Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-01-04
4 Few "reminiscences.

IlmeS: am enclosing Ch0Ck III
for my subscription for the year
1917 to your paper. / believe I
have read every issue from your
lpress under whatever name or
management, and the daily since
its beginning about st. Patrick 8
Day of 1891.
l am reminded today of my first
visit to what is now Missouri
Valley, on January 4, 1867, fifty
years ago today, the first train on
the new railroad, having under
much pressure, to save their land
grant, reached to Council Bluffs
within the week before.
1t was a race against time, the
time for completion of the rail-
road having been time or two
|extended, and this was the last
chance. Trains must reach Coun-
Gil Bluffs before January 4, 1867.
For seven or eight months
prior, during the year 1865, the
stage line, then piecing out the
transportation from the western
termination of the railroad as it
moved west from MarshalltOwn,
Nevada, Boone, Jefferson and
Denison, having located station
at the old Linnwod home at Har-
iris Grove, and only few days
intervening since the departure
of the old Holiday stage coach,
with its stage drivers, its express
messengers, and their bugle call
as they approached the station
for change of horses, the family
was prompted to go over to the
station of the railroad at what is
now your splendid growing city. |
The station that day was a box
car off the trucks and standing
on the ground beside the track.
COrnstalks were standing all
over the portion of your city be-
low or south of Huron street. The
snow was deep and the sleighing
good, and father, mother, my sis
ter, brother and myself made up
the load, in an old long sleigh,
the runners being the natural
curves of the hickory trees of
those days, the bents pinned to-
|gether, rather crude, not one of
them seen for these long years
now, but comfortable means of
moving about on the SHOWS of
those days.
We came around from the
home at Harris Grove, by way of
the old town, as the bridges, and
more direct way now known, had
not then been discovered, opened
and brought into service. The
good roads problem, now so much
in the limelight, was not troubl-
ling the citizens of that day very
much.
| Coming over the levee from the
old town that day, l related to my
family little experience had
year or two before in hauling
|some of the cottonwood timhers'
for the first bridges built on that
levee.
Ben Pugh came along ono
morning and wanted a boy that
could drive a team. He had two
teams, was leading one, and
wanted to haul timbers and lum-
berg for those levee bridges. L
went along. 1t was summer time.
We drove away up to the Camel
saw mill, close on south line of
Morgan township, and waited un-
til they could saw timbers and
lumber of dimensions wanted,
when we loaded up and started
back with our loads, night over
taking us somewhere up near the
Soldier. l do not recall the farm
now, but I recall that to accom-.
modate US, the host and Ben Pngh
and myself all occupied the same
bed. / was strip of lad of
about 10 years; Ben, the largest
man in the county, weighing
about $50 pounds.
Il During the night the bed gave
way, my side going down, the two
men rolling down atop. Talk
about tight places! | know what
it means. I've been there. Es-
capped without more than tight
squeeze, and Ben and I retired to
the yard, without more than
shirt on, while the bedstead was
reorganized. And the mosquitoes
made divers and sundry sound
|jngs. There was no sleepiness
apparent during the wait. The re-
mainder of the night was without
incident, and we brought down
our lumber for the bridges on the
levee. 1t is we'll once in a while
to go back in memory over the
struggles and the efforts that
have borne fruit in the better and
, pleasanter surroundings of this
day
With my kindliest greeting to
|you, and to your family, to whom