History of Linn County Iowa Part 64

Koontz and thenceforth till the war had nothing to do with medicine.

"About 1853-4 we began to lose confidence in the 'Ram's Horn' railroad project. Congress had made grants of land to aid railroad projects and public opinion seemed to favor east and west rather than north and south lines. Roads from Chicago were approaching the Mississippi river, and a line from Rock Island to Council Bluffs was projected. The people in the tier of counties north of the projected line became stirred up and a railroad convention was called to meet in Maquoketa, Jackson county, to organize a company to build a line in their interest. Cedar Rapids sent a delegation as follows: George Greene, N. B. Brown, Daniel Lothian, I. N.

Whittam, Donald McIntosh, Ezra Van Metre, and myself. Marion also sent a large delegation and the counties along the line were well represented. A company was organized to build a line from Savanna on the Mississippi river to a point on the Missouri river not named. A corps of surveyors was put in the field and for two or three years it was the favorite project of Cedar Rapids. The settlements both in town and country were increasing rapidly and we suffered greatly for lack of transportation. Judge Greene, with his usual energy and public spirit, organized a steamboat company in which the prominent citizens became stockholders. This was in the winter. The judge went to Pittsburg, contracted for a boat suitable for our river, which by spring was completed and at the opening of navigation made her first trip, well freighted with all kinds of goods for our own merchants, and those of the surrounding towns. She was kept in commission for two or three years and was a great benefit to the community. The company hired a captain and various stockholders were at different times supercargo. While H. G.

Angle was acting in that capacity she collided with and sunk another boat on the Mississippi, which led to a law suit in which our company had to pay large damages, which swept away all our profits. She made her last trip under my charge, and under direction of the company I sold her to parties in St.

Louis. By this time a great rivalry had grown up between our town and Marion. Cedar Rapids claimed that she was to be the commercial metropolis and therefore ought to be the political center. The question was brought to an issue by the county commissioners ordering a new court house at Marion, subject to the approval of the voters of the county.

Cedar Rapids opposed the measure, believing that the building would insure the permanent location of the county seat. Then ensued a most bitter canva.s.s. The voters were deluged with oratory. Marion put on the stump Judge Isbell, I. M. Preston, Col. Wm. Smythe, N. M. Hubbard, W. G.

Thompson, and R. D. Stephens, against whom Cedar Rapids opposed Jas. J. Child, Ezra Van Metre, Donald McIntosh, A.

S. Belt, E. N. Bates, I. N. Whittam, and others. Every school district was canva.s.sed and much bitter feeling engendered. The Marion people were more adroit politicians and carried the election, but the result did not discourage our citizens, who a.s.serted that no election could affect 'manifest destiny.'

"About 1852 Major J. M. May came to Cedar Rapids from Janesville, Wisconsin. The major was a stirring man with a head full of schemes. He said that Cedar Rapids was a place of immense possibilities and only wanted enterprise to make it the great town of Iowa. He bought land at the lower part of town adjoining that owned by my father, and land on the west side adjoining the river and below that owned by Dr.

King. He platted out town lots on both sides of the river, and induced my father and King to do the same, which were the first additions made to the original town. He also surveyed the island, sent a plat to the general government and took possession of it, much to the chagrin and surprise of the old settlers. Then he began to agitate the question of a free bridge. Every one wanted a free bridge but were undecided as to the location. The major induced my father to subscribe $1,500, and he gave $1,000, which with sums contributed by others in the lower end of the town, secured the location below the island at the narrowest place in the river. The bridge was completed and thrown open to the public, I think, in the late fall of 1852, and proved a great convenience. The construction was defective and when the ice broke up in the spring, the heavy cakes knocked down two of the piers, and destroyed the greater part of the bridge. All the people of the town were collected on the bank of the river watching the event, and two young women who were crossing went down with the structure and were drowned. This was the first bridge built at Cedar Rapids.

