SRHS
Steamboat Rock Historical Society
Growing Beyond Their Dreams
Steamboat Rock soon became know as far east as New York, and settlers hurried to be part of it’s growth. For a time it was considered to be the fastest growing town in the county.
The town was for the most part settled by pioneers who came from the eastern part of the United States. The largest number seem to have been from Ohio, and Indiana, but New York, Tennessee, North Carolina and other states were represented as well. There were few immigrants from foreign countries in those first years, with England being best represented in this regard.
Several factors were indeed responsible for the hasty growth of the town. Certainly the people were eminently responsible for the results of their hard work being rewarded by the expansion of the town. Some things may have been due to providence or even luck. The first important factor in this category was the opening of a postal station named “Lithopolis Station.”
“I stayed but a little while, but when I came back my horses were not to be seen or heard where I left them. Tracking them, they had started straight for Indiana, and crossed the river which was then deep, with their heads tied down. I never knew how they kept their heads out of the water, but there they were standing in the water holding one foot against the east bank, because they could not get out, it being too steep.”
Isaac set out immediately to build a small cabin on his property, and planted corn, potatoes, and some vegetables for a food supply. Isaac, recalled, “everything grew wonderfully.”