USA > Iowa > Polk County > Pioneers of Polk County, Iowa, and reminiscences of early days, Vol. I > Part 22
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In 1849, he engaged in farming, but two years later returned to town, and, being of genial, jolly, good nature, he was popular, and found business abundant, as the town was growing.
In 1850, Judge Casady bought two lots at the southwest corner of Fifth and Walnut streets, for which he paid sixty dollars. Being low in part, ice covered it in Winter, and the boys made it a skating rink. The Judge built a three-room, one-story house on the lots, in which he made his residence.
In 1853, Ed. concluded there was money in real estate, and in June, bought the lots of Casady for five hundred and fifty dollars, and in July, sold them to Israel Spencer for five hundred dol- lars, reserving the rental and use of the buildings for five years. Thereon, Ed. had a wool yard for a time.
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EDWIN R. CLAPP
In the Spring of 1851, came what is known in history as the "big flood." The whole East Side was under water. On the West Side, Jesse Dicks rafted logs along Second Street, of which he built his house. Bottom lands for miles in width along the Des Moines River were overflowed. The previous Winter had been very severe and the Spring rainfall had made the roads impassable for teams, merchants' stocks of goods had become depleted, and family larders bare of supplies. Nevertheless, inspired with patriotic fervor, the people had a public dinner on the Fourth of July, which was attended with genuine Western enthusiasm and enjoyment. The table spread was elaborate, but the good housewives were put to their wits to supply the absolute want of flour in their cooking, for there was none to be had. On the next day, the steamboat, Caleb Cope, came into port heavy laden with merchandise, flour, etc., on which there was great rejoicing. Captain Price caught the infec- tion, and invited the town to take an excursion up the river on his steamer. About fifty leading citizens responded, taking with them refreshments, solid and liquid (the Captain having given notice that the bar and steward's quarters would be locked). It was a jolly, hilarious crowd of men and women, among whom was Ed. The newspapers said nothing about it, but Ed. will probably say, if you ask him, "It was rather noisy."
In 1855, the community having increased to some importance, Ed. began to mix in public affairs. He was elected Street Commis- sioner. The subject of bridges was an important one at that time; but how to get them, and what kind, was the problem. John H. Miller, the Civil Engineer, who made the first map of Des Moines, a copy of which hangs in the rooms of the Commercial Club, recom- mended to the Town Council a floating bridge. The suggestion was adopted, but the town had no money. The increase of travel, and the slow, cumbersome, inadequate ferries, made bridges a neces- sity. It was therefore decided to raise a fund by subscription, the subscribers thereto to be allowed to cross without toll. Ed. was given the custody of the subscription list, and nearly three thousand dollars was raised, when dollars were scarce. The bridge was built at Court Avenue, that being the principal east and west street, and was the first bridge across the Des Moines.
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In 1855, Ed. built a bridge over Bird's Run, on Fourth Street, a terror in those days when heavy rainfalls came. It was the first structural bridge in the town, and he was allowed twenty dollars and ninety-nine cents for the job. In the present days of boodle, grabs and "extras" in public works, the particularity of that ninety- nine cents is significant. It shows that Ed. was honest-would not claim a penny he had not earned. Consciences were not as elastic in those days as they seem to be nowadays.
In 1856, Ed. started the first ice business in the town. His storage plant was on the river just above the dam, and it is of record that Judge Napier, who was then general manager of county affairs, ordered the County Treasurer to pay him eight dollars for ice furnished the District Court during the August Term that year. Old-timers, who are familiar with the inordinate thirst for whiskey of McFarland, the presiding Judge, will not deem Ed.'s bill for congealed protoxide of hydrogen furnished exorbitant, for the Judge was seldom sober. He came into court one day in a very maudlin condition. The lawyers, litigants, jury, and witnesses in the case on trial were all present. He got himself into his chair, looked vacantly around for a moment, nodded to the Sheriff, and mumbled out: "Well ! Well ! Gentlemen ; call this Board to-mor- row morning at eight o'clock," and, gathering himself together, meandered away to his hotel.
In 1856, occurred the famous fight between the East and West Side over the location of the State House. Ed. was a loyal West. Sider, subscribed five hundred dollars to the war fund, and did valiant service in the scrimmage.
