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This little village on the Cedar, southwest from Albion, some eleven miles, was platted in 1879. A somewhat extended account has already been given of Adam Smith's negotiations with the county, the result of which was the ceding of a vast tract of land to him by the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. All that is further necessary to remark is that Cedar Rapids is the spot where Mr. Smith began his improvements, which have been continued by his son, Pierson Smith. There are now about fifty inhabitants in the town and several stores, besides a school and post office. The most important feature is the large mill, which has been erected by the Nebraska Land and Live Stock Company. The officers of this company are N. K. Fairbank, of Chicago, President; Pierson P. Smith, Vice President; F. H. Head, Secretary and Treasurer. Work was begun on the mill in June 1881, and it has just been completed. The mill is 44x37 feet, four stories high, besides the basement. In addition, there is a warehouse having a capacity of 30,000 bushels. The flour is made by the Hungarian process, and there are nothing but rollers in the mill. The capacity is 150 barrels of flour per day. The race is 400 feet long, and in that distance a natural fall of nine feet is secured. The total cost of the mill has been $30,000, and it is beyond question the finest mill in this section of the State. S. S. Hadley is the business manager of the company, and also superintendent of the mill.
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