Sioux Gity Illustrated: THE PIONEER PERIOD AND AN AUTHENTIC SKETCH OP THE SIOUX BUY OF TO-DRY EMBRACING The Stages of Its IDevelopment and Halation to the (ippep fIDissoupi Walley, W I T H OVER SIXTY II^I^USTRATIONS, AND AN ART1C1,JS ON THE FAMOUS CORN PALACE. EDITED BY E. P. HEIZER. SIOUX CITY. A.\D OMAHA. D. C. DUNBAR & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. i88S. Perkins Bbos. Co., PoiNTtRs and Bimiers, Sioux City, Iowa. /^4^ THE 8IODX CITY COKN PALACE-SECOND ANNUAL FHJTIVAL- 8EFTEMHEK Wtb TO OCTOBEK (Vra. IW8. EAHl^V HISTOHV. THE PIONEER PERIOD OF SIOUX CITY. I'HISTORY of Sioux City may be conveniently considered in two distinct epochs, viz.: tlie period during which it was connected with the movement of trade and settlement which pierced the Northwest, following the waterway of the Missouri River; and the later period during which its growth has been determined by the comprehensive transfer of population, effected by the building of railroads west- wardly. The former epoch began with the arrival, in June, 1856, of the first steamboat freighted for Sioux City, which, that year, grew to be a town of 400 inhabitants; it may he said to close with the completion of the first railroad, in March, 1868. All that goes before — and it would make a chapter of romantic story — relates to the time of pure adventure in the northwest, rather than to its .substantial development; it includes the day of exploration, of the French voyageui-, of the trader and the trapper. The first account of the visit of white men to Woodbury County is that of the famous exploring expedition of Lewis and Clark, in 1804. This is immortalized by the names they gave to localities, and one spot is sacred as the last resting place of the first of their number who fell during the expedition. On the 20th of August, 1804, Sergt. Charles Floyd died and was buried by his comrades on a high bluff overlooking the Missouri River. The grave is still to be seen on the bluff which bears his name, and his memory has a more enduring record in the Floyd River, which, passing through the city limits of Sioux City, empties into the Missouri two miles above this bluff. In the summer of 1848, a single pioneer, William Thompson, settled at Floyd's Bluff, his brother and another man joining him in the fall. Next year he laid out a town there, calling it Thompson- ville. Thompson's cabin was the sole improvement, but on the organization of the county, in 1853, the villa was made the county seat, and it was a sort of post for Indian traders for some years. Not a vestige of Thompsonville remains. In May, 1849, Theophili Brughier, a French Canadian, settled at the mouth of the Big Sioux two miles above the original Sioux City, but now within the city limits — the most beautiful spot in the StOVX CITY ILLVSTRATKD. iiortiliwi^st, and kiu)\vii ns Riverside Paj'k. Brugliier liad hoen in tlu' (Miiploy of the Aiiiorican Fur Cl(iiiii)Hiiy, l>uti leaving tlieiii and joining the Yankton Sioux Indians he married tlie (biughter of their celebrated ciiief, AVar Eagle. He accjuired great inHuence anitmg the Indians, ami War Eagle died at liis hous<* in 1851. Tlie remains of tlie old chief, with those of his daughter, Brughier's wife, and several others of the family, now repose on the summit of a lofty bluff near the moutli of the Big Sioux River, within the i)resent city limits. The next two settlers of 1849 were Robert Perry, who settled on the creek which bears his name, flowing now tlnough tlie heart of the city, and Paul Pacquette, who settled on the Big Sioux. In the spring of 1852, .Joseph Leonias purchased of Brughier the quarter section on which the business portion of Sioux City is now built. BIRD S-EVE VIEW UNION STOCK YAUDS. 1— H(>oj;e PuckioK House. 2— Fowler Packing House. 3— Silberhorn Packing Hoaee. 4— Proposed Swift Packing House. .'i— South Sioux City. 6— Morning Side Addition. 7— Excliange Building. There was no further improvement until 1854, when Dr. John K. Cook, who had a contract under the goverumeut to survey a part of Northwestern Iowa, lantled here. Refusing to be intimidated by a baud of Indians uuder Smutty Bear, their chief, who were encamped here. Dr. Cook, impressed with the commercial importance of the site and the beauty of the surroundings, boldly located a claim, as did several of his party, and began to lay out Sioux City in December, 1854. Dr. Cook's claim and tlie original town site lay on the west side of Perry Creek, but the next spring he purchased of Joseph Leonias his quarter section and laid out Sioux City East addition. It would require more space than there is at command to chronicle the interesting events of the next few years. Indians frequently passed through the town in war paint, and uttering whoops, sometimes admonishing the settlers to leave, but no violence or bloodshed occurred. In the spring of 1855 there SIOUX CITY ILLVHTRATED. were two log cabins on the site of Sioux City, lu .July of this year the first stage ami mail arrivetl. Dr. Cix)k WHS the first postumstfT. Before the close of IH")") there were seven loy huu.ses, two heing hotels. There were two stores, one in a tent and the other in a log cabin. A land office was openection ttxik place August 'M, 1857. The first newspaper was edited by Seth \V. SwiggetL It was called the Sioux City Eagle ami was first issued July -4, 1857. As before stated, the first steHmlx)at, freighted for Sioux tUty, arriveu8es. The base of supplies was then, and for years after, St Ix>uis, and transi>ortation was by way of the Missouri River. The oonmianding commercial relation of Sioux City to the great Northwest, even at that early day, was clearly perceived, since from it, n.'* a de|K)t, freights were IIOOaB I'ACKINO . B CnANT. distributed by water carriage to the trading posts, government stations, and scattered settlements of the upper Missouri valley. This was the original niinan k'.s cliiiiii in l^^o-t, iiihI tlif iitlditinus tlit-ri-to siiici' iiiinlf. tlit'r«> is imw a I'ity <'f yi'.iKKJ iiilmhitHiit.H. Such c-lmiigo from a iiiniiiM-r settlement to u i-ouiiuautliug triulo contxr i-^ n transition which ctmld occur only in the west It is not tlie intention here to describe in detail the Sioux City of to-day. but rather to reserve space for some exposition of the logic of its situation. A few representative facts, however, may be briefly smumarized. HlI.IIKIIIIiiKN rACKIMI I'o. s I'T.WT. The Sioux City of the railroad epocli, iM'j;iniiiii;i in IHfJH, when the Sioux C'ity A I'acitic Kailroad was opened to Missouri X'alley, seventy miles soiitli. making t'onntM-tion there with an east and west railroad, shared the rising enthusiasm of tlit^ Northwest, iukI j^Tew steadily. During the next few years enter- jirising men projected lines of road into the region about Sioux City northwardly with a view to ultimate conntM'tion with the Northern I'aoific, northwesterly through Southern Dakota, and directly west through Northern Nebraska from the opiM>8ite shore of the Missouri. Nearly all these routes have l)eeu since occupied by trunk or branch lines railiating from Sioux City. Imt then there was success in building only a few spurs, when railroad ent«>rprise was smitt4'n with the general industrial paralysis which followed the great failure of Jay Cooke \- Co.. in 1M78. But, Sioux City growing steaW CO.— OFFICE AND WORKS. filling its own distinct field and competing with Omaha on the one hand and Minneapolis and St. Paul on the other. All the principal lines of jobbing are represented. The sales foi' 1887 amounted to over $8,500,000. Two hundred commercial travelers represent tiie city in the tributai-y territ i)aHt two years, while the business of the three express companies rf'prPKoiited liere has trflilfd (hiring; tho sniiie period. Simix City isono of tlie five grentewt packing cent«^rs in the I'nited States. There are three great pack- ing estahliHlinients— those of Botjge, Silberliom, and Fowler. These have a rapacity of la.lMH) hogs and iOCtO beevcH per day. In addition, it is jiraj-tically assured that one of the largest ilresseil beef establishinents in thi- \M>r!