Iowa City Press-Citizen from Iowa City, Iowa • Page 5

Saturday, June 8, 1985 Iowa City Preas-Cltlzen 3 A he Bow Mver wis putt to worlc uoiniOGirs Si8 km mmiiimM THE IOWA RIVER Local government official have proclaimed June a Iowa River Month. In conjunction, Irving Weber has written a mini-series on the Iowa River. LAST WEEKt Its history as a source of recreation. TODAY: The river as a work horse. NEXT WEEKt It's dark side devastating floods.

ters by the launch, the sand unloaded and sold to contractors. Ferries across the Iowa River were the only means of crossing before the first bridge. The busiest and most important ferry was the one at the present Iowa Avenue bridge. There, Pleasant Arthur transported pioneers heading west, across the river. The National Highway also crossed the Iowa River at this point.

During the Gold Rush in 1849 and the early 1850s, traffic was so heavy that groups would have to camp all night on the east bank, awaiting their turn to cross. The first free bridge, at Burlington Street, was not built until the 1860s. Irving B. Weber, an Iowa City native, Is a retired businessman who writes lor the Press-Citizen. IRVING WEBER 1 1 IJ SiJ7 chored in the center of the river.

Sand and water were pumped from the bottom of the river onto the barge, the water draining back in the river, and the sand staying in the barge. When filled with sand, the barge would be pushed back to headquar ETLANDU north of Interstate 80 bridges over the Iowa River, and half a mile downstream from Butler's bridge. As noted by Tom Scott, the business was incorporated in 1920, when "Feet" Hands, an engineer, discovered this outcropping of rock. His brother, Harold "Babe" Hands, then arranged for the formation of the company, which is still operating it. During its 65 years of operation, Scott estimates that 20 million tons of rock have been quarried.

Ninety percent of the output is utilized by construction companies and 10 percent for ag-lime of fields. For decades the Schmidt Sand and Gravel company's massive sand barges were a familiar sight -as they were being pushed by their launch from their headquarters north of the present Memorial Union to Crandic Park, near Rocky Shore Drive. A dredge was an GO 'per sq.yd. Courty of th Stai Hlttorkal Society The Terrell dam was constructed in 1843 in two sections. The first section ran from Dubuque Street to an island in the center of the river and the other section from the island to the present City Park on the west.

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Our Entire Assortment of Outdoor Carpets Now On Sale $1.99 Lln.Ft. to $7.99 SQ.YD. 1506 Hwy. 1 West, Iowa City 338-8300 fields, is one Iowa River manufacturing company still in operation, with 32 employees, currently. Their Conklin quarry is upstream from Coralville, directly shifts.

There was a terrible explosion at the paper mill July 23, 1875, when six people were killed. Other industries utilizing the water power included the Home Manufacturing Woolen Mill (1886), occupying a brick building 42 143 feet with an output of 10,000 yards per month; the Pearl Oat Mill (later became Quaker Oats), employing 12 men; the planing mill built in 1869; and the saw mill in 1871. They were all grouped on the west side of the river between the dam and above the point where Clear Creek enters the Iowa River. fl Nobody Beats CARPETLAND w- r.lm 1 or Value' Selection or Price! CVZH 1CCO It Ti he Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company was the As soon as the earliest pioneers could adjust its harness, the Iowa River was put to work. Log rafts with loads of freshly quarried stone from the State Quarry were floated 12 miles downstream to the "Iowa Avenue Landing," where it was unloaded for use in construction of the new Territorial Capitol Building (Old Capitol).

Benjamin Shambaugh in his 1893 Early History of Iowa refers to the rafts as "boats," and notes they went into service April 1, 1842. stone proved to be of the finest quality, because it was easy to quarry and work, and became harder and harder the longer it was exposed to air. The quarry was located two miles northeast of North Liberty, on the river's west side. At that time there were no dams or bridges to impede "the float" down the Iowa. Early writers referred to the river as "limpid," Which means clear, untroubled.

It may have been limpid then, but in my 75 years here it has become something other than limpid. Some 20 laters later, Anton Linder used the Iowa River for a somewhat similar service. Linder lived on the present Linder Road, first called "Jewish Cemetery Road," in a brick house he and his wife built in the 1860s (now the Pete Knapp home). He operated a lime kiln about a quarter of a mile north of the house, along the river. Wagons came from miles around to get his lime for building purposes.

Heating the limestone to produce the lime required a great deal of wood to stoke the kiln for each three-day processing. After exhausting the timber in the immediate neighborhood, Linder cut the timber on property he owned two miles upriver. He would cut it in the winter into four foot cord lengths, and when the spring thaw tame, would arrange floats of the (ord wood down stream to his lime kiln, an easy and simple way to transport the much needed fire wood. I he first permit to build a JL dam across the Iowa River was issued in 1840 to Walter Terrell, a Virginia gentleman who was one of the early pioneers. For some reason Terrell went to New Orleans for three years, but returned in time to get the dam built in 1843 before the permit ran out.

