Pre1836

--The Native American’s had successfully occupied Fayette County for hundreds of years, hunting, gathering, planting in small field. Their villages were generally along the streams and their trials followed the same "best" pathways that had developed from centuries of successful occupation of the land with significant ecological damage.

1837

--The Brush Creek and Taylorville area of SE Fayette County, Iowa was surveyed shortly after 1836 after the land taken from the native American’s by the U.S. government in the Blackhawk War and Blackhawk "Treaty." White settlers began immediately "probing" Native lands to claim as their own.

1838

---A map of the Black Hawk "Exploitation" shows the lines of neutral ground and the Black Hawk territory taken. At this time there were only four townships in Fayette County surveyed and open to settlement, Putnam, Fairfield, Smithfield and Scott, which included the area of Brush Creek.

1840

---In 1840, the Government established a military post north of Fayette County, in Winnesheik, called Fort Atkinson, and three or four miles south established a Mission school for the Winnebagoes.  The Fort was just inside the southern boarder of Winneshiek County.  The Mission School and Post Office was three miles to the south, just inside Fayette County, at NW 1/4, Sec 8, T95, R9,  Auburn Twp.  This naturally attracted the attention of the pioneers of that day, and in the Spring or early Summer of 1840, Franklin Wilcox, with his wife and little daughter, and his brother Nathaniel, came from Illinois to Fayette County and made a settlement. Franklin Wilcox built a cabin thirty or forty rods north of the north line of Township 92-8, on unsurveyed land, six or eight rods west of a little creek that runs northerly through the southeast quarter of Section 32. This was about 1 ½ miles south and a little west of what would become the village of Westfield/Fayette in the Volga River Valley.  During the mid 1830's and well into the 1840's the Fayette County land area was being probed by men seeking a living trading with the Indians,  trapping, hunting, generally exploring.  Often their shelters were a lean-to or wigwam style similar to the native.  Dug-out shelters were also used.  These men did not own any land, even though sometimes they would clear a small patch and plant a little crop or garden.  They often over-wintered back to the south of Indian Territory or the Neutral Ground, and then would get back on the move in the spring.  Winter was a tough time in NE Iowa.  Even many of the Indians who had been living here for hundreds of years perished in the Iowa Blizzards.  There were very, very few whites in Fayette County until into the 1850's.  

1841

--The first family came into the area in ‘41or’42, to settle 1 1/4mi north of the present town of Arlington (in 2000). Other families would arrive in the late 1840’s, to claim government land. All of these early settlers relied on farming and agricultural skills, with mill wrights and merchants trickling in to support the agricultural industry. All goods would be brought in by the pioneers themselves or by teamsters, men with larger wagons pulled with oxen from the Dubuque area along the Mission Trial with would wind from the SE to the NW corners of Fayette County to Fr. Atkinson in SW Winneshiek County. Two Mississippi River ports would be used in the early years for goods transfer, Dubuque and McGregor. Agricultural goods would have to be moved/sold to the eastern states if a pioneer area was to be successful. Brush Creek/Taylorville would geographically be on the edge of the area missed by the last glacier and therefore the hills to the NE, and the glaciated area which would develop under tall and wet grass prairie. Tall grass prairie, with vegetation 5-10 feet tall offered a difficult barrier to cultivation by the early wood and iron plows. Steel plows would be developed in the early shortly. Plowing was generally done by oxen teams because of their power and stamina, however eventually teams of Morgan and Belgium draft horses would be used, as horses are faster and easier to control. Wet grass prairie was difficult to plow and often just grazed. Prairie farmers needed wood for heat energy, building, tools, so they all acquired small woodland property in the hills to the NE or along stream edges. The natural habitat around Brush Creek/Taylorville would change dramatically from 1845-1855. Very little natural habitat would remain by 1860, as pioneer plows and animals would go to work, human population per square mile would rapidly reach a point of which the land could support with the type of pioneer agriculture available at the time. Villages would generally be from about 50-400 people, every 3-8 miles, as that is the number supported by the agriculture of a pioneer times. Until 1873, when the Railroad would come into Brush Creek and NW across Fayette County, the pioneer farms and villages would remain relatively stable and unchanged. After the Railroad, due to increased communication and freight movement, a new era of agriculture would develop, with steam and gas power coming onto the scene, however farms would remain relatively small, 80-240 acres until the Big Business Era which began mushrooming in the 1960’s. Thus the viable pioneer history of Arlington runs from 1840 though 1950’s. Sad but true, tales of Arlington, like tales of the Native American’s will be all that is left in the next century.