(l will Im- locatt'd ami built livi-f during the passing year. OKFICB AND WARERUOM8 SlOrX OTTT CBACKKB AND CANDY OO. Tlic Stock Yards, in the vicinity of which the packing houses are situated, are ont> of the most iniiH)rtunt fiictnis in Sioux City's growth. They grew out of the concentration here of live-stock tiansuctionH, ami. iiltliuugli founded less than throe years ago, they have accoiuinodations for t),0()0 hogs, lO.WM) cattle, 'J,(MH) slioej), and '2,()(K) horses. Over $7r>0,000 was expended last year in improving this property, and extensive improvements are being made this year. The yards include 1,4(K) acres of suburban land and 2<)0 city lots. SIOVX CITY ILLUSTRATED. In acUlition to the packing establishments, which give employment to hundreds of men, there are the Linseed Oil Mill — the second largest in the world— Flour Mills, Foundries, Machine Shops, Candy and Cracker Factory, Oatmeal Mill, Brick and Tile Works, Plow Works, Vinegar and Pickling Works, etc. The public improvements are in harmony with Sioux City's progressive character, and yet so rapid is its growth that they are in rear of the public demand. In 1887 nearly a million dollars was expended in betterments of a purely public character, and a much larger sum will l)e expended this year. The city has sixty miles of graded streets, fifteen miles of cedar block paving, fourteen miles of street railway, and five of motor line in operation. Five miles of cable car line is projected for this season, while construction SIoI-X CITY VINEliAR AND I'lCKLINli WORKS. has begun on five miles of new motor line, which is to be connected with the business heart of the city by an elevated railway. The city is located between three rivers, affording admirable drainage. Tliis liealthful situation is made perfect by the modern system of sewage. Among other notable features the following few may be mentioned: 1. The finest water-works in the Northwest, consisting of two Holly-Gastel patent pumps of 4,000,000 gallons daily capacity, with reservoir of 1,500,000 gallons capacity and twenty-one miles of mains, 2. A i)aid professional fire department. 3. One of the finest Opera Houses in the West, almost completed. 4. The largest Telej)hone Exchange in Iowa. 5. Gas and Electric Lights, etc. SlUlX CITY ILU'sr HATED. 6. Four daily— one morning and three evening — papers, beniiieB a variety of weekly and other pericxUcftls. 7. An unriviilletl syHtem uf |iuljlio education; dmrohert of all denuilding (planneUV AMI MAIHINR WORKS. Such are only a handful of facts chosen from a multitude of others because they are representative factw. From them may Iw inferred some idea of the scene of Sioux City n.s it is. IJut this further fact must bi> borne ill mind: that, as two-thirds of Sioux City's ;)fl,0(M) jxipnlation has been added since 188'2, so nearly all the great improvement'i above mentioned have been built >ip within the same short period. The oil mill has been built within four years; five banks within f(mr; four new lines of railroad within two; the street cars within three and the mot^)r line within a yoar-and-a-half ; the water-works within two; all the j)aving within two; the stock-yards within two; while within the year just passed two of the three great packing establisliments. the railroad bridge, the opera Imuse, etc., have l)een secured. 'J'he Siiiux City of Tu-day and the Sioux City of Yesterday, the modern metropolis and the frontier settlement —where is there a broader contrast or a more magical transition? 8^5^?S»^ SIGQX GITY'S SIGniFIGADGE. KEliATION TO THE UPPER MISSOURI VAI,I,EY. The logic of the situation of Sioux City miast not be confouiuled with that of scores and hunch'eils of thriving towns in the west. The latter are, as a rule, as all but a comparatively few cities must be, essentially local. They are prosperous, but their trade and influence are circumscribed within a comparatively small territory. -^^siiiigiMaKltaiiHiiiK.. .SIl)l!X lilTY BRICK AND TTLE WORKS. In bold contrast with the multitude of essentially local trading i)oints of the west, Sioux City has been fashi(med by the same class of forces which have built up Kansas City, Omaha, and Minneapolis and St. Paul, independent market cities and capitals of great trade empires of their own. To understand Sioux City is to understand the development of the upper Missouri valley. To have an adequate conception of the significance of Sioux City, requires first to appreciate that gigantic movement of population, which, within the past ten years, has transferred from the States north of the Ohio River, a million of population into the specific region because of W'hose growth Sioux City has grown. Just as Cincinnati grew to trade primacy in the Ohio valley with the advance of settlement from over the AUeghanies down that waterway; just as later the advance of railways westward from Chicago poured the wealth of Iowa, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois and Michigan into its lap, making it a wonder of growth and power; just as later the sudden out-reaching of railroads thrt)ugh Kansas and the Southwest SIOVX CITY ILLUSTRATED. runclo KnnHnM City; just as still lnt<>r the buihliiit,' <>f tho Uniim Pacific fed tho streiifjth of Oiniilin; Just as the Northern Pacific and the Manitoba systems, tapping the wheat j^anary of the coutinent to the north, lifted Minneapolis and St Paul — just so, to complete tlie whole field, have the new energies and develop- ing resotirces of tlie upi>«»r Missouri valley at once require«l ami createme of the details of development of the tributary empire with which Sioux C-ity has to do. Vavm to the distant obsen'er the map suggests some of them. OFFICE, MIIX AND KLEVATOn— CITY MILL rOMPANT. Sioux City is situated at the point where the Missouri River makes the great 1 d t<> the west, just as at Kansas City it makes the great bend to the north. Precisely at Sioux City the drainage systems of Nortliwt'stern Iowa, Northern Nebraska and the whole of Southern Dakota, converge. The Pig Sioux River from due nortli, forming tlie boundary line between Iowa and Dakota, joins the Mis.souri, and the angle thus formed includes the west and south boundaries of the corporate limits of Sioux City. From the confluence with the Sioux River, the Missouri flows over 100 miles from almost due west, forming the boundary line between Dakota and Nebraska. The whole of the southeastern quarter of Dakota is drained by the James and Veriiiiilioii Rivi>rs and iiinnnierable smaller streams which flow almost due south, parallel to the Sioux, their fertile valleys debouching uiK)n the ^lissouri at sliort distances alHive Sioux City. The drainage of Northern Nebraska is tho exact complement of that of Southern Dakota, the Niobrara flowing northeast and joining the Missouri where it ceases to be the boundary line between Nebraska and Dakota, while from that point to Sioux City scores of minor streams flow northerly and SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. northeasterly through Nebraska to a confluence with the Missouri. On the Iowa side the whole north- western quarter of the State, with a portion of Minnesota, is drained into the Missouri at Sioux City, the Sioux River at its mouth forming its western boundary, as before stated, the Floyd River passing throiigh the city limits, and the Little Sioux entering the Missouri at no great distance below. Remember, now, that the trade territory of Sioux City in Northwestern Iowa aU)ne is 8,000 square miles draining naturally, as in trade, to this point. Remember that Southern Dakota which opens northwestwardly from Sioux City as a gate, includes 60,000 square miles, while due west of Sioux City there is in Northern Nebraska 26,000 square miles. Here is a territory of 94,000 sqiiare miles which centers naturally and infallibly at Sioux City. And let it be borne in mind, moreover, that this territory, immense as it is, is only part of the territory now actually occupied or reached by Sioux City's trade. SIOUX CITY GAS LIGHT CO. S WOltKS. To illustrate its importance and immensity, attention need only be called to the fact that, just west of the Missouri River, after it again turns north, at a point over 100 miles west of Sioux City, lies the great Sioux Indian Reservation, a splendid agricultural and grazing region, of which 1(),0()() square miles — an area of incomparably richer natural resources than any one of a dozen States of the Union, which might be mentioned — has just been opened by Congress to settlement. The drainage of this region flows almost due east into the Missouri, and along the valleys of these tributary streams, two great corporations — the Chicago, Milwaukee it St. Paul, and the Chicago & Northwestern— are hastening to build lines into the wonderful mineral and cattle regions beyond, carrying the fruits of the same over their main systems to Sioux City; and, on the other hand, fi'om it as the distributing point supplying them and the thousands of settlers who will flock into that territory. But the significant fact is that so vast a country as this Sioux reservation, now newly opened to Slor.X CITY lU.VSTHATEli. (li'vilopiiicnt, is iiiily II frnctioii of Siuux City'H trnilo U^rritory, Ixminl up in a t-oiiiiiioii iiitt-rcst witli it nlikf by tlio artiticinl syHt<'ins of coiuumuieation uihI tin- pliysiciil outlim-s and i'i>iirii of tlif country. Tliifl is why there is a city where Siwey tlie water routes. Conse a junction with tin- ('nion Pacific, tErc)T. engineering