The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-13
PRICES In 1870.

w. p. Baldwin, Pittsburgh, Kan,
man has a ledger which was kept
by his grandfather The book was
opened in 1884 and extends to 1910.
A local paper quotes some OF the fig
ures it contains These show that
food in those days was exceptionally
cheap, while clothing was dear. For
instance, according to one charge, a
pair of boots cost the buyer 81, while
the same man, Goldsmith Baldwin,
bought IN pounds of pork for so
cents. He paid for one pair of ladies'
shoes 50 which was not high, COM
pared with the present prices paid
for shoes. Cord wood was not high
In 1881, for 1t is shown by the ledger
that 7-S cords of wood cost s2.34 and
the same man bought 1875 pounds OF
beef for 1857. The same man Dough
two pairs of kid shoes for $225 and
80 yards OF sheeting for s4.16, and
later sold five cords OF wood for S6.25.
In another entry Luke Parkhurst was
charged $3.50 for four weeks board
and another entry shows where Park
hurst bought 101s pounds of veal for
80 cents
June, 1885, Cavendish meeting house
paid $11.67 for 10 days work painting,
and another entry is made where ~
days work was done for s1.67, and
one man got s6.12 for GA days work.
Rosalina Saunders paid 25 cents for
a yard Of calico on Nov. /, 1885, while
Lucinda Estake paid 81 for pair of
vici shoes. Elijah Parkhurst paid
s4.67 for 31s days work papering a
house, and for six weeks board he
paid Sail 1t cost the National Hy-
draulic Company $3.50 for barrel OF
flour. and six pounds of butter and a
quarter of veal cost the same company
s1.14. Jaber Proctor paid So to a
hired man for driving cows to pas
ture during the year 1884. Horace
Greer Is charged AZ cents for A
pounds OF veal; for 81 pounds of pork
the same man is charged II cents,
and for seven pounds Of beef there
is a charge against him Of % cents.
Clark spaulding is charged for 6A
pounds of veal 10 cents, and in anoth-
er place he Is charged AZ cents for
1914 pounds of veal Five pounds OF
fresh pork cost the same man 90 cents,
while 80 pounds Of fresh beef set him
back So. The book showed that Spauld-
ing bought great deal of meat, but
the prices run along about as they
are given here through the entire ac-
count. He paid 81 for six bushels OF
potatoes.
In 1888 turnips and potatoes cost
year Ira Price paid s1.74 for 81 pounds
OF beef. Buckwheat cost so cents a
bushel and two bushels Of corn cost
( go cents. Three days work brought
the worker 1925. In 1870 corn was
selling for so cents bushel and wheat
was selling for the same price. Four
chickens cost so cents, and take 1t all
around the living prices were not high,
but man did not get much for his
work and the farmer was really get.
ting money for his corn and wheat,
but his potatoes, turnips. etc, did
not DIluB uiin uuCH. LII Iofu luSi
is a charge where John Ferren got
s6.37 for s1a days work, while "A
pounds OF pork cost him s1.32 and
BIZ bushels of wheat cost him 1852.
Another charge on the book Is
against Leonora Kendall, who pur.
chased 81 yards of calico for 1854.
In 1885 wages got some better. for
all the charges showed that 81 per
day was being paid for work and liv.
ing went up correspondingly, but
compared with the present day prices
of meats were cheap. On the books
for 1897 one shoat cost CIarissa Put.
nam IS, and she paid $40 for one hors
for farm work.