Lone Tree Community School - Elm Yearbook (Lone Tree, IA)

Page 13 text:

Newspaper The Lone Tree Branch was established on April 2, 1892, by O. S. Todd of the Colum- bus Junction Safeguard. This four-page paper was printed in Todd’s office and sent to Lone Tree for distribution. The Branch was issued for three months by the co- operation of the businessmen to give the paper a start. William E. Horrel was the first local correspondent for the paper, but he gave up the job after a few months. Hattie Underwood succeeded him in this work of gathering the local news and sending it to Mr. Todd. In 1894, W. H. Younkin moved a newspaper office to Lone Tree where he conducted it after selling an interest to Hattie Underwood. The paper adopted the name of Lone Tree Reporter in 1895. The office of the paper was first located over a store on the west side of Main (Devoe) Street where Shellady’s Grocery Store is now. Later, W. H. Younkin purchased a lot on south Main (Devoe) Street and built a new home for the Reporter. In 1898, this office was wiped out by fire, a big loss to the publisher. For four weeks, until a new printing press could be installed, Mr. Younkin put the paper out each week by printing it in Iowa City. Finally, he purchased the two- story building on Commercial (Front) Street, which is still the home of the paper. The ownership and editorship of the Reporter has changed hands many times. Today, R. Stewart Bell fills both positions. Fire Department Before 1 893, Lone Tree was without and did not consider fire protection of any kind. Several attempts were made to organize a fire company and in 1894 a committee of three, including John Kelso, David Kirkpatrick, and John W. Jayne, purchased fire fighting equipment. This, however, was not the actual organization of the fire depart- ment because there was no organized group of firemen. The first type of fire truck pulled by hand by means of a long rope. The fire department was organized in Sep- tember, 1907, and on January 8, of the following year, a fire whistle was purchased at the price of $38.00. The Zimmerman Steel Company The Zimmerman Steel Company was once a flourishing enterprise which was started by William C. F. Zimmerman and his five boys, and which sold products all over the world. It was with great pride that the people of Lone Tree pointed to this company as a symbol of progress and integrity, and they regretted to see Mr. Zimmerman move his plant to Bettendorf, Iowa, to take advantage of river freight rates. In writing this story about the Zimmerman Steel Company many references were used. The only written source, however, was a book entitled, Leading Events in John- son County (Western Historical Press, Cedar Rapids, 1912.) Many of the local resi- dents have presented facts they knew concerning the plant. From these sources this account has been compiled. The Zimmermans lived on the farm on which “the lone tree” is located. After the boys were old enough to tend the farm, William C. F. Zimmerman ran a saloon in Lone Tree directly south across the street from the present site of the Corbett Lum- ber Company (east side of Main (Devoe) Street). 9

Page 12 text:

The second floor also has cloakrooms and restrooms. There are 118 students in high school and 264 in grade school this year (1955). Business Directory 1882 According to Mrs. Morris Kelso and V. Smid the following business establishments were located here in 1882. M. Baker M. C. Oglevee. . . M. R. Hill Son. . . H. Constant J. M. Lee G. W. Hensley. . . Richard Huskins. . . Joseph Yakish. . . W. H. Nell Hotel James Menzer. . . C. M. Cott John Vandraska. . , J. C. Weiser J. Oglevee A. H. Brown J. A. Lee Lane Brothers. . . . H. Linder Stock Buyers Kate McCarthy. . . Cott and Pullen. . . Anton Fisher. . . . Incorporation In August, 1890, the progressive spirited citizens incorporated the town of Lone Tree and elected George Windess mayor. Lone Tree Savings Bank In April, 1891, the Lone Tree Savings Bank was incorporated with $10,000 capital and in September of the same year it opened for business. The original incorporators were: A. W. Leonard, John Burr, A. H. Brown, John Oglevee, J. M. Lee, Andrew Rubelman, and John A. Goetz. The bank has had seven presidents. They were: A. H. Brown, John A. Goetz, E. P. Whitaker, David Kirkpatrick, Joseph Walker, and W. R. Brewster. H. C. Buell is now president. The bank hashad four cashiers. They were: Charles Fernstrom, D. Bestor, and H. C. Buell. Ralph Hudachek is the cashier at the present time. Grain Elevator In 1892, two important additions were made to the town. The first was a new elevator located on the pre- sent site and owned by Dayton Riggs and David Kirk- patrick. This elevator was destroyed by fire in 1907 and in the following year the present elevator was built. Another fire in 1936 damaged the building extensively and and destroyed machinery and much grain. The elevator was rebuilt immediately on the same site northwest of the town hall. Pictures At Right: TOP: Elevator and Depot (1908). BOTTOM: Elevator (1955).

Page 14 text:

TOP: Jewel Manufacturing Company. MIDDLE: Zimmerman Manufacturing Company and Electric Power Plant. BOTTOM: Foreground. Railroad Depot. Background. Zimmerman Plant. Later he owned a hardware store on the same side of the street. Among other things he sold binders and corn planters. About this time a man named Bennett started making windmills in a building across from the present location of the school building. Later Mr. Zimmerman went into partnership with Bennett and they called their firm the Jewell Manufacturing Company. Mr. Zimmerman invented a stump puller (grubber), and in 1895 he and Miles C. Bateman began the manufacture of these stump pullers in a shanty 12 x 16 with a board roof and no floor, located in the rear of the Jewel Manu- facturing Company. (Mr. H. R. (Pete) Zimmer- man said his father got the idea for the stump puller from watching a windlass work. He whittled a wooden model which was used as a pattern for manufacture.) The company's first location was too small. The partners moved their business to a location east of the present (1 955) site of the Corbett Lumber Company. They continued to make stump pullers. Bateman sold his share in the company to Zimmerman and on March 1, 1908, the firm's name was changed to the Zimmerman Steel Company. There is some question about the third site, but, according to H. C. Buell, the Zimmermans had a couple of long, wooden buildings north of the tracks before 1903. This third location failed to serve the needs of the growing business and in 1909 a new fireproof foundry was built of steel and concrete with a floor space of 72 by 116 feet. The building was built north of the railroad tracks by the Zimmerman boys. Mention should be made of the fact that John Krai, still living in Lone Tree, made all the window frames for this building. Another present-day resident, Oscar Green, worked for many years in the Zimmerman plant. The Zimmerman firm was the first steel plant west of the Mississippi River as well as in the state of Iowa. The principle raw materials used in the plant came from Duluth, Minnesota, and the Birmingham district in Alabama. Monarch Stump Pullers and Royal and Zimmerman Pitless Wagon (Farm) Scales were the main output of the plant. These products, especially the stump pullers, were sold in 23 foreign countries as well as through- out the United States. Examples of these countries are Mexico, Chili, East India, West Africa, Norway, Russia, Siberia, Germany, Japan, the Straits Settlements, and Australia. 10