ditticulties along the Missouri valley. Sci, too. tlie railroad systems which have since gridironed the Northwest have followetl tlie valleys of these streams which converge at Sioux C'ity. Here, then, is a tributary territory opening westwardly and nortlnvestwardly from Sioux City which it is no exaggeration to term an empire. To be itlentilii'd with it,s expanding development is to be a great city, and the fact i>f sm-h connection explains the growth of Sioux City. For, be it remembered, within all this realm Sioux City has not even a single rival. Chicago is distant 044 miles to the east; Minne- apolis and St. Paul 270 mih^s northeast, and Omaha ovei- ln(l miles du«* south. It was not till after 18H0 that the tlixxl of immigration began to pour into this territ,0(Ht settlers have been aihled to Dakota, and 'JtHM^O*' to Northern Nebraska, and 10 sur- face by evaporation or tapped by the roots of growing crops, which, in time of drouglit, strike ileeper in quest of water. Of the two other soils, the "bluff" deposit is the more remarkable, as well as the greater in extent. The bluffs along the Missouri River are formed of this soil, which is deposited in a vast layer over the SIOVX CITY ILLirSTUATKD. luore 04^)111111011 drift, t<» an average distance of twenty-five niileH »>n each side of the river antl tf 2'K) feet As in the west level of a great lake, which wax, later, drained by the Miswiuri River agee liefore the country atitiuuied it« present physical asjiect. Thf hliitT soil, therefore, is even more fertile than the drift, into which, at it« outer edges, it grades iinperceptihly, liaving like it, also, |M»rfect underdrainage. The Inst division conij)rises the soils of the alluvial Hood plains of the river vnlley.--, nr, ii> iIk-v an- {Kijiularly called, "liottoni lamls." The iin|)ortance of these soils readily a|)|Hwa in this respect, is also true of Southeastern Dakota and Northeastern Nebraska. A. H. IIAI.BV A SONS MACIIINR NHOrs. These soils are. us an eminent scientific authority puts it, "tiie most fertile in the stat«'," from the fact that they contain the washings of the other soils in addition to a large amount of ileeayed vegetable matter, derived through the agency of former floods from tin' luxuriant growth along the Ixmlers of tlie streams. Such are the three grand ilivisionsof marvelous soil the drift, the "bluff," and the alluvial all further enriched near the surface by a generous admixture of decayinl vegetable and animal matter, which renders Ni>rthwestern Iowa, and in kindred manner also adjacent iM)rtions of DakoUi and Nebraska, a region absolutely unrivaled in the whole United States for agricultural production. It yields all the great staple products- corn, wlieat, oats, rj-e, flax, grass, and rt crops, etc. - in anunint and regularity of return nowhere else even a])prnached. (^>rn is King. Here, neither ex<'essive rainfall nor drought has ever, or can ever cause failure of crops, and the yiehl, whether in jMiint of luxuriance or of fineness of quality, kuowB no rival in the markets of the world. And this cream of the cream of the corn lands of the United SIOVX CITY ILLUSTRATED. States is tlie very life of tlie cattle and hog interests, which, within the shtirt period since the beginning of cultivation in this region, have grown to such enormous proportions. Thrift and prosperity are the children of such abounding goodness of nature. Their many handled proofs are scattered in the improved farms, the multiplying villages, and towns, and cities, all the scenes of fruitful enterprise, and IOWA SAVINGS BANK. all the results of industry during comparatively only a few years. In the very heart of all, at the point of convergence of the drainage of all this region, as reference tti the map sliows, is Sioux City, not oidy the geographical, but also the undisputed cominorcial center, its arteries of trade radiating in every direction and following, of necessity, the natui'al water routes, and bound together by the very logic of the situation. The cause of the growth of Sioux City is no mystery. It has gi'own because it must grow— because of siorx cirv h.i.csthatkd. the niiituni rulntioiis 8ul)HiKtiiig l>otw«>en it hiuI the iimnoUous richness of the soils of its immeii<> aro at Si.iux City. MliruoroI.lTAN IIUMK EliEegan to In- driven nortli from Tt'sas to the northwestern ranges, and Js, multiplying everywh(>re in this and foreign lands, covered tiie ranges with hundreds of thousands of cattle. The result was an over-stocking of the ranges. The grass was eaten otf. S(>ttlers, tix>, came in, cutting off free access to water courses. A revolution in range methods waa wrought The cattle could no longer be fattened on native grass. In that condition winter storms decimated them. SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. The pressure of these ooiulitioiis befran to l)e severely felt as early as 1882, and it has increased with each succeeding year. Cattle could still he grown and their frames built on the ranges — grown and built there, indeed, more cheaply than elsewhere— but the profit was all in fat cattle. The inexorable logic of the situation, accordingly, was that tiie cattle must l)e moved from the ranges to be fattened: they must be transferred to where corn is grown. The corn was just at hand; it was to be found in the Corn Eegion, in the northwestern corner of which Sioux City is situated. This region was in the direct line of tran- sit to Chicago, so tliat cat- tle could b e taken from the ranges t o Sioux City, to be dis- tributed thence among the farmers of the c o r n country for fattening, and then re- shipped to Chicago. Beginning in 1882 the stream of cattle, flowing through Sioux City for distribution thence in smaller bunches for fatten- ing at the corn-cribs of the northwest, has raj)idly in- creased. It has now hotel, GAIUIETSDN — owned and OONDUOTEU HY D. a. WILLIAMS. swelled to enormous proportions. Not only so, but there is a counter current of young stock and stock cattle of all kinds, flowing out from the farms of the corn country, through Sioux City to the ranges, which are the gnvit lireeding country. The ranchmen have learned that, although the groat herd must go, they may by improved methods, in future breed anil raise in the aggregate even more cattle than in the ))ast. And so the stream of cattle from the ranges to the corn region, through Sioux City as a gateway, has grown larger each succeeding year since 1882, and in the nature of things must in future grow still larger, until the mutual possibilities of the two great sections are fulfilled. Butjjthesefare boundless— practically boundless. SlOrX CITY ILLUSTRATED. The mnltii)licnti(>ii of transnctioiiH iiivolve tlinnifjli tli<* iii>rtliwpst*irn country, 08 onrly n« 1^lislit'«l that a larjj;!' |M>rti<)n of tl»« inuntMiKe liords of tin' raiij^i's must \w hmujilit to tliu corn rt'^;ion, another not loss vitacking house; but, although highly im|M)rtant to Sioux City, this did not make the town a packing center, a recognized and dominant stock market in the whole territory of its trade. This was the situation in the SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. THE HOBNICK DRUO CO. SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. early juirt «>f 18^f7, whoii thert' ofi'iirrcil tlii< Ki'oiiiiii(j;l_v siulileii iniivi>miMit <>f tin* •{rt-iit C'liioaj^o piu-kerb of lM>ef Hiul |M>rk to Sioux City, hikI to the estJililiHliiueut li«>re of pHckiiig hoUHes, which have l>eyoud perad- veiiture Butth-il it that Sioux City iw, and is to reiuuiii, the fit4Kk iimrket and packing center of the NurthweHt; and this liau Iteen contiriu(>d liy tlie actual constructiun, within lesH than a year, of the imnieuHe packing Iioukoh of Siilicrhorn and of Fowler, of Chicago, recognized the world over as kings of the meat int4'rt'st. Anil in addition to the great Heratittn, having capacity for Ll.OlHJ hogs and '2,(XH) cattle daily, constitnt*' a vast meat industry, and have raised Sioux City, at ont' stroki', to the front rank as a hog ami cattle inarki-t'in the rnit4'plie farming ci>iintry alxiut it, ami tlie atlaptaliility of the ranges further west to stock-raising in connection with the corn country- all these and similar facts were becoming better known t<> the world. Immigration, having previously been t»)rationB, then liegau to pour into SIOVX CITY ILLUSTRATED. the riclier lands of the Upper Missoxiri Valley. The Northwest was becoming by inherent strength an independent trade empire. The obstacle of sheer distance was protection for Sioux City against the monopolizing power of Chicago, which overshadowed the less fortunate cities along the Mississippi valley south of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The salient fact of the independent force of the Upper Missouri Valley was