USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History > Part 16
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Pleasant Arthur succeeded John Abel in charge of the ferry near the county seat, but he was required to pay an increased fee of twenty-five dollars. The county commissioners being thrifty must have kept posted on the traffic in order to "de- mand all the traffic would bear."
At the April session, 1842, the commissioners were called upon to decide between two applications for license to estab- lish a ferry, one from Philip Clark and Cyrus Sanders, and one from Joseph Stover. Both were for the same locality or within one mile of each other. This required the rejection of one, and the decision was made on the precedence of posting notices in favor of Clark and Sanders.194
Up to this time [1842] no ferry had been located on the river toward the northwest or on the Eagan road, when Rich- ard Chaney secured permission to establish one on payment of a ten dollar license fee, and he was to make the same rates as Pleasant Arthur at Iowa City ferry.195 The following year this license was renewed for two years, from April, 1843, and the yearly fee was reduced one-half.
A "skiff ferry" was established by Enos Metcalf at the Du- buque ford, near the southwest corner of the Iowa City plat, under license issued in April, 1844, for which he paid a fee of one dollar. He was permitted to collect 61/4 cents for each person crossing at such ferry.
The construction of the mill of the Iowa City Manufactur-
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ing Company led to the demand for a ferry on the road to that point. Therefore, a license was issued to Jonathan Lawrance in 1844, and in the charges he was allowed to collect, special mention is made of three cents for each one hundred weight of freight other than loaded wagons.
Joseph Stover, having failed in his first, made a second ap- plication for license to operate a ferry opposite his farm, about one mile below the Iowa City plat, and this time it was granted, no mention being made of its proximity to others, as it appears it was regarded as a matter of necessity.19%
The ferry of Pleasant Arthur was licensed in 1841, and he continued it until his death in 1846. The reader comes upon this item in the minutes of the commissioners for January, 1846: "Emily Folsom and Gilman Folsom made application for ferry license, as the administrators of the estate of Pleasant Arthur, deceased." They continued the work as be- gun in 1841. The following year Winthrop Folsom took charge of this ferry, Gilman Folsom acting as his agent in renewal of the license.
Metcalf and Moody conducted a ferry in 1849 at the same point that the former established the skiff ferry in 1844. This made four ferries in operation in a distance of about ten miles, indicating the growth of traffic east and west at this point. Accordingly rates of crossing were now made uniform. The issuing of a license to Metcalf and Moody led to a lively contest on the part of Winthrop Folsom. He appeared through his attorney, Gilman Folsom, and argument was heard by the com- missioners both for and against the proposition. They ruled against the new ferry. This was at the April session, and in July the arguments were heard a second time, whereupon the issue of license was ordered and the new ferry established.197 A special order is added to the renewal of the Folsom license in January, 1852, which declares that, "Said ferry shall be run when called on from sunrise until set." Licenses were issued now to these ferries for three years, bonds of two hundred dol- lars being required of the grantee, and the above order as to time was enforced.
A ford on the Iowa river in the township now known as Monroe was called "the Dupont Ford," named for "Billy Dupont." A road by that same name ran in that direction,
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and no ferry had been established there until James Justus petitioned for a license in May, 1853. It was granted the first time for three years under the usual restrictions, but a special privilege was given this applicant in his being allowed to ex- pend his license fee in improving the roads leading to his ferry. He could not build much road on five dollars a year, the entire amount of the sum provided from his license fee.
James Cottrell operated a ferry on the Iowa river where the Foster road crossed the same on the way to Cedar Rapids. He was allowed to improve the approaches in the same manner as James Justus,198 which suggests the enlarged idea of road improvement.
