USA > Iowa > Jackson County > The history of Jackson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion history of the Northwest, history of Iowa miscellaneous matters, &c > Part 67
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FIRST FOURTH OF JULY.
The first Fourth of July celebration in Charleston was in 1840. The settlers resolved upon a royal time, and, in that day, a hickory stick for liberty- pole and flag-staff was indispensable. A fine staff was secured on one of the islands above town and was tall and slender, of the proportions of a bamboo- pole. This was erected at the public landing, near the water's edge. Then a
ag was manufactured by sewing together strips of red and white flannel. The pioneers had no facilities for painting stars on the flag, so these were voted superfluous.
The celebration consisted in speaking during the day, a feast in the evening and a ball at night. After the dinner, or supper it might be termed, toasts were given with responses. The settlers must have a genuine "red eye," as it was termed, with each sentiment, and, about the fifth round, the ladies were obliged to hold their ears to save themselves from deafness through the boister- ous cheers in which their liege lords were indulging as each happy response was made.
The liberty-pole, we are informed, was cut down by Absalom Montgomery and one Livemore, from Maquoketa, some time subsequent to the celebration. These parties had come over from Maquoketa to have a little sport and they took that means to set the ball rolling.
For these incidents we are indebted to Pioneer Dominy, of Sabula.
CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI.
It may be imagined the Mississippi was an obstruction of considerable diffi- culty in the path of the settlers, and, with the rude means of ferriage at hand in an early day, no little difficulty was experienced in crossing.
For a number of years, the only means of passing from Savanna to Sabula during the summer months, was by means of a scow ferry, that is, a flat-boat
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
propelled by oars or poles. Dr. Sugg tells us that the first time he crossed the river at Sabula was one stormy evening in 1842. On the ferry were two wagons, a horseman and nine or ten persons. Just after leaving the Illinois shore, one of the men using his oar for the purpose of pushing upon the bottom, lost it in the mud, leaving the craft afloat with a single oar. It became unman- ageable and drifted about among the islands and treetops, almost sweeping the wagons and teams from the deck of the boat. Finally, after much labor and considerable fright, with the use of some of the flooring of the flat for oars, they succeeded in making the Iowa shore some distance below town.
Afterward, Dr. Sugg returned for his goods and stock, bringing from his former home five horses, eighty-two head of cattle, one hundred and five sheep and a lot of fine chickens. These, with two large wagons drawn by oxen, made no mean outfit for an emigrant in those days. The Doctor did not wish to risk the ferriage at Sabula, and resolved on crossing the river at Rock Island. Such were the inconveniences attendant upon travel and crossing at that day that he was nine days in coming from Rock River Slough, oppo- site Davenport, to the north bank of the Wapsipinicon, a distance, we believe, of about twenty-four miles.
At Sabula was ferried the first locomotive ever on the soil of Jackson County, in the fall of 1870.
Dr. Sugg gave us a couple of incidents connected with the early settlement, which we here record as condiments for numerous dry facts which a work of this nature necessarily contains.
A citizen named McBride, who still lives a short distance south of Sabula, was one day in the lower part of town, before it really became a village, and seeing a steamer ascending the river, was driven by a native impulse to hail the craft. It was then the custom of the Captain to land wherever he was hailed if it were possible. The boat was turned to the shore in obedience to the pioneer's summons on the supposition that the latter had some freight to send up the river. When the steamer had made the landing, the Captain inquired what was wanted. "Got a woman on board ?" inquired McBride, " I have a yoke of cattle here and I want to trade them off for a woman." It is said the Captain was still swearing when he reached Bellevue, while McBride to this day continues in a life of single blessedness, his early hopes doubtless blasted by the heartlessness and profanity of the "Mississippi tar."
While Thomas Cox was making the original survey of some of the lands about Sabula, and was surrounded by a company of Government employes of which he was in charge, he was approached one day by a minister of the Gospel, who modestly offered a remark of welcome to the self-glorious engineer, who, as usual, was the worse for liquor. "Well, who are you?" asked Cox. The reverend gentleman responded with the gentleness becoming his sacred profession, and inquired of the man of level and compass whom he was addressing? Drawing his burly form up to its full height, the surveyor responded, " I, sir, am Col. Thomas Cox, supposed to be the smartest man in this part of the world." It is presumed the missionary congratulated himself on the distinguished acquaint- ance he had made and would doubtless be impressed with the fact that some pioneers were not lacking in self-confidence.
INCORPORATION.
