| MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA | |
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Muscatine is the home of the but lately developed button industry. Today there are over fifty factories, large and small, engaged in the manufacture of buttons or in cutting blanks from the river shells found in large quantities along the Mississippi river. The beds from which the clams were first obtained are nearly exhausted, but others are daily discovered and as the clams multiply very rapidly the discovered beds can be worked again in a few years. The shells are brought here both by rail and water. Barges loaded with shells can at all times be seen along the river shore, from where they are distributed to the various factories. The blanks are cut form the shells by machinery, each shell furnishing from 8 to 14 button blanks which are either finished here or shipped to factories east to be finished. Including the clam fishermen within the county, over 1,500 persons are employed in this industry alone. Up to a very late date these buttons were all made in Europe and a few places in the East. Ocean shells were used in the manufacture of buttons, but although these shells no doubt look better than our coarse river shells, the buttons made from them cannot be excelled, and today Muscatine manufactures nearly as many buttons or button blanks as are made at all other places combined in the United States. The machinery for the manufacture of buttons is also made here. Of course the western shell requires different treatment from those found in the East. The machinery was perfected so that nearly all the western factories secure their outfits here. At nearly all points along the river where shells are found factories for the cutting of blanks are located and all require machinery, so that this industry assumes quite large proportions.
All other classes of business are well represented in the city. Retail stores especially are doing a prosperous business for they have as yet no cutthroat competition with department stores, and we hope the city may be spared this affliction for years to come.
The territory tributary to Muscatine is not only that portion of Muscatine county lying adjacent to it, but also a very large part of Rock Island and Mercer counties, Illinois, there being no towns of any importance within twenty miles east of the city.
A fine wagon and foot bridge gives the residents of that portion of Illinois easy means of communication with Muscatine and hundreds of teams can be seen using it daily. On Saturdays especially the traffic across the bridge is very heavy. On such days every available space in the livery barns and farmer’s retreats is taken and the streets present a very lively appearance. Farmers with their families come to the town to do their trading and always leave the place well satisfied with their treatment.
The city enjoys the best of banking facilities, there being five banks now in the city, all well managed and doing a large business.
The city has two daily and three weekly newspapers. The Journal, republican, an evening paper, and News-Tribune, democrat, a morning paper, are both very influential papers with a large circulation not only for their daily but also their weekly and tri-weekly issues. The Saturday Mail, a weekly paper devoted mostly to society news and literary notes, also has a very large circulation. TheAnzeiger and Der Correspondent, both German weeklies, have numerous subscribers not only in Muscatine county but also in most of the adjoining counties where the German population is more numerous. The waterworks of the city are owned by a corporation and the city pays an annual rental for each fire hydrant. The water is obtained from the river, pumped into the reservoir located at a point of sufficient elevation to supply consumers in nearly every part of the city. In case of fire the supplying valve to the reservoir is closed and water pumped directly into the mains, giving any pressure desired. In connection with the waterworks a very efficient volunteer fire department gives the city ample fire protection. The city is lighted by electricity and gas, one company furnishing both. The company and the city are now preparing plans to make the lighting more fitting for a city the size of Muscatine and no doubt they will soon agree upon a plan.
The street car system of the city is in fine shape covering a distance of nearly twelve miles and reaching to all parts of the city.
Muscatine has a system of graded schools which are nowhere excelled. The system embraces a high school, which by the way, is a very fine building, and seven grammar schools located in various parts of the city and easy of access. The average enrollment during the last year was 2534. This no doubt will be very largely increased this coming year. Quite a number of very fine church edifices are to be found in the city and nearly every denomination is represented. A public library is located at the high school building. It is as yet in its infancy, but is continually growing and with the assistance of the enterprising citizens will soon be able to make a good showing.
Muscatine was laid out in 1838 and was then called Bloomington, which name was changed to Muscatine in 1849. As then laid out it embraced what is shown on the map as the original town. Since then addition after addition has been laid out, and with more or less regularity, until at the present time Muscatine covers ten square miles of territory with over 200 streets and a population of 16,000, and is continually growing.
