Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

quite a radical departure from the usual red! The old
1938 Peter Pirsch, that had served so faithfully. was
retired. It is still kept at the fire station and used
occasionally in parades.
In 1968, Bob Miller succeeded Bob Lincoln as fire
chief. Don Brady was elected to the chiefs position in
1969 and continued in that capacity until 1981, except
for one year Keith Vernon was at the helm.
in 1980, a new fire station was built in the southeast
part of the city. The previous addition of a rescueequipment
van and rural fire department tanker.
along with a new'city pumper purchased in 1977.
created over-crowded conditions in the old station that
had served the community since early in the century.
The new building provided plenty of room to house the
vehicles, as well as better facilities for training.
Ivan Eden was elected chief in 1981, and continues in
that position at the time of this writing.
In 1978, a new radio system was installed to more
efficiently alert the volunteer fighters. A personal
paging system was installed and each fireman was
issued a small radio receiver that combined an alert
signal with verbal instructions on the location and
nature of the fire or other emergency.
Whether conflagrations were of major proportions, or
minor and routine nature, the Anamosa Volunteer
firemen responded to the call for help with their
expertise and specialized equipment. It has been said
that many men have risked life and limb to assist a
friend, but only fire fighters routinely risk the same for
strangers.
Father-son combinations are not unusual in the
history of the Anamosa Fire Department. Charles E.
Arthur was a firemen in the 1880s, his son Charles G.
was a firemen in the early 1900s and his son, Charles R.
was a firemen in the late 1940s and early 1950s, until
he moved from Iowa. However. the Downing family
holds the record. D.A. "Dad" Downing was a fire
department officer in the early part of the century. His
son, L.A. ‘Bud" Downing was an active member in the
1920s. D.A. "Buddy", son and grandson of the former
mentioned, is a 23-year member of the fire department
and Buddy's son, Dirk Downing, joined the department
in 1982.
The Stage Coach Era
compiled by Bertha Finn
A line of stagecoaches, known as the Frink 81 Walker,
stopped at Anamosa‘s various post office locations until
1854. when the line was sold to the Western Stage
Company. This line continued in business until July 1.
1870. During 1844, Frink Er Walker routed a stage
coach over the Military Road from Dubuque. Eight
passengers could be accommodated, if one rode with
the driver. From four to six horses were used,
depending on the road conditions.
The young “urchins” were fired up with ambition to
become one of those kingly men, who wielded those
long-lashed whips. and blew their bugles when
approaching a town or village. To the young observer.
one of life's greatest thrills was to steal a ride in the big
boot behind the rocking coaches.
However, as grown-ups, they soon lost the desire to
gaze starry-eyed at the stages once they had the
experience of riding in them.
The editor of the Eureka, Edmund Booth, relates his
experience in traveling on the Western Stage Company
coach while traveling to attend an Iowa's editorial
convention held in Des Moines: "Editors who attended
the convention have almost universally returned home
in high dudgeon. True, they did not show an excess of
undignified temper, but they are sharply sarcastic on
the Western Stage Co. for inadequate supply of coach
room, for drunken drivers, snail pace, etc., and on high
charges for lodging and eatables at Des Moines.
McCreery, the Dubuque Times local, gave this report of
the situation, ‘Coffee 25 cents per cup; cream, per
teaspoon. 15 cents; sugar, ditto; use of teaspoon, 20
cents: beefsteak, per square inch, 50 cents; boiled
potatoes 40 cents each: sleep, $1.50 per hour, snoring
an extra 10 cents per snore."
Later Booth reminisced about the Frink & Walker
stages, and with the characteristics of most persons
when remembering the ‘good ol‘ days‘. remembered
the best. He wrote: "The old settlers remember the
Frink 81 Walker 4-horse coaches with their big rocking
beds; the lofty throne on which the kingly driver was
perched in front of the big boot, behind which the boys
dearly loved to steal a ride. And what urchin's soul in
those days was not fired with the supreme and almost
consuming ambition to become one of those kings, and
touch up the leaders with that enchanting long-lashed
whip, and play the inspiring bugle call whose tones
were sweeter than the re-echoing notes of the Swissshepherd
on his Alpine horn?“
He continued."Even Jonathan Akers two-horse
‘jerky’, running between Anamosa and Maquoketa.
possessed the attractions that were not to be sneezed
at, musically and otherwise. and they were appreciated
by Jonathon, if not by many others. As he approached
the suburbs of the various towns on the route, he
brought forth his hom of many marvelous sounds and
gave his nags a final ‘cut’ to stir their lagging ambition
for a proper entry into the metropolis."
"Yes, there were many sober and brave drivers
during the Frink & Walker era, and for their
faithfulness and heroism in enduring night and day,
the perilous cold and deep snow drifts of winter, the
dangers of bottomless sloughs in the spring, and the
storms and heat of summer, they were worthy of
kingship and of the crown of enduring good will from all
who placed themselves in their charge without fear,
and who looked to them as the bearers of mesages of
good tidings from loved ones far away."
Jonathan Akers, referred to by Mr. Booth, died in
1902. Akers was almost 67 years old. He had come to
Jones county in 1856 and drove a stage on the mail
route for several years in the mid- 1860s. He came about
noon to Anamosa and used the bugle to announce his
arrival. He carried passengers and light freight.
Another stage coach driver who traveled through
Anamosa in the early days of the town was Hank Hall.
For over 50 years he drove a stage during the "stirring
times of pioneer life“, beginning this line of work when
he was 15 years old. He worked around Chicago, and
later the Dubuque to Iowa City route, and finally went
west to Denver, Colorado.
However, he was living in Council Bluffs when he was
convicted of murdering his wife, and spent some time
at the penetentiary at Anamosa. He was pardoned in
1904, so his remaining years could be spent as a free