The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-12-28
The Ottumwa Courier--Something
about il. u .....


takers, are fond of indulging in, to dwell
occasionally in a little personal retrospect
ton. and the habit is perhaps pardonable-
in view of the fact that the local newspa-
per is in some good sort II public instisu-
ton, so intimately interviewer with past
experiences and events, that its history is
the history of the locality where it is pub
lished. The close of IL year, n period in
the worlds history, seems too a suitable
time for publishers as we'll as other people
to glance back over the experiences Of the
year and of former years, to note the sue
cesses achieved, il any, and the mistakes
committed, in order that the former may
he emulated and the latter avoided i'm the
future. 1t is natural, too. for those who
have been connected with enterprises
which date back to the early times, and
which have breasted and overcome the en-
barrasments and trials incident to all hui
man undertakings, after success has been
won and position and prospects assured,
to dwell with somewhat of eomplacencv
upon tho result of these tread-mill, monot-
onous and not too highly appreciated or
literally rewarded labors and exertions.
The Ottumwa COURIER was started in
AUGUST, lS4S, by Street Il Warden, J. III.
u. Street and Richard II. Warden,) seven
teen Years and four months ago. 1t bore
the name at first, and for some nine years,
of the "Des Moines Courier and at the
time of its commencement had no cotem-
porary i'm the Des Moines Valley, above it,
or westward to the Missouri River. The
Valley Wing was started at Keosauqua n
few years before, and was the only paper
between Ottunwa and Keokuk in the
valley below.
The first COURIER Office was in wooden
building, perhaps not now standing, on
Front street, nearly opposite the block of
buildings erected ut the corner of Green.
TIE Post Oflire-Mr. Warden being Post
Master,-was in the same building. The
ONCE, rs we'll as the Post Once was re-
moved to the secon story of the building
now occupied by Washburn Il Kramer, we
think, In 1851. From Washburn's the Of
flee WAS removed to Myers building on
the Mill Reservation. The two story build
fronted Market street, mill yard being
batween the Building AMI that street,
Here it remained until abb 1t 1856, when it
took "A change of venue to the second story
of Graves block, Oh Front straot. Here it
was in December, 1855, when the present
proprietor purchasel the Office. The next
location ssas tho Soeo,,A story ct tho pres
N hull 4
to the third story Of Pumroy's block, and
in September, 1853, to it's present location,
corner of Market and Second streets. So
much for the Locns in quo Of tho COURIER
. lice at different periods. 1t has been
M ,ved about good deal, but not more so,
perhaps, than othor institutions" 1t
has, however, lostvery few issues, not one
a year on an average.
The COURIER has grown up with Ottum-
wa. The town was only some four wears
old, at its commencement. 1t has cOnse-
quently witnessed and noted many chang
es. 1t has seen the town grow from an in
significant village Of few hundred inhab-
1tants to city of four thousand inhabit-
ants. Then the stage coach was in its
glory and furnished the only medium of
communication with t he Mississippi
River and Chicago. Now there are two
Railroads to the Mississippi and one is ex-
tended forty-five miles up the valley
School House, Churches, and Public Halls
We're concentrated i'm "the Old Court
House," the building on Market street,
used at present as the Christian Church.
Here courts. even the Supreme Court was
held; here were the public Offices; here
was school during the week DAYS, and diff
fercnt denominations occupied it on the
Sabbath by turns. Then we had no mills,
no manufactures, no large business blocks,
no dspots, no packing houses, no foun-
dries; nor mono Of the elegant and stately
private residences which now adorn the
town in every direction. The change to
those who have been here from the begin
ming seems marvellous, as indeed it is.
The COURIER in politics was Wing while
that respectable organization lived; since
the formation of the Republican party it
has devoted it's bast exerLions tn the sue
cess OF that organization. in which, ~ the
result shows, were bound up the hopes Of
the Union and the cause of civil liber v on
the continent.
Tho COURIER at all timns has apparently
stood we'll with the public and has enjoyed
q good circulation, and a fair advertising
and jobbing patronage. In April last, we
concluded to try the experiment of II Daily,
q small affair it is true, but spunky. 1t
has been continued nine months and did
not quite bankrupt us. We do not intend
to give it. up so, although now taking
vacation. As soon "a we can find time,
after the Holidays, we intend to make an
effort to continue it. We have had num-
erous requests to do 50.
On the whole our experience as Jour-
nalist has been such as tn encourage us to
persevere, and we enter upon another year
with hope and confidence. We like the
business, laberious as it is and to some ey-
tent vexatious and ELECTROMAGNETIC rather
like it on the whole. We are also satisfied
with the locality. We have confidence i'm
the destiny of the town. We are sure it
has not seen its best days. It's geograph-
ical position is favorable for business, and
such are the resources Of the region that it
IN Ist continue to grow rapidly in the fu-
ture as in the past. At all events, life and
health permitting, the COURIER will con-
tinue as it has always done, to advocate the
interests Of Otumwa and the surrounding
country, to the best of its ability.
IT is announced that Brig. Gen. Fitz
Henry Warren, Of this State, has been
breyaftnd NJ Nor General and that ba