1842

---In 1842, buffalo were killed near where Taylorsville now stands, and elks were plentiful at that time, and later, as many as forty having been seen sometimes in one drove. Mr. Paddelford, from near Volga City, says that while sitting on his horse he has counted as many as sixty deer at one time. There were also bears, panthers, lynxes and wolves in abundance; the wolves were of three kinds, black, gray and prairie wolves.

1842-1843

---The winter was very severe. Joseph Hewitt is reported to have saved many "Redskins" from starvation by caring for them when they could not hunt because of the extreme cold and snow.

1843

--Mortimer C. Sperry made a trek into the southern part of Fayette County and came back in 1846 settling in what would be Talyorsville.

---About 1 ½ miles west of where Sperry would settle was a small stream known then as now as Brush Creek. This is little stream arose several miles southwest of the Sperry’s in the prairie sloughs and runs practically north seven miles where it emptied into the Volga River about a mile east of the town of Wadena. Where the Brush Creek stream begins and for several miles of its drainage, the land was wet grass prairie, quite marshy and level. However just to the west of what would become Taylorville (Sperry’s area of settlement) the prairie stream entered the area of hilly timber land, the area that had been bascially untouched by the last glaciation, and therefore not "ground down" flat) and runs through deep limestone gorges impassable even to horses and wagons at that time. As the little villages of Taylorville and Brush Creek developed in the future two decades Taylorville would appear to be the "future" of the area. The geology of the area would have marked effects on town development, failure or success. The railroad in the coming decades would select the route to the south of Taylorville leaving the village abandoned. The rails would be located to the north of Brush Creek because it was easier to haul fill into the wet grass prairie areas for a road bed then to build across the deep ravines to the west of Taylorville.

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THE PIONEER YEARS---1844 TO 1873

1844

---The first cabin was built north of the future village of Brush Creek in "Bear Woods." By Major Mumford.

---Daniel P. Hensley, the first white child is born in Fayette county.

1846

--Mortimer C. Sperry would enter Fayette County and be the first to plow land in the Taylorville area.

1847
---The first election held in this precinct was in the spring of 1847, at the house of Palmer Newton, near Brush Creek, and west of Taylorsville. The precinct embraced the present Clayton Co. townships of Sperry, Cox Creek and Cass, and the country west as far as the town of Fayette, in Fayette County, and at the first election there were about twenty-five votes polled. After the election was over, the trustees drew cuts to decide which of them should take the election returns to Guttenberg. It fell to the lot of Mr. Paddelford to go, and he made the round trip on foot. The rivers and creeks being swollen, on account of the recent heavy rains, made the trip anything but a pleasant one1850

--A log schoolhouse was constructed at Taylorsville.

--The first school was held in Brush Creek.

---Early Reverends as John Brown were preaching in the county by 1847.

1848

--In November, 1848, snow fell to the depth of eighteen inches, and remained until April, 1849. It was a cold, hard winter for the settlers of Fayette as well as other sections of the state. In 1848-49, before the surveys were completed, and before the lands were in market, the settlers organized a Claim Society for the purpose of mutual protection against claim jumpers.

1850

---Robert LeRoy Newton was born in a log cabin in Fairfield Twp. The Newton family was the 6^th white family to occupy Fairfield Twp.

---A log school house was erected in Brush Creek, and also used for regular church services.

---Traveling ministers would keep up services until about 1876.

1856

--A newly platted village location was laid out in plats on the eastern half of Sec. 28, twp 92, R7 in the Spring of 1856, by B.F. Little, on farmland owned by C.D. & T.E. Shambaugh, D.C. Finney, F.R. Hynes, Nelson Huskins, and Isaac Walrath. For a short time it would be called Moetown after one of the first white land owners in the area.

--The lots were laid out along the military trail leading to Ft. Aktinson. Main Street of present day Arlington is the old Mission Road.

--Instead of Moetown, the lots for sale would soon take on the name Brush Creek because of the brushy willow-lined creek at the northern end of the platted lots along the Mission Trail.