In the County Court, July 5, 1864, was filed a petition by J. O. Bard, Israel Day and Thomas Esmay, as agents, requesting the privilege of incorpo- rating the town of Sabula. This petition was signed by a majority of all the
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legal voters of the village of Sabula, and a proclamation was issued by the County Judge, asking all parties interested to appear and show reason, if any, why the prayer of the petitioners should not be granted on the first Monday of September, 1864. The petition was granted in due time, and the boundaries of the town declared as follows :
" Commencing at the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section No. 19, in Township 84, north of Range No. 7, east of the Fifth Principal Meridian ; thence south on the half-section line 320 rods to the southwest corner of the southeast of said section ; thence east on the section line 160 rods to the southeast corner of the southeast quarter of said section ; thence south on the section line 160 rods to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter to Sec- tion No. 29 in said township ; thence east to the main channel of the Mississippi River; thence northerly up the main channel of said river to where a line on the section line running east on the section line from the place of beginning would strike the main channel of said river, being a point on the north line of Section No. 20 in said township ; thence west on the north line of said Sec- tions 20 and 19 to ths place of beginning."
The first election was directed to be held at the "Iowa Exchange," in the town of Sabula, and the 3d day of February, 1865, was appointed as the day on which the first election should be held. For the purpose of conducting the election, the following judges were appointed : P. M. Kimball, L. Lammers and John Esmay. The clerks were Virtus Lund and B. H. A. Henningsen.
At this election, 47 votes were cast for Mayor, of which H. G. Crary received 42, with the other 5 scattering. There was, in fact, no opposition made to Mr. Crary. J. F. Fairbank was elected Recorder, and M. C. Law- rence, M. Hein, D. K. Lincoln, J. Scarborough and Virtus Lund were elected the office of Trustees.
At the first meeting of the Town Council, Mr. H. G. Crary was appointed Town Assessor.
An election was held again on the 6th day of March, 1865, being the day appointed by the law for the holding of the same. At this election, there were 116 ballots cast.
July 16, 1866. by order of the Council, was submitted to a vote of the cit- izens of Sabula, the question of issuing bonds to the amount of $6,000, bear- ing 10 per cent interest, for the purpose of building a suitable jail for the city, and of improving the turnpike leading north out of town, making it one foot above the high water of 1859, to be eighteen feet wide on top, to be covered top and sides with stone to the depth of eight inches.
At this election, 90 votes were cast, of which number 86 were for the loan. The turnpike improvement was let to J. C. Pitkin, at the con- tract price of $4,700. The contract, however, provided that Pitkin should only furnish a certain amount of dirt at that figure, and when, upon survey, it was found to require about 50 per cent more filling than was estimated, he was allowed 15 cents per yard for the extra amount.
In the improvement of this turnpike, the town was encouraged by an appro- priation of $2,300 from the county treasury, and, in 1867, some $2,000 more were expended in the completion of this highway, making the entire cost $7,181.65.
For the reason that the turnpike proved more expensive than was antici- pated, the bonds were not issued to build the jail as voted above, and the mat- ter of voting a tax of 5 mills for the purpose of building a city calaboose, was submitted to the people at the general election in 1870, and resulted in a
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vote of 139 to 8. in favor of the tax. After the tax had been voted, it was pro- poscd, in the City Council, that a two-story building be erected, the first floor to be occupied as a jail, and the second floor as a counci-lroom and town hall. This proposition met with the hearty approval of the Trustees, and plans hav- ing been prepared, the Council advertised for sealed bids from contractors for building same. The bids received were as follows: M. C. Lawrence, $987; Henry Heckert, $1,000; W. H. Reid, $940. The contract was awarded to Mr. Reid. The building, however, was not completed until some years later.
In 1871, at the time of the building of the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota Railroad, of which an account has been given in the county history, the rail- road company secured from the town the privilege to build their road upon the turnpike leading south out of town. The company contracted to replace the same, but failing to satisfactorily finish or fill their part of the contract, some litigation ensued, as a result of, which, the railroad company, in addition to building a road across the swamp, paid to the town $3,000 in cash.
In 1868, it was discovered that there was no plat of the town of Sabula on record. It appears that in 1836, when this portion of the county was a part of the county of Dubuque, of the Territory of Wisconsin, that a plat had been made of what was then known as Carrollport, subsequently Charleston, and later, Sabula. This plat was placed on record in Dubuque, as was sup- posed, but an attempt to find it there resulted in failure. The people of Sabula, therefore, had no legal title to their lots and it became necessary to call in the assistance of the Legislature. A re-survey of the town was made as nearly as possible to correspond to the original plat, and this was placed on record in Jackson County. A memorial was then prepared by order of the City Council and forwarded to the State Legislature, requesting an act providing that the title of lands or lots in Sabula should continue valid as if the new plat had all the time been recorded. The prayer of the petitioners was complied with and the titles to town property perfected.
