The History of Clinton County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its., Part 64

Author: Western Historical Co , Western Historical Company
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 807

USA > Iowa > Clinton County > The History of Clinton County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its. > Part 64

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Digitized by Google

531

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

for the extensive establishment that they acquired there. The remainder of the office was sold to Rev. John McLeish, whose career was the brief one of less than two months, and, on November 27, 1863, H. McAllaster and Hugh Leslie purchased the establishment under the firm name of Leslie & McAllaster. They successfully conducted it until January 1, 1867, when they admitted Thomas J. Flournoy, Jr., to a third interest, and the firm became Leslie, McAllaster & Co., and large additions were made to the office and its facilities greatly increased; and, on the 18th of September, 1867, a semi-weekly edition was commenced. In March, 1868, L. P. Allen purchased the interest of Mr. Flournoy and the firm name continued. In the latter part of the year, Mr. Leslie sold his interest to McAllaster & Allen, and, in the fall of 1869, Mr. McAllaster sold his interest to H. S. Hyatt. Soon after, Mr. Allen also sold his interest to Mr. Hyatt, who became sole owner, the retiring partner estab- lishing a job printing office and bindery.

During 1868, a daily was published for a few months, but at that time it did not sustain itself financially, and it was discontinued, and a tri-weekly edition substituted. On the 6th of June, 1870, Mr. Hyatt established the Clinton Daily Herald, which has since been continuously published, and also a weekly edition. Mr. Hyatt, with the usual experience of the founders of dailies, met with financial disaster, and the paper, after various changes, was purchased by Josiah Russell, in April, 1873, who successfully and profitably conducted it until its sale to the present proprietor, Waldo M. Potter, in November, 1875. The Herald has always been an influential one in public and political affairs, having been Republican in politics from the beginning, and, under the present able management, wields a still more potent influence.

The Iowa Age was established at Clarence, Iowa, by E. H. Thayer, in the spring of 1868, but after a few weeks, was, in consequence of offers of finan- cial aid, removed to Clinton, and the name changed to the Clinton Age. It is still published by the original founder. It is Democratic in politics, and is ably edited.

The Clinton Bee was established October 12, 1871, by L. P. Allen ; was successfully published until August 1, 1873, when it was merged into the Clin- ton Herald, the job printing business of both concerns being concentrated in the establishment now conducted by Mr. Allen.

Iowa Volks Zeitung, the organ of the German citizens of the county, was established in 1866. It was for many years published by Pffeifer Bros., now in Oregon. It is now published by Matzen & Lietz.

Clinton Journal, Greenback organ, was established by Frank R. Bennett July 3, 1879, he having removed the material of the Delmar Journal, which he had published for several years, to this city.

BUSINESS STATISTICS.

The annual receipts at the freight office of the Chicago & North-Western Railway afford a very fair indication of the fluctuations in the business of the city, showing a steady increase for a series of years, and then a decline which it is the duty of the faithful historian to record, as well as the causes thereof, which were undoubtedly the damage done to the city's lumbering interests by heavy fires, successive seasons of low water, interfering with a full log sup- ply, and a tariff of freight charges, which operated against Clinton interests and enabled the lumbermen of Chicago to compete with the superior product and cheaper facilities of the Clinton dealers.

Digitized by Google

532

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

The earliest obtainable statistics are those of the year ending October 1866, for which time the records of the freight office showed as follows round figures :

FREIGHT RECEIVED.

Weight, in tons

8,000

Local charges on same. $ 36,000

FREIGHT FORWARDED.

Weight, in tons. 88,000

Local charges. $160,000

Thus showing, even at that early date, the value of this station to the road, and the extent of responsibility resting on the agent, Mr. E. A. Wadle Since that date, as might be expected, the business has increased enormou as the following statement of tonnage and cash business done at this office for last nine years will indicate, though, as above stated, conflicting interests lowered the business for 1878 below others, and below the indications for business for 1879.

The following statement shows the amount of freight forwarded from Clin during the years for which figures are obtainable, and illustrates the fluc tions owing to low water and injurious freight rates. The prospects for 1 indicate & return to the normal average: 1869, 78,000 tons ; 1870, 94,0 1871, 84,000; 1872, 71,000; 1873, 76,000; 1874, 85,000; 1875, 121,0 1876, 128,000; 1877, 112,000; 1878, 62,000.