Terrell also constructed a large grist mill in connection with the dam, utilizing six pairs of stone "burrs," 3 to 4 feet in diameter. The fall of the water from the five foot dam turned the burrs, which were roughened to grind the grain, the dam was located close to the present Mayflower Apartments. The river at that time ran close to pubuque Street. The course of the fiver was changed, by man, in the 1840s, to cut through part of present City Park. Wagons, pulled by oxen and horses, came from distances as far as 40 miles to have their grain ground.

In 1845, Terrell added a carding machine to prepare wool for the spinning wheel. Terrell was the master miller for 23 years, and in 1851 built a mansion close to the Mayflower location today. He sold the mill in 1867, and in 1881 an Iowa River flood washed the west lection away, ruining the dam and mill. Several of the "burrs" lay on the east bank for decades, and now two are mounted in Terrell- Park to show the milling process, In 1906 the Terrell estate bequeathed the "dam rites" to the University of Iowa, and it was at that time the university built the Burlington Street dam and electric generating station, While the dam no longer is utilized for its water power, it was Raised and enlarged to incorporate a tunnel to carry water, heat and electricity to the rapidly developing west side campus. last manufacturing company to utilize the water power.

They moved there in 1891 from their first plant on the southeast corner of Burlington and Van Buren streets. The water powered dynamos were later supplemented with more powerful equipment. When the plant was discontinued Dec. 31, 1968, the water powered turbines provided only 600 of the 60,000 kilowatts generated. The Iowa River Power Co.

Restaurant now uses the former Iowa-Ulinois building, with the dam serving as a scenic view for customers. At one time there were countless clams in the Iowa River bed (today there are none). When La Plant Bostwick established his synthetic pearl manufacturing operation at 703 N. Dubuque St. (present Sigma Chi location) 1908-1912 he gathered 2,000 clams for his operation on the first turn of the river below the Coralville dam.

His synthetic pearl operation, similar to those in Japan, continuously pumped water from the Iowa River over the clams. Gi ne of the most colorful Iowa River projects was the an Jtis Arso Nylon carpet is sure to 1 ry c. The Carpet That a.d nev Ma and elegance to ary room. soil resisting treatment "31 a 5 year wear warranty for lasting tcauty. 23 beautiful colors, F.G.

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PRICE 24rSQ.YD. REG. PRICE HORIZON S24TS0.YD. COtKATION nual winter harvesting of ice. Eng-lert Ice Company was the large local supplier of ice to homes and businesses.

J.J. Hotz supplied the Rock Island Line with all their ice requirements for refrigerator cars; and Hostetler supplied farmers to fill their ice houses. Greazel was an Iowa City Ice Company but did not cut its ice from the Iowa River. Harvesting ice when it reached a thickness of 20 to 24 inches, marking off a large field, cutting 200-pound chunks, towing them to the chute where they were elevated up into the ice houses, was no easy task in zero temperatures. I spent Christmas vacation in 1917 working at Englert's and getting first hand information.

Englert cut ice from the Iowa River along the north side of present City Park. Their first ice storage house, long before the turn of the century, was just to the south of the present Englert-Ball-Pow-nall house, 1602 N. Dubuque St. Later, three large ice houses were constructed between the Iowa River and Taft Speedway. As the ice was stored in the ice houses it was covered with saw dust.

Hotz cut ice just above the dam at Coralville, on the west side of the river, and where they also had a large ice house, and the railroad had a spur. Most of the Hotz ice went directly into the railroad cars en vn SO YD SAVE SAVE if SAVE I i 2 soyd I 36 Lti'y with pao a 7 INSTALLED INSTALLED WITH PAD 38 36 WITH PAD I ne great project on the Iowa ass River was the Coralville Our Royalty Collection Choice of 30 Colors. Our Vintage Collection Thick and Beautiful. Our Super Brite Collection Elegant and Rich. SUPER PLUSHES REG.

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While the dam was washed out once and encountered a tew financial problems, a most brosperous economy developed. ITie dam was completed in 1844. The dam became the heart of 1 STGk fl SAVE SO VO Fabulous Collection of Solid Color Plushes, 32 oz. to 60 oz. Over 309 different color and quality combinations to choose from.

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Hostetler harvested its ice from the Iowa River where the Iowa Memorial Union stands today. Farmers drove into town and picked it up. Hostetler did not store ice or retail it. Nobody Beats CARPCTlflND for Value, Selection or Price 1 nessing the water power. The grist mill was the first manufacturing operation and did a brisk business with wagons coming from miles away to have grain ground.

Many prominent Iowa Ci-tians were connected with its ownership and operation, including Samuel Kirkwood, who later became Iowa's Civil War governor, and Chauncey Swan. The Close Paper Mill was probably the largest factory with some 30 employees operating the plant 24 lours a day with two 12-hour rfi Bring in your room sizes Vour Totol Roorina Store 338-8300 owa River Products Company, of rock for construc 1506 Hwy. 1 West, Iowa City Opn 10-. 12-5, Sun. tion projects, and ag-lime for.