The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-06-16

age, remained few days in Paw Paw,
while Mr.. and Mrs. Howard, and three
or four men in addition, broke their way
through. Their first building was a
bark shanty, all open at one side, which
was put together in the rudest manner,
on the ground where Mrs. Guiles
present residence is. This building,
the first white mans shelter in the town
ship of Columbia, was eleven feet long
and the width was ample for man to
stretch out his length on the ground be.
meath its friendly root, if he were not
too tall and our record does not state
whether any were thus cheated of
bark cover over their feet or not, but
our informer did state that the whole
company slept there several nights on
hemlock boughs while trees were cut
and three log houses rolled together
Mrs. Howad, the young bride of seven
teen summers, did their cooking. Her
share of the field bed was next to the
wall of the bark structure then her
husband, next Elder Hinckley, and in
succession three other men, all in 4
space of eleven feet by about six
This was in the month of September,
hence the necessity of active prepare.
tions for long winter.
Smith Brown, then fourteen years of
age, remained some time in Paw Paw
at work, digging potatoes for Mr..
Gum, at the rate of two bushels for
days work He also bou hit some pork
to eat with potatoes, which was too early
in the season for acorns or beechnuts to
fat, and it was too lean to cook in the
frying pan. The Brown residence,
which was one of the three houses built
in the fall, was on the site of the pres.
ent new and tidy residence of Mrs
Betsy Brown, widow of the late Jesse
Brown.
When the remainder Of the pioneer
company came through from Paw Paw
with their effects, they procured Mr..
Woodman's team, and from the Mon
roe road they cut their way through to
a point near where Vim. Taylor's old
residence is, and, within mile of the
settlement they got bewildered about
the direction and night overlook them
a little too soon, and they were obliged
to camp, without shelter, by the side of
a large fire built to keep the wo YES
away. They were not molested on
their beds of hemlock, except by The
unearthly howlings of their unwelcome
visitors.
The first winter and spring in the
settlement, the Brown family cleared or
slashed six acres, which they put in
crops of oats, potatoes and corn all
the other settlers made similar gap in
the interminable forest, and thus began
the yield of the generous earth to the
cranaries which have been so overflow
ing with the bread Of physical life, in
all tits region for the last quarter of a
century. The first fruit trees set out
in the town were six seeding apple
trees that Mr.. Brown brought in on
his back from Big Prairie Ronde two
of them only remain as a reminder OF
the olden time, and they are married
with many veteran scar, which carry
the beholder back in remembrance, to
the cost of their transplanting.
When Mr.. Brown first attempted the
perilous journey that was to deprive
him of all former comforts and asso-
Citations, he deposited one hundred dol
lars with bis wife for safe keeping until
they could possess themselves of the
coveted eighty acre lot, when they
should reach their destination. She
resolved that nothing, except sicknes
and death, should come between her and
the price of single lot of government
land towards which she hopefully looked
for a home, for the already numerou:
family. With all their economy on the
long journey, Mr.. Brown borrowed o.
Mr.. Breed thirty dollars, to finish W
the expenses of the tour. but he soor
paid it in work on the new mill, anC
they were happy in the possession of
home, which consisted of an eighty acre
lot and log house in the woods. W.