In 1860, he bought a farm in Walnut Township, now the well- known Flynn farm, and engaged in raising cattle and grain on an extensive sale. He was so successful that, in 1867, he was appointed Live Stock Agent for the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, and had control of that department from the Missouri River to the Mis- sissippi. In 1865, he sold the farm, and continued with the rail- road company several years thereafter.
In 1860, he was elected Sergeant-at-Arms of the Lower House of the Eighth General Assembly.
In 1869, his penchant for town lots was aroused, and he again bought the two lots at Fifth and Walnut streets, but this time he
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had to plank down twenty-seven thousand dollars. On the corner was a hide and leather store, and on the west lot a livery stable. Two years later, he built a three-story brick office building thereon, the Citizens National Bank occupying the corner. In 1882, he added another story. In 1883, it was nearly destroyed by fire, with great loss to the Masonic Lodge, which occupied the upper floor, occupants of business offices, the Citizens' National Bank, and Morris & Humphrey, merchants. The debris was soon cleared away and the building restored. In 1890, he entirely remodeled it, according to modern ideas, added another story, and put in an elevator, the first in an office building in the city, thus constituting him the first bridge builder, ice dealer, and elevator constructor in the city.
It will be seen there is a jog in Walnut Street at Fifth, by which "Clapp's Block," emblazoned on the cornice in gold letters, is made a prominent landmark on the street, to be seen by everybody. When A. D. Jones surveyed the "Original Town," it was done with a rope instead of a chain, and in making the plat, Court Avenue was made one hundred feet wide, as it was expected to be the principal business street of the city. At the head of it was placed the Public Square, on which were to be the Court House and other public build- ings. Doctor P. B. Fagen, who owned, or held title to, a portion of the land embraced in the plat west of Fifth Street, raised objec- tion to the survey, claiming irregularities therein. They had some difficulty over the matter, but it was finally settled by letting the survey stand as made as far west as Fifth Street, and to narrow Walnut and Mulberry streets to let in the Public Square as origin- ally platted, and on this agreement the plat was finally made and recorded, and thus came the jog in Walnut Street.
In 1887, Ed. gave an old-fashioned dinner to the early settlers, in honor of his fifty years' residence, which was largely attended. It was a joyous reunion of those who had experienced the trials and vicissitudes of pioneer life, and an occasion for recounting them. Listening newcomers concluded they knew very little about hard times.
In 1903, when the Century Savings Bank was organized, he became a stockholder, one of the Directors, and was also elected
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Vice-President. The bank took the corner vacated by the Citizens National Bank.
Religiously, Ed. is a regular church-goer, but I would not vouch for his orthodoxy in any sectarian creed.
Socially, he is affable, jovial, fond of jesting and a good joke, whether the victim be himself or some other fellow. Old-timers can recall Hy. Hatch, better known as "Laughing Hatch," a Gov- ernment mail contractor, an inveterate jester and story-teller, who punctuated his points with a laugh that could be heard half a mile. He was known to every show company that appeared in "Billy" Moore's old hall, for when he saw anything funny in the perform- ance, and started his cachination, the stage business stopped, the players and audience soon caught the infection, and everybody joined in a hearty laugh. When Ed. and Hy. got together on a street corner, every onlooker knew what was coming-there was hilarity galore. Sometimes, Levi J. Wells-he of the 'bus line- an inveterate jester, would join in, and they would fill the air with Hy.'s laughter.
Ed. was an active and popular member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
The excellent business capacity, pluck, and executive ability manifested in all his undertakings has secured to Ed. a competency, while his loyalty and public spirit have won him a prominent place among those who helped to build up the city from the day of its foundation .*
April Thirtieth, 1905.
*Died June Eighth, 1906.
JOHN D. McGLOTHLIN
A MONG the very early settlers prominently associated with the public affairs of Polk County and The Fort during their formative governmental period, was John D. McGlothlin, a typical pioneer, whose experiences, like others of his class in those days, contrasted with their environments twenty years later, seem altogether mythical.
