The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-02-11

NO. 8.
portion Of Minnesota west Of the Mis-
sissippi became Iowa Territory. The
Smith press was for several years
worked by Mr.. Keesecker, who also set
his own editorial without reducing it to
copy"
The paper changed owners and names
several times in the first five years. It's
first change was to Iowa News" in
ls3s-then "Miner's Express" in 1871
then merged into Express 4 Her
ald," in 1855, Of which the present
Dubuque Daily, Weekly and Campaign
Herald Is the successor. It became
Democratic paper in 1887, aud has con-
tinued SO since.
Mr.. X. Is still compositor in the
Herald Office. having set tvpe steadily
for Dubuque and Iowa readers for pe-
riod Of thirty-two years. Judge King
lives at his ease in his fine mansion in
the north part Of the city. He literally
sits under his own vines and by the eide
Of his own fig trees, though he fails to
make the fruit Of the latter as profitable
as his grape crop or his newspaper.
But the history Of the old press is the
main object Of this sketch. About the
year ls42, the old press and material
was sold to = stock company for use in
publishing paper-the Grant County
Herald" still living at Lancaster, in
western Wisconsin, and was edited by
Gen. II. A. WiItse, now Of Minnesota.
A few years afterwards, the enterpris.
ing J. NJ. Goodhue, who had written
many interesting sketches Of the Upper
Mississippi lead mines, for the Gslena
papers, determined to establish the first
paper in Minnesota. He purchased the
same old press, conveyed 1t in the winter
to the Mississippi, and moved it, BY OK
power, on the ice to St Paul, where it
was for long time used to print his
"St. Paul Pioneer" But the old Smith
press almost valucess at Dubuque, soon
sent it onward in pioneer newspaper
work-the want of larger presses to print
larger papers for greater number of
more reading people. Mr.. Goodhue
lived to require a larger press, and to
see civilization continue to extend west
ward to the Missouri and along its north.
| ern tributaries. s
In 1858, the old press. after twenty two
years service, was placed on wheels aud
again by OK power hauled over the
prairies, through the forests, around the
lakes and through the streams to Sioux
City Falls, a town on Big Sioux River
in what is now Dacotah Territory, and
about fifteen miles from the southeast
corner OF Minnesota, and within mile
or two of the northwest corner of Iowa.
Here was printed, in that year, the first
paper in that territory, then unorgan-
lzed, the whole country north Of Iowa
and Of the Missouri river being included
in Minnesota. The paper was called the
Dacotah Democrat, edited by Samuel
Aibrccht. J. B. Barnes, at present
compisitor in the Times office, Du-
buque, set the type and did the last
press work at Sioux Falls City, in that
year. 1t also printed, about that time,
the message of the "people's govern
ment," who died before some of his few
neighbors met a more horrible death in
the Indian massacre of 1862 In March
of that year the Sioux Indians burned
the town, killed many Of the inhabit-
ahls and rendered the place desoate for
many years. Tho small building con-
tanning the old press was among thoss
burned. Its "bed" was warped by the
heat, its lever was stopped for the last
time, it had given its last "impression,n
and still lies among the rubbish Of
Sioux Falls City, though the town has
recently been rebuilt and reinhabited.
This old pioneer press, therefore,
printed the first newspaper on the i'm
mediate banks Of the Upper Mississippi,
the first in Iowa, first in western Wis
consin, first in Minnesota, and the first
In Dacotah Territory. It was worked
over twenty years in the valley of the
Mississippi before 1t became the first
press in the valley of the Missouri
And yet the old press, associated 80 in
timately with the settlement and deyel-
opment At four States and Territories,
was manufactured in the first Of the
northwestern States, only thirty eight
years ago. Steam power and cylinder
presses have, in that time, taken the
place, to great extent, Of the arm
power and hand press Of thirty years
since. This "reminiscences will, however,
be of little interest except to those who
are connected with or admire or practice
the art prcservative Of all arts"
The facts are given, not only to cor
rect the alleged history Of this press, but
to suggest the propriefy OF procuring the
remains Of such public servant for
deposit in the rooms of the Iowa state
Historical Society.
The Proposed Tunnel IIndar novor