The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-04-14

There is many an unpretending man,
bowed with the weight Of years, and in-
frmities, who is walking over scenes
made beautiful, by his long ago labor.
OF such, not the least in the catalogue
is Stafford Godfrey, of Paw Pay. He
came into this bowling wilderness from
Chataqua county, N, Y, as early as
May, 1887. His trade being that of a
millwright, he was solicited to come
here, by the firm of Willard, Gremps
and Daniels, and engaged to build the
grist mill, which is now doing an eff
cient business on the east side of the
river, and the first Touring mill in the
county of Van Buren, He travelled
from Detroit with horse team and wa
gon, over very bad road, which crook.
ed in all directions, to avoid marshes,
lakes. &c; the journey took little
over week. From Kalamazoo they
expected to reach the land of their des-
tination in one day, hut when darkness
closed over them for the night they
had accomplished but thirteen miles of
the twenty, though they had worked
diligently ever since daylight in the
morning. The night was very dark,
and they had no means of knowing
where they were, nor how far distant
from human habitations. Listening
waiting and watching, the only sound
they could hear was that of COW bell
in the distance, which, happily was in
the direction of their journey. 4 little
farther, and the elimmer Of light
broke on them through the darkness.
This light was in the new nome of Mr.
AnnabIc, where our pioneers remained
over night, and ate with good appetite,
dish Of bread and milk for supper
The house was open like barn, but
a
On their way they saw many wheat
fields among large oak trees, which were
girdled and standing. This was new to
them, as in New York state, there are
no crops raised on land not cleared of
large and small timber.
The mill job proved long and heavy
undertaking, which was two years being
completed. Nothing was in prepare
tion for the commencement of the work;
not even the timber, which was yet
growing in the uncleared forest. The
first work of the millwright, was to take
oxen into the woods, and get out the
logs for timber and lumber, and in this
preparatory work, from three to ten or
twelve hands were engaged
In August of the same year, Mr..
Godfrey's family came, and he hired a
small framed house, on the site of the
present commodious Dyckman House,
which was afterwards moved to the
location of Rooms Harness Shop, and
within three years past, it has been
burned. In this small house three fam
lilies have lived at the same time, and
some boarders, including in all, eight
cen persons.
The first winter but little was done
to further the mill enterprise, but when
Spring opened, the work was renewed
in earnest. The castings and stones
were purchased in Buffalo, and shipped
from there to st. Joseph Four or five
teams, both horses and oxen, were sent
after the machinery. Here a new diff.
Guilty presented itself, and one not cas-
ily overcome. When the loaded teams
started the unlucky discovery was toe
coon made, that the road was not cut
wide enough to pass the broad loads,
some of the irons being ten feet in di
ameter. In many places only the small
trees had been removed from the road
and ordinary teams could, with little
meandering, escape all the obstacles
but not so with the inside gearing of a
Crlst mill. There was but one alterna
tive, and that was to put axes in rcqui
sition and "cear the track" This wa,
work of five days, or an average Of
travelling, including clearing land, O.
about seven miles day. La this way
reader, the stones were brought from
St. Joseph that is grinding your whea
for daily bread. This same machinery
is doing its good work there at the pres
day. During the building of this mill
-.