Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-05
Town of Fertile One
Of Unique Farming
Communities in Io,Oa
Special to rimes-Republlcan.

Special to Times Republican.
Hanlontown. Sept. 5.--One OF the
unique farming communities Of Iowa
Is that OF which the little inland town
of Fertile, near here, Is the center.
Those who travel thru the state know
what the average inland town. found
ed fifty years ago or more. looks like
today. In fact most OF them look like
the farm land that they are for IRE
quently the old timer points out spot
in a cornfield and tells how here was
once little town with store, post
office. blacksmith shop and possibly
saloon. In other places are two or
three old shacks with collapsed walls
and roofs or an old outbuilding or two
near the farm buildings of the man
who bought up the lots and plowed
and built as farmers do. Occasionally
one finds a store where business on a
small scale is still carried on regard
less of the fact that the railroad
passed thru another part Of the coun-
try. Long distance to the nearest
railroad point or the establishment OF
a creamery have helped to lengthen
the existence Of these pioneer attempts
at town building.
In the fall Of the year 1856 a young
man named William Rhodes came
from Illinois to wooded tract along
Lime Creek in Worth county, built
a saw mill and home and called the
place Fertile" The old pioneer stu
-. l.. e,I,, 10, y,~, hnn II
oaks shade part of the ground along
the banks of the stream. the mill still
runs. tho for more than forty years
its product Is -four instead Of lumber.
About go people inhabit the town and
find it a good place to live. Mill,
creamery and other business concerns
bring wagons. buggies and automobiles
that keep the principal street husy
place. The Rhodes family conducted
private banking business for many
years and some time ago this was
changed to a state bank which at this
time is erecting a modern fire proof
building costing nearly $4,000
$4,000 consolidated school building is
also in process Of erection. and the
farms surrounding the progressive
little town are Of high class. Plan af.
ter plan for railroad connection oe-
tween Fertile and the outside world
has failed to materia|iZe. interurbSn
projects have been Toured ont time
and AGAIN only 70 fall thru, factories
have been promoted and at least two
Industries were established and oper-
ated for time and later abandoned:
vet the town still exists and thrives
and grows SO far as a large part OF
Iowa is concerned William Rhodes, as
a founder of inland towns. is in class
by himself: there is only one Fertile"
in this part of the country.
Last spring there occurred one
"back- to- the farm" movement that
was evidently an, absolute success
The principals in the affair were a
family who lived in a northern Iowa
town. They decided they worild
rather live on a farm than in town,
rented a quarter section for long
term Of years, assembled a farming
outfit and went to work. 1t was just
twenty years since the head of the
family had left the farm, a young
man. They tackled Il rundown. long
rented, poorly farmed place. the kind
that discredits the appearance OF n
rural neighborhood. There was CO.
operation, however, between owner
and tenant. There was mutual de-
termination on the part of a man.
woman and a husky son to make
things GO and in this they have sue
ceeded. They picked up the trash that
was strewn all over the place. fixed
up fences, trimmed trees. required
buildings and raised good crops. They
bought good serviceable second
hand Ford" and they use 1t. There
was good deal to pick up after an
interval Of twenty years and such
twenty years as it has been. but the
results prove that the picking up was
accomplished. That family is satisfied
with the experiment it made and would
not think of going back to town 10
live. Il did get little lonesome
sometimes at first" admitted the
housekeeping member Of the family,
but when we got the car and could
get out anywhere in so short a time
that sort of trouble came to an end"
The extent to which the automobile
u
illustrated by the statement Of the
manager Of the Hanlontown creamery.
He told how his territory extended in
one direction as far as eight miles,
how in the busiest part Of the season
this year his patrons began arriving
with their cream from the most remote
portions of the territory very soon af-
ter o'clock in the morning, and how
about 90 per cent Of the people brought
in their cream in autos instead OF by
the slower old-fash!oned wagon or
buggy method OF transportation thus
saving hours and hours Of time for
field work that would otherwise have
been spent driving along The roa Is
And many intelligent people only Just
a few years ago predicted awful trou
bles. except in the case Of the
Weather class of farmers. for those
who undertook ownership of automo-
biles. g. f.. Wilson.
COOPERATIVE DAiRYlNG.