'A CENTURY OF MEMORIES'
1880 - 1980 |
| Anderson Edwards and Robert Warrick took an ox team and borrowed
corn from the Hatfield settlement in 1851. James Irving settled here in
1854. Lambert Taylor came about the same time. They located a town on
their land and in order to play fair they opened up a road which is Main
Street. They named the town Florence. In a few years it was changed to
Prairie City, then Prairieville, or perhaps they were used
interchangeably. Because of Post Office complications on April 1, 1880,
it was named Van Wert in honor of Van Wert, Ohio. Many events are mentioned in this book: Civil War 1861 - 65, Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President 1860. Assassinated April 14, 1865. Postage rates July 3, 1885 were changed from 2 cents per 1/2 ounce to 2 cents per ounce. In 1978 it went to 15 cents with each additional ounce being 13 cents. 1885 - number of automobiles owned by Americans jumped from 8,000 in 1900 to almost 3,500,000 in 1916, World Book No. 20. America's rich and varied resources played a key role in the rise of big business: 1900 Magneto type telephone with the large box at bottom for two wet batteries was later replaced with 2 dry cells. These had a dry crank, World Book No. 20. There were gas street lights replaced with electric lights, mud roads replaced with blacktop. Cars did away with need for hitchracks, board walks on Main Street were eventually replaced with cement walks. 1912 - SOS accepted signal of distress. We have had many kinds of heating and cook stoves - cook stoves for a long time were heated with coal oil, then came pressure gas, then propane gas, then electric radar ovens are being widely used. Heating stoves used wood and coal, then to electric and propane. Now many furnaces have combinations of wood and oil. Chinch bugs, potato bugs, army worms and others all had their day. They have been brought under control to be replaced by corn borers, root worms, alfalfa weevils and other pests. Charles August Lindbergh flew "The Spirit of St. Louis" nonstop from New York to Paris in 33 1/2 hours, arriving May 20, 1917. The stately elms were laid low by Dutch Elm disease. Dry years 1934 and '36 caused many problems. Crops were very poor yielding which meant scarcity of food. Many having to sell stock at very low prices. Many people lost their homes because they couldn't meet the payments.  Van
Wert has had several storms including the tornado May 15, 1943. It
especially did heavy damage to the churches. A bad hail on April 23,
1961 did much damage to cars and buildings. A bad hail in 1925 did much
damage and L.D. Kelly, standing by cars and buildings, had the
misfortune to lose an eye when hail broke the window and a piece of
glass injured his eye.We have had several heavy snowfalls but the one on Monday, April 9, 1973 will long be remembered. It definitely paralyzed traffic. Layton and Wanda Schuldt were operating a cafe in the old Van Wert Schoolhouse and there were 36 stranded at the cafe that night. Among them were two of the Great Wallendas. It was a big change in our community when we lost our railroads. The main highway between Des Moines and Kansas City was paved. The 1 1/2 mile of road from our town is maintained as a State Highway. For a while after the trains were gone we had two passenger buses and three mail buses each day. Consolidation of Schools State Organization 1959, led to school busing. Later to grade school to Weldon, Junior High and High  School
to Osceola.Baseball, basketball, and wrestling have attracted many. Good roads have brought bus service on Highway 35 and Highway 69. Railroads are in financial trouble in 1980. Subsidized by the Government. Many railroads are done away with. Big trucks carry many products. There is controversy over larger trucks. Gas and oil prices have increased steadily. Heat and energy a problem. Solar heat is progressing. There is ethanol and gasohol. Big machinery and larger farms have meant an end of many family farms.  Vaccination
has put an end of many diseases including polio, measles, and small pox.Man landed on the moon, 1969. Electricity has brought many conveniences to the country. Security lights, radios, TV, refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers. Iowa, place to grow, has an emblem. We have: Rock and roll music, ERA Bill of Rights, Cut off jeans, and barefoot is a way of life. Restaurant doors have signs, "no shirts, no shoes, no service." Watergate has been a big scandal. Pope John Paul II, visited Iowa, October 4, 1979. Bottle and can bill became law the summer of 1979.  Talk
of registration for 18-year-olds.Gold and Silver prices vary. High inflation has hit an all time high. Gov. Ray designates 1980, Plant Iowa Year. Interest rates are very high. This affects many industries and employment, causing many layoffs because the companies are unable to sell their products. New Patrol Tower west of Interstate 35 was built May, 1976. Lighted May 20. Some mail boxes were located in Van Wert Nov., 1979. First mail delivery was Dec. 1, 1979. Several have found it convenient to move to small apartments in low housing areas. Nursing homes are important care for elderly. Large trailers hitched to pickups used to haul stock took place of local trucking. 55-mile speed limit with threat of heavier fines for violation. Modern bathrooms have replaced the "john" out back. John F. Kennedy - 1917 - '63, assassinated Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Metric system is coming to the United States, slow but inevitable. Many people commute to other towns for employment. Van Wert Telephone Co. closed the office May 1, 1974. Grand River Mutual had installed dial. Coffee and sugar prices have had their ups and downs. Farmers and others have done much demonstrating. 1979 - '80, mild winter. Talk of 5-day-a-week mail deliveries. James L. Carter - 39th President. Centennial Celebration being planned for June 21 and 22, 1980. "TO AVOID CRITICISM YOU SAY NOTHING, DO NOTHING, AND BE NOTHING." |
| WHAT MAKES A SMALL TOWN? |
| A small town is where you don't have to guess who your enemies are.
Your friends will tell you. A small town is the only place on earth "where people past middle age are called by their first names when they saunter down the street". A small town is where everybody knows everybody else's car by sight -- and also where and when it goes. A small town is where few people can get away from lying about the year they were born. Too many people can remember them. A small town is where few people with various ailments can air them properly for sympathetic ears. A small town is where when you get the wrong number, you can talk for 15 minutes anyhow, if you want to. A small town is something like a big family -- ornery distant cousins, renegades and all. A small town is where city folks say there is nothing to do, but those who live there don't have enough nights in the week to make all the meetings and social functions. A small town is where everyone becomes a "neighbor" in time of need. A small town is where businessmen struggle for survival against city stores and shopping centers. A small town is where those same businessmen dig deep many times to help with countless fund-raising projects. A small town is where teenagers say there's nothing to do and then are surprised to learn that their big city peers are saying the same thing. A small town, when all is said and done, is a nice place in which to live. A small town knows all the news before it's published. They just read the hometown newspaper to see if the editor gets it right. A small town is where the ratio of good people to bad people is something like 100 to 1. That's nice to remember. A small town is where it is hard for anybody to walk to work for exercise because it takes too long to stop and explain to people in cars, who stop, honk, and offer a ride. -- Leon Journal, Jan. 8, 1976 -- |
| 'ENDING' |
| The 100 years of Van Wert's history which has been partially recorded here, will bring to mind the many names of people and events which have not been mentioned. Let there be no doubts their efforts are not forgotten, and all are appreciated. As was stated in the beginning of this book, "it took courage, foresight, hard work, faith, and know-how to get this town where it is today. |
| Van Wert Pioneers of the Past and the Future, WE SALUTE YOU! |
| Pages 142 - 145 |
| Century of Memories Index *** History Index *** Decatur County IAGenWeb |