The Davis City Advance, Davis City, Iowa
Thursday, January 7, 1897

'DAVIS CITY and DECATUR COUNTY'

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'SHIPPING FACILITIES'

In this special issue of the "Advance" we should certainly mention the excellent shipping facilities Davis City now has, for it is one of the chief and most important features of any town or city, no matter how large or how small it may be. Davis City is located on the main line of the C.B. & Q. R.R. which furnishes the city with one passenger train daily each way and of which P.S. Eustis is general passenter agent, at Chicago, Ill.

'THE PRESS'

Among the noble industries and true enterprises of Davis City we find the newspapers. Two papers are issued and sent broad cast from Davis City advocating her interests and noting her prosperity as regular as the bell calls the sinners to church. Of course some of the sinners are unmindful of the press and its usefulness.

'THE ADVANCE'

In which this article is published is the oldest paper in the town, having nearly completed its 9th volume. It is a six column folio, all home print, and is populist in politics, and a live newspaper. It has passed through many vicissitudes, but is still in the ring, and its present editors and owners the Wickes Bro's., though having no previous experience in printing or newspaper work before taking hold of the office, are justly proud of their large list of subscribers, and clean neatly printed paper, which rivals the best in the county in mechanical excellence, while their advertising and job departments are unexcelled by and in neatness of design and execution.

They occupy a fine two story frame structure having a hall on the upper floor, and have the confidence of the business and farming community. The Editor, C.A. Wickes also edits 'THE RETURN', a monthly paper published in their office in the interest of the Church of Christ, and is custodian of the Library and other property of said Church.

'THE RUSTLER'

Is a five column folio published twice a week and is owned and edited by Lanning and Mitchell who are both up to date printers. The Rustler is one of the best equipped newspaper plants in southern Iowa. Its columns each week teem with the very latest and choicest foreign news as well as all the city and local happenings. They occupy the lower floor of a large two story brick building and have a splendid job office in it and make commercial work a specialty. The Lanning Manufacturing Company are connected with this paper and occupy the upper floor in the manufacture of family medicines and stock remedies. This company carries remedies for the cure of all diseases known to live stock.

As no town is complete without a good hotel, nor does any one business in the make up of a town add so much to the good or bad name as the hotel, therefore we speak of the hotel facilities at this time, for in the line of hotels Davis City has a splendid one known as the

'HORTON HOUSE'

This is a large two story frame, costing $2,000, consisting of 12 or 15 good rooms; parlor with organ, office with cigars on sale, sample room, cheerful dining room to seat 24 guests, and is a first class Hotel in every respect, and the best place to get a good square meal in the town, for we are in a position to know, as we stopped there a few days. Everything about the house without exception, outside and inside is kept in exceedingly good sanitary condition. We notice that a number of traveling men come here for their meals and lodging, and there were regular customers too. Traveling men know where they can get the best accommodations and do not stop at second class or poor hotels. There is a fine livery in connection, including five or six good rigs. The livery and the house and these equipments are valuable acquisitions to the commercial interest of the city.

Mr. Shirley was born in Harrison County, Mo., and was reared on a farm, came here four years ago and opened up a large livery and feed stable, and afterwards bought the above Hotel, which is the best in the city. The menu at this Hotel consists of the best that can be had, vegetables of all kinds in season, fruits, meats, finely flavored tea or coffee, milk, toast and many delicacies thrown in. In fact, it is a first class House in every respect. The inside is presided over by Mrs. Shirley who gives it her entire time. Mr. and Mrs. Shirley are valuable additions to the business and social circles of the city, and we wish to remind the traveling public that they will be made to feel at home at this Hotel, and that they will never regret having stopped there.

'BANKING INTERESTS'

There is certainly no feature that more fully indicates the business and commercial importance of a city than its banking institutions. The bank to a vast extent, is the main artery or channel that supplies the life current to all business enterprise, and is as indispensable to business life and commercial activity as the blood channels are to animal vitality and existence.

Davis city estimated by such a standard, makes an unusual strong and substantial showing, for there are few towns, if any of her size in Iowa, possessed of as good banking facilities as Davis City, and as an institution that stands in the front ranks of the banking industry of southern Iowa, we are pleased to refer to the

'FARMERS BANK'

A very worthy institution that was established in 1894, and now has a capital stock of $10,000, but the individual responsibility of the stock holders is a quarter of a million dollars, making it one of the strongest banking houses, financially in southern Iowa. The officers are:

E.D. Dorn, President,
J.F. Bolon, Vice-President,
A.E. Dorn, Cashier,
S.A. Radnich, Bookkeeper.

Directors consist of the above three with the additional name of S. Radnich.

This bank was established at a time when money matters were very close, thus paying a high compliment to the managers.

E.D. Dorn, President of the bank was also its organizer, coming here three years ago from Danbury, Ia., where he had been engaged in the banking business. He owns an 800 acre farm, well improved, three miles from Davis City, also 200 head of cattle and 30,000 bushels of grain, mostly corn, and 300 head of fine hogs.

J.F. Bolon, Vice-President, is one of the oldest settlers, and was engaged in farming, but has now retired from active business.

"Art" Dorn as he is familiarly known, assumed the management of this bank at the age of 18 and at that time was, and still is, one of the youngest cashiers in the State.

S.A. Radnich, Bookkeeper, is a son of S. Radnich, one of the pioneers of the county, owning a farm of 500 acres adjoining Davis City on the northwest. The young man was born and raised in this county, for his father came here in 1850 and has resided here almost half a century.

The business of the bank is, and always has been, standing on a solid foundation. No word from any pen can better portray this fact than does the amount of business it enjoys. It has for its correspondents, Hanover National Banks, of New York, Drovers National Bank, Chicago and Iowa State Bank of Des Moines, pays interest on time deposits, negotiates for all kinds of bankable paper and its stock holders are all well known.

The bank is located in a substantial brick building, and has a brick vault within which is an all steel Mossler Safe, held shut by a time lock, thus rendering all money and valuables placed in their hands absolutely safe from the encroachments of fire and thieves. In fact, this is a solid and reliable monied institution and worthy of an unlimited public confidence and a hearty patronage, both of which we are pleased to note it enjoys to the fullest extent.

To Be Continued . . . 'REAL ESTATE AGENCY'

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
September 3, 2003