Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-20
CURTIS AT CHARLTON
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENT TELLS
OF LUCAS COUNTY CAPITAL.
GOOD AND BAD CHARACTERISTICS
Mr.. Curtis Calls 1t the "Rich City of
Iowa." But Also Tells of the Poor
Streets and Lack of Waterworks-
Describes Buxton.

William E. Curtis, special cores
pendent for the Chicago Record-Her-
aid, who is just now writing letters for
his paper setting forth the different
characteristics, good, bad and indiffer-
ent of Iowa cities and towns and their
!eustoms, today publishes letter in
which he says things about
Charlton some OF them of a compli-
mentary nature and others not calcu-
. lated TO reflect credit upon the Lucas
z county seat. However. in the main,
he is impressed with the pretty little
town.
Visits Buxton Also.
Mr.. Curtis also made visit to Bux-
ton, located between Abba and Oska-
loosa and tells the interesting story of
told that all the money has been made
ter. The article follows:
Charlton, Iowa, Aug. 17.-This is
one of the richest towns in the state
anal Lucas one OF the richest counties,
although, limited in area and popula-
ten. The First National Bank OF
Charlton has deposits amounting to ST.
100000, and tee total deposits of the
six banks in Lucas county are $780,
000, which divided by the population of
l9,00O f1ves a per capita OF S105 of
savings drawing interest for every man
woman ard cFild Few farming coun-
ties in the United States. if any, sur
PASS this evorage of wealth and | am
told that all tho money had been made
here None has been brought in from
the outsids. Almost every one of the
rich man in Charlton began poor and
they have gradually accumulated their
fortunes without speculation and from
+ the fruits of the soil All the bonds
ever issued by the county or town
within the last quarter Of a century
have been absorbed entirely by home
investors. There is no county indebt-
edness ard only few thousands on the
town. watch wan borrowed 10 erect the
electric light PLANT and that the peo-
pie Say would have been paid off
long before this but for misnlanage-
ment. This is purely a farming and
stock raising community, and it's
wealth Genes from corn. hay, cattle
and hogs. There are nc railway shops
and cnly two manufactures at which
carriagess and broon1ss are made. The
popglati9n, IS 'rl+7na exclusively Amer
lean. The onfv foretcnc-s are Swedes
who ara very ''iFi?ey. and most of them
own FARMS. Several ccal mines in the
imrle6iase vic; si,v finnish an excellent
quality Of f;;;el. ara the railway facili.
ties arc oce@ 20 that ,aGnuracturine
D7isls. aada a feature, but the Dao.
Ms SEEM to incline that way,
e,'sEt Tie the other Iowa towns
1n4t;F ifrlshopaes and. shaded
: farfL ;csI I'd, l.,
bors IN one or tive particulars.
40 Naterwc-ka.
Charlton is 'erchcbly the only citv
of is aize-4 no observation-disclosures
watetsgcrlis The peagle are entirely
dater.ffi or hteir water supply llpon
faiesi;7a2l 5asilS Come families have
WIZ s4iliS sqsnyr the water into res
erYeirs IL their attics and others use
gasoline cneires. There have been
several movements from time to time
forthe Introduction of modern water
system. y proposition recently sub
united to vote of the people was de-
leated by seventeen majority. which
I was a great disappointment to the PRO-
gressIge element of the community.
(: However, it was their own fault. Ey-
cTybndy supposed that it would he
adopted by d. large majority, and the
rasgltl was q great surprise. Those
WHO were in favor of waterworks did
tho electioneering; hundreds of them
cid not even take the trouble to vote.
Whlle the opposition was very active
and made a canvass of the poorer
classes of the town, telling wild stories
OF the high taxes they would have to
Pay Ter water if the scheme went
through and declaring that the wells
would all be filled up. The result gave
the town an unfortunate setback, but
the proposition will probably be again
submitted soon, with a different result.
Eastern parties have been making sur
Feys and are expected to submit a
project this summer.
Poor Streets.
The streets of Charlton are in a
dreadful condition. Residents tell me
that frequently in the winter and
spring the public square is ornament
ca with abandoned wagons stuck in
the mud, and a circus that was here
not long ago had an experience similar
to that OF Fort Dodge The roads
were SO bad that the wagons could not
be hauled through the town to the fair
grounds, and the company was com
PEELED to give only a part of a per
formance on the baseball grounds.
which are near the station. But i'm
provements in this particular have al
ready commenced, and large gangs of
men are now grading one of the main
streets to lay the first pavement in
the town. 1t will be made of brick
placed upon concrete base, and will
. CT he,