A company under the name of the "Sabula, Ackley & Dakota Railroad," was formed in Marion, in the Winter of 1869, to build a road from Sabula, in Jackson County, westerly through Jackson, Jones and Linn Counties, to Marion, and thence through Benton, Tama and Grundy Counties to Ackley, on the Illinois Central Railroad. The Western Union Railroad, running from Racine to Rock Island, had been purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company, and it was understood that the company were anxious for an Iowa extension. A delegation of Marion citizens, with parties from several of the towns along the old Iowa Central route, visited Milwaukee, and, after consultation with the managers of the St. Paul road, returned home and organized the S., A. & D. R. R. Co., with R. D. Stephens, of Marion, as President; Geo. Wells, of Grundy County, as Vice President; and S. W. Rathbun, of Marion, as Secretary.

The contract between the companies was, that the S., A. & D. R. R. should do the grading and tying, and the Milwaukee company was to iron and operate the road. During the year 1870, twenty miles of the road were completed and put in operation, between Sabula and the town of Preston, in Jackson County, (named after Col. I. M. Preston, of Marion). In 1871, the road was further extended to Olin, in Jones County, and in December, 1872, the track was laid to Marion. In August, 1870, Marion township voted a tax of five per cent. in aid of this road. This tax produced a total revenue of about $60,000, in addition to which there was about $25,000 of private subscription, making nearly $90,000 paid by Marion to secure this road.

THE PRESS.

This will be noticed more definitely in a special chapter on that important subject. The first paper of Marion was the Prairie Star, which was established in 1852, by Azor Hoyt. This was changed to the Linn County Register, then to the Linn County Patriot, then to the Marion Register. There has been also the Marion Herald changed to the Marion Democrat; also the Linn County Signal; then the Linn County Pilot, which was established by C. W. Kepler, September 1, 1871, at Mount Vernon. It was an eight-column folio, and supported Horace Greeley in 1872. Andrew Beatty became proprietor August 29, 1872, and for a month, in August, 1873, P. J. Fisher became his partner. It was moved to Marion March 5, 1874, where it has since been published by Beatty & Willits. The Hope of Israel was issued, in 1866, by the Adventist Society. It is still operated under the title of Advent and Sabbath Advocate, by Jacob Brinkerhoff.

Marion has three weekly newspapers and a job printing office of good size conducted by Bardwell Brothers.

BREWING INTERESTS.

The brewery of Coenin & Schneider was established in 1867, by Coenen & Brother. The main building is a large three-story stone structure. A malt house was built in 1872. The building is situated at the base of a large eminence, and the cellars run back under the brow of the hill 120 feet. There are two large ice cellars containing 1,800 tons of ice. There is a large drying room in the second story, where the malt is dried. The machinery is operated by a sixteen horse power steam engine, manufactured by the Chicago Steam Engine Company. Thirty barrels of beer are manufactured daily. The building is provided with new elevators, and a large fanning-mill of the "Big Giant" pattern is used in extracting all foreign matter from the barley. The proprie

tors purchased 12,000 bushels of barley last season, for which they paid fortyfive cents per bushel. About 4,000 bushels of malt are on hand, which was manufactured during the Winter of 1877-8; about 120 bushels of malt are consumed daily. The arrangement for receiving the barley into the building is worthy of notice. The wagons loaded with the grain are hauled up on to the summit of the hill, on a level with the third story, are then unloaded into a car and thence into the third floor; if the barley contains any impurities, it is run through the large fanning-mill before mentioned, and if not, it passes at once to the barley floor below. There are fourteen casks in the first cellar, each containing twenty-five barrels of beer; in the second cellar there are thirty-two casks with a like capacity. There are twelve tubs in the fermenting room, each having a capacity of thirty barrels of the liquid. There is a large cistern on the hill containing 150 barrels of water; a large well on the low ground furnishes the water necessary for the manufacture of beer. The proprietors also have several large barns on the, premises where cattle are fattened during the Winter season.

INDIAN CREEK MILLS.

A two-story frame building, erected about eight years ago by Messrs. Cromer & Carrer, and were first operated by them. They are at present the property of Gifford & Miller, and have been owned and operated by these gentlemen for three years. The mills are situated about one-half mile west of the business part of Marion, and are engaged principally in grinding grists for farmers. The Leffels double turbine wheel is used in operating two run of stone. The owners have recently placed a new separator and "middlings purifier" in the mill, used in manufacturing the "Patent Process Flour."

Richard Thomas and an old resident of Linn County, Hiram Beales, built the dam.

BANKING.

The First National Bank of Marion was organized June 12, 1863; the charter bearing date October 31, 1863. Business was begun January 1, 1864, with the following officers: Joseph Mentzer, President; R. D. Stephens, Cashier. September 26, 1864, Mr. R. D. Stephens became President, and has filled that office since. Present Cashier, J. W. Bowdish. The capital at organization was $50,000, but a year later it was increased to $67,000, the surplus capital at present being $34,000.

