A Look Back From 1874

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Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 10/28/2006 at 16:57:52

I translated the following article from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on 20 November 1874. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

A Look Back

Five years ago when the first Germans were settling in our county, it was a hard time for them. The last of the railroad workers who had remained behind, and other rough characters, made it a difficult situation for the Germans, and indeed it was even dangerous to settle down here.

The now-flourishing townships—Kniest, Arcadia, Wheatland, Washington, etc.—were still not organized and were uncultivated prairie. Carroll consisted of a few dozen houses, or called more accurately by their proper name of “shanties.” With the exception of a few upright people, the residents consisted of “rowdies.” And today:

Carroll is a little town rich in business, with an active and hard-working population of about 800 souls. The above-named townships are completely settled, so that almost no prairie land is available there. The Germans, who earlier were only regarded with loathing, now have the upper hand in business as well as political affairs, if they know how to make use of them. And what has caused this great recovery? The German industriousness and work force. With constant work, the busy hands of our German farmers, and their wives and children, have so succeeded that at harvest time the once uncultivated prairie now resembles a garden, and that the name “German” is now said with respect. And so every German may take pride in looking back on these achievements.

And so also may we! Six months ago, we began with the publication of the “Demokrat” and today we are able to assert that it is inferior to no county paper in the state. The growth has proceeded with increasing steps, and if our countrymen support their paper in proportion to their strength, we may also confidently and strongly advance the German interest farther, wherever possible.

The times are indeed difficult, and our income is small, but for that reason we are not going to lose our courage. “God abandons no German!”