Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

forth her young."
It took an ox team five days to travel to Dubuque from
Anamosa and back in the 1850's; and before the
railroad advanced to Anamosa, the trip was taken by
stage where one writer described it as joltlng through
two days with “cramped limbs, and aching bones and
hat and head and ideas all knocked out of shape."
Many of the settlers of the area told of the trials of
traveling across the prairie to get to the little
community of Anamosa. E.M. Harvey, who was to build
many of the Main Street buildings, came with his wife.
Lucy, from New York in the early spring of 1858. They
left Dubuque the moming of March 15, traveling in a
four-horse stage.‘ Also riding in the stage were Fred
Beardsley and a Miss Holmes.
The muddy conditions made the road almost
impassable, and the stage finally reached Lytton s.
(later the 12-mile house) at three o'clock that afternoon.
At midnight the coach was stuck fast in the mud and
the horses ‘went down‘. The driver was obliged to
procure a farm wagon for his passengers and baggage.
Cascade was finally reached three hours later. After a
change of horses, and Mr. Harvey and Mr. Beardsley on
foot much of the time, the party arrived at four p.m. at
Monticello. By 9 p.m. they had arrived at Michael
Tippin‘s place in Wayne township. They arrived at the
end of their journey in the forenoon of the following
da .
is this was the expected mode of travel in those
times, it made a good topic of conversation. Just as
today it is the delayed air flights and misplaced
luggage.
Mr. Harvey later assisted in, and sometimes
constructed by himself, the Holt‘s opera house, the
Tucker and Aispaugh buildings, the Congregational
church (on Main Street), A.H. Sherman. Arcade Br
Laundry blocks, and the old Stone Depot. Other
buildings were the Fisher House, Gildner, Kaufmann.
Scott, Denison, McGuire, Gordon, Leader 81 Skinner
buildings. In addition he erected many private homes.
Mr. Harvey has been township trustee for40 years,
mayor, councilman. and president of the school board.
Many of the latter day residents of the town arrived
the same way as did the Harveys. and laughed in the
telling of their misadventures at the Old Settler
Reunions.
The stage lines crisscrossing the state were later
replaced by the railroads and. in 1908. the autos made
their appearance.
The Western Stage Co. went out of business June 30,
1870. At its peak, it controlled more miles of staging
than any other company of its kind in the United
States, running over a period ofabout 40 years.
The Iowa newspaper editors expounded the value of
this company, when it closed out, and stated that the
Northwest was especially indebted as it afl'orded a
mode of transportation for those wishing to look over
the country with a view of permanent settlement.
The headquarters, for a long time, was located in
Iowa City. The Iowa City Republican newspaper editor
wrote, “The disbandment of this company shows the
triumph of steam over horsetlesh. The stage pressed
westward before the advancing locomotive until the
latter could go no further, bowed to the inevitable and
ceased to be."
The Postal Service
Lots of Names. Locations
compiled by Bertha Finn
It is conceivable, that the town of Anamosa could
have borne the name, “Pawcawlawque“ if the Buffalo
Mills would have been closer to the Military Road, and if
there had been one more log cabin on the site in 1839.
According to Edmund Booth, who came to the millssite
that year, he and Clark Walworth were walking
along the Buffalo Creek one day and an Indian came
by. Walworth asked the Indian by what name the creek
was known. The Indian responded, “Paw-caw-lawquickee."
That winter (1939-40), a petition was sent to
Washington requesting that a post office be established
under the name of Pawcawlawque (a shorter version)
with C.C. (Clark) Walworth, as postmaster.
After a lengthy interval the settlers at the mills
received a questionnaire asking, “How far are you away
from the Military Road?"
George Walworth, brother of Clark, responded, ‘Not
off. but on."
Another query came back, “How many families live
within two miles?“
George replied, “One, but a number contemplate
building." Pawcawlawque and the census revelation
appeared to be too much for the Postal Department and
the Walworths heard nothing further regarding the
petition.
Even so, in the fall of that same year, 1840, a post
office was established one mile west of the Military
Road, called Pamaho. The site of the future town of
Fairview one mile east was unnamed at that time and
contained only two log cabins, owned by Clement
Russell and Lathrop Olmstead. Perhaps, another log
cabin would have made the difference for the
Walworths.
Prior to the post ofilce being established at Pamaho.
the nearest one was in Dubuque. A weekly mail route
was first set up from Dubuque to Iowa City; lasting but
a few months when the route was changed to pass
through Edinburg. Walnut Fork (Olin), Tipton, and
ending in West Liberty.
In 1840, Benjamin Chaplin, clad in buckskins.
carried the first mail on horseback on this route; forging
his own trails through the prarie grass and deep woods
on the 232-mile round-trip. He later spoke at the Old
Settler Reunions of his perilous winter trips: fording the
frigid, swollen creeks. and traveling for miles in stillwet
clothing. He also told of the times he would be
forced to dismount and lead his horse due to the crusty
snow and ice that cut the animal's feet
Chaplin carried this mail route for four years. The
buckskin suit lasting for three of those years.
Edmund Booth often walked twelve miles to Walnut
Fork to obtain his Eastern newspapers and mail. It
wasn't until November ll, 1847, that a post office was
established in Anamosa. C.C. Rockwell. a lawyer, was
the first post master.
The name of a post office was granted by petitioning
the United States Post Master General. However, this
did not change the name of the town in which the post