This was the first National Bank organized in Linn County, and the third organized in the State. It bears the number 117 in the United States Bureau of Currency.

Before the organization of this bank several private bankers had operated in Marion. The first were R. & W. Smith, the former now of Mt. Vernon. They were superseded in 1856 by Smith, Twogood & Co., followed by Twogood & Elliott, until October 23, 1877, when they made an assignment under the State law and went into bankruptcy, February 5, 1878. This was a heavy blow upon a large number of creditors, there being about $130,000 unsecured indebtedness, and $35,000 secured. Nothing more than a nominal percentage will be realized.

Greene, Weare & Graves, of Cedar Rapids, established a branch house at Marion in 1856, and continued about four years.

BUSINESS INTERESTS.

The early business of Marion has already been referred to, and the condition in 1860 shown. Since that time, the trade has been favored with a grad

ual increase, so that at present the business houses present a lively and prosperous aspect, notwithstanding several fires. The flouring-mill erected near the depot has twice been destroyed. A distillery and mill combined was the first to be swept away by fire in that locality. At the time of the last conflagration, B. H. Sharp was proprietor of the mill. Its large stone walls still stand near the depot, and will probably be reconstructed.

The city is provided with two excellent hotels, the "Park Place," by A. Caldwell, a three-story brick, of good dimensions; the Newhall House, by F. B. Stinger, the oldest in the city; and the Washington House, by Mr. Koslovsky. There are two wagon factories-by Mr. Winsor and Mr. Jaquith-of considerable prominence, employing a large number of workmen. There are also the following business interests: general merchandise, 3; dry goods, 4; grocers, 6; drugs, 3; bank, 1; printing offices, 4; hardware, 2; boots and shoes, 3; shoe shops, 3; book stores, 2; restaurants, 3; bakeries, 2; clothing, 2; milliners, 4; dressmakers, 3; agricultural implement dealers, 3; jewelers, 2; meat markets, 2; cigar factory and store, 1; harness shops, 2; tin shop, 1; saloons, 6; billiard hall, 1; dentists, 3; furniture, 2; art gallery, 1; tailors, 3; medical laboratory, 1; lumber, grain and stock dealers, 4; painters, 3; broker, 1; livery stables, 2; undertakers, 2; cooper, 1; carpenter shops, 4; blacksmiths, 4.

THE CITY.

A very noticeable feature of Marion is its luxurious growth of shade trees. Every possible space is filled with large and graceful trees, of permanent value, which serve the two-fold purpose of protecting the residences from the sun's rays in Summer and the equally desirable protection from prairie winds in Winter.

The town is appropriately named the "Grove City." It lies in peace and quiet in the midst of a charming wood, and affords a most delightful place of residence. In the heart of the town, a whole block is given up from business interests for use as a park, and in this public ground are growing thrifty hard wood trees. A fountain in the center of the park, and ornamental urns and seats scattered here and there, add to the beauty of the place. Several of the streets which are devoted to residences are equal in beauty to those of any town in the State, of the size and wealth of Marion. The city is in a healthy locality, and is in every sense desirable as a home. It does not pretend to be an extensive business center, but it is amply supplied with retail establishments, which do a prosperous trade.

The churches are well sustained, and show that a deep interest is taken in the moral progress of the community. The edifices are, in several denominations, more than ordinarily fine. The schools are sustained with generous hand, and are ably conducted. The streets are orderly, and the city is in the hands of a good government. The social character of Marion is refined and cultivated, and the citizens have an air of substantial success in worldly undertakings. Many of the older residents rate high in the reports. Even strangers who visit the city for a few weeks' recreation or for business purposes are impressed with the cordiality of the people, which is manifested in true Western heartiness.

THE COUNTY FARM.

Between five and six miles northeast of Marion, in a most fertile region, lies the County Poor Farm, consisting of two quarter sections. The buildings are good. One of the best barns in the county stands on this farm. It was super

vised by Mr. R. D. Stephens, while a member of the Board, and is large, convenient and satisfactory in every respect.

The percentage of paupers maintained by the county is lighter than in most counties of the size and age of Linn. The system preserved is admirable. The farm is productive in cereals and stock, and is carried on at a comparatively light expense.

MOUNT VERNON.

Without doubt, the first settler in this vicinity was Charles C. Haskins, who is believed to have settled one and a half miles east of the village site in the Summer of 1837. Mr. Haskins is now dead, and his friends have no means of knowing the exact date of his settlement. To him is accorded the second place in the list of original pioneers of the county. After a short time, he sold his original claim and took up another on the county line, east of Lisbon, where he lived for many years. The subject of his arrival is referred to in the General History. He died August 15, 1874. The inability to obtain full particulars in his case illustrates the value of recorded dates as furnished in this

work. In a few years more, it will be impossible to converse with the first settlers; they will have passed away.

