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Marion History Fun Facts
Sharing some of Marion's rich history through interesting photos and fun stories.
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The lack of local "excurshing" attractions made Marion and Cedar Rapids marketing opportunities whose residents could for be lured away on RR excursions to other locales, often far down the line. Marion boosters regretted the lost income and called for the development of local attractions and nature destinations like Sulphur Springs, Winslow's Grove, the Palisades and various landings along the Cedar River to draw more excursionists here.
Open-air nature settings were the usual excursion destination, but sometimes participants just wanted to eat and go shopping and sight-seeing. Marion played host to 150 excursionists from Anamosa on July 19, 1870. Dubuque and South Western RR managers were christening a new engine they called the "Anamosa," a good excuse for celebrating! The Jones county excursionists filled two Pullman cars and left Anamosa at noon, accompanied by the Silver Cornet Band. The train went through Marion and disembarked in CR. There they toured the city by carriage and visited an ice cream parlor before departing at 4:30 PM. They disembarked again in Marion and spent about two hours here eating, shopping and gawking. A pile of lumber next to the Depot provided a platform from which the organizers gave speeches before departing, expressing their gratitude to their hosts for a pleasant day. The train arrived back in Anamosa at 7:30 PM.
Winslow's Grove, 3 miles north, near present day Hunter's Ridge Golf Course, was a popular recreational spot for excursionists and Marion residents in the 19th century The large oaks offered shade in the summer and the grounds were free from underbrush. Groups as large as 5-10,000 could be accommodated on major holidays like the July 4th and Labor Day. The natural slope made it easy to see and to hear the speakers.
Sulfur Springs at junction of 10th St. and Indian Creek was also popular among excursionists in the 1870's, 80's and 90's. Promoters talked of turning Marion into the Saratoga of the West, and developing the property into a fashionable resort for the wealthy and infirm to come for rest and to enjoy the healthful effects of the highly mineralized water. Local physicians were enthusiastic about its supposed medicinal properties, but banker Redman D. Stephens was unconvinced, and development never went beyond constructing a brick reservoir around the springs.
The advent of automobiles made travel easier for families, and ended the era of the large group-excursions, as well as fashionable health spas and vacation resorts. Auto vacationers enjoyed the freedom of the road and generally didn't stay in one spot for more than a day or two. 19th century excursions weren't vacations, but they introduced us to leisure travel and sparked entirely new travel industries. By the start of WWII most people demanded and expected two weeks of paid time off for traveling every summer. Next time: Excurshing to the penitentiary. ... See MoreSee Less
2 days ago ·
A Temperance Excursion to Marion.
The motives for organizing an excursion were not simply to arrange a pleasurable group outing. Fresh air and sunshine were believed to have a beneficial effect by most medical authorities at the time, so health should be considered for any summer excursion to a nature spot, but fund-raising also figured in the calculations of many organizations. For some, a large flag waving parade at their destination, accompanied by a brass band, was a political statement. Such was the case in August, 1866 when the Good Templars "excurshed" to Marion to show support for the Temperance Movement in E. Iowa and celebrate the founding of the Order.
The International Organization of Good Templars (IOGT) was formed in Utica, NY in 1851. The IOGT was a fraternal organization modeled on the Freemasons, with similar rituals and regalia, which advocated for temperance. They admitted both men and women, and people of all races as full members. They still exist today with lodges worldwide and a membership roll of about 700,000.
The Good Templars Lodges of Anamosa, Sand Springs, Monticello and Springville boarded a special Dubuque & Southwestern train in Anamosa on Friday August 17, 1866, chartered for $200 by the organizers. The Good Templars were a potent political force in Anamosa; membership was about 200, but on this occasion they invited non-members supporting the temperance cause to join them. Fare was half-price, 95 cents for the round trip. The passengers nearly filled three cars. At Viola 60 more boarded. Waiting in Marion at the end of the line were the members of the local Marion Star Lodge and Cedar Rapids lodges. After a brief reception at the depot, the visitors assembled in the local lodge, arranged their garb and formed into lines. Then at 10 A.M. in full regalia they began their march north to Winslow's Grove with the Cedar Rapids Brass Band in the lead. After a prayer and welcoming address, Rev. C. G. Trusdell, a well-known Methodist minister from Clinton gave a rousing and "unflinching" hour-long speech in favor of prohibition and condemning the enemies whose "lukewarmness and cowardice" prevented them from taking a bold stand for the cause. (Anamosa Eureka; August 23, 1866) Lunch followed; most of the participants had brought their own picnic baskets but the good people of Marion provided for those who lacked. The afternoon included a couple more temperance speakers, some singing and music by the band and about 90 minutes of free time for relaxing and enjoying the woods. The visitors were back on the train by 4:00 PM for the ride home.
Winslow's Grove, 3 miles north, near present day Hunter's Ridge Golf Course, was a popular recreational spot for excursionists and Marion residents in the 19th century. Large oaks offered shade in the summer and the grounds were free from underbrush. Groups as large as 5-10,000 could be accommodated on major holidays like the July 4th and Labor Day. The natural slope made it easy to see and to hear the speakers.
