The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1917-06-08


eLC5 II. ScHwAb
citizens who built the forts. DelegN-
lions from Tammany Hall, the Masons
and Columbia college worked side by
side on barrier gates, blockhouses and
stone towers.
Homo Of. Edgar Allan Pee.
In 1874 there came to New York
writing man who had lost good place
az editor OF Philadelphia magazine
and who was being tortured by the
illness OF his adored wife.
This was Edgar Allan Poe. He had
but little money and there was In him
the premonihon OF a great sorrow.
He lived for a short time In frame
house near the river at Eighty-fourth
street, and 1t is commonly believed by
his biographers that 1t was here that
he wrote THE Raven" In his intro
duction to 1.-THE Raven and Other
Poems" which was published In 1845,
Poe wrote: Events not to be controlled
have prevented me from making Ut
any time any serious effort In what,
under happier circumstances, would
have been the field Of my choice" He
moved to Fordham after the publica-
ton Of 1.-The Raven" and 1t was In
the little cottage there that his wife
died.
A lesser genius than Poe, but one to
whom the world was kinder, also wrote
4 famous poem In this neighborhOOd.
On the hill at Ninety-sixth street was
tavern with an intriguing view OF the
river. Behind the tavern were several
majestic trees, and towering above
them all. one mighty elm.
George Pope Morris. journalist and
poet, came upon a man In the act OF
cutting down the elm. He urged SEN
timental reasons for saving the tree,
but 1t was the timely arrival OF 4
friend Of Morris with $40 that eventu-
ally rescued the elm. Based on THU
incident, "Woodman, Spare That Tree, "
was written In 1887.
Hero BrItaIn's Heir Was Feted.
In 1850 the prince Of Wales came
overseas to flutter our dovecotes anc
was entertained by Fernando Wood
then mayor OF the city, at his home OF
what Is now Seventy-eighth street
The Wood estate extended far aloni
the river front and the fashionables Of
the town drove out to the entertain
ments given there.
1t Is after the Civil war, when thu
growing city begins to cast about FOL
more room and to look northward will
enviOus eyes, that one in reading owe
the history Of the time feels the com
ing of the change.
Then the shacks Of the squatters be
gan to spring up on the fringes Of tn
great estates by the river. BY 1868 TIL
boulevard had been laid out and som
trees along 1t planted by Boss Tweed
In the years that followed this pur
suit Of the old families continued evel
more nercely. With the coming of tn
elevated railroad Bloomingdale was n
) more and the day OF the real estat
man had arrived.
There are residents of the West sid
today who will tell you about the ma
who was stationed beneath tn
Seventy-second street elevated static
to warn drivers Of the approach OF
train by waving a red flag. There
| the story OF the goat who devoured III
orally the sermon Of one Of the pionee
preachers OF the West side and appal
! emily was none the worse for it. Thos
. were the days when you could loo
, from the back windows Of your HON
in the Seventies and watch the ell
waited trains curling around the loft
I tracks at One Hundred and Tent
: street and when q ride downtown O
the front platform Of a rocking. joltin
horsecar was the accepted method {
: taking the air.
' In the Days Of the 6icyc4ist-
Then the tree-lined boulevard WE
t completed and women In huge sleeve
and floppy hats pedaled for dear Iii
8 after their scorching husbands Whe
q bicycling was at Its height the pede
e TRAN who attempted to cross Il
Y boulevard on pleasant Sundf
: morning needed every bit Of the era
y and agility OF quarterback runnir
Q through broken field.
Q On those back lots where the boys
a 4 generation ago snowballed one a
), other with fiery zeal great apartme
d houses stand stolidly today. Fro
e Grants tomb to Seventy-second sire
l. a new race, strange In speech and ma
ners to those who knew the West si'
n In Its early days, now presents fuz
8 soft hat and trench bonnet to an asto
o ished sun. Only the river, rolling dov
e to the sea as In the days when Verr
n zano first dropped anchor by its bank
u Is the same.