TWO DESTRUCTIVE FIRES

In February, 1880, a fire destroyed every building from the corner building, now
occupied by the Geelhoed store, south to the alley. At that time A. H. Viersen
had both the Postoffice and his residence in the building on the corner, and
this was saved. We could not secure a complete list of those who were doing
business in the district destroyed, but from memory we believe that the
principal losers were Banner G. Bowen. merchant; Van der Zyl Bros., meat market;
Wm. DeBruin, saloon, and John R. Johnson, blacksmith shop.

In April, 1881, the East side was swept by a fire that totally destroyed all the
buildings from the three-story building on the corner of Main and Franklin
streets, north to the Van der Meulen alley. The merchants whose business was
destroyed, counting from the north, were: H. Bomgaars, shoe shop; L. Bakker,
bakery and groceries; H. Roeloefsz, bakery and groceries; L. Bach, drygoods and
clothing; Van Der Meulen Bros., hardware.

The drug store of F. W. Brinkhoff, across the alley north from Van Der Meulen's,
was also seriously damaged when the north wall of the Van Der Meulen building,
in falling, knocked a hole in the south wall of the drug store, that to the best
of our recollection was not less than twenty feet wide.

Showing the West End of Franklin Street, South Side the Square

IMPORTANT MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENTS OF PELLA WHO HELPED BUILD UP THE CITY

Snow & Huber, Schermerhorn & Rhynsburger, Voorhees & Bousquet, H. De Booy,
Overkamp & Wormhoudt, Wm. Slob, C. Rhynsburger, J. D. Gaass, B. H. Van
Spanckeren, John Dykstra, F. W. Brinkhoff, B. F. Keables, H. Van de Ven, P.
Kruidenier, G. Wormhoudt & Co., U. A. Van Der Meulen & Co., A. N. Van der
Linden, Kruidenier Bros., Slob Bros., Ver Steeg Bros., Kuyper & Son, Aikins &