The cash business done at the freight office during the past ten years, fl uated between the maximum, over $600,000, in 1876, and the minimum, al $300,000, in 1878.

The following figures, as to the freight received, do not vary as much, owing to the same causes as those for city exports, but, nevertheless, show the general business of the town depends upon the harvest, and, therefore, u the rural trade : 1870, 22,500 tons; 1871, 19,000; 1872, 16,000; 18 20,000; 1874, 23,000; 1875, 28,000; 1876, 27,500; 1877, 28,500; 18 22,000.

FINANCES.

The past and present financial status of the city of Clinton is one w) furnishes ground for a just pride. Circumstances may have had, to s extent, a controlling influence in shaping the financial policy of its early d Before it had attained a position as a city the "ballooning " days had p and the crash of 1857 had opened the eyes of many sister cities to the alarm fact of their almost hopeless plunge into the abyss of indebtedness. With t fate as a finger-post of warning, it did not require remarkable ability to re monitory lesson. At all events the city wisely resisted the allurements of for unwarranted public improvements, by which more pretentious cities so overwhelmed themselves with bonded indebtedness that they have been fo to choose between the Scylla of unbearable taxation, on the one hand, or Charybdis of practical repudiation on the other, and has thus escaped t fate. Capitalists have, in investing here, no apprehension of being annu taxed to meet the interest on city liabilities nearly as great as the total va tion of the property within its jurisdiction.

And yet the policy of the city has not been a niggardly one, but impr ments have been carried rapidly forward, and all that could be reasonably d in the way of those improvements necessary to the development of a rap increasing population was done.

Digitized by Google

533

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

With convenient city buildings, including a new jail ; with ample fire apparatus and hose houses ; with her streets and sidewalks in excellent con- dition, at the age of twenty-five years the city finds itself with a debt of only 866,022, including all bonds and floating indebtedness. Her credit is such that her bonds, which have never been defaulted, either principal or interest, are a popular security in Eastern money centers, and are, as they become due, refunded at once at reduced rates of interest.

The total assessment of property for the city of Clinton, for the year 1879, is, on real estate, $1,112,633; and, on personal property, $318,209, a total of $1,430,842. As the method is to make the valuation upon the assessment at, according to the judgment of the assessor, one-third the actual value of the property assessed, the above assessed valuation would make the actual value of the property within the city limits over four and a quarter millions of dollars, and the total city indebtedness would only be about one and one-half per cent upon that amount.

In the above statements the indebtedness of the school district is not included, that being summarized under its appropriate head.

The corporation taxes for the year 1878, were, for corporation, $19,967.40; water tax, $6,405.96; a total of $26,373.36 ; to which must be added sidewalk assessments and street improvements levied upon adjoining property.

THE CLINTON INSTITUTE.

A history of Clinton City would not be complete without a notice of the " Clinton Institute," of whose doings so much is known and so much more surmised. The record of its corporators will not be given, for two reasons, the principal one of which is that it is a thing that "no feller can find out;" and, secondly, the compiler has an eye to his personal safety. Some matters have, however, become history. and these are proper for such a work as this. From these detached historical facts, the reader can, by the aid of his imagi- nation, complete a picture that is thus outlined.

On the 15th of December, 1869, the following notice appeared in the Clinton Herald :

WANTED .- By the Clinton Institute, responsible and well-known parties to furnish the name and residence of each poor family in this city deserving, but unable to purchase, a ( hrist- mas turkey.

Also, wanted, the name and residence of each person in this vicinity owning turkeys. State where the turkeys roost, or are stored, and whether the owner keeps a dog or not. Address, CLINTON INSTITUTE, Post Office.

December 15, 1869.

Similar advertisements had annually appeared for some years before, and did for some years thereafter, and in response to information or knowledge gained by personal investigation, every such family was supplied with a plump Christmas turkey, the number thus annually distributed reaching into the hundreds.

On this annual recurrence of their Christmas benefaction, they included, among the needy, the family of a gentleman then one of the publishers of the Herald, who acknowledged the gift as follows :

THE EDITOR'S TURKEY.

" Witlaf, a king of the Saxons, Ere yet his last he breathed, To the merry monks of Croyland, His drinking-horn bequeathed-

Digitized by Google

534

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

" That, whenever they sat at their revels, And drank from the golden bowl, They might remember the donor, And breathe a prayer for his soul."-Longfellow.

