The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1858-11-12


So much has been said about the doomsd city
OF Jerusalem . up east, We give place to the fol-
lowing correspondence from = The Press y OF Phil.
lsdelphia Pa.
CHICAGO LIZ, Oct. 29th.
The approach 10 Keokuk by the river from tho
south 10 ono Of the most beautiful scenes on the
Mississippi About mile above Warsaw you
have full and fine view OF the whole town, and.
rs the rays of the setting gisdsd steeple, tower,
and housetop, though, oi that {" City set upon
hill, which cannot BE- hid"
Having noticed IN common with the rest oil man
kind, that article taken from the keokuk Post,
headed " The Doomed City OF Jerusalem,n which
has had such an uncommon run IN all the newspa.
pers Of the Union was naturally somewhat anx-
ious 10 zee the place that had obtained such an un-
envinhle reputation; So after nights at the
Billings House w. good hotel, by the-by, kept
by the Mossrs Siade-I sauntered out to view the
city and was very agreeably disappointed, and
much gratihed at seeing no evidences Of the des.
ISOLATION and distress so graphically described in
Tint celebrated article On the contrary, there as
at Indianapolis and st. Lonis the energies OF the
West were displayed in full force and vigor--house
following house, seemed to fise up with the rapid
ty OF Alladns palace. On every side was heard
the hum o busy trade, and the ciank oil hammers
closing rivets up
keokuk does not seem to be much known to the
people 81 the Atlantic scaboard, also such a
| wretched cANARp as the doomed city could new
or nave ghtnSu one moments credit.
When walking along Main street, one oil the
most beautiful streets In tho whole West, . mile
| long one hundred feet wide, paved and macada
missed throughout dined with handsome stores, full
Of goods. the Ri-hio.." OF the place where mer.
chants most do congrcgate," an acquaintance poin
| thor Of the :" doomed city," and oh, W gods aud
| little fishes, who do yo think he Isl Do you
dear PRkss remember old Father Rees, tho crazy
s,reet-preacher al Pittsburgh I. Old Blue Beard,
4 H. ~. ~, H. a.
| GLE noioriety at Washington Well, he 10 The
veyitable man. and the poor fellow merely wrote a,
| he felt al the time; Tor, having made some pur
chases Of real estate, in the hope OF be,erng his
iorinne and not hsving the needful pay his notes
as they become due, he like the 0 d French lady IL
| Adele, thought " the world was passing away ~
he, keokuk, and oil mankind were indeed 9 doom
| ed"
The most Of the keokukians laugh at the affair
| though some Of them feel hurt Il the no,oriet,
which has been given TO the rawlings Of a Graz,
fool, and ~ gross and hurdul iniustice has beeI
done TO 4 noble yourg city. ] teel assured tina
You will spare the room required Tor the folowin,
rapid sketch oil keokuk, Is 1t was, and now is.
4 In 1850, keokuk was . small town OF about iwt
A thousand five hundred inhabitants, and doing bu
siness, with the back country. Of some six or sov
4 on hund cd thousand dollars annually. II had beef
known in an carrier day a. Traders Point tia
boatmen and rowdes being the heroes OF the place
Situated on the west side 0t the Misaseipi river
on the bold bluffs OF ihe southeast cofncr oil Iowa
at the foot Of tho Lower kaplds y of the Father
of Waters, and 81 ihe head Of good navigation 10
the larger class OF steamers, where carUoss are des
tined Tor the upper rivers had 10 b discharged an
carried these rapids In lighters, il early s,rac
ted the attention oil the entsrprising merchants I
the West, and now, whilst write, keokuk has
population OF fifteen thousand souls, aud il one
, the handromest and best built amongst the youn
|, cities OF the West The most Of the houses al
brck--of good architectural design and the ssor
on Main street will compare tavornbly with thoe
on Chesnu. street. Philadelphia, twenty years ar,
: The site Is admirably adapted upon which I
build large city. Rising from the river, AZ
were, is series OF plataus, ii .sveches away SON
two miles into the country 1.-The whole surrounde
by range Of gently swelling highlands in the dp
. lance. giving the appearance Of vat amphithei
!. ire, adding besuiy and variety to the scene, an
. enabling the inhabitants to drain the whole Gil
:, towards the river, a fact which they have full
J awaited themscivcs of, and which has renders
: keokuk ore OF the healthiest cities of the Unio
r VIII re the doctor mny exrlam, with Othelio, th
: his occlpa,iona gone Drainage, my de-
. PRgss 10 great institution. and has been too niue
: neglected In the most OF cur cities.
have b. en- informed that the annual business
j. ke0kuk row amounts To over seven millions OF dc
j. lars and can believe ii, for wagons were on Il
: streets MI the way from Setting Sun or son
, sach place In the Ear West La. To- ia.n - Il
: Spaninrds have it, about two hundred miles Off.
y The two railroads now terminating there one ru
+ ming up the Valley Of the Des MONIES to the caf
tai ct the State, and the other by way OF Mou
a Pleasant toward Iowa City, must pour the veal
I OF the back country into the lap, and add mncb
! the commercial import ancc, Of keokuk. For i
stance was told that fifty or SIXTY thousand ho
q would be cut and packed there this year, makiu
the place literally the porkopolis of Iowa. VIII
n