The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-11-23
-..-rp, xrw. VIA COUNCIL BLUFFS

EASTERN NEWS VIA COUNCIL bLIfkS
iii. ,urvrise many Il esr resfers 70 learn that
news sran lie Eass reaches Csatrai Is~s. by way o.
cuzpcsi Bsuas alEsst IS rs thTvrsh Davenport
ana Bsrlinxton. DexpasShes communicating sses N
rex.rd sc tie elecss the Eastern stases Sere sent
sy letter FRA the Bfzas q cur eitrensi ASa
,hey we're surprised n7i thai were fully as lase ~
.uy .ntsltsesce rua BssiiaSi0a- Next thias re ssa
b rece.virS daity pager. from the Bus with Latest
news fsvn EErcse.-D<s uoiaes Rrgssfr
Very likely, for ssThe Bluffs" is 60
ahead place-and inhabited BY go-ahead
people. The citizens Of Central Iowa need
not be Surprised, If, at the close OF another
decade, Council Bluffs is the largest city 10
the State Of Iowa. Ere that time, We CONN.,
IDENTIFY hops-no. Without reason-to be 10
direct railroad and selegraphic communica-
ton with both the Atlantic and Pacific bor-
ders Of this great and prosperous Republic.
Situated about halfway between the two
oceans, on noble river which bears no in
considerable part in the transport OF the
commerce. Of the United Ssates-connected,
by a system Of railroads (already projected
| and 10 course of construction) with oil the
State, in the Union, would be in nowise
surprising If this city should, within the next
ten years, make as rapid strides 10 progress
and commercial greatness, as Chicago and
ST. Louis have in the past twenty years.
If oil this should transpire as stated, the
change would be scarcely more marked than
that which has taken place here within the
east six years. When We arrived in this
city in August, 1854, our vision was greeted
with bu. little else than miserable array OF
log huts-badly scattered at that. There
were no. even half. dozen comfortable
dwellings in the place; while business was
conducted, for the most part, in "oaiioon
frames, at and near the corner OF Madison
street and upper Broadway. 10 November
Of same wear, all Of the las: mentioned build
| ings were consumed by FIRE. On the 18Th OF
December, same year, We issued the mrs.
Number Of the "Chronotyps," and near
month elapsed before we got return OF
exchanges. The Western Stage Company
were then running tri,weekly line to and
| from the East-that is, once week u ana
from Burlington. and the same to and from
Iowa City. News from New York, in ten
daus, we considered very late! If the roads
were "henry," twelve to fifteen days was
the autmost dispatch" to be hoped for. In
the spring of SO, daily line Of Stages was
put on between this city and the east, for
which 1--WE, the people Of Council Bluffs"
we're very thankful, as il 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 east,cdrd, and received at
the Capital of the State "almost as soon"
as the same news conveyed resf,cdrd 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 Bluff, of 1854, are to-day visible. 1t is
true, We believe, that the population of this
city to day, does not greatly exceed the num-
be. here in 1854, but in every other respect,
this city is materially and wonderfully i'm
proved-as the hundreds Of connections
dwelling houses; scores of fine large brick
blocks. for business; nicely graded streets,
etc., most fully attest. In commercial i'm
por.auce, 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
vet it has done remarkably we'll, ''undcr the
circumstances.' The railroad communica-
ton we were then to enjoy in five years, is
still beyond our reach year or two-bus
even in this respect, We really have no great
cause for compuint-we are full three hun
dred miles nearer a Railroad than We were
six years ago, with very fair prospect OF
having the ssiron horse" in our midst within
two years. Instead of being "border
town." as in 1854, this city is now the Bosi-
ness Centre of large and ,olerably thickls
settled country. Six years ngo, aud there
was no necessity for public conveyance be-
vond this citv-eiiher North or West. Now,
a tri.weekly line Of stages leaves here regu-
larly for Sioux City, 100 miles northward,
through Emo agricultural region, pretty
we'll settled by enterprisins men; and
weekly line Of stages leave regularly for
Denver City, 600 miles westward! Not
only this, bu. instead Of triweeky line to
the East and South-we have daily lines
connecting, in a two days ride, southxard,
with the Railroad at Savannah, No.; aud
connecting eastward, ut either Marengo or
ot,um~a, with the Railroad, after q three
days ride-making the time to New York,
either way, only FIVE days!
Our past progress is hardly an earnest OF
the future. Heretofore every step has been
bcse, by almost insurmountable obstacles
now these obstacles are fast 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 West
tributary to this city; and the country has
become much more thiekly settled, thus
making this region an exporter Of farm
products, instead Of an importer--in fact,
we have become a self-susfaining cenmuni.