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History of Arcadia

Early History. A large part of Carroll County was contained in the five million acre reservation of the Potawatomies ceded to them in 1833 by the government. In the treaty of 1846, the Potawatomies exchanged their Iowa lands for a reservation in Kansas. So at the time of the first permanent white settlers in the county, there were no Indians to interfere with the whites other than as travelers passing through or as hunters following streams in search of fur and game.

Carroll County. The Third General Assembly of Iowa met at Iowa City on December 2, 1850. This Assembly passed the law for the organization of Carroll County.

The name, Carroll, was given to the county in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

On January 1, 1856, Carroll County became a legal entity, with a full corps of officers and entitled to proceed with the transaction of business. At that time it was divided into two townships – Jasper, comprising the northern eight congressional townships, and Newton, comprising the southern congressional townships.

In the Census of 1856, Jasper, which included Arcadia, had a total population of 132. Number of heads of families were twenty-two, twenty of whom were farmers and two of whom were shoemakers. Acres of corn planted was 187 with a yield of 3400 bushels.

In 1850, when the law was passed for the organization of the County, it was for the most part unexplored. No white man had as yet taken up his abode so far from the white man had as yet taken up his abode so far from the Raccoon River. Elk roamed the prairies and many wild deer roamed the wilderness. Buffalo were also present.

The first white settler was “Jumping” Dave Scott and his family who set up a log cabin in the southeastern part of the county. He made his living by hunting and trapping until more white settlers came. Then he again hitched up his beasts and pressed on. His further migrations are unknown.

The second settler in the County was Enoch Butrich who located his family in the northeastern part of the county. He became instrumental in the organization of the county.

Weather. There has been a great modification of the extremes of weather since the county was first organized. Certain allowances have been for exaggerations but eve with this there is an element of truth to the tales of snow six feet deep on the level, blizzards that lasted for weeks, period of intense heat and drought, tornadoes, hail and insect plague that made farming almost futile. In the 1870s when the county became more settled the storms seem to have become less severe. Indeed, the early settlers of the county lived in log cabins erected near timber along the streams as they believed it was impossible to survive the winters on the open prairies.

On Friday, January 10, 1975, all schools in the area were closed as the worst winter storm in 35 years hit Arcadia dropping almost a foot of snow with winds reaching eighty miles per hour. Highway 30 was blocked for several days by a fifteen foot snow drift between Arcadia and Carroll. The temperatures dropped to below zero. The high winds kept up for two days and many found truth to the old adage of “walking around in circles” in the blinding snow.

Much livestock strayed, walking over the snow drifts that covered fences and many of those with no protection died. Schools stayed closed for days as the roads were gradually opened and promptly drifted closed again.

Photo / Caption - North of St. John’s School. Notice the top of the school bus.

Photo / Caption - Bulldozer pushing through a snowbank on the street past Jerome Henkenius’.

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Photo / Caption - The Mrs. Neil Reiman home

Photo / Caption - Beth Schmitz, Alice Schmitz and Tom Quinn

Photo (2 photos, no caption)

On Holy Thursday, March 27, 1975, an ice storm, one of the worst in many years, hit the area snapping power lines like dominoes, breaking down trees, TV antennas, etc. Arcadia was without power for four days and some farmers in the area were without electricity for six days.

Arcadia.

Arcadia is located on the Mississippi-Missouri Divide so its lands are among the highest in the state - 1429 feet above sea level.

As early as 1856 when the Country was first organized. Congress granted the State a tract of land to be held in trust of the purpose of building a transcontinental railroad line. By 1860 it looked as though this line would become a reality, but then the Civil War began. After the war, the building of the line began and in the fall of 1867 trains entered Council Bluffs via the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.

When the Northwestern road went through Arcadia in 1867 it established a switch station east of Arcadia calling it East Side, a station at Arcadia calling it Tip Top and a station at Westside.

Issac Newton Voris, a wealthy New Englander took the Northwestern train on a trip back to New York from California and as he was passing through western Iowa was greatly impressed by the beauty and apparent fertility of the rolling prairie. He returned and bought four thousand acres of land in and around Tip Top. He platted out the town of Arcadia (the name comes from the Greek and means any place of quiet and contentment) and induced the railroad to change the name. In 1871 Tip Top was changed to Arcadia and a post office was set up there. Mr. Voris sold the land to the railroad receiving $175 per acre for land that he had earlier purchased for $10. The side track of East Side was soon abandoned and Arcadia became one of the attractive towns of the county.

Photo (no caption)

The first settlement of Arcadia was in the spring of 1871 when Mr. Voris built the first house. The only other persons here at that time were the family of John Rollins, section boss, and the families of three section hands.

In 1872 Mr. Voris built a second house north of the townsite on what came to be known as the home farm. Some believe this may be the old frank Jenzen farm that is now owned by Leo Kohorst.

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Photo (no caption)

Mr. Voris ran a lumber yard and was the first postmaster. The first store owner was Henry Carpenter who ran a dry goods store. Others included John Bowdish, hardware store; J.D. Peters, agricultural implements and lumber; L.S. Stoll, drug store; James Carroll and J.D. McDougall, both grain dealers; Michael Stoll, general store; and Wielding, Evers and Mohr, general merchandise and farm machinery.

