USA > Iowa > Boone County > The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing biographical sketches war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of Boone county etc. > Part 52
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" Everything in the matter of railroads is going on fully up to our most sanguine expectations. For the purpose of selecting lands the road is lo- cated from the Mississippi river to the Missouri, and maps of its route de- posited in the office of the secretary of state, and also in the several land offices in the State. It comes in on the route first surveyed to section 21, thence down Honey creek to the Des Moines river. This brings it right in front of the Keeler house, on one of the lots that I told you of hereto- fore, and thence down Honey creek, crossing our timber lot and coal beds. This is as good as we can ask. You'll see how this is by looking at the plan I enclose in this. The road is under contract for working from Clin- ton to Cedar Rapids, Linn county, and also from Lyons to Marion, the county seat of Linn county, and also from Sabula to Maquoketa. This you'll understand better with the map of Iowa before you. These three roads all unite to form the central air line road. All these roads are to be completed for running to Cedar Rapids by next fall. That is within one
413
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
hundred and ten miles, or almost half the distance to this place, and if completed according to contract I think the cars will reach this place in one year from next fall. The road is to be located and put under contract as early in the coming spring as it is possible to do it. They have already sent on new blank contracts, bills of timber, plans and specifications of the bridge across the Des Moines, preparatory to receiving proposals for the construction of the bridge, so that the route here is beyond question in my view. The intention of the company was to have located the road for work- ing to this place before the setting in of the present winter, but it came too soon for them. They had three corps of surveyors at work, but they were obliged to disband on account of the severity of the weather, to resume it again as soon as the weather permits. A number of young men in this place were engaged in it. You'll see that a winter campaign is not possi- ble here as at the East, where they can always find houses at night. Here they are much of the time ten miles from any house.
"I am at loss to determine where the depot will be-whereabouts from our lot-but I think it can't be far from it, and I have a pretty strong faith to believe that the day is not distant when our lot will be the center of this town. I have plenty of applications to purchase an acre for build- ing on, and I could probably sell single acres now from $50 to $100; but thus far I have sold none. From present prospects I consider it advisable to hold on awhile. I buy rather than sell. All Eastern men, especially Yankees, select their building sites ont there, and I bought three of one acre each of Keeler, adjoining ours on the east, for three different men in Vermont, who will build upon them in the spring. Keeler sold them at $20 a piece, in consideration that they build a good house upon it, which they will do. They are to move here this spring. He will not sell any more so, however. Charles Pomeroy, of Meriden, Conn., has just moved here about four weeks since. Last week he bought the forty acres adjoin- ing ours on the northwest, and paid $15 per acre, and will immediately build his dwelling-house upon it adjoining ours. Now I give you the present appearance of matters, and I think they will indicate to you as they do to ine that we have a very valuable purchase, and I hope to realize $1,000 per acre from it soon, and if the road is built according to present prospects. a man to insure that, at any rate we get something pretty fair out of it. Time must determine. We can't lose anything. "
The house of Keeler' which he referred to is the same building now known as the St. James Hotel, and probably is not more than forty feet from the site where it was located as early as 1856.
When Blair became dissatisfied with the conduct of the people of Boones- boro he doubtless had frequent consultations witli Holcomb, and the latter agreed to lay out his land in town lots and give Blair two-thirds of them if he would adopt his scheme. There was another tract of wild land near by owned by B. F. Allen, of Des Moines, consisting of 1,320 acres, and after Blair had his last conference with the committee he hastened to Des Moines and made a conditional bargain for Allen's land. He then returned to Boonesboro and the three days having expired and the committee not having done anything further, Blair drove to Nevada and telegraphed to Allen closing the bargain for the land. That telegram fixed the fate of Boonesboro and established the enterprising and flourishing city of Boone, which then as yet consisted of but one or two houses and was known by the euphonious name of Plugtown.
414
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
The railroad was completed to the present site of the depot by August, 1865, and regular trains were running soon after. The station was called Boone, and the town which soon began to spring up was for several years known as Montana. The fact that Holcomb realized over $30,000 out of his one-third share of the forty-acre tract, will afford some idea of the profits made by Blair and his confederates at the expense of Boonesboro. The road was completed across the county shortly afterward, and was leased to the Chicago & Northwestern railway company. Boone was made the terminus of a division, a round-house was erected, and here were estab- lished offices for the transaction of quite an amount of the general business of the road.
