Quad-City Times from Davenport, Iowa • Page 74

Rockingham Rival of "The Iowa Sun" Pioneer Publication Here, Was But a Pour-Page Weekly Covered News of Littie Fronl'ier Settlement and Col. Davenport's Trading Post on Rock Island Where Great Government ArSenal Now Located. Old Home Locations of the Democrat in Davenport Davenport For Home of First Newsipap Pioneer Editor Forced to Choose Between Two tending Frontier Communities andFinally Dec ed to Set Down His Little Hand Press at Dav port. had no reference to the town now-known as Rock Island, but to the island upon which was located Co). Davenport's trading post.

Rock Island city was then called Stcphen- tional bank, bought Whee" interest and later sold to San R. Miller. Mr. Eagal purcha. his interest In 1854 Sold to D.

N. Richardson? At the close of the paper's HAD it not been for D. X. Itich-ardson, one of tlie founders and first editor of The it is possible that the history of Davenport's newspaper enterprises might have been lost. Tri 1S79 a series of articles written by him appeared in The Democrat, prepared at tlie request of the his owner did all the work, practically CM torical department of the Academy ol Sciences.

To Andrew Losan bclonsts the distinction of having founded the first Davenport newspaper, the Iowa Sun and Davenport and Rock Island News. Ho and his hand aided, however, by his two sons. Augustus and Andrew, aged 32 and S. The Sun was the third paper published in Iowa, the first being the Dubuque Visitor, May 11. 1S30.

and the second the Burlington Gazette, a year later. The Sun had a liberal advertising HOME. HISTORIC OLD WHITE HALL. OLD MAIN ST. ON MAIW STREET.

-press arrived nn onoortime time. From among patronage irom the tirst. It gave elp.ven or more projected cities I neb as was receneu .1 V. as soms upon the Mississippi, two stood forth in promineni and Rockingham, wn rivals, neck ace tor prefer-eager to secure It printed market reports, poetry, lists of unclaimed letters, deaths. birth3 and marriages: and was a reflex of existing conditions.

Besides editorials there were contributions from prominent citizens, notably J. H. Thorington, J. M. Parker, and Judge G.

C. 15. Oil Hickox. The old house was removed to 402 West Fiftn street, where it now stands, and became the residence of City Louis F. Her-brand of Der Demokrat.

In ISiiH. upon the completion of the Main street building, the paper started publication in the -plant just vacated. 1 As The Daily Iowa State Democrat, the paper was published by Richardson. Hildreth West, the firm changing to Richardson West in 1S57, and the publication name to The Democrat and News while the quarters at 503 Brady street w-ere occupied. While in the Griggs block on Perry street, the paper changed its publishers' name to Richardson Bros.

It was while the paper was in tlie Main street building. March 22, 1004, that its name was changed to Tlie Davenport Democrat and Leader. The Main street building as it originally looked is shown to the left; as it looked after being remodeled 20 years ago, and appears today, at the right. "Within the space of 6il years of The Democrat's continuation as a daily news publication in Davenport, the paper has occupied five different buildings. In ISfio.

when The Banner was taken over by Richardson, Hildrcth fc West. The Banner's n.arters on Second street, subsequently occupied by tlie block, were used for a few months. Before the close of 1S5.1, The Democrat removed to the upper stories of the post office block. 501! Brady street, whore publication was continued until ISGl. when it was removed to the Griggs block on Perry street, remaining till 1S60.

White Hall, an old -frame building erected in IMS by Col. George Davenport, occupied the site of the Main street home of The Democrat until JSBfi. when it was removed to make way for tine bui'sJies- housed Davenport's oldest newspaper continuously thereafter fur 55 years. For many years, the frame building was known as the Davenport hotel, and later White Hall, a famous hoslelrv v.hosn landlord was the pioneer editor. Andrew Logan came from Beaver.

Penu. He was wailed upon by both of thesf prominent men from THE third paper formed in Davenport was the Democratic Banner, the political successor of the Iowa Sun. It appeared in September 134S, fathered by Alexander Mongtomery. a steamboat man, who soon tired of life ashore. Ia January 1S49, he unloaded his.

new craft without hog chains or jackstaff on a syndicate of staunch old Democrats Harvey Leonard, Hiram Price, M. D. Westlake, and R. M. Prettyman, who employed Henry Smetham as their publisher and editor-in-chief.

After a prosperous season, it passed into the management of Theodore D. Eagal, J. W. Wheeler, Austin Corbin, Samuel R. Miller, and others.

Mr. Eagal served his apprenticeship on the Pittsburg Gazette in 18S3, when night work was done by tallow dips and type was inked with balls. He came west and found employment on the Democratic Banner at Alton, 111., whence he came in the winter of 1847 to Davenport. The town at that time consisted of the LeClaire house, the courthouse, the old Tavernon Front street, a few scattering dwellings, and a fe wstores. After two years spent in farming, teaching school, and filling various township offices on the WapsI, he was summoned here to aid in publishing the Democratic Banner.

The office was a frautebuilding on Second street a Tew doors east of Rock Island street, now Pershing avenue. Later for economical reasons, Mr. Smetham moved the plant to bis barn, where the paper was printed as often as possible and distributed to its patrons until it was discontinued in the fall. The stockholders advanced Mr. Eagai from printer to publisher, and the plant rented quarters on Main street adjoining the site of the First National bank.

On December 5. 1849, Mr. Eagal bought all the stock and became sole proprietor. .1. W.

Wheeler was taken into partnership on December 5, 1851, and the paper was mov-od to Second street In a building adjoining what was Lhen the Metro cities, feted, and flattered with of The call of the soil w. ardson, J. T. and G. West, who continued its public tion under the title Iowa St Democrat.

