USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing a history from the earliest settlement to the present time biographical sketches; portraits of some of the early settlers, prominent men, etc. > Part 21
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The tide of emigration to California and Utah ebbed and flowed, in ail these years, and, notwithstanding the fact that trade was prostrate throughout the country generally, there were local reasons why there should be, at all times and under all circumstances, con- siderable activity here in those interests which related to the great country just be. ginning to open up westwardly.
The discovery of gold in Cherry Creek in
the vicinity of what is now Denver, Colo., gave a new impulse to all this energy and westward traffic. St. Joseph, Mo., was a rival of Council Bluffs. So was Nebraska City, the site of the original frontier post of Fort Kearney. Mr. Maynard made the first announcement to the citizens of Council Bluffs, in the Nonpareil. on the 11th day of September, 1858, of the Pike's Peak gold discovery. The contageon soon spread. The spirit of adventure that prompted many of the pioneers of Council Bluffs to seek this as a new home, impelled them forward to take their chances in the new fields of mining enterprise. Among these were Judge James, James N. Casady, D. T. Elwell and a host of others, some of whom increased their fortunes. and others added nothing to their stock of experience but disappointment.
Col. Samuel S. Curtis, the son of, Gen. Curtis, was one of those who made the vent- ure, and, from time to time, by newspaper correspondence, contributed to the knowledge and privations of the country. The news spread like wildfire through the Eastern States, and there was a repetition of the ma- nia that characterized the excitement of 1849. with an influx of like characters and in all shades. The trade of Council Bluffs was again stimulated by these influences, and there was a return to many of the habits and characteristics of its earliest history. Long trains of wagons were on the trail from this point by the way of Jule's Fort, fitted out in all their appointments here, to the Colorado mines, and there are men living, just in mid- dle life, who engaged as freighters across the plains, and have a lively recollection of the great herds of buffalo that interfered with overland traffic, as these great droves of ani- mals were on their way, in the late autumn, to Southern pasturage grounds. When the tornado of wild-animal life came with a rush,
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the thousands of them, woe betide the wagon train that was in their way. Led by their shaggy chieftains, they heeded it not. but re- sistlessly pursued their way, in spite of all such obstacles. "Pike's Peak or Bust" was a favorite legend on many a wagon-cover as the train started West. In the spring of 1859, the intelligence of the richness and character of the mines was various and con- flicting; and many who had gone there with no experience, little money and high hopes, came back with the legend reversed, and the wagon, or what was left of it, inscribed with, "Busted, by G-d!" There was a basis of gold-seeking enterprise in Colorado, but to many the disappointment was no less, and inevitable. The Nonpareil, having been largely responsible for the tide of adventure that had set in toward Pike's Peak, in 1858, Col. W. H. Kinsman, having some relation to that paper, started on foot for the gold re- - - gions to make a personal examination and exploration, and report the same in its true light. He reached the mining country in June, and his well-known character for truth and candor gave his first letter an unusual and gratifying importance -- so much so that, upon its receipt, the office was illuminated and the streets paraded by a band of music. It was felt that the good name and fair fame of Council Bluffs were involved in ascertain- ing the truth and making it known, and when Kinsman's letter put an encouraging face on it, every citizen, whether directly interested or not interested at all, joined in the general rejoicing. During the same summer, Horace Greeley made his famous overland trip to California, passing through the Colorado mining country on his way west across the Rocky Mountains, and, by his letters to the New York Tribune, which were read by hun- dreds of thousands of people, in the weekly edition, he fortified whatever impressions of
the richness of the gold fields had gotten abroad in the meantime. Albert D. Rich- ardson. of the New York Tribune -- he who was murdered, afterward, in the office of that paper, by McFarland, and who was the nephew of a venerable lady of Council Bluffs by the name of Blake-the mother of Joseph B. Blake-also painted the richness of that country in mineral wealth in its true colors, and thus indirectly, but most certainly, added an impetus to the solid prosperity of this city. From that date to the present, with such in- terruptions only as came through the civil war, the tide of emigration to that country has been unceasing. Up to that time, Coun- cil Bluffs had her back turned upon civiliza- tion, as manifested in settlements and popu- lation. but now she felt that, turn her face whatever way she might, there was an ad- vancing wave of population circulating with an enduring force around her, and assuring her perpetual prosperity and urban growth.
