"D. W. King and Thomas Gainer, the first settlers of any advantage to the country, reached here in 1839 and soon after made a permanent settlement on the west side of the river.
"The house of Shepard was soon found to be the home of a lawless band of outlaws, who secreted much of their plunder on the islands in the river above the city. John Young and a man named Granger were connected with Shepard in their work. They stole at one time six horses and made good their escape with four of them. Granger was afterwards convicted of passing counterfeit money in Chicago and sentenced to the Alton prison for four years. The fate of Young is not known with certainty, yet there is evidence to induce the belief that he was executed for murder, in a neighboring state, though he assumed a different name.
"The privations of the first settlers were at times very great, and though such as are not uncommon in the history of pioneer life, would cause many of our amateurs at the present time to sigh for the home of their childhood and a place at the luxurious tables of their fathers.
PROGRESS
"In 1849 D. W. King established ferries for crossing the Cedar, and continued to run them up to the time of his death. The one doing most of the business was at the Iowa avenue crossing. As it is probable that these boats will soon, if indeed they have not already made their last voyage, a brief note of them may not be out of place in this connection. They were self-propellers, being forced across the river by the power of the current. A wire rope extended across the stream upon which a pulley was placed, and connected by means of two ropes to the boat.
"The first dam across the Cedar was commenced in 1842, and the first saw mill erected in 1843, and is still running.
"In March, 1843, the lands came into the market. The first flouring mill was erected in 1844-5 at a cost of $3,000, by the present owner. In 1845 A. Ely erected the second saw mill, and the second flouring mill the following year, the latter costing about $9,000. In 1848-9 the woolen factory was erected at a cost of about $8,000. The first saw mill was erected in 1850 by Greene, Legare & Co. This has a chair and bedstead factory connected and cost about $4,000. These are all propelled by water power. In 1855-6, Greene & Graves erected a steam saw mill, and containing also a variety of other machinery. The first and only mill erected on the west side of the river went into operation in the summer of 1856. The first steam engine was stationed in this city by A. Hager, in his machine shop, sash, blind, and door factory in 1855. The second by Greene & Graves, and the third by S. L. Pollock.
"The first store was opened by J. Greene, in the building now occupied by the postoffice, on the northwest corner of Iowa avenue and Washington street.
"The second store was opened by Mr. Cleveland, and C. R. Mulford the third. This was located on Commercial street, and was destroyed by fire in 1850, being the first building thus destroyed in Cedar Rapids. No fire occurred thereafter until late in the autumn of 1855, when most of the block embraced on the west side of Commercial street, between Iowa avenue and Linn street, was consumed. No fire has occurred since.
"The postoffice was established in 1847, and J. Greene appointed postmaster.