There are 27.53 miles of this railroad in Boone county, and beside Boone there are three other stations-Moingona, Ogden and Beaver. The round- house was begun October, 1866, and was completed in 1868. It contains twenty-nine stalls, and cost about $25,000. The pay-roll of the shops con- nected with the round-house amount to from $3,000 to $5,000 per month. The road during the past few years has been supplied with new steel rails, and is now one of the best roads in the West. The condition of the track is such that very fast time can be made with perfect safety, and it is be- coming a favorite route for through travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic. About the first of June, 1876, Jarrett & Palmer, theatrical managers, char- tered a train to convey their company from New York to San Francisco; and, to advertise their business, were to make the trip in eighty-eight hours. Their route across Iowa was over this road. The train left Clinton at 1:15 A. M., and arrived at Cedar Rapids at 3:18, making the distance of 81.3 miles in two hours and three minutes. From Cedar Rapids to Marshall, a distance of 69.3 miles, was made in one hour and forty-seven minntes; from Marshall to Boone, a distance of 51.7 miles, in one hour and twenty- two minutes; from Boone to Council Bluffs, a distance of 148.1 miles, in three hours and fifty-seven minutes. The entire distance across the State of 350.4 miles was made in nine hours and nine minutes, making an aver- age of a mile in a little over 13 minutes.
The following statistics will give some idea of the business done by the road in Boone county :
BOONE STATION.
1877.
Freight received. 18,781,970 pounds 66 forwarded 63,144,608 66
Total 81,826,578 pounds
Amount realized from sale of tickets. $25,838.53
Telegraph earnings
1,113.78
SHIPMENTS OF COAL.
Logan & Canfield.
1210 cars
Arnold, Wilbur & Co
299 66
Lower Vein Coal Co.
711
Boone and Marshall Coal Co
51 66
Rogers & Co
37
Stein & Conway
12
Total
2320 cars
415
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
FREIGHT RECEIVED DURING YEAR 1878.
MONTHS.
WEIGHT LBS.
UNPAID FR'T.
ADVANCED FR'T.
PREPAID.
January .
ยท
742,152|
$ 2,201 58|
$ 319 91|
$ 13 33
February
1,035,917
3,269 67
618 62
17 13
March
2,604,670
5,024 38
987 37
70 73
April
1,581,009
4,198 13
413 07
68 14
May
1,947,369
4,649 29
444 53
23 03
June
1,455,231
3.413 85
576 55
8 32
July
1,833,826
3,118 90
708 78
17 87
August
2,801,156
4,704 34
788 68
273 90
September
2,234,285
5,821 32
817 10
19 82
October
2,341,685
6,190 67
1,698 47
148 26
November
1,462,219
4,032 95
644 65
240 92
December
683,444
2,447 89
431 67
106 56
Total
20,122,969
$ 49,872 98
$ 8,449 30
$ 1,008 01
FREIGHT FORWARDED.
MONTHS
WEIGHT LBS.
UNPAID FR'T.
ADVANCED FREIGHT
PREPAID FR'T.
January
9,844,518
$ 2,860 36
$ 1,668 62
$ 21 89
February
3.830,387
5,506 85
501 96
19 36
March .
3,551,220
6,131 44
412 98
30 19
April
4,104,759
6.955 46
441 39
41 42
May
4,756,295
10,584 74
342 10
86 46
June
2,684,441
6,078 27
182 06
33 84
July
1,973,043
6,286 72
436 27
35 80
August
3,255,929
4,865 75
176 23
290 91
September
5,880,773
6,952 46
711 27
68 37
October
7,100,036
7,807 81
958 95
103 21
November
7,189,505
9,971 26
862 95
41 82
December
7,711,987
8,054 44
1,169 45
38 78
Total
61,302,893
$ 85,055 26
$ 7,864 23
$ 812 05
Grand total ...
81,425,862
$134,928 24
$16,313 53
$1,820 06
Amount from sale of tickets.
$25,742 37
Telegraph earnings.
1,228 20
BUSINESS FOR 1879.
