Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1838-03-31
TRDM MARGINS
NO. IL

when he could make hundred times the pro.
nj by specializing in land. -
First of all, it was determined that Dogtown
Il Should be city. The want Of population was
\ found TO be a serious obstacle here; the con.
1stl'1'lon OF the state requires ten or twelve
Thousand Inhabitants for city; and as Dog
atnwn, including the suburbs of Puppyville and
q Skunk Misery, contained a population Of cn.l
II SIN hundred and thirty. lone; it was thought
there might be some difficulty in getting a char
atter without anticipating tie returns OF tho
next census. However city it must be, some
time or other: in this all were agreed, and it
might as well had the first name as the last;
$50 they concluded to call il city. II is as
I 'on'sIing what spirit Of enterprise these
prospects infused into the people Of Dogtown.
] The school house door was painted green, un.
Gle Joe Stlbbons mended the top Of the chin.
ney. and 1t was voted in town meeting to pur-
chase three wheelbarrows for the public use;
and all III consequence Of these projected i'm.
Iprovemcnts. Nay, so widely did their views
of business expand, thai Aminadab Higgins,
the grocer, determined TO give up retailing,
and declared he wouldn't split crackers nor
cut candles any longer.
! Such was the thriving condition Of the CITY
OF Dogtown when l left the place in the au-
iumn OF That year. continued TO hear of il
through the medium of the Dog,own Daily
Advertiser, newspaper established there by
an en,crprising printer from Connecticut at the
first dawning of the commercial prosperity Of
the city. ltappenred TO 20 ahead rapidly. The
newspaper spoke Of the Exchange, the Town
Hall, the Bank, the new Post Office, the Rail-
road. Canal, &c. House lots were advertised
IN Washington Square, Merchants Row,
State street, Market street. &c. Contract were
proposed iorbnilding churches, manufactures,
&c. This was nogtown in all its glory.
! Last August determined to make visit
to this celebrated place in order 10 feast my
eyes with the splendorof aci,y thathad sprung
up as il Were Nv cnch,ni,ncnt. When reachA
cd tho foot of Blncberry Hill, which overlooks
the whole place, walked eagerly to the top.
/ in order to catch Il view at single glance, Of
the city. in all lis magnifcence. To my utter
establishment, instead OF spires and domea,
saw nothing but Deacon Siumpev's old man.
sion, with five other ragged and dingy looking
edifices, which stood exactly where had all
ways known them. l entered the city ihro'
State street. but discovered nothing new except
a small house without chimney. Not liv.
ing thing was to be seen in Washington square
but three geese who were lazily picking a
mouihiul of grass among the mudpuddles.
enqnired for the Exchange, and found il in
use by the Deacon as a COW pen. The new
church, however. was told, had actually pro.
rt,edrd as far ,!!o raising of the timbers; but
II was subsequently sold by auction TO pay for
digging the cellar.
! had check on the Dosown Bank for
three dollars, and wishing to draw the money,
was directed TO No. 10, 1rcmon, street. This
turned out to be the identical building former.
~ occupied by old Iii, Cobblc, the shoemaker
II was bank hours, but the bank was shut,
: and there was not soul to be seen: Just as I
. was going away, spied tin horn By tho
door, with paper over IL, on which was writ.
) ten. 'persons having business AT tho bank are
requested to blow the horn" put the horn
TO my lips and blew blast both long aud loud.
After waiting about ten minutes spied Isaac
Thumprr coming slowly down the road; he
proved to be the cashier Of the Dog,own Bank,
!. and after some difficulty convinced him of
the safety &C cashing the check.
Upon inquirng Of Isaac what use had been
made of The forty.six millions TWO hundred
. thousand dollars, lie informed me that most of
it remained invested in notes Of hand. Money
3 was scarce, and was expected TO continue so
, until the onion crop had been got in. II was
easy TO see that The city had sadly declined
I from lis meridian sp'cndor In fact, Dogtown
; has suffered a complete downfall, for hardly
, any body now speaks Of it as city. They have
] asuch land as ever. and SO long as it contin-
ucd to be valued at their own price, they were
as rich as Jews; bot, unfortunately, it fell in
, value. the moment they expected the purchas-
, ers 10 pay for it. The Dostowners are poor
. enough at present, but they are not the first,
j and probably will not be the last people who
have ruined themselves by building city on
speculation.
TX