The granting of ferry licenses became less frequent from 1852, due to the longer term of license and to the fact of supply having equaled the demand. Occasional requests were made for accommodation ferries, as one might call them, at places of only local passage. An illustration is the petition of Martin M. Montgomery for license to run a ferry near his steam saw mill on the river in township eighty, range six, section thirty- three. This section is now partly in Penn and partly in East Lucas, and the point mentioned is not far above the village of Coralville. A second case of this nature is the ferry estab- lished by James Cavanagh on the north line of the county where the Cedar river leaves Cedar township and passes into Linn county, on the section between two and three of the above township. This was to accommodate customers of a certain stone quarry near by.199
Bridges became possible soon after this date, 1853, and fer- ries at the principal points were first displaced. During the time of "ferry history"in this county, the same experiences were found in adjoining territory. All the mail routes must depend on the ferry or fording, and there were times when the latter was impossible. During the winter seasons the ice was safe enough, and on occasions, as Joseph Albin says, "they had to break connections at the streams, taking passengers over and leaving teams to return to the starting point, while other teams met the travelers on the opposite side."200
We have no means of picturing the scene that was presented to the onlookers when the first steamer appeared on the Iowa river in June, 1841. It seems to have come without any pre-
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liminary announcement and to have aroused more enthusiasm and astonishment than any event recorded. This was the steamer Ripple, the same river boat that is heard from again the following week at Rochester, on the Cedar river. The cap- tain, from his own story, had met with many adventures and had narrow escapes by the score. Either he told many sea yarns or he did many things in a daring way, among them the voyage on the Iowa river before "it had been sounded." For the first time the peaceful silence of the woods was disturbed by the puffing of the engines of what has been called the ad- vance of civilization. Yet the inhabitants did not forget to be very gracious on the occasion, and the captain, crew, and passengers were met with a hearty welcome, and it is a long story before they were through with the reception so elaborate in the "days of new things." And here again they seemed to make dinners a specialty and forthwith they offered one to the captain of the steamer Ripple. The boat had come from the mouth of the Cedar river, to within four miles of Iowa City in one day's time and found no trouble on the trip. The decision was at once made that this event changed the relation of Iowa City to all the neighboring towns. Among the list of passen- gers on board this boat which arrived in the city at this oppor- tune time is the name of Maj. John B. Newhall, the author of Sketches of Iowa.
The "dinner" came in due time by concerted action of the citizens. A meeting was formally held and a committee of six, Jesse Williams, Jesse Bowen, Silas Foster, Cyrus Sanders, John Powell, and Horace Smith, were appointed to wait upon the captain and passengers with the invitation. The "inn keepers" of the city were interviewed on the matter, and sub- scriptions were solicited to pay the bills in the usual way. A point of business was made at the meeting besides the mere provision for entertainment. This was to send some suitable individual, some trustworthy person, on the return of the Ripple, to go as far as the demands seemed necessary, to ascertain the obstructions, if any, in the stream, and find out, if possible, the best way to remove them. Captain F. M. Irish was selected for this mission. Major J. B. Newhall was asked to solicit subscriptions in Burlington and at intermediate points to defray the expense of removing these obstructions if
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any were found. Chauncy Swan presided over this important meeting to consider the navigation of the Iowa river to this point. The committee sent the formal invitation to Captain Jones, of the Ripple, and he accepted in a polite reply, express- ing his appreciation of the reception up to that time. The National Hotel furnished the banquet on this occasion, when Captain Jones, Major Newhall and others delivered remarks on the notable event. Some of these were pointed and full of suggestions for the future. Major Newhall said: "Gentle- men, we are here to commemorate the fact that on the four- teenth day of June, 1841, the first steamboat moored alongside the bluff of your city. From this day forward, the practica- bility of the navigation of the Iowa river is no longer subject to conjecture. From this day henceforth a new era will com- mence in the destinies of your city." The captain of the steamer responded in his own way, giving evidence of his great satisfaction at being the forerunner of many craft to follow. Here was the opportunity for him to relate his adventures, and he improved it, telling of his world-wide career that has noth- ing, of course, to do with local history, and may have been in- vention. It was all very much like the later celebrations when something out of the ordinary had happened. Much was made of it then, and a few years later the matter was entirely for- gotten, and the participants gone from the minds of all that followed and their words were recorded by what seemed a mere accident of the time.201
When this boat arrived soon after at Rochester on the Cedar river, fully four hundred people had assembled to greet her, all of whom were feasted before their departure from the land- ing place. Dr. S. B. Grubbs, one of the pioneers of that section, welcomed the captain and his crew, where one may conclude the same things were said and done that were mentioned be- fore in the Iowa City visit, since the subject was the same.
