The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-02-09
. TIPToN, IOWA, FEBRUARY. 8, 1871.

on the town plat was log structure
which stood on the corner opposite the
store building Of John Culbertson, Esq.
II was built by John r. Cook for store
room during the mouth Of June, lSlO.
We say that this was the first building
fsom the fact that 1t was rnlsed one day
previous to the erectiou Of Mr. Cuibert.
sous frat house In Upton, which stood
just north Of and adjoiniug Mr.. Cooks.
Mr.. Culbertson's plan was to open
hotel in this building, which, lie after
ward did aud 1t Is said that he kept
very creditable house for those days.
Soon after the completion OF these
buildings, Preston J. Friend erected u
log building where M..g Halls drug
store now stands. and = tailor shop was
erected near it by John r.. McCurdy.
However those buildings were afterward
moved back and torn down to give
place to better ones. Mr.. w. Morton
kept dry goods store in building that
stood there two or three years later.
At that time the early settlers suffered
the greatest privations, even the neces-
saries of lie being very scarce and
very high. The nearest point where
much of the supplies could be obtained
was Muscatine, twenty five miles away.
Indeed, when the first settlers came
here it was necessary for them to bring
large supplies of provisions, or an abun.
dance of money to procure them with
for at this time provisions were exceed
ingly high, aud it was with great csur.
age and perseverance that the first set
tiers of our now highly favored and
cultivated county came and erected
dwellings and remained here for the
first few years. AS soon as they could
begin to cultivate the rich and yielding
soil, they were blessed with abundant
harvests. But prices were SO low that
(, the farmers were stimulated to raise
nothing but for home consumption.
Time gradually wore away this state
Of things, and q new light began to
dawn upon the minds Of those who had
born the toll in the 'heat of the day."
The first county building erected upon
the plat of Upton was the old log Jail,
which was built during the summer Of
ls4l by Vickers and Snyder, gentlemen
who lived here ana knew something OF
the carpenter trade. ..4 .rHr.
Or. Harvey G. Whitlock, who was
Tipton's first physician, came during
that year and stuck out his shingle.
During 1872, Robert Adams, who is still
hammering away at his trade, erected
. blacksmith shop in the town, and We
may sa; that he has tho honor of
being one of the first, if not the first,
blacksmith in the county.
The first male child born on the town
plat was John Z. Culbertson, though a
daughter Of Mr.. Charles NJ. Jennings
was the first little stranger who awoke
to the realities Of 4 new world in Tip
ton.
In the year ls43, tho people of the
county becoming somewhat ambitious
for the county buildings, proposed to
erect Court House; and the building
which now accommodates the dry goods
store Of Messrs Cobb and Wetzel was
the result. 1t stood just back Of where
the present Court House stands. 1t
was raised November 22nd, 1913. Mr..
John S. Tuthill, who had come 20 the
town some years previous, was married
the day before-thus two quite impor'
tant events were the result of that Nov
embcr.
1t had been our desire to present the
names of the old county officers but tho
old records of the county have been
either mislaid or destroyed so that much
valuable data of our early annals ha.
been lost to the present generation
We learned from settlers however that
William X. Whittlesey was the frs
Clerk OF the District Court aud also
Recorder, and that Gregory Mccoy was
the first Shcrif-further than that We
were unable to learn.
Our limited time and space will mo-
permit us to indulge our wish to present
the events which have transpired il
J the annals of Upton from the nucleus
J thus formed aud around which sooi
J gathered other settlers until the town i!
one of the important ones of eastern
!, Iowa. The growth which then. com
menced continued sometimes slowl,
; aud at others with marked rapidity, ant
looking forward into the future bu
r slightly obscured by the coming year
We may unhesitatingly say that TiptoI
: is to figure conspicuously in tho futur
: history Of our rapidly growing State
and that the small village which is nov
T unimportant is soon to become pros
porous city.
: Upton is located upon broad att
! beautiful prairie which is sufficient,
high and rolling for all purposes Z
. health ard drainage. It Is near the geo
! graphical center of Cedar County an
presents one Of the most beautiful lane
, scapes to be found in this or any othc
county. Looking away in any directio
a scene Of agricultural thrift is presen
, ted that is seldom cqualed. The exten
I sive farms encircled with we'll construct
ed fences, the farm houses with al til
!, attending out-buildings for both ma
y and beast, the large meadows aud pa.
ture lands, the brown fields in state
t rest before bearing another crop, tn
y natural aud artificial groves, throwii,
1 their protecting arms around the home
. of the ti!lers of the soil, and above a
- the warbIinv streams with their eve
8 bubbling wateis, noisily gliding over til