Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-23
EARLY DAYS RECALLED.


dubuque Telegraph
Mr. Bostwick, of this city, who is
something of relic hunter. has handed
us copy of the Northwestern Gazette.
of Jan. 81 1S49, which was published at
Galena. The paper is four-page. seven
column sheet, which is full of quaint
news, indeed. 1t was fifty-two years ago
last January when the present copy was
printed. There were no railroads at that
time west of Pennsylvania, and Iowa
was wild, trackless waste. There We're
only few villages along the Missis-
sippi, Dubuque. Davenport and one or
two others. and only one town between
here and Fort Smelling. and that was
Prairie du Chen. Let the reader re-
member these facts, and then he can
make allowances for the strange things
which the paper contains. Chicago at
that time was only little village of a
few hundred people, and all the goods
used in the mining district In and about
Galena We're brought up the river on
Eoats from st. Louis.
H. H. Houghton was the editor and
| afterwards held the office of postmas-
! ter of Galena. In all editorial reference
| is made to the return to the United
| States senate of Henry Clay. In the
same editorial mention is also made Of
Daniel Webster and Gen. Zachary Tay-
lor. Mention is also made of influenza
Eeing very prevalent in Galena. The
only mention of lowe made in the news
columns of the paper stated that the d.
rectors of the penitentiary had reported
to the legislature that during the year
one man had been sent to the peniten-
tiary. two had been pardoned and one
convict escaped, leaving the prison
without a single inmate.
According to the correspondence III
the paper it took mail from fifteen to
eighteen days to come from New York
or Washington and there is but very
| little bit of foreign news in the paper.
The first three columns of the front
page are devoted to advertising. In
those days the same as now, there were
doctors who could cure all kinds of dis
| eases Dr. Deffenbacher, formerly of
| Quincy, ILL.,, for instance, had card In
| the old paper in which he stated that
| his remedies were mild, principally OBJ
| tanned from vegetables and We're espe-
clally adapted to the diseases people had
at that time. This eminent doctor added
| further down in his advertisement that
| re had abandoned the use of mercury.
| Among the advertisements which ap-
pear on the front page are two Dubuque
| hotels, one the City Hotel, kept by a
| man by the name of A. II. Miller. The
| proprietor states in his card. which is
Ilengthy, that mis- ST. Louis friends Will
| find his hotel an ideal place to stop at
\ AS an inducement he says that free
buses will carry passengers to and from
| all boats coming in, and then he adds
| that the vicinity of Dubuque abounds
| in wild game, grouse and the like. and
that the fishing is always good here.
| The other hotel whose advertisement
appears in conspicuous place is the
| NAPLES House, kept by p. NAPLES. This
house is described as being first-class
in all respects, and supplied with the
1 meats and fruits of the season.
Frequent mention is made of the golc
excitement in California. and in severa
places the names of persons who have
gone or are about to start are given
But about the funniest thing to be seer
In the whole paper is story giving ad
vice to persons who contemplate going
to California in search of gold. They are
advised to go down the Mississippi
river to New Orleans and then across
the gulf and cross the Isthmus of Pan
anna, and then take ship up the Pacific
coast to San Francisco bay, as ther,
was no town there. The writer states
that Gin these go-ahead times, time Il
money, and get there in six months
When we think that person can g
i from Galena to San Francisco now IL
about three days. and clear around TIL
world in sixty days, the suggestion
made to the prospective travellers to g,
by way of New Orleans land get ther
in six months" in order to save tim
sounds strange.
But there are no weddings or death
reported in the paper, and no advertise
ments such as IA girl wanted in small
family; washing sent out" nor are Their
any accounts of accidents, murders o
! suicides given in the whole paper. an
A thus In the whole makeup 1t La a quee
4 Old publication which reads all the wa,
thru like story told long ago. The pa
per is certainly rare old relic. which i
i interesting alike to old timers as well a
I the younger set of the present day.
4 Gives one backbone; you're loyelie
i Ito look upon. You'll love yourself bet
!. ter after taking Rocky Mountain Tea
made by Madison Medicine company