In 1880 on September 11, a disastrous fire broke out in the middle of the night in the hardware store of Peterson Bros. The building stood near the north side of the principal business district in a row of closely knit wooden buildings. A strong south wind fanned the flames and all anyone could do was to carry things out of buildings and all available teams were used to haul them to safety. Even though the buildings were quite wet because of recent heavy rains the flames spread quickly, and the wind carried burning shingles more than a mile.

Only two stores were left, Wielding, Evers and Mohr’s and John McQuaid’s. Rebuilding the stores began immediately and most of the stores were back in business by the end of the year. The Arcadia Bank was established in November 1881 with Louis Curran as manager.

In 1882 Arcadia’s business enterprises were: 1 drug and book store, 1 drug and grocery, 4 general merchandise, 3 hotels, 1 livery, 1 bank, 3 blacksmith shops, 1 barber shop, 2 millinery, 1 meat market, 2 hardware, 2 shoe shops, 1 tailor, 2 restaurants, 1 furniture, 1 undertaker, 2 lumber yards, 4 agricultural implement, 4 grain dealers, 2 stock dealers, 1 real estate and loan agency, 2 insurance agencies, 1 job printing office, 1 harness shop, 2 wagon shops, 1 brewery, 3 coal yards, 2 lawyers, 2 doctors.

In June of 1882 a hotel and several other buildings were destroyed by fire. The intelligent and active work of the fire department saved the town from again being completely destroyed.

Most of these first settlers of Arcadia were English from New England. After a number of years, they had almost all been replaced by immigrants of German descent.

Arcadia was incorporated in 1881 with J.D. McDougall as mayor.

On September 3, 1883, another fire originating in the rear of Johnson’s harness shop burned 20 buildings at a loss of $30,000. It was thought caused by the spontaneous combustion of oils used in the shop. The loss was partly covered by insurance.

Photo (no caption)

On November 3, 1895, fire again laid the business portion of Arcadia to ashes. A fire of unknown origins starting in the feed stables of the Northwestern Hotel owned by Toney Redig began about 6:30 on Sunday evening. Inside of two hours all business houses on each side of the main street as far east as Joyce’s lumber yard were in smoldering ruins, and the swellings for two blocks north were at the same time destroyed. A stiff wind prevailed from the south, the buildings were of wood and the fire spread with frightful rapidity. Sparks spread the conflagration in such a manner that the whole town was afire at once. The fire department had but limited facilities at best, but under the circumstances no human power could stay the destructive element. Resistance was useless and the work of saving goods and household effects was only partially successful. Owing to its isolated location it was possible to save D.H. Mohr’s store but it took heroic efforts to do that. About 22 businesses, six houses and the house, barn, cribs and granaries of Fred Reinfeld were destroyed along with all his crops for a year. A number of farm houses north of town were in danger for some time and more than one straw stack caught fire from the flying embers.

In 1901 the roadbed of the C & NW was straightened and the track through town was abandoned. This put the roadbed one-half mile south of its former location where it still is today.

Photo (no caption)

Population.

During 1870 and 1871 the population of Arcadia and the county increased slowly and in Arcadia’s first fall election of 1871 only eighteen votes were cast. Before 1873 Arcadia was a small hamlet of about nine buildings. In the spring of 1873 fifteen to twenty buildings were erected.

The rush of settlers into the county really began then. Guthrie & Bowman of Carroll, real estate agents did …

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… probably the largest land business in the state of 1872. In ninety days they sold 14,000 acres of land besides a large number of town lots in railroad towns of the vicinity including Arcadia. Average price was $7.00 per acre. Four hundred fifty people located in the county in that time.

Meanwhile Arcadia continued to grow. By 1875 there were three or four stores, a drug store, a brewery and a mill. A livery stable began business and another man started a meat market. A doctor, Dr. Hall located his business in Arcadia and a printing office began a newspaper, “The Arcadia News.”

By April of 1875 the immigrants really began pouring into town. Thirty loads of lumber were brought into the town in one day alone and the population was estimated to double by the winter of 1876.

Arcadia was becoming noted as a grain market with no less than four grain dealers in town. A new hotel, the American House, opened in June of 1875 and a board sidewalk was laid five feet wide from the post office to the depot. By January of 1876 a blacksmith shop opened and a jewelry shop began business in the Stoll Drug Store.

By 1880 the population had gone to 426, in 1882 it was about 500, in 1890 463 people lived here and in 1910 it had decreased to 390. According to the 1970 census the population now is 414.

Life Among the Early Settlers.

