The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-08-18
IN THE EARLY DAYS.
M. Hedge Gives Some "reminiscences
Of Eddyville.

Editor Eddyville Tribune: | noticed
in recent issue of your paper col
umn of items which was headed,
twenty-five Years Ago." and they
interested me very much, because ]
was personally acquainted with the
active men and women of your city
during those years. Their very men
ton has awakened train of refec-
tions in my mind that may be Of in
terest to some of your readers.
Eddyville was the home of my faith
er's family from the year 1865 to 1871,
when we came to make our home at
Oskaloosa.
1t was on Sept. Is, 1864, when we
left our farm home in eastern Ohio
for the long overland journey to Sc
lect hARa in the west, beyond the
Mississ Our outfit consisted Of
two coSN1d wagons, well equipped
and well stored with camping uten-
sils; united and happy family, with
stout hearts, eager to brave whatever
difficulties might be on the way and
to wrestIe with untried problems as
others had done. This spirit has all
ways flowed in the blood of the Anglo
victory is won. Over hills, across
prairies, through swamps and marshes
and then long stretch of inviting
pike road; sleeping in barns or in the
wagons when nothing else offered it.
self. These were incidents Of the
tedious march toward the setting sun.
1t would be counted very slow going
nowadays, but we were not alone,
there were hundreds of jolly compan,
ions coming westward with the tide
Of emigration. Every covered wagon
we saw we knew was our friend.
search of home, they stand by each
other like brothers. .s.... .....
Crossing the river at Burlington, we
felt our way slowly into the heart OF
Iowa. Stopping few weeks in White
Oak township, Mahaska county, at R.
G. Porter's, who was a friend of my
father, we were made as royalty well
come as though they had preceded us
for that very purpose.
1t was late in the fall and we must
s~d home for the winter. The only
tHailable place to be found was the
old Harvey House in Eddyville, Just
across the street west from the Stem
mons House. AS we left the timber
on Skunk river, there was not dwell
ing house for eight miles. 1t was
known as the eight mile prairie" In
1865 Eddyyille was the western ter
minus of the railroad. There were
but two bridges across the DesMoines
river in that early day. One was at
7 Is2s &c ines and tae ct r D .
villesT III sne at EddyE left where J.
brpl SEN eTrrsantile goo. 4rge
qusrrr. ~, Wv northern Missouri and
southern Iowa were shipped to your
city by rail and hauled in wagons to
| their destination. leaning was quite
an industry and our teams found
ready employment for the winter.
Travellers left the cars at Eddyville
and took the stage to the west and
southwest. The old stage coaches
came and went in those days with
stately dignity and precision. Occa.
sionally faithful stage driver went
out with his load of u. S. mail and
passengers never to return. Settle
ments were often scarce and the long
drives, in the bitter cold, were too
mucTl even for the hardest natures.
Public anxiety and sympathy was al
ways keenly alive for the welfare Of
| these heroic men in times of peril. A
belated stage was often cheered as it
drove up to the hotel. Trade was good
with the local merchants and money
rather plentiful that year with every
body. 1t was during that winter that
the large ware house and depot at Ed
| dyville was burned. For reasons
above mentioned, it was filled with
valuable storage and was quite a loss.
Prior to the coming of the railroad,
steamboats, ran up the Des Moines
river as far as Des Moines and Fort
Dodge. One old resident of Eddyville
told me that he had seen as high as
seven steamboats, lying at anchor on
the river bank at one time. In the
cary days the visit of a steamboat us
ually brought out the entire town. 1t
was not uncommon to load fiatboat
with miscellaneous products of the
country and float it down the river to
New Orleans and there sell out hulk
and all, and the crew return by steam
err The old slaughter house owned
by Manning & Caldwell, was quite a
source of revenue for the city. 1t
gave employment to large number
of workmen and in. its day was an ex,
tensiye institution. When the mar.
kets and transportation was so slow,
products of the farm were bought at
ridiculously low prices. Dressed hogs
were often sold at $3.50 per hundred,
and eggs two cents per dozen.