--O.R. Robbins purchased the first lot as the site of Brush Creek for $20.00.

--C.D. Shambaugh opened a general store at the NW end of the main street in Brush Creek. Almost no women were listed on his roster (supplies were generally signed for, and barter/cash given later).

---In May 1856, the first few Lutheran families came to the Brush Creek village, and by about 1893, five Lutheran families organized a congregation and held church in various places.

1856-1870

--Brush creek consisted of a very small hamlet with a store or two, blacksmith shop, cooper’s shop, a couple of carpenters, and a few houses of logs, with board or frame houses starting to appear. Housing and buildings were still quite basic. Water was carried from the creek north of town, or pulled up in wooden pails from hand dug wells 4-6 feet across, and sometimes lined with timber or stones hauled in from north of town. Outhouses were the only source of human waste disposal. Brush Creek, until about 1870, was just a few people gathered together, making a living from farming and/or supporting the farmers of the area. All that would start to change rapidly in 1870.

---Fairfield Township was about half timbered hill country and about half flatter tall and wet grass prairie land. The hill county started on the northern edge of Brush Creek and ran basically all the way to the state line. In all other directions and to the northwest the natural tall grass prairie was found in the dryer areas, but there were vast amounts of wet grass prairie, marsh and boggy lands, with small tree lined streams running throughout.

---All farmers and townspeople needed wood for energy and building, thus almost every family owned at least a small woodland area or had access to someone else’s holdings in the "Brush Creek Woods." Wood, stone and leather were the major building materials until well into the 1900’s. Brush Creek offered during early pioneer times a very attractive place to settle due to the rich prairie soil to the west and the good timber to the north, plus is was on the Mission Road, with a direct teamster and stage coach route to Dubuque, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, then only very small pioneer towns, also.

---As Brush Creek was being settled, to the north in the Volga River Valley, towns were springing up around early mills. The Volga was only six miles north and ran west to east across Fayette County into Clayton County connecting to the Turkey River, and on to the Mississippi River. The Volga and the Turkey Rivers were not navigation types of rivers, but were clear, fast running rivers with many prime locations for mills, to saw lumber and grind grains. Towns would spring up at Volga City, Wadena, Lima, Albany, Westfield, Fayette, all within eight miles of Brush Creek.

1857

---Melvin Lackey came to Brush Creek in the fall of this year. While in the bar room of the Shambaugh Hotel, Mr. Lackey complained of a toothache. It just happened that Dr. Alexander of Fayette was in town and overheard the complaint. The "sympathetic" Doctor asked to see the ungrateful tooth, and while Mr. Lackey leaned back with his eyes shut, mouth wide open, the "good Doctor" took from his pocket a pair of forceps, fastened them on the unruly member. Lackey bellowed, the crowd laughed and the tooth was out before Lackey knew what was going on. The dentistry of the day.

1858

---The Christian Church (Church of Christ) was organized and was the only denomination owning and maintaining a church cuilding in Brush Creek until 1876, when the Methodist Episcopal Society was organized. The 1896 version of the Church still is in use and located on a SW corner of the business district. The first members were the Shambaugh families, the Little families and the Jacob Hill family. This is the Church that the Thompson Clan have a significant part in running. There would be marriages within the families of the church, with a Thompson/Shambaugh connection. Martha Sherman Thomposn, would in later years marry M.F. Little, who farmed about two miles north of the farm of Morris J. just to the west of Brush Creek. There were a number of Little families growing up in Brush Creek. Most of the Little Clan were coopers, and like many people also farmed.

1865

---Civil War soldiers were transported with teams to McGregor to be taken by boat down the Mississippi to Dubuque, Davenport or St. Louis, where they were drilled, given uniforms, guns, equipment. Many would not return to farm again in the Brush Creek area.

1869

---The fire of 1869 destroyed a number of businesses, which courage were rebuilt with improved two and three story brick structures.

1870-1873
–The Railroad was on it way into Fayette County and would run along the northern edge of Brush Creek on its way to Fayette. With word of the coming of the railroad there was speculation of booming commercial possibilities.