The question of purchasing a fire engine was several years ago strongly agitated by the Town Council, and two or three engines were brought to town and tested with a view of procuring one. The Council. however, failed to purchase, and the fire apparatus of Sabula to-day consists of a score or so of rubber buckets with several ladders. There is no properly organized fire department.
The financial management of the city has usually been a conservative one, and at no time has any great debt oppressed its citizens.
There are now no bonds outstanding, no warrants unpaid and about $1,000 in the city treasury, a fact which speaks well for Sabula's finances. The aver- age expenses of the city government are less than $1,000 per year.
The assessed valuation of property within the city limits, for the present year, is $128,129. This represents, perhaps, onc-third of the real value. During the past year, the tax levy for city purposes has been 8 mills on the dollar.
The city supports a license law in the matter of regulating saloons. An attempt was made to enforce the prohibitory law for some months subsequent to the temperance wave of 1878, but proving unsuccessful, the people elected a license Council in 1879, which placed the license for selling ale, beer, wine and cider at $75 per annum.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
TOWN OFFICERS.
The following is the roster of the officers of the town of Sabula, elected and served during the years named :
1865-Mayor, John Hilsinger ; Recorder, J. F. Fairbank ; Marshal, James Seeber (resigned) ; Treasurer, Thomas Esmay; Assessor, Israel Day. Trustees -J. C. Day, J. O. Bard, P. G. Stiles, H. G. Crary and L. H. Steen.
1866-Mayor, John Hilsinger; Recorder, William H. Reid ; Treasurer, Thomas Esmay ; Marshal, Jacob Oswald (resigned); Assessor, Israel Day. Trustees-John O. Bard, E. A. Wood, M. H. Long, O. G. Risley, J. C. Day. 1867-Mayor, John Hilsinger ; Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, John Scarborough ; Marshal, J. C. Pitkin ; Assessor, Israel Day. Trustees-J. C. Day, N. C. White, J. O. Bard, M. S. Allen and O. G. Risley.
1868-Mayor, J. Hilsinger; Recorder, Harvey Reid; Treasurer, Thomas Esmay ; Marshal, James Guilfoil ; Assessor, A. C. Simpson. Trustees-J. C. Day, J. O. Bard, P. G. Stiles, N. C. White and O. G. Risley.
1869-Mayor, J. Hilsinger ; Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, Thomas Esmay ; Marshal, Byron Davis; Assessor, A. C. Simpson. Trustees-M. H. Long, A. Gohlman, E. A. Wood, J. J. Gray, R. C. Westbrook.
1870-Mayor, J. G. Sugg; Recorder, Harvey Reid; Treasurer, Thomas Esmay; Marshal, H. S. Heberling; Assessor, A. C. Simpson. Trustees- E. A. Wood, R. C. Westbrook, August Gohlman, Fred Schrambling and M. C. Lawrence.
1871-Mayor, J. G. Sugg (resigned in October); Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge; Marshal, J. C. Pitkin ; Assessor, H. G. Crary. Trustees-J. J. Hoffstetter, George W. Confare, N. C. White, F. Schramling and M. Hein.
1872-Mayor, J. F. Fairbank ; Recorder, E. S. Day ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge ; Marshal, L. L. Watkins ; Assessor, H. G. Crary. Trustees-P. G. Stiles, J. C. Day, M. Hein, G. W. Confare, J. J. Hoffstetter.
1873-Mayor, J. F. Fairbank ; Recorder, J. C. Guilfoil ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge; Marshal, G. W. Confare; Assessor, August Henningsen. Trust- ees-P. G. Stiles, J. C. Day, Martin Hein, Jerry Goos, Fred Schrambling.
1874-Mayor, J. F. Fairbanks ; Recorder, J. C. Guilfoil ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge ; Marshal, P. N. Kimball ; Assessor, Robert Schroeder. Trust- ees-F. C. Young, C. G. Eldredge, Jerry Goos, F. Schrambling, Martin Hein.
1875-Mayor, I. E. Lovett; Recorder, J. C. Guilfoil ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge ; Marshal, W. H. C. Sugg; Assessor, R. A. Schroeder. Trustees- Jerry Goos, E. A. Wood, C. G. Eldredge, M. H. Long, W. F. Crane.
