clearly have foretold it through his holy prophets. It is a device of Satan to lead immortal souls to hell."
Another instance of this early opposition to railroads is seen in a court decision rendered at Louisville, Kentucky, in the latter '30s. A short line of railroad was begun from that city back into the state, but it was enjoined from operating by Chancellor Bibb, on the ground "that a railroad is a public nuisance, endangers life, destroys property and injures business."
What would the members of the Lancaster School Board or Chan- cello Bibb think now, if they could come back to carth and sec the changes that have come since they rendered their opinions on the sub- ject of railroads? A railroad whose trains in this year 1915 did not make better time than "the frightful speed of fifteen miles an hour," would hardly be considered worthy of patronage. Instead of a public nuisance, they have come to be a public necessity, and instead of injur- ing business they are one of the greatest aids to commerce. It is al- most impossible to believe that such instances as those ever occurred, but they are matters of record and show how general was the ignor- ance of men in high places less than a century ago.
Perhaps the first railroad project to command the serious attention of the people of Iowa was that of building a railroad from Dubuque down the Mississippi River to Keokuk, with a branch "from the most practical point on the main line westward to Council Bluffs." Nearly every newspaper editor favored the road, but insisted that it must run through his town. Col. J. Monroc Reid, a lawyer of Keokuk, in a little book called "Old Settlers and Reminiscences," published by him some years ago, says : "Every town of any pretensions expected to get this railroad. Surveys were made, not for the purpose of establishing any route, but to keep up the excitement ; and they answered their pur- pose. It had its day until the election of United States senator was over, and then it died. It was ridiculed as the 'Ram's Horn Railroad,' because it was as crooked as a ram's horn. It was a political scheme, planned for political purposes, and died the death."
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
That was in 1851. Some talk was indulged in to the effect that the Council Bluffs division would pass through Oskaloosa and Des Moines, which would have brought the road through Marion County, but no definite action was taken by any of the interior coun- ties to secure the construction of the road.
About the close of the year 1852 a call was issued by some of the citizens of Marion County for a meeting to be held at the courthouse in Knoxville on January 27, 1853, "to take into consideration the object and propriety of taking stock in the contemplated railroad commencing at Davenport, via Muscatine to Council Bluffs, pro- vided the same be located at or near Knoxville, Marion County." At the appointed time quite a number of persons assembled in the court room. John Harper was elected to preside and E. G. Stanfield was chosen secretary. Upon motion of L. W. Babbitt, a committee of five was appointed to report resolutions for the consideration of the meet- ing. The chairman appointed L. W. Babbitt, Joseph Brobst, Clai- borne Hall, J. A. Scott and J. E. Neal. It was also moved and carried that some one be appointed to correspond with the president of the railroad company on the subject of private individuals sub- scribing to the stock of the road, and the chairman appointed James M. Walters. Having thus set the machinery in motion, the meeting adjourned until Mr. Walters could hear from the president of the company. At the adjourned meeting the committee on resolutions reported the following :
"I. Resolved, That we take a deep interest in the construction of a railroad through Knoxville, Marion County, Iowa.
"2. Resolved, That we propose to any company who may con- struct a railroad through Knoxville to take the amount of stock annexed to our subscription in the accompanying subscription list.
"3. Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed by this meeting to solicit and obtain subscriptions of stock to said railroad.
"4. Resolved, That J. E. Neal, Isaac Walters and E. G. Stanfield compose said committee.
"5. Resolved, That James M. Walters be appointed correspond- ing secretary, to correspond in behalf of the stockholders in Marion County, lowa, with any company that may propose to build said road."
Mr. Walters prepared a subscription agreement, which read: "We, the undersigned citizens of Marion County, Iowa, do hereby promise and agree to subscribe as stock the several shares set respect- ively opposite our names, to any railroad company that may com- mence a railroad on the Mississippi and running to Council Bluffs in
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
this state; provided said railroad shall pass through Knoxville, Marion County, Iowa. Said shares to be $50 per share."