---Two store buildings were added and stocked with goods, bringing the total to three merchants. All items for sale or barter through this time were either made locally or brought in by teamsters o individuals using wagons pulled by oxen or horses over generally rutted, often muddy, wet trails, often following the best Indian trails along the ridges and dry land. But still rivers and wet lands had to be crossed. Movement of grain and livestock products to a market population was very difficult and slow. Money therefore was very, very scarce. Coopers were in demand as oak barrels were the major containers for shipping any product. Grain could be stored and transported but was very susceptible to destruction by rodents and insects. Milk could not be stored. Iowa pioneers did not make cheese for transport, however, they did make butter from the cream that settled naturally out of the rich milk of their cows. Butter could be heavily salted, packed into to wooden containers and relatively sealed for transport by wagon out to some larger market. If you were going to sell livestock, they had to be taken the long distance to a larger market. Hogs were often allowed to run wild, often in the timber, then rounded up, slaughtered, the meat smoked and salted to take to market for sale. Salt was obviously in high demand as it was the major way of keeping meat products from spoiling for any length of time. No canning, no refrigeration, containers in short supply, small local population, money scarce, transportation difficult and slow. Thus one can see why most "things" in pioneer times were grown, made, used locally.

THE RAILROAD BOOM YEARS---1873-1875+

--Growth of Brush Creek was phenomenal, from $20,000 to $500,000 annual business in two years. The reason, the coming of the Railroad, was a revolution in communication and transportation.

1873

--There was limited but steady growth in the Brush Creek/Taylorville area until the RR came in 1873, when a new era of communication/transportation would begin.

--On July 22, 1873, the first train car load of merchandise came into Brush Creek, Iowa. Building and business would literally explode compared to the early Pioneer Years of 1850 to the Summer of 1873.

------The first Brush Creek News was a 6x8" sheet published consistently by a twelve year old son of O.H. Osborn on a Novelty Job Press bought for the son’s amusement.

1874

---The New Letter was taken over by O.H. Osborn for two years and sold to A.B. Vines, the editor of the Volga City pager in 1876, for $300. Vines sold the paper within the year to Dr. M.W. Bates, who changed the name to Brush Creek Plaindealer and Advertiser. Bates would lose the paper in a forces sale and Osborn repurchased it and went back to the name Brush Creek News

1875

--By October 1875, Brush Creek had six general stores, three millinery shops, one harness maker, a cobbler who manufactured boots and shoes, Gleim’s furniture and undertaking, three clothing stores, one dress goods shop, two drug stores, one watch repariman, one hardwared, one barber, one photographer, a newspaper, post office, three saloons, the St. Cloud and Pacific Hotel, Shambaugh House Hotel, two carpenter shops, a foundry, blacksmith, cooper, wagon maker, wagon and sled repair shop, gunsmith, insurance company, two justices of the peace, two butcher shops, four doctors, one surgeons , two attorneys, one lumber yard, one music store giving lessons in piano, organ, violin, a railroad station and agent, two grain elevators, one warehouse, one butter and egg dealer, four stone masons and plasterers, Rice, Rawson, Doane dealers and shippers of livestock, a library association, the A.F.& A.M. Lodge, the Christian Church.

--Farmers Mutual Insurance Association was formed by Janurary of 1875, and was still operating in Arlington in the mid 1980’s

---The St. Cloud, W.S. Kenyon, Prop., advertised sample rooms on the first floor, free bus (horse drawn wagon) to and from all trains, livery in connections, and a good feed stable at reasonable prices.

--- The Brush Creek News was published in a new brick block building 28x83, three stories high, costing $3,500, on Main Street. The first story was the Post Office operated by Osborn for 13 years. Groceries and fruits were also sold out of the first floor. The printing office was at the rear of the building, with the top two floors being the residence for the family.

1876

---The Methodist organize with 33 memebers.