The question of organizing the city of Council Bluffs into an independent school district was submitted to the voters at a spe- cial election on the 18th of February, 1859, and unanimously carried. The first election of the board was held on the 14th of March following that special election, with the fol- lowing result: D. C. Bloomer as President L. W. Babbitt, Vice President: H. C. Nutt, Secretary; Samuel Knepper, Treasurer, and J. B. Stutsman, Thomas Officer and Edward McBride, Directors. At this date, no public school buildings had been erected. but, in 1858. six acres of ground, on Glen avenue, where the High School building stands, were purchased for the location of school build- ings. The election of Mr. Bloomer as Presi- dent of the Board, was an exceedingly fortu- nate selection, and, although the other officers and tlie members of the board were warm friends of the public school system, and zeal-
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ous workers in the advancement of the cause of education in the city, the universal dispo- sition is to ascribe to Mr. Bloomer the pater- nity of the system here. His public service in that capacity was a long, and ardnous and a successful one. It is as a friend of popu- lar education, and especially in connection with our magnificent city schools, that he is most widely known.
Mr. Bloomer is, most emphatically, one of the pioneers of Iowa, coming as he did, into this sparsely settled region. as early as 1855. He was born at Aurora, Cayuga County, in the State of New York, on the 4th day of July, 1816. His ancestry were of the Friends Society, and surrounded by that early influence he imbibed a strong feeling against slavery, and especially against its spread into territory where it had never yet acquired a foothold. He has al- ways had the courage of his opinions, and his convictions were not mere barren reflections, but resulted, all his life, in positive and cer- tain conduct. In 1823, his parents removed to Cortland County, and that became his boyhood home. The public schools were of no great importance in those days. but he made such good use of them as was possible under the circumstances. In 1828, he re- moved to Seneca Falls. He always delighted in books, but in those days they were scarce, and, when ten years of age, what money he had earned was expended in that way, and he walked quite a distance to make the delight- ed purchase. His fondness for reading was not confined to books, but extended to news- papers, and thus instilled in him a fondness for political controversies and journalism, always fascinating to the youth who compre- hends its far-reaching power and influence. At eighteen, he became a teacher, and fol- lowed that vocation for three years. He had an aspiration, in the meantime, to see the
great West. that was pictured in the colors of romance to his susceptible imagination, and before the advent of railroads he made a trip to Michigan, in 1836, going by the Erie Canal and the great lakes. He returned to New York in 1837, and began the study of the law, that appearing to him then, with his acquired experience, better than journalism stripped of its glamour. His resources, upon entering upon this study, were limited, being the possessor of only $20 and a single suit of clothing, but he had a stout heart and a reso- lute and intelligent purpose, and, with the aid of such practice as came to him as a nov- ice in the Justice's Courts, he was able to support himself during his student career. He was admitted to the bar, after a very creditable examination, and, his industry and attainments being recognized by those having the necessary power to advance him, he was appointed Clerk of the village which he had made his home, and received such a salary as enabled him to live. The same year, he gratified his desire to enter journalism, and became the editor of a Whig newspaper at Seneca Falls, holding his clerkship for three years, and retaining editorial control of the paper for fifteen years, always. under all cir- cumstances, taking an advanced attitnde upon the slavery question, then moving for- ward to its bloody and direful solution in civil war. Being an effective public speaker, he was called upon to do arduous work in that way for his party and always served it faithfully and efficiently. He had few su- periors and not many equals as a stump speaker. His voice had a clear, metallic ring; he possessed an admirable presence; his tem- per was'genial and his fund of humor in the heydey inexhaustible, so that he attracted men around him and became universally popular.
