board paid sundry claims for work on a new road from Bloomington [Muscatine] to the west line of Washington county, as follows:

The same day a lot of claims were allowed for services to the county in locating "the road from Bloomington to Iowa City;" and this is the first mention in the records of Iowa City in connection with any road. The claims in this case were:

On the same day bills were allowed for services on the road from

Wyoming to Iowa City, as follows:

The first plat, map or diagram of a road that was recorded and preserved was made by William McCormick, surveyor, of a road from Iowa City, which kept on the east and north side of the river, to the west line of the county. The road was located by James Cavanagh, John Eagan and C. S. Foster, February 18, 1841. On this plat Rapid creek is marked Rabid creek.

In connection with these first county roads comes up the case of the old National or Military road between Iowa City and Dubuque. The "old settlers" of Johnson county differed among themselves somewhat in regard to it; but there was no records or official source within our reach, so we wrote to Hon. Edward Langworthy, of Dubuque, for a sketch of his recollections in regard to it, as he was one of the contractors who built it, and received the following reply from the aged veteran:

MR. LANGWORTHY'S LETTER.

DUBUQUE, Aug. 3, 1882. H. A. Reid, Esq.,-DEAR SIR: In replying to yours of July 31, I have taken a part of my seventy-fourth birthday for that purpose, as it calls to

my mind the very many pleasant days I have spent in your beautiful Iowa City and the many acts of kindness I have received from the citizens of that place. In its darkest days it was in my power to render your town some service in hastening the construction of the capitol when almost a majority of the territorial legislature were determined on stopping its progress; and I received a very cordial invitation to partake of a public dinner there--which my duties compelled me to decline. But I told them I would spend an evening with them on my return trip home-and a happy evening it was to me, as the whole city met me with kindly greeting and very complimentary addresses. I also had the pleasure of a residence, or stay, in your city, as a member of the first constitutional convention; but we made the state too large (northerly) to suit our southern friends, and it failed before the people. But my stay there was made very pleasant by my old-time friends.

Regarding the military road from Dubuque to Iowa City, I can give you some information. My brothers, James L. and Lucius H., and myself had the contract to make the road from Dubuque to the Cedar river, and at the risk of taking something from the romance of the late publications, I will give the facts according to my present recollection of them. There was an appropriation for that object and it was placed in charge of a Mr. Tighlman, a U. S. enginee who made a thorough survey of the whole route and let the contract., after which he directed Mr. Lyman Dillon, of Cascade, to plow a furrow on one side the whole length of the road, which he did under the personal superintendence of the engineer, as a guide to the contractors.

The road was sub-let by us in small sections from here to Cascade, and the balance was done by my oldest brother, James, who had a large force of men and teams all the season at work on the road, and completed the same to the entire satisfaction of the engineer. I remember driving my carriage with some eastern friends on that road to Iowa City while the work was progressing, and after looking over the city and its surroundings we returned one afternoon and camped with my brother James and his men on the east end of the renowned Linn Grove, and reached Dubuque next day by early moonlight. In those early days the counties of Johnson and Linn were intimately connected with Dubuque in all their business relations; it was here they sold their pork and produce, and here they found moneyed men to enter their land for them at twenty per cent. interest, and here they found their political friends who, joined with the people of Lee and other southern counties, located the capitol in Iowa City as against the united voice of Burlington, Fairfield and the balance of then Central Iowa; and when removed it was west--not south.

CHAPTER III.-PART 2.

Railroad Bond Votes-Frauds-Swindles-Lawsuits-Big Taxes to Pay-Etc., Etc. The original records of the Davenport and Iowa City Railroad Company are before us, of which the Secretary, H. W. Lathrop, of Iowa City, writes:

This was the first railroad company organized in the State, (Oct. 14, 1850,) and although it has ceased to exist, the Mississippi & Missouri Company, phoenix-like, has risen from its ashes. The stock subscribed never amounted to more than $15,000, and only sufficient was paid in to procure a survey of the route from Davenport to Iowa City, and a publication of the engineer's report and accompanying diagram.

At the last meeting of the Board of Directors, the record of which was lost, a transfer of all the rights, privileges, benefits, franchises, etc., etc., in the possession of the company, was made to the Mississippi & Missouri R. R. Co. The meeting was held late in the afternoon, and at its close, Dr. Henry Murray was dispatched immediately to Davenport with a transcript of the proceedings, that he might lay it before the directors of the latter company at a meeting to be held in that place the next day. Traveling on horseback most of the night, he reached Davenport in time to lay before the directors at the commencement of their meeting the pro ceedings in relation to the transfer. The grant was accepted and the conditions complied with by making Iowa City a point on the M. & M. road.