recognized by the great railroad corporations which pierced the northwest from Chicago, and which had been disposed by self-interest, or supposed self-interest, to be the instruments of the trade monopoly of Chicago and by THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHtTRCH. discriminating rates io girdle the gnnvth of minor western trade centers. It was upon this enforci»d change of policy on the part of the corporations, about 1886, toward Miss high-priced aud exhausteil landu of the east If tlie roader will refer to aii accurate map of that i>ortioii of the UpiM>r Missouri Valley, coiii- prisiiig N<>rth\vt>st«'rii Iowa, South wt'stt-rii Miniiesnta, Northern Nehrnska, 8on Sioux City, and from it reachen wiiich construction is just beginning, the "Manitoba" system. The Sioux City it Pacific, the first road to reach Sioux (Uty in 18(!8, is now a part nf the Chitwigo cV Northwestern system. The process of centralization of the railroad communicatious of tiie northwest not only liHS made Sioux City the converging point of the main lines of these fivi> great systems, but has brought hither, as any railroad map shows, thirteen brunch lines, nearly all located according to the convenience of the grades of river valleys aud their tributaries. Sioux City is the western terminus of the Illinois Central, which last year acquired ownership of the lines running eastward across Iowa, long operated by it umler lease, while two new branch lines have been built within the year, the one northwest into Dakota, and the other southwest, opening up to the trade of .Sioux City a large new territory. Two great railroad systems, the Chicago, Milwaukee iV St Paul, and the Chicago &. Northwestern have reached out giant arms from Sioux City westwanUy and northwestwardly across Southern Dakota, spider-webbing that immense territory in every direction « itii feeders. These systems, with present Dakota termini on the Missouri river, but preparing and ready to SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. push on into and across the great Sioux Indian Keservation, are the handmaids of the trade of Sioux City therein, making it as well the market of this empire as its depot of supply. THE SIOUX ^CITY HIGH S0HOOI>. Not less intimately is Northern Nebraska, lying dir.K'tly west of Sioux City oji tl.e opposite shore of the Missouri River, bound up in commercial interest with Sioux City. The main line of the Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha reaches Sioux City by the valley of the Floyd river, which joins the S/orX CITY ll.l.VSTHATED. Missouri witliiii tho corj^rnU* limits i>f tho city, iiml from tho opjxtBiU' sluire pioriu>8 N<>rtli«rn Ni'liraxka with tliri'o Hues. IViuling cmnpletion of thf railroad hriilpp across tlio rivi-r. coiinoctioii hetwcen tlio two shorf's is ofroct<'y a t<>in|«>rary hridye (hiring tliu winter season ami by Hteariil>oat transfer (luring the summer. The machine shops of this company are located here as are thc«e also of the Chicago, Milwaukee A SL Paul. Puring tlie ]>aKt few years the Chicago A- Northwestsite Sioux City, but also Ixddly pushed it« main line wostwardly along the line of the Niobrara into the Black Hills m..-K.s(K T. J. HWt^t: and into the regions beyond. This bold extension lias tajiped, from the south, at once tlie great cattle country and the resourceful mineral districts of the Black Hills. Such was the situation at the beginning of 1886, and during that year the im|M)rtance of Sioux City was recognized by the great railroad corporations by building to it numerous connecting lines necessary to their systtnus. At the close of 1S8(J, the great desideratum, the one missing link which the expanding iK'cessities of the situation could no longer leave unsup|)lied, was a railroad bridge across the Missouri River. The time was ripe, and in the early spring of 1887, the Chicago «fe Northwtistern and the Chicago, St Paul, Minneaixilis iV Omaha Companies made stipulations for spanning the river with the splendid stnicturi" now nearing completion, using tiierefor th<< charter secured by Sioux City yi>ars before. With the bridge, the railroad problem, in its jKjtency has been finally solvinl, and the last barrier to the com- plete commercial supremacy of Sioux City in Northern Nebraska has been overlea|)ed and forever removed. smrw CITY I IJ.rsTRATF.D. Such a Kysteiii of I'aihoads, radiatiug from Sioux City tlu'ougli a maguificent territory in the north- west, one hunih-ed and fifty miles nortii and south and over six hundred miles east and west, including Northern Nebraska and Southern Dakota, from Sioux City to the Black Hills, in addition to the whole northwestern quarter of tlie State of Iowa such a system involves exclusive transportation facilities for Sioux City, which compel it to be a great trade center. Sioux City, indeed, from its foundation has been a jobbing center. Before a railroad had been built into the northwest, or had even reached Sioux City, lidoM lillil'.i the depot of supplies to such settlements as liad then been made further west and to the government stations and trading posts was estalilished here, the means of transportation being the steamboat and the freighter's wagon. The substitution of the railroad for the older methods of transportation in the northwest, the remarkable movement of railroad construction during recent years to cover the specific region of Sioux City's environment, has simply atl'orded means for the more ra])id development of its jobl)ing trade. Description of the .iiibl>ing interests of Sioux City need not go into detail; tliey are the logical counterpart of the gi'eat system of railroads which is their instrument and servant. The jobbing interests represent SrOVX CITY II.LVSTRATKD. all the lea the Upi)er Misstturi Valley, may l>e inferretl the strength of the johhiug business lietter than from ri'lii-arsul of figuren and dry HtatisticH. HapitI as has been tiie growtii of the jobbing int«rest during the past five years, it has ))een a conntaiit strug>;!»' for the Sioux ("ity jobl)Hrs to keep pace with the demands of the tributary territory, to increase tlieir >'aj)it4il and other facilities to corres|Mind with its development. Everj' one of the tens of thousands of settlers who have annually for ten years last past gone into this territ4>ry, every town and II v .1 ^^I'I village which has sprung up therein, every mile of railroad built, as tlie marcli of development has been moving 8t«p by step westward— each and all these things have been drafts up<)n the resources of Hioui ('ity as the jobbing center of this territory. .Vinl if there be adeijuate conc^eption of the tremendous development of the llpper Missouri \iilley during this i)eri profits thereof have be<>n re-invested from year to year, and new houses addeii and all facilities constantly enlarged, the jobbers of Sioux City are to-day taxed to the extreme limit of their re8t)urcea to meet the demands uixm them. The |)os8il)ilities of Sioux City for trade are forcibly suggested by the fact that of the empire alviut it. which has already made of it a jobbing center, less than "!'■) per cent is as yet occupied and deveIoi)ed. And into this territory immigration is i)ouring a constantly rising stream. The new settlers represent the most enteri)rising, intelligent and prosperous elements of the States north of the Ohio River, from which, mainly, they come. And the process of development upon the surpassingly rich bottom lands and SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. prairies of the Upper Missouri Valley, in this day of railroads and improved agricultural agencies, is incomparably more rapid than it was in the pioneer days of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, when the settler must literally hew his way into the wilderness and fight the long hard battle in absolute isolation. When population in the Upper Missouri Valley shall double, treble anil quadruple, as it infallibly will during the next decade, it is apparent that the ti'ade of Sioux City therein will more than d(nil)le, treble and quadruple, just as daring the past decade there has been such notable expansion of tlie facilities of supply here in exact correspondence with the increasing demands of the tributary territory. For absolute certainty has now taken the place of uncertainty; the lines of communication have now become finally fixed; a great jobbing interest has been firmly established and built up; nothing remains WHOLESAI.E I'ln but steady, logical and assureil growth upon the broad foundation already laid and toward the destiny which the obvious conditiims of the situation have marked out. Taking under one sweep of the eye the magnificent territory of the Upper Missouri Valley, opening about and above Sioux City, consider now that it is in the most