The next was a bridge of boats at the foot of Iowa avenue which I believe was also swept away by ice. About this time the Rev. Williston Jones, who officiated in the 'Muddy,' and was a very good as well as energetic man, went east on some missionary effort. While there he met a gentleman named Coe, who made a donation of land adjoining the town plat for educational purposes providing the people would also contribute. A meeting was called and the terms complied with and thus Coe college was founded. I was quite honored when with others I was named as a trustee. Not long after this time the Reverend Starr became rector of the Episcopal church, and under the lead of Judge Greene and Mr. Bever, they began the erection of the first Episcopal church, and about the same time the Methodists built a brick church, so you see Cedar Rapids began to get on 'praying grounds and interceding terms.' In the winter of 1856-7 we were surprised and flattered by receiving a communication from a party of railroad men connected with the North-Western railroad, then completed to Fulton, Illinois, asking us to join them and organize a railroad company from Clinton on the west side of the Mississippi river to our town. This was a new proposition, and we had never heard of Clinton, which in point of fact was only a cornfield staked out in town lots, besides we were committed to the line that was to run west from Savanna. We consulted with the Marion people, but they would have nothing to do with it, arguing that we had already applied for the land grant for the Savanna route.

After serious deliberation and with considerable misgivings, we decided to send a delegation to spy out the land and be governed by circ.u.mstances. John Weare and H. G. Angle were chosen as our representatives. It took them three days to drive to Lyons which was the nearest town to Clinton, the proposed starting point. That was the first time any of our citizens had come in contact with real capitalists, men who built railroads. There they met a party of men from Boston, from Maine, from New York, and Chicago, among whom was Charles Walker of Chicago, then president of the North-Western. Our deputations were swept from their old moorings and immediately joined hands with these men and formed a company, the 'Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska,' to build west from Clinton, by the way of Cedar Rapids to the Missouri river. Cedar Rapids was given first directors as follows: Geo. Greene, John Weare, H. G. Angle, S. C. Bever, and S. D. Carpenter, which positions we held till the road was built to Cedar Rapids. This new departure on the part of Cedar Rapids intensified the feeling of rivalry between her and Marion; a direct line between Clinton and Cedar Rapids would leave Marion off the route, besides the natural obstacles were less from Mount Vernon to the river and thence to Cedar Rapids. The Marionites denounced us as traitors to the original scheme, with a malignant intent to leave them out in the cold. We denied the 'allegation and defied the alligators.'

"We said there was nothing behind the old project, but that ours was a live scheme, with experienced men with bags of money to put it through. Our deputies had pledged $200,000 from Cedar Rapids, which we proceeded to raise, $100,000 by private subscription and $100,000 by city bonds. Greene & Weare, then bankers, subscribed $10,000; George Greene, $5,000; John Weare, $5,000; N. B. Brown, $5,000; S. C.

Bever, $5,000; Gabriel Carpenter, $5,000, and numerous others smaller sums to make up the amount. Then a city election was had and the $100,000 voted by an overwhelming majority. Surveys of the route were begun at once and from Mount Vernon and Cedar Rapids, two lines were seen; one by the way of Marion, and the other by the river. It was ascertained that the latter route would be shorter and cheaper by $100,000 than the former, but the company proposed to adopt the Marion route if she would subscribe $100,000, which she declined to do, and the river line was chosen. Work progressed slowly and the first year found the rails no further west than De Witt, Clinton county. Nothing had been done on the Savanna line.

"Meantime the legislature for 1857-8 a.s.sembled, and we were astounded to learn that they had pa.s.sed a bill giving a land grant to that company. I do not remember why we had not looked after our interests, but only know that we were taken by surprise. We thought our enterprise in great jeopardy, and resolved to compromise, if possible, with Marion. I think that Judge Isbell was then president of the Savanna company. Major May, who had favored the Marion line, for what reason I now forget, and myself from a warm personal friendship with Judge Isbell, were chosen amba.s.sadors. We met the judge and the Marion directors of the rival line.

They were courteous, but obdurate. They said we had deserted them and run after strange G.o.ds, and now that the tables were turned, they proposed to build the road straight west, crossing the river eight miles north of Cedar Rapids, and instead of their building a branch to Cedar Rapids, we if we chose might build the branch from Cedar Rapids, and thus we left them, sad and discouraged. 'Whom the G.o.ds would destroy they first make mad,' and thus it turned out with the Savanna route. The company was composed entirely of Iowa men, directors from the various county seats and towns along the line. Very soon after obtaining the grant, they got together and voted each other $25,000 apiece for services rendered in obtaining the land grant. As there were about twenty of them, the scheme was loaded by about $500,000.