We next present all the votes ever given in the county to aid railroads by bonds, tax levies, land grants, etc.

TAX VOTED FOR THE LYONS I. C. R. R.

In June 1853, the people voted on a proposition to aid this railroad enterprise, the main features of the proposition as voted upon being as follows: That the county of Johnson will aid in the construction of the Lyons' Iowa Central Railroad within the limits of said county, in case Iowa City be made a point in said road, by subscribing fifty thousand dollars stock; that county bonds shall be issued therefor bearing interest, and payable within twenty years; that an annual tax of three mills on the dollar be levied for the payment of the interest annually on said bonds; that after ten years the rate of tax for such purpose be increased to an amount not exceeding one per cent on the taxable property within the county for the purpose of paying off said bonds and interest thereon, to be continued until said bonds and interest are all paid.

The vote on this proposition, on June 16, 1853, is shown by the follow

VOTE ON THE M. & M. R. R. TAX.-AUGUST, 1853.

The main features of the proposition in this case were as follows:

That the county of Johnson will aid in the construction of the Mississippi and Missouri railroad, within the limits of said county, in case Iowa City be made a point in said road, by subscribing fifty thousand dollars stock; that county bonds shall be issued therefor, bearing interest, and payable within twenty years; that an annual tax of three mills on the dollar be levied for the payment of the interest annually on said bonds; that after ten years the rate of tax for such purposes be increased to an amount not exceeding one per cent on the taxable property within the county, for the purpose of paying off said bonds and interest thereon, to be continued until said bonds and interest are all paid.

The following shows the vote of each township, August 6, 1853:

Majority for the railroad and tax, 623.

On September 1 the $50,000 of county bonds were issued, and placed in the hands of Ebenezer Cook, of the city of Davenport, Iowa, (of the banking firms of Cook & Sargent, at Davenport, and Cook, Sargent. & Downey, at Iowa City,) to be by him negotiated in the city of New York, upon the best possible terms, for the said county of Johnson, for the payment of said stock."

$225,000 RAILROAD BONDS VOTED.

On April 6, 1857, a vote was taken on two railroad bond propositions, at the same time. One was to subscribe one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars ($175,000) to the capital stock of the "Iowa Union Railroad Company," in the name and by the authority of Johnson county; and the other was to subscribe fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) to "the Great Western Railroad Company, or to such other company as shall first succeed in constructing a continuous line of railroad from the Mississippi river, via Dewitt, in Clinton county, and Tipton in Cedar county, to the east line of Johnson county, and make Iowa City a point in the continuation of such road."

To show the glowing prospective of railroad matters in 1857, we copy from the City Directory, published in that year for the first time, the following items:

There are two railroads in contemplation, that, if completed, make the future prospects of Iowa City truly encouraging.

The first is the GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD, running from Camanche, on the Mississippi river, in Clinton county, by the way of Tipton, in Cedar county, to Iowa City. The company was incorporated and permanently organized, by the election of the following officers: President and Chief Engineer, Chas. B. Stuart, of New York City; Vice-President, S. J. Crew, of Tipton; Secretary, Geo. W. McCleary, of Iowa City; Assistant Secretaries, N. H. Parker, of Camanche, and J. B. Betts, of Tipton. The road is under contract, and whenever the weather permits the work progresses.

The second is the IOWA UNION RAILROAD. It has also been incorporated and organized by the election of the following officers: President, Legrand Byington, of Iowa City; Vice-President, Geo. Greene, of Cedar Rapids; Treasurer, M. L. Morris, of Iowa City; Secretary, Geo. W. McCleary, of Iowa City; Executive Committee, Legrand Byington, ex-officio, John Clark, of Iowa City; D. H. Downey, of Iowa City. This road is to run north and south, through the State, intersecting the Keokuk road in the south, and the Dubuque road in the north, thus forming a link in the great chain extending from St. Paul, in Minnesota, to St. Louis, in Missouri.

SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS.

January 4, 1866, the county board appropriated $1,200 to aid the St. Louis and Cedar Rapids R. R. Co. in making a survey through Johnson county. On June 5, 1866, the board voted to transfer this $1,200 donation to the Iowa Northern Central R. R. Co., and at the same time they