direct natural route from Chicago and the lake region to the Pacific. At least two of Sioux City's great railroad systems are not only tapi)ing in every direction and bearing to it the wealth of a great empire in the northwest, but are rapidly reaching west- ward for transcontinental connections. The certainty of the near future must be the counter extension of the Central Pacific eastward, and the logic of the conditions compels such extension by way of Sioux City ; while, on the other hand, the " Manitoba " system is reaching from a port on Lake Superior, independent of Chicago, a hand already almost to Sioux City, and a tax already voted, and construction just ready to begin, will during the present summer clasp this extended liauil. SWVX CITY ILLUSTRATED. Sufli are uuly a few of the hroad iniiicntionR, only h few of the accoiupliRheil facti«, of the situation of the Sioux City of To-dny. KlnlxtrHtioii of dettiil could hardly emphasize its manifest destiny — ooulii not more dearly reveal it« fixed relation of market and supply I'ity to tlie I'pjM'r Missouri \' alley. In the. fDifj^oini^ l)ri('f and inipcrfiH't survey it lias lieen the pur|>ose to j)rosent, in thi-ir hnxid phases, the distint'tive relations of Sioux City and its tributary territory, rather than to enlarge descriptively on the numerous features in detail wjiic-h, as a rule, are i-omnum to all towns and cities of equal size; it has likewise l)een the puriM)se to »U\ie, without wdoring or exaggeration, the facts as they actually exist, and in all cases \vIiim'(> there was diiui)t in re^'aril to estiniatt's, t^i lean to the conservative side, so thitt all wiio may !«• iritiirstcil tn nuiki- fiiitlnT inquiry into the specific facts of the actual status and common IIKSIIiKNCE K.l>. IIWKINSON destiny of Sioux t'ity and the Tppcr Missouri N'allcv, will tind that the splemlid tnitli, fur frum lieing fully told, has only been partially suggested in these pages. One thing more niu.>\i>i.k <»r tiii: wnm.n. " In the lunJ of the Ojibways. lu th« plwuiaiit liiiid luul ix^ar^ful, SinK the mysteriee se eyes had rested ujHin the famous works of mankind iti all |M)rtions of the globe, oxpresseil the greatest admiration for this creation of western genius wrought from the products of western soil. It was an artistic triuni|)li, marking the beginning of a new era in exiKJsitious of its class, an absolutely new idea the appropriateness of which evoked not only the enthusiasm of the peracticRl dt^aliii^s, without Immii^^ imprPHHod with tlic> majeHty of tlic kiii({ uf orops in the nortliwoKt And tliiK WRK thf l)H8iH nn whicli tli« Corn I'ahu'e uf 1KS7 whs Imilt at Sioux City nu i»iit«'rpris6 t4> which the int«'rt>st, i-ntliUHiaxni and pridt' not only of Sioiix City, hut an well of the thu\ipamls on the farms and in the viUHf^es and towns of the C-orn Region of the northwest, who shared in its prosperity, res|Mindi'd with H common impulse. Tlif working out of the detnilu of the Corn Palaee itself, the discovery of the artiHtie |K>s8il)ilitieH of the e(jrn plant, and the sudden inspiration which was iNirn of such discovery, were things whicli cam)> later came in the work of Imilding. As Aphrodite sprang from the iH-ean's foam, s«>, when the elTort was once hegun to re|)resent the lieneticen f the ty|)ical priHiuct of the nortliwest4erative organization. When a conimittee is apiiointed in Sioux City, it may he rennirked, a foregone conclusion is that something is going to he done. Such an a|)pointment, even hy an informal hody like the early Festival meetings, is not a mere honorary f the Fiftli street and .Tiicksun street fronts were stpiare towers, with flat nnifs and niiiiHretw. Sprini^inj; from the inmost corners of the exterior towers to the outward corners of the main tower, on a line with the base of the ajwx of each, were light festoons, or, to use the architectural term, flying buttresses, which impiirteil an effect of luassiveness to the edifice. The nxif-lines were linrnioniously irregular, sweej)iug from the central tower to the exterior as the several front elevations re(juired. This broken outline was intentional, iji onler that a maximum of surface might Vie presented for decoration. The a))ertures in the towers were spacious, generally of an archeil'i..N* L structure was of a composite and an original architectural order, tlie plan was admirably adajited to the uses for which it was designed. As work upon the Corn Palace progressed, the managers became more and more conscious of the possibilities in decoration. They did not at first conceive that it would be an affair of extraordinary magnitude nor an object of surpassing beauty. Probably the projectors had given but little or no thought to the artistic pliase of the subject wlion that additional |)ledge of success stont upon the practical consideration of the value of corn as a staple anutal)le evidence of the i)roductivene8s of this region. But the people asserted such an interest in tlie celeliration, each individual suggesting an im])rovenient or an elaboration of the plan, that the palace and the festival at large soon pa.s.sed beyond tiie original plans and became everylK>dy's work. The citizens went corn crazy. The city itself was inundated in a fliM>d ofc corn. And so the tleveloi>meut of the Corn Palace, from an arch across a street or a few meager decorations on some building already standing, to SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. the magnificent temple in which Ceres might have felt honored to abide, was the natural outgrowth of favorable circumstances, not a deliberately preconceived idea strictly adhered to. Like the corn, it sprang from'an insignificant germ to thrive and bloom and mature under the fervid heat of congenial PEAVET * STEPHENS, WnOLESAIiE AND RETAFL FURXITUKE. conditions. It was a popular work, and therefore proved, from very spontaneity, its power to reach the hearts of its beholders. It was the personification of Art in Nature. The humblest blade of grass was given a value; the homeliest form was made to bear its share in bringing something to the lighi Thus, SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. the practical put on the garb of the Ijeautiful and the commercial project of a Com Festival culminated in a feast of the Esthetic. The frame work was scarcely completed l>ofore the inadequacy of space was realizetL To meet this uiicxpf'cted roipiirenient, tljt- skatint;-rink iilreudy refcrreil t4> was made an annex, and within a day or two frnni that tinie, n second addition, extending westward from the rink tu the Baptist Church, and '20 feet in depth, was decided ujkhi. This arrangement gave nearly double the space for exhibits originally ])lannei*»'»« > .-V_ '' (I II I (Jill iroTEL IKKMiE, il. L. CIIENKY, ritopiiihrroK. Th<» C(»rn Palace was, therefore, about 210 feet in length along Fiftii street, by 100 feet on Jackson street, but the unequal depth of the rink and the annex gave the entire structure an average depth of 89 feet, or 18,700 square feet of floor surface. Before undertaking a description of the decorations, without which the Palace would have been an ungainly pile of rough materials, an idea of the magnitude of the labor and wealth expended thereon is imparted by giving some of the builder's estimates. There were H(M),000 feet of lumber consumed; l."),0(MI bushels of yellow corn and 5,000 bushels of variegaten a sign-lward or on any flat surface by a small nail driven through the pith. When different colors were combined, a very gorgeous style of block-letter was pnxluced. Singly they looked like bright rosettes. RESIOKNCB H. A. LTON. AlKjve the main entrance on Fifth Htreet was a Inrfje i>il paiiitint^ represpntint; a harvest scene in the olden times. Over the entrance to the west annex was a inannmitli National flag, worketl in red, white and blue ears of corn. The large openings on the street were partly or wholly covered with white cloth upon which were painted typical scenes — " The Indian's Lament," cattle, hogs, etc. Viewed from a distance of a block or two, the trifling irregularities of detail in decoration were softened and a niagiiifieont sliow of color was presented to the eye. The ])revailing .shades were yellow; the huge structure assuming from day to day, as the sun and wind ripened tlie stalk.s, a more golden hue. The red, white and deep yellow of the corn, the brown of the sorghum and the dead green of the com blades relieved the exterior of a monotony which might ordinarily have been expected, while the varying heiglits of the salient outlines added n charm of perspective, with high-lights and shadows, that combined to protluce an admirable architectural effect. aiOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. The managers of the enterprise were no sooner brought face to face