Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-12-17
SCOTT COUNTY SAW MILL
HISTORY.

In srdss that the past % vel - the
present history Of he lumber trade in Sests
county b properly ssessdsd, and Aasesd
down . pestsrity. ~ have gathsrsd ID
the fsllswisg items. teuehisg upsa that
important branch Of commerce, fsso re-
liable sources:
The 6rst saw mill, then, built 10 whst
10 new Scott county, (thss Dubuque eeun-
~, wss erected in 1885. Bsniamin Clark,
the father Of Capt. W. l.. CLARK, Of Buffalo,
built . saw mill near the mouth Of
Duck Creek, which WAS Afterwards
owned and run BY Moss 1 Bradley.
Il was 10 operation . dozen years or
more, and did much service. Mr.. Mess
died nearly twenty years ago. His wid-
-, nov Mrs. Mathews, lives near the old
cite and Horace Bradley, the othsr partner,
10 s.ill . veil known eitixsn Of this county.
Or. Barrows infsrns US that he has rated
lumber from that mill to Rockingham.-
Wishing to get some lumber to build
barn, he rsds up to Clark's mill frsm Rock
insham, sent man back with bis buggy,
piled four thousand fest into the creek, got
sssrids Of The pile, padded out int the
Aississippi, toek the current and went
sailing into Rockingham almost - seen -
the team got there. This 10 the first history
ws have sf sawed lumber rafting in these
waters.
In 1885, Msrti Smith built . saw mill
enc mile this side sf LsClairs. 1t Vas a.
tsrwards eknswn - the Psllsck mill, and
rua until 1897. whom the machinery vas
taken out, some thirteen years ago, end
vas taken to Maquekcta bv Jss. Wsllsy,
and put int mill there.
In the spring Of 1887, Roswell h. spen-
esr and Jshn Work, built water mill on
Spsnesr's Creek, absut half . mile sbsvs
what 10 new vallsy City, and did service
for several years.
In 1888 Haskell 1 Davis built . saw mill
near the mssth ef Grow Creek, which they
operated but lew years. Our friend. D.
C. Eidridgs thinks this mill vas erected By
Jshn Henley, but does net feel quite esr-
tain
Ia 1889, Samuel Hedges built . saw mill
Grew Creek. It's ruins are still 70
bs seen at the Grow Creek bridge,
Middle Read TO Pleasant vallsy.) II did
gesd service fer. several years, and thss
vent to ruin. Mr.. Hedges esunittsd sui.
eide BY hanging himself in the same mill.
In 1889. eur cid settler friend, Sammy
Parker, squattsd On . sort Of Duck Greek
pinery, on that classic .stream, sonswhsss
bask Of y hat 10 now known % Camp No.
Clsllan. The logs gave cut before hs bad
N ads fortune, and - did the mill after
few years run. The man whs erected it is
still hale and hearty, and may hslong ssn>
tinus -.
In 1888 Or SO, there wss saw mill built
on Mad Creek, near Dixon, but ws cannot
tell By whom, Or hsw long It lasted.
In 1889. the Quinn mill Was built at what
vas then pleasant City," on the wapsis,
now in section ., Winfield Township, and
ran few years With little profit - the
owners. Our respected fsllsw citizen.
John Ovens, began his mercantile career
At Plsassat City. He opened outa country
store, and traded in the produce Of that
part Of the county. He Was the pioneer
navigator Of the Wapsis built fat beat,
loaded il with predues for the St. Louis, or
some ether market. he set sail, but either
the boa. was too lsng or the Wapsis too
crosksd-at oil events, 50 large . craft
couldn't make the sharp bends Of the river
without being made crooked, 80 it naturally
got aground At beth ends, and - the Wap-
ss Was declared from that day . failure
~ = navigable strsam-sxcsps for catfish.
Pleasant City lets are still plated on the
Court House records. but their value is not
qustabls. Mr.. Ovens veil knswn enter
prise was insufficient 70 force . city in that
region, - he changed his base, did better,
while Pleasant City went to the "dsgs."
In 1889, also, Jabsz Hitchcock built .
saw mill a, the "kacks,' above this city !,
near what 10 new known as the Watkins
place. IL was . wing.dam mill. and was
IN use several years. IL was carried ssAy
Oy the ice some fifteen years ago, though
part Of the cid dam 10 still visible in low
water.
These we're oil water mills, and
sawed the hard wood lumber Of this eeun-
try in the main. The abeve list Of
water mills 10 complete, - far % ws
have been able 70 sscertais, and now let 10
sss absut the
srRAM SAW MILLS.