Pounds freight received . 51,489,540
Pounds freight forwarded 19,143,566
Total
70,633,106
416
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
Unpaid freight received $ 86,666 16 50,235 70
Unpaid freight forwarded
Total
$136,901 86
Advanced freight received $ 4,450 43
Advanced freight forwarded 7.618 44
Total $12,068 87
Unpaid freight received $473 70
Unpaid freight forwarded 477 86
Total $951 56
Local tickets sold. $19,800 86
Coupon tickets sold 6,598 24
Total $26,399 10
Telegraph earnings . $1,652 67
Thus it will be seen that during the two past years, 1878 and 1879, the business done by the railroad at Boone station alone has amounted to the sum of $358,006.36.
During the year 1878 there were shipped over the road from Ogden. among other freight, the following by one firm alone: 90,000 bushels of corn, 30,000 bushels of oats, 15,000 bushels of wheat and 200 ears of stock.
During the year 1879 there were shipped from the same place, by one firm, the following: 200 cars of stock, 20,000 bushels of corn, and by the middle of March, 1880, there were for that year over 25,000 bushels of corn forwarded.
Some facts with regard to the cost of the road and the immense profits of the builders:
The actual cost of the road was $11,800 per mile, and for building it the construction company, composed of Blair, Walker & Co., received the fol- lowing: All the public land grant consisting of 735,997.80 acres; $16,000 of bonds per mile and $16,000 of stock per mile; the foregoing from the Cedar Rapids and Missouri company. In addition to this they received in each county through which the road passes local subsidies, such as swamp lands, labor and money; these local subsidies amounted, in Boone county, to over $100,000, besides the profits made ont of the city of Boone. From the foregoing it will readily be seen that the parties who built the road were not bankrupted by the transaction, the lands alone having been sold in 1869 for $S00,000.
The swamp lands donated to the road by Boone county amounted to 15,886,85-100 acres; in story county 10,608,05-100, making a total from these two connties of 26,494,90-100 acres.
After the road was built, the county commissioners, concluding that the company had not complied with the conditions of the contract refused to convey the swamp lands to the company, and proceeding just as if no con- tract had been made, continued to dispose of the lands to private parties.
417
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
The railroad company brought suit, and after being carried up to the higher conrts judgment was rendered against the county. Computing the lands at a reasonable value, interest and costs, the railroad cost the county in the corporate capacity over $100,000.
How the swamp lands came into the possession of the county, what they were and how selected and managed, are matters which will be treated of in another chapter.
The Des Moines and Fort Dodge Railroad, commonly known as the Des Moines Valley Railroad, is properly an extension of the Keokuk, Des Moines and Minnesota Railroad and was a few years ago so considered, and operated as a part of it. This road was begun during the year 1856, and the first iron was laid at Keokuk on the 9th day of September of that year. Work was done on this road from time to time but not much progress was made. The attempt to improve the Des Moines River having proved a failure, the General Assembly of the State passed a joint resolution April 7th, 1862, recommending that as there was some question as to the extent of the grant to the River Company, Congress extended the grant to the north bonndary of the State and that a certain portion of the grant be applied to the construction of the Keokuk, Des Moines & Minnesota Rail- road. An act of Congress complying with this recommendation was approved July 12th, 1862. By this aet there were granted in aid of this railroad over one million acres of land. When the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company were about to locate their line from Des Moines northi, and after the road was completed to the latter place there was much con- troversy about the location of the line. A large proportion of the people of Boone county wanted the road to run on the east side of the river. The people of Fort Dodge and a large proportion of the people of Webster county were also anxious to have it located on the east side, otherwise it was possible that it might miss them altogether. Hence, some of the leading citizens of Boone and Webster counties united their influence, pledging their faith to each other to work for the common interest. The railroad company was not bound by law to follow any particular route; the only condition prescribed was that the road should run up the valley of the Des Moines; near the river, and especially on the east side, the lands were well improved, thus making it difficult for the company to secure right of way and depot grounds without paying for them. If the road were located further off from, and west of the river its course would be through a new and unimproved country where right of way, depot grounds and town sites could be procured for nothing or at very small prices. For these reasons the company was desirous of locating the road west of the river. The peo- ple of Webster and Boone counties through their representatives in the General Assembly used their influence to bring the road along a route which would most benefit them. When their object was about to be obtained, it is averred by the representatives of Boone county that the Fort Dodge men sold out Boone county and agreed for the road to run west of the river provided it would come to their town. The road was accordingly built along that route, passing only across the southwest corner of Boone county, no part whereof being benefited except Union township, and that being compelled to levy a heavy tax to pay for the small benefit. The extension of the road from Des Moines was begun in the spring of 1869, and completed to Fort Dodge the following year. On account of the pecu- liar route selected, the road has proved to be of less benefit to the State
418
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
than any other built by land grants and its business is so meager that it scarcely pays running expenses. Thus were a few avaricious and unscrupu- lous men suffered to misappropriate one of the most magnificent land grants made by the general government in the interests of Iowa, while the people received little or no benefit therefrom.
