The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-07-11

gether with descriptive articles oi
the enterprising citizens and business
houses who contribute to the up
: building and development of the
, best town of its size in the west. Six
, years before THE HERALD was
, started, there was but one log cabin
on the ground now covered by the
city of Oskaloosa, and Mahaska Co.
had just been organized out of a part
OF the territory of Iowa, embracing
much more land than it does today.
Like THE HERALD the town and
county have never had "boom. -
They all started on solid foundations
and have grown steadily every year
since the first, until today. The
county has 10000 people and some of
the very finest farms in the state.
oskaloosa has population of 10000
and is the best improved city of its
size in Iowa, and the paper is re-
cognized as one of the leading jour
nails, location considered, in the
Missippippi valley.
Starting in as a relay station on
the early stage routes that crossed
the prairles before there were any
railroads in the west, Oskaloosa has
steadily maintained her position in
the front ranks of enterprise and
commercial Importance, until today
she has five different lines of rail-
roads centering here, and is in touch
with the outside world with two lines
of telephones, the Western Union
Telegraph system, and mail service
that is second to none. The city it.
self has all the modern appointments
of an up to date metropolis, including
eight miles of brick street paving,
over twenty miles of cement and
permanent side walks, incandescent
and arc electric lights and electric
power, gas, system of water works
! that is valued at s225, 900, and is just
now undergoing s35, 900 worth of inn
provements, street car line over
!, which the city is now contracting for
system of electric cars, forty fact
/ ories employing. 500 hands, a good
system of sewerage that is being i'm
proved every year, has an appropri
alton from congress for $50, ,00(
} post Office building, site for which
/ has been purchased, has free deliv-
I cry of mails with seven carriers, has
: a number of stores that would do
credit to. cities twice the size, had q
{ complete system of sprinkling and
: sweeping the streets. In addition to
q the business enterprises and public
. improvements, Oskaloosa also has q
8 superior public school system with
: six large building, including a s4O,'
: 900 High school structure. 1t is the
i home of Penn College, the recognized
t western institution of learning of the
D society of Friends, which has from
1 four to five hundred students. The
a city also has an active Y. M CA
4 with 400 members, and has twelve
q fine churches, which are we'll at
g tended. 1t has also business col
o lege, and various literary organiza,
a tions. Almost every secret organic
s alton in existance has branch here
@ and all of them have large member
n ships and are in prosperous condi
: tion. 1t is also the home of the lows
Yearly meeting of Friends which
annually brings great crowds of re
preventative people to the city.
. The Oskaloosa Board Of Trade il
an association of businessmen anG
citizens, bound together for the ad
vancement of the city, and they ar,
ever on the alert to promote any en-
terprise that will tend to upbuild OF
improve the city in any way. Tt
them and to the progressive citizens
whose names are mentioned later il
this article are due the credit for thu
" high standing which Oskaloosa en-
! joys throughout the state Enter
prise and good fellowship is tn,
motto of the leading citizens, anC
they believe in that old scriptura
Z law of helping one another An in
q vitation is always standing for strang
{ ers to visit the city, and enjoy tn,
hospitality of the citizens and tn,
It beauty of its improvements. Thos
}, who contemplate locating here vii
= gladly be shown about the city an,
told of the advantages to be foun,
's here.
e In addition to many factories tina
= grow larger and buster each year tn
o city is surrounded by the riches
q farming land in Iowa which is re a1il
D recognized as the garden spot OF tn
n continent, failure of crops neve
having occurred here. Almost tn
entire territory of Mahaska count
; is underlaid with vein of coal wary
k ing in thickness from Is inches to
P feet, and Mahaska county produce
= = more coal than any county in lows
"a Oskaloosa is the headquarters for a
the big mining companies, which
Of wonderful advantage to the con
le mercial welfare of the city. Th
ut value of property in oskaloosa
II about $4,000, 900, and the deposits
is the four banks has averaged nearl
s2,OOO,OOO for the past two year