Witlaf, a king of the Saxons, Not alone has come to think That man's tenderest spot is touched With something to eat or drink.

The "Institute"-right royal fellows, Each one that trains in its ranks, As the merry monks of Croyland, And as full, no doubt, of pranks,

Have often had their feastings At other men's expense (I cannot say they prayed for them), And grew quite happy ; hence,

When it was mooted around the board Whether poor editors were men,

It was said, that if 'twere 80; And perchance it were ; ergo, then,

An editor could eat of turkey, Without becoming ill; Would be touched in his tenderloin- " We'll try it; we will ! we will !"

" Fat let it be, and juicy, One of those that roosted low ;

How or where we got the bird He need not care to know."

The bird was sent-was cooked- Placed upon the board-and then The editor ate-was happy- And lived-like other men.

And as he ate, at Christmas, Turkey and other things to suit, He breathed his kindest wishes For the " Clinton Institute."

From the allusions in the above, it may be surmised that joviality entered largely into their composition, but tempered with a charity that covered a mul- titude of sins.

Subscribing most liberally toward the purchase of the bell which now peals from the Methodist tower, they could not let the occasion pass without a prac- tical joke. After the arrival of the bell, and it had been receipted for to the railroad officials, the freight having been donated, the bell was placed on the freight-house platform. Preparations were all made to raise, but when the dray went for it, it was nowhere to be found. Diligent search was made, but without success. Suspicion had, of course, fastened upon "The Institute," but no revelation resulted. At last, an intimation to a prominent member of the Methodist society, that the members of the Institute were hungry, led to an immediate invitation for the whole fraternity to banquet at one of the lead- ing hotels. After initiating the minister into the secrets of the Order, they did honor to the viands, and adjourned. At daylight, the bell was found attached to the hoisting-rope in the tower of the Church.

A lady who had achieved an enviable reputation as an elocutionist, in seek- ing for engagements for her readings, addressed one of her circulars to "The Clinton Institute," of which she had seen mention in some of the papers,

Digitized by Google

535

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

and which she supposed, naturally enough, to be a literary institution. The Institute held a meeting and instructed their Secretary to correspond with the lady, which he did, asking her terms for an evening's entertainment. To this she replied, stating that the fee required was $50. They replied accepting her terms, and designating the time when her services would be desired. In the mean time, they invited their wives and a few friends, and secured the parlors at the Central House for their hall. Upon the arrival of the lady, she in some way learned that the " Clinton Institute " was an association of jokers, and not so much a literary organization. As she stated afterward, she was never in such a dilemma before, as she feared some practical joke during the evening that might be embarrassing, and almost meditated flight by the first train, and yet she desired to earn and receive the stipulated compensation. She decided to remain, and, when she entered the parlors, she was greeted by a small but quite select audience of ladies and gentlemen, who soon placed her at her ease by the hearty exhibition of their appreciation of her really meritorious efforts.

A volume might be filled with facts relating to their railroad enterprises, editorial toil, agricultural pursuits, and literary labors, but we leave this for the future historian.

SUMMARY.

There have been few sensational events in Clinton's history, and even the criminal calendar is remarkably free from blood-curdling crimes or causes celebres. What serious crimes there have been committed against persons or property, especially crimes of violence, have been perpetrated, as a general rule, by those transient desperadoes who have found harboring-places at the bagnios on the opposite bank of the river. At those places, several shocking crimes have been committed, especially the beheading of Rexford by O'Neill, in 1873, which it does not at all come within the province of this work to even outline.

The most serious menaces to the peace of Clinton were during the beginning of the tramping era. In 1874, the vagrant nuisance was worst, some fifteen hundred to two thousand being estimated to be in the city at once, and their behavior becoming more and more ruffianly and insolent, until many were severely handled by the police authorities, Marshal Badger shooting one through the body after the desperado had covered him with a pistol ; and Marshal McKin- ley, with a huge club, on one occasion, single-handed, knocking down and arresting a desperate and threatening crowd. Tramps and harvesters have every year poured into the city by hundreds, accompanied by still worse characters, but they have invariably been kept in order by the civil authorities, aided, on one occasion, by a show of military forces.