To this subscription list the following citizens of the county affixed their names, each agreeing to take the number of shares indicated by the figures after his name: Joseph Brobst, 5; Jarius E. Neal, 20; Lysander W. Babbitt, 60; John Conrey, 10; P. T. Totten, 5; J. W. Turk, 5; Thomas Clark, 10; Philip McClain, 20; Isaac H. Walters, IO; John Gamble, 3; John Stipp, 5; Claiborne Hall, 10; Absalom Black, 10; E. G. Stanfield, 10; John Cromwell, 2; A. C. Cunning- ham, 10; B. H. Covington, 40; Joseph Kerr, 6; John Butcher, 2; John Harper, 2; A. W. Collins, 3; E. L. Young, 5.
This made a total of 253 shares, or $12,650. Although the people generally were in favor of a railroad, the stock subscriptions did not reach the figure anticipated. Later in the year it was decided to abandon the idea of raising a sufficient amount of stock by individual subscription, and the county judge was asked to order a special elec- tion to allow the voters to express their sentiments with regard to having the county, in its corporate capacity, to subscribe for stock to the amount of $100,000. Accordingly, on December 5. 1853, Judge Brobst. of the County Court, issued the following proclamation :
"To the voters of Marion County:
"You are hereby notified that a special election will be held at the usual places of holding elections in said county, on Saturday, the 14th day of January, A. D. 1854, for the purpose of deciding the following question, to-wit; will the county subscribe $100,000 stock in the Phil- adelphia, Fort Wayne & Platte River Air Line Railroad. The form of taking the question will be as follows: 'For Subscription,' or 'Against Subscription.' The votes will be taken by ballot and entered upon the poll books, and returns made as in other elections, and the poll books must show that a copy of the above question was posted up at the different places of voting during the day of the election.
"Should a majority of the votes cast in the county be in favor of such subscription the county judge will be authorized in behalf of the county, provided said road shall be located through said county, to subscribe stock in said road to the amount of $100,000, and for the payment of the same to issue bonds of the county to the same amount, made payable at such times as may be deemed advisable by said judge, provided that they shall not be less than ten nor more than twenty years from their date, said bonds to bear interest at a rate not exceed- ing six per cent per annum, payable annually. And for the purpose
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
of paying the interest on bonds and redeeming the same when they become due, the county judge will be authorized by a majority of said votes to levy such annual tax, not more than one per cent nor less than one mill on the dollar of the county valuation as may be neces- sary therefor, after having applied on such payment the proceeds of such stock as the same may accrue from time to time. Said tax will, if necessary, be continued from year to year until the said bonds and interest thereon are fully liquidated.
"In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said County of Knoxville, this fifth day of December, A. D. 1853.
"JOSEPH BROBST, "County Judge."
The proposition was defeated at the polls and the hope of the county of securing a railroad by this method was dispelled and for some time no further efforts were made to interest any railroad com- pany in building a line through the county. Then the Muscatine, Os- kaloosa & Council Bluffs Railroad Company came to the front with a proposition to build a road through the counties of Muscatine, Wash- ington, Keokuk, Mahaska and Marion, and thence to Council Bluffs. In January, 1868, a railroad convention was held at Oskaloosa in the interests of this enterprise, a large number of the leading citizens of each county through which the road was to be built being present. C. E. Griffiths of Warren County was called to preside and vice presi- dents were elected from all the counties represented at the meeting. A board of fifteen directors was elected and organized by the election of president, secretary, treasurer and executive committee, etc. Meet- ings were held in the various counties soon after the big convention, depot sites were selected in a number of towns, enthusiasm in the proj- ect was aroused, but not to the extent of raising money with which to build the road, and the Muscatine, Oskaloosa & Council Bluffs Rail- road went the way of the Philadelphia, Fort Wayne & Platte River, of which it was in fact but a recrudescence.
CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC
In the early part of this chapter mention is made of the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company, which in 1862 succeeded to the rights and franchises of the Des Moines Navigation and Railroad Company. As early as 1854 a survey of a railroad from Keokuk to Des Moines had been made by the Keokuk, Des Moines & Minnesota
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
Railroad Company and the next year a contract for its construction was let to the firm of Smith, Leighton & Company. On October 7, 1856, the first train was run from Keokuk to the little hamlet of Buena Vista, three miles west, and on June 10, 1857, the road was opened for traffic between Keokuk and Farmington, a distance of thirty miles. About a year later it was completed to Eddyville, when work was sus- pended until after the Civil war.
The City of Des Moines and Polk County had agreed to give $100,000 to assist in building the road to Des Moines and the people there became impatient at the many delays. In his issue of July 10, 1866, J. M. Dixon, then editor of the Des Moines Daily Register, told the story of how the road had finally crossed the boundary of Polk County, adding the following expressive if somewhat sarcastic rhyme:
"Sammum Hillum! Something's broke! The cars have got inside of Polk!"
On August 22, 1866, the company authorized the announcement that the first through train would reach the state capital on the 29th. Thus, after nearly twelve years of ups and downs Des Moines was placed in communication by rail with the Mississippi River at Keo kuk. This was the first railroad completed through Marion County. It enters the county from the east about five and a half miles north of the Des Moines River, runs in a northwesterly direction through Lake Prairie and Summit townships, and crosses the northern bound- ary near the center into Jasper County. Pella and Otley are the only towns in the county on this line of railway, which is now a part of the great Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific System.
About 1875, when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was completed to Knoxville, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Company immediately began active preparations to build a compet- ing line. A branch from the main line between Rock Island and Kansas City had already been completed from Washington to Sigour- ney, and in 1875 it was completed to Oskaloosa. The people of Knox- ville donated some twelve thousand dollars toward the building of the road and the townships in the eastern part of the county voted sub- sidies. It was finished to Knoxville in 1876, passing through the ex- treme southern part of Lake Prairie Township, and northern part of Clay, and the Township of Knoxville.
A third line of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific System was built through the western part of the county in 1911-12. It is known
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
as the Minneapolis, Des Moines & Kansas City Division; crosses the western boundary of Marion County near the center and after passing through the southwest corner of Pleasant Grove Township turns southward and runs through Franklin and Dallas townships, crossing the southern boundary about five miles from the southwest corner of the county. Kimball, White Breast and Melcher are the stations on this line.
CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & QUINCY
When the Des Moines Valley Railroad was completed through that part of the county north of the Des Moines River, the people of Knoxville, and other portions of the county south of the river, started a movement for a railroad from Albia to Des Moines, to be known as the Albia, Knoxville & Des Moines Railroad. It was intended to be an extension of the Missouri System of railways, the object being to connect the country through which it passed with St. Louis. J. B. Grinnell was at first the executive head of the company. He person- ally visited the towns and townships along the proposed route to interest the people in the building of the road. As a result of his missionary work, the townships of Liberty, Indiana, Knoxville and Pleasant Grove in 1870 voted a 5 per cent tax to aid in its construc- tion and some grading was done in that year and the year following. As the final survey of the road did not touch Indiana Township, he people of that township were relieved from payment of the tax, but the people of the other three townships paid a portion of the tax, amounting to some thirty thousand dollars. When work on the road was suspended that part of the tax which had not been expended in grading was paid back to the taxpayers. About nine thousand of the $16,000 paid by Knoxville Township were thus refunded and in Liberty and Pleasant Grove, where no work had been done, all the tax was refunded.
