from Decorah for July and August, 1882, will compare favorably with the enormous wheat shipments seven or eight years ago, and outstrip any year since that time. But be it remembered that the difference in value between butter and beef cattle, and the same bulk in wheat, is greatly in favor of the former. The last day's shipments from Decorah of which we have record at the time of writing, consisted of ten cars, and none of them live stock.

Since the above was sent to the printer, ground has been purchased and a handsome passenger depot will be speedily built on Water street, just as it reaches Dry Run. It will closely adjoin the business part of the city and be less than two squares from the Winneshiek House and Opera House. The old passenger depot will be used for freight. Work is rapidly progressing on the extension of the track of the C. M. & St. P. Railway down to the Greer & Hunter mill, and will be completed this fall; a side track will also probably be laid to the stone quarries this season.

In our county history a reference is made to the extension of the Postville branch of the B. C. R. & N. Railway to Decorah. Work upon that extension has been commenced, and though the time given for its completion in the voting of a five per cent tax by Decorah does not expire till September, 1883, the road may be finished to Decorah before the close of this season; and it means not only another line to the south and east, but also an extension northward to another connection with St. Paul, uniting the lumber regions with the coal regions of Iowa.

The Citizens' Association, designed to promote the interests of the city and county, was organized in Decorah early in 1882. The Chicago, Decorah and Minnesota Railway Co., was an outgrowth of the above association; and its purpose to secure additional railroad facilities seems in a fair way to speedy accomplishment.

There is also a well-founded belief that the C. M. & St. P. Railway will continue their road from Waukon to Decorah on their road-bed already graded, and thus secure another outlet for the northern and western roads which meet at Calmar, and avoid the heavy grade between Calmar and McGregor, even if this road does not also build another extension northward from Decorah.

The business of the C. M. & St. P. Railway at Decorah is in charge of F. H. Merrill, a capable and popular official.

The dray and omnibus line is well conducted by Greer & Protheroe, successors to Jamieson & Greer--Bob Jamieson, the popular old-time conductor on the branch having removed to fields further west. They run the omnibus for the Winneshiek House, while the St. Cloud has an omnibus of its own.

The United States Express Co. has an office which was for vears in charge of Albert Fewell, an excellent officer, who resigned on account of ill-health, and now lives on his suburban farm, just south of the city. His place is capably filled by I. N. Morrill, an experienced express man.

A fair indication of the growth of Decorah is its post-office business, which is steadily on the increase. Let us look at it for the past four years.

The total receipts of the office each year, exclusive of the money order business were: 1878, $6,102.74; 1879, $6,467.76; 1880, $6,762.45; 1881, $6,810.92.

For the first half of 1882 the business amounted to $3,963.55, and the business for the last half of the year will be larger, so that the total receipts of 1882 will probably exceed $8,000.

The paper mill of J. R. Booth, of Decorah, located at Freeport, in Decorah Township, can be reckoned as a Decorah institution. It was originally started by the Winneshiek Paper Co., and was afterward operated by Henry H. Horn, and by Henry Paine. It was purchased in the spring of 1880 by J. R. Booth, an experienced and successful manufacturer, and is doing a large business. The mill is run by water power from the Upper Iowa River, and employs twenty hands. Its product is straw wrapping paper, of which it is making a nice article. It manufactures about three and a half tons of paper per day, and consumes from 1500 to 1800 tons of straw per year. It is an important branch of manufacture to the people, as well as to our business interests. The paper mill is connected with Decorah by telephone.

The Decorah Packing House, originally built by G. F. Francis, who has done much to build up Decorah, in residences as well as business houses, has of late been operated by a stock company. It does a large business and is a source of wealth to the city and county, besides a convenience to the people in improving the market for hogs. Mr. Francis still makes Decorah his family home, though now absent in Dakota during the summer and fall.

