Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-11-01
I Special Correspondence Of the !
BEETOWN.
Historical MIneraIogical- Comma rciaI- The
Village, the Country, and sO-forth.

lore Tue JiiuO vi DldCk I1dW Ia
nous wars. Its original 2. 0. name
was EDwARDsvILLE but an appella-
ton 80 distinctivly individual did
not suit The taste of everybody, and
so the place was named Beetown, a
cognomen which it bears to this day
Some hunters, we are told, once
| found some lead ore at the roots Of
largo bee tree bard by the present
site OF the village that led to the
discovery of "foat," which in its
turn gave unerring indications that
the biggest kind of leads were not
very far off; the biggest kind of
leads" were found, and the work of
mining began in downright earnest.
At present, however, the diggings in
this immediate vicinity do not
amount to much but when you get
into the MUscALoNGE neighborhood
YOU find a place whore mani miners
are at work, and mineral in consider
able quantities is every day brought
| forth.
These mines are well worth q
long descriptive notice, but We havo
not the time nor you the space to
give that same unto the Herdi9 read
ers now. After the elections Wen
visit Muscalongc again.
The village of Beetown, like Major
Bagstock, is awake, sir, awake" and
shows quite as many signs Of life as
any other country town that we
have lately visited.
There are two hotels, and each
has fair share Of custom. Il. lsh-
mael keeps the Union House,
Mccoy Bros. tho "Beetown." At
the last named we take our meals
and our ease, and we find it quite
equal, if not trifle superior, TO
many a grand hotel, where the
amount of style put on is infinite,
and the quantity Of steak consumed
is infnitessimal as we'll as tough.
Several billiard saloons are here,
some .lager and some whiskey
school houses and a church, n bache-
lor with loyal inclinations, who is
likewise public functionary and a
gentleman Good Templars' Lodge,
and "a great deal more.
Mr. hanson. the p. NJ, has store
well filled with goods of every ordI-
nary kind, and his yearly trade
amounts TO no inconsidorable sum
Mccoy Bros. do deal Of business,
buy and sell hogs, trade strictly on
the square and enjoy, consequently,
the wel-meritcd confidence OF all
their customers.
In the upper part of town, the
part extending toward Muscai9nget
Mr.. Cahill, the timer, has shop
wherein be worketh busily and well
day after day throughout the running
year, and where he has for sale shin
ing tin ware of every sort, and pol
ished stoves of every kind.
Nearly opposite to the Z: .
Chambers & Co. have their drug
store and shoe maker shop. They
do pretty respectable business al
ready, and mean to increase their
stock greatly before the winter
closes.
Beetown also has a harness shop
and place whore good beef, mutton
etc, are for sale. ID. b. Arthur has
a store and hotel at Muscalonge, and
Mr.. Browns general variety and
grocery store is on the way thither,
about a mile or so from the village
The sidewalks here are not made OF
iron, nor are the streets paved witt
gold, but the inhabitants are all in
dustrious, obligins and civil and reac
the Herald.
While on our semi-buslness, semi
journalistic tramp, through The coun
try. over bills, adown valleys, across
fields and through woods, little wor
thy of newspaper note came under
our cognizance. Many farmers We
found busy in the cornficids, hero
and there a plow-boy "whistled o'el
the furrowed land" anon we hearC
the woodman hew his winters log
and sometimes the hum of thresh
ing machine came to our ears iron
afar off
Coon Valley is on the whole 70
mantle sort Of place, a place where
the poet can pirate, the painter paint
the geologist scrape. The pictur
esque, the sublime, the beautiful anC
all the rest of it are here. Springs o
clear cold water come out of thu
hills streams glide along, twinklinl
in the hazy light, and brawling over
the messy rocks miniature cascade,
fill the vale with liquid music; cow
bells tinkle melodiously, you know
not where shy birds shrill in The
lonely woods, but the voice of The
turtle is not in the land towering
bluffs, tree clothed and vested, make
sunrise late and sunset early mighty
oak trees, already stripped Of al
their leaves, show their naked form.
against the free blue sky pines anc
cedars give variety to the sombrt
hues Of the autumn foliage, anC
smoke rises gracefully from the pho
neer's cosey cabin.
Night Cnce found us at one Of
these aboriginal woodland houses
Tired and hungry, we sat near the
fire waiting for supper. From the
window we could see the hills, the
trees, "the horned moon and one
bright star" and the golden sunset
sky. There was grateful smell OF
baking squash, a fragrant odor of tea,
q Kissing of good things over the
fire. That was comfortable. Shaks.
peare and Milton could have written
about it, and Hazlitt could have
made it the subject of an entertain
ing essay. 1t was right nice every
way, and it wanted but school
ma am or two, and good violin to
make it the essential essence of gen.
une backwoods felicity.
But now we must resume our
wanderings. Yours,
On THE TRAMP.