Of the new undertakings none is of more importance than the proposed water power. The plan is to tap the Cedar river at or near Moscow and conduct it, or as much thereof as is needed, to some point in or near Muscatine. The available fall at all seasons would approximate 50 feet and the supply of water be ample, and there is no doubt that the plan can be successfully carried out.
On the whole the prospects for the future growth of Muscatine are very flattering and its enterprising and genial citizens fully deserve all the good things that may come to them or rather which they will secure for themselves.
County Assessment Statistics. The total actual value of all property in the county as shown by these abstracts is $25,836,144. The total actual value of railroad property in the county, (assessed by the executive council) is $2,901,784. The total taxable value of the county is 25 per cent of the two totals above, or $7,184,482. The total taxable value for 1898 was $7,525,185, which shows a decrease in the 1899 assessment of $340,703.
The following figures, obtained from the duplicate abstracts on file in the County Auditor’s office, are of interest to the citizens of the county.
The abstract of personal property listed shows the actual value of the various classes of personalty to be as follows:
Vehicles, including bicycles $62,902 Household and hotel furniture 13,778 Moneys and credits 1,722,883 Corporation stocks 366,398 Merchandise 1,242,057 Other personal property 239,246 Heifers, 1 year old, 3,170 69,518 Heifers, 2 years old, 2,142 56,390 Cows, 9,724 306,470 Steers: 1 year old, 4,023 108,238 Steers, 2 years old, 2,333 86,563 Steers, 3 years old and over, 628 27,682 Cattle in feeding, 400 21,300 Bulls, 504 24,079 Colts, 1 year old, 581 14,746 Colts, 2 years old, 723 23,781 Horses, 3 years old and over, 8,004 352,920 Stallions, 63 13,249 Mules, 270 12,593 Swine, over 6 months, 27,320 127,535 Sheep, over 6 months, 2,712 12,346 Total actual value of personal property in county $4,904,683 Total taxable value of personal property in county 1,226,171 FARMING LAND Assessment of real property by townships:
No. of Acres Actual Values Bloomington 14,359.08 $ 852,300 Fruitland 14,869.69 567,673 Fulton 22,156.00 1,263,512 Goshen 18,644.18 927,702 Lake 20,507.64 887,698 Moscow 18,653.10 709,221 Montpelier 13,257.00 503,225 Wilton 22,368.72 1,139,160 Wapsinonoc 26,007.23 1,425,364 Orono 11,084.39 323,854 Sweetland 24,712.53 1,185,758 Pike 28,277.00 992,480 Seventy-six 19,907.82 867,511 Cedar 10,694.76 406,490 Muscatine 1,673.00 256,276 Total 267,172.14 $12,308,224 TOWN LOTS
The assessment of real property in cities and towns exclusive of that used.For agricultural purposes, is as follows:
Conesville $17,579 Muscatine 7,345,908 Fruitland 7,156 Stockton 39,352 Atalissa 22,842 Moscow 21,970 Montpelier 8,508 West Liberty 681,430 Wilton 356,434 Nichols 108,948 Fairport 13,510 Park Place (Bloomington township) 58,398 Total $8,682,035 SUMMARY
Total value of lands $12,308,224 Total value of town lots 8,682,035 Total real estate $20,990,259 Less homestead exemptions (soldiers, soldier’s widows) 58758 Net value of realty in county $20,931,461 Taxable value of realty $5,232,865 Taxable value of railroad property 725,446 Taxable value of personalty 1,226,171 Total taxable value of county $7,184,482 Page 95
The following is the complete statement of the summary of the assessments as compiled by Assessor Begey for the City of Muscatine:
Male Dogs 393 Female Dogs 4 Actual value of real estare, less exemptions $7,571,724 Taxable value of real estate 1,892,931 Horses, colts, etc 716 Value of same $33,237 Mules 36 Value of same $1,736 Heifers, steers, cows, etc 521 Value of same $15,949 Swine 44 Value of same $278 Vehicles and bicysles 563 Value of same $24,138 Household furnishings 6,800 Moneys and credits 592,700 Merchandise 1,031,502 Corporation stock 213,664 Other personal property 80,568 Total actual value of personnal property 2,006,572 Total taxable value of personal property 501,643 Total taxable value of all property 2,394,274 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Return to 1899 Atlas Table of Contents
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Page created February 6, 2021 by Lynn McCleary