In stock raising, Winneshiek County is rapidly advancing to the front. The collection of cattle at the recent county fair in Decorah, was a superb one. Herds from this county also won the first premiums at fairs in adjacent counties, as well as at the Minneapolis Exposition. Decorah is represented in this line by Samuel Aiken's stock farm and magnificent herd of Holsteins; by the Hesper Stock Farm, by Geo. Q. Gardner, of Decorah, and by other smaller herds.

The Decorah Driving Park, with large grounds, on which are held the annual fairs of the County Agricultural Society, has a fine and well used track. Thanks to the enterprise of C. C. Bates. The extensive seed and hide store of N. H. Adams, present County Treasurer, does a very large business purchasing products from a large territory, extending into adjoining counties.

Jas. Alex. Leonard, a comparatively new comer, and proprietor of an extensive book store, news stand, and circulating library, has shown his faith in the city by buying his store building, the one adjoining it on the south, and a pleasant residence on Broad

way.

Among the jewelry firms is the old resident, S. T. Wilson, who keeps an excellent eating house and fruit stand.

The Decorah Green House, near the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul depot, a well-kept establishment with a choice and extensive collection of flowers and plants, is a bower of beauty as well as a great convenience to the people here and in surrounding towns. Decorah has had her fires, but of late years destructive ones have been very rare. A prominent one was on what has become noted as Ben. Bear's corner. The old Adams building on the southwest corner of Water and Winnebago streets, was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving Day, 1877, and Ben. Bear, who came here in 1876, was burnt out as well as some other smaller establishments mentioned in chronological history. The fine new Adams block of brick and stone was erected in 1878, and in November of that year Ben. Bear re-occupied it with a very heavy stock of clothing and furnishing goods. His business has continued to steadily increase each successive year.

Space will not permit mention of the numerous business houses of Decorah, but we will enumerate a few old established firms and recent changes to which the attention of the historian has been called: The "Pioneer Store" of C. N. Goddard, referred to elsewhere; the old dry goods houses of Oleson & Thompson, S. W. Landers & Son, McHenry & Allison; and L. F. Nelson, general merchant, who has recently erected a new building; and formerly, the dry goods firms of Boyce & Wilson, R. F. Gibson, now justice of the peace, and some others who have retired from business, their places being supplied by K. I. Hangen, P. H. Whalen, Iver Larsen, Lee & Johnson, and others. In grocery stores, George Pennington, continues the old establishment of Pennington & Fewell. D. B. Dennis is "still on Deck." P. J. Enright holds the fort. B. Holcomb & Son occupy the old Ammon & Scott store, and numerous other grocers and general merchants keep the people from starving. B. O. Dahly, who moved up from Freeport and established the Emporium of Fashion for the ladies, still keeps up his large establishment. Among the liverymen John Curtin continues worthy of the old reputation of Curtin Bros.' Stable, his brother and partner, M. Curtin, having died the present year. Among the comparative new-comers is A. W. Hayward, who occupies the Boyce & Wilson store, Mr. Wilson still residing here. Mr. Hayward has the finest and largest store in this part of the country. W. L. Easton continues active as proprietor of the Opera House Clothing Store and merchant tailoring establishment, and J. H. Mackenstadt is still kept busy with custom work at his old stand. The Day brothers, first settlers of Decorah, have an extensive lumber yard, and E. J. Riley superintends another for the Flemming Bros., of McGregor. The old hardware firm of Ruth Bros. still exists, and that of Finn Bros. is continued by Finn & Noble, while the Gulickson hardware store

is continued by Hoyt & Hinman. The Weiser, Montgomery & Rudolph and Solberg's drug stores still compound medicines, while J. J. Klopp's drug store has been here long enough to be almost an "old residenter."

Among prominent business men and firms of olden time Dr. J. M. Green, A. Howell, D. B. Ellsworth, Daniel Lawrence, R. F. Gibson, Henry Heivly, and C. E. Dickerman have residences on Upper Broadway, and S. W. Matteson, J. G. Morse and B. B. Green in that neighborhood. But we forbear further personal mention at this place. Names of old residents come up so rapidly, as do those of prominent firms now doing business here. Decorah has her share of professional men, and of more than average ability. As biographies of prominent men of this city are to appear later in this volume, we leave further personal mention to the writers of those sketches.