In 1841, he was appointed a Commissioner
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in bankruptcy, under the act of Congress then in force, adopted as a relief measure after the monetary crisis and commercial crash of 1837. From that date to 1849, he devoted himself also industriously to the law, and won for himself a high standing at the bar and a liberal, lucrative reward. He was appointed Postmaster at Seneca Falls by President Taylor. This position he held through the short term of Taylor and to the close of Mr. Fillmore's administration. He then removed to Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and for one year thereafter had editorial management of the Western Home Visitor, a literary journal of large circulation and extended in- fluence. During these years, bis desire to make the far West his home increased, and, in 1855, culminated in a removal to Council Bluffs, then on the frontier and surrounded by frontier influences. He brought with him his Whig principles, seasoned with strong anti-slavery instincts and convictions, and when the Whig party went to pieces and stranded on the question of slavery extension, Mr. Bloomer, with a few others, proceeded to organize, amidst obloquy, the nucleus of the Republican party in this section of the State. In 1858, he became the editor of the Chronotype, already mentioned, and made it the first vehicle of Republican doctrine west of the Des Moines River. He was elected Alderman in 1856, but was defeated in 1857 as the Republican candidate for Mayor. His party was in a minority, and, when its candidate for County Judge, in 1S58, and for Representative, in 1859, he was again defeated. These results were partisan, not personal. When Abraham Lincoln became President, in 1861, he was appointed Receiv- er of the United States Land Office at Council Bluffs, and held that position until the office was closed, the records removed to Des Moines, in 1872, and the place abolished. In
the meantime, in 1860, he was chosen a member of the State Board of Education, and served as such until the board itself was abolished by statute. He was chosen Presi- dent of the School District Board for nine consecutive years, by the popular will, and his services were so valuable in that station that his continuance was simply a matter of choice with himself. Many of the fine school buildings in various localities in the city were erected during his administration of that office. Mr. Bloomer has always been a careful, prudent and successful financier and manager in reference to his own private affairs, and into public trusts always carried these habits and good qualities. He was al- ways able to inspire his associates with the same degree of prudence, and it resulted al- ways that no municipal corporation ever pos- sessed finer management, or had better credit or standing than the Independent School District of Council Bluffs. Its credit has al- ways been at par. During the civil war, Mr. Bloomer was President of the Union League in this city, and, year in and year out in that conflict, gave his energies in the enlistment and equipment of troops, and in various ways, as a civilian, gave the cause of the Union his cordial support.
Thirty years ago, Mr. Bloomer became a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and has ever since taken an active interest in its growth. His life has been that of a con- sistent believer in the canons and precepts of Christianity and devoted to good works. He has prospered in worldly matters, and his disposition to charity has kept pace with his success in other matters, but following a line of conduct peculiar to himself, he has not made his gifts a matter of common notoriety. In this duty to humanity, he has been wholly free from ostentation, and, on the contrary, has studiously avoided any publicity where
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concealment of the acts was possible. In his domestic and home relations, he has been singularly happy. In 1840, he and Amelia Jenks were married, and throughout a mar- ried life of forty-two years, have been almost inseparable. Their union has never been blessed with children, but to those who have been made such by adoption, they were kind and indulgent and gave them every possible opportunity to start in life and meet its cares and responsibilities. Mr. Bloomer became an Odd Fellow when the order first began to spread throughout the United States, and when it seemed to have reached its decadence and began to recede, he never lost faith in the ultimate triumph of its great principles. When the revival set in a few years ago, he was among the first to give his cordial efforts, and ever since it is one of the objects which lay nearest his heart. Recognizing the in- fluence of public libraries, Mr. Bloomer, with others, some ten years ago, set on foot such an auxiliary of civilization under the au- spices of a private beneficial corporation. Among his most active and efficient coadjutors in this movement were Mr. and Mrs. Horace Everett, A. W. Street, Cashier of the Savings Bank, and of the citizens' Bank, Mrs. G. M. Dodge, Mrs. Nathan M. Pusey and others whose hearts were in the success of such an institution. Horace Everett and others were liberal in their donations of books and meals, and in the face of great adversity these persons clung to the library, having faith in its ultimate influence. Its shelves came to contain at least about three thou- sand volumes of excellent books, but public interest in their use was considerably limited. Mr. Bloomer took pains to urge upon the Legislature the necessity of a provision of law allowing taxation to a limited extent for the establishment of free public libraries in cities and towns, and was rewarded by seeing
