North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1868-06-17
Excursion

j. T.. w i IL Il "A M - IN
Warren County.
Excursion.
On Saturday last, our National friends
came to see us for excursion, picnic and
social purposes. The day was delightful.
The arrival Of some, was earlier than we
anticipated. The Odd Fellows German
principally of Pra. du Chen and McGre-
gor had chartered the A1amakee and the
Pra. du Chen Band for Pictured Rocks.
She was lying at our wharf tagged for de-
parture, and many of the Nationals went
aboard ~supposing that was the boat. We
had not advised Miller, Of the National s.
S., Watkins, Hamilton, and others of Nc
Gregor, Of the intention to meet them with
a Cornet Band escort hence, the want of
concert in arrival. Twas a faulthere and
not theirs. The Band Wagon, with Geo.
l.. Bass as "Jehu" passed up the street
in good playing time, with a load of citi-
gems and succeeded in ~captaring quite a
procession of later arrivals, and came into
town in good order.
The Alamakee was just pushing of, but
the city Of Nc regor, Capt. Bass (Our
ship) was coming in, gaily tagged, and in
a short time the remainder of the Nation
ais together with many McGregor friends,
were on their way to destination. On
reaching the P. R. landing. parties found
shade trees for the deposit of their lunch,
and began rambling among rocks and
hills. At 2:3O our little steamer came
back for US, and at 8 o'clock we were again
in McGregor. The writer accompanied
an expedition up the mountain. 1t was
tiresome for the body, but, oh, how pleas
ant to the heart to be with 25 or more
friends of mixed ages, clambering up and
over the bluffs which first met the gaze of
De Soto and his exploring party of two
hundred years ago as his birch-canoe In
dian guides, emerged from the Wisconsin.
The Indians called it O~uisconsin, (swift
water) and that was its nam on maps
when we studied geography. We could
see from our 400 feet elevation, nearly
80 miles up the Great River, its beautiful
islands, the whole of the l~onS-drawn out
city of Prairie du Chen ; miles up the
Wisconsin !; the Wisconsin bluffs on which
Gen. Pike of the United States Army
raised the Flag, after the purchase Of
the valley of the Mississippi by Jefferson
well, it was a sight which all
agreed was worth the toll of attaining it.
Our descent was by way of the petri6ed
moss, which we h I'd no time to examine.
No accident occurred we took the river
path to the picnic lawn in front of the
Rocks, lunched, went round to the various
shade-trec hotels, called N the happy Odd
Fellows at their stand, heard the City Of
McGregtr blow her whistle, got ready to
come back, and in 20 minutes, parents,
children and teachers were promenading the
streets of McGregor, making calls on
friends, purchasing goods and enjoying
themselves generally. The town, the
river, the steamboat ride, the bluffs, the
''painted rocks" so interested the little
ladies and gentlemen, that we almost con-
cluded to organize an independent Sunday
School (open tcice a weekly so as to have
the honor Of escorting a young regiment Of
the "good, the true, and the beautiful" to
places of recreation, such as we refer to.
May all who were there on Saturday, live
to repeat the trip of June Both, 1868!
Post Scriptum. Halloo! After the most
Of the above was written, the following
letter came to hand. It is extremely kind
toward the writer, but we publish it for
these reasons First, others are deseryedly
appreciated Second, we kmo,o it comes
from the hearts of the writer's, and Third,
it is only an Offset to the general and UNI
called for lowness of personal criticism
with which we have been favored, more or
less, for years in the columns of a home
journal at McGregor, whose various and
changing editors learn nothing, either by
advice or observation. We admit egotism
in it's publication, but we have a right to
confront the vulgarism of opponents, even
by the too partial concentrations of a
gentleman, whose political sympathies are
INST with us, but who is too much the
soul Of honor to permit such difference to
impede the flow of genuine friendship.
We are grateful to the excursionists:
NATIONAL, Iowa, June 18th, 1868.
Eds Times.
The children and their friends, of this
vicinity, hereby express their gratitude to
their neighbors Of McGregor, for the
tokens of regard aad consideration extend
ed to them on Saturday last. Our rvcep-
ton at McGregor by the Band and prom
inent citizens of that place, upon the
arrival of our company on the way to the
pictured Rocks was very gratifying to
us,-and Though not formally arranged
beforehand) was o token of friendship that
will be remembered with pleasure. An
other link binding the people of Farmers
burg and McGrcgor still closer in mutual
esteem and material interests. The boat
ride on the Great River was o pleasure to
the little ones, who never rode on a steam
er before-a new and novel experience in
the lives of the children. Our; thanks are
due to the Captain Of the ''City of McGre
gcr," John G. Bass, ESQ.,; also to the Hon,
q. L. Bass without whom McGregor would
not be completely for our safe aud pleasant
voyage to and from the romantic grounds
of the Pictured Rocks. While high above
all our McGregor friends on this occasion,
like the pine above the surrounding forests,
like the big trees" Of California among
the oaks and hickories Of tho world, stands
that genial lover of children, the sociable
companion Of youth q gentleman among
his peers, and the kind, respectful friend