Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-04-16
scraps: OF En,.ly HISTORY

/ a
session of some valuable relics of the
early settlement OF our county aud Of
Cedar Falls. Among them. we fipd
the Cedar Falls Weekly Banner,
published July 18th, 1854, by II. III.
Meridith & W. III. Mcclure, with 4.
L. Brown as editor. 1t Is the first
paper ever issued in Black Hawk
county and, indeed, on the line Of
the ID. s. 8, G. Railroad, west Of Du-
buque. Its politics was neutral, TAX
ing as its standard the bold motto
Independent Of party" We find in
IL the names of q numbdr Of our
present townsmen; r. p. Spear an
nounces himself as Notary Public
and Surveyor, and ]. II. Cameron,
having established the Cedar Falls
Ferry, twill cross emigrants at a
moderate charge" At that time
there were six stores, hotel, kept
by c. F. Jaquith, and one of the
mills was just then being completed
by the Overman Bros.
The Indian war was then the cause
OF serious apprehensions, and the
Banner, in the first number, makes
haste to allay all excitement. Capt.
e. Brown with his company OF 40
men, properly equipped, marched
from Cedar Falls on the Sth of July,
1854, to meet the enemy. Bya forced
march they arrived at GAINESVILLE,
Butler county, the scene of their an
ticlpated bloody conflict, in time to
find no foe TO fight. Having van
pushed the enemy so completely,
they returned like Alexander, "weep-
ing that they had no more worlds to
conquer" '.
The early settlers we'll remember
the Seautifnll grove, of timber land
in which our town was located, and
many are the regrets that the rows
Of trees which once lined Main st.
were not preserved. 1t seems ludi-
crous to talk of stumps in Main st.
so thick that grubbing and chopping
were necessary in order to make it
passable for teams. 1t was custom
observed, as means of punis hment,
thai oil who would cut stump out
of the street after being on a spree
the day before, would not be hauled
up before the town officials. 1t was
no uncommon thing to hear the axes
going at an early hour in the morn
ing, and soon the stumps, by this
piece OF strategy, were cleared.
The most correct information
which can be obtained, dates the
early settlement of Black Hawk
county and Cedar Falls, back to the
spring of 1915, when William Sturgis,
formerly Of Michigan and Il. ID. Ad-
ans. of Maine, left their families in
Johnson county, in this State, and
explored the county in March Of said
year. and made claims and built cab
ins in April. The former claimed
the water-power and the north OF
tue present plat of Cedar Falls, and
erected his cabin near the mill race,
now the north end of Clay street.
The latter claimed the land adioin-
ing on the south, a part in Waterloo
and Cedar Falls townships. Tho
p. nearest settlement of the whites at
{ the time, were around Quasqueton,
in Buchanan county, and Vinton,
Benton county. Cedar Rapids, in
Linu county was the nearest grist
: mill. john Hamilton and sons, of
, Johnson county, brought the first
! breaking pillow ever used in the coun-
ty, in May or June Of the same year.
They broke about q acres of the land
now owned by James Rownd. Some
. time in July or August of the same
year, G.. w. Hanna and family set
, tied Oh claim about half way be-
tween Cedar Falls and Waterloo.
where they now reside. John Mel
rose came with Hanna aud made n
claim on Black Hawk Creek. In
| the early part OF 1913, Mr.. Sturgis
sold out to J. NJ. & d. G. Oyermau
and Edwin Brown, his interest in
the town and water-powcr of Cedar
, Falls, and moved to Minnesota. The
, Overman Bros, moved to Cedar Falls
in Feb. of that year. In the sum-
mer of this year (ls4S), Mrs. J. Tay-
, Tor opened the first school ever taught
, in the county, commencing with six
scholars. Schools were then taught
n quarter or more each year, until
the District was organized in Sept,
, 1853, by electing S. A. Bishop, Pres,
{ Il. ID. Adams, Sec'y., and J. NJ. Over
man, Treasurer. The District voted
te raise all the funds by tax that the
law would ALLOW them, but rs this
was found insufficient, subscription
was circulated. BY this means q
school house 24x30 feet, with belfry,
was at once built, where the Baptist
Church now stands. In Sept, 1853,
there were IL children between the
ages of 5 and 81 years, in the District.
The Indians were quite trouble
some in the carly settlement Of the
county, and would attempt to force
, open the cabin doors OF the white
settlers at night. They were always
ready TO steal aud carry away what
ever they could get their hands on.
> - -
, Our Bellevue patient has been
r made Post Master. Pollock, we knew,
was looking for some Office by the
way he has been believing. His
friends say that since his shameful de-
sertion by Gen. Clark he has spent
: the most of his time with his head
i'm whisky barrel listening to the
: echo Of pollock p. NJ. of Bellevue"
= The Beer saloons of Mt. Pleasant,
each pay $500 licensc.-Cedar EaHs
, GAZETTE,
An error, Bro. Snyder. Deer sa-
looms are prohibited in Mt. Pleasant.
: Billiard Saloons have to pay u license
Of $500. - temperance Platform.
We stand corrected.
I. Quite an animated scene occurred
I at the white house on Monday. Sen.
ator Ross, of Kansas, obtained an In
! terview with the President, and pro-
tested againstthe denomination OF
! one Babcock for Surveyor General OF
, that State, THE appointment failed
to be acted upon last week and Mr..
8 poSS went I'M tn add that Senator