Iowa
Old Press
Postville Review
Postville, Allamakee Co. Iowa
February 10, 1877
Still springlike weather.
A revival with 100 converts is in progress at Clermont.
Gov. Kirkwood is no more governor. It is now Gov. Newbold.
R.J. Castle, editor of the Prairie du Chien Union, was a
pleasant caller Monday.
The first number of the Ridgeway Register is on our
table. F.A. Howe, editor and publisher.
The Winneshiek House, Decorah, has been rented for four years to
W.H. Valeau, mayor of Decorah.
C.H. Fullerton, of Deocrah, has been in Postville, looking over
the chances of starting a new paper in opposition to the Review.
The many friends of C.H. Easton of this place will be glad to
learn that he is in the neighborhood of Cheyenne, Wyoming, his
health almost completely restored.
Warren Clough has been convicted for the murder of his brother
Nathan, and by the laws of Kansas he will be hung unless pardoned
or a new trial granted.
The 3rd district Sunday School convention and the 3rd district
editorial convention will assemble in Postville next Tuesday. The
entertainment committee are finding it a difficult matter to
secure sufficient places to accommodate the expected guests,
owing to the prevalence of measles.
On Friday of last week two young ladies of Frankville, the Misses
Adams, were out riding when their horse bolted through a fence,
leaving the cutter and the ladies badly demoralized. One of the
ladies received a severe cut across the head. Dr. Rogers was
called but was too much indisposed to attend the call. The lady
and the doctor are doing well.
[transcribed by S.F., August 2004]
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Lansing Mirror
Lansing, Allamakee co. Iowa
Friday, February 16, 1877
Old Times in Lansing
Some Personal Reminiscences of Twenty-Five Years Ago
A Pioneer Hotel-The Store-The First Lumber Yard-The Saloon-How
The Gospel Was Given a Start-First Marriage and First Birth-The
Grain Trade Inaugurated
Contributed for The Mirror, by Mr. H. M. Travis
The past year, the front end of our Second Century of National
existence, has been filled with reminiscences of the front end of
our republic-glorious old 1776-and, while our nation has endured
a century, Lansing has existed but one fourth of that period. Yet
as memory is frequently at fault, perhaps a record of the front
ends of some of the things now existing here may not be out of
place.
At 10 o'clock, P. M., Oct. 24th 1851, the writer stepped ashore
from the steamer "Excelsier," "under the
bank" in front of what is now the Bates House, and was at
once interviewed by a small active man, with a lantern, about as
follows: " Do you keep a hotel?" "Yes, sir."
" Where is your carriage?" "Haven't any; hotel
only a few steps away." With a friend and his lady we
followed mine host, who, I suppose, was the front end of the
Lansing hotel keepers, as his double log-house on Front street
was the front end of Lansing hotels. A few steps brought us to a
low log structure, and we entered. Mine host drew some chairs
around the stove, near which, on a "shake-down," three
guests were sleeping, placed his lantern on a table and seated
himself on a chair.
A short silence intervened, when the friend with the lady
remarked,"I would like a room." Landlord-"I would
like to see you get that. " Friend-"Well, if you have
no accommodations we will not stay with you."
Landlord-"Where will you go? this is the only hotel in the
place!" And there the dialogue ended, finally resulting in a
compromise, the lady retired with the landlady; the landlord
curled around the stove pipe on the chamber floor; my friend
slept on four chairs, and the writer kept up the fire and
grumbled, until a bright October morning ushered in a day
memorable to us as the front end of our twenty-five years
residence in Lansing.
We had to see the "lion" of course, and first the
"store" met our attention, kept by F. D. Cowles in a
log building, at the corner of Main and Front streets, which
represented the front end of merchandising, and was without a
rival. D. Carver, with a six hundred dollar stock of lumber held
the front of our now extensive lumber business. Messrs. Haney
& Houghton, with a saw-mill at the edge of town, were the
pioneers in manufacturing. Dodging the stumps, we walked through
Front and Main streets, climbed the "Hog Back," and
thence scaled Mount Hosmer, and enjoyed the magnificent river
views, which even now so well repays the exertion. Next day we
helped "raise" the frame of Elisha Hale's House , on
Front street, and for weeks everyone was busy preparing for
winter. Soon E. P. Bircher put in an appearance, and in a
"lean to" started a saloon, the front end of that now
somewhat extensive business. Mine host Houghton, of the log
hotel, was the resident physician, and stood No. 1 on that list.