This tax was subsequently made the subject of litigation. The contract for the construction of the road was let to a Mr. Merrill, of Des Moines, and to him were transferred all the subscriptions and subsidies when the old Albia, Knoxville & Des Moines Railroad Company was succeeded by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Com- pany in 1875. The road was completed to Knoxville and the first train ran to that town early in December, 1875. Mr. Merrill then laid claim to all unpaid taxes which had been voted in aid of the road five years before, but the county treasurer refused to collect the tax. Suit was brought and the case was finally taken to the Iowa Supreme
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
Court, where a decision was rendered in Mr. Merrill's favor. In 1879 this road was completed through the county and to the City of Des Moines. It enters the county about two miles west of the south- east corner and runs northward through the towns of Hamilton and Bussey to Tracy. At that point it turns more to the northwest, passes through the towns of Harvey, Durham, Flagler, Knoxville, Donley, Pleasantville and Swan, and crosses the western boundary about a mile south of the Des Moines River.
THE WABASH
In the spring of 1881 a survey for a railroad called the Des Moines & St. Louis was made through Marion County. Work was com- menced soon after the survey was completed and trains began run- ning late in the year 1882. The first mention of this road in the pub- lic records of the county was in April, 1883, when it was assessed at $2,080 per mile by the board of supervisors. Some years later the road became a part of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific (now the Wabash) Railway System, of which it forms the St. Louis, Kansas City & Des Moines Division.
This is the longest railroad in the county, having thirty-nine miles of tract when it was first completed and since then a branch a little over eight miles in length has been built from Tracy to Everist. It enters the county near the southeast corner and runs parallel to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to Harvey. There it turns more toward the north, crosses the Des Moines River about two miles above Harvey, and then follows the course of that stream to the northwest corner of the county. The stations in Marion County are Hamilton, Bussey, Tracy, Harvey, Howell, Fifield, Cordova, Dunreath, Percy and Morgan Valley.
Three townships of the county-Indiana, Union and Washington -have no railroad. On Friday, June 1, 1883, an election was held in Washington Township to vote on the proposition to levy a tax of 21/2 per cent to aid the Toledo, Oskaloosa & Western Railroad Com- pany to build a road through the southern part of the county. The vote was 132 to 78 in favor of the tax, but the road was never built.
Altogether Marion County has a little over one hundred and twenty-five miles of single track railway, distributed among the dif- ferent companies as follows :
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific- Oskaloosa Division 12.65
Keokuk & Des Moines Division 14.50
Minneapolis & Kansas City Division 16.08
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy . 39.21
Wabash 43.15
Total mileage 125.59
According to the county auditor's report for the year 1913, the railroad property in Marion County was valued at $3,504,840, or a little over twenty-seven hundred dollars per mile.
Vol. I -16
CHAPTER XIV FINANCE AND INDUSTRY
PUBLIC FINANCES-BONDED INDEBTEDNESS-VALUE OF TAXABLE PROP- ERTY-AGRICULTURE-STATISTICS RELATING TO CROPS AND LIVE STOCK-FARMERS' INSTITUTES-THEIR INFLUENCE-COAL MINING -BRIEF SKETCHES OF THE LEADING MINING COMPANIES-MANU- FACTURING.
PUBLIC FINANCES
That Marion County now has an unquestionable reputation in the matter of public credit is seen in the ease with which her bonds have been refunded in recent years at lower rates of interest. But such was not always the case. In the early years of the county's history public revenues were meager, and although the rate of taxation was low it was regarded as onerous by the struggling pioneer. The annual ex- penses of the county during the first few years did not exceed two thousand dollars, yet even this small sum was not always easily obtained. County officials were often compelled to purchase station- ery and other needed supplies on credit, at prices that were considered exorbitant, and to assume personal responsibility for the debt. Donnel mentions an instance where the commissioners sent to Oska- loosa for a quire of foolscap paper, a bottle of ink and a bundle of quills (steel pens had not come into general use at that time) and were informed that the goods would be sent only on condition that they would agree to pay the debt in case the county failed to do so. Warrants were issued, many of which were sold to "shavers" at from thirty-seven and a half to forty cents on the dollar, to pay the county debts. The purchasers of these warrants received 6 per cent interest on their face value until the county redeemed them at par-a profit- able investment for the purchaser.
