Robert Ellis

As printed in 1911

Ninety-three years of age, the most venerable citizen and patriarch of Cedar Rapids, no history of the city would be complete without extended mention of Robert Ellis. lie came to western Iowa when this portion of the state was a great unimproved district and still a part of Wisconsin territory, the prairie cover'ed with its native grasses, furnishing shelter to feathered game, while wild animals and Indians roamed at will over the district. Recognizing the natural advantages of the place Robert Ellis stated out a claim, and while other business interests drew him elsewhere for a time he has almost continuously resided in Cedar Rapids since that early day, or for a period of seventy-two years. It seems hardly possible that within the memory of living man this city has sprung up and grown to its present size, but. the record of its development has left an indelible impress upon the. memory of Mr. Ellis, who has always taken active and helpful part in the work of improvement and upbuilding here. Moreover, in this direction he has displayed marked ability and keen discernment, and success has crowned Ms efforts. lie is today one of the most prominent and honored citizens of Linn county.

A native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Ellis was born January 20, 1817. His parents, John and Elizabeth (Cairns) Ellis, were natives of Ireland but in early life crossed the Atlantic, becoming residents of the Keystone state, where the father followed, farming until his death in 1836. It was in this country that he married Elizabeth Cairns, who died in 1840. Robert Ellis was the eldest child of that marriage and is the only survivor of his father's children, John Ellis having had eight children by a former marriage.

In his native county Robert Ellis acquired his education and in 1837, when a young man of twenty years, started westward. He spent a year in Ohio and Michigan, and then crossed the Mississippi at Rock Island, Illinois, and followed an Indian trail through Iowa. He spent six weeks in what is now Cedar county, but learning that there was a more beautiful section still farther west, he resumed his journey. He was then scarcely more than a boy and was without money, but he was blessed with health and strength, with courage and determination. On the 6th of May, 1838, he reached the house of Michael Donahue in Sugar Grove and there spent the night. Two days later, on the 8th of May, he approached the site of Cedar Rapids. As he drew near from the east he was charmed with the view that was presented. Not knowing the exact location of the men who had settled here he was unable to decide which way to go, but observing the signs of travel in the brush near him he followed the stream and suddenly came upon a rude shanty which showed every indication of recent habitation by a white man. No person, however, was in sight. A path led to the river and down this Robert Ellis walked with rapid stride. He had gone but a few steps when he beheld a sight which thrilled him with horror. /There at his feet in a patch of gardening which was being dug up for seeding, lay the body of a man apparently lifeless. Mr. Ellis says that lie could feel his hair rise under his hat at the sight. The solemnity of the place, the desolation, the distance from civilization and the surprise of the situation all tended to increase the horror to the lonely traveler who thus stood face to face with the spectre of death. He was no coward but involuntarily he shouted aloud. The shout was as startling as the discovery and with the first sound the body suddenly stood erect. The situation was certainly novel. "Hello, stranger! Well I swan!" said the man. Explanations quickly followed. It seems that the pioneer farmer had become weary and had thrown himself on the ground in the warm sunshine for sleep. Such was the introduction of Mr. Ellis to Cedar Eapids. The man proved to be Phillip Hull, one of the first settlers in this part of the state.

Charmed with the country, Mr. Ellis secured a claim on the bluff overlooking the river where he now has his home. He marked out his one hundred and sixty acres by guess, as there was no surveyor here, blazing the trees to show the land had been taken, lie made no improvements thereon, however, until it came into the market in 1840, in which year George Greene succeeded in having the government land office changed temporarily from Dubuque to Marion. In the meantime Mr. Ellis worked in different ways in Iowa, "Wisconsin, Illinois and other states, while his friends looked out for his claim for him, which cost him a. dollar and a quarter per acre. There were indeed few families in this locality when he arrived in Cedar Rapids in 1838. From that time he took an active and helpful part in the early development of the city and county. In 1844 or 1845 he purchased four thousand bushels of wheat for a Dubuque firm. He found it necessary to construct three flatboats near Palo on which to load the wheat, and then proceeded down the Cedar to Burlington. He found the firm unable, on account of the money panic, to meet their obligation in currency, so they gave him flour in exchange, which he took down the Mississippi to New Orleans. He found that city affected also by the panic and on the deal just came out even.

In 1849, while in the pineries of Minnesota, Mr. Ellis read Governor Mason's report of the discovery of gold in California and resolved to make his way to the mines. He crossed the plains by way of Council Bluffs to the Platte river and remained on the coast for six or seven.years, returning to Cedar Rapids in 185G — the year in which the city charter was granted. He then secured a man to assist him in building a frame house, a part of which is still standing on his original claim. From that time to the present he has been closely associated with Cedar Rapids and her improvement.

On the 2d of July, 1857, Mr. Ellis was married to Miss Martha L. King, a daughter of William and Catherine (Ambrose) King. The mother was twice married, her first husband being a Mr. Listerbarger. Mrs. Ellis was born in Pennsylvania and died September 29, 1899. She was a member of the First Presbyterian church and was held in the highest esteem by all who knew her. There were nine children in the family, of whom the eldest is deceased, the others being: King W., Elizabeth, Herman R., Charles G., Ralph R., Amanda, "Wirt X. and George W.

In his political views Mr. Ellis has been a stalwart republican from the organization of the party and has served as township trustee and as president of the school district, but the honors and emoluments of office have had little attraction for him. He has preferred to labor for the public interest along other lines and he has witnessed marvelous changes in the surroundings during the long period of his residence here. He is today the oldest resident in Linn county and he relates many interesting tales and stories of pioneer times, when the red men roamed at will over this section of the country, when deer and other wild game were frequently seen and when one could travel for miles without coming to a. habitation or an indication that the seeds of civilization were being planted on the western frontier. In the early days he bought cattle and hogs and sold them at an Indian agency, also at Fort Atkinson and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. All who know him — and he has a most wide acquaintance — have ever realized that he is a generous man and a liberal-minded citizen. As the years passed on he made investment in property and became the owner of valuable landholdings. In 1901 the city purchased from Mr. Ellis forty-seven acres of his original claim and converted it into a park which was named in his honor Ellis Park. Because of Hie use to which it was to be put Mr. Ellis sold it at half its actual value, thus making a most generous donation to the city. Ellis Park is now one of the beauty spots of Cedar Rapids and will forever perpetuate the memory of the man whose name it bears.

As printed in History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time (1911). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.