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

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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

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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

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However, the Zimmerman concern did not remain in Lone Tree. In 1915 they moved to Bettendorf, Iowa, where they believed they would have better facilities. Here they lost the controlling stock in their business and eventually were no longer connected with the firm. Y-Hall Promoted by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lane, the Y-Hall was built in 1898. It provided a home for the Women's Christian Temperance Union. It also servea as a public hall which was used for council meetings, band concerts, elections and, for a short time as a post office. The hall still contains the town library, and serves as a meeting place for the Y-Book Club. It is often used, too, for bridal ••showers and card parties by people in the community who seek more space than their own homes provide. Water System In April, 1899, the first water works system was voted upon. Although it was warmly contested, it was carried by five votes. An unsuccessful attempt to put down an 8-inch well was tried in 1903. On January 23, 1906, a contract was let to G. W. Merridith for the completion of the system in May of the same year. Although Merridith started to drill the well, he did not finish the job. Townspeople eventually completed the well. The equipment that was installed is still used today to provide the town with water. There are now 200 water meters in Lone Tree. Post Office Although the Lone Tree Post Office has been located in many different buildings, it was first situated in a room adjacent to the old Grand Hotel, according to the Atlas of Johnson County, Iowa, of 1900. According to Michael Griebel, the present (1955) postmaster, the next location was on the east side of Main (Devoe) Street (where Jayne intersects) in the building which now houses Hill's Tavern. This was around 1916. Mr. Griebel relates that from 1921 until about 1936 the post office was located on Commercial (Front) Street where the Odd Fellows Hall is now. Next, the post office was located on the west side of Devoe Street where Shellady's Grocery store is now. In 1940 fire damaged this building and for approximately 6 months the post office was contained first in the Y-Book Hall and later in a storeroom back of a store on the west side of Devoe Street. By 1942 the post office had been established in a building (about the middle of the main business block on the west side of Devoe Street) that now houses the Ross Dry Goods Store. In 1946 it moved a few doors west of Devoe Street on the north side of Jayne Street where it is still located. Post Office (1955).