He came, with his family, in June, 1846, from Indiana, in the proverbial "prairie schooner," and purchased a claim held by G. B. Clark, on Keokuk Prairie, originally a part of Des Moines Town- ship, but now in Allen Township. He paid four hundred dollars for the claim. It was an attractive spot, the favorite camping- ground and headquarters of the famous Indian chief, whose name it bears, for many years, and up to the time of his removal from the territory, in 1845, to Kansas, where he died in 1848. It is pertinent here to say the name of the old chief has been anglicized to modern idioms. When he was before the Government Commis- sion to identify the half-breeds in the allotment to them of the Half- Breed Tract, he wrote his name on the record many times, and always "Ke-O-Kuk." The terminal, "Kuk," was evidently a tribal or family name, as the names of several chiefs on the record have the same terminal.
McGlothlin's claim was on the west side of Des Moines River, and extended westward to North River, sloping gradually back from the two rivers.
Clark was a bachelor, and lived with a family in a cabin made of poles, a puncheon floor of hewed slabs in one corner for the bed to stand on, the remainder being the natural soil; no door, no chimney, the smoke escaping between the logs. Instead of a door, the opening made for a chimney was used. That was the greeting presented to McGlothlin for a home. He at once built a chimney of stones and clay from the rivers, and made other changes, so that
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it might be more comfortable. During the Summer, the family suffered severely from fever and ague, which was epidemic all over the Des Moines Valley. It was of the vigorous, shaking variety- often fatal.
In October, he built a new log cabin. It had one room. As there was no lumber in the country, a part of the room was floored with slabs split from logs. There was no window nor door, the chimney opening being used until the chimney and fireplace was built, when a door was made in one end.
He brought with him corn and flour enough to supply the family for four months, but in October they became exhausted. The near- est mill was at Oskaloosa, sixty miles away. Hitching four horses to the "prairie schooner," which he filled with "grists" for himself and neighbors in the vicinity, he went to Oskaloosa, and arriving there found the mill surrounded by farmers, waiting, with "grists" enough to keep the mill busy for several days. He went on to Fair- field, where he found no better prospect, and went on to Bonaparte, where he had better luck. He then started homeward. The roads were in a horrible condition. Several times the team was mired, the grain unloaded, and the wagon hauled out of the mud. On the way, he picked up a lot of sheep and hogs, and arrived at his cabin twenty-one days after leaving it, to the great delight of his family, who had become worried over his long absence, and, beside much suffering from sickness, were deprived of proper sustenance for want of flour.
In the sketch of William A. Meacham, mention is made of the hurried escape from the Vigilance Committee in Camp Town- ship of the Reeves Gang of horse thieves and general marauders. On their way to Missouri, they camped one night near McGloth- lin's. During the night, one of their wagons was burned by fire from their camp. The generous-hearted settlers in the neighbor- hood, not knowing the character of the outfit, made up a purse to compensate the loss, and they hurried on out of the state.
In 1848, the settlers began to consider ways and means for some form of civil government, there being none in existence. Accord- ingly, in August, 1848, was organized the Old Settlers' Claim Club. McGlothlin was elected first Vice-President of the Club.
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JOHN D. McGLOTHLIN
In the same year and the same month, he was elected one of three County Commissioners, reelected in 1849 and 1850, serving until August, 1851, when the office was abolished and the duties thereof conferred upon a County Judge. The Commissioners had full control of all county affairs, could levy taxes, organize town- ships, locate public roads, build bridges and public buildings, and from their decisions there was no appeal. County affairs were then in an embryo condition. Much depended on the intelligence and good judgment of the Commissioners. McGlothlin was an active, progressive member of the Board, and possessed excellent business qualifications. Of genial temperament, he at once came into close relation with all the people. He spent much time at The Fort, and took great interest in its affairs, so much so that he was considered a resident.
The pages of the record of the doings of the Board give abun- dant evidence of their public spirit. It was a period of progress. The county and town were rapidly growing, and civic affairs must keep pace therewith.
The first important business was the building of a Court House. An agreement was made with John Saylor that he should, "during the year 1848, erect and set up and inclose, and during the year 1849, shall completely finish, in a good, substantial, workmanlike manner, according to the best of his art and skill, a Court House, for the sum of two thousand and fifty dollars." In January, 1850, Saylor threw up his job. He was allowed two hundred and twenty- five dollars for what he had done, and the Commissioners con- tinued the work until completed. Its total cost was two thousand and fifteen dollars. It was where the Union Depot now is. It was sold, with the jail, in 1863, to the Trustees of the Central Church of Christ, for eight hundred dollars. In 1865, it was torn down, to give place to a larger structure, which was occupied until 1875, when the encroachment of railroads along Vine Street necessitated a new location, and the old frame building was used as the Wabash Depot for several years.