Rev. Bishop, once in three weeks, made us a visit, and gave us a
sermon, preaching in private rooms, and once during the winter in
a bar room, with the whisky bottles at his back, that being the
only room in town large enough to seat the twenty five or thirty
persons present. This front end of religious effort contrasts
widely with our present numerous clergymen and churches. The
beginning of ministerial support was unique. The class leader was
Brother G. H. Battles, who was likewise collector, and generally
succeeded about as follows: A merchant-"Yes, here are a
couple of dollars." B., saloon keeper-"Yes, here is a
dollar; tell him I took it in for whisky." Gambler at table,
in same room-"Hold on until I win this double pot; if I do,
I'll give you a couple of dollars, "Wins. "Here is your
money; tell him I won it at poker," &c., &c.,
Winter's snows clothed the scene; winter's ice shut us in from
the outer world, a weekly mail our connecting link with
civilization; half a dozen frame buildings finished and
unfinished;three log houses; three or four "shanties"
-this was Lansing twenty-finve years ago. A. L. Bush opened his
hotel, and the glory of the log Astor departed. Many will
remember Bush's Christmas ball. Private social parties, not at
all exclusive, were the rage, and very nice they were, too. The
resounding axe of the woodman made vocal the island opposite
town, whereon our former townsman, William Fleming, Esq. then
"one of the Maine boys," in chopping cord wood, "
illustrated with cuts" the front end of his since extensive
lumber business. The weekly debating society was the central
point of the local literary effort, and the writer has never
since felt himself quite as important as when reading the
minutes, or announcing the subject for discussion. Let us mention
some of the contestants. West-English, staid and decorous;
Craig-a fiery Scot; Conner-with his shrewd Irish wit and rapid
utterance; keen reasoning Bush; argumentative Hall; sneering
Streeter; Valley-the champion laughist, &c., not to forget J.
W. Remine, Esq., of Virginia, the pioneer resident lawyer, who
wielded his tongue with the same aggressive sharpness with which
on another occasion, he slashed with his knife the arm of a hotel
guest at Bush's, drawing the first Lansing blood shed by Southern
hands.
Early Lansing was not without sentiment; Cupid was busy here as
elsewhere, andd the wedding of James Haney opened the ball
matrimonial, being the front end wedding, and the front end
concert consisted of the hideous music "red headed
Shaw," made by drawing a rosined 2x4 across the edge of an
open goods box, beneath the window of the nuptial chamber. The
birth of a son to Mr. and Mrs. F. D. Cowles scored the first item
on our native census list, a business since by no means neglected
among us. The grain trade, since grown to such huge dimensions,
had that winter its front end. A load of wheat was brought to
town, purchased by Mr. Cowles at 40 cents per bushel, stored in a
hogshead and some boxes in the unfinished building of E. Hale,
and for want of a market sold for chicken feed. " Great oaks
from little acorns grow."
[transcribers note: "To be continued" says the article but I never checked to see if it did; transcribed by N.A., April 2006]
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Postville Review
Postville, Allamakee Co. IA
February 17, 1877
Rev. Dolph discoursed on "devils" last Sunday.
If Postville gets its new newspaper, new dray line and new
saloon, it ought to be on the high road to prosperity.
Johnson Bros. have leased the Commercial House billard room to
Fred Kappes, formerly of Monona, but late of Calmar.
At about nine o'clock last night Prescott & Easton's hardware
store was discovered to be on fire, and at first glance it was
apparent the building could not be saved. Most of the goods were
got out. Loss fully covered by insurance.
The first convention of the editorial fraternity of the district
convened at Postville on Tuesday as announced. The convention
consisted of the following editors:
Wm. Toman, Independence Bulletin
D.L. Rann, Manchester Press
C.H. Talmage, West Union Gazette
R.C. Hammond, Elgin Times
A.K. Bailey, Decorah Republican
G.R. Hazlet, Decorah Radical
T.C. Medary, Lansing Journal
P. Karberg, Nord Iowa Post
E.M. Hancock, Waukon Standard
[transcribed by S.F., August 2004]