Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-12-24
HOMER HAD A BOOM
IN THE YEAR 1865
The Building Of the Chicago 6
Northwestern Railroad to
Boone the Cause.


w. railroad was finished and run
ming to Boone, making that town
the nearest of Importance, with rail-
road facilities. 1t was very natur-
al that new settlers coming to the
county should try to settle as near
the railroad as possible and so the
about Homer, Hooks
Point and south towards Boone, be-
gan to receive an increase in popu-
lation. This part of the county had
been the first to be settled, and In
point of number. and influence hao
led all others. But with the remov-
al of the county seat to Ft. Dodge,
the town of Homer gradually died
out and settlements Whereabouts be-
came less frequent, leaving that
country almost at standstill for
years. But now, with it's advantage
as being the nearest to railroad COM
munication, it again sprang into &C
tivity and new settlements began to
be made on every hand and new set
tiers began to improve the land on
the prairies away from the timber
skirting Boone river.
In August, B. F. Derr came to
Homer, formed a partnership with
Mr.. Dickey and opened up the larg-
est stock of dry goods, groceries,
etc., in the county. So dead town
was Homer at the time of Mr.. Derr's
arrival, that he took rooms he found
vacant and lived in them some
months before he was able to find
out to whom they belonged. Mr..
Dickey and DR.. Corbin had each
been running small general stores,
but no means had been taken to
boom things, and everything was al
lowed to drift along in its own way.
With the coming of Mr.. Derr, how
ever, new impetus was given to
business. At his suggestion the res
idents Of Homer began to work to-
gether to build up the town. The
firm of Dickey & Derr, believing
then, as Mr.. Derr always had believ-
ed, in the efficacy Of printers ink,
had large handbills and circulars
printed and scattered broadcast
throughout the settlements and sent
| to eastern friends Of settlers. The
i circulars extolled the country, its
products and everything connected
/ with the community contributary to
Homer and especially urged the adj
visibility of buying goods of Dickey
& Derr Their example was follow
ed to some extent by DR.. Corbin and
others. Everywhere you went these
| bills and circulars were found, and
1 settlers writing to their friends in
the east would inclose them in their
letters, and these seeds of enterprise
soon began to bear an immense har-
vest of settlement and trade, SO
4 much SO that at the end of the first
1 year it was found that the firm of
Dickey & Derr had sold $4,000
worth of goods and their trade was
constantly increasing. DR.. Corbin
had also shared in the general pros
|perity, and at the end of that year
Homer had become lively town so
far as business was concerned and
was growing in population and i'm
portance.
When Mr.. Derr arrived in Homer,
lots were at slow sale at $40 to $15:
by the end of the year these same
lots were selling rapidly at $50 to
apiece. Soon the fame of HON.
er spread and new lines of business
were established. DR.. Warner es-
tablished a drug store, Mr.. Price
opened a cabinet shop, Ezra Wood
ard opened harness shop. Mr.. Bar
tells and Mr.. Trotter opened shoe
stores. and it was not long until all
trade was represented: all made well
come and all worked together to
build up the town. Tucker & Ohm
stead had steam saw mill one mile
west of town and their business
grew to such dimensions that, to
board their hired help, and their
families, their store bills amounted
to more than $1,000 per year with
the one firm of Dickey & Derr, and
they may have purchased consider
able with other stores. A great
many settlers came in and in many
cases their means were exhausted
by the time they had settled, and. as
many of them came thus, they, rails
ed no crops and were compelled to
purchase their supplies ION tick" to
be paid out Of the next years crop.
To all such goods were sold without
stint and credit given. The great
public spirit of the merchants can
be realized when it is understood
that to do this required large out
lays of cash with no positive assur-