with the task of making the interior decorations of the place comport with the exterior than they were ready to admit their need of finer taste. The possibilities were appalling to contemplate. Time was pressing and the enormous amount of work yet to do in the space of one week was enough to create a feeling of despair. A Board of Control was appointed. An earnest invitation was issued to the women of Sioux City to lend their assistance to determine what should be done. TOUNQ MBN's OHBISTIAN ASSOCIATION BtnXiDING. Enthusiastic response greeted this appeal. A committee on decorations was formed, the interior of the main building was divided into twelve sections, and the willing workers apj)ortioned to their several duties. Sioux City is proud to admit that the success of the distinguished and original effort is due, in its artistic phase, to the women of Sioux City. At the beginning there were no models to work from and no coherent idea of what could be done. From bare walls, unsightly posts and a vaulting dome of ugliness was created a liower of beauty never before equalled; and yet this marvel was worked without the aid of those adjuncts of decorative art which have heretofore been deemed essential to the plans of skilled artisans. There was no gaud, no tinsel, no laying on of precious metals, no use of costly pigments. An SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. ear of com, a handful of grasses, a bunch of weeds, a wlurfp of straw— those were the materials employed. But women's deft fingprs, mnved liy the genius, the bouI, of Art, tran8formenge»irtal8 on the opening night were hushed into amazed delight at the unexpocte«l revelntinn Wfore them. There was no jostling, no hurry, no confusion. The atmosphere of the place affected all alike. m,•~.—-^^■^'''.''■^&"^^^■ ■ " «z:z RESIDENCE L. S. FAWCETT. The strong, the delicate; tiio rugged, the graceful: tlie utilities, the harmonies; the matter-of-fact, the ethereal; all the elements in Nature's pnxiuctive laboratory were here side by side, contrasting their forms in a symphony whose nnder-iiote was unity. It appealed to the cultured and tlie unlettered. Nature and Art were here. It was a lesson for the philosopher and the ckid. The main entrance to the palace, on the Fifth street side, was through a vaulted passage-way, without doors, but terminated by a huge screen. Upon this dark surface was wrought in cereals an effect of meadow— a study of cat-tnils aii*- Probably none of th<* visitors iit thf pahice, up to thiit tim<', w«rf iiwart' of the cliaruiin^ sliados and hu<*s of corn liiisks. As iltM-orativf niut«-rialH thfV rival tin- shadf-s and liiifs in wliicli i-vt-ry ft'niinini' h<*art tihds such deliKhtM. Tlie <-e>ilin^s iiImivi' tin- iHMitlis wfi'i' ornaiuiMitfil witli deviffs wliii-h cannot b«' d>*H(-rilM*d in wonL^ bo a« to Convey a suiijicstion of their appi-aranci-. ( ii-oiiictrical Kf^nres, artistic lines nf j^race and novel desipiH in cond)inatioii of colors, were siioun. It was a noticeable fact, fre«|uently comnient<-il u|)on by observers, that the diversity of tastes displayed and the helpfnl rivalry of the workers in ho instance resulted in dishai iiion\. Kverywbere wa> units nf itcfjon and cuncord of coloring'. This is the more remarkable becaiwe nf tiie luck of II ^'lanil design except that of spirit and . I'EltKINS. were not completed until just before the palace was thrown open and no committee knew precisely what the others were doinj;; yet when finished, all blended in harmonious effect The eye was buwildered on first seeing the interior of the palace and could detect the indiviilual tibject only by repeated ^nsits to the palace. It cannot be trutlifully said that there was a superfluity of decoration, but a maze of curious and pleasing features. Turn whii-li way you would, some new delight was offered to the vision. Here in this corner swayed a giant si)ider-weV) of strung kernels, with a huge Bpi(h«r resting watchfidly in its meshes; there in that alcove was a stairway of golden grain, on the spiral steps of which a dainty doll st«jod, clothed in corn-husks of such delicacy that they appeared like silk; yonder, a landscape typifying the west, with sun of gold Panels, ceilings, statuettes, lattices, curtains, all i>f corn. Flowers composed of husks and grains, but so skillfully made as to serve art's highest end. A Hag of corn, bearing the legend: "Statf i>f Our Country;" acorn-stalk music staff with the notes to which all people sing " Praise CJod, from whom all blessings flow;" the hunu)n)U8 and the majestic paying tribute to the occasion. Endilems of husbandry and motti)e8 significant of the fertility of the land^ "The valleys also are covered] with corn," "Sioux City never sleeps," eta, — were disiwsed about the SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. building. The Jackson street entrance was adorned with a screen upon which was worked a rustic scene and on the reverse side the inquiry, "Why not anchor in Sioux City?" the lettering being done in cereals, and the word " anchor" being represented by an exquisite anchor in colored grains. SlOtrX OTTT JOURNAL ItUXLDI.Nll Miniature farm-yards, models of the Corn Palace, articles of wearing apparel, maps, pictures, stars, eagles, and a seemingly infinite variety of designs were presented to the admiring eye of the public. The originality of the decorators and exhibitors was amazing. From these brief allusions to the display of products, which were so numerous and intricately arranged as to require far more space than is at command in this re^new, the reader will be able to form SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. Boinewhat of nn idea <»f the ex|><>8ition. The Corn Pfllace was an e«>rnianently benefitted by the revelation of new forms of art, but will also derive jferpetual advantage from the expression, in comprehensive style, of the resources and magnitude of the region. No one could fail to receive enlargetl impressions of the northwest and of Sioux City as the commercial capital of the northwest The rink building was decorated plaiidy with corn-stniks pendant from the ceilings and arranged aljout the sides. This hall was used for drills, band contests, concerts, jiublic speaking and tlie final ball. While not especially ornamented, it was exceedingly essential to the carrying out of the piogramme of entertainments. The principal streets of the city during Festival week were so finely decorated as to command a degree of admiration but little less than that be.stowed on tlie Corn Palace itself. Chief among the features of the display were the illuminated arches, erected at the intorsoctioiis i>f tlie main streets. UKolLlRNOb UK. WU. 11. hUlili. These artificial structures consisted of huge spans and cross-trees, towering in pyrainidul fmin to ii height of fifty feet and each bearing about 3<)0 jets covered witii glass globes of assorted colors. Eight arches spanned Fourth street, which, viewed from the west, appeared like a stream of fire. Two miles of gas-pipe were required for this system of lighting, and there were over 8,000 jets. A massive and ornate arch, with thatched peaks and elal)orate figures wrought in corn, spanned Pierce street between Fourth and Fifth streets. This, also, was illuminated at night with gas jets under glass globes. It would require an enumeration of every business house and office in the city to describe the private decorations. From a simple veneering of corn in the ear to a complex and carefully drawn plan of artistic adornment, each building along the public thoroughfares was made to honor the event The decorative mania burst forth in emulative force. Gigantic ears of corn were built; arches, covereil with stalks and pumpkins a very etfective material, by the way, in point of color —spanned the sidewalks; fronts of buiklings were laid over with solid corn until no sign of brick or wood was visible; store win- dows were filled with symbolic figures and emblematic designs; clocks, mortars, shoes, anvils, pigs, villages, SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. corn-fields, palaces, bonnets, hats, clothing, carpenters' tools, grocers' signs, statuettes of Ceres and King Corn, in fact every business, trade and calling was represented by some appropriate device in the windows and upon the streets. It may be said that the overflow of artistic zeal from the CJorn Palace affected every man, woman and child in Sioux City and stirred each one to special effort in the work of beautify- ing the city. It may be well here to give some account of the details of the Corn Palace Festival. It extended over one week, beginning October 3. The central feature, of course, was the Corn Palace itself, which excited extraordinary enthusiasm throughout the Northwest, and which the multitudes gathered