The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1868-02-20
Ottunwa.

Judge Thayer, formerly Of the Demo.
cratic Muscatinc Courier. He is wri-
ting up Iowa town, and has gone
and done 1t for us, as we observe 10
the Times of the l4th inst.
The result of the parturient labor
Of this correspondence mountain, is
most infinitesimal mouse, contain
ing nothing that might not have
been scissored from the advertising
columns of either Of the city papers,
if we may be allowed to except the
astounding information that the OF
tumwa people are engaged in dcs-
peratc effort to build the Iowa Cen
trail which they should abandon, and
go in on manufactures, and that they
have 40 family groceries, and nary
saloon, and that the sweet smelling
bottle, Henry Clay Dean is writing
work on the crime and wickedncss
Of Lincoln's reign of terror.
We clip the following, rs the only
items in it that can interest the gen
spal reader
what magnificent county is
Wapello! | think it one of the most
desirable counties in the state. Its
water power, furnished by the Des
Moines river (Which runs through
the county diagonally) and Cedar
Creek, is abundant, and only needs
proper enterprise to build up the
most extensive manufactures in the
west. Such immense beds Of lime
stone--snch splendid veins of coal
such extensive tracts Of timber
such unusually fertile soil--com-
bined with such vast water power,
ought to make the country immeas-
urably ahead of what it now is, pros
Aperons as admit it to be.
| NOttumwa is the county seat of such
a county, and when its people wake
up to q realizing sense eff what they
can make their city, other towns in
Iowa now far in advance of this, in
wealth and population, will be found
LsAnking way behind Ottumwa.-
There are just as enterprising people
here as one can find anywhere, but it
strikes me their enterprise can, in
some respects, be diverted in cham
nels which will be far more benefi-
cial to the future growth and pros
perity Of the town. Instead of COM
tribnting toward the building of the
Iowa. Central railroad, il the citizens
would, by the same amount of mate.
terial aid, encourage the erection OF
additional woolen-mills, saw-mills,
Touring. mills, machine shops, and
wagon factories, and to these add pa
permits, oil-mills, beet-root sugar
mills, and such other manufactures
as would seem to flourish in this re-
gion-the benefits resulting to the
city would be far more important
and permanent. Ottumwa now sup
ports several very large wholesale
establishments, and it rather looks to
me as though the Iowa Central road,
| if completed, would materially in
terfere with this trade. The city
ought to be satisfied with it's present
railroad facilities, and think itself
very fortunate that the railroads
have been blessing instead of an
] injury to its business.
y = = = # -
/ RAILROADS.
| The city is the junction of two
important railroads, uiS the Bur-
lington and Missouri River road, and
the Des Moines Valley road. The
first is completed from Burlington,
on the Mississippi river, TO within five
miles of Osceoia, Clark county, and
| is being pushed ahead to some point
| on the Missouri river not yet DETER
mined upon. This road is Of con-
siderable benefit to Burlington and
Ottnmwa, but the other towns
through which it passes have not
been very materially benefited. The
Des MONIES Valley road is now fin
ished from Keokuk, on the Mississip.
pi river, to Des Moines, the capital Of
the state. These arc in some respects
rival roads, and whether Ottumwa
is helped or injured by the rivalry,
hardly know, but this believe, that
this city has more to make out OF
the railroads than the railroads can
out of the city, and this pleasing
state Of affairs is different from most
} railroad towns in Iowa. The exteh-
sion of the North Missouri road to
this place seems to be popular with
the people and will probably be COM
pleted, the grading and bridging, ex>
cept distance of eight miles, being
now finished.
~ BUSINESS.
Il A good idea of the prosperity Of
Ottumwa may be obtained from the
number of business places which the
town and county support. They
may be classed somewhat as follows
IA dry goods, boots, shoes &C., 5 drug
. stores, book, &C., 2 hardware, AZ
family groceries, 3 furniture stores, 4
harness shops, l national bank, !
wooden factory, 2 Touring mills, 4
livery stables, s hotels, planning
mill, 2 large lumber yards, barber
shops, 2 stove and tin stores, pho
, tographers, jewelers., 6 merchant
tailors, l foundry, plough factory
lawyers, 9physicians, and 2 dent
lists.
WHOLESALE BUsINEsS.