Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-05-17

The history of the Cedar Valley, its
marvelousiy rapid development and
growth are so indissolubly connected
with the rapid improvements of our
State, that we deem brief account of
its early settlements and statistical adj
yaneement a subject of interest to all
our readers. Take the history of our
State the past twenty years, and it
forms an enigma beyond the compre-
hension of a majority of the people of
the Eastern and Middle States, and is
even surprising to the people of the
Western States, thoroughly imbued
with Western enterprise and true
American a-headativeness. If we
were to GO back to the aristocratic
Eastern and Middle States, and give
the rapid improvements of the State
since its admission into the Union, our
story would scarcely be credited, and
the nearer we would come to tie truth,
the more incredible 1T would appear to
them. We need not 60 to the oldest
residents for the statistics of the early
settlements of the State, it comes with
in the recollection of our young men
when Iowa was uncultivated and un-
settled except by the uncivilized In
dams. In July, 1888, O territorial gov
eminent was organized, and in Deem
Der, 1916, Iowa was admitted rs State
in the Union. .. sal. ~. a-....-
The Cedar Valley is that part of
the State drained by the Cedar River,
and includes properly many of
the important counties of the
State. We purpose to speak more par
ticulariy of that portion of the Valley
which might be termed the Northern
Cedar Valley, including those counties
North and West, and adjoining Black
Hawk County South. The Cedar Riv-
er is the second stream of Importance
in the State, and has its sources i'm the
lakes in Southern Minnesota. 1t has
many tributaries, but the main stream
is about $50 miles I'm length and drains
about 5000 square miles. 1t is O beau
tiful stream of pure water and affords
the best of facilities for manufacturing
purposes, and the numerous mills, fac
tories, &C., which are seen at every
town, plainly attest the fact that the
people are alive to its Importance. The
Cedar Valley is comparatively new
country, and yet when we come to
view its many improvements, its agri-
cultural progress, far i'm advance of the
old settled States in the East, we can
scarcely realize the fact Is true.
Let us look briefly at the facts. The
first settlement in Black Hawk County
was in 1866, that of Benton i'm 1851 and
that of Bremen in 1913. There was no
settlement in Chickasaw County previ-
Gus to 1852, and the counties of Grundy,
Butler, Franklin, Floyd, Cerro Gordo
and Mitchell We're settled subsequent
10 that time. In 1850 Black Hawk
County contained population of 200,
Benton County 500, and Bremen County
100, making the population of the Ce-
dar Valley at that time but sir hundred.
Now take the census of 1865, which
showed population of 1880 i'm Black
Hawk County, and add the increase in
population for the past two years,
which we are safe in estimating at one
fourth of all the years previous, and
we have population in this County of
$1,000. Take the proportionate increase
in the other nine counties named and
we now have population i'm the Cedar
Valley, including the ten counties
named, of 1900. THIS estimate will
probably fall below the actual popula-
ton at this time; we are sure 1t will
not go beyond. It will he remembered
too, that many of these counties named
have but recently been settled. Cerro
Gordo county had i'm 1865 but 1910 in
habitants, and Grundy county $780,
With these figures we leave our readers
to estimate for themselves the probable
population of the Cedar Valley i'm 1880.
.IuduShfD.