Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-04-27


hour. Sad "farewelIs' were sooken-many
nands were then clasped for the last time-the
tear oi SORROW c9ursed the cheek OF youth and
S5@-Al seemed sad around us. At last the
SOUND OF wheels WAS heard and the first wagon
stAitcd en- ii> way-anUther, and another and
the tram was complete. Childhood's nome was
lett forever. Reader, do you not remem ber
lISc sccnesr How sad such hours are Our
starting point being near Gettysburg, Pa. We
at once took our way on the Baltimore ard
PlttsburS Turn Pike" then used as the great
highway for the transportation of merchandise
rom the last 10 Ohio-then the West" I'm
medldtely west, and but eight miles distant.
stood forth, as ii brGcin.- the western sky the
mighty walls of tie ieghany-to the young
lnihd "a sesuiiS barrier to our further progress.
FOR one hindred and eighty miles, over hills
anu through valleys anu mountain gorcrs to
fittsoaTs, lay our route Once at fiitsburg
tie wilderness OF the great West'' was sprcad
out before us, but, q, how far To the Iron City
But on all,i up We went, until near the entrance
10 tle nrst mo 1ntain gorge on our route, where
MeuroNe INTO the Iayern" yard, and rested
Tor the nlght--our first night on our way To the
Willis of tne Westi :.
In accordance with custom-and Won might
as Wen be out of the world not in fishioI :.
When the shades OF ii yht had fallen around us
our Dc,is were transferred from the wagons To
tue "tiVern, anu when spread upon tine floor
we all turned i'll Tor the night. with an the
younger members OF our par6y of sixteen any
lous Tor the mountain scenes OF to morrow"
Morning found us vending our way up nm
up! the east side OF the Blue Ridge - Slowly
bat surely, we made our way. AT last we wer,,
on the Top, lrOm which many ewes throu,rh
misty tears, looked back, i'll sorrow for The LIST
time, over nome and valleys soon forever 10
be lost 10 viewl Another look, anu all was hjd
Dehl--d the mountains brow, and the sadd,st
thoughts were over. Thus we iournpved am
from day To day, with the white covers M
mighty ANA almost nulu beriess wagons ever in
view, drawn bY SIX and sometimes eight uow-
eiinl hOrses-edch horse often having a chime
OF Deils adjusted above the hanes-until we
io1ktd d down upon the III on City. whose smoke
even tlen darAened the valleys of the Allegna-
ny anu MOnOngahela rivers Then We Srre
over the mountains and lar away"
From fittSDurS our route lay down the beau-
tiiul OniU on whose bosom oft fioated by us the
puihnS, palatiai steamer, until we ieached
Beaver, where Wc lett the Ohio and remained
over NJ sht in Economy. Here we FIRST dlscoy-
cred the serious effects OF the great tro,t, of the
l6Jh amt lIth cf May, -lSS4. The rye wus fuIl
height ana frozen ucad. Whole fields were
white Tor the sickle, anu men and women were
IN them securing straw for mats. So severe was
this cod snap that the writer had his ear.
Irozen. on top or the mountains, on tue I71h on
Ma so badly as 10 cause ire skin to come ON.