1877
–The first Brush Creek Creamery was built to commercially buy milk from area farmers and to process it generally into butter, which was salted and shipped out by rail to eastern towns. It was located east of main east of main street about mid way up the slopping hill from Brush Creek. It was a one story 24x65ft structure of wood and stone. Water from a chain pump well was used to cool milk. Milk was held in 4x2x1ft pans in wooden vats. As the milk started to just turn sour the cream would separate and could be skimmed from the top to be churned into butter, which could be salted, placed in 64# oak tubs and shipped to markets in the east by rail. Horse power was all that was available to turn the large churn constructed with several years. Buttermilk would be pumped off using horse power, and returned in milk cans back to the farmers who supplied the raw milk, to be fed to hogs. Buttermilk was the "just turned" sour skim milk left when the cream was skimmed. Many of the early farm families learned to like the taste and consumed the buttermilk as a food source. Milk haulers using wagons and team would travel the dirt roads and trails picking up the milk from the farms

1878

---The Creamery was receiving about 7,000# or over 1000gallons of milk daily. Raising dairy cows and running herd from 20-40 milk cows was a major farm industry of the time. With the coming of the Railroads, butter could be shipped in unlimited amounts, so farmers could sell all the milk they could produce and have readily available cash flow to buy land, livestock, implements, and other necessities.

---The United Brethren Church was built and dedicated in June, 1878. The congregation would become too small and the church would close in the early 1900’s, only to be used in the early 1920’s as a school when the public school burned. It would then be torn down and a residence built.

---The Methodist Church is dedicated. It would be destroyed in five years by the tornado of 1883.

---Thompson’s Listed in Brush Creek, 1878: D. B. laborer, Eli blacksmith, Thompson, Z. atty at law, John A. dealer in boots, shoes, & gro., Morris J. blacksmith.

1879

---Businesses and professional people: C.F. Waldron, M.D.; James Cooney, Attorney; Harrison Smith, teamster; Curly’s Billiard Hall; John Beaman’s Drug Store; A. Rittenhouse, dry goods; W. D. Little, manufacturer of washing machines; T. M. Sabin, M.D.; Thompson Brothers, Attorneys; Brush Creek Bank; A.D. Eaton, Dentist; Prof. F. Clark, barber; Howard and Mitchell undertaking; Walrath and Son, hardware; Brush Creek News; J.A. Thompson, general merchandise; J. B. Ward and Son, mill; Carpenter Brothers, foundry; I.E. Osborn, restaurant; James Kind, furniture and undertaking; Fred Schnieder, talyor.

---Due to ill health Osborn sold the The Brush Creek News was sold to W.F. Lake of Anamosa, but Osborn kept the building and operated a Notary Public, Real Estate, Loan, Insurance Office.

1880

---Many of the larger frame Victorian style homes were built after 1880.

---The first home erected in Taylorville is destroyed by fire, the Les Doane home. It was insured for $400.

---the C.M.&St.P. RR Co. erected a large windmill at their new water tank near the railroad yard at the north edge of Brush Creek.

---Some Wadena people were in Brush Creek for a couple of days as a result of a lawsuit growing out of a street fight between two women.

--- The Brush Creek News would end up the largest in Fayette County by 1880, being about ten pages and having 2,500 readers at $1.50 per year.

1881

---By November 1881, the roads are impassable because of the mud caused by constant rain. Corn picking (which is done all by hand) and farm work was at a standstill following nearly two months of constant rain. This is the greatest mud blockage known. Farmers are coming to town only for very needed provisions.

---The word is out, a fair warning by one of our townsmen, to the parties who have a habit of trotting their horses across the iron bridge across Brush Creek at the north end of town. They are subject to a fine and will be looked after if they continue to do so.

---There is one violation of the form of respect which is recent and gross and might be well cited as a striking illustration of the decay of manners. It is the practice of smoking in the society of ladies in public and private places, whether driving, walking, sailing or sitting. The man who smokes in this way shows that he is not a gentleman.

---A City Park Association was formed, and by 1882 land was purchased in the southern part of town.

1882

---Main Street was graveled.

---May 1882, six businesses were reduced to ashes in a $10,000 fire on main street.

1883

--A major tornado nearly destroyed Brush Creek on June 11, 1883. The southeast corner of town was in ruins (Zach Thompson & Priscilla Albaugh’s farm was in this exact area, with son Morris J., two miles to the east). Many residences and barns were destroyed. Main Street was also hit with disastrous effect. Two-thirds of Pacific block was unroofed, and the walls tumbled inward. The Methodist Church, $3,000, was left in a heap. The total loss in town was at least $25,000. People were blown and thrown about, but no lives lost. A relief fund from citizens and neighboring towns has been established.