The Iowa Railway, Coal and Manufacturing Company is an exclusively Boone county enterprise. This company owns three and a half miles of track which extends from the Chicago and Northwestern track to the coal mines northwest of Boonesboro. The company was incorporated November 15th, 1873, the incorporators being as follows: Charles A. Sherman, L. D. Cook, T. N. Canfield and J. W. Barnhart of Boonesboro; A. Joice and J. E. Black of Boone ; H. C. Hall of Newhall, New York. The citizens of Boonsboro and vicinity agreed to raise seven thousand dollars as a subsidy; of this amount they actually raised five thousand, and the road was begun in April 1874. About this time Delos Arnold, of Marshalltown, identified himself with the enterprise and it was chiefly through his influence and that of Mr. Sherman that the road was completed during the following October. Although, but three and a half miles in length, this road does a large business and is of immense value to the county as it affords the only ontlet of the best coal mines in the county. The following statistics will afford a correct idea of the amount invested in this road and the extent of its business :
Capital stock authorized by articles of association $ 500,000
Par value of shares. 100
Average price received per share. 50
Amount of. full paid stock held in Iowa. 600,000
Value of road-bed, including rails and bridges, ete
20,000 00
rolling stock.
3,300 00
66 stations, buildings, etc.
2,200 00
all other property 500 00
" of road per mile 8,000 00
The total amount expended in constructing the road was. . . The total cost of equipping the road amounted to. 4,000 00 41,351 72
Making the entire cost of constructing and equipping the road aggregate the sum of .. 45,351 72
The total earnings of the road during the year 1877 amounted to the sum of 9,425 34
The total expenses of operating the road for the year 1877 amounted to 6,411 11
Making the excess of receipts over operating expenses amount to the sum of 3,560 99
The principal business of the road consists in transporting coal from the mines located northwest of Boonesboro to the line of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad at Boone station. The road probably does not at present pay a very large dividend on the money invested in its construction, but it is a very important enterprise in its bearing on the mining interests of the county. Without it there would be no means of conveying the products of at least three of the most productive mines of the county, within range of markets. These mines employ hundreds of workinen throughout the year; hundreds of car loads of coal annually are shipped
419
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
elsewhere, and thus is this little railroad a most important factor in the solution of the problem of material prosperity.
Charles A. Sherman, of Boonesboro, is president of the company and general manager of the railroad. The general offices and headquarters of the company are located at Boonesboro.
NEWSPAPERS.
It is generally considered that there is no education which surpasses in practical benefit the newspaper which visits the home, and dealing with home matters, home interests and local surroundings, appeals to the intel- lect and the pride of the family by making its readers acquainted with that which immediately surrounds them. The influence of the local newspaper is generally underrated. Its treatment of great questions may be weak, but its appeals on behalf of its county or city seldom fall unheeded, or are cast aside as useless. It is gratifying that we can enter upon the history of newspapers in this county, after a careful examination of them at every period in the history of the county since they were established, and see the good they have done, and find that they have been so strong and influential as they have. Few other counties have had a larger number of papers, and there has been no time in its history but its newspapers have compared most favorably with the best which surrounded them in other counties of greater popularity and pretensions. They have been found always on the right side of the great questions which affect the morals of a community; temperance, Sunday-schools, schools, and the higher education, and with every movement looking to progress. There have been published as many as eleven papers in Boone county, possibly more. The papers which have been published are as follows: "News," "Times," "Advocate," "Republi- can," "Democrat," "Herald," "Times," "Index," "Standard," "Democrat" and "Reporter." Of these at least seven are no more. Although they ap- peared under favorable auspices, and in the morning of life gave flattering promises of long and eventful careers, they soon succum bed to the vicissitudes of time. Decay immediately seized on their mortal remains, and they would be forever forgotten but for the little space herewith vouchsafed.
