Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1869-09-23
80 the state Fair, and Back.

tSstNo NINA AAlC t&h.S uAiSNNioh
will go by land; and if he goes East
he will of course take the Western
Stage Company's hack, and make
the best Of the rough road to PelIa.
SO several of us did last Monday,
bound to see the Fair. Mr.. Ramsey,
of the late firm of Ramsey & Pentz,
of Pleasantville, was our fellow-pas-
senger. The Dcs Mac;;s;ics river Is ii
kind of a nuisance-especially since
the days of the River Improvement
Company. This year, for the first
time in history, it has not been ford
able anywhere in ourvicfnity'during
the season. Many and many time,
years ago, we have seen very fair
steamboats, running on it, bringing
almost enough business to Amster
dam to call for a small Custom House;
and now it merely rolls along its
muddy waters, useless to our County,
giving no water-power and few fish.
We have understood that there has
been considerable talk Of getting up
a petition to the Board OF Supervisors
to have it abolished. But we finally
succeeded in getting across, with a
skiff-ride of about two miles; though
on either side of the river We're
teams of movers, camped because
water bound. One family was occu-
pying the Amsterdam School-house.
Taking the Valley Railroad at
Pella, that good, sound Iowa institu-
ton brought us safely down to keo-
kuk, though much behind time on
account of frequent and somewhat
lengthy stoppages for passengers go
ing to the Fair. Pella turned out
quite crowd, mostly OF the Holland
population; and the further east the
towns We're, the more the people
piled aboard the train.
Reaching keokuk much behind
time, we were too late to so up to
the Fair Grounds on Tuesday; so the
time was put in at running around
town. keokuk looked "natural as
life" showing unchanged most OF
the prominent features SO familiar to
us when we were wont to traverse
its streets, eight years ago, in search
Of "I4ocal items and SIGH" On the
Levee, however, the great Railroad
bridge, and the Rapids Canal, both
irsvss ss.4-.sregFts sxge nassde much
change in the afearance of things.
We went to tal1eRlook at them; but
the high water of the Mississippi
leaves little to be seen that is Of in
tercst. Most of the work on both
these vast improvements has been
temporarily stopped in consequence
of the flood; but the rocl-cutting for
the Canal locks was still in progress.
At the cute CITY Office we were
not fortunate enough to find anybody
at home-all the Editors being out
at the Fair Grounds; but calling in
at the Constitution Office we were
glad to meet Mr.. Smith, now one OF
the Editors Of that paper-a man
whom, in the course of several
months association with him on the
Daily JOraoi, eight years ago, we
learned to highly esteem, notwith.
standing the considerable difference
! in political views between us. Our
old friends, the Huiskamp Brothers
and their families, most kindly
placed rs under obligations we can
not but acknowledge. Whoever
deals with them at either of their
Stores on Main Street, may be assured
he is dealing with strictly honest
and honorable men.
OF course, KGkuk was lively, and
showed its wdll-known enterprise,
among other ways, by the publica-
ton of two extra and additional
Daily Papers during the Fair--one
from the Gdte city Office, and the
other by the firm Of Reid & Goldman.
Every branch Of business looked es-
pecially brisk, Of course; and the
streets were much thronged. BY
the kindness Of a friend we were fa-
vored with lock through the Mer-
camille Library ioom-an Institution
which must be the means of great
good in KeokulI. We hope to see
such a one in Knoxville some day.
Thursday was the great day of the
Fair. The raias of the previous days
had laid the dust, and so proved
blessing in disguise; and on that
day the weather WAS beautiful.
From early morn till dewy eve the
streets resounGed with the din OF in
Vulnerable multitudes of all kinds Of
vehicles, pouring in one continuous
stream, more than two miles in
length, from town out to the Fair
Grounds; and we were informed
that the road on the Illinois side Of
the river was equally packed, for a
long distance, with teams waiting to
be ferried over. Hailing one ofthese
carriages, if fortunate enough to get
seat you were taken to the Grounds