Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-08

A correspondent Of the Chicago
Times, writing from Elkhart, mdi-
ana. gives The following description
and history Of that water-power city.
We publish it TO show our readers
what watcr-powcr Improvement
did for that place:
One hundred and one miles from
Chicago. on the Lake Shore & Michi-
gan Southern railroad, is the lively
little city of Elkhart, Ind. so named
after an island said TO be the shape of
an elk's heart, situated ut the junction
of the Elkhart and st. Joseph rivers,
which meandcr through the city and
join i'm their course 10 Lake Michi-
gan. Ii being in the st. Loseph val
ley, the surrounding country is rich
and fertile, with well Improved
farms. II is not yet quite year
since VIC began to put on city airs, but
there are few cities of equal inhabit-
ants (Elllhart now having about ,0OO.)
that can outrival il.
Until about 1865. EIkhart's growth
was very slow. At that time it NUM-
bered about $3.50 inhabitants. and
was a town of hut little importance,
hut since then il has progressed rap
idly.and to-day ranks rs one of lndi-
ana's flourishing and prospective cit
les. The construction of the Elkhart
hydraulic water-power in 1868, was
the first stepping-stone onward
then followed the large rail.
.,oal ,,,aah;naebarc ca,nIrv and
other improvements by the railroad
company, which are the pride of onl
city, employing hundreds of men and
dispensing thousands ofdollars. Theil
monthly pay roll is now about $40
600. which two years ago was $4,000
reduced wages and eight hours worl
causing the reduction. Elkhart nov
has three distinct hydraulic water
powers, with any amount of power
and the companies owning them i'll
invite capitalists and manufacturer
seeking power to come and see, TO
they are holding out great induce
ments to all who may choose to locat
here, There being no finer power il
the west, i'm some future day we OK
pect to see Elkhart large manufac
turing city.
There arc three large paper mill
J here. two owned by the Elkhart Pa
per Company. one of which manufac
! lures print and the other wrappin
; paper. and the Erwin, Lane & Ca
mill, built in 1873, which manufar
. lures fine writing paper, being tn
: first mill Of the kind in the State
Both companies do large and prof
able business. There is also goo
prospects of another paper mill bciu
I! built the coming season. Two lare
starch mills, located on the hydraulic
use about 600 bushels of corn dialy
the manufacture of starch, and ;
present it is impossible for them
fill their orders. Three large floui
ing mills flour all the wheat brougl
TO our market, Sage Bros. Hal
, vest Queen mill having c;
| pacity of 200 barrels per da,
A mill for the manufacture of WOO
pulp promises to be quite an additio
!. to our manufacturing interest. On
: furniture factory, two plaining-mill
one carriage factory and the usu
number of minor institutions con
plete the list of our manufactures.
There is one monthly, three week
4 and three daily papers issued her
n and public library, so that with Il
n Chicago dailics, of which there al
twice as many TINES sold rs all othe
combined, we are well supplied Wi
reading matter.
0 We have bountifnl supply
churches. there being II in all
0 nearly as many different denomin
tons, none Of which have very pr
tcntious cdifices.
The school-houses, of which the
are three, are large, imposing str,l
l. turctnres which do credit to our cit
!, We also have an opera-house, the I
! nest hall in northwestern Indiana.
!. All in all Elkhart is a red-hot lit
city. Although at present times a
quite dull, there is no particular re
son why they should be so, and {
look forward to tho coming season
one OF growth and prosperity I
l. Elkhart and Elkhartans. J, p. w.