in Sioux City never tired to gaze on. As the Palace approached completion in its beauty and uniqueness, the fame of it ran like wildfire, and it was manifest that there would be an immense concourse of visitors. GORDON BLOCK. Elaborate preparations were made for their entertainment — illuminatiou.s, fireworks for each night, processions every day, band contests, military drills, races, etc. The programme in all particulars was carried out with an enthusiasm which rendered it even in result better than in anticipation. The formal opening of the Corn Palace occurred on the evening of October 2. Crowds of delighted visitors thronged through the portals, and there was a dense press of people in Armory Hall, where the opening ceremony took place. Senator Charles H. Van Wyck, of Nebraska, the orator of the occasion, delivered an address appropriate to the place and all its suggestions. The following is an extract from the opening paragraphs of the address: We cannot realize the amount of the corn crop, even when tigiirinj,' the thousand million bushels raised annually; neither the empire of soil, with capacity unbounde« with ymi. Dakota--8hp has H iliiulile Hount' of WMilth iu her l>uuiiJk«w iiml fxhrniHtlotw prairiee iind Ix'Ueatlk the Hnrfiiw of her iuouiit«iuK lUiJ forests tlie prec-iuuB mctalH which ailorii thiti wonih-rful oxiiihitioii Dakota, too, is tributary to your >fr<«jitU(«8 uuii proud to briuK her offering; aiul uiiit<- in Ihi.s dedio.itiou which atauib as an autfury that all this territory, without rc^'anl t<> Htate lines, looks upon vour city as its jfrwit center, lUiJ that iu the HtrutfcicM whii-li may come in tin- future you will stiunl shoulJer to shoulder with theiu. More leajfueB away, where was the pastnre-i^round of the buffalo, from the ninueH of Wyoming and Montana, lume the ilo8.endnnts of the Shorthorns and Herefords, improve«l by the nutritious Krassee and invi^'initinK climate, to snrpaas the E^nKlish stock, showini; still further the wealth and vast t«>rritory which (X)me to rejoice in this aiutpicious event. Tiiesiliiy, October 4, ilawiH'd auBpiciuiisly. The weather, iiulewl, wiw all that coulil be desired until the last day of the week, when a ilrizzling rain int«rvenwL ThuoHandA of \-i8itor8 from neighboring t4iwn« and villages began to arrive at an early hour. Throughout the forenoon regular and special trains packed witli linnian freight arrived l)v all the lines of railroad. By W o'cl«»ck. when tiie tirst RRHIDBNCE F. V. HK.ANK. grand parade appeared to view, tlie crowd was so dense as to make locomotion almost imjxissible for a distance of ten blocks along Fourth street and for a considerable distance on the avenues leading thereto. Day after day the Miultitude that tiironged the streets presented the same goii(>ia! aspect, save that it steadily increased in numbers. No such concourse of people was ever before seen in the Northwest. The procession was announced on the programme as "A Grand Characteristic Parade, Representing Sioux City in 1854," and the promise was fulfilled. A more entertaining and significaut presentment of historic fact would have been ditlicult to devise, and both to surviving pioneers of the Northwest whose memories retain the experiences of jtrimitive life, ami to the younger generatinu and to the visitors from the east to wiiom the hardships of early westt>rn days were known only by tradition, this opening display was, (jerliaps, the most interesting one shown during the festival. The parade moved at 10 f/clock a. m., a plattwn of police clearing the way, and after them, a band nf musicians. Then came a band of Indians from the reservation — Omahas, Sioux and Winnebagos — number- SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. ing two hundred and fifty. Seventy-five of the Indians were mounted, being in full war-paiut and feather, and clad with the skins of wild animals, bright colored j)rints and gaudy cloths. Uttering suppressed war-whoops and brandishing weapons as they moved along, there lacked nothing to ])aint the picture which WOODBURY COUNTY COUUT HOUSE. in 1854 was one of terror to the adventurous settlers of the Northwest. At some distance behind the troop of mounted warriors, which went through all the evolutions of Indian warfare— charging with piercing whoops, breaking in disorder, reforming with the precision of regular cavalry — there followed the remainder of the band in the motley vehicles and equipages which are only to be seen on an Indian SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. reflervatifni. The Ht]unwH ftiul |)u|>o<>Be8 were ileckfnl out in the gaudient of savage fancy, anJ they gayA^i at tlie HightH at every hand in wunderment etiaal to tliat with which they were theiuselves regardeon the heels of the retreating Indians six ponies liearing a burden of furs and other frontier s|)oil, ))ound for the trading |)ost They, like the various other figures in this |ieculiar drama, were genuine. .\t their sitle was George Tackett, an experiein'e«l trapper in those wild ilays, who s|H'aks the language of the native. He was clad in buckskin garb, with ritle slung for instant ust*, and luokeil like III siiii:n(1: wm. i,. jov. the frontiersman lie used to lie. It tlie pencil of a Stanley C4»uld have cauglit liim then, historic art would hav(> been enriched. Next came the stage coach, with Tom I'arrott, the second oldest stage driver in the Northwest, on the Imx. The stage contained express messengers, duly armed, and a "friendly" Indian. The emigrant train of "the '50s" followed next. There was the spectacle of the old time "prairie sch(M>ners," drawn by oxen, and filled with the characteristic household effects, the working tools and scant |K)ssossions of tlie pioneer. Behind some wagons was the nr>ver-failing feed-box hung on, and over it the s])iniiiiig whecd iiiid venerable splint-iiottoined chairs; in rear of others the family cow was led; the rear of another held a crate in which were ducks and chickens; one wagon liad lost a liind wheel and came trailing along alone on a pole. The travel-stained canvas bore legenils, copied from literal inscrip- tions remembered by the early comers. SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. The next picture was especially realistic, a freight train Iwiund for the Black Hills camps. It was no illusion, for the immense vans had seen actual service. Three vans, lashed together in true frontier style, piled full of freight, were drawn by six-mule teams, the driver guiding them with a single line, and the bells upon their harness jingling merrily as they moved along. It was a true survivor of the old-time prairie life. It would require too much space to describe particularly the "floats" and the various other repre- sentations of pioneer days which made uj) the first day's parade. What has been said will suffice as a sug- gestion of the comprehensiveness and accuracy of this particular display, and also of the other parades during the Festival. On Weibiesday morning the Industrial Parade occurred. On Thursday and Friday the crowd grew to prodigious proportions. The feature of Thursday morning's entertainment was the Military Parade, RTorx oTxy linseed oii, wokks. and on Friday morning there was the Consolidated Keview, while in tlie afterncM)n tlie Grand Lodge of Iowa Masons laid the corner stone of the Chamber of Commerce building. On Saturday night, October 8, the doors of the first Corn Palace were closed to the public. But a day or two later, and before the building was torn down, two interesting events occurred. A party of eminent railroad men, composed of Cornelius Yanderbilt, Mr. Ferris, Albert Keep, Chauncey M. Depew, Marvin Hughitt, J. M. Whitman, Mr. Webb of the Wagner Car Company, Vice-President Sykes of the Northwestern system, Mr. DeCosta of the Lake Shore road and Mr. Fitch of the Sioux City and Pacific road, were traveling by special train over the lines in which they were interested and signified a desire to visit the Corn Palace. Although the exposition was then closed, the city authorities and a number of Sioux City business men received this party, in an informal manner, Monday morning, and conducted it through the Palace, still undisturbed in decorations and exhibits. The visitors 8 SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. exprPBBed hearty appreciation of the endences of the prosperity of this region. Mr. Depew wbb called on to addnwB tlie coiupniiy aiik*> in his ehxiuent and felicitouB style. Two days latter. President Cleveland and his party, then on a tour tliroufjh the west and south, visit^'d tliH Corn Pnlaco. Althou|.;h their rout<> was through Sioux City, tliey had at an earlier liny, liej-ause of lack of time and other engagements, declined to include a stop at Sioux City in their programme of the tii'i:Nc