Distance did not prevent free communications between neighbors. The young people, especially in winter, attended parties as far as ten to twenty miles away. There are reports of the young people of Arcadia in the 1870s spending the evening in Westside and several about picnicking at Wall Lake on Sunday afternoons. Otherwise entertainment was almost non-existent, especially in the summers. Sometimes a traveling salesman of patent medicines appeared, putting on a street show. A peddler traveling on foot and carrying a heavy pack of items not usually found in the country stores was an event. Fourth of July celebrations and New Year’s Eves were occasions for celebrating. New Year’s Eve of 1875, the Germans of the town went through town with drum and firearms, serenading with German patriotic songs and asking “to set ‘em up” and wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

The Fourth of July celebration of 1875 was dampened early in the day by rain but many people still made the trip to town to “trip the fantastic toe” at four different dances - two American and two German. Dancing kept on until the daylight hours

Photo (no caption)

Baseball was a good pastime even in those early years. One game in 1872 between Arcadia and Carroll listed scores of Carroll-92, Arcadia-7. The first baseball game of 1875 featured the married men against the single men. The single men won, but in a rematch the married men were on top.

There were no sidewalks in town and in September of 1874 mud was several feet deep in places.

Political campaigns usually furnished a great deal of excitement and the contests were usually close, the candidates winning or losing by only a few votes.

Church services on Sundays were conducted in school houses or other larger buildings and were attended by nearly everyone. The first Mass in Arcadia was said in a warehouse and other religious organizations held services in the Arcadia Public School,

Hunting and trapping were followed by almost all the male population, not for pleasure, but for profit. Muskrats, mink, elk, deer and a few beaver were the usual game. Deer were common and venison was more in use by the settlers than beef and pork.

A few strolling bands of Indians camped along the streams in winter, but other than stealing an occasional pig or begging for food or clothes, they did little damage to anyone.

Rates of interest were high - 3% per month was common and the supply of money was never equal to the demand. The Arcadia Bank was not set up until 1881 and until that time silver was scarce. Bills smaller than $5 at that time were almost unknown. During the threshing season, when large amounts of money were needed, men like I.N. Vorris regularly received silver dollars in lots of a thousand from the U.S. Treasury.

Scarlet fever, small pox, diphtheria, etc were prevalent during the winter months. Deaths of small children were listed every week in the Carroll Herald. In 1875 scarlet fever closed the Public School in Arcadia and The Douglass School (3 miles northeast of town) for two weeks each. In these times and in time of other disaster, everyone was kind and helpful and very close friendships were maintained.

In the spring a game called “ringride” was popular. The ring was an iron washer with a hole about an inch in diameter suspended in a clip which was supported on a crossbar between two poles. The bar was such height that a man on horseback could reach the ring. The riders carried an iron spike about a foot long with a shielded handle. The men would ride under the ring supposedly at good speed, though some had only farm horses whose speed was not high, and try to carry off the ring on the spike. Louis Stoll on a good riding horse and wearing a colored sash was golden master of ceremonies, and was a champion ringrider. The sport began in the early afternoon and was followed by a dance. It is said that this sport took place on main street.

Census of Arcadia Township for 1874

No. of dwellings - 107	Horses - 216
Families - 107	Mules - 17
Population - 511	Milk cows - 141
Births - 25	Oxen - 25
Deaths - 12	Other cattle - 253
Voters - 90	Cattle sold for slaughter - 54
Acres in cultivation - 3756	Hogs sold for slaughter - 417
Acres-wheat - 2354	Hogs, slaughtered and sold - 250
Harvested - 29241	Sheep - 10
Acres-corn - 1068	Dogs - 76
Harvested - 6000

Early Farming.

Carroll County soil is suitable for all crops in the temperate zone but especially for cereal grains, grasses, root vegetables and fruits. In the early 1870s wheat was the important crop. Barley, rye and flax were also grown to a greater extent than they are today. In 1874, 210 car loads of grain were shipped from Arcadia and 8 carloads of livestock. Corn became a more important crop as more livestock were raised and the wheat lands were converted to pasture.

The summer months were occupied by breaking the prairie and raising crops. As there was little social entertainment at this time, those new immigrants coming from more populated areas found the loneliness almost maddening.

At first there was little beyond a local market for grain and farm produce and the opportunity for making a profit was indeed until the grain elevators were built at the railroads and traveling stockmen came to buy livestock. By 1874 Arcadia had four grain warehouses and it became known as a grain market. At one time farmers brought grain to Arcadia. In 1880 a branch line was constructed southwest from Carroll cutting off half the grain from the south.

In the early years of Arcadia the shipping of wheat was an important business sometimes with keen competition among buyers. Oats and barley were less important and it was not until later that shipping of corn and hogs reached considerable volume. I.N. Vorris shipped the first load of grain from Arcadia and an item in the Carroll Herald in January of 1875 stated that the first car load of shelled corn ever to leave Arcadia was shipped by D.J. McDougall.

Photo (no caption)

A financial panic hit the country in 1873 and although the Arcadia farmers weren’t shipping a lot of livestock yet, on October 22 of that year, an article in one of the county newspapers stated “the livestock market has declined heavily in the last few days. Great difficulty has been experienced in selling even at the lowest prices and large numbers remain unsold in the pens at Chicago at the end of every day.”

The corn crop of 1874 was a record crop yielding as high as 60 bushels to the acre. Until the new crop came in, corn in 1874 sold for sixty cents per bushel. With the new crop it slipped to forty cents and by the time the new crop of 1875 reached the market it was bringing twenty-five cents.

