Wilton Junction’s Fire and Rise From a Prairie Town
Wilton Junction grew from a 1850s mining of land and storefronts to a trading hub on the Rock Island line. The 1870s fire swept through Reed’s bank and surrounding buildings, testing citizens’ grit and drawing Davenport help, as the town rebuilt from ruins.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Muscatine County
Wilton Junction
Davenport
Muscatine
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Wilton
John Wicke
Fire King
Wilton of To-Day: Modern Town With Modern Ways
Wilton shows high morals and intellect, impressing all with gentleness and efficiency. Prompt efforts by residents and Superintendent Kimball along with the railroad company are praised. A careful losses and insurance tally is presented as accurate despite town excitement: 7500-400.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wilton
Kimball
Wilton Maine Pioneers and Civil War Veterans Remembered
The passage recalls Wilton Maine settlers Henry Giesler buying a town lot in 1854 for $40, early rail line shanties, Tuthill and Hull dry goods, and the first house. It also notes Civil War service with Company G from 1862, battles at Jackson Vicksburg and Tupelo, and a devastating town fire threatening the east side.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wilton
Rider, Sanford & Butterfield
F. Bacon
Owen Syas
Eli Ross
Moses Garretson
Butterfield
Maine
Henry
Giesler
Tuthill and Hull, Deaiers
West
Pittsburg
Shiloh
Atlanta
Sherman
Jackson
Miss
Vicksburg
Tupelo
Wilton Fire Described Through Damaged Property List
The lengthy inventory outlines fixtures and furniture at many properties including Rexroth Romaine Lantry Opitz Flingsworth Tr curne Graaf Graaf Graaf and Friedson with totals around 75 000 dollars and 26 000 dollars. The narrative notes the reader can form a vague idea of the awfulness of the Wilton fire, then proceeds to describe the following night.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
A. Rexroth
A. Romaine
Lantry
A. Opitz
Flingsworth
Tr Curne
Graaf & Son
Graaf Bros
F. Friedson
Wilton
Also Mentioned on This Page
Red River
Nashville
Mobile
Ala
Soldier Boys
Aid Society
Union
Providence
Fred Frieden
J. L. Reed
G. T. Coffee
Mr. Reed
Wilton Merchandise Co
A. P. Scovill
Hubbert
F. C. Conant
D. T. Gilman
C. J. Hutchinson
Blizzard
Christian Marolf
Mud Creek
Sugar Creek
Ben Mauer
Peter Marolf
Glendale
Franklin Butterfield
Green & Stone
Butterfield and Green & Stone
Eleventh Iowa Infantry
Thirty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry
E. Reed and Dows
Third
Railroad Street
Steiner
J. G. Lyford
Rexroth
Opitz
Cedar Street
Willon
Reed & Dow’s
Same
Lyford’s
Steiner's
Coffee
Grange Estore
Mudges
P. Scovil’s
Dowding
F. Frieden
Suilding Dry Goods
T. Gilman's
Hutchinson's Drug Store
Blizzard’s
Wicke’s
Lutheran
Big Tower
The
Wilton Savings Bank
F. A. J. Gray
Geo. Bannick
J. M. Rider
J. G. Will
Fred Maurer
W. A. Cooling
W. G. Johnson
C. F. Schafnit
Thos. Rayner
H. K. Brammeier
Nicolaus Brothers
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!