Nor has the city suffered any overwhelming calamity by epidemic, fire or flood, though in 1865, and still more in 1871, the river rose obstreperously high. In April, 1871, the river covered two-thirds of the city, but the flood was neither deep nor swift, so no great damage was done, though great incon- venience was experienced in getting about. Street-car travel was greatly impeded for many weeks; skiffs took the place of carriages in passing to and from the Court House. Owing to the raising of Second street and the Midland embankment, the city is now protected by a double dyke from the recurrence of a similar inconvenience. The water-works are a safeguard against a sweep- ing conflagration, and the general intelligence of the people, freedom from crowding and skill of physicians, against any epidemic more extensive than that of the cholera outbreak in 1866.

Having previously indicated the condition of the city in 1863, when near- ing the close of the city's severe probation, it is interesting to observe, somewhat, Digitized by ogle

536

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

its course of after-growth. As the increase of Clinton's commercial and manufacturing interests, from 1864 to 1870, demanded a constantly increasing labor force, both real estate and building trades were, during that time, corres- pondingly active and buoyant. During the first half of the town's second decade, it grew like a tropical plant, almost visibly, day by day. In the cen- tral and northern parts of the city, blocks of plain but comfortable wooden houses, without much architectural pretension, but in well-kept and fenced yards, filled out and extended faster than the corresponding streets could be properly improved. During the same time, the business center of the town was definitely transferred to and concentrated on Second street and Fifth ave- nue, the former street being the natural thoroughfare between Lyons, the country, and the railroad and lower mills, and the latter avenue between the bluffs and the river. The expansion of the town to the southwest, on account of the fine bluff building-sites in that direction, led to the develop- ment, in 1868-70, of another distinct business center on Fourth street. When, in 1868, the late Charles Reed divided the lot on the corner of Tenth avenue and Fourth streets into store sites, the idea was thought by many to be absurd. At the end of but ten years from that date, there were seventeen brick and a large number of wooden business establishments in that quarter of the city. During the "good times " preceding 1873, the temporary structures that cov- cred so large a territory south of the railroad were replaced by permanent and comfortable dwellings, in which change employers wisely co-operated. Most of the workingmen in Clinton have become freeholders. Scarcely a tenement has been built in the city. During the past five years, a large and thrifty dwelling quarter has grown up between the slough in the northern part of the city and the former municipality of Ringwood, thereby extending the city vir- tually to the Court House, that, when built, was thought so far out of town, and beyond the old Pearce-Bennett stone house, that for so long stood solitary in that part of the city plat. That house was used as a hospital during the mus- tering of troops in war time. Since 1870, owing to the general awakening of Americans to the usual hideousness of their domestic architecture, and to peo- ple having leisure to build homes rather than houses for immediate shelter, as well as in deference to the necessities of the climate, there has been a vast improvement in the style and quality of the houses, new and rebuilt, in Clinton. Many specimens of tasteful architecture adorn the avenues, and Col. Van Deventer's suburban residence, at the head of Fifth avenue, has proved the pioneer of others scarcely less spacious. Since 1870, there has been an exten- sive transformation of temporary wooden business blocks into substantial brick and iron ones, till the business portion of the city compares favorably with that of any place of the same population.

A tolerably accurate indication of the ebb and flow of the general business of the city is afforded by the statistics elsewhere, of the amount of tonnage shipped and received via C. & N .- W. It is to be regretted that no similar statistics as to river exports are available, so that a more accurate summary could be obtained of the absolute amount of trade and manufacture of the town, which the figures given show but relatively. A large section of prosper- ous farming country in Illinois, was brought within the diocese of Clinton merchants by the enterprise of a lady, Mrs. S. B. Aiken, who, in 1871, estab- lished the ferry from South Clinton to Garden Plains, Ill., that has since been acquired and run by the Lambs. The opening of the Midland Railway, in 1870-71, while of dubious benefit in some respects, has probably tended to increase the aggregate business of the city.

Digitized by Google .

539

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

The depression of 1873, per se, had comparatively slight effect on Clinton, as the city's staple products were demanded no less than before. Probably the indirect results have been more or less injurious, but have not harmed the city's interests as much as local causes, alluded to elsewhere, such as low water and low prices for farm produce.