r, J. T. cnKNEY. favorably resixindeil to. But after the President was well on his way to the west, the fame of the Palace was such tiiat renewed invitation was accepted, although acceptance involved an interrujjtion of the running schedule of the special train whicii bore the President's party. This was the only departure therefrom made by the President during his whole tour of the country, and the compliment to the Corn Palace was thus only the more signiticant On the clear and frosty morning of Wednesday, October 12, the train l)earing the company of eminent personages arrived in Sioux City. Mayor Clcland, regariliug the wishes of the President, informally received the party. A large coucoorse of citizens was present The President and Mrs. Cleveland, * SIOVX CITY ILLUSTRATED. Mr. and Mrs. Postmaster-General W. F. Vilas, Judge Wilson Bissell, Col. Lament, and others of the presidential party were assigned to carriages, and, escorted by a military company, were driven directly to the Corn Palace. The public were excluded from the building. Ladies of the Decorative Committee and a few invited guests were admitted. The President and friends moved about the building, viewing the exhibits and decorations with evident interest. No speeches were made. Mr. Cleveland expressed surprise at the quality of the corn, and remarked that it certainly must be a rich country. He asked many questions relative to the productiveness and resources of the Northwest. His curiousity was aroused by specimens of parti-colored "Squaw Corn," and he said, "With your permission, I will take one of these," putting an ear of the corn in his pocket. Mrs. Cleveland was the recipient of numerous boquets and other souvenirs of the Palace. The President's party remained in the Palace half an hour, engaged in pleasant conversation and unpretentious and admiring survey of the exposition, and was then escorted to the train, which at once departed. ANDREWS, FliETCHER \ CA-SE S MILLS. The visit of the President's party was, under the circumstances, a fair illustration of the interest which was excited throughout the country in the Festival. The leading papers of all the large cities sent special correspondents who daily telegi-apheil elaborate reports of its featiu'es and ])rogress. The leading picttu'ial papers, like Harper's Weekly and Frank Leslie's in this country, and even the London Illustrated News, published copious illustrations and gave extended accounts. \]\nm the departure of the President the Corn Palace of 1887 closed its doors. Workmen were soon engaged in tearing down the building and hundreds of souvenir-seekers were busy gathering mementoes of the great success. The Coun Palace of 1888. The success of the Sioux City Corn Palace of 1887 was so signal, and the impression made by it upon the public mind so deep and abiding, that it became by virtue of its own force, a permanent and distinctive Sioux City enterprise. It was taken for granted by the tens of thousands of visitors who looked upon tlie first embodiment of the Corn Palace idea, and it was the common remark, that SIODX CITY ILLUSTRATED. • Siom City hIuhiIiI !«• tli<' hcviu- of iiii (uimiiil Imrvi-rit im(,'eaut u|»<)n the lines marked oat or Hagge8t4Ml by tin- FestivHl of 18h7. Local aspiration auHweriiig to the earueHt deiuaml of the Northwest, involvetl this result, tiie ioteri'st of which running far Iwyoml tlie limits of the rpiwr MiHSouri Valley enlists attention u hicli may almost he ilescrilHHl as national in extent. In Irutii tin- ixirtalsof the Corn Palace of 1W7 had not lieiMi tinally closed u|>iin the jxdilic Iw'fore prep- arations lM'},'iin for tin- Corn Palace of 1S.S8. A [HTmanent or^janization to carry on tin- cnterprirte was at once map|>eorated under the laws of the State, the incor]Mirators including the wealthiest and most prominent citi/.ens, and capit^d ample for all pur|Mises was promptly suliscrilted. uia^i^mm _f > \ ,j:^^^.i^ r ■:t^- IIEHIDKN' l: ". I , III II I. i;l>idk.mx a. • AUlii:!--!' 'N. The plan for the Corn Palace of 1888 is identical in piiriM>se with tliat of 1887, hut it is incomparably more comprehenHive in .scope and more complete and elahorate in detail. The development of the plan fiiis year is under circumstances entirely ilill'ereiit from those surrounding the tirst Corn Palace. Then it was an unknown |iri>lileni, every element of which was novel, and even the |>ossil)ility of solution was at tirst in doidit. The Corn Palace association this year could walk in confidence in the light of the hrilliant demonstration of last year. The rich results of its eminent experiences were the sure guides to a grander success. The dis<'overius of the decorative uses of the corn jilant and of its familiars of the field were at once suggestions of the marvelous |K)ssihilities of the C»)rn Palace idea and an inspiring incentive tn »is it is miiiiue in |iiir|H>se, rwjujrinn for it« l>e«t etfect tin- rich blending and nintrastii of the cohirs of the natural prodiictji with which it is dectiratetl. The structure is firmly built, with stron),' walls and tiglit roof, and with n view to the comfort of rlBitora in any weatlier. With ground diniensirHis of 150 l>y laO feet, the edifice affords ample interior sjiace for the Bi)lendid adornnicnt-s and subst^mtiid displays wiiich it will contain. The interior will bo dis|X)8ed in an entirely different manner from that of the first palace with spacioits courts and corridors and galleries, as well as retiring riMuns and toilet conveniences and all the other arrangement* necessary to its purjxise and to the accommotlation of the public. f-': I I . Ik The torn Talace it.sclf, tliougii the central and chanicteristii' feature of the Festival, will l>e surrounded with many accessories to liighttMi its interest. All tlie princi])al features of the first Corn Palace Festival will l>e ex|)anded and perfected, and the programme includes also many new and capital attractions. The novel scheme of public illumination, which was so notable a feature of the Festival of 1SS7. will lie carried out on a far more extensive scale. C)ne of the most pleasing incident.s of the occasion will be the elaborub' spectacles presented by tiie grand parades, illustrative of subjects ap|>n>priate to tlie time and place, which will occur on the several days of the Festival. For these especial preparation has been iiiailf upon a plan in which expense and elfort were not considered as obstacles. In addition the programme includes features which run the whole gamut of poj)ular artuisements and siM)rt« - races and excursions; the nuirshalling of the full military strength of the Northwest anil competitive drills lu'tweeu the various companies; a grand showing of musical a.ssociations; the jiageanfry of civic and benevolent organizations; pyrotechnic displays; the fornud opening of the E'eavey Grand Opera House, the corner- Btoue of which was laid during the Festival of I8H7, etc., etc. In short, the design and preparations SIOUX CITY ILLUSTRATED. are such as to make full draft upon, as well as to illustrate, the resources of Sioux City and the Northwest, insuring an entertainment so distinctive in character and so grand in method as to take rank as an event of national interest, and to be verily a carnival expressive of the satisfaction of a great people. The success of the Corn Palace Festival of 1(S88 is more than assured. It is certified by the eminent success of the first Corn Palace in 1887. That remarkable achievement was the result of effort compressed within a few weeks, against unfavorable circumstances which have already been described, whereas the opportunities of a whole year of preparation and the light of fi-uitful experience are behind ^ ■" ■- --.<» jj».^,_ f'4#*^^^l^% P^t*' ■ ™l^l|iRi mBliw^ W^^ Jffl^T-jWfwPf^ '"^ "" T- ,^^ ^- . ■'""MiniiniirmTiiiip^niti; ■■'»«*im™M==^^^ L Sl!!™?''»mmiiHiK^ f KESIDENCE J. L. FOLLETT. the Corn Palace of 1888. Moreover, in the agricultural domain of the Upper Missouri Valley there has been a season of prosperity which, this year, even beyond the generous bounty of ordinary seasons, accentuates the significance of the Corn Palace. Seed-time and harvest, which never fail in the unrivaled Corn Kegion of the Northwest about Sioux City, have been propitious, and the yield of corn and grain and every growth rejoices the heart and moves to celebration. To such a prospect Sioux City extends a cordial invitation to the world, and to the million visitors who will gaze upon the Corn Palace of 1888, assurance of their fullest satisfaction. I'.titrrril ill Ihr Offirv of Ihr l.lhrnrliin nf Ciingrrn.',, WliahlllHtDn, n. <"., ISSS. TTTTTT* rT»TT»T» r (jUin^v p^ (--Dunbar ^g LB Mr 'CS LI BRARV OF CONGRESS 016 09A998 3 •-<' ,'>'*'JS>fSi^ii&3 ^^^>mi>i^^- mmm-- '■ ' •iV->v';.Ci.!-*>0J;' :-:i\v..'np^>j :;'^::