It was on Thursday, April 21, 1842, that the cry of "steam- boat !" came from the workmen on the new capitol of Iowa ter- ritory, and the steamer coming up the river responded with its hoarse whistle, arousing the entire community. The editor of the Reporter, anxious to share in the reception to the craft, and doubtless as full of curiosity as any other individual, has- tened to the landing and then he had the pleasure of describing
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the scene he found. Enthusiasm knew no bounds if one may draw conclusions from the language used by the article describ- ing the scene on that date: "Nothing could have exceeded the magnificent scene displayed before us. The steamer moving up in a majestic manner, with the stars and stripes from her bows floating joyously in the breeze, smiling on the luxurious landscape of surpassing beauty and richness, seemed to be greeted by nature's loveliness in a region which had witnessed for the first time the emblem of the country's glory." A fine setting of scenery is painted for the imagination of the reader, rather strong in its coloring, one may suppose, but it was a time of excitement and we may allow something for such strong description.
At length the boat did arrive at the landing where the crowd drawn from their occupations greeted her as a "long-lost friend." This was the steamer Rock River, a medium-sized boat in the upper Mississippi trade. At one o'clock on the same day the boat made an excursion up the river, by unani- mous request of the citizens, and on this occasion the editor cannot find words of sufficient power to express his delight: "Dashing belles and beaux in profusion, with gentlemen and ladies generally," is an illustration of the language he uses. A hundred or more "happy souls" made the journey to the "quarry," some twelve or fifteen miles above the town, landed there, took a stroll through the beautiful scenery, and came home at nightfall without a "single mishap." However, in all this excitement and opportunity for use of pen the editor could not escape the utilitarian prophecy made by so many in that day, concerning the future of the Iowa river as a navigable stream. Such was the expectation concerning all the streams in this section, that were tried by small steamers coming up from the Mississippi as this one did, during the proper stage of water. The captain of the Rock River is reported as saying that he found the trip up the river much more satisfactory than he had anticipated, and had he known the conditions he would have brought up the merchandise for the spring trade previously shipped from Cincinnati and St. Louis. So, the editor concludes, "it may reasonably be expected that when the business resources of the country will warrant it, steamers will ply between this place and the large towns on the Missis-
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sippi." And further, "if the reported rich minerals should prove productive, Iowa City and vicinity must become a place of general resort, while the unsurpassed fertility of the soil, general healthiness of the location, vicinity to steam naviga- tion, and mineral wealth in abundance, all point to the valleys of the Iowa and Cedar as desirable situations for the emigrant and capitalist." The visit of this steamer aroused some anxiety in the river towns through which Iowa City procured its merchandise "overland." If navigation of the Iowa river became a possible and practicable thing it meant a direct trade with the centers of supply and would interfere materially with the usual routes of trade through Bloomington [Muscatine] and Davenport.202
Two years later a bill, advertising the steamer Agatha, James Lafferty master, was forwarded to Iowa City, to notify its citizens of the probable arrival of this boat in a few days. It was to leave Burlington on March 7, 1844, and stop at all intermediate landings. This bill led to another dissertation by the local press on the navigability of the Iowa river. On the twelfth of the month following, the expected steamer ar- rived. Not unnaturally her arrival caused some stir in the community and some hope for the future commerce on the Iowa river. This landing was interesting, since much freight was brought up and some taken away. Goods for Jones and. Powell were unloaded and freight in return was loaded, con- sisting of pork, hemp, wheat, and other produce, besides some twenty passengers for St. Louis. The freight sent out was usually hauled to Bloomington [Muscatine] by wagon and shipped from there. Freights by the Iowa river were carried for at least one-half less than by wagon to the Mississippi river. The captain of the Agatha made a promise to return in a short time.