From the moralists' view, even more creditable to Clinton than any degree of material prosperity has been the hopefulness and patience of her toilers during the period of falling wages, and, in the lumber business, several short seasons. This has been largely due to the sensible and manly course both of the large employers and the majority of their employes. During the strike epidemic of the summer of 1877, the disturbance in Clinton was but slight, no violence or destruction of property being attempted. Nor, however much inevitable low wages may have cramped workingmen, have they made their condition worse by ill-advised strikes against a state of things due to inex- orable causes, and as unwelcome to employers as to employed.

Clinton secured, in the fall of 1872, a convenient northern route, by the opening of the Chicago, Clinton & Dubuque, an important link in the system of railways parallel with the river, as, during the summer of 1879, through cars began running via the C., C. & D. and Clinton Bridge, between La Crosse and Rock Island, being the first passenger coaches other than those of the lines con- trolling the bridges that ever crossed it, except as specials. There have been numerous plans to build another bridge, so as to secure two competing shipping routes eastward, but hitherto none of the schemes for securing the desired railroad and wagon bridge have been realized. The C., B. & Q. halts its trains on the east side, and the extensive trade of Whiteside County has to come to Clinton by ferry, except when the friendly sealing of the river by an ice bridge perceptibly stimulates Clinton's mercantile business.

During the past year, several new manufacturing industries have been inaugurated, notably the barbed-wire shop of Messrs. Charles Alden and Charles Armstrong, and the spring-bed factory of George Bauder & Co., which have together made the old car and chair factory again echo with the hum of industry, and proved the availability of Clinton as a distributing point.

At present writing, the city of Clinton is visibly entering its second and permanent stage of prosperity-one neither exotic nor fictitious, but due to inward expansion rather than to external stimulus. With constantly growing trade, new manufactures developing, mills and factories running over time, the prospects are that speedily will again be realized the springtide of business in 1874, when July was probably the maximum month in Clinton's industrial history. Probably the present monthly pay-roll of wage-workers in the city does not fall much short of $100,000, which argues a fair per-capita income for the masses, and consequent popular comfort, independence and an intel- lectual and social progress that in another quarter of a century, will still more wonderfully transform the prairie of twenty-five years ago.

Digitized by Google

540

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

DE WITT TOWNSHIP.

BY R. J. CROUCH.

De Witt Township contains about fifty-five square miles of territor is composed of parts of Congressional Townships numbers 80, 81 north, Ranges 3 and 4 east, and in territorial extent is much the largest ship in the county.

The northern, northeastern and western portions are beautiful, und prairie, well adapted to purposes of agriculture. Many of the finest fa be found in the State are here situated.

It is is also well watered and timbered. Silver Creek runs throu entire western portion of the township from north to south. Ames C stream about eight miles in length, takes its rise in the northeastern the township, runs southeasterly and empties its waters into the " W River, which river forms the entire southern boundary of the township. the banks of these streams the timber is good, while Independence so called by reason of the first settlers (the Eldreds), having located her 4, 1837, with Ames' timber in the southeastern part of the townshi Round Grove in the center, are large groves of excellent timber, and al much timber and wood have been annually used for firewood and other pu there is, no doubt, that at present there is much more timber and of a quality than at the original settlement of the township.

EARLY HISTORY.

From what can now be gathered from that mythical personage, the inhabitant, it is pretty well settled that the first settlement in what is n limits of this township was made at Round Grove by A. G. Harrison, in Mr. H. came down from Dubuque in company with his brother-in-law Loring Wheeler, a short time before this, and both made claims. H remained, put up a small cabin and proceeded to open a farm. Col. W returned to Dubuque, where he was engaged in business, and remained until the year 1841, when he removed to this township, having accept appointment of Clerk of the Territorial Court from Judge Thomas S. V who was then Associate Justice of the Territory. Very soon after H located here, in the same year, Abraham Folcke and family located at now known as the Campbell farm, in the western part of the township, two and one-half miles west of the town of De Witt. This was the fire ily that settled in the town. In the autumn of the same year, Geor Ames, an old miner from Dubuque, and Dr. Ames, his brother, Thomas field, D. F. Bly, Hiram Loomis and John . Black located in the southe portion of the township near what is known as Ames' timber, and made of large tracts of land. Dr. Ames, who was afflicted with consun remained one year, returned to Dubuque, where he died of that disease in

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The History of Clinton County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its., Part 64

Author: Western Historical Co , Western Historical Company Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 807

Author: Western Historical Co , Western Historical Company
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 807