A rundown of the markets for early 1875 was:

Wheat - 58¢-60¢

Corn- 40¢

Oats - 35¢

Hogs - $4.50-$5.25

Eggs - 25¢

Butter - 20¢

Potatoes - 70¢

Chickens - 20¢-25¢ dressed

Sugar 8 1/2# - $1.00

After several years of crop failure due to grasshoppers some pulled up stakes and headed back to Missouri and Illinois, convinced Iowa would never be a farming state.

By March of 1877 organizations were set up to deal with the grasshopper problem. One plan used the grasshopper machine. The machine consisted of a long box on low runners or sled to be drawn by two horses. In front sloping down to the ground was an apron upon which the hoppers would alight when they were scared up front eh ground and from that they were carried to the back part of the machine where they fell through sloping holes into a box. They were then stupefied by throwing cold water on them and were shoveled out and burned. On June 13 of that year reports were in that all who used the machines felt they were a great success. Thousands of bushels of grasshoppers had been destroyed that past week.

Prairie fires were a constant threat especially during dry season. Floyd Vorris, the son of I.N. Vorris, who was born at Arcadia in 1872 and spent some time here reported that he has “vague memories of seeing forest sweeping across some unbroken sections (of prairie) south of town. Fires ran across stubble fields after harvest stand sometimes burned grain stacked in the fields - sometimes grain remained stacked in the fields many weeks because of so few threshing machines in the country.”

Breaking the Prairie.

Carroll County is very definitely a prairie county. It was much easier to get ready for cultivation than a timbered county as the sod only had to be turned and the crop put in. At an early day the sod was turned by an ox team of six to ten yoke with a plow that cut a furrow from 2-3 foot wide. The plow beam, which was from 8-12 feet long, was framed into an axle, on each end of which was a wheel sawed from an oak log; this held the plow upright. It was a heavy unwieldy-looking apparatus, but did good work, and the broad black furrow, as it rolled from the plow, was a sight worth seeing. The proper …

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… adjustment and filling of the coulter and roach share required a practiced hand as a slight deviation in the tip of the share, or even filling the coulter would throw the plow on a twist and require a strong man to hold it in place, but if properly done the plow would run a long distance without support.

This is the primitive plow, but the pioneers soon found that a smaller plow and less team did cheaper and better work. It was found that the best time to break the sod was when the grass was rapidly growing, as it would then decay quickly, and the soil soon be mellow and kind; but if broken too early or too late in the season, ti would require 2 or 3 years to become as mellow as it would be in 3 months when broken at the right time. Very shallow plowing required less team, and would mellow much sooner than deep breaking.

The first crop if it was corn was planted by cutting a gash with an ax into the inverted sod, dropping the corn and closing it by another blow alongside the first or it was dropped in every 3rd furrow and the furrow turned on; if the corn was placed as to find the space between the furrows it would find daylight, if not it was doubtful. Corn so planted would, as cultivation was impossible, produce a partial crop, sometimes a full one. Prairie sod turned in June would be in condition to sow with wheat in September, or to put into corn or oats the following spring. Vines of all kinds grew well on the fresh-turned sod melons especially, though the wolves usually took their fill of these. After the first crop the soil produced any crop suited to the climate.

The richness of the Iowa soil is attested in 1886 when someone wrote that “as many as 20 consecutive crops had been gathered from a single field, without the use of fertilizers. In the variety of products this region is unexcelled. Corn is the most reliable crop, is more extensively cultivated than any other and yields from 50 to 75 bushels per acre.”

Photo / Caption - Evening - Interior of Jacob Redig’s Cobbler shop at Arcadia in the late 1900s [believe this should be 1800s]. Mr. Redig (left) was a close friend of Gen. U.S. Grant. He is talking with Conrad Wollenbring Painter.

Taken from the Town Meeting Minutes.

Fire on November 3, 1895, destroyed all the records of the town council, December 6, 1895, was the first meeting after that fire and the list of officers was headed by Dr. J.B. Feenstra as mayor. Notices were to be posted that all sidewalks in the burned district were to be rebuilt within twenty days with the exception where b buildings were not yet completed.

All through these minutes the town council carried on a running battle with the Railroad over the matter of keeping the crossings and walks open and in good repair and after the railroad abandoned the track in town, to fix up these crossings and put in a walk from the depot to the town.

The condition of the board sidewalks were constantly part of the meeting. They were always having to be repaired or replaced. Specifications for these walks were: they were to be made of 2x4s laid lengthwise and covered with boards four feet long, not less than one inch thick, securely nailed on said 2x4s.

In January of 1900 four street lamps (probably carbide) were purchased at $4 each and placed in four different locations in the business district.

In 1905 the first cement walkways were laid in some of the business district.

In 1907 a committee was appointed to check into kerosene lights and these were purchased in 1908.

In 1911 a fire bell was bought at a cost of $222.15.

No shade trees were to be cut down without the permission of the Street and Alley Commission.

