Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-06-17
PRICE OF PRO-
DUCF IN 1867
Burning of the Ten Eyck Steam and
Saw Mill at Hooks Point
As Years Ago-Election
of 1867.
THE FIRST BANK ESTABLISHED
Base Ball in the Sixties-Judge
Chase for Congress-The
Fair Grounds.

From the History of Hamilton
County by F. @. and J. w. Lee:
Early in 1867 the Freeman began
to print a Webster City market re-
port and we choose the date of May
1st as fair average of prices for
the year in Webster City:
Wheat No. per bu. 2.25
Wheat No. 2 per bu. ....... 200
Oats per bu. rs
Corn per bu. .$l.OO to $l.2o
Potatoes per bu. ...$1.25 to $2.O0
Flour per cwt ...... $500
Pork per cwt $500 to $500
Hay per ton .......S5.00 to $500
The reason for these high prices
is found in two facts: Prices were
generally high, and a constantly i'll
creasing population depended en-
tirely upon purchasing supplies,
until such time as they could raise
crops. More was required than was
produced, and the shortage had to
be shipped from the east. This en-
abled the farmer to sell at high fig
ures. These prices held good all oy
er the county.
In May, 1866, came A. Ramharter,
and in May, 1867, his brewery was
in full running order and it contin
ued to run and had grown to con-
siderable proportions when the pro-
hibitory law of 1884 closed it up
and Mr.. Ramharter left the state.
In June, 1867, uncle" John Bon
ner purchased or leased the "Will-
son House" and changed the name
to the american House." The
name was afterward changed to the
Hamilton House." and still later
was known as Park Hotel"
A DISASTROUS FIRE.
On July 9, 1867, the Ten Eyck
team saw and grist mill at Hooks
Point burned to the ground. This
mill had been doing quite business
as saw mill and had lath mill
and planning machine attached as
we'll as burrs for grinding grists. 1t
had also a machine used in making
cheese boxes All. including about
thirty thousand feet Of lumber, was
destroyed. The loss footed up sew
eral thousand dollars. Immediate
steps were taken to rebuild and by
the following April, 1868, it was
again in running order. Its career
of usefulness did not last many
years, however, and now scarcely
trace of it is to be seen.
COUNTY ELECTION IN ST.
At the election in the fall of 1867
the following officers were elected:
Judge, |. Doane; Treasurer, John
Eckstein; Sheriff. John McMiller;
superintendent of Schools, w. J.
Covil; Surveyor, w. T. Wright;
Drainage Commissioner, Huitt Ross;
Coroner, Dr. J. r. Burgess. There
was no contest over any of the Of
fees except sheriff. For that office
Fred A. Harris had secured the reg
ular republican nomination and Mr.
McMiller, who was also candidate
before the convention thinking he
had not been fairly beaten, ran in
dependently and was elected by a
small majority. John D. Hunter was
elected to the Legislature and on 60
ing to Des Moines on the first day
of January to take his seat. he left
the Freeman in charge of Judge S.
l.. Rose as editor and Will F. Smith
was made foreman and business
manager.
CREATE HARRISBURG TOWNSHIP
At the September session Of the
board OF supervisors, the township
of Blairsburg was created and the
record of its creation shows it to
have been made up Of certain sec
tions cut off from Cass, Boone and
Rose Grove townships, and to have
been made up mostly of territory
lying east of the present townships
of Blairsburg and Liberty. Only
two half sections of the present
township of harrisburg We're then in
the township so named. The pres
ent town of Williams is very near
the geographical center of Blairs-
burg township as first organized. A
P. Allen was its first member of the
board while the other members OF
the board, all of whom were new
members except three, were as fol
lows: Boone, J. r. Burgess; Ellis
worth, J. A. Cooper: Lyon, William
latham: Fremont. A. Mclaughlin
Marion. Joseph Bone; cass, ]. W