Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-10-27
ADDRESS.
DELIVERED At TIE ANIMAL FAIR OF THE
Pierce Co. Agriculture Society
HELD AT PRESCOTT, OF. -. 1866.
By Prof. A. 4. Weld.

quietly pursuing my chosen ayOcation IN
n Southern cline, friend, whom l had
not seen for many wears, called on me
TO soiourn q willie. He had been wan
derer. He had passed his childhood
and youth among the Gleen Mountains,
and in the maturity O! age, set out to
seek fortune and a home. He said he
had tried the prairies Of the West, and
sckcned and almost died from their pes
tilential vapors; that he had tried the
" SUNNY South and plucked evergreens
from the groves Of Florida, anl psrtici-
pated in the luxurious ease of that favor
ed cline, but turner with sickening dis
gust from the social inequalities eugen-
dercd by aristocracy and lcgaIized op-
preston; he had tried the misty climate
of the Middle States, until be could no
longer endure the rheumatic pains in
duced by damp AMI chilly atmosphere;
but at length said he in an ccstacy Of le-
light, - have found home-a place
in our own United States, exempt from
climatic and epidemic diseases, with an
atmosphere remarkable for Its salubrious
purity, with surface diversified with
natural mounds and gently rolling prai-
res, aud a sol rich ii MI the clements Of
productiyeuess and durability"
There" he continued. are mean
dering streams, and classic groves, AMI
meadows. blooming in their season with
Unculturel roses, aud vioIets, and gen
tians. the liatris and wild anemoue; aud
there too were the deer feeling undis
turbed on the bushy mounds, and shell
tered in the woody gIens but recently
the hunting grounds of the banisheI In
dians AM streams abounding with
speckled trout hungry for tue bait; and,
although the orange tree and the bana
M aui the peach might not flourish
there, the wild plum and grape, and the
cherry yielding fruit of unWonted size,
and delicious TO the taste, were fonnd in
wasteful Profusion in every grove, and
on the banks Of every stream
How dull the Imagination that could
not locate there the Garden Of Eden,
and tue yeritalIe Paradise. Were there
not three. in this land of Havilah, the
Pison, the Gihon, and the Hiddekel p
for names were bauished with the prime
--' -a'''ronts and I'm the course of aces
new tenants cIrlStcned the same streams
under names applied 70 the qualities or
Offices of natural objects, to which they
fancicd these waters bear some reseni-
blanca
Who could be slow to believe. from
the glowing descriptions of nv arden.
friend, that the North western part of
Wisconsin IS the land of Hayilah, aud
that the Mississippi and st. Croix aud
klnnIckinnic are the rivers that once
bore the scriptural names of Pison, Gil
hon, and Hildekel
Weariel with the tolls of professional
life, | had for some tima meditaf cd on
retiring from the arduous duties of men,
tai culture to the quiet pursuits of agri-
culture; how then could l resist the per
suasions of my friend to secure a home
in this land Of PROMISE? Tho golden
opportunity must not pass. I'm few
months | was the happy owner Of sew
eral patches Of land, located unseen by
means Of man, on which were consp;c-
uOuSIy represented the navigabe and
unnayiTable rivers and rivulcts. prospect
i've city and village sites, aud lines of
railroads, which the vast commercial
prospects Of this new country would IN
dOubtediy require and secure. must
confess too, that / had an eye OF "citv
lots, nud rs proof of this, and also of
my fJreca-t and sagaciiv, l vii. here
state, in profound humility, was once
the proprietor o: forty" on the barren
bluffs south Of the CITY Of Prescott.
NY friend had notified me that ;he
said tracs of land was for sale. He sta
ted that it occupied an elevated plateau,
overlooking the Mississippi and Surround.
ing country, mos, charminolv situated
for suburban mansions, which the rapid
growth and extension of the CITY of
Prescott would soon require; and fur
Their, that line of railroad was already
surveyed, which would certainly term-
nate with a splendid depot near the cen
ter Of this tract
lie also, as my :rusty friend and ag't,
carefully surveyed the whole ground.
calculated that about 100000 could. in
all probability, be realized from the sale
o. lots. and even suggested an eligible
spot for my own private mansion, to
which might retire and live in quiet af
fuence. This beautiful tract, with its
graceful forests and charming groves
and glorious prospects, could then be Sc
cured for the paltry sum of one thous-
and dollars Could a reasonable man
hesitate BY return of mail the pur
chase was authorized and the prize was
mine.
was now the fortunate possessor of
more than thousand acres of land, scat
tered heIe and there in the two counties
of Pierce and ST. Croix. Not a foot of
this land. nor a spear of grass that grew
thereon, had | ever seen. But the glow
ing descriptions of my friend, through
whose agency my earthly possessions
were thus extended; and nv own fancy
made each parcel as familisr as house
hold goods-each one became a child Of
NV imagination, TO which L gave befit-
ting names.
In process Of time | started on pill
grimage to this land Of promise. In the
summer Of 1886 first landed at Pres
cuit. Although I found here at that
time only two or three stores, public
house, aud some stables conspicuously 10
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