---The Brush Creek News would have two full pages of mail order advertisements. Local ads included organs and pianos for $175, 15 acres of timber in Fairfield Twp. At $6 per acre, Hackmetack and Kissme perfues for 25c and 50c, cutters and heating stoves, a buggy and team of horses for $400.

---Saloons at Wadena and Volga are closed. Beer vendors in Brush Creek do not seem to realize they are violating the Constitution of Iowa, for which they will pay penalty.

---Brush Creek has had quit a building boom, but nothing like promised for next summer.

---C. Stetter began a photography business. He would take dry wood in exchange for pictures.

1884

--New plank sidewalks and street crossing were laid.

--The St. Cloud and Central House Hotels offered team (horse) bus runs between the depot in the northern part of town.

--The first municipal election was held in Brush Creek. The first city clerk was Al Stetter. The first council meeting, August 5, 1884. It was voted on and carried that a board sidewalk would be built from Hoover’s corner to the Depot.

---A new Methodist Church would be dedicated after the tornado of last year. This church would burn in 1972.

1885

--The population of Brush Creek was 800.

--Clark House Hotel was listed as charging $2 per day.

--O.H. Osburn has ordered a soda fountain.

--Plano Harvester and Twine Binders are for sale. Neck yokes, 40c, singletrees, 35c.

--There was expressed a concern over the disease potential of pig pens, manure piles, outhouses in the village, draining into wells and streams that supplied water, and the contamination of food from contact of animals and insects.

1887

---Sixty-five teams of horses were hitched on Main Street.

---In the town’s first financial report, there were receipts of $394 from all sources. The mayor and council received no pay.

1888

---Paper statement: Why don’t the business men make a bee and have "no man’s road" from the brick yard corner to town, make; so it won’t be a disgrace to the country?

1889

Businesses: George Bates, grocer; Wm Powell, shoes and shoemaker, C.N. Shambaugh, farm implements; J.C. Wilken, harness-maker, buggies; E. Schoeppe, meat market.

1891

---The Mayor, Councilmen and Clerk received $1 for each meeting.

1892

---Three newpapers were in town. Besides the Brush Creek News, there was the Mercury and the Christian Messenger.

1893

---By this time a much larger wooden, steam powered, Brush Creek Creamery was built near the railroad tracks in the northern part of town.

1894

---The St. Cloud Hotel Barn and John Kuney’s livery stable was wiped out with a $5,000 fire. The town had no provisions for fire protection, except a few ladders, causing concern.

1895

---NAME CHANGE FROM BRUSH CREEK TO ARLINGTION

---From: Fayette County Union Newspaper, West Union, Iowa; Thursday 18 April 1895 -"Brush Creek News:
The opinion has prevailed for some time that the name of our town has worked against our commercial interests. It has been determined by a number of our prominent citizens to change the name, and a special election has been called by the Mayor for the 30th of this month to vote on a new name. 'Arlington' is the name that was selected at a mass meeting of the citizens last week and 'yes' or 'no' on that word will determine whether we will have a change or not on election day. There is but little question but what the change will be made."

---The Arlington Cooperative Creamery board was formed. Rural routes were set up and milk was hauled in ten-gallon metal cans with teams and wagons, which would continue until about 1935, when by this time most route were run with model T trucks. The hauler’s often loaded up children for the trip to school, as there would be no school buses for decades to come.

1899

---The newspaper had a new cylinder press powered by a new gasoline engine. Three columns of print were in German for the readers of the Over East neighborhood.

1900

---The Paper was mailing out 1,400 copies, was six pages containing thirty columns of ads; sheets 50c, cases 15c, silver fillings 50c, painless extractions. The mayor warned autos to slow down. Sauerkraut was advertised as curing Dutchman of bilious fever, but will kill an Irishman. Ed Smith says that Joe Glime’s mules can made the tombstones tremble gover in the Taylorville Cemetery

1901

---The city Park was greatly improved, with city water being piped in. The bandstand painted and the grass cut.

1905

---During the week just before Xmas, the Mayor will marry free at the News Office, and the New will supply fifty free wedding announcements, an engraved marriage certificate, and a year’s subscription. After Xmas anyone getting marryied at the News office before 1906 will get a full-blooded Plymouth Rock set of pullets and a cock.

1906

---City Hall was erected and the population was nearly 1,000. Citizens were making requests for cement or brick sidewalks and a lighted mainstreet.