Rev. Charles G. Trusdell (1826-1903) was born in NY but came to Iowa in 1855. He started his business life as a silversmith and then a dry goods merchant, but entered the ministry about the time of the Civil War. He served three years in the 2nd Iowa Cavalry as chaplain. He ministered to many Iowa communities after the war including Mt. Vernon, Clinton, Davenport and Marshalltown before removing to Chicago where he dedicated himself to the Temperance Movement and poor relief. See him at Find a Grave memorial # 82558620.
Next time: Another Excursion to Marion ... See MoreSee Less
6 days ago ·
The popularity of a few local excursion destinations like the Cedar River Palisades kept Marion livery stable operators hopping all summer in the 19th century. Perry Oxley, Marion's liveryman in the 1890's and early 1900's had to grab his meals and sleep whenever and wherever he could. His almost daily trips to the Palisades took 4-6 hours one-way, depending on the vehicle and road conditions, starting at dawn and not ending until long after dark. Rigs were expensive to rent, but the cost could be lowered by the new practice of going "Dutch" and splitting the cost. Modern readers are surprised by the large groups, but recall the Victorian demand of chaperones for unmarried young ladies . . . a group obviated the need for a frowning elder. Picnics, fishing and fresh air may have been the stated goals of many excursions, but never discount wooing.
The first photo shows the "Tally-Ho Coach," operated by the Walker & Hanright livery stable out of Cedar Rapids. Presumably the coach was very similar to the 16-passenger "carryall" Marion's Millard ("Dave") Hallett bought for his livery business in the Fall of 1890. Hallett advertised it as "dandy for picnics and fishing parties." (Marion Sentinel; July 9, 1891) Marvin Oxley described it as "elegantly upholstered and decorated with water-color pictures and . . . (with) a silver bar railing." Hallett sold the carryall to Perry Oxley later in 1891 after suffering a stroke and Oxley operated it all the rest of his life, transporting groups on picnics, fishing trips and to the Lower Palisades, Marion's favorite Cedar River playground.
There was little rest for the liverymen in the summer and Oxley shared the active Marion excursion-trade with Charles Patten, who operated out of the Daniel's Hotel Livery. The second photo from Aug.1894 shows Patten driving a large gaily-decorated hay wagon for a picnic-party of twenty to Scott's Mill on Big Creek, halfway between Marion and Mt. Vernon. The attached news story lists the participants--mostly local residents with a scattering of visitors.
Harry Hanright, proprietor of the Walker & Hanright and later the Hanright & Son livery, gets the credit for "discovering" the Palisades. He learned about the picturesque Cedar River site from an excited group of customers and he went to see for himself. The locale was called "Spring Hollow" initially, but the surrounding high rock walls reminded a business-oriented local reporter of the famous Hudson River Palisades in NY, so he rechristened it the "Cedar River Palisades." (Cedar Rapids Republican republished in the Mt. Vernon Hawkeye; September 6, 1878) Ever the "go-getter," Hanright arranged to have a road cut from Bertram down to the area to boost rentals. With their passage thus eased parties of recreation-seekers began visiting the Palisades regularly in the summer and in ever increasing numbers right up to today. That story in future posts.
Millard E. Hallett (1859-1912) left the livery business c.a. 1893 and became a traveling salesman for the Ottawa, IL S. G. Gay Carriage Manufacturing Co. and stayed with them until shortly before his death. See him at Find a Grave memorial # 11261276. He's in Oak Shade.
John Perry Oxley (1847-1922) worked a farm near Marion for about 15 years before moving to town and entering the livery trade. He kept an exhausting schedule after the Fourth of July, the traditional start of the summer recreation season, once counting 14 day-long trips to the Palisades in the month of July, in addition to his regular trips to other places. (Marion Pilot; August 10, 1899) The small size of early automobiles and their limited hp made his carryall the excursion vehicle-of-choice all his life. See Oxley at Find a Grave memorial # 19730694. He's also in Oak Shade.
Charles ("Charlie") A. Patten (1869-1935) was a well-known and well-liked figure around Marion, serving two terms as Mayor (1915-1919) and then as Chief of Police (1925-1929). See him at Find a Grave memorial # 9921013. He's in Oak Shade.
Elija H. (Harry) Hanright (see ILLUS.) (1848-1926) of Cedar Rapids was a wide-awake entrepreneur and on the cutting edge of every local horse-drawn transportation innovation in the 19th century. He had one of the largest and most modern boarding stables in the State at the dawn of the 20th century, but he missed the switch to automobiles. He briefly partnered with his son and other local investors in starting a traveling circus, Coop & Lent, before WWI, but joined the Iowa migration to California c.a 1917. He's buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale. See him at Find a Grave memorial # 139936260.
Next time: A Temperance Excursion to Marion. ... See MoreSee Less
1 week ago ·