Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

Amasa B. Dumont. April 27, 1846
G. Watson, March 16. 1848
Burton Peet, July 3, 1849
John Craighead. July 24, 1850
Amos Merrill, March 20, 1854
Joseph A. Secrest, October 1 1,1854
Eli Jessup, February 9. 1855
Eli Gilbert, October 12. 1855
Giles J. Hakes, July 12, 1856
William F. Arnold. May 9, 1862
Calvin McGowen, November 2, 1866
Ames Merritt, October 9, 1868
Geo. D. McKay, March 24. 1869
Amos Merrill, June 8, 1874
Sam B. Coleman, October 8, 1877
Amos Merrill November 12, 1877
Calvin McGowen, June 21, 1880
Miss Elizabeth Wood. January 18, 1881
Elizabeth Warner. September 11, 1882
Joseph D. Secrest, March 3, 1886
Mrs.Jane McGowan. November 9, 1886
James Northrup. October 16, 1886
Mrs. Vesta Holden, December 12, 1894
James W. Allee, August 22. 1898
William T. Cason. September 6. 1900
Harry L. Ream, May 8. 1901
Albertus Somers. March 10, 1902
Catherine M. Mott, August 24. 1904
The post office was discontinued October 24, 1904.
June 9, 1982. an article was published in the
Anamosa Jomal-Eureka, with a photo showing Dial
Behnke, Fairview, standing beside his garage, which
was to be taken down. The article stated that the garage
was the one, and only, post office in Fairview.
The flrst Baptist Church in Fairview township was
situated in the village of Fairview. On the 29th of July,
1848, the following men and women met to organize a
church: Louis W. Homan. Nathan B. Homan. Abram
Raver, John G. Joslin, John Morehouse, Cordelia Peet,
Margaret Morehouse, Temperance M. Homan. Candace
Joslin and Barbara Raver. A flne brick church was built
which served them for 50 years.
At one time. three churches served the citizens of this
community. Only one remains at this writing, a Baptist
(southern affiliate), located in a large white frame
building on the junction of the main street and the
highway to Viola.
The 100 to 150 persons that now live in this area are
sen/ed by a Farmer's Market, a combination general
store and gas station. A Chevrolet automobile agency
is located on the south edge of town and a supper club is
doing business on the north end ofthe community.
Now called the Rainbow Club. and informally known
as “The Bow”, the supper club has been a popular
eating establishment since 1930. It was built in
conjunction with a gas station and derives its name
from the Rainbow Oil Company which, in the 1930s.
operated out of Dubuque. It was owned and operated by
Mr. and Mrs. Merle Buckner and also included flve
tourist cabins and a miniture golf course.
In July 1933, according to the local paper, the
Rainbow Inn and Gardens was opened under the new
management of the Misses Price and Lester of Cedar
Rapids. The paper noted that Bill Donnelly and his
Knights of Hamiony would furnish music for dancing
in the Garden Pavillion. The admission was 15 cents for
a single admission and 25 cents per couple. The club
had a small dance floor inside and, in 1931, a 42
by 52' dance pavillion was added.
The Fairview Gardens. as it was also called. opened
under the management of Bill Sherlock in 1939. An
investment of $1.200 was made for the construction of
a 35 by 32 foot addition to the Rainbow Inn. An oak
floor was laid and new booths were installed to enable
the seating of 125 persons.
For a time in the 1940s Lynn Fowler operated a roller
skating rink at the site of the dance pavillion.
Present owner-manager of the club is Gary Yanhke.
Previous owners were Ralph "Smitty" Smith and Mary
Smith. and Vic and Jean Schemmel. The gas station
was discontinued in the 1940s.
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The life of pioneer Fairview farm women shows in
these faces. which have weathered many years. The
party honored the 70th birthday of Nancy Scutt
Northrup in 1890. She is second from right. In the
doorway is her daughter-in-law. Hattie. Best clothes
and best china cannot hide years of work reflected in
theirfaces. (Submitted by Dottie Ireland Cummins)
Another view
by Dottie Ireland Cummins
When I was asked to write something about Fairview
for the 150th-birthday book. I wished that my mother.
Jenny Northrup Ireland. were still alive. History and
genealogy were two of her hobbies. She could have
written interesting paragraphs without research.
Her great-grandparents, Elam and Nancy Scutt
Northrup, came to Fairview in 1839. Consequently, all
of us in that family are related to the families of two of
the first three settlers in Fairview. That's not too
surprising as there couldn't have been that many
brides and grooms to choose from in the early years.
Elam built two houses. The second one is still
standing and being lived in, about two miles east of
town. According to my mother's notes. it took him flve
years to build the house, as he made everything — lath.
plaster. nails, and other building materials — himself.
The history books tell us that Clement Russell was
the first to settle in Fairview in June 1837. The next
two settlers were John G. Joslin and Benonia Brown. It
is these last two families who inter-married with the
Northrups. History books also described Fairview as a
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