In 1913 Garfield Steinhauer applied for a franchise for the purpose of operating an electric light plant in Arcadia for private and public purposes. A special election was held and the solution passed. The proposal called for twenty-three street lamps for the town and one light in the council room at a cost not to exceed $350. Beginning November 30, 1915, Mr. Steinhauer gave Arcadia electric lights on twenty 60 watt street lamps all night until daylight and light for the council room whenever needed. Pay was to be $240 per annum.

In that year, too, land was bought for a water works system. Bonds were sold to finance this. Cost $7900. The water tower and tank were constructed for $2845 by the Des Moines Bridge and Iron Co. The pump was to put out thirty gallons per minute.

In 1916 a volunteer fire department was proposed and a committee was appointed to fix up the building on the water tower lot and to purchase pulleys, ropes, two ligth ladders and one ladder.

The mayors of the Town were:

J.D. McDougall - 1881	William Erp - 1897	H. Terlisner - 1918
J.B.H. Feenstra - 1883	George Hoch - 1899	Wm. Stoelk - 1920
H.F. Arff - 1886	John Naber - 1902	Neil Reiman - 1945
William Erp -1893	John Kelly - 1906	John Muenchow - 1965
Dr. C.A. Beitenman - 1894	Claus Wiebers - 1911	Dave Butler - 1973
Dr. J.B.H. Feenstra - 1895	William Stoelk - 1916

As the records of the town were burned in 1895, the list of mayors before that year may be incomplete.

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Photo (no caption - telephone switchboard)

The first telephone office was in the Louis Diers home (now occupied by Cyrenus Diers) with the switchboard being run by the Diers daughters (one of which is pictured here). In 1921 the switchboard was moved to the old bank building (now housing the Arcadia Insurance Agency). This telephone company was owned by the town and in 1921 each subscriber paid a fee of $8 per year. This exchange was a party line system with as many as ten subscribers to a line.

In 1967 a new dial telephone system was set up by the Arcadia Telephone Cooperative with all underground cable and a new office. Duane Schroeder is the manager.

Photo (no caption - Verein Hall)

The Verein Hall at Arcadia (it stood where the Legion Hall now stands) used for dances, school entertainment and basketball games, was burned to the ground January 10, 1944.

The fire, believed to have been caused by an overheated stove, was reported at 2:15. The hall was soon a mass of flames and the firefighters battled to save nearby buildings.

The Carroll and Westside Fire Departments sent trucks to assist.

A basketball game was to be played that night.

Photo (no caption - Legion Hall)

Legion Hall.

An American Legion Hall was built in the late forties with help donated by almost everyone in the vicinity. It became widely known in the early fifties as a dance hall with many of the well-known bands of the Big Band Era including Lawrence Welk playing there. Until Ar-We-Va was built, it was used by Arcadia Public School for basketball games and the Arcadia-Vail parochial still uses it for this purpose. Many social activities of the town are held there and on weekends it is usually booked up for weddings of the area. The American Legion is an active unit with Arden Hinners serving as current Commander.

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Ads

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Photo (8 photos - no captions - various businesses in early Arcadia)

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Photo (4 photos - no captions)

Photo / Caption - Albert and Margaret Hannasch

Photo / Caption - Henry Carpenter bought the first lot (Lot 13, Blk 13) (on the corner next to Porky’s) and erected the first store, a general store

Photo / Caption - Albert Berger, Phil Redig, Joe Lehrter, Emil Kaspersen, Henry Peters, Emil Peters, at Peters Garage in Arcadia

Photo / Caption - H.F. Schroeder, Joe Schweers, Ted Staples. Gerd Hammers, Elmer Schroeder, Bernard Naber, Mike Booth, Ras Nelson, Gilbert Michael, Barney Vander Loo, Shorty Anderson, Val Naber, Harry Wood

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Arcadia - Carroll County, Iowa, Plat.

Original Town Plat of Arcadia Recorded in Carroll of June 29, 1871, platted by I.N. Voris. It contains 32 blocks, all running north and south, east and west except Front Street which parallels the railroad. Lots intended for business are 25 feet wide, all others are 50. The station was built just east of the “depot site” on the plat. Mr. Vorris planted soft maple trees along both sides of the streets intended for residence.

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Photo / Caption- On July 18, 1867 the Arcadia Post Office was forcibly entered, the safe opened at $1055 in stamps and cash was reportedly missing. The case still remains a mystery.

Photo / CaptionPhoto (newspaper article)

$1,055 taken at Arcadia postoffice.

The postoffice at Arcadia was forcibly entered early Tuesday morning, the safe opened and some $1,055 in stamps and cash is missing.

Mrs. Georgia Muenchow, postmistress, discovered the burglary when she opened the postoffice at 8 o’clock Tuesday morning. Arcadia police believe that entry was made between 1 and 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Entry was gained by forcing open the front door of the wood frame building. A new safe, purchased in February of this year, was found lying on its back, the door “peeled” open in a professional manner.

Postal inspectors from St. Louis, Mo., are enroute to investigate. There were no apparent leads by noon Tuesday.

Caption - Postoffice Burglary - Mrs. Georgia Muenchow, postmistress at Arcadia, looks over the safe which was ripped open early Tuesday morning. Scattered on the floor by the safe are cash books and other post office records.