The first printing office was established in Boonesboro in July, 1856, by Ca- pron & Sanders. They issued a paper called the Boone county "News," which continued about four years. It was Republican in politics, and considering the fact that the county was then sparsely settled, and the taste for reading was not so generally cultivated then as now, the paper enjoyed a fair meas- ure of prosperity. After publishing the "News" for about four years, the proprietors sold it to J. F. Alexander who continued its publication for the space of two years, when he sold the press and material to John A. Hull. Soon after purchasing the press and material Mr. Hull began the publica- tion of a Democratic paper called the "Boonesboro Times." After publish- ing the paper for about two years, Mr. Hull found that he could not do justice to his rapidly increasing law practice and publish a newspaper at the same time; consequently he discontinued the publication of the "Times" and devoted his attention exclusively to his law business. The office then remained idle about one year, when it was purchased by O. C. Bates, who began the publication of a neutral paper called the "Boonesboro Advocate."
In those days there was not so much newspaper enterprise, neither was there so inviting a field for its employment even had it existed. The paper
420
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
published by Bates, however, was a very creditable sheet and in re- speet to its typographical appearance was above the average of those days. An article which appeared in the issue of December 20, 1865, shows that editors then as now had a special license to use scurrilous language. The article was as follows:
" EDITORIAL ABUSE .- The Boonesboro Index, a little squalid sheet, that for a season flourished and then flattened in Boonesboro, and gained the only notoriety it possessed through the imbecility and treachery of its ed- itor, and at length went to perdition with a Gallop, took especial pains in its agonizing death-throes, in this place, to quote from the Marshall Times a half column of senrrilons abuse which the pious Henderson, of that lick-spittle sheet dedicated to us. Gallup, not possessing the ability or the manhood to fight his own battles, hides himself under the filthy mantle which Henry Clay Dean cast off when he left Iowa, and which Henderson of the "Times" picked up and now vauntingly sports, and under cover of this polluted garment spits the scum of his scurrilous nature at the "Advocate."
" Ever since the initial number of our paper, Gallup has been fighting us with borrowed amunition. With no brains of his own, and no friends, in this locality, to loan him any, the pitiful pup has been compelled to carry on his political, personal, and local campaigns on borrowed capital, and characteristic of his mental weakness, he crawls into Henderson's filth and attempts to besmear ns with the concentrated essence of corruption, which gives to that paper a more notorious than enviable reputation, but
"Let the 'Times' besmear and the 'Index' bespatter; The scum of the former will stick to the latter. While the 'Times' is the fountain, the 'Index' may quench Its thirst for pollution. and extend the stench Which Henderson scatters with a virulent quill, And Gallup drinks in-like a hog sucking swill."
In 1866 Bates sold the " Advocate " to J. J. Mitchell and B. F. Hilton. Upon taking charge of the paper these gentlemen changed it from a nen- tral to a Republican paper. Mr. Mitchell assumed control of the editorial management, while Hilton attended to the mechanical and business affairs of the office.
In the first number of the paper issned by the new firm August 2d, 1866, Mr. Mitchell published the following salutatory:
" Having purchased of Mr. Bates the press and printing material of the ' Boone County Advocate,' and assumed control of the same, we suppose cus- tom and a proper respect for our patrons require that we should say a word or two in relation to the future character of the periodical of which we have taken charge, and of our course in connection with the same.
" Before proceeding farther, we desire to say that we expect its publication and our connection with the same to be a permanent matter, and not sub. ject to that constant change which has heretofore characterized newspaper publication in Boone county.
" Believing that a periodical at this place, if properly conducted, will meet with a remunerative support, and further believing that that remu- neration will be in proportion to the merits of our paper, we shall spare no efforts to render our paper as interesting to our patrons as possible.
421
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
We shall devote especial attention to matters of local interest to our own and adjoining counties.
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