Then they tried to exploit the enterprise among eastern capitalists. But the hard times of 1857-8 were upon us and money was scarce both east and west. No one would take hold.

In the meantime our road was slowly creeping on, and was within thirty miles of Cedar Rapids. The grading contract was let to John G. Wolf, an experienced railroad builder from the east. Most of the money to pay him had to be raised among ourselves and pay day was a most serious time. I remember upon one occasion, the cash entirely failed, but the merchants of the town agreed to honor orders for goods, Mr. Bever among the others. Mr. Bever had been a merchant in Holmes county, Ohio, and brought his stock of goods from there to Cedar Rapids. Among other things he had two or three cases of bell crowned silk hats of a very ancient date. On pay day our citizens were greatly amused to see our streets crowded with Irishmen, all wearing bell crowned hats, and as 'fire water' was plenty, before night a great many of the hats were caved in. Our Marion friends hearing of it said our company was 'busted,' our only a.s.sets consisting of bell crowned hats. But we persevered and bided our time. We called a ma.s.s meeting in the city preparatory to forming a new company to build the road west from Cedar Rapids to the Missouri river, and appointed a committee to issue a prospectus to all the counties west of us on the proposed line to meet in delegate convention at Cedar Rapids. I had the honor of being chairman of that convention and as such prepared the paper, and if you will examine the file of newspapers of that day you will find a 'Spread Eagle' doc.u.ment that I supposed would move the souls of our frontier friends. They responded n.o.bly and came on the time designated, and we organized the 'Cedar Rapids & Missouri Railroad Company,' at least I believe that was the name. L.

B. Crocker, of New York, was made president, with several eastern and western directors, myself among the number. Then as the company to whom the legislature had given the grant of land, had not turned a spadeful of earth, we organized a lobby embracing all our directors on the line west of us; L.

B. Crocker, the president, Major Bodfish, a Maine man, and several of our Cedar Rapids directors, myself among the others. When the legislature a.s.sembled in 1859-60 we invaded the capital, and established our headquarters in an old hotel near the river, whose name I have forgotten. Major Bodfish was the commissary of the body. We had no money to expend, but determined to be hospitable. The major laid in a barrel of old rye whiskey; as it was before the war, whiskey was cheap, also several boxes of cigars. One of our strongest henchmen was J. M. Woodbury, a leading man from Marshalltown, and with him Peter Hepburn, now an honored congressman, then a very stripling, but showing evident signs of what was in him. John J. Ka.s.son was then a young lawyer in Des Moines, and we secured him as our attorney.

Our opponents were not asleep, but were on hand from Marion, east to the Mississippi river, with Platt Smith, a distinguished member of the bar at Dubuque, as their lawyer.

Then the fight began, in and out of the state house.

Speeches were made by our adherents in both branches, and we b.u.t.tonholed and dragged to our headquarters all thirsty souls, as well as those who indulged in the milder stimulant. Our strong argument was, that our opponents had done nothing after having the grant for two years, while we had about completed eighty miles of road without help; that we only asked for the grant to apply to the line west of Cedar Rapids, while they would use it for the line from the Mississippi, and that we would be able to accommodate the people with a finished road at least two years before they could. The law makers were not in a hurry, but towards the last of the session they pa.s.sed our bill, and you may be sure there was great rejoicing in Cedar Rapids. On our return the citizens gave us a grand banquet in Greene's hotel, and we felt that we had at last secured a substantial victory for our city, as in fact it was, for thenceforward Marion could no longer be our rival. The cars came to Cedar Rapids in the summer of 1859, just ten years after we had held our first railroad meeting, and we felt at last that hope had ended in fruition. An immense concourse greeted their arrival from all parts of the surrounding country.

General D. N. Sprague, then mayor, welcomed the guests, and the citizens threw open hospitable doors to all comers."

From 1840 to 1846 much work was going on in the thriving little town.

Gla.s.s had already a small grist mill on McCloud's Run and a saw mill had been started on Indian creek which furnished lumber till the saw mill on the Cedar river was completed. The labor on the dam was a big undertaking and took much time as the enterprising adventurers were not well prepared to cope with so large an undertaking.

