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A BRIEF HISTORY OF MALVERNBY JOHN l, PADDOCKTt was in the early light of a bright sabbath morning that we built our campfire and cooked and ate our first morning meal, as prospective res- j fdents of Iowa. When the wreck of the morning meal had been cleared away, the partner wanted to take a look at. the town site and the probable location of our future home. We walked up the road away, climbed the fence looking west, and in imagination saw it looming up somewhere out In the vast field of weeds as high as our hats.The writer continued the walk up to Mr. Tubbs place for some mail, and in the afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Tubbs and baby Volney drove down to I make us a friendly call and extend us ;i welcome to Iowa, and in the ; spirit of western hospitality they invited us to make our home with them until wo could make other arrangements. We accepted their kind invitation and during our few days stay at their home, other lasting friendships were made that have been a pleasure to us all these years since.The lumber and materia! for our business house and home had been purchased in Chicago before starting on our overland journey, and was shipped over the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, that being the only line then completed across the state, and from Council Bluffs over the St. Joe line to Pacific City, a little village nestling close up against the bluffs west of Glenwood, where the track of the St. Joe then laid. (This iittle business place started in 1857 had been in the hands of promoters, a rival of Council Bluffs as the terminal of railroads, and the connecting link in the chain that was to bind the east to the far west by the steel rails of the Union Pacific).We found our building material at Pacific City and the first load was hauled over August 9tli, for the erection, of a temporary shelter home which was put up near our first night’s camping place, so we might be near a neighbor, a Mr. Merritt and family who were temporary occupants of a little homo across the creek, and to be near an excellent well of water that was at their kitchen door.Storage room being limited, the agent at Pacific City had placed the large sash for the store front against the outside of the building, and in the explorations of an old cow, she got her head through one of the unglazed sash, and not being able to withdraw it, she got excited, and with head and tail up she lit out over the prairie bottom, like a small whirlwind with the sash Hopping about her neck, the , railroad force and the writer in hot pursuit. After quite a chase, we gathered up the remnants, but the cow was yet running.The original plat, of Milton was all west of first avenue, which was then a country read, and east of this country road where the business houses, homes, Churches, school building and forest of trees now' are, was that season a waving field of wheat, ready for the harvesters.Washington Darling, a near-by farmer was one of the contractors for the grading of this section of the road bed and his work was about completed. The site for location of the depot had been staked out. The season has been quite wet and the platted ground having been mostly under cultivation the year before had grown up to weeds, that held back the drainage and not many lots seemed to be desirable for building on. A higher point from which the “waters had abated” on the west side of fourth avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets was staked out for the first building of the new city.An Illinois friend, a Mr. Abbott, came out to take a look'at Iowa and to put up the buildings. Mr. Abbott and nephew Pete and John Busby, of White Cloud, as his helpers, completed the building (20 x 30, 1% stories) in October, 1869.It is yet in good condition and a pleasant home place on first avenue.The first attempt by neighbors to be social with new comers by a friendly call was a failure as the horse and buggy got fast in the mud in a wet springy place in the road in front of where the Catholic Church now stands. The ladies were equal to any emergency. One undressed her feet, got out, unhitched the horse and gave up being social that day by returning home.November 13th, Charles H. Paddock, who had come on about a month before to take hold of his interests in the town and the business of Paddock Bros., hitched up Tom and Jim, our dumb partners in the work, to haul the first load of goods from Pacific City for the country store.It looked lonesome, this one building away off from the road, in the middle of a big weed pasture. No sidewalks, no travel marked streets. But a lively imagination of the mind, of neighbors, business men, mechanics and helpers that would soon be here, of fine homes, green grass lawns and flowers, of school and scholars, churches, of sewers, curb and gutter and paved streets seen in the distance gave better coloring to the picture. When material tilings look gloomy and life views clouded, Faith and Hope of better things are wonderful sustainers.The 18th clay of November, the construction train, working from the west laid the track across Silver Creek bridge and met the gang from the east down near the Nishna, where the last rail was laid, completing this division. On the 26th day of November, 1869, the first through passenger train, consisting of the mail and express ear and three coaches loaded with passengers, passed slowly through our little hamlet of one building without stopping. The entire population three in number were out and gave them the Chautauqua salute, which was returned in great number.There was a good stone curbed spring of clear sparkling water where now stands one of Mrs. J. P. Retelsdorf’s brick homes, and we hd a well worn path through the weeds from our house to it, in which w'e could dip our bucket without roiling its waters. The walk there was a pleasant one when dry.The Railroad section foremen were the first to come and build their little homes for their families, one gang of men under Thomas Hawkins of good English blood, and one in charge of John Johnson whose native land.was Sweden. In our first business acquaintance with Mr. Johnson, as a creditor his name was entered on the books as Yon Yohnson, our knowledge of Swedish-English being limited, but he was of good credit under either name.We had neighbors, near neighbors now, one of them across the street and the other in the same block north. Of these men and their heinera
Newspaper Details
Malvern Leader
Malvern, Iowa, US
Thu, Mar 15, 1917
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
KS, USA 12 May 2021
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