Having provided for a Court House, the Commissioners were, as are the Supervisors of to-day, confronted with the necessity of a jail. Accordingly, in February, 1849, a contract was made with
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James Guerant and George Shell to build a log jail for seven hun- dred and fifty dollars, on the lot adjoining the Court House. It was to be constructed of "hewn timbers one foot square, with double walls, with a space between the walls of six inches, to be filled with strong and substantial stone, closely pounded so as to fill the space, the cracks between the timbers to be filled with mortar." It was to be two stories high. It was to this jail the noted and bibulous Judge McFarland one day threatened to send "Dan" Finch, the well-known old-time lawyer. The Judge had made a ruling in a case "Dan" was trying, to which "Dan" objected, on the ground that the court had made a mistake. "Daniel," retorted the Judge, pointing with his index finger, "do you see that jail over there ? Well, sit down, or I'll send you there in five minutes." "Dan" subsided.
In November, 1849, Guerant, one of the jail contractors, threw up his job. He was allowed three hundred dollars for work and material furnished, and the Commissioners completed the jail at a total cost of one thousand, one hundred and seventy-five dollars and five cents.
In 1850, it became quite apparent that the Capital would be removed from Iowa City. With his accustomed public spirit and business qualifications, and with an eye to the future, McGlothlin suggested, and it was ordered that, "in case the Capital of Iowa shall be removed to Fort Des Moines within four months from the date hereof [November Twenty-second, 1850], an appropriation of eight thousand dollars be and is hereby made for the purpose of erecting a Court House of sufficient capacity that the same may be used by the State of Iowa as a State House so long as the state shall desire to occupy the same."
During the year, the Commissioners discovered an unusual increase in court expenses. Therefore, in October, they ordered that, "no fees shall be allowed to any person serving as witness before the Grand Jury," a measure as commendable at the present time as then. The service was put upon the ground of a duty owed to the public.
In April, 1849, the Board granted a license, for twenty-five dollars, to Edward and Edwin Hall, twin brothers, to build a dam
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JOHN D. McGLOTHLIN
across Des Moines River at the foot of Center Street, and to main- tain the same for fifty years. The license expired in 1899, but the dam is there yet, an important factor in public utilities.
The first Warranty Deed executed in the county was signed August 14, 1848, by Mr. McGlothlin, as County Commissioner. It was for Lot Eight, Block Thirty, in the Original Town, the lot next to the alley on the southwest corner of Vine and Second, where Green's foundry is. It was sold, at the sale of town lots, in July, 1846, for two hundred and seventeen dollars and a half, to William McIlvain, of Wapello County. He planked down the money, and, being a stranger, and the only purchaser present with "spot cash," he was suspected of being a land-grabber and specu- lator, and was given very emphatically to understand that the trav- eling in rural districts was good. He bought no more lots, and sub- missively waited two years for his deed.
The first Warranty Deed in the county from an individual was by Doctor P. B. Fagen, and dated the same day as the foregoing. The first Board of Commissioners, in their haste to expedite publie affairs, and largely through the influence of A. D. Jones, general superintendent of civic affairs at The Fort, who surveyed and plat- ted the town, took in land that belonged to Fagen and sold it at the town lot sale in 1846. In order to give a good title to the pur- chasers, MeGlothlin and his Board purchased of Fagen his interest, paying him three hundred and five dollars. It was that portion now occupied by the railroad stations and big warehouses below Court Avenue.
While, as Commissioner, MeGlothlin was pushing forward pub- lie improvements, he improved his farm, until the eight hundred acres, with its large and commodious buildings, orchards, splendid herds of horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep, became a rural paradise. Watermelons were one of his fads. Old-timers at The Fort used to make frequent visits there in the season to feast on them. Judge Casady says the first melon he ate in Polk County was there, and of the best quality and size he ever saw. When he was ready to leave, he was "held up" until his wagon was packed with melons.
Religiously, MeGlothlin was a Baptist, and an active supporter of churches and schools. He was emphatically a home-builder, and his home exemplified his ideas of what such should be.
