St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-06-18

ty or thirty houses arc already erect
ted, and when the saw mills are all
put in operation a large number of
buildings will be rapidly constructed.
Excellent lime is made at this place,
and the incest clay for brick-making
is found near by in great quantities
Why does not some one engage in
the manufacture of bricks there at
once No business could prove more
successful.
From Rockford we proceeded to
Shell Rock Falls-distance about fif-
teen miles. Of this town our friend
Corey has recently become the sole
proprietor. Nature here furnishes a
succession of water powers which if
improved would have scarcely rival
in Northern Iowa. The Shell Rock
River here rushcs over its rocky bed,
falling from one table of stone to an
other, for the distance of more than
a mile. Bluffs of rock from ten to
twenty feet high, in many places, line
either bank, af1ording the very best
stone for building purposes and for
making lime. The work of quarrying
is merely nothing, as thousands of
cords of stone can be taken out with
the hand, scarcely requiring pick or
crow-bar, all square and handsome,
ready for the builders use. There is
also at this point body of heavy
timber, covering several thousands OF
acres, which is of the very best quail
ity for building and mechanical pur-
poses. There is now in operation
here saw mill and flour mill, and an
thor s,.,Ssr mill is being erected. But few
houses arc yse baIE ssih u. coreyhas
now got his town plas lithograrisSess,.
and is making his arrangements .or
the sale Of lots and encouragement Of
business. Lots will be decided gratu-
itously to desirable citizens who may
wish to improve them and aid in pro-
noting the growth and welfare of the
town. Here is certainly a fine chance
for men Of enterprise, as such supc-
rior natural advantages cannot long
remain unimproved. The prairie
around is of superior quality, and is
being rapidly settled upon by an ex-
cellent class of people Mr.. Corey
holds a large amount of land in the
neighborhood which he will dispose
of to settlers on favorable terms.
Business letters should be addressed
to him at Bradford, Chickasaw county,
Iowa.
From Shell Rock Falls we travelled
across the prairie some seven miles to
Mason City, situated on the west side
of Lime Creek and just north of the
creek which makes an outlet to Clear
Lake. Here is indeed a lovely spot.
Timber skirts the streams, inexhausti-
bic quarries of stone crop out along
their banks, and prairies as handsome
and fertile as the eye of man ever be-
held environ the town and stretch
away in the distance. Until some.
time last summer, this was village
wholly of log houses. A saw mill
propelled by water power was at that
time put in operation and some fifty
or sixty frame buildings sprang up as
if by magic. The business of the
place at the present time may be set
down as follows: Merchants, Hon. j.
B. Long, Paul Felt, John L. McMillin;
Land Agents, Drummond & Miller,
Spaulding & Adams, Silas Card & Son,
A. S. Felt +; Laryrs, John Porter, Hon.
J. S. Church Physicians, f. D. Hunt
ley, Geo. s. Hill, the latter said to be
a skillful surgeon Hotel, Farmers
House, by Solomon Zuver Nursry-
man, A. Garner. The proceeds Of the
postoffice amount to about fifty dollars
per quarter-N. o. Adams postmas-
ter. Mails for Clear Lake, also Forest
City in Winnebago county, and Elk
Grove, pass through this office Sew
eral new buildings are now in process
of erection at Mason City, the people
are ornamenting their public grounds,
a good school is kept in the village,
and in the hall over Mr.. McMillin's
store public worship is held each Sab
bath. Ia the same building the coun-
ty offices are kept. Recently, howev-
or, commissioners, appointed by the
to locate the seat Of JUS
tice for Cerro Gordo county, have
" stuck the stake in the vicinity of
Clear Lake. Whether the removal
will be permanent or not remains to
be seen. This county seat business,
as it is handled in Iowa, proves per-
feet football for ambitious specula-
tors and demagogues. It is, however,
not of half the value and Importance
that many people attach to it, though
some Spectators fancy it to be a