Der Demokrat. When Dr. Kroeger came fn Schleswlg-Holstein in 1S38, prior the big German immigrate, he tied at Picayune, later Litt grove. His descriptions to his tor brother in Holstein interes him, and was in some measure sponsible for attracting Germ; to Davenport. From 183S to 1S50, the stream immigration was constant.

Hiram Price, Harvey Leonard, Jab Birchard, Capt. A.TI. Davenpi and Ezekiel Steinuilber beca shareholders in a corporation the publication of a newspaper the German tongue. T. D.

Ea' agreed to print the paper at the flee of the Democratic Banni Some second-hand type w-bought for about $100, and The riore Guelich, fresh from the fig tor Scltleswig-Holstein liberty, vv: chosen editor. The first number Der Demokrat was issued on N. 15. 1S51. The sheet was of foi pages.

20x26 inches in size, five columns to the page. Unc" the motto. "Liberty tor All," set in Germau type the news an comment, politics and miscellan The advertising columns wore from the Banner's English typi There were 100 subscribers, paper became a power thru political field. Soon after the presidential can paign of 1S52, Mr. Guelich secur tho interests of his ofrice-boldii associates and moved his office 31S Gaines street, taking in as pa ner Rudolph Rcichmann, win helped buy printing material, small building was erected on tin Berg corner of Third and Har-son eventually, and subsequent' SoanttnfSgSO af -wS'irJS The matUa0; sduare now Fourtl, sfreet and the I "WW Buffalo people and used cnnrlhnnsn smiave.

a giibr.rrimlon list 500. Front street a few doors east of Main for press, family, a few fonts of type, the imported hell-box, and all the appurtenances of a printing- Lamb's wife, a religious publication, afterwards the Ensign. Th Gazette. Before The Sun bad set. however.

The Davenport Cazette had been published b3r Adfred Sanders with the assistance of Levi Davis, the first papers appealing August fortuitous baptism of the first Whig printing press in Iowa. The Gazette was first issued from a small frame structure on the northeast corner or Front and Perry streets, later from Front and Bradj. and then from a plant on the west side of stieet between Front and Second; next to Front street two doors east of Perry, thence to the southeast corner of Second and Bradv. In 1S50 the office of that period. The 500 tremity crowned with the original blockhouses that formed the early fortification of Fort Armstrong; on the right and left the bright villages of Rock Island and Davenport, "guarded well by lofty foliage-crowned bluffs that sprang up majestically behind presenting in its bright and gorgeous green and the glistening sheen of the majestic rivet's surface a picture and a poem a revelation of the tavest lieautv never to be forgotten." Levi Davis had worked with Sanders on the Dayton journal i many addro jicrs did not of 50 went to An That name stood at the head of the editorial page until the paper was merged with The Democrat.

April 12. 1SS7, the plant of the Gazette was moved to the office of The Democrat, and the paper was published from here until 4, 18S7. The following day. The Democrat-Gazette appeared and was published in morning and evening editions for several years. Among those who worked on The Gazette wpre Charles E.

Russell, later affiliated with the Hearst publications. Harry E. Downer, Harry Simpson, later editor of The Argus of Rock Island, Nelson Hersh, later city editor of the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser and New York World.

loine LeClaire; George L. Daven- it was a weekly of four Davis purchased of Alfred Sanders in 1S-S4 a one-third interest for 5500 and the firm of Sanders Jfc Davis thus formed continued till 1S3T. when Mr. Davis sold his interest General Add Sanders, had been in thereafter known as Sanders Brother. The younger brother.

General Add Sandeis, has been in the. newspaper business before coming to Davenport, and helped build up tlie Gazette until 1SII2. when be enlisted, the partnership being dissolved. Later with Charles G. I'ltiinmer he published the Davenport Journal and was subsequently half owner of the Davenport Com- In 1Sil2.

Alfred Sanders retired and the Gar.ctte was purshased by a company composed of Edward Russell. McCo.sh, Levi Davis and Fred Koops under the title of The Gazette Printing company. jiort received an cnual number: paget. and the editorial policy was untl in a number of Davenport i of whig persuasion, homes there were copies "enough I Alfred Sanders was a native of to go around twice, including the Ohio. In 1S40 he made a tour of house cat and the dog.

ih" upper Mississippi. His reason ipi ban i run on the of Second and Brady. llicl.ev building. Five it moved acioss the I Si; I the plant was re Richardson had often beard Sanders speak of the unspeakable delight as the steamer on which he the historical sheet was a long title. "The Iowa Sun and Davenport and Rock Island News." The Iowa and Davenport pans are plain enough, but the Rock Island portion of the title might be misunderstood by latter-rtayreaders.

It material worth The news of their coming preceded them, and they were met at the boat landing with enthusiasm, and assisted in bringing the. press and type ashore. The press fell into the river. This Mr. Sanders used to mention as the was a passenger rounded I lie- p.

the matchless below here wl Perry and Third remained duiing tl The Gazette's one of privation ai A wise man changes opinions occasionally, hut, somowhow, the fool who can change a S1.000 bill al- irly history was politan block. In June 1802, Austin the papers home was on Secom landscape burst upon island Hock Island Corbin, founder -of the First Na-street wcsl. of Harrison. PIMM llllllllllllilillllg 1 llllllllllll We appreciate having Moline Heat selected for the new home of The Davenport Plumbing and Heating In The New Democrat Building Installed By CLAUSEN KRUSE, ARCHITECTS RYAN Best Plumber On Earth Where the highest standard of efficiency must be maintained satisfactory heating is the first consideration. From Maine to California-Moline heat is faithfully serving thousands of users in all types of buildings.

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