BEGINNING OF AUDUBON, IOWA Figure 1 - Postcard dated 1911 Geographically, Audubon is situated on the southwest quarter of Section 21, township 80, range 35 west. It is in Leroy Township which places it nearly in the center of Audubon County, only deviating a mile and a half from true center. It stands on gentle hills which are not steep and in no way hinder building of business or residence property. Audubon County lies in the third tier of counties east of the Missouri River and in the fourth north of the State of Missouri, contains twelve congressional townships and has an area of 446 square miles. Audubon County was created by an act of the legislature of 1851 out of the then large county of Keokuk. It was named for John James Audubon, the great naturalist, who died in 1851 and who may have traveled near this area on his last collecting trip along the Missouri River in 1843. The land upon which the city is situated was a part of the numerous tracts granted the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad by the government. The town was platted by the railroad on September 23, 1878. The city fathers decided that the city should have the name of Audubon, also. An article appeared in the October 19, 1905 issue of the Advocate-Republican at the time Audubon celebrated its 27 th birthday. Mr. E.J. Freeman, the Father of Audubon gave access to a letter he had written in the fall of 1879, describing the platting and first days in Audubon. It was sometime in August, 1878 that Mr. Freeman accompanied J. L. Drew, the land commissioner and other officers of the Page 1 of 6
Rock Island on a trip through the valleys of the East Botna and Blue Grass creek in this county. The result was the selection of the present site of Audubon about the middle of September. Mr. Freeman received a plat of the first subdivision of Audubon for record, and soon after directions were given for a sale of the lots after due notice had been given. On October 7, he occupied the first building erected on the town site which had been built by the company. On October 15, the first lots were sold, and Mr. Freeman was much surprised to find that instead of having but a few sales, at the close of the first day, they aggregated the sum of $6,190. D.W. Mathias, the Frahm Brothers and the Cloughley Brothers were all at work on their future business houses before night of the first day. The first improvements were expensive because all of the building materials had to be hauled from Atlantic or Carroll. The railroad did not reach here until December of 1878, when Mr. Freeman s office was used for a station, express office, land agency, and a general assembly room for everybody. Soon a building was erected for a station and accommodations were increased to a more comfortable and convenient extent. The quarter section on which the town was built had been valued by the assessor at $800; but at the end of three months the assessment was placed at $90,000. At the time the city of Audubon was platted, Rutherford B. Hayes was serving as the president of the United States. John H. Gear of Burlington was serving as the governor of the state, having been inaugurated in January, 1878. The 17 th general assembly serving then enacted several important laws which Figure 3 - Postcard of Audubon s main street 1914 increased the salaries of judges Figure 2 - Postcard of South Park from early 1900's Page 2 of 6
and legislators, reorganized the state militia, and established a state board of health, passed a joint resolution to vote on prohibition, gave Negroes the right to hold seats in the general assembly. Figure 4 - Park Hotel postcard from early 1900's BRIEF BACKGROUND OF ETHELBERT J. FREEMAN In 1867, eager to find for himself some of the new land further west of Illinois, Freeman set out for Iowa. He came to Exira in 1867 and the following year settled on 160 acres in Section 24, Leroy Township. In 1878, Freeman retained ownership of the farm, but established residence for himself and his family in Audubon. Freeman immediately became one of the most popular men in town at that time. He was justly named Father of Audubon and has been referred to thusly, since. Freeman was first and foremost in most public, social and political affairs and was renowned throughout the county. His influence was extensive and controlling in many ways. He was prominent in incorporation of the town and was its first mayor. Under his influence, the first school system was inaugurated in Audubon. He was agent for the sale of the railroad lands and the town lots. He helped establish lodges, the Grand Army post, band and drum corps, fire department and the county fair. He was instrumental in installation of the city s water works and electric light plant and was the manager of both for many years. He was a member of the band and drum corps and various Masonic lodges. Page 3 of 6
FIRST RESIDENT OF AUDUBON The land upon which the city of Audubon is located was homesteaded by Ed Robinson. The Robinson family had passed through the area while traveling by covered wagon from Canada in 1858, and staked the claim at that time, staying about a year. Then they moved on to Nebraska, returning in 1871, seven years before the town was platted. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad were built in 1878, after being granted 163,000 acres of choice land. The railroad then claimed the land which Robinson claimed. By living on the land over five years, Mr. Robinson had Homesteader s rights to it. It was necessary for him to sell off parcels of it, as land was needed for development by the city. The family first lived in a dugout and later built a sod hut. It was the custom of pioneer railroad builders when they knew they were going to open a new section of county, to contact important people with capital and ability, to serve as advance agents. They planned for the development of the county by making it attractive to settlers. Strategic points were sought and the agent tried to stimulate business around these locations even before the railroad was built. These men were always acquainted with company officials and well informed concerning railroad planning. Charles Stuart was serving as an advance agent. He was an energetic, progressive and far-sighted man when he first promoted the settlement of the towns of Stuart and Adair, and later Audubon. Captain Stuart came to Iowa with Mr. Thomas S. Musson, who also settled in Audubon County, and Mr. Grinnell, who Figure 6 - Captain Charles Stuart and bride, Lois Gray (going away picture) Figure 5 - Captain Charles Stuart founded Grinnell College. The three men were life-long friends in Vermont. William McLaren, another family friend in Vermont, came to Page 4 of 6
Iowa and settled in Audubon County after Charles Stuart, and later named one of his sons after the captain. The son was Charles Stuart McLaren who became a practicing dentist in Audubon. George Gray, who platted the town of Gray in 1881, was a brother of Lois Gray Stuart, wife of Captain Stuart. Mr. Gray, who also came from Vermont, was in the lumber, grain and coal business in the town named for him, as well as owning several thousand acres of land in the area. The first telephone in Audubon County was strung from the Stuart office in Audubon out to his ranch near the Guthrie County line. The wire was hung on trees and fence posts and passed the Musson farm. Mrs. Musson was the first telephone operator, from her house, when more families hooked on to the line. Mrs. Musson was also the first rural postmistress and delivered the mail by horseback. William G. Stuart, son of Captain Stuart, managed the family s business interests at Audubon until his untimely death in 1890 at the age of 34 years. Lois Gray Stuart, Captain Stuart s widow, then took charge of the business. In 1893-94 she founded the Corn Exchange Bank at Audubon, which continued with various cashiers until 1907, when it was bought and merged in the Van Gorder First National Bank of Audubon. In 1894 Lois Stuart organized the Stuart Bank at Exira. After four years it was sold. After Captain Stuart s death, Lois Stuart built the large home known as the Stuart Mansion at the corner of Chicago and East Division streets in Audubon. She was a most generous benefactor of the Presbyterian Church at the time the present building was erected, matching each dollar subscribed and then making up a deficiency at the end. Figure 7 Lois Stuart Mansion (today) Captain Charles Stuart died at his home near Osceola, Illinois, on June 9, 1889. His funeral and burial services, in accordance with his wishes, were conducted in Audubon, where a special train carried his family and friends from Illinois and Iowa. Captain Stuart, Lois Stuart, and William G. Stuart are all buried in a family burial plot in the northeast part of the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. Page 5 of 6
Figure 8 - Front of envelope dated 1913 Figure 9 - Back of envelope dated 1913 Page 6 of 6