Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1837-10-14

The s,yloxius is extracted from the sketches Of
The Editor OF the Peoria Register, iaken on tour
,bori Illinois and Wisconsin, during the past sum-
u.r any persc, IN irareingo on the Mississippi can
bit 5. struck with the imposing appearance Of ma
NJ town. on the bank OF the river. which have
n short time sprung up from the wilds Of the In
dian hunter:
BLooNlxcTos.--This town, the county seat
Of Muscatine, situated in the great bend Of
the Upper Mississippi river, was laid of in
September, 1886. There was then one log
house. 1t is customary, on laying of town,
to advertise a sale of lots very soon ,hereaf-
Ter, and sometimes with the stipulation that
the purchaser erect within given time house
thereon. This was omitted, however, in this
case, there having never been public sale.
During the winter brisk business was kept
up, notwithstanding, in the transfer Of lots,
until the price Of the best rose TO 1000 dollars,
| at which they were held in July. There are
! now from 90 to 80 houses, chiefly one story;
stores i grocery, drug establishment, claw
yers, physicians, tailor, blacksmith, l
plasterer, 90 master and journeymen carpen-
tiers, tavern, and large boarding house.
The public buildings have not yet been com.
menced, nor is there any school house Of
church.
The carpenters wages were $3.50 day;
until recently So. The tailor's price for ma.
king fashionable coat was Sl2. Board a,
the tavern $3.50 per week; at the boarding
house $3.50.
The entire population in July was about so
of whom 100 were adult males, l5 married
women, IL manageable and unmarried, and
90 children. The families are from the follow.
ing states: Pennsylvania 4. Indiana, Illinois
3, New York 3, Vermont 2, New Jersey 1
| Virginia 1.
/ The prices of lumber were. l inch boards
oak per hundred o.; walnut $3.50; weather
boarding, LOO; joist 3 cents foot running
measure.---Thesc are the prices at the saw.
mill. Pine is chiefly brought from st. Louis
at charge for freight at SIG per NJ. Thil
would make the cost about S. per hundred
Plne however is beginning TO come down tn,
Mississippi. Two large RATS passed in MAJ
/ withou, stopping.--The boards were Of cours,
green and the price asked $3.50 per hundred
for clear stuff: In three years from now, i
not sooner, in consequence Of the recent pur
Z chase ofthe Chippewa pineries, any quantity
Of lumber may be had there at $1.5O. In n,
place :an stone for building be more accessi
bile. On the south boundary Of the town III,
y 1uA .u,heS out " tnc river, aHoIothg an mex
J. haustble supply. The town indeed is envi
d roned with hills, leaving platform of les
+, than hundred acres on which to erect tn
h buildings. To extend the town beyond thes
J, limits will require an amount of grading tina
will put to the test the public spirit Of its citi
: zens; and yet, compared with Alton, the com
e mercial capital Of this state, these diicultie
!. are mere mole hills. That they WILL disap
pear before the labor Of man is not doubted
N The position Of the town, in the great bend o
l. the river, must make it a commercial empori
% nm Of the first class on the Upper Mississippi
ss rived from past history.