1909

---On October 14, 1909, the southeast of town felt an earthquake that jarred houses and sounded like a dynamite blast.

1910

---$200 per month is raised amoung out people to hire players and defray expenses for the Arlington Baseball Club.

---The ice harvest on Nus ice pond has greatly increased (900 cords total) due to enlarged capacity and improved equipment. 100 cords were stored for local comsumption, 150 cords packed by private parties with storage capabilities, 50 cords were stored for the Hutchison Ice Cream factory at West Union. The remainder was shipped out by rail.

1910-1920

---World conflict and WWI dominated life in Fayette County and on the farms. There were meatless, wheatless, fuelless times. Many bodies would be returned to the towns and farms.

1912

---The Arlington News was taken over from Jr. Lake by the Gates’s and within a year by the Todhunter’s of Maxwell, who would publish for the next 32 years,and would become the oldest publication in NE Iowa to retain the original name.

1913

---Businesses: Since about 1883, the number of businesses listing remained about the same, but there were changes in the types, with the additions of a veterinarian, drayling, livery, coal, and auto dealers. Tom L. Gleim, men’s furnishing; Doctors Brown, Ayer, Bower; Chas, Eckheart, ladies clothing; C.H. Hyde, livery, Anderson and Benson, garage and auto dealer; Flower’s Hardware; Jacob Montz, blacksmith.

1915

---Farmers have been requesting hitching posts on Main Street, and the Council has voted to install a free watering trough on Main.

1917

---The first electric motors were installed in the Creamery. Buttermaking and dairy farming remained a major farm industry.

---War times had no effect on the purchase of new autos.

1918

---A first class fire fighting water system proved its worth at the Charles Clark livery barn fire.

---The Flu was a killing force around the world. Churches were closed. There were no large gatherings. There was no treatment except Quinine which was ineffective. Few families escaped a death of a relative.

1919

---Arlington businesses will be open three nights a week.
---the number of tractors in use on farms is increasing. Harry Flower has installed lights on his new Fordson and can be seen cavorting around the fields at night on the C.E. Flower farm.

---Five main street stores were totally destroyed by fire in October.

1920

---Fifty autos assembled in Arlington to go to Taylorville for Memorial Day. (The Taylorville Cemetery became the burial place of almost all of the Arlington residents by the mid 1870’s.

---The road leading north out of Brush Creek is being graveled.

---The Jas. Rawson farm has one of the new mechanical milking machines in operation.

1923

---The scenic highway between Arlington and Wadena is being graded. A huge improved stone crusher is using materials from the creek beds. Three teams are using scrapers. And 3-5 trucks are used.

---In mid-January a robin was seen in the timber, and a flock of geese going north-westerly.

1924

---All patrons of city water must have meters installed.

1926

---Table radios cost $122, consoles $148.

1927

---Hair cuts 40c, shaves 20c.

---By March the road are impassible with thawing mud. Some autos were loaded on railroad cars and transported to Dubuque where the owners could continue there journey without being landlocked in town.

1937

Businesses: The area was slowly recovering frm the great depression. Glass Garget Ointment Company; Northrop Feed Mills; Arlington threatre or opera house; Dixie Oil Station; Anna’s Beauty Shop; Bates Store; Central States Light and Power Corporation; Arlington News; Welch and Son, general store, Briardale Store; Thiele Café, Acme Café; McClarrinon Barber Shop; Carnes Café; Schoeppe Meat Market; gitchell Implements; American National Back; M.E. Kuney store; Dr. F.C. Sauerbry, physician; Bateman Drug Store; The Variety Emporium; Bachtell Radio Shop; Diamond Oil Station; Fobes Hatchery; Fleming Grocery; Iowa Telephone and Telegraph Company; Gleim Funeral Home; W.H. gleim and Sons Furniture; Mack’s Tavern; Powell’s Shoe Shop; Harriet Little hat Shop; Wilken’s Hardware; Crandall Barber Shop, Mintzlaff hardware; Christian Chruch.

1943

---War Ration Book #2 was issued. Coupons were necessary for any kind of processed food. The statement was: Meat will be rationed. Rationing of some foods is the best and fairest way to be sure that every American Gets enough to eat. Tires, gasoline, fuel oil, coffee, sugar, and shoes will also be rationed.