Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-03-05

in the spring large quantities of sugar;
extracting the sugar water in the INDIAN
style, cutting with the tomahawk a small
incision in the side of the tree, from the
incision were cut two spiral grooves up
ward some distance, placing q spile be-
meath the cut to conduct the sugar water
into the trough, formed of an oblong sheet
of white birch bark some q by feet
square, by gathering up the ends while
moist and tough, and tying them fast with
strips of elm bark, thereby forming a very
light, neat and convenient sugar water
trough, with handles. The process of sto-
ring and boiling we will omit here; suf-
| fee it to say that when an Indian or squaw
sugar cake is finished, cast when boiling
hot into wooden moulds, and when per-
fectly cold, it is out equal to flint to
strikefire with steel.
The two Indian Creeks in Geneva and
| Windsor were favorite haunts for copper
skinned hunters. The greatest and most
permanent encampments in Ashtabula
| Co. it appears, were in Wayne, on the
| PymatunIng, and Windsor on Grand riv-
er.
Here l would narrate to myself a rather
touching incident, as narrated to me by
| two early settlers of Windsor, an old man
and his wife, and u truthful old pioneer OF
Warren, who emigrated to that place in
| 1900, when the whole plot of Warren con-
tanned but two log cabins, one occupied
by Judge Quinby, the other by VIM. Fen
ton. OF ali the Indian tribes of the Re-
serve, was one small peaceful, harmless,
wandering tribe, consisting only of very
aged patriarch, his gentle helpmate and
numerous descendants, all loving, kind
and closely attached, In their almost
constant wanderinss, carrying their bark
and flag tents upon the backs of the
younger squaws, in rolls like bundles OF
carpeting, the Shenango settlement was
their eastern boundary, the Cuyahoga
their western, generally; making short
halts on intermediate creeks. The two
old heads very aged and infrn, were treat
ed with all the filial care and respeett ever
due to the aged. At last the patriarch
died anu was buried on the bank of Grand
River, either in Harpersfeld or Madison,
(my informants knew not which. At the
death and burial, in solemn Indian style,
the most heart-rending shrieks, mourning
and lamentations were uttered with short
intervals of gloomy silence, the customa-
~ number of days, when the camp with
all its appendages set out in mourntul Or
der southward, taking the feeble old moth |
er of the wandering tribe on bier of rude
construction, made easy for her ancient
bones, by placing man. skins OF sottest
furs beneath her. Thus moving through |
the wilds of Grand River, a sr.ort halt was
madeat theIndian encampmenl IN Wind
sor. Going thence southerly, ha 1t OF a
few minutes was made at Warren, the old
woman receiving the kindest attention al
the way. Here the bier was gently lower
ed to the earth, whilst one of the party
procured small quantity of whisky for
the weary ones. A little was offered the
old woman, who appeared almost gone;
she motioned her disinclination, and was
again pressed to take trife She then,
as was supposed, drank about thimble
full, when with gasp, slight choking.
low murmur, feeble shrek closed the
scene. She was dead. With what feel
ings must we imagine the party then
raised the bier and moved to the Mahon-
ing some two or three miles distant, and
buried the mother OF the whole tribe, on
the wilderness bank of the river, where
the same intense mourning, weeping and
lamentation wasa gain enacted; after which
the party took still southerly course,
which is the last knowledge We could ob-
tain of them.