Photo / Caption - Original Bank Building

Bold Robbery in Daylight (taken from the Carroll Herald). The bank of Arcadia was robbed at 10 A.M. June 19, 1917. J.C. Pruter, cashier, was alone int he bank. His son Vernon had just stepped across to the postoffice when two young men stepped in greeting him very pleasantly and asked if he had a bank note to spare. He moved to get one when he heard one say “stick up your mits.” Mr. Pruter didn't realize what he was up against. The fellow repeated “stick them up.” Life looked mighty sweet to Julius, so he put up his hands. They then told him to back into the vault half way. While one man covered him the other walked into the vault and to the safe where bills were kept. He had an ordinary grain sack and threw the money into that, after taking $20 more in pennies which they mistook for gold. They locked Mr. Pruter in the vault and proceeded to the drawer at the counter, where they took all the currency, leaving all the checks.

The robbers walked rapidly after they had secured their loot, pas the garage, butcher shop and hotel to the hail, where they had a motorcycle with a sidecar all ready headed south. They were off in a jiffy and ten minutes later a posse was in chase with shotguns toward Manning. The trail was followed by the mark of the rim of the wheel without a tire. At 11:30 word was received from Botna that two men answering the description sent out by the sheriff had been captured.

The robbers talked freely to the officers on their way to Carroll. It seems that on Monday the robbers went to Arcadia and looked over the situation. They concluded that it would be easy to pull off a big job, and while there they laid out their plans. So accordingly they left home about 5 o’clock in the morning, both riding the motorcycle and got to the ground early. When young Pruter went to the postoffice leaving his father alone, the time had come and they proceeded to business as described above. They got started back alright, but had a tire puncture which made it necessary to cut off the tire and run on the rim. The second puncture came later and both wheels went down to the rims. It was this incident that made them so easily trailed by pursuers. On arriving at Botna they put the motorcycle in the Great Western Depot and tried to save themselves. One started out on horseback, but the other hid in his home where he was discovered.

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The money was recovered, all but $15. (The State Bank of Arcadia was located where the Arcadia Insurance Agency is now located.)

Photo / Caption - Our Fire Department

Arcadia has always had a fire department of some sort. Before 1941 fires were fought with the use of a hose cart. The volunteer fire department as we know it today was organized in 1941 with seventeen members and G.W. Evers was elected Fire Chief. A fire truck was purchased for $800 and within the next several years a Fire Hall and Community building was erected on the premises of the old council room.

Another fire truck and a resuscitator were bought in the late fifties and a utility truck joined the force in 1964. A new Fire Hall was finished in January of 1973. The department was incorporated in 1966 and until the last few years, when a tax levy was voted in by the Arcadia Township, was supported by donations and fund raisings by its members. A new truck costing $30,000 is a new member of the force. Leon Andersen is the Fire Chief and Eugene Schrad is Assistant Chief.

Photo / Caption - Farmers Elevator. Arcadia has always been known as a grain town and this generation is no exception. In the last two years the local Farmers Coop Elevator has undertaken an expansion program.

A new 176 foot tall concrete storage house with a capacity of 250,000 bushels and costing $275,000 was built in 1973. In 1974 another grain storage facility with a capacity of 295,000 bushels was built costing $180,000. This brings the total capacity to one and a half million bushels.

Photo / Caption - The Arcadia Park contains a shelterhouse through the generosity and good will of the members of the community. In 1964 the Park Board composed of Christine Mess Al Hunter and Herman Thein started a fund raising program. Contributions came from many of the town organizations.

A recreation program with Pat Hinners as Chairman was begun in 1974 and as a result the town sports a new ice skating rink. Plans for 1975 are a basketball court and future plans call for new playground equipment for the park.

Photo / Caption - Outside Nativity Scene a Community Project. By Mrs. Warren Andersen (Staff Correspondent). Arcadia - one of the most beautiful Christmas sights to be seen in Arcadia during the holiday season will be the large outdoor nativity scene which is placed each year in the Arcadia Park by the Federated Woman’s Club of Arcadia.

The life-size Nativity scene consists of 15 figures which include Joseph, Mary, the Christ child in the manger, the three Wise men, three shepherds, two sheep, a camel and a donkey. A stable with a bedding of straw makes the scene complete.

The scene was built in the fall of 1959 by the club as one of its community projects. Mrs. Dennis Leiting, who was the club president at that time, originated the project. She had seen an advertisement on “How To Build A Nativity Scene” and discussed it with her fellow members. The pattern was ordered and the project got underway in late October with a Thanksgiving deadline.

Plywood for the pattern and other essentials were purchased from the local lumber yard. Before long the basement …

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… of one of the members, Mrs. Eugene Jones, became a makeshift carpenter shop.

Various members with the aid of several husbands were busy sawing and sanding whenever they found a little available time, either morning, afternoon or night. Besides helping in the workshop, Mrs. Jones was kept busy making coffee, giving a social atmosphere to the project.

After the fitues were cut and sanded and pattern applied, furniture weather proofing in the form of lacquer was put on. Supports were made to hold the figures upright and the work was completed in time of the Thanksgiving deadline. Then in December the scene was erected in the park with the addition of the stable. Floodlights were placed by the town to give proper lighting to the scene.

