St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-04-16
Editorial Correspondence Of the Intelligencsr
Incidents of Travel.
NO. 8.



former period of it's history For more
than hundred years the place has
been known as an Indian trading and
military post, and yet it has not at
tracted much attention from the COM
mercial world until quite recently
The Indian, emphatically the child Of
nature, is peculiarly sensitive of the
beautiful. It was this point, at the
confluence of the Wisconsin river with
the Mississippi, that the Indians Sc
lected as their common neutral ground,
upon which their tribes, though at war
at home, could meet, and trade, and
sport, in perfect safety.
The word Chen means dog, and the
place takes it's name from the fact that
in early times the lRairie dogs used to
burrow here. Even at the present
time their little mounds are to be seen
in various places. The river here is
mile and a quarter wide. The whole
valley from bluff to bluff is about three
miles wide, and there is no doubt that
this was one day the width Of the riv-
err, as the water marks. high up on the
bluffs upon either side, are yet dis
tinctly to be seen. The prairie upon
which the town is built lies between
the margin of the river and the east
ern bluff, and is some two or three
miles in length by nearly two miles
in width. The towering hills or bluffs,
covered more or less with foliage, with
here and there precipitous rocks stand
ing out in bold relief, all environing
one of the most lovely and beautiful
prairies the eye of man ever beheld,
gives the entire scenery a romantic
and charming appearance.
1t was here that General Zachary
Taylor had his head quarters at the
time of the Black Hawk War. Fort
Crawford, at this place, was built un-
der his supervision. Near by is fine
old dwelling house, occupying the
most conspicuous site in town, which
Gen Taylor built, much Of it with his
own hands, and in which he dwelt
with his family. But the government
buildings and Notifications are now
going to decay. The troops were
withdrawn about one year since, and
the tenements are occupied with some
forty or fifty families of foreigners,
Irish, German, &c, whose vandal
hands have laid waste the beautiful
grounds, destroyed the pickets and
fences, and rendered every thing in
and around repulsive and forbidding.
Suits at law have been commenced by
ambitious men to wrest the property
from the United States Government.
In 1878, the Indian title to the
whole country north Of the Wisconsin
river and east of the Mississippi, as
far up as Crow Wing river, was ex-
tinguished From that time the bust
ness of the country began to improve.
But new impulse is given to this par
ticular point by the opening of the
Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad.
The cars are to come in here on the
10th of this month. The teeming
thousands of emigrants from the East
ern States will naturally seek and pre-
fer this route on their way to the at
tractive North West 1t must COM
mand most of the trade and travel to
and from northwestern Wisconsin,
Minnesota and northern Iowa.
Between Prairie du Chen and Nc
Gregor, on the opposite shore, fine
steam ferry boat is constantly plying,
and railroad is now being construct
ed from that point directly westward
to St. Charles and Clear Lake-the
whole under contract to be completed
within two years. Passengers and
freight from the East, by taking this
route, save one hundred and sixty
miles in distance and twenty-eight
hours of time with attending expen-
ses. Freight is now being landed
here from Chicago for about forty-five
cents per cwt., so that any one may
see that this is by far the most eco
nomical route to all parts of northern
Iowa.
The present population Of Prairie du
Chen numbers about three thousand
The place has one large steam -four
ing mill, one steam saw mill, three
lumber yards, five brick yards, three
graceful churches, a high school and
several district schools, and an acad-
envy and several more churches are in
contemplation. The depot buildings
on the bank of the river, and near to
the ferry and steamboat landings, are
now being constructed. Several new,
large and commodious wholesale or
jobbing houses have recently been
erected near by, and others are in pro-
gress of completion, among which |
may be mentioned that of Hopkins &