SIDEWALKS

SIDEWALKS. Dubuque residents as early as the 1800s were held responsible for the maintenance of sidewalks in front of their property. The locations of sidewalks needing repair were listed in the newspaper. The width of sidewalks was debatable.

The fear of CHOLERA led to city-wide cleaning activities in 1866. Sidewalks were the focus of attention as well as ALLEYS. Residents were told to clear their sidewalks of boxes and rubbish so "as not to impede locomotion." (1)

Editorials of 1872 agreed with property owners on less traveled streets that sidewalks of six or eight feet in width were just as good as those constructed ten to twelve feet wide.

The removal of snow was a particular focus of Mayor Christopher H. BERG.

In May 1901, Augustine A. COOPER was notified that he would have to appear and defend in the case brought against the city by a citizen injured on a defective sidewalk on the Cooper premises along West 5th. This was the first time the city had used its power to compel property owners to defend in cases of injury where the property owner had been negligent in keeping the sidewalks in good condition. (2)

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Source:

1. "Clean the Sidewalks," Dubuque Herald, April 24, 1866, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18660424&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

2. "Cooper Must Appear," Dubuque Daily Telegraph, May 1, 1901, p. 2

Brick sidewalks continue to be rare in the twentieth-first century.

See: SIDEWALK MARKERS