The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-11-24
xA.TERs NEWS VIA cor sc1L sLurrs-

cca.oil H,u- .srzs,x IS <sn IS thrsESs parr.Gc-s
soa Ez-I:Sstsa psssztcAes. coznEEicstius facts u
reard - tie sieSszs tie Eastern S-sses wsre ssns
b. Letter fra Tie B.us "a sane q cur eiiises a1a
sasy were Surprised a sa2t vere fully as lac Is
AR satssiseare froa Bsrlesssa Next ihias He sAai
BE rec<svins daily papers :rsm the B.Uss with Latest
as~s ,raza Eurs7e.-Dss N0isss Regsssr
Very likely, for ssThs Bluffs" isa go
ahead place-aud inhabited BY go-ahead
psopls. The citizens Of Central Iowa need
net be surprised. if, at the close OF another
decade, Council Bluffs is the largest city IN
the State of Iowa. Ere that time, we conf
IDENTIFY hope-not without reason-so Dc 10
direct railroad and selegraphic communica'
! lion With both the Atlantic and Paciie bar-
asrs of this great and prosperous Republic
Situated sbou. halfway between the two
oceans. on noble river which bears no in
considerable part in the transport OF the
commerce of the United States-connected,
| By system Of railroads (already projected
and 10 course of construc;ion) with all the
States 10 the Uaion-is would be in noxise
| surprising if this city should. within the next
ten years, make as rapid strides in progress
and commercial greatness, as Chicago and
ST. Louis have in the past twenty years.
| n all this should transpire as stated, the
change would be scarcely more marked than
.ha. which has taken place here within the
past SIX years. When We arrived in this
city in August, 1854, our vision was greeted
| with but little else than miserable array OF
log -huts- badly scattered al that. There
we're no. even half dozen comfortable
dwellings in the place; while business was
| conducted, for the mos. part, in ''balloon
frames,'' a. and near the corner Of Madison
street and upper Broadway. In November,
Of same wear, all Of the las, mentioned build
inys were consumed by FIRE. On the 18th of
December, same year, we issued the first
number Of the "Chrono'ype," and near
month elapsed before We got return Of
exchanges. The Western Stage Company
were then running a sriweekly line to and
from the East-that is, once n week to and
from Burlington, and the same to and from
Iowa City. News from New York, in ten
days, we considered very late! If the roads
were "heavy," twelve TO fifteen days was
the "utmos, dispatch" TO be hoped for. Ia
the spring Of IS, daily line Of Stages was
put on between this city and the east, for
which "we, the people of Council Bluffs
we're very thankful, as it reduced the time
necessary for the transmission Of mail mat
ter, full three days-making the time be
tween this city and New York from seven to
ten days. Now, note the change-just after
midnight of the evening following the day of
election, the news of the election Of "Oid
Abe" was received in this city, and from
this city conveyed eastwGrd, and received at
the CAPITAL Of the State "almost as soono
as the same news conveyed west,card from
Davenport and Burlington. We call that
a very marked change.
Again, so far as the substantial growth of
this city is concerned, the progress has been
no less marked. But few traces Of the Coun-
Gil Bluffs of 1854, are today visible. 1t is
true, We believe, that the population of this
city to day, does not greatly exceed the num-
beE here in 1854, but in every other respect,
this city is materially and wonderfully i'm
proved-as the hundreds of commodious
dwelling houses; scores Of fine large brick
blocks, for business; nicely graded streets,
etc., most fully attest. In commercial i'm
portance, our progress has been even more
rapid than in mechanical improvement-but,
we forbear going into details.
Though our city has not made the progress
its sanguine friends predicted six years ago,
yet it has done remarkably we'll, 'under the
circumstanees.'' The railroad communca-
ton we were then to enjoy in FIVE years, is
still beyond our reach year or two-but
even in this respect, we really have no great
cause for complaint-we are full three hun
drea miles nearer a Railroad than We were
six years ago, with a very fair prospect Of
having the "iron horse' in our midst within
two years. Instead Of being n "border
town." as in 1854, this city is now the Bust
ness Centre of large and tolerably thckIv
settled country. Six years agn, and there
was no necessity for public conveyance be-
yond this eity-ei;her North or West. Now,
a ,ri. weekly line Of stages leaves here regu-
larly for Sioux City, 100 miles northward,
through a fine agricultural region, pretty
we'll settled by enterprisins men and a
weekly line of stages leave regularly for
Denver City, COO miles westward! Not
only this, but instead of tri ,wcekIy line to
the East and South-we have daily lines
connecting, in a two days ride, southwark.
with the Railroad at Savannah, No.; aud
connecting eastward, at either Marengo or
Ot,umva, with the Railroad, after three
days ride making the time 10 New York,
either way, only five days.
Our past progress is hardly an earnest of
the future. Heretofore every step has been
beset By almost iusurmountable obstacles
now these obstacles are fas, disappearing
the Railroad will soon be completed here,
making this city the terminus Of overland
steam Communication, rendering the vas,
region of country to the North and Yves,
tributary to thI, city; and the country has
become much more th;ckly sa,tlad ,hus