Many settlers were coming constantly, all of them full of courage and pleased with the location, which all proclaimed could not be improved upon. There were Alexander Ely, Joseph Greene, Homer Bishop, P. W.

Earle, John Vardy, D. Fiddlar, A. Eddy, George Westlake, William Dwyer, James Gunning, Charles Mulford, Isaac Cook, John Shearer, James Lewis, Dr. S. M. Brice, and many others.

Churches were also organized, such as the Methodist, in 1841, by Rev.

Hodges, and the Baptist the same year by Rev. G. E. Eberhart. The United Presbyterian church was organized by John Cunningham ten years later. New settlers came and other church organizations were completed and small church buildings were erected by the members.

The following chatty reminiscences of pioneer times is from the _Republican_ of recent date:

"'If two of us wanted to lunch together,' he said, 'we went to a saloon and sat down over some black bread and a little beer. Now you must stand up to drink your beer, and you may eat nothing.'

"In the old days the city and the county politicians met here and talked over the political situation. The professional men met on equal grounds. Now it is all changed.

"There were some interesting places in Cedar Rapids in those old days. In the location where Mr. Armstrong is now about to erect a fine business block there was an old German named Moritz Hoffbeck. It was a sand hill then, but there was a good cellar where Hoffbeck sold beer, gave away good lunches and entertained the crowd. His good wife also served the guests with good things to eat, cooked after her own fashion. Here congregated the best business men of the town after the day's business was over. They went home in the best of spirits, but often it was rather late when they went.

"Some of the city's poets of that day composed a little poem about Moritz which ran as follows:

"Moritz Hoffbeck is my name, Bavaria is my nation.

Cedar Rapids I dearly love, For here I get my ration.

"Another German, Sam Leunch, kept a place at Third avenue and First street, which was for many years a meeting place for farmers as well as city men. It also had a reputation for its fine lunches.

"Sych's place was on the present location of the Y. M. C. A.

This also was German and German dishes were one of its great attractions.

"Frank Simon had a restaurant where Stark's hotel is now located. It was an eating house; also a drinking house. It was noted in five counties for being the place to get the best oysters in any style. The German fries have never been excelled. When Simon died, Ben Springer married his widow.

He retired many years ago and sold the business to the Starks.

"Frank Mark was a Swede who kept a saloon where Denecke's store is located, fronting on Second avenue. It was a small place but it was always full for he served eatables and kept private rooms for his city patrons who wished a quiet place in which to talk things over.

"Pollack's where Severa's store is now located, was the Bohemian restaurant much sought for its good things to eat and for the imported drinks which he kept for his best friends.

"Count Boshon kept a saloon down into prohibition times and ran many saloons in various places. He was known as the King of Bohemia and acted as though he might have been a count.

He imported the Philip Best beer from Milwaukee and stored a car or two at a time in ice, and for this he obtained a great reputation. Count Boshon was a chancellor and knew how to secure the good will of prominent persons of the city and of the county officials. He seemed to stand in with all. It is said in his favor that while he may have violated the law in some instance he tried to keep a decent place.

"The young business men would take a Sat.u.r.day off and go up fishing or hunting or hire Elias Doty and his boat, the 'Climax,' and take a sail on the murky waters on the Red Cedar, sometimes up, and now and then when the water was high, down stream. Now all has changed.

"In the olden times there were dances at the neighbors or other old gatherings. All were common. No dress suits were seen and there was no delay on account of lack of any introduction.

"Doctors would get together and tell stories, lawyers would joke over their trials in court and in every way people were on an equality and truly happy.

"Then people did not devote all their time to making money.

They did not spend all the time in business. Young and old had a better time of it, for they worked and played as well.

They were really content with the surroundings and with their condition in life.

"In winter time people got together and had a good time, going skating or sleighing--on Christmas there were not so many gifts as now, but what was given was with the best of feeling. Another thing we have lost, and that is, the New Year's day calls. Old and young, married and single, made calls on this day every year.

"It was a fine custom and it ought not to have been dropped.

Now people are too busy to call on their neighbors and they seem to fear that society would not approve of it. In the olden days no questions were asked about one's grandfather."