Another steamboat came to the landing at Iowa City later in the same season. This was the Maid of Iowa. The farmers of the vicinity shipped a large cargo of corn on the return trip, and a large keel boat which was taken along loaded with grain broke in two and a quantity of the corn, estimated at one thous- and bushels, was tipped off into the river. This was the prop- erty of Judge Harris, who lived a few miles below the city. To increase the interest in what promised to become a perma-
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nent source of communication, still another steamer came up the river this same month of June. This was the Emma, and the cargo consisted of salt and groceries, mostly consigned on commission. This was by far the largest boat that had up to this time reached Iowa City, her tonnage being one hundred and seventy.
The Maid of Iowa, the popular steamer mentioned before, came into port again in September, and during the first day loaded with wheat and was off to market with it. The craft reported its intention to run between Iowa City and St. Louis during the entire fall to carry away the surplus produce for the city market on the Mississippi. The signs of the times were good for a continuation of river freight at this period of de- velopment, and who could blame the individual who saw a great future for the river traffic.208
In the spring of 1845 the merchants of Iowa City had col- lected many hundred tons of freight for shipment by way of the river, and steamers were anxiously awaited. The same hope was still alive, that this city might become a center for the distribution of many kinds of produce. The spring was the time of year when such boats might be expected. It was about this same time that the "ladies and gentlemen" of the vicinity were invited by Messrs. Robbins & Co. to witness the launching of their new boat from the yards a half mile below the city. It was to occur at three p. m., on Monday, and was an event of special importance, since it was the first launching from the "boat yards of Iowa City."
Robbins and Hubbell, the owners of this new steamer launched to run on the Iowa river, became philanthropic enough in a short time after the event to offer their company's stock at twenty-five dollars per share. The citizens generally were urged to buy, not only to assist a worthy enterprise, but to expect it to produce an income of value. To add to the local interest in the venture it was noted that the engine placed in this new boat was designed by one of the proprietors, Mr. Robbins. It was expected to revolutionize the motive power of all steamers on the western rivers. The gentleman was com- mended as a benefactor of the entire region because of zeal in this enterprise.
During the month of April, 1847, some half dozen large flat-
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boats were under construction at Iowa City. They were de- signed to carry away the surplus product of the community. The increased prosperity of the county demanded a continu- ous increase in the means of transportation, and the river furnished the best outlet. Wagons were slow and expensive compared to water. The valleys of the Iowa and the Cedar were fast filling up, and the prophecy of the former days has been many times fulfilled in the richness of the future to the immigrant.
More than a decade later, in the midst of the war news and excitement aroused by the moving of soldiers, a boat came to the wharf just below the railroad bridge across the Iowa river. This was the steamer Black Hawk, Captain Curless. It had been many years since a boat had been up the river, and now the time for securing a load of freight was not propitious, since the turmoil on the lower Mississippi and in the St. Louis market made shipping an uncertainty.
In April, 1866, the "launching of the Iowa City" was wit- nessed by a large assembly. The stars and stripes were said to float from her "peak," whatever that might be, and she glided gracefully into her native element, the Iowa river. This was a real launching, and the machinery was placed after the hull had been safely floated. The "ship-yards" had succeeded in launching their first great production which was to carry freight on the Iowa river. Accordingly, after being fully equipped the boat Iowa City left this port on Friday, July 6, 1866, for its first voyage. By good luck, after facing a "fierce storm," it arrived at New Boston in time for the packet south to carry the mail and passengers, while the local steamer loaded with merchandise for the return trip. Ten thousand feet of lumber formed part of the load on the return. Regular trips, leaving Iowa City at four a. m., were now announced by the proprietors. Connections were made with the Mississippi packets on these trips, and also at Burlington where the ter- minus was now to be, with the Chicago, Burlington .& Quincy railway.