The scene is stored in one of the members garage and now will be erected for the sixth time. This task is done by club members, Mrs. Walter Liechti and Evelyn Holck. Townspeople and people in the area look forward each year to seeing the scene in the park.

Others instrumental in the project, in addition to those names, were Mrs. Elmer Behneman, Mrs. G.W. Evers, Christine Mess, Mrs. William Nobling and Mrs. Walter Lussman.

Photo (5 photos - no caption - tornado damage)

Carroll County was visited about 4 p.m. May 21, 1918, by one of the most destructive storms that has ever been known in the history of this section. The cyclone, which apparently followed the valley from Denison to Westside, pursued a slightly northeasterly course to Arcadia, Maple River and Lidderdale making kindling wood of the buildings in its mile-wide path.

Photo / Caption - Taken from the Carroll Herald. Twelve cars of more than one hundred car freight train were derailed Sunday October 7, 1956, by a journal failure. The train traveled 150 car lengths or about a mile and a half before it could be halted. The derailment occurred about 35 or 40 cars behind the locomotive.

No one was injured in the derailment but the Arcadia railroad station was damaged extensively. One of the freight cars leaped over a brick platform, slammed into the east end of the station and then settled upright without its trucks beside the building. The entire building was moved out of line.

One carload of tires was lying lengthwise across the double track with another standing on top of it. The tire cargo was strewn over the tacks. Cars were zig-zagged, tilted and overturned. Some of them gourd large holes in the roadbed. Rails were torn out.

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Photo / Caption - (Arcadia Energetics 4-H) Joel Dentlinger, Scott Schweers, Paul Badding, Marc Hinners, Tom Berg, Michelle Schweers, Donna Staple, Lisa Vonnahme, Debbie Badding, Tom Ricke, Steve Staples, Mike Vonnahme, Dan Ricke, Mike Staples, Brian Schroeder, Keith Ricke, Doris Badding, Sherri Staples, Russell Wolterman, Doug Ricke, John Sander, Loren Dentlinger, Steven Vonnahme (Jr. Leader), Kevin Ricke, Diane Badding, Donna Badding, Lola Dentlinger, Lawrence Dentlinger, Louis Hinners, Donald Badding, Lyle Vonnahme

Photo / Caption - Lawrence Dentlinger, Sheep Leader; Louie Hinners, Swine Leader; Lyle Vonnahme, Club Leader; Donald Badding, Beef Leader

Photo / Caption - 1975 Cub Scouts. Lon Leiting, Peter Schweers, Scott Schweers, Dan Wolterman, Scott Hinners, Jim Berning, Doug Leiting, John Leiting

Photo / Caption - The A.M.M. Club of Arcadia organized in 1972 includes adults of all ages, their motto is “Age is a matter of mind, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Photo / Caption - (Arcadia Budmen) Dave Dentlinger, Scott Andersen, Doug Staiert, Dave Staiert, Marv Glass, Phil Collison, Elmer Irlbeck, Ron Bierl, Leon Bierl, Scott Schmitz. Absent when taken: Al Vonnahme, Rich Stoffers and Lon Dentlinger.

Photo / Caption - (Arcadia Budmen) Richard Schweers, Dale Schweers, Gene Huelshorst, Jerry Berg, Wilbert Lussman, Barry Andersen, Robert Wolterman, Ron Berg, Mike Berg, Louis Hinners, Wayne Sporrer, John Ricke, Bruce Vonnahme, Ed Vogl

Page 166

Photo / Caption - (baseball) Tri-County League Champions of 1923 and 1924. Manager Joe Rehker, Bill Garrels, Henry Evers, Ed Hagge, Aloysius Naber, Joe Berg, umpire W.M. Maher, G.W. Evers, Ed Hennings, Earl Hagerty, John Manneman, Harry Hagge, A.J. Hagge, George Manneman, scorekeeper J.F. Hagge and Mascot Francis Noethe

Photo / Caption - Pat Hinners, Karen Martens, Gladys Steinkamp, Ruth Lussman, Norma Vonnahme, Marie Leiting, Norma Jentzen, Coach Elmer Schmitz, Leona Schmitz, Judy Schroeder, Nola Kohorst, Bernita Bruggeman, Mary Jo Berning, Coach Lee Martens

Photo / Caption - Kathy Schrad, Nancy Diers, Peg Schmitz, Deb Bohnenkamp, Lori Leiting, Sharon Vonnahme, Carol Diers, Deanna Staiert, Linda Kohorst, Joan Leiting, Diane Schweers, Marie Leiting, Jean Staiert

Photo / Caption - (baseball) Neil Reiman, Alvin Lussman, Eddie Nobling, Marvin Heinrichs, Louis Schweers, Cyril Heinrichs, Paul Schweers, Wilbert Lussman, Leon Vonnahme, Leonard Popp, Clair Schmitz, Merlin Wiebers, Wilbert Vonnahme, Harold Heinrichs

Photo / Caption - (basketball) Vern Berg, Roland Niehaus, Lon Diers, Dale Hannasch, Mile Wolterman, Wade Bruggeman, Gordon Wiebers, Don Staples, Arden Wolterman, Floyd Leiting

