The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-23
NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPER
MEN IN ROCK ISLAND
COUNTY.
BY. b, DANFoRTH, JR.
THE UPPER lM1ssIs1ppIAN-1s4O.

THE UPPER lNnssIsIPPIAN-lS40.
The McGrews had followed their con-
Vistions and made the Banner a Demo |
cratic paper, and the town and county being
Wing, it was determined to have a Wing
paper. Accordingly, on the Sth of
October 1910 appeared the first number
Of
THE UPPER MssIssTPPIAN
Published Weekly and Simultaneously
IN Stephenson, Rock Island county,
Illinois, and Davenport, Scott county,
Iotoa Territory"
The printing Office was in little log
building on the alley, in rear of the place
where Mr.. Georges malt house now stands
and the paper was issued at $50 cents
a year in advance. 1t was a6 column
paper, on sheet % by 30 inches, 1t gave
no indication as to who were its owners,
publishers or editors, but said "All COM
munications for the Upper Mssissippian
must be addressed to Dan'l Crist.
Several leading Wings aided Crist in the
enterprise. The paper had an eventful,
almost tragic history, and even now is
more spoken by old settlers than any other
early institution. Thespersons connected
with it will be spoken of in their proper
order, Dan Crist, however,is indissolubly
associated with its early history, as
Wing paper, and Hon. Harmon G..
Reynolds with its close, as a Democratic
paper. They were the chief charac ers,
though as unlike as men can be. Crist
was uncultiyated. unpublished, with little
education and utterly unsuited for leader
of men. Reynolds was a polished gentle
man, fairly educated, of great natural
powers, untiring industry, and peculiarly
leader as well as a man of the people, a
sympathizer with and leader OF the masses.
Daniel Crist was born Nov. 80 1906, near
Lewisburg. Union Co. Pa. His father
was farmer. At IA he was clerk in the
store of a man named Boyd, in Danville,
Pa; at 10 he became an apprentice to
Geo. Sweeney, in Danville, to learn the
printers trade; at q he was Jour"
printer in Harrisburg; at 25 he returned
to Danville and married daughter of Geo.
Sweeney, and went to Angelica, Allegheny
county,N. Y, and published the Alleghany
Republicans Wing paper. In 1884
he came to this state, working sometimes
as a surveyor, aud sometimes as printer,
in Springfield. He went back to Angelica
where he had left his family, then to Dan
vile, Pa, aud came again to this state il
1896, stopping in Ellisville, in Fulton
county. in 1910 he came to Rock Island
and started the Mississippian. He had
quite limited education, but was per-
severing man, with many ups and downs
sometimes printing newspaper, some
times keeping tavern, sometimes kmakins
brick out Cases yards. He left Rock Isl
and in 1852, for Sharon, Whiteside county
where he carried on a store on commits
sion; then was farmer, in Henry county
then a clerk in a store at Anawan, Henri
county, and about 1860 left for California
and was post master in Lodi San Joaquin
county, and assisted his son, Daniel L., il
his store there. He died there Nov. IA
1874, aged almost 6S years. His first wifi
died in March. lS4S, and in October l849
he married Widow Elizabeth Williams, o
this place. He had large family.
Dr. Sas Reed had good deal to
with furnishing editorial matter for tn
paper, sub rosa, though furnishing n
money for its support. His history ma
as we'll come in here. His professions
card appeared in the Banner, and in tn
Missi$sippian, headed DR. Silas ReeC
late of Cincinnati Residence on Illinoi
street, east of the Rock Island House." Tn
place was ''Doty Row. long two stor
frame, running from Bengstons corner
the east end of Thos. Plummer'5 building
and finished into separate tenements. II
wrote editorials and communications fo
the paper and figured prominently in a
Wing party movements here. So muc
was said about him by early settlers tina
was quite anxious to find some race Q
him, but was not able to do so until abou
year ago | CHANGED to read, in the Nev
York World a communication frou
Washington showing up some disreI
utable transactions of his in being
cloak for sinecure places for Orvill
Grant and John Delano in connection
with the surveyor generals Office of Wy
oming territory, which Reed held,
opened a correspondence with him, an,
received the following letters-the first on
written on department of the Interio
heading:
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 90, 1876.
!. B. DdnTorth, Jr. Esq. Rock Island, MS.
DEAR SH;-YOur pleasant letter of the 18th inst
was sent to my late resdenc at Cheyenne. Wv,
nearly six years. From there il came to me at IN
family residence, 2S5, Marlborough. st Boston, o
the 18th and found me on the of leaving for th
city. am pleased to learn that you feel an intere
In the early history OF Rock Island-in which als
have always felt deep interest Your name seeH
qui G familiar to mel think knew gentleman
this name, living above the town,
1 removed to 1t from St. Louis in May or Juni
1889, with the expectation Of making 1t my permi
nent future home-lkug 1t much better tina
Chicago which then mostly fiat, level marsl
with only one small brick building in 1t, think an
that small hotel, when | visited it in the fall
1888 at the same time did Rock Island. The tow
then called Stephenson which name did nc
fancy, and thus when started to Washington
Feb. 1871, to witness the Inauguration of my oil
friend General Harrison, | took Springfield in m
route, and applied 10 the legislature then in sesso