the suggestion embodied in a law authorizing a popular vote on the question. At the spring election of 1881, the proposition to levy a tax for a free public library was car- ried by a decisive majority, but the Council refused to levy a tax on the ground that the Mayor, in making the usual and necessary proclamation preceding the election, had omitted to state that such a question would be voted on at the same time that the regular city officers were to be voted for. Such an omission had been made. Mr. Bloomer re- garded it as not fatal to the validity of the affirmative vote, and made application to the Circuit Court for a peremptory mandamus to compel the City Council to levy the tax in accordance with the popular vote. In the presentation of the question in argument, he was assisted by John H. Keatley, who not only looked at it from a professonal stand- point, but was a friend of the measure. The application was sustained, the court making the order that the tax should be levied. G. A. Holmes, the City Attorney, resisted the petition on behalf of the City Council. No exception was taken, and the case rested at that point, the Council at once making the proper levy of the tax in obedience to the writ. The Council also provided by ordi- nance for the organization of a Board of Trustees to manage the fund and the library. The Trustees were appointed by that body on the first Friday in January, 1882, as follows: Horace Everett, Thomas Officer and J. P. Casady, to serve for one year; J. R. Reed, John H. Keatley and D. C. Bloomer, to serve for two years, and Rev. Cyrus Hamlin, A. W. Street and W. R. Vaughan, to serve for three years. Upon organizing the board, Horace Everett was elected President; D. C. Bloom- er, Vice President; John H. Keatley, Sec- retary, and A. W. Street, Treasurer. During the period since the free public library has
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existed, owing to the almost continuous ab- I books. The Library Association heretofore sence of Mr. Everett from the city, Mr. in existence, however, came to the rescue of the free public library, and, by a proper deed, conveyed to the latter all their books and furniture, on the sole condition of its revert- ing to the donors in case the Legislature should repeal the provisions of law upon which the free public library rests and should altogether abandon the policy of such institu- tions. This contingency is not likely to arise, so as to ever make the condition operative. Bloomer has filled the position of Acting President of the Board. A tax of half a mill on the assessed valnation, being the limit under the control of the board for 1882, only about $1 500 were at their dis- posal. The expense of fitting up, the pay- ment of room rent; the salary of the Librarian and the payment of other necessary expenses, left only a small sum for the purchase of
CHAPTER XXVII .*
COUNCIL BLUFFS-ELECTION OF 1859-AMOUNT OF BONDED DEBT-OVERFLOW OF THE MISSOURI- JUDGE SHERMAN INDICTED AND CONVICTED-HASKELL THE SHOWMAN AND PREACHER -ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S VISIT IN 1859- MAKES AN ADDRESS-JUDGE COLE AND HENRY CLAY DEAN-GROUND BROKEN FOR ST. JOE RAILROAD -SWAMP LAND TRANSFERS.
THE regular city election in 1859 occurred on the 14th of March, at which George Doughty was elected Mayor: ex-Mayor Voor- his, City Recorder, and J. C. Fargo, Marshal; J. B. Lewis, G. M. Dodge, J. W. Damon, S. N. Porterfield, T. P. Treynor, H. H. Ober- holtzer, John Hammer and D. W. Carpenter were elected Aldermen: Frank Street was made City Attorney. The bonded debt then was $10,000; the total amount of taxes levied was $9,970. The Council, also, in the way of improvement, made a raid on a large num- ber of old log houses and cabins on Broad- way, declared them nuisances and ordered them to be torn down. Mr. Voorhis having resigned as City Recorder during the year, the vacancy was filled by the appointment of T. P. Treynor, and, without any interrup- tion, the latter gentleman held the office un- til his appointment as Postmaster, in March, 1869. There was an unusual overflow of the
bottom lands by the Missouri River that summer, the water approaching the vicinity of the rear of the Pacific House.
John H. Sherman, County Judge, was charged with malfeasance in office by the corrupt issuance of county warrants, and in- dicted by the grand jury on the 18th of Feb- ruary. His case was postponed until the Au- gust term, but in the meantime a public meeting was held and steps taken to investi- gate the affairs of his office. A committee soon got to the bottom of the matter and dis- closed criminal abuses of his position with- out number by the most convincing proof. and at the August term he was convicted of the charges in the indictment, and the office declared vacant. In October, J. P. Casady was appointed to the vacancy thus created. It was many years and after the most careful management before the county finances re- covered from the operations of Sherman, the Tweed of Council Bluffs. The county orders.
*By Col. John Il Keatley.
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when Judge Casady took hold of affairs, were of no more value than 25 cents on the dollar. The public school fund suffered most.