aau nedyy Ice was lotmed where spring water
flowed across the Pike. Throughout the entire
west Tue wheat, lye and ccrn " ere killed ami
Il e leaves upon tle trees hung black ANA crIsu
East oi the mountains continued, cloudy weatiI-
et saved all Che vegetation, VITA surroundings
thus Ullghted, tee " HIS Of Ohio, then not dl 3
tant ff~n Us, were Rot, in anticipation very
inviting to the western emi grant But with
c0urIgr ahd nope We pressed onward. nv e aging
about twenty miles per day. New Lisbon, I,aiI-
ton, w oOster, MansIeld and DutyTus. We. Z then
young, III iivIng : anI entVrDSlsIng villages and
anu lhc county etdtS OI the fTGctlyc a.,
through which We passed, Massilon, being on
the Canal which had but recently been Completed
showed mach activity ICr town in ; new a ccun-
try as she!i surrOuuded it Gallon, now "a flourish
ing town and haIlrUai center cOuli then boast of
having, OF Deing composed OF, native log cabin
Crestnhes MAS wilderness OF wOods.i' Leaving
BucJrds Tor McCutcHenville, ana by the MAY
BucJ then Seemed be about the end OF VIII
ZItion, ,twaru We were directed to cross 1 lie
Slndusky River and proceed in north westerly
direction " We crossed directed, proceeded
about one half mile " hen We discovered that We
were not prepared TO travel where there were no
roads, antt the eartn densely covered with heavy
timber ans mpenetrable underbrushl From Bucy
rus 10 McCutchenviie--tweuty miles ia a direct
hEe--tHera We're not more tndn hall dozen cabins,
AM NJ "gon rOad-mach Of the way being through
the 'Wyaud1C Reserve SLeh bein. Jae prospect
before us We halted. held consultation and de
clded 10 return to 6ucyrus and start again, After
cOnsi 'erible labor succeeded in reversing our
train--rs crossed the riFer, and again commenced
oar journey anew, by way of Little and Upper SAM
du>ky, Keeping IN TIE plains and near the timber
ut little SaadLsSy our youthful eyes first beheld
real i've Indian W hat "a 81 5ht! wyoming stood
fresh before US! While other historic accounts of
i'''an uiaaSacres came yIvidly 10 mind. There he
StoDJ-i yaEjOt indeed. On his feet was the soft
r-coS:n. enabling him to approach with the quiet
OF the tiger His lower limbs were covered with
weii-WOrl !egsins; his lons were girt about with
common cloth: his body covered with a long.
iringed hnntng shirt; red handkerchief was tied
about hiS head; his face rudey aud savagely paint
e; ii his hand were a large bOw and many arrows !
mere ne >ioJd erect, calm though mOroSe and saw
age-le, he was, harmless in pe icc hut terrible
H. war, the to which ne belonged. In
tlat case distance gave encAantmenC TO the view -
and while poor Indian" upJf! side of the
road, We chose the laStc side seiest 20 occupy.
From hncyr,iS to :l5tle SanduSky, fourteen miles,
there WAS tni one house, and that very sm i, log
sAahty AcCdtchenvjlls, our objective point was
now Distant north of US, lat seventeen miles and
our long 'urne? seemed nearly completed, while
eighteen uays thus far, had been necessary to
cOmpiiSh what had done. Soon after leaving
Little Sandusky. where we struck the road leading
from Col um5ns to Lower SanduSky and Sandusky
CRY, and the only by VIII ch tie enligrant could
Ihen reach Toledo Inj the State of Michigan, and
which was General HarriSOr's armY read during
tie War OF l5i2- We eutc-eG uJnn the Nv yandUt
Reserve in extent twelve miles wide north aud
ICED wilderness, Not more than half dozen
cabins could be 70 iul on these TWO hundred and
sixteen 81 1are miles OF Ohios bolsted soil. The
day being lar Spen and Upper Sindusky yet seven
miles ciSthnt, with but house on the way, WI
tarried not oag admire the architectural beaue:
OF Little SanduskYi As was thea the custom o
western emigrants. and daily practicei l,y us dur
ing the cooler portions OF the day. and having EC
ladies carr attached 20 our trtin, Observes
could have entering bon the Reserve OF
that evening of the last day Of May, 1874, aoUt il
the following order, imeiy: One wagon drawn b,
three horses, belonging uncle. On the sad.
die horse he sat calmly viewing the wlds amid tn;
solitude arount. him, while trutgirg along benin
on foot the wife and mother, surrounded by he
iitiiS iock. Following the ii still the othe
two W Goas, III the order in which they lei
tho East, each drawn by two horses With lines il
Yankee style, these latter teams guIed--thi
one by the father and the other by brother Of th
writer. Behind these foot, with her sister, son:
and daughters WAS another spartan mother, mur
mutng not nor complaining OF weary limbs, but al
iourneyinS on, to rest FOR the night with Upper San
dUsky in view. the plicr.
TO BE CONTINUED.