Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-03-05

if they expected the cook to throw in a
pail of garbage. You see this gorge or
cooley in the bluff we are now passing,
and tho little silver thread of water
winding around the standpoint; Pine
Creek comes in there. Don't say a
word; but our friend who owns the
most of that creek and the mill on it,
has some hundreds of big trout in his
mill pond, many Of them as long as that
Ginger laid diagonally across the arm
near the elbow and-but enough said.
Mind NOW, this is strictly private between
you and me, Kyle and Sam. Doughty
Let any man presume to poach there,
and if he don't 60 head-foremost into
the mill flume, or be strapped onto a
saw-log and split in two endwise, the
wrath of man availeth not.
Now, here we are at Maiden Rock
village. This little town under the bluffs
is full of good people. Familiar and
kind faces will greet us, and as we step
off the plank We shall have little hand.
shaking to do for the memory Of old
times, when tae junior member of the
party did the county clerking for these
folks and ".fshed. fit and bled" among
the old settlers of Pierce county; while
the friends will recognize another face
from its resemblance TO the copies in
their pockets, and be glad TO pay some
kindly greetings that you may bet on for
kindly and honest ones.
Rush River comes inhalf mile above
here. Some one will be ready to take
us ten miles up to Hicks. We drive a
little way ny the lake, under the bluff,
strike Rush River and follow its valley
This valley is half mile or more of
bottom partly cultivated, and then the
bluffs on each side, timbered or grassy
sloped, cut with frequent coolies. We
stop to admire Carpenters spring, which
bursts out by the road side in large vol
ume, and makes run through deep
natural ditch to Rush River, something
less than a quarter Of mile. What a
place for trout pond, how easily made
and cared for, right here by Carpenters
house. If Seth Green were with US, he
would have his pocket thermometer into
that spring and look at the water insects
among the stones with his magnifying
glass, in half minute; and in five min-
utes more he would tell us (if we would
only show him our "sore toe") just how
many trout could be hatched and kept
there, and the number of pounds of natu-
raj food per day the spring would fur
nish for them. Gin me piece o that
apple and I'll show you my sore toe y
said the poor boy TO the rich one by the
street apple stand. That is Seth Green's
favorite story. He says he don't know
any other. Seth would sell his last cow
for sight Of my friends "sore toe."
Big hearted Seth,
Where'er you may go,
I'm yours till death
STUBS my "sore toe !"
But some day | want to see you throw
three to five flies at time, eighty feet,
falling like snow flake, with tho line
straight as an arrows flight, into some Of
the pools of Rush River. Our road
has led us along at the foot of the bluffs
on the right-hand side of the valley
We now strike through the bottom to
the bridge at Seeley's, at the foot of tho
opposite bluffs. AS we cross the bridge
we see the first rapids Of Rush River,
and can't help pausing to take good
view of the stream. You would know
by the /" lively air" of this stream, as
viewed from the bridge, that it is the
home of the trout, and, by its abundant
volume, big ones. Its musical voices
above the bridge invites us to "set in"
right here, and your fingers Jingle for a
trial of your tackle. But we are too
near the lake; black bass or pike
perch would be likely to show himself.
We arc after better things, and drive on,
with Rush River now at our right
You noticed the large, fertile meadows
by the bridge, and that white cottage at
: the left as we crossed over That place
was the Seeley and McKinstry stock farm,
from which the st. Croix and Chippewa
pineries were supplied with beef and
work oxen, many years before this
Northwestern Wisconsin and Minnesota
country was settled by the grain-raising
farmers. First the explorers, then the
! fur traders. next the lumbermen and
stock raisers, and years afterwards, the
wheat growers. The stock.raisers took
possession of the grass lands on the bot
toms of the larger streams. Their only
human neighbors were the Indians. All
of them got rich. Some families lived
in luxury here in the wilds, and their
homes, as we'll rs those of the rich lum
bermen with whom they were connected,
were noted for their hospitality and re-
| finement st. Croix Falls, at a time in
the early days when | visited that section,
had six dwelling houses and eight pianos.
Over on the Zumbro on the Minnesota
side. back of Lake City, still lives one of
the pioneer stock-raisers -" Old Nc.
Cracken," as he calls himself. sought
shelter in his cabin last fall. with the
Hon. A. Tibbett's then for, and now of,
the Minnesota legislature, and was enter
tanned by some scraps of his personal
history. There was mutual respect anil
confidence between him and the Sioux.
His garnet was the depository Of their furs
and traps. and he kept and used their
surplus ponies when they were on dis
tant hunt or on the war-path. When
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