One of the most singular characters ever in the city was one J. S. Haskell, who had for nine or ten months charge of the pastoral affairs of the Congregational Church. He had been a showman, a sort of a fakir, a per- former by sleight of hand and a ventrilo- quist, and he carried into the pulpit the habits of the stage. His sermons were simply dramatic displays. He was exceedingly fond of horses, and while discharging the duties of his sacred office, owned quite a large number of teams and managed the business of freight- ing. He was highly of the sensational order, and his usefulness was soon impaired by his loud manners on the street, when behind a fast team of horses. During a political pro- cession, he took his place on the seat of a band wagon, and astonished the people with his deftness in handling the reins and with the airs of a montebank. When his pastoral connection ceased abruptly that year, he dis- appeared from sight, and not until 1870 did he again show his face here, and then it was as a manager of a circus. As he drove through the streets, he was hailed by the crowd of those old settlers who still remem- bered him and given an ovation by those who could enjoy the joke of his transformation. He alluded with a great deal of levity to his residence here, and demonstrated that the semblance of piety had formed but a very thin veil to one who was a natural and irre- vocable buffoon.
As stated in the sketch of Gen. Dodge, Abraham Lincoln visited the city in August of that year. Mr. Hatch, the Secretary of State of Illinois, was with him. Mr. Lin- coln was invited to address the people while here, and did so in a large assembly, in Con- cert Hall, and spoke eloquently and power-
fully upon the political questions which were then shaping themselves for the memorable campaign of the next year.
Some idea may be obtained of the river traffic from the fact that 149 steamboats ar- rived here during the boating season of 1859. The county fair was held on October 13 and 14. and, in the absence of a floral hall, on the fair grounds, that part of the display, including agricultural products, was made at Concert Hall. The first sorghum, an article now su common among the farmers, made its first appearance that year as one of our prod- ucts. Gen. A. C. Dodge, of Burlington, ex- United States Senator and ex-Minister to Spain, was the Democratic candidate for Gov- ernor in 1859. His successful opponent was Samuel J. Kirkwood, afterward the well- known War Governor of Iowa, twice a Sena- tor in Congress, and Secretary of the Interior Department in the cabinet of President Gar- tield, holding the latter position at the date of the assassination of the President, and one of his most trusted and intimate personal friends. The Democrats of the city had a barbecue and an immense mass meeting on the 13th of September, at which the famous Henry Clay Dean made a speech, and the as- semblage was also eloquently addressed by the Hon. Chester C. Cole, who subsequently became one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Iowa, by election on the Republican ticket. Judge S. H. Riddle was elected Rep- resentative, beating J. L. Fetter, now of Belknap Township, and Drs. S. M. Ballard and D. C. Bloomer. Dr. Craig was elected Sheriff. J. B. Rue was also elected County Superintendent.
An event occurred on the 9th of November that had a lasting effect upon the interests of Council Bluffs. It was the first breaking of ground in the construction of the Council Bluffs & St. Joseph Railroad, an almost air
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line between the two cities, traversing the great valley north and south, and now oper- ated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Company, under the name of the Kansas City, St Joseph & Council Bluffs line. The whole popluation of Council Bluffs turned out to witness the ceremony of breaking ground. The point selected was within the present yards of the company, and, with plows and shovels, the first earth, in railroad building here, was thrown out amidst the most enthu- siastic demonstrations of an excited and hope- ful populace. That evening, Col. Sam Black, the Territorial Governor of Nebraska, made one of his eloquent and characteristic speeches in Concert Hall. to an audience as- sembled to rejoice at the harbinger of bright days to come, when they should culminate in being one of the great railway centers of the country. Col. Peabody, the Chief Engineer of the company, also made an address, un- folding the plans and prospects of the enter- prise. The outlook was so encouraging and con- vincing, that, upon submitting a proposition to subscribe $25,000 of the bonds of the city, at a special election, on the Sth of December following, the proposition was almost unani- mously concurred in by the popular vote. At a special county election, held on the 15th of February, 1860, the measure was supple- mented by the transfer of the proceeds of the sale of swamp lands to the same use to the amount of $40,000. The contract for such transfer had been previously made, and the vote was simply one of ratification of the same. The co inty held this stock for some years, and thus kept a voice in the affairs of the company, but in aid of the completion of the road, made an absolute transfer, event- ually, to the men in control of the company.
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