A quite prominent and successful institution in its day was the Mississippi Valley Insurance Company, located at Decorah. H. S. Weiser was its first president and after him Leonard Standring. J. C. Strong was secretary, and managed the business during most of its life, and to its close. It was organized in 1864, and closed up its business early in 1875. It was a fire and lightning insurance company, and paid all its losses promptly. When it went out of business it cancelled and paid back premiums, and paid to stockholders a dividend of 25 per cent.

WEST DECORAH.

West Decorah is properly a part of Decorah, and only separated from it by the river, over which are fine bridges, the whole forming a beautiful city of about four thousand inhabitants. Yet, West Decorah, which has some five hundred inhabitants is incorporated as a town. It is the site of Luther College, and the homes of several prominent Decorah business men. Among these residences are the elegant home of J. J. Marsh, an extensive dealer in agricultural machinery, and C. W. Burdick, of the real estate and abstract office. It was incorporated in 1879. The following are its present officers:

Mayor, G. W. G. Sawyer; Councilmen, C. W. Burdick, Fred Hencke, J. J. Marsh, J. H. Mackenstadt, N. P. Chase, Oren Hall; Treasurer, J. Bandeau; Recorder, J. Fannon; Marshal, Frank Betts.

The prominent store is that of Fred Hencke, who also has an extensive pop manufactory. Dan. Shaw is principal of its public schools.

FREEPORT.

This little village, so prominent in the county seat contest, described in County History, is on the Upper Iowa River in the eastern part of Decorah township, about two miles from Decorah in

a straight line, and three miles by road. It is on the grade of the proposed railroad extension from Waukon to Decorah, and on the daily stage route between these two places. It has a new Methodist Church with regular services, the paper mill of J. R. Booth, a postoffice and store kept by A. A. Snyder, and the county poor house and farm. It has also several other small business enterprises, and a population of about 150. When Freeport finally lost all hope of securing the county seat, most of Freeport's business came to Decorah, and soon after the families of the Burdicks, the Fannons, and B. O. Dahly, and others. It was a good site for a town, being in a broad and fertile valley, and having a good water power.

PRINTING ESTABLISHMENTS.

Various newspaper enterprises are mentioned in the previous pages of the history of the county. It would be difficult to give a complete record of the twenty-five that have had their existence in as many years, and we will not attempt to repeat it here; but briefly mention the printing establishments now in Decorah, and those of which they are the legitimate successors; and as the publishers are, in virtue of their offices, the recorders in their history of the newspapers of the county, we give a few personal facts in regard to them as a convenience for future reference:

In 1856, one Tracy issued the prospectus of the Decorah Chroniele, and in due time that paper appeared. Judge M. V. Burdick was for a time its anonymous editor. Its successor is the present Decorah Republican. It has had the names of Chronicle, Gazette Republic and Republican, there being sometimes, in early days, suspensions of publication, with exchanges of names of proprietors. It was the Decorah Republic when purchased in 1860 by Wesley Bailey & Son, who came here from New York, where they had been thoroughly educated in the newspaper business. In March, 1866 the name was changed to Decorah Republican; the proprietorship was also changed to A. K. Bailey & Bros., the father retiring, and now a resident of Decorah. A. K. Bailey, editor, is also postmaster, and his partner brother, A. S. Bailey, manager of the Western Union telegraph office, and assistant postmaster. Ansel K. Bailey was born at Wales, Erie Co., N. Y., Nov. 15, 1835. He removed to Utica, N. Y., in 1842, where he received a common school education. When between 12 and 13 years of he entered his father's printing office. He gave his note for a newspaper office in Utica the day he became of age, and has been engaged in newspaper work ever since a period of more than a quarter of a century. In March, 1860 he came to Decorah, having with his father bought the only newspaper office in the place, some two months before his removal. His father had been here in the September previous, and the purchase was made by correspondence. He was elected Treasurer of the county in 1863, and served one

age