1876-Mayor, I. E. Lovett; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge ; Marshal, D. C. Matthews ; Assessor, August Henningsen. Trust- ees-E. A. Wood, W. F. Crane, R. A. Schroeder, J. G. Sugg, M. H. Long.
1877-Mayor, I. E. Lovett ; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge ; Marshal, N. W. Church ; Assessor, August Henningsen. Trust- ees-E. A. Wood, M. H. Long, W. F. Crane, R. A. Schroeder, George Canfield.
1878-Mayor, E. A. Wood; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, W. H. Eldredge; Marshal, H. Thompson; Assessor, C. G. Eldredge. Trustees- George Canfield, W. H. Bahne, Samuel Kinder, R. A. Schroeder, Jacob Oswald.
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1879-Mayor, George W. Confare; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer. W. H. Eldredge ; Marshal, John Graham ; Assessor, C. G. Eldredge. Trustees- R. C. Westbrook, William H. Young, M. J. Gannon, William Jacob, W. F. Crane, R. A. Schroeder.
LIGHTNING FREAKS.
There seems to be no end to the variety of pranks played by the thunder- bolts of Jove, and one of the most curious cases we have ever met occurred in Sabula on the last day of March, 1877, remarkable for the number of persons injured while all escaped death.
The house struck was an old one belonging to James Murphy, and located in the north part of town. It was tenanted by Mrs. Durkee, an aged woman, and the family of her son Allen Durkee, consisting of himself, wife and four chil- dren, aged from twelve years downward. The daughter of Mrs. Durkee, Mrs. G. A. Viall, was also in the house. All the occupants were injured more or less, except the youngest child, aged about two years.
The electric fluid descended the chimney which it completely demol- ished, knocked a stove to pieces, drilled two large ragged holes through the floor and descended into the cellar. Scarcely a whole window was left in the house.
Mrs. Viall was sitting in the south room with her feet directly over the spot where the larger part of the electric current cut its way through the floor. The bolt split her left foot lengthwise from the heel all the way around to the instep. The third toe was severed from the foot and the next one so mangled that it had to be removed. Both shoes were torn to shreds.
Mr. Durkee was rendered insensible for a time, and burned from the waist down. His wife was shocked into insensibility, his mother's hand scorched. The oldest child had her shoes torn from her feet and her clothing set on fire, from which she was severely burned. A little boy received two cuts to the bone in his left heel; his legs were burned to the knees and his shoes ripped off. Another child was painfully burned. The injuries to the other children were slight.
A TERRIBLE CASUALTY.
December 12, 1878, a most distressing casualty occurred at the flag station on the C., C., D. & M. Railroad called Lanesville, located about four miles north of Sabula.
It happened in this wise: Several cold days had closed up the slough in the rear of the station, and near the shore the coating of ice was quite thick and apparently safe. Mr. E. W. Lane was station agent at the place which bore his name, and, on the date above mentioned, desiring to give a part of his fam- ily a pleasure ride, placed them on a large hand-sled on the ice, adjusted his skates and pushed his precious load in front of him. After some time spent in this enjoyment, the party happened to cross a weak place in the ice and were all precipitated into the water. The terrible struggles of this man to save his family are unknown, but his drowning shrieks attracted the attention of two strangers passing up the railroad track, who ran to his assistance. They passed a pole to the exhausted man. He grasped it but was powerless to cling to it, and with a last heart-rending groan sank to the bottom of the slough. His wife and two children were drowned with him, leaving two other children to mourn a terrible loss.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
THE PRESS.
The first paper in Sabula was founded in 1856, by C. N. Beecher, who con ducted it as the Sabula Tribune about one year, when it suspended publication. The Tribune was Republican in politics.
About 1862, the Gazette Company was formed and commenced the publica- tion of a sheet called the Sabula Gazette, Republican in sentiment. Subse- quently it became Democratic. The first editor was R. B. Rice, who was succeeded by John Kolp. The next editor was J. F. H. Sugg, who changed the name of the publication to the Eastern Iowan. Under the administration of Sugg's successor, Alex. B. Fanning, the name was changed to Sabula Union. For a number of years the paper has been edited by J. F. Fairbank, and was by him changed again to the Sabula Gazette. The paper was purchased in the spring of 1879, by Frank B. Hand, who is now sole proprietor; the stock having been bought up by Fairbank and by him, the office was conveyed to Hand. One page of this neat six-column quarto is devoted to the news of Miles, a town a few miles west of Sabula. This page is headed." The Miles Reporter."
