St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-02-17
Travelling Sketches.
Editorial correspondence Of the Dubuque Daily Times
Sr Guam re Cry Jan. Goth.

u. NJ =
St. Charles City the seat of justice
of Floyd county, lies exactly twenty
miles due north of Clarksville. We
came here by private conveyance,
crossing no stream until we reached
the Cedar at this point, and passing
but one tree, a solitary settler on the
prairics two and a half miles south of
st. Charles. We would like to see
the history of that trees observations.
One mile north of that tree are scve-
raj "lost rocks" of larger dimensions
than any we have eve seen before.
Some of them are as large as a small
western barn, and bear marks of a ter
rible convulsion of nature. The his
tory of their migrations and shakings
would not be devoid of interest.
On our way to st. Charles City we
passed four little children, two boys
and two girls, going to school on a
rude horse sled. They live on q pra'-
ric two miles and a half from the
school house, and ride thither every
day, putting the horse-which looks,
we imagine, like Sidney Smiths Ca
lamity in a straw-covered barn,
where he remains until school Is out
in the afternoon. Those children are
in pursuit of knowledge under diff
culties," but not difficulties too great
60 be overcome. We admire their
perseverance May the boys get learn
ing enough to become legislators OF
the State, and the girls become the
mothers of statesmen whom the peo-
pie will delight to honor.
We are keenly smitten with st.
Charles. 1t is the loveliest town we
have seen on the loveliest of Iowa
streams. 1t lies on the left bank OF
the Cedar, in a little oak opening, the
trees of which seem to have beer
planted expressly to adoru some thrift.
town, and make its site romantic. l
is, in short, an Arcadian spot, and tn
wonder is that half the towns peopl
do not turn poets. At present, how
ever, they are deeply interested
getting their daily bread-and butte
Times arc hard up the Cedar as we
as every where else. "A thing
beauty" like this town, is a JOY 70
ever" but the thing" Of money las
less long-sometimes. st. Charlie
however, is not any worse off, pee
niarily, than any other town in Il
Cedar Valley above Cedar Rapids.
The village of St. Charles is lal
out on both sides of the river, but II
business and most of the houses al
on the cast side. A splendid stol
Court House, not yet completed, stanc
on the west side in the woods
monument, seemingly, to the travele
of obstinate conccit and consumma'
folly. However, when a bridge, whit
is to be one hundred and eighty ie'
in length, spans the river, the Con
House will not be very much ont
the way. 1t eouid be more inacces'
bic.
The site of St. Charles was formc
lv the village grounds of the NInn
bagoes. and three years ago last
contained but one frame building, {
we learn from an old number OF u
St. Charles Intelligencer. The plae
now has about one hundred and TIVE
ty dwelling houses, between sev'
and eight hundred inhabitants, al
five general variety stores and grot
ries. They are kept by Montague
Co., Wright & Brother, G. ii. Aaske
Cheney & Stinson, and j. ii. Leh
kuhl L. Co.
Ferguson & Stanley have a lar
hardware store f; Smith and Atkins
and DIR. Silas Card, two fine drug stor'
and Hildreth & Carver a fair assoi
ment of books. The place has a wat'
maker, d. Gilbert /; a tin plate work.
Chas. Merkel a boot and shoe mar
facturer, on an extensive scale, u.
Ferguson, and several ~tailors, cabiI
makers, wagon makers, &c. Jose
Kelly has a good Touring mill n S;
mill, running by water, and Ira r
EFT has a steam saw mill. Inc
Charles Hotel, a mammoth house,
the only one open just at this TIN
The Magnolia" we understand,
soon to be ~re-opened.
In St. Charles are three religious
~cieties, Baptist, j. II. Parmelee, p
tor !; Congregational, }. IL. Winds
pastor Methodist, Mr.. Kicker, past
The Baptists have a neat house OF "
ship, capable of seating three hund'
people. The Congregationalists I
the house part of the day every ,
hath. There is some religious inter
"a the Methodist Church.
Placing the lawyers as near
churches as we can, their names al
Wise g. Fairfield, Reiniger, Card
2einigcr. ID w. PoindeXter, ), b. Sta
A. l.. Collins, Ii. G. Stinson, j. g. 7
ters1n, and J. NJ. Parsons. The phys
ians are J. w Smith, 5. Card, }. NJ. L
sons and w. A. Fcssenden.
The st. Charles lntelligencer,
only newspaper in the county,
nine column sheet. published and CT
fully edited by Itildrcth * Carver. b
practical printers, and Industrious
worthy men. Mr.. Hlldrcth is a m
Der of the State Board Of EducatI
and received the largest majority
that Office, of any man in the st
In the recent meeting of the Boar'
Des Moincs, he took II very ac
part. He ma!a x client spt
there, in favor 0 s3ao@tin~ both St
in the Stat" tu 'a- ) OF
the most as a cdutatl
matters in Nalt A".
-ay POI
Meet,ar Ell. IS d man
his : who is on
TIL r -ga ,o-a end lear
.--ta