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PIONEERS OF POLK COUNTY, IOWA
Politically, he was a Democrat, of the Jeffersonian variety, but not a politician nor an office-seeker. During the Greenback craze, he identified himself with that element, and was an active, influen- tial member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
In many ways, he was an important factor in the foundation, growth and prosperity of the county and town. He died in 1878.
May Twenty-first, 1905.
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FREDERICK C. MACARTNEY
FREDERICK C. MACARTNEY
I T is an old axiom that the way to a man's good nature is through his stomach, and, so being, F. C. Macartney, or Fred., as he is familiarly called, must have the true friendship and good fellow- ship of myriads of people, for, during the past forty-two years, as a caterer to the public, he has proved himself the prince of hotel- keepers, and, not only that, he and his family have been largely and intimately connected with the business and social life of the city.
He came here from Canada in 1863, a young man in the adoles- cent stage, hunting a job. With him was a brother, George, who was employed by "Billy" Quick as United States Express messen- ger for several years, and died in 1865.
Fred. took the first job he could find. I. N. Webster was run- ning the Savery House, which James C. Savery had, at progressive stages, with many postponements, partially completed. It was a plain structure, unlike the present one. There were no balconies, no cornices, no outside ornamental "flubdubs." The offices were all on the second floor. The ground floor was as the bricklayers left it. Fred. hired himself out as clerk of the hotel, at twelve dollars a month and his board. In those days, hotel clerks didn't wear diamond-studded shirt fronts; there were no day and night clerks, no porter, no bell-boys, no elevators. His daily stunt was to keep books, sweep, dust, wait on guests, from six o'clock in the morning until supper was over. At night, he could lie on the lounge in the office until all passengers had arrived by stage from Brooklyn and Nevada, then the terminals of the Rock Island and Northwestern roads, and then he could go to bed. When the roads were bad, when Skunk River got on a rampage, and passengers had to walk most of the way, and carry a rail to pry the coach out of the mire, he didn't go to bed at all. It was a sort of continuous performance.
In October, 1864, George C. Savery, a brother of J. C., took the house and retained Fred. as Chief Clerk, a place he held,
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becoming practically the manager-George being too angular for a hotel man-until 1875, when J. C. purchased George's interest and installed Fred. as Manager. The house was re-furnished throughout, the structure having been completed.
In 1879, the house was sold under foreclosure of a mortgage. The entire furniture was removed and shipped to Yankton, thence by steamboat to Fort Benton, thence by wagon to Helena, Mont., where it was sold at auction, Fred. going also as custodian of the property. There he remained, with J. C. Savery, who was engaged in several mining projects, as bookkeeper and supply purchaser for the miners' stores until September, 1882, when he returned to Des Moines and engaged in the brick and tile business. But brick- making was not his forte, and in 1886, he assumed the management of Hotel Colfax, a mammoth summer and health resort built and fitted up by the Rock Island Railroad Company, near Colfax. He remained there until 1888, when he went to California, and kept a hotel in Vera Cruz until March, 1891.
In 1879, the old Savery House having been purchased by J. N. Dewey and S. R. Ingham, was again remodeled, the name changed to "Kirkwood," in honor of the old War Governor, and re-opened under the management of C. D. Bogue and John Wyman, who remodeled it, moved the office and rotunda to the ground floor, and held it until 1891, when Fred, purchased Bogue's interest and became the sole manager, and has so continued to the present time, having as assistants his sons, Frederick C., Jr., and George.
In the early days, the house was the home of many business men -the first City Directory contains the names of fifty-one-year after year, surrounded by all the comforts of the best homes in the town. I recall a few of them: J. C. Savery and wife; Doctor F. Woodruff, druggist, and wife; J. B. Stewart, banker; E. J. Inger- soll, founder of the Hawkeye Insurance Company, and wife; S. R. Ingham, capitalist, and wife; George W. Clark, lawyer, and wife; Rev. J. M. Chamberlin; "Billy" Quick, United States Express Agent ; Rev. F. Brooks ; Major Thomas Cavanagh (ten years) ; A. Y. Rawson, merchant, wife and daughter ; J. H. Windsor and wife; Colonel J. M. Elwood, lawyer; John A. Kasson; N. B. Baker, Adjutant-General, and family; J. M. Dixon, City Editor of the
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