Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-05-30
AT COUNTY HERALD
The Results of Making Kansas a

making hanSas ifee Ttdte, Y
The SoUTH of the I'd inst. ~
"kaHsas will become an -,
post OF abolitionisin, gaFe.thsrs =
by the most restless. .a.;on and
Gus and fearless u e. =
may be rallied :'0oa' 'ney 'ouna -. ~
cause. II -@of perils WHICH ,A'' m
'.. at the very threshold. There was
theBlack Hawk war and the sqautter war;
tie war of want and the war OF starvation
ALI calling for recruits. Perhaps there
is but one class of civilized people IN all the
world who are naturally organized pio-
neers: the gallant Saxon can begin at the
letter A, and go through with the whole
alphabet of pioneer life and come out OF
it pretty decent man; we don't believe
any other can. He alone can shape him
self to every circumstance and square his
conduct by the rule of savage, saint or
sinner-soldier, quaker or schoolmaster.-
He can work in any sort Of harness and pull
at either end of the cart. The Saxon Yam
kee pioneer, fights in war and advocates
peace; he praises God and serves the dev-
il, dwells in poverty and enjoys as much OF
the world as lord. A law unto them
eel, es, they regard all law as innovation
vet are law abiding class Of men. lg-
noring the arts and fashions, they admire
progress and manly accomplishments
They weigh in their balances all that IS
offered-rejecting what is too light and ac-
eeptiug what holds out. Indeed, were it
not for the nice qualities of the Saron
Pioneer Yankee, the United States would
be only small spec, with small point
Whitfield of.
We have felt agreeably complimented
for week by visit from one of these an
Gent fsndmarks-father LEVI GILBERT,
now 90 years old. We give from mem
ory a few of his early recollections; he has
q remarkable memory Of dates, names and
the particulars of events from the time OF
his arrival in the country in the spring Of
1926 to the present. Himself and wife
first settled in Otway Hollow, two miles
above Galena-commenced mining. In
June 1927 went to the present site OF Cass-
vile, where about 100 miners were living
in huts, built of poles and covered with
bark; not house appeared between
Shullsburgh and Casssihe. Judge Sawyer
came and erected furnace at Cassville
that year; be was TO give free dinner on
the 4th of July, but hearing of the hostile
demonstrations Of Indians just above, all
fed on the evening of July Sd, and the
place remained vacated for some time
MIR. Gilbert anu UrrTS r-~~---.-..l
and went to work; Mccartney selected
the farm site where he now resides apd
commenced improving. The Black Hawk
war sooss commenced and ali fled to Gale
ma or some place affording protection
MIR. Gilbert finding Cassville dull place
went to Blue river in the fall of 1928, and
settled at the present site of Wingville
where tue first house was erected tina,
year. The first house erected at Platte
vile was in 1927; Gen. Rountree first
swent there, having found some mineral
dug cut by q BadgerE.Platteville was first
settled by Badgers, next by Rountree and
others; at present, there are no Badgers
at Platteville. The first Improvements at
Potesi were made in 1926, where Tom
Hymer found some mineral and Jesse
Chandler. They soon fed from the In
dams. Improvements were commenced at
Hazel Green sthen Scrabble) in 1925, latter
the Black Hawk war. Fairplay started in
1s4l by miners. Sam Lemon, now re-
siding at Beetown, crossed the river from
Dubuque in Fs29-thought he was the
discoverer of Grant County and proceeded
to take possession of all the country be-
tween Dunleith and Beetown-found his
claim jumped and compromised by
taking only so much as he could travel
over in half day. Muscoda was COM
menced in 1898, and remained in stat,.
quo under the Parishes for 20 years. The
coolest winter since 1926 was in 1913;
except the winters of Sc and 81, which
Mr.. Gilbert thinks we're as cold as that of
'43, or about the same.
Father Gilbert, never having seen a
Railroad, went to Boseobel this spring on
purpose to see one; the gentlemanly con-
ductor invited him to take free ride to
Muscoda and treated him with as much
respect as father returned special car
for his benefit, landing the old Pioneer at
Boscobel delighted with the sights he had
seen. We have a notion that conductor
l., I I