COMING OF THE RAIL ROAD IN 1866

Undoubtedly no event of more far reaching effect on the life and
commerce of Pella and vicinity has occurred than the completion of the
Des Moines Valley Railroad. For six years the terminus of this road had
been at Eddyville, but in 1866 it was completed to Des Moines.

The result was that Pella became the distributing point for a large
territory including all of Marion, the greater part of Jasper and the
western part of Mahaska counties. For nine years, or up to 1875 when a
railroad came to Knoxville, Pella was one of the leading shipping and
commercial centers of this part of Iowa. To give present day citizens
some idea of the scope of the business done her, we give a summary of th
[sic] goods handled by the railroad in 1873.

BUSINESS DONE BY RAILROAD AT PELLA DURING THE YEAR 1873
Pounds
11 cars of horses 220,000
143 cars of cattle 2,516,000
476 cars of hogs 6,734,000
13 cars of sheep 156,000
Mess pork
Lard and tallow 115,125
Hides 86,095
Wool 53,770
Wheat 3,843,750
Corn 120,000
Oats 4,659,735
Flour 1,093,960
Grass seed 46,730
Wool 20,000
Potatoes 1,982,905
Stone and brick 894,070
Agricultural implements 115,270
Eggs and butter 709,445
Household goods 87,420
Merchandise 306,570

Money realized by the railroad on above freight, $40,739.35; money
received by the railroad for freight delivered at Pella, $52,930.91;
money received for tickets sold during the year, $16,860.65; total, 
$110,361.31.

By the completion of two other lines of railroad through Marion county,
Pella lost a considerable part of this trade. This is shown by the
following table of shipments for a later period.

Shipments from Pella during six months ending November 30, 1879:

Car Loads
Oats 167
Corn35
Wheat 53
Butter and eggs 40
Potatoes 183
Hogs 146