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Early History, by Dr. Rose cont'd (page 2)
Transcribed from the Tampico Tornado, Feb. 4, 1910 - Special "BOOM" Edition

The Tampico Business Men's association is made up from the members of our business interests, and this organization is wide awake to push any movement which will advance Tampico and vicinity. E.C. Boyer is president and T.W. Stock is secretary. The association has run several commercial excursions, and has inaugurated many movements for the good of the town.

The town is governed by a mayor, and a council of six members. John H. Daley is the mayor, and Frank Linder is town clerk. The council is composed of P.A, McMillan, Fred Brants, J. M. Jacobs, Albert Ferris, A.J. Glassburn and Robert McKenzie. The street Commissioner is James Fullerton, Sr. and the Police Officer is C. A  Van Drew. A monthly report is made to the latter official, and the fest evidence of the orderly character of our citizenship is the fact that month after month he reports "no arrests necessary." It is also pertinent in this connection to state that Tampico has no saloons. A city hall was built several years ago.

A newspaper "The Tampico Tornado" was started in 1876 by C. F. Gifford, who continued its publication until about nine years ago, when he sold it to A.D. Hill. Later it was purchased by George Isherwood, the present owner and publisher, who has guided its destinies for the past nine years. This is one of the oldest weeklies in the county, and whether it has kept pace with the lines or not, this issue is the best evidence. The Tornado has always stood for the right as it saw it, and has done its utmost to promote the advancement of the town, and county.

The spirit of fraternal organization is fostered by a number of successful societies such as the S. G. Steadman Grand Army Post No. 491, the Woman's Relief Corps, the Masonic Order, the order of the Eastern Star, The Modern Woodman of America, the Royal Neighbors, the Red Men, the Fraternal Reserve, the Mystic Workers, the American Star of Equity, the Yeoman of America, and the Fraternal Parliment, now just incorporating.

While the health of this section is rather above the average there are three physicians to care for the sick and to instruct the well how to remain so. These are Dr. E. W. Wahl, Dr. C.P.  Horner, and Dr. H.A. Terry, while our tooth troubles are cared for by Dr. P. A. McMillan.

As an indication of Tampico's importance as a business, and shipping center it may be said that the business done by the C.B. and Q Railway company at this point is greater than that done at any other station on this division of the line. The past year has shown a considerable increase in both passenger, and freight business over that of 1908. The principal freight shipments are grain, stock, butter, poultry and other farm products as this is essentially an agricultureal community.

Aside from our purely mercantile interests, which will be shown in our more detailed review in these columns, we may mention as among our business instituions, two banks, an electric light plant, two elevaters, a cremery, a poultry feeding and shipping plant, preparing dressed poultry for the eastern markets, a grist mill, a machine shop with fine, modern machinery, two wood working shops, a concrete block factory, a tile factory, and a cigar factory. The Farmers Mutual Telephone Company, with a capital of ten thousand dollars, has headquarters here, their system reaching all over the surrounding country. We also have the Interstate, and Bell telephone systems. These together with the Western Union Telegraph, put us in quick touch with the whole world.

Our agricultural resources, however, are the main stay of our prosperity. The soils of the surrounding country are rich, and productive. It is well watered, in fact originally there was much swamp land. Of the 140,000 acres of swamp land formerly in Whiteside county, one-fourth was in Tampico and Hahnaman townships. These lands have now, however, been drained by large drainage ditches, and laterals, which work has been through the formation of Un*** Drainage Districts, and the ****** are now among the most fertile in the county. They will produce from 50 to 60 bushels of corn to the acre and readily sell for $100 to $150 per acre. The subsoil is sandy, giving the best of drainage. During the past year the average product per acre in this section was of wheat 25 to 30 bushels, oats 30 to 50 bushels, and corn 50 to 80 bushels. There is fine timothy, and clover grown and some wild hay. Much fine improved stock, cattle, horses, hogs and sheep are raised and shipped from this point.

It is also a good fruit country, peaches, apples, cherries, pears, and all small fruit doiing exceptionally well.  The best of water for stock or domestic use may be had at from 20 to 30 feet deep. Just drive down a gas pipe, and put in a pump is the usual procedure.

The principal achievements of 1909 in constructive enterprises were first the paving with brick of Main street both in the business and residential portions. The town graded the street ready for the paving, and the property owners along the street paid the expenses of the paving. This was done at the request of the property owners, which evinces a high order of prgressiveness, and co-operation as ***************must usually be************.

The second notable enterprise was the completion of the first ten miles at the Dixon, Rock Falls, and Southwestern Electric Railway, which is now running from Tampico to and beyond Yorktown, almost to Hooppole. It is a standard guage line,  and is now operating to a steam locomotive temporarily. During the coming summer a power plant is to be built, and equipped either at Tampico or Hooppole, when the motive power will be changed to electricity. The line exchanges freight with the C.B. & Q at Tampico. Contracts have been let for rails for 25 miles more of track, which will be used to extend the line north to Sterling and south to Geneseo, the proposed route being from Dixon to Rock Falls, Sterling, thence Tampico, Yorktown, Hoopole, Geneseo, and Rock Island, with a branch leaving the main line four miles south of Tampico and extending through New Bedford, and Manlius, and eventually to Princeton, county seat of Bureau county, where it will connect with the McKinley system, therby connecting for Chicago, and St. Louis. The line is making two round trips daily between Tampico and Yorktown, though they have been somewhat hampered by the heavy fall of snow, as have all the railways in this section. Residents along the line are making use of this new outlet, and with the advent of better weather conditions a large business will be done.

The officers of the line are J.J. Burns, President and General Man - river, and lake systems, either by way of the Illinois River or the Mississippi, and by the latter to the sea.

Thus it will be seen that Tampico is especially fortunate in being the center of a rich, and productive agricultural country, surrounded by good markets, with both rail, and water routes giving her direct outlets to the uttermost parts of the earth.

While this is comparatively a young town, she possesses an earnest, and progressive spirit which has carried her over many difficulties in the past, and will place her well to the front in the years to come. May she as nobly bear her part in the future advancement of mankind, as she has in the past.

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