Photo / Caption - (basketball) Cletus Heinrichs, Vic Schroeder, Denis Leiting, Maurice Heinrichs, Lyle Vonnahme, Darrell Berg, Vince Leiting, Bob Wolterman, Jerome Henkenius, Robert Timmerman

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Photo / Caption - (baseball) Cyril Heinrichs, Marvin Heinrichs, Louis Schweers, Wilbert Lussman, Harold Heinrichs, Darrell Andersen, Leon Vonnahme, Alvin Lussman, Bob Schweers, Greg Schweers, Alvin Leiting

Photo / Caption - Vic Schroeder and Don Badding

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Photo - Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Arcadia, Iowa

The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Arcadia, Iowa, was organized in the spring of 1879 by Pastor Schug of Grant City, Sac County, Iowa. The Certificate of Incorporation was issued on September 15, 1884. Several years prior to the organization, preparatory work was begun by Pastor G. Haar of Denison, who served our people from 1872 to September 1876. Pastor C. Guelker of Sheridan Township served from 1876 to 1878 and then Pastor Schug conducted services here from 1878 to 1883.

Several pastors served the congregation prior to the arrival of Pastor Theo. A. Tews on November 7, 1920. Pastor Tews studied at Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota, and received his theological training in Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He served this congregation until 1957, and is still residing in Arcadia with his wife, Alice.

Pastors Sass, Gunderman and Voeges served the congregation prior to the arrival in November 1970 of Pastor Lawrence Sawhill of Kenesaw, Nebraska.

During the first years of its existence the congregation had no building of any kind. The people would assemble either in the public school house or in private homes. In 1879 however, it was decided to erect a house of worship. The first church cost about $1200.00 and the lot was bought for $200. It was built in the spring of 1880 and served the congregation as a House of Worship for forty-three years.

As the old church was beyond repair, a meeting was held in January of 1923 and the sentiment was that a new and larger church was needed. The cornerstone was put in place in May 1923, and the dedication was held on December 16, 1923. The new church was 50 feet wide and 90 feet long. The auditorium is carried out in a strictly gothic style with a vaulted ceiling and altar niche. It has a seating capacity of 400 people. The cost of the church building was $38,000.00.

The 50th Anniversary of the church was observed on September 1, 1929. At that time, there were 370 members. By the sixties, the membership had more than doubled a need for expansion was again in order. The cornerstone in the new education wing was placed in 1960.

The 75th Anniversary was observed in 1954. Pastor Tews announced his resignation in January of 1957 and served the congregation until August 8, 1957, after having been in the ministry for 45 years.

The church underwent an extensive remodeling in 1972 when it was repainted, carpeted and a new communion rail was added. There are now over 650 members in the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and it will be 10 years old in 1979.

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Photo - The Presbyterian Church of Arcadia

The Presbyterian Church of Arcadia

Presbyterianism in Arcadia began with services in the school as early as 1873. The Rev. Henry Carroll, Rev. E.A. Elfeld and Rev. L. Huendling from the Wheatland German Church, conducted services from 1873 through the summer of 1878.

The Presbyterian Church of Arcadia was organized March 8, 1879. The by-laws were drawn up by C.A. Daniel, H. Bell, J.M. Locke, G.R. Belton and D.B Agnew, and the church was completed and ready for use on August 29, 1879.

The native pine pews with the walnut trim, and the three walnut, hand-carved pulpit chairs are some of the original furnishings and are still in use. The original leaded stained windows gave way to clear glass, and new ones are again stained glass. Some fixtures have been given in memory of a loved one such as the Communion table given by Mrs. Leonard of Broken Bow, Nebraska, in memory of her parents, her mother having been the first organist. Mrs. Vertus Brus is the present organist.

At the time of the organization, the Arcadia Church belonged to the Fort Dodge Presbytery. At present it belongs to the Synod of Lakes and Prairies of the United Presbyterian Church.

Originally the membership totaled twenty-five. Now it has increased to about fifty.

There are records of a Sunday School as early as September 26, 1886. The Sunday School has been discontinued several times over the years, and at present is under the direction of Mrs. Warren Andersen.

The first minister of the church was the Rev. F. Heilert, then Rev. J.F. Jungeblut and from 1902 to 1927 the Rev. J.A. Ringold filled the pulpit. Various ministers from the area have assisted in keeping the church going and on June 22, 1969, the Rev. Roger Williams was installed as pastor of the Arcadia church.

The present elders are Ruby Hunter, Mildred Sexton, Herbert Kroeger, Ernest Kroeger, Kenneth Peters and Edward Erps.

In 1954 an annex was added to the church and in September of that year the church celebrated its 75th anniversary.

On February 1, 1945, a group of women under the direction of Rev. Stauss of Carnivon met in the John Rix home and drew up a Constitution for a Ladies Aid. Mrs. John Rix became the first President of the group. Membership was about fifteen. Today the society is known as the United Presbyterian Women of Arcadia, or UPW. Mrs. Joe Schweers is the present chairman. Membership is once again fifteen.

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