Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-09-29
Incidents in the Red River Regions.

ded her lecture at 1910 O'Clock, amid
loud applause.
Incidents in the Red River Regions.
Carlton writes to the Boston Jour
nal from Northwestern Minnesota.
Emigration travels fast. Like the
fire of the paririe, throwing out hand
fuls of flame to light new fires in the
dried grass, so civilization is constant
ly kindling in new places along the
frontier. Four families have just
made beginning at Detroit Lake, in
which the Red River of the North has
its rise.
eve reached the settlement on
Saturday night, and pitched out tents
for the Sabbath. It was a rare treat
to these people to come into our camp
and hear a sermon from Rev. DR.. Lord.
The oldest of the colony is woman
now in her eightieth year, with eye
j undiminished, cOuntenance remarka-
bly, free from the marks of age, who
walks with a firm step after fOuTscore
years of labor. Sixty years ago she
moved from Lebanon, New Hamp-
shire, a young wife, leaving the val
ley of the Connecticut for a home in
great army of emigrants to Ohio, Illi-
nois, Missouri and Iowa in succession,
and now beginning again in Minneso-
ia. Last year her hair, which had
been as white as the purest snow, be-
| gan to take on its original color, and
is now quite black. There are but few
instances on record of such renewal
of youth.
"The party have come from Cen
| tral Iowa to make this their future
home, preferring the soil and the eli
mate of this region to one where the
changes of temperature are sudden
and variable. The women and chill
dren of the four families lived here
alone for six weeks, while the men
were away after their stock. Their
nearest neighbors are twelve miles
distant. On the 4th of July all hands,
men, women and children, travelled
forty-flve miles to celebrate the day.
"'We felt,' said one of the wo-
men, that we couldn't get through
the year without going somewhere or
seeing somebody. 1t is kinder lonely
so far away from folks, and so we
went down the country to a picnic"
"StOre, church and school are all
forty miles away, and till recently the
nearest saw mill was sixty miles dis
tant. Now they can get their wheat
ground by going forty miles.
1.-THE settlement is already bloom
ing with half dozen children. 9th
er settlers are coming in, and the peo-
pie are looking forward to next year
with hope and confidence, for then
they will have a school of their own.
mot any Chicago musicians heard
of our arrival, and here they are,
twelve of them, stand in a circle round
our camp, doing their best to express
their joy. They are Germans, all
young men. Three years ago three
or four families came here from Ohio.
They reported the coil so fertile, the
situation so attractive, the prospects
so flattering, that others came, and
now they have a dozen families, and
more are coming to this land of prom
Use.
"Now just ride out and see what
they have done. Here is a field con-
tanning thirty acres of as fine wheat
as grows in Minnesota 1t was Just
taking on the golden hue, and will be
ready for the reaper next week. Be
side it were twenty acres of oats, sew
eral acres of corn, and an acre or two
of potatoes. This is one farm only
On yOnder slope there stands a two
stOried house, of hewn logs and shing-
led roof. See what adOrnment the
wife and daughter has given to the
front yard-verbenas, petunis and
nasturtions-andr round the door liv-
ing wreath of morning glOries.
"COws chew their ends in the stable-yard,
while
"'Drowsy tinklings Iun the distant held.'
where the sheep ara herded.
1--WE shall find the scene repeated
on the adjoining farm. Sheltered be-
meath the grand old forest trees stands
the little log church with a cross upon |
its roof, and here we see coming down
the road the venerable father and
teacher of the community, in long
black gown and broad brimmed hat,
with a crucifiX at his giTdle. 1t is a !
Catholic community, and they brought |
their priest with them.
''But take a good, long look at these |
men as they stand before our camp |
fire, with their bright new instru- !
ments in their hands. They received !
them only three weeks ago from Gin
cinnati.
"'We can't play much yet" says !
their leader, Mr.. BertenheimeF; but |
we do the best we can. We have sent
to Toledo for teacher who will spend |
the winter with US. You will pardon !
our poor playing, but we felt so good |
when we heard you were here looking |
out a route for a railroad, that we felt |
like doing something to show our
good will. You see we are just getting |
started. and have to work hard but |
we wanted some recreation, and We |
concluded to get up q band, We
thought it would ba better than to be
hanging round a grocery"
"Plain and simple the words, but |
there is more in them than in many |
a windy speech made on the rOstrum |
or in legislative halls. Just getting |
startedi Yet here upon the frontier |
art has planted herself. The flowers |
of civilization are blooming on the |
border.
"As we listened to the parting |
strains, and watched the receding |
forms, and looked into the Goals of 9Hr |
campfire sitter their departure, We
felt that there must be bright future
for a commonwealth that could grow |
such fruit on the borders Of the uncul- |
tivated wilderness"