Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-06-30

One travelling in Mahaska county will
see many variety of land as Iowa af-
fords; also as many variety of people,
You will see beautiful land, prairie
land, then the broad acres Of rich bot
tom land, then again the rough tim
bered clay lands, fit hardly to grow
crap grass. While Mahaska is a good
agricultural and grain raising county,
yet her chief and most profitable indus
try is mining. 1t is perhaps one Of the
largest mining counties, and today
more coal is mined from it than any
single county in Iowa. Almost one half
Of those miners are colored, therefore
to visit those mining camps is of spe-
cial interest to the colored visitor below.
l will name few camps in this county
where colored people are working:
Muchakinock. Evans, Pekay, Lost
Creek, Klondike, Colon, Fishville, Ex-
celsior, and those in the immediate vi
cinity Of Oskaloosa. The first we ar
rived at was Evans, where the Colfax
band was organized. It is town OF
most of whom are doing well. Mr.. Cox
owns the only meat shop in the town.
A. M. Burgess conducts a restaurant.
Sam Jackson runs saloon. M. G.
Cunningham owns the tonsorial shop.
The colored people are doing exception
ally well. At the mines we found Sam
Irwin. the engineer; r.. H. Jones, fire.
man; J. G. Lafayette, assistant fire.
man; also Jerry Wilson, assistant en-
gineer. Mr.. Steele owns a nice place OF
about five acres and is doing we'll. Ar
Sunday school convention, the great
parade was over, and the Muchakinock
colored Sunday school had won the
prize for the most Sunday school chill
dren in line and best drilled. In Colon
the pit boss is Mr.. Robert Hogsett,
successful and influential colored man,
receiving $1,000 year. He has nice
family. In Lost Creek and Pekay there
are not so many colored miners. yet
they seem to be doing well. Arriving in
Muchakinock, the negro Athens of
Iowa, on Saturday noon; afternoon be-
ing pay day, I saw several thousands of
dollars paid to the colored miners. The
town is controlled by colored people.
They have q colored postmaster, car
penter shop, only meat shop, three res
taurants, one drug store. one saloon,
one ice cream parlOr, colored teachers,
Justices of the peace constables, road
supervisors, weighmaster. one stenog
rapher in general office, four colored
clerks in the company store, and a
colored band of nearly thirty pieces,
WHICH Is lHe OlueSl anu UcSL UdHu OL TIC
kind in Iowa, and perhaps the west.
It Is now instructed by Professor A. r.
jackson, recently from Ohio, who is a
very fine musician and an excellent cor.
netist. The band has improved fast
under his supervision. They will play
in Oskaloosa, on the Fourth with 100
musicians. led by Professor Farmhouse
Of Oskaloosa. To give complete
write-up would require several col.
Amns. Mr.. George H. Woodson is the
only attorney, and has beautiful home
called Bachelors Park Home as Pro-
fessor s. Joe Brown and w. H. Lewis,
carpenter, rooms there; even the ed
itor of the Bystander was forced to join
the Bachelors club. In Oskaloosa the
colored people do not seem to have very
good positions, vet they are striving
forward. Several would like to men
tion, but space will not permit me this
time; several tonsorial artists. two
draymen and deliverymen. Mr.. Samuel
Buckner, who is an invalid and quite
old, vet very intelligent and interest
ing person, is enjoying very good health
and is glad to hear of the progress OF
the race In general.