BANK.
There is but one bank in Sabula, which, though now a private institution, was organized in 1872, as a National Savings Bank, with J. Hilsinger, as Presi- dent ; Isaac Overholt, Vice President, and Ira B. Overholt, Cashier. As such it was conducted several years, when the stringent laws passed upon savings banks, led the stockholders to abandon the corporation, when the business was assumed by J. Hilsinger and Ira B. Overholt, under the firm name of Hilsinger & Overholt. The correspondents of this bank are, in Chicago, First National Bank, in New York, American Exchange National Bank.
RAILROADS.
Sabula has two railroads, the history of which has already been given. The Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque & Minnesota, and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. The cars of the latter road are transferred across the river to and from Savanna, on the company's steam ferry-boat " William Osborne." This boat can carry four loaded cars per trip, and is able to transport 150 cars per day. There is some talk of the company's building a bridge across the river at this point. No official action in the matter has been made public ; but the bridge will undoubtedly become a necessity in the course of a few years, in order to accommodate the growing business of the road.
The C., M. & St. P. Company have repair-shops at this point and employ in them and in transfer business about twenty men. Sabula is the office of the train dispatcher, C. A. Cosgrave, who is also agent for the company at this point.
HOTELS.
The pioneer hotel of Sabula was called the Iowa Exchange, and was built in 1839. It was kept by Thomas Marshall, quite a noted character in the early times. "His hotel was the boarding-place of a dozen or twenty young men who had come West to seek their fortunes on the frontier, and some gay times were had at the Iowa Exchange. One of the crowd got married during the
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first winter, and a lively ovation was prepared for the new conple by the groom's late comrades.
The Eldredge House was built in 1854, by Wade H. Eldredge, and kept by him until 1861. The landlords since his time have been Cornelius Peaslee, D. D. Smith, M. C. Lawrence, Joseph D. Smith and Thomas W. Darling. The hotel was not occupied as such for a number of years previous to 1875, the first floor being rented as a drug store. Mr. Eldredge has; however, thoroughly equipped and repaired the building, and the house has been kept during the past four years by A. Hyman.
The Berner House was formerly a saloon. It was purchased and enlarged by A. H. Berner in 1865-66, since which time it has been conducted as a hotel under the name of the proprietor, who came to Jackson County twenty-four years ago.
The Blenner House was built by Jerry Blenner in 1871, and has been con- ducted by him since it was first opened. A public hall on the second floor, 40 x60 feet, is rented for public entertainments of various kinds.
POST OFFICE.
The first representative of the United States Mail Department at this point was William H. Brown, who was appointed here about the same time that a post office was located at Bellevue, being in 1836. Many changes occurred in the management of the office, and nearly all the old settlers have, at one time or other, been Postmaster.
For several years previous to 1861, the office was filled by H. G. Crary, who was succeeded by N. C. White. Not many months after his appointment, Mr. White entered the army and was succeeded by J. Hilsinger. The latter being elected to the State Senate in 1864, Thomas Esmay was appointed. On the accession of Andrew Johnson to the Presidency, Esmay was removed, and W. B. Beebe received the appointment. Upon the election of Grant, Thomas Esmay was re-appointed, and, having resigned in 1873, the office was placed in the hands of Hon. J. Hilsinger, who occupies the office at this time.
The mail facilities of Sabula are admirable. Four mails per day are received from Chicago-two by the C., C., D. & M. R. W., one by the way of Racine, Wis., over the Western Union, and the fourth, by way of Rock Island. Mails for Chicago close at 8 A. M., 11 A. M. and 10:30 P. M. There are also two daily mails to Dubuque.
The money-order business of the office is from $200 to $500 per week. A foreign exchange department sells orders upon Canada, England, Germany, Belgium and most of the States of Europe.
IOWA PACKING COMPANY.
The Iowa Packing Company was incorporated June 23, 1879. The prin- cipal place of business of this Company is to be Sabula. The general nature of the business is the buying, curing, packing, selling and generally dealing in cattle, hogs meat and all other kinds of provisions. The stock capital of the company is $100,000, which is owned in equal parts by Oliver McMahan, Isaiah Goldy, Josiah Stiles and Perley G. Stiles, and is paid in full in cash. The officers of the Company are: Oliver McMahan, President ; Josiah Stiles, Secretary and Treasurer, and P. G. Stiles, Superintendent.
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