The old founders of Cedar Rapids were strong men in many ways. They were real live wires, and frequently spent money and devoted much of their time to exploit new industries. Such men as Geo. Greene, N. B.

Brown, David King, S. D. Carpenter, W. B. Mack, R. C. Rock, P. W.

Earle, H. G. Angle, J. E. Sanford, the Daniels family, the Ely family, the Weare family, the Bever family, and many others were men of rare intelligence, aggressive, enterprising, and wide awake, who came here to make a city at all hazards. They were true as steel to their convictions, enthusiastic in booming their town, and the "balance wheels" in time of need which kept things going. Even when some of these men lost heavily in the unfortunate steamboat ventures, in railroad exploitations, in bridges, dams, factory properties, and in other ways, they never complained, although at times it made them "men of sorrow and acquainted with grief." They never lost courage, and expected things to turn, even when they looked the darkest, and won in the end. The early pioneers were men keen to see an opportunity. They were able to look ahead, and for this reason they perhaps hung on when times were hard and when enterprises failed to materialize. It was due to the enthusiastic spirit of those leading citizens that caused the Legare and Bryan families to invest $80,000 in gold in Linn county property. It was no doubt due to the up-to-date, progressive spirit of those citizens that led S. C. Bever to bring $30,000 in gold, which was invested mostly in city property in Cedar Rapids in the early '50s. It was no doubt due to the keenness of mind of the late Judge Greene, that John T. Waterhouse in an early day came to Cedar Rapids and invested much money in choice corner lots on which he erected, for that time, modern business blocks. But outside of a few men, most of the early pioneers came to the county without any means. These acquired in the course of a few years, large holdings which have since doubled in value several times. Few, if any, who invested in real estate in Cedar Rapids and Linn county in an early day and who had foresight enough to hold on to it, ever lost anything on such investments. Values have gradually increased until corner lots which sold for $10 in the early '40s in Cedar Rapids, have now a value of from $2,000 to $10,000, and lands in and around the city which were disposed of at $5 to $10 an acre, have sold at from $250 to $500 an acre, and even higher.

The settlement in Linn county was an event of more or less importance, for it was the last stand of the "free booters," and the last rush for cheap land in the Mississippi valley. The citizens came at an opportune time and took up the cheap lands, which soon rose in value. While during the panic of 1857, many of the farmers were unable to pay taxes on their farms and the value of farm produce was very low, yet they managed to get through. The panic of 1873 was not so disastrous on the farmers of Iowa, because by that time they had acquired more property and could afford to hold their stuff longer than in the panic of 1857.

The land values stood still for awhile, but soon they began to move again and the farmer who had paid for an eighty-acre strip of land generally purchased another eighty or two, as he had plenty of help and the banks were willing to loan him the money. This land has more than doubled in the past twenty years, but the value of a season's crop now, as compared to forty years ago, has also more than doubled.

Elias Doty, the son of an old pioneer, contributes the following items regarding Westport:

"The first squatter town in Linn county was Westport, situated on the east bank of the Cedar river, near a spring three-fourths of a mile below the mouth of Indian creek. In 1845 its buildings consisted of one double log cabin, one frame dwelling, one frame storehouse, and one frame grain elevator. My father occupied the storehouse as a pottery, where he made earthenware. The elevator was owned by Robert Holmes and occupied by H. G. Higley and Lawson Daniels, who bought wheat and built flatboats to float it to the St.

Louis market. Our family were the only dwellers at the town at that time. Higley and Daniels boarded with us. They built their boats bottom up and when completed turned them over.

"Jacob Leabo lived a half mile below us, and Hiram Deem a half mile above us. I. W. Carroll and C. C. Cook lived at Dairy Dale, where they had started a brick kiln, which was the first in the county so far as I know. The first lime kiln was at Westport, where John Henry burned lime to plaster the houses of the town. The saw mill of the county at that time was near Bertram. It was started by my uncle, Elias Doty, who was killed at its raising in 1841. It was finished by James Briney."

EARLY HOTELS IN CEDAR RAPIDS

While the Shepherd Tavern was the first place where strangers could be entertained in Cedar Rapids, it was not long till several hotels were started. "It has always been a hotel town," said an old settler, "for the reason that when people came here they liked it so well that they did not care to move and they stayed at the tavern as long as money and credit held out."