The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-05-18
CITY OF NI.GREGOR.

y
below will be found his impressions. His
remarks about the Times are exceedingly
fiattering tous personally but no apology
is needed for their insertion because we are
not hypocritical enough to deny that res
pectful commentator is as pleasing to
us as it is to that large mass of mankind
who have not lost all respect for public
opinion.
Perhaps our readers may seem slightly
like drawing on the future to improve the
picture of the present. but we are not dis
posed in writing briefly of the thriving
place, now almost as widely known as any
other Western town, to take one particle
from the character in which it is introduce
ed in this article If it has not as many
inhabitants as ST. Paul or Davenport, it has
all the activity, hustle and business which
give the character of City to any place.
Although the writer's personal acouaint
ance in McGregor has been and is limited. it
has always been favorte with him. Our
partiality is founded upon admiration for
the energy which, under many disadyanta-
ges OF location, has been able to build up so
large and thriving community and to
draw to it SO valuable trade, and give to
It prospects as creditablc to its past as they
are fiattering to its future. The world al
ways admires selfmade men more than
those who equally graat, are so by birth or
accident, and we unavoidably feel more res
pect Tor any community which overcomes
the natural obstacles incident to its locality
y Attaining 70 imp ortance despite of those oh
sctcias, uEtn fUf towTis IflaI A.. ssrs..,,
Importance with all the advantages of To-
callty in their favor. -
With respect to itself, McGregor has had
as many difficulties to surmount as any
other Western town, and like Galena, the
cause of its prosperity lay not in the natu-
raj beauty or fitness of its site for a city,
1t Is situated in deep and narrow ravine
almost worthy to be called a gorge in noun.
tains, so high do the bluffs of the Mississ-
ippi rise above and below the city-a ra-
vine originally rendered still less available
for town site by the slough running into
it. sr =. - INV
But these difficulties have been overcome
ana IN year or two more the slough which
mas now been encroached upon largely, in
lact unul 1t makes mere bayou as it were,
VIII, ny the same process, be converted in
TO SOLID ground, affording front sufficient
Tor three streets where there is now but one.
Ihere is however larger area for building
purposes than stranger might at first sup
pose, tor this rayine is not only some two
miles 1--WE merely judge by walking IT'D long
but 1t wdens out naturally short distance
from the river, furnishing space for twenty
times its present population, which is over
two thousand. At present the business is
concentrated upon single street, which is
the main thoroughfare from the landing to
the country, while residences occupy Dor
tons of the town back of the main street
and Oh the sides of the bluffs.
The business being confined to one street
has its advantages as well as disadvantages
and confers very strong business air up-
on the town, while of course at times it IS
somewhat too crowded as an avenue of
trade and travel While there are some
good substantial business houses and resi-
dences IN McGregor, the citizens have not
as general thing wasted capital in extra
VACANT structures, and that circumstance
has probably contributed to preserve their
financial matters in a healthy condition.
A substantial Seminary building of brick
occupies very pleasant location and the
institution is represented as Furnishing.
There are number of heavy dealers in
McGregor with variety of stores of all
kinds, while the city is well supplied with
mechanics. There are also one or more
steam mills in operation and lumber wards
containing supply of all kinds required in
the market
A sufficient number Of hotels provide rest
ana comfort for thc clnisrsint and traveller,
among which the American Hotel, by
Messrs. Scott d Wright, ranks "a" mo
H. and while the proprietors labor under
the difficulty OF occupying building not
qulte up 10 the times, they more than make
up for it by their kind and prompt atten-
ton to the wants and comforts of their
! guests. There is no better hotel in Metre
gor
McGregor is the most important city in
Iowa North Of Dubuque and does bust
ness IN the purchase of grain, pork, &C.,
and the sale of dry goods, groceries, hard
ware, &c, &c, OF which many town of
larger growth might well be proud. The
trade and travel to and from Northern Iowa
over the Prairie du Chen and Milwaukee
Il. X. concentrates there, and is rapidly
making tine advantages of the city as bus
| mess point widely known A fine Steam
ferry boat plies between the city and prai-
RE du Chen.
But the chief Importance of McGregor
and which has, despite of an unfavorable
position, made the city what it is, is deriv-
| cd from its location relative to the fine az
ricultural country lying back of it. As the
Heraldhas often said, there is not a county
| In the State containing more of the elements
OF real wealth, and wealth itself, than CLAW
| ton county. We will not now stop to give
| the value OF its productions as shown by
the censes returns of 1856, nor to estimate
what they will be in 1869, If good crops are
granted to the farmers. 1t is sufficient to
say that no county North of Burlington
turns OFT more wheat, corn, or pork. The
| county is settled with an industrious popu-
lation, largely German, who have got their
farms in fine condition and out of debt
1t is finely adapted to the raising of grain,
stock, or pork, and annually turns off large
| quantities, the greater portion we Judge.
finding market at McGregor. Fayette
! county, West of Clay ton, is equal to it in
fertility and contributes large amount of
business to McGregor. Besides these cour-
/, ties, a portion Of Allamakee and Winnie
shiek find market at McGregor. More
remotely, the counties Of Chickasaw, Floyd.
| Bremen, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Mitchell.
Howard, all contribute portion to the
business of the town.
McGregor is the starting point of the Nc
6regor and Missouri River Railroad, upon
which considerable grading has been done
and which will be completed across the
State to Sioux City ere many years elapse.
| When tits, it will be one Of the best pay
ing roads in the West. The value of the
enterprise to McGregor can only be estima-
ted by calculation showing the amount of
grain, pork, &C., which some fifteen coun-
ties when fairly settled will produce, all of
which, seeking an Eastern market, will ma
| turallY concentrate at McGrepur