Among those who came in 1838 and the Spring of 1839 were Michael Donahoe and sons, William, Peter, and others, 1838; John McAfferty and Silas Hammond, who then owned a claim adjoining that of Mr. McAfferty, 1838; Hiram Beales and Asher Edgerton, 1838, who sold to Thomas Craig (deceased) two and a half miles west; Thomas Dill, with family, still living, two miles south; Daniel Hahn, who came first in March, 1838, settled in September, and who now lives near town; William Hayzlett, who settled one-half mile east in the Fall of 1840, and who now resides in Mount Vernon; Peter and Henry Kepler, 1839, with families, two miles northwest, who now reside in the vicinity; William Abbe, with family (he died in California and his son now lives at Marion), settled in the Spring of 1838 on Abbe's Creek; Oliver Clark, deceased, with family; John Stewart, 1839, two miles southwest, where he now lives with his family; Jerre Burge, two miles south, who also is still living there, and who came to the State in 1834; Reuben Ash adjoined the village site on the north, in 1840, and Elisha F. Williams settled near by. In April, 1840, Robert Smyth made his home near Mount Vernon, James and Jeremiah Smyth came in 1842, Allison I. Willits came in 1840, and Chauncey C. Blodgett settled soon after; his wife, now Mrs. Beatty, still lives in Mount Vernon. William Abbe, John McAfferty and C. C. Haskins were the three first Justices of the Peace in the vicinity. Robert Smyth, assisted by E. D. Waln, was appointed by the "squatters" to bid off the land for all at the land sales held in February, 1843. In 1841, Robert Smyth secured a post office at his house, under the name of Franklin. This was continued at various houses in the neighborhood until it was transferred to and called Mount Vernon. Peter McRoberts, one of the first County Commissioners, settled in 1838 two miles southwest of Mount Vernon, and afterward removed to Tama County. Stephen Osborn settled on the south side of Yankee Grove, now the Sargent place, in 1838. Later came Harvey Jewett and Joseph Gourley, who have now removed; William Albright and many others equally worthy of mention.

Mount Vernon is located on a high and gracefully-curving ridge, running northwest and southeast, near the point of a beautiful grove, and with a grand view of the landscape from all directions, especially to the south, where three

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miles distant can be seen the valley and bluffs of Cedar River, with the green, waving fields spread out between.

September 20, 1847, Mount Vernon was laid off with a square and tape line, by Richard J. Harbert, carpenter, assisted by E. D. Waln, A. I. Willits, George Edgington, Ackley Parker and Robert Stinson, during the sickness of the County Surveyor.

They began at the southwest corner of Main and Washington streets, on the west side of the old Military road from Dubuque to Iowa City, and running along Main street, stopped at the northwest corner of the lot on which H. D. Albright resides. The extent of the survey was two lots deep on either side

of Main street.

The site had been purchased from George Edgington by the proprietors at that time—Allison I. Willits, Harvey Jewett and Joseph Gourley:

This temporary survey was inade permanent by the County Surveyor, Andrew D. Botdorff, in November, 1853.

As early as 1842, Joseph Chapman is believed to have built a log cabin on the village site, on the south side of Main street. This house is still standing, though weatherboarded, as a portion of the dwelling of Luke Fish. His brother-in-law, Ackley Parker, soon built a cabin on the corner of the farm, adjoining town, now owned by Hon. E. D. Waln, in 1839 or 1840.

The first house built after the survey was a log house, by R. J. Harbert, and occupied by him September 25, 1847.

In this occurred the first birth, that of Hulda Harbert, and also the first death, that of Galena Harbert, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Harbert. This cabin stood on the lot now owned and occupied by Dr. G. L. Carhart. The next building was a frame one, erected by A. I. Willits, on the lot now occupied by the drug store of J. V. Myers & Co.

In the same Fall, that portion of the original town east of Washington street was laid out, and a small addition to George Edgington's log house (the house built by Joseph Chapman being the first on the village site) was built by Harvey Jewett, on the lot now occupied by H. Post's residence. In this room the first business of Mount Vernon, a saloon, was established by Mr. Jewett, who afterward transferred his trade to the more legitimate one of dry goods.

The next store was established by Mr. Willits, in the frame building mentioned. After a short time, Joseph Gourley became a partner. Later still, Harvey Jewett and Chauncey C. Blodgett purchased the remaining interest of Mr. Willits.

About this time, these parties became part owners of the town plat. After several months, in 1848, they moved their store to the lot now occupied by the harness shop of Stewart Ellison, in a house which was built by Jewett & Blodgett.

Previously, Dr. Thompson (1847) and others had built a few small dwellings. E. D. Waln, who settled three miles west, in September, 1841, came to the village in May, 1849, and began the sale of goods in the frame building erected by Mr. Willits, now owned and occupied by H. S. Hale as a residence. Nye & Holmes, of Marion, were partners in this business for a short time. In 1851, he built. a two and a half story frame building, 40x40 feet in size, on the southwest corner of Main and Washington streets, where he opened his store and established a hotel then the Mount Vernon House, but generally known as Gillett's Hotel. This was burned down in February, 1868, while the property of Harvey Gillett.