The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-04-02
When the Times
Were Really Hard!


: TO pay his hotel bill II was rejected
. He borrowed enough to pay the BIZ
land ferriage across the river Hay
ing been railroad builder in the cas-
he thought he would try the 'profesh
: racket on the conductor of the train
but 1t wouldn't work. He then CAV,
his friends letter to the ticket punch
Ter who, after reading it and the sig
mature of George B. Mcclellan, return
led 1t. saying it was good for anything
on that line.
Business men and merchants golnt
to New York had to sort up" theil
Expense money, using that which
would get them to the Mississippi;
next that good to Ohio and Pennsyl
yania; next that good to New York
and other points in the eastern states
Talk about hard times" said Rob
ertson not long ago, people nova,
days don't know what that means,
During the hard times of 1857-'5S, ]
worked nine months and only got $13
in money. | contracted to build a
house for Martin Huttle and take pay
in groceries; another for Billy Moore
to be paid for in dry goods; another
for Stacy Johns to be paid for in
boots and shoes; another for W. II.
Terry and take 1t in harness. Labor,
ing men and mechanics were paid in
store orders and glad to get Them
Charles Weitz,th well known build
er and contractor, worked a whole
year, and ten employees with him, and
all the cash he received was $4
When the Agricultural bank collapsed
Charley had its l. o. us for $50 as
samples of fine engraving.
Housewives were often troubled to
get supplies for the family table. The
home of Mrs. Judge Williamson was
the rendezvous for Methodist preach
ers when they came to Des Moines.
One day preacher and his wife
dropped in. She had but little flour,
corn meal or bacon, or dried apples
there was no canned fruit in those
days--and she wanted to make some
pies. She went out on the plateau
west of Eighth street and gathered
some sheepsorrel and made the pies.
There were no railroads in the
state. Sometimes, when the Des
Moines river was high. steamboats,
came up as far as Des Moines, but
most of the merchandise and family
supplies were hauled by teams from
the Mississippi riverJ Often the
roads were so bad before teams could
make the round trip, the supplies of
a community would be exhausted en-.
tirely, and many times families went
to bed at night hungry.
Climax Reached in 1857.
The climax of the panic was reach |
ed in 1857. For years the people of |
Iowa had to submit to this condition |
Of affairs. The frequent collapse of |
some wildcat mill adding to the diff |
,ulties. Business became democrat |
zed, and real estate valueless. Thous. |
inds were unable to get money to pay
heir taxes or save their property |
rom sale under the snap judgment |
process of deeds of trust, with no |
means of redemption. 1t often was
with great difficulty that the common
est necessaries of life, tea, coffee, salt |
and other groceries could be had, and |
# so, then with only such breadstuff |
rs could be ground in a coffee mill.
The present rising generation have
adnnnaFn |
nave, of the panic of 1857. Half
million people, the advance guard of
sparsely scattered over
he vast domain from the Mississippi |
o the Missouri, shut out from the |
eastern seaboard, were completely |
PROSTATE. 1t witheringly smote the
sick and despairing body of Agricui.
ure; paralyzed the arm of the arti- |
ian and toiler; destroyed values; for |
cited credits until individual liabili
les, became worthless; forced upon
he state floating debt OF over $780,.
100, SO impairing her credit that |
reasury warrants went begging for
akers at per cent discount Moth.
ng like it has TRANSFERRED in the his
DRY of the commonwealth.
Various schemes were tried in Iowa
o provide moneyto transact business.
frank Allen started bank of issue
n Omaha; Cook. Sargent & Cook OF
davenport started the Bank of Flor
nee in Nebraska. Their circulation
n Iowa was protected by the local
ranks and was very helpful.
In 1857 a new state constitution was
Idopted in which was given the gen
raj assembly authority to create
tate bank of issue, and in 1858 the
;tate Bank of Iowa was created with
hirty branches, though only eight
we're established, one OF which was in
)es Moines. That relieved the finan-
ial pressure considerably until con
'ress added the treasury notes, or
'reenback, which was soon after fol
owed with the national bank.