Editing Coppock, Iowa (section)

==History==
John Coppock and Thomas Tucker built a [[grist mill]] and [[saw mill]] on the [[Skunk River (Iowa)|Skunk River]] in 1859.  The grist mill was on the north bank of the river about 1/8 mile (1/4&nbsp;km) east of what is now Locust St.  John's son Thomas Coppock built a general store nearby, and the Coppock businesses became a social center for the surrounding area.  By 1877, when John Coppock died, the grist mill was a four-story building, and the operation included 360 acres of land, 4 houses and a [[ferry]].<ref name=McCarley>Rebecca Lawin McCarley ,[https://www.waylandiowa.com/vertical/sites/%7B66BF1712-A26F-4097-97D9-123794577CF0%7D/uploads/Recon_Survey_of_Jefferson_Twp_-_Henry_Co__6.30.2016.pdf Reconnaissance Level Historical and Architectural Survey of Jefferson Township, Henry County, Iowa], SPARK Consulting, Davenport, Iowa, June 13, 2016; pages 17, 28-29, 31-32, 38-39, 41, 54, 113, photo of Coppock's mill, p32.</ref><ref>[http://www.beforetime.net/iowagenealogy/washington/platmap1894/MarionTWP.html Marion Township], Plat Maps of Washington County, 1894; the mill is shown on the west side of the SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 36. Retrieved July 2020.</ref>

Coppock's mill was the site of a battle in 1882 between the [[Iowa Central Railway]] and the narrow-gauge [[Burlington and Western Railway]] for locations of bridges across the [[Skunk River (Iowa)|Skunk River]].<ref name=LotzFranzen>David Lotz and Charles Franzen, 'Rails to a County Seat', The Print Shop, Washington Iowa, 1989; page 40.</ref>  The Burlington and Western was later widened and taken over by the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy]] and the Iowa Central was taken over by the [[Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway|Minneapolis and St. Louis]].

With the coming of the railroads there was major development around the mill.  The town of Coppock was platted in 1882, with 4 city blocks.  The two railroads paralleled each other in a broad curve south of the town, each with its own depot, passing siding, stock yard and, water tank.  The Burlington and Western also had a [[coaling station]].  John Coppock Jr. bought the mill and dam in 1883, and by 1887, the mill was a 40 by 50 foot, six-story building.  Ice harvesting became an important winter business in this era, the [[Burlington and Western Railway|Burlington and Western]] built a siding for loading ice.  The Burlington and Western also advertised the availability of gravel and unlimited quantities of crushed-stone from Coppock.<ref name=McCarley /><ref>Coppock, Olds, Oakland Mills, [https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Aatlases_735 Standard Atlas of Henry County, Iowa], Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1917; page 18, upper left.</ref><ref>T. W. Barhydt, Burlington and Northwestern Railway -- Burlington and Western Railway, [https://archive.org/details/bulletinuniteds01statgoog/page/n193/mode/1up Road Materials and Transportation Rates, Office of Road Inquiry Bulletin No. 5], USDA, 1894.</ref>

By the end of the century, Trite's Park and Brown's Park competed for the tourist business, offering swimming, boating, picnic grounds and facilities for group activities.  There was even a small steamboat available for charter trips on the river and a "tobbogan slide" into the water, all within walking distance of the railroad stations.  Excursions were coordinated with the [[Burlington and Western Railway]], which allowed a passenger car to be chartered from [[Burlington, Iowa|Burlington]], set out on a siding at Coppock for the day, and then picked up by the evening train for the return trip to Burlington.  These parks were destroyed by a major flood in 1903.<ref name=LotzFranzen /><ref name=McCarley />

Coppock was incorporated as a city on Feb. 24, 1902.  By that time, the town had a hotel, multiple general stores and a blacksmith shop in addition to the mill.  The population peaked at over 100 between 1910 and 1920, but declined to 93 by 1930.  The former Coppock mill was moved to [[Wayland, Iowa|Wayland]] in 1917.  At that time, the two railroads still had   The [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway|Burlington Route]] stopped service through  Coppock in 1934 and pulled up the tracks a year later.  In 1935, the road from Wayland to Coppock was graveled, making it passable year round.  The [[Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway|Minneapolis and St. Louis]] continued to operate through 1971.<ref name=LotzFranzen /><ref name=McCarley />