North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1867-07-10
Pen0grapIl OF McGregOr.

Penograph OF McGregor.
In 1865, the notorious, wild, jovial piece
of combined nonsense, sentiment, versatil-
ity.and raise-the-devil generally, known to
.te,c people (?) as the Editor of the Lacrosse
Democrat and nick-named "Brick," was
in this city and had a time of festivity with
a gang of McGrcgorites. "Brick" and
the writer do not agree in all things. but
he has talent equal to the best strategy
in newspaper-dom nearly up to Bennett,
and the industry of bear or pet coon.
We wish he would not put so much burnt
clay in his paper but it is not probable
he will be influenced by US. AS a matter
of curiosity we clip from our old files what
he said about our town at that time.
McGregor is narrower than republican
craftsmanship; that is to say,it was origin
! ally solid bluff, on the west side of the
river, rising three hundred feet above wa
ter mark. A wedge of lightning opened
a narrow, crooked creyice in the rock, SO
the fluid or current of electricity could run
into the river. Somebody located there
and called that crevice or tisurc a site for
a town. Enterprise and pich country
back, have made McGregor one of the bu-
siest, sharpest little cities on the river
But it is so narrow, There is but one
street, and that sits up edgewise like a
crooked piece of tin or bent scythe.-
Base ball players get on the bluff over the
town and play across the ravine, over the
heads of people below. The houses are
sideways the street, while the doors slide
up and down, because there is no room for
them to open and shut. Cows in the street
frisk their tails up and down there is no
room for them to flap them about promis-
cuously lest they whisk the goods out Of
show windows. Droves of cattle from
Iowa going to market via McGregor, are
stopped at the cattle yards at the upper
end of the city, where their tails are cut
off, so they will not put out the eyes of
people as they switch flies. "A man was
going over the country, by land, looking
for McGregor, when he tell into the town.
The ladies wear hoops, coffin shaped, so
they can pass on the street. Sausages are
| put in cases-there is no room to display
them in balls. Graves are made by en-
larging wood-pecker's holes in trees, or
swallows holes in the sand bluffs, and
men are put in collins as opera glasses are
shut up in eases, on end. 1t is against the
law to use whips; SO goads, with sharp
nails in the end are used to drive horses
and cattle. Door yards and flower plats
are carried about in snuff-boxes. But the
people are not so narrow, for more liber-
al, cnterprising, well-to-do settlement is
not to be found.
WE FOUND HERE LOTS OF FRIENDS.
Called on Richardson and Andrick ofthc
Times. We love to visit our cotempora-
ries, and Joke with them because there is
some wit and sharpness about their re-
marks. We called at Lu. Peayey's gallery
of Art, and us twain, Richardson, the SEN
sible, and "Brick' the ''copperhead'' were
by Peavey ambrotyped in most excellent
style. Dropped in to chat with Senator
Hammer, a genial democrat, whose Cali
fornia vintage is prime and yet more
Then we called on John G. Baker. of the
renowned Baker Family, who is in trade
at McGregor, and in his parlor listened to
his soul-stirring singing and instrumental
music. They say we differ on politics,
but for all that we like John G.. He is u
gentleman-a genius-a good friend, a
bitter enemy. Who can help liking such
men ? We saw in his room some Of the
most wonderful specimens of whiting ev-
er done in the country. One was wooden
chain thirty-six feet long. The other was
set of thirty wooden pincers, whitfield
with jack knife from solid piece of
wood, and so wonderfully perfect in every
lennon and joint that to open one was to
open the whole. Give John G. Baker a
bunch of shingles and a jack knife on an
island in mid ocean, and he would make Il
boat and sail ashore certain.
After dinner with Gen. Washington SAILS
bury, in company with Col. Richardson,
Mr.. French and Mr.. Peavey, behind the
splendid team owned by the latter named
gentleman, we rode down the river bank
two miles, down to the mouth of gorge
cooled and made enchanting by leaping,
laughing little stream whose silver thread
leaps down the rocky bed Of the ravine.-
Up the ravine by climbing and clambering.
joking and jumping, viewing the wildly
beautiful, and revealing in the danpened
shade, we reached the summit of the hill to
see spread at our feet landscape of most
wonderous beauty. The river close in-shorc
below us, half a thousand feet-a score OF
islands emeralds set in silver-the wind
, ing Wisconsin river coming down to min
} gle its destinies with the Father of waters
-grove-girted farms, white farm houses,
half hid in trees-the widely scattered vii
lage of Prairie du Chen away to the left,
like the playthings of sleeping child, at
random strewn-thc bluffs and green hill
sides OF the Wisconsin, all making land
scape the eye drank in for memory ever to
retain.
And here, surrounded by the beautiful
pictures of nature, arrayed in early an
tumnal loneliness, the moments sped swift.
ly on till there came the hour for return.
and then for scramble down the rugged
and ragged mountain side, pausing to
laugh at tho mishaps of friends or to Sc
cure some of the beautiful specimens of
petrifactions SO plentifully left here by the
hand Of Nature. And thus the afternoon
sped too swiftly away, as we realized when
shutdown came strolling over the hills, and
the bonnie Key City, true to her time ia
BILE, came putting up the river, calling us
to leave the kind friends of McGregor
and return to editorial and business duties
5 at home"
A NOVEL AsYLUM.-We are known to
J be prolific in philanthropic associations
SO well supplied, indeed, that there is
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