Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-07-21
CHALLENGES DECORAH'S
TITLE TO RICHEST CITY
Honor Which Went to DecOrah OF
Being the Richest Town for Its
Size in the World Being
Challenged by Many
Other Towns.
COUNTY
is AFTER THE HONOR
The Latest Claimant is the Town
of George, Iowa, Which Has q
Population of 10.

Some time ago Decorah register
ed the claim of having a greater per
capita wealth than any other place
in the United States so far heard
from, using bank deposits as basis.
Its figures were $3.50. Prescott had
previously been named as the Lead
ing city in this respect, with an aver
age of $500.
Now the good town of Waukon,
through o. j. Hager, president of the
First National bank, comes forward
with the statement that the depos-
its here are S745 for every inhabi-
tant, or S56 more than Decorah
claims. New Albin's figures, he says,
are even better-$977.
Who's next?
Mr.. Hager's letter follows in part;
Nearly every village and town in
Allamakee county have both OF
them beat, as will be seen by the fol-
lowing statement:
"Waukon, with a population of
2,159, has bank deposits amounting
to $1,60S,000, an average deposit for
every man, woman and child of $745;
New Albin. with population of SIT,
has total bank deposit of $500. 900,
which makes an average deposit of
1917 for every inhabitant; Water
vile. with population of 1913, has
la bank deposit of s1S2,o00. which
makes an average deposit of $943
for every inhabitant, and Dorchester
with population of 80, has bank
deposit of s66,O00, which makes an
average deposit of SS25 for every
inhab bitant.
1T must be remembered that
while Allamakee county is a rough
county, being on the Mississippi riv-
er and crossed by both the Upper
Iowa and the Yellow rivers, it is
a very rich county, as will be seen
by the amount of bank deposits. The
principal industry is the cattle and
dairy business, which is carried on i'll
a very scientific manner"
In recent news dispatches Monti-
cello, Jones county, laid claim to be-.
ing the richest town in the United
States, using to prove it's claim
bank deposits on June 80, 1915, and
population as shown by the United
States Census of 1910. The bank
deposits claimed were S2,951,722
and population of 2,043, an average
for each resident Of $1,26S.5O. Mon
ticello claimed to have wrested the
high honor from Decorah, which
only recently claimed to have taken
it's honor from Prescott, Ariz.
That Monticello's claim is not good
and that Dyersville has the honor
claimed is shown by Dyersville bank
deposits on June 80. 1915, and the
United States Census of 1910. The
deposits at Dyersville amounted to
$2,O7l,743.59. The population il
1910 was 1,511, thus giving an aver
age deposit wealth to its residents
of S1,371.10, or balance of S1O2.-
60 in favor of Dyersville.
The good town Of George has
thrown its municipal hat into the
ring. 1t denies the wealth suprema-
cy of Prescott, Ariz., with bank de-
posits of $500 per capita, of Decor
ah, which claims $3.50, or even of
New Albin, which has been the
strongest contender so far, with an
average of S977 in bank deposits for
every man, woman and child.
with a population of 10 (cen-
sus of 1915)," says j. A. Pardon, as
sistant cashier of the First National
bank of George. "and with bank de-
posits of S791,257.25, we have an
average of $1,106."
When it comes to having the great
est per capita wealth, are the other
towns of Iowa going to let George
do it?