When an official seal was needed the county commissioners decided that they could not afford to purchase one made expressly for the county's use and adopted a resolution that "the eagle side of a twenty-five cent United States coin shall be the legal seal of this
24:
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
board." To take an impression of this improvised seal the coin would be placed upon the document, a stick then placed upon the coin and struck a sharp blow with a mallet or hammer. The first seal of the Probate Court was the tail side of a five cent coin.
The oldest county bonds outstanding at the beginning of the year 1915 were the courthouse bonds of 1895, of which $70,000 were re- funded on December 1, 1900. On October 1, 1901, the board of supervisors authorized an issue of bridge bonds, of which $23,000 were refunded on January 1, 1912, and $10,000 were still outstand- ing at the close of the year 1914. Another issue of bridge bonds of $65,000 was authorized on January 1, 1912, making the total bonded indebtedness of the county on December 31, 1914, $145,000.
And what security has the bondholder for the ultimate payment of his claim against the county? The question is easily answered. These bonds constitute a lien upon all the taxable property of Marion County, which property is assessed for taxation at a value far below the actual one. Even considering the low valuation the property of the county was assessed for taxation in 1913 at $21,931,776, distributed among the several townships and incorporated towns as follows :
Clay Township $1,252,552
Dallas Township 1,247,656
Franklin Township 1,044,584
Indiana Township 1,079,324
Knoxville Township 3,096,492
Lake Prairie Township 2,251,960
Liberty Township 1,005,004
Perry Township
365,336
Pleasant Grove Township
1,046,512
Polk Township 539,116
Red Rock Township 696,924
Summit Township
1,249,800
Swan Township
615,036
Union Township 661,196
Washington Township
1,135,840
City of Knoxville
1,880,560
City of Pella 1,539,356
Town of Bussey 243,500
Town of Dallas 119,352
Town of Hamilton 77,516
Town of Harvey
1 56,492
Town of Marysville
66,188
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
Town of Melcher
29,572
Town of Pleasantville
524,272
Town of Swan
95,636
Total
$21,931,776
From these figures it may be seen that the tax duplicate for the year 1913 shows more than fifteen dollars of collateral for each dol- lar of outstanding bonds. When it is taken into consideration that none of the farm lands in the county are assessed at a higher rate than $66.60 per acre, while many of the farms would readily sell for twice that amount, it is safe to assert that the actual collateral is nearer forty dollars for each dollar of the bonded debt. In addition to the property valuation as shown by the above table, the semi-annual report of the county treasurer for the six months ending on June 1, 1914, shows a balance on hand of $50,013.43, or more than enough to pay one-third of the outstanding bonds, if the balance could all be applied to that purpose.
BANKS
The first banking institution in Marion County was the Pella Savings Institution, which was organized in 1857 and was conducted as a private bank until 1872, when it was reorganized as the Pella National Bank, under which name it is still doing business and is recognized as one of the substantial financial concerns of the county. From a report of its condition at the close of business on September 12, 1914, it is learned that the bank then had a capital stock of $50,000, a surplus fund of the same amount, undivided profits amounting to $3,144.06, and deposits of $331,500. The officers of the. bank were: R. R. Beard, president; Henry Nollen, vice president; H. P. Scholte, cashier; Edward S. Cook and H. Paul Scholte, assistant cashiers.
About the close of the Civil war J. E. Neal and Larkin Wright embarked in business as brokers at Knoxville and this firm was the first to do a banking business in the county seat. J. D. Gamble, after- ward judge of the District Court, hauled the lumber from Coalport for a small frame building at the northwest corner of the public square, in which the business of the bank was conducted. A year or two later Mr. Neal went to New York and Mr. Wright continued the business under the name of "The Banking House of Larkin Wright." In 1868 Mr. Wright organized the old Marion County Bank, which became the Knoxville National Bank in 1871. The Knoxville Na-
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