The trade by means of this boat became so heavy as it con- tinued its trips that talk of a mate became common. The following advertisement suggests the possibilities of the inland streams where the railroad was yet undeveloped in the state:
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"The steamboat Iowa City leaves for New Boston every Tues- day morning. It will hereafter run through to Burlington. During good stages of water it will reach the latter place at nine p. m. the same day, and will make good connections with regular packets on the Mississippi, and will also reach Fre- donia in time for the two o'clock train for Washington. This is the shortest and most direct route for travelers in that di- rection."
The luxury of bridges, even of wood, was not considered as possible when roads were first built, and now if one is miss- ing through accident an immediate call is made on the authori- ties for repairs. Permanent improvements have come to be demanded. Then all was temporary. As mentioned before, roads followed the high land wherever possible, avoiding sloughs and swampy ground, and when crossings must be made streams were forded and teams were doubled on soft ground.
Reasons for the lack of such improvements are not difficult to find, for only one is sufficient: there was no money, no means to build bridges, and had there been, no one could de- termine which point needed the bridging most. The early stage and mail routes always expected to cross by fording the larger streams where possible, and where not by the means of a ferry, which must be provided before the route could carry its mail or passengers.
The first appeal for help in bridge construction came from the supervisor of roads in the fourth road district which "lay west of the river and north of the base line." John N. Hedley made the request for a donation from the county for the pur- pose of assisting in building a bridge across Clear creek "at or near Drury and Moore's Mill."
The commissioners answered this polite appeal as one would expect when financial conditions were understood: "It is determined and agreed that no funds can be appropriated at present for the erection of said bridge." and the no is under- lined in the records. This is the only mention of bridges in 1841, and this request was made at the January session.204
In 1842 an appropriation of "fifty-seven dollars and sixty- nine cents," heretofore paid into the county treasury by the supervisor of the second road district, was made, "for a bridge on Dubuque street in Iowa City in the county seat,"
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and the money was to be expended, "under the direction of Cyrus Sanders, the present supervisor of the district." He was also to use "any other monies he might collect, on said bridge." The expression here "in the county seat" is of im- portance, since otherwise it might have been understood as section ten or elsewhere instead of section fifteen. These two are the only references concerning bridges, in the first vol- ume of the county commissioners' minutes, suggesting the im- portance of other matters as compared to the subject of bridges.
In July, 1846, an order was made correcting what one might call an "error in appropriation." Jonathan Lawrance had been allowed twenty dollars to repair the Clear creek bridge, which seems to have been built without county assistance, and the money having been used by said Lawrance for his personal benefit just before his death, the board of commissioners agreed "to make the amount payment in full for the services of such supervisor before his death."
The bridge across Ralston creek on Washington street was built in 1847, for the first time, under the supervision of Dr. Henry Murray, out of material purchased with an allowance of thirty dollars from road funds in the hands of the county treasurer. This large sum was to be drawn on the order of Dr. Murray "as the work progressed." 205
The first county bridge across Rapid creek was built from lumber furnished by Sylvanus Johnson, after he was so author- ized by the county commissioners. As in other counties it was common for the county to furnish a part of the material ".on conditions." An order of this nature is found, "for enough two- inch plank to cover a bridge on the creek below J. H. Stover's old farm, where the Burlington road crosses the same in town- ship seventy-eight, range six, provided," as the order says farther on, "a good and substantial frame work shall be fur- nished and put in for the completion of the same at the ex- pense of the parties interested therein." The bill for this plank covering was allowed one year after the above order was made, or in April, 1849, to Asby D. Packard on the order of Eli Myers. Packard probably sawed the lumber, and waited one year for his pay or failed to find enough cash in the treas- ury for his warrant.200
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