The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-11-07
EARLY DAYS IN WISCONSIN.

i first saw the pralries OF Wisconsin In the
Il sring Of 1888, and reveled among their flowers
in youthful glee. / saw an immensely of
acres, untitled, and luxuriant with the Wild
est, tallestEgrass, only awaiting the arrival of
the pillow to make them, what they ha @
i since become, the certain source Of wealth to
thousands, and the grain fields of the world.
found the people few end scattered, yet not
SO rude in their minds and habits as one
might suppose, save in exceptional cases.
True, they were mostly hardy fellows, with.
disposition to rove at will in an open coun
try, but with whom it was pleasant to dwell,
after all. Their manner of life was simple,
and perhaps no. always correct, but they
struggled to live and thrive. and with plows
and axes lhey built the State; and the State
which they thus founded is peculiarly sturdy
and prosperous.
Delightful as Wisconsin was in those early
days, it still had it's Inconvenience and
faults. For instance. there were more mias-
matte then than now, along the banks of the
creeks and rivers which channeled through
the pralries to Lake Michigan. Human pru
dence has, since then drained the marshes
and removed the deleterious influence of de-
caying vegetable matter. Agues and feYers
were quite numerous in certain localities,
and few could hope to escape an occasional
attack. One most estimable lady, still re-
siding at Kenosha, continued to liv9 and ia
Dor for her family entirely exempted from
these diseases, and when she saw stout and
hardy men succum5 to malarious influences.
she-although kind hearted woman-could
manifest but little sympathy for them, de-
claring, with laugh, that "none but lazy
folks ever bad the ague." Ten or twelve
years passed, time continuing to exempt this
industrious soul from the prevailing epidem-
ic; but, alas her day of triumph came to an
end, and she shook and shook until her
worst enemy could desire to see her recover.
In settlers language, she had the shakes
mighty bad )" and when she found how little
sympathy she received, she acknowledged
that her first impressions were ill-founded
and her later ones anything but agreeable.
This was the same lady, also, who, soon
after her arrival out West, described it 8
IAN excellent country for men and horses,
but the very d-lfor women and oxen.p
Southport now Kenosha, was small but
lively village in those days, and contained
many intelligent and excellent people, who
made the long winter evenings socially
pleasant by the organization of sewing cir
Giles, parties, aud lyceum This last was
great" institution, leading to discussions
upon various questions, with "lectnres" and
poems" by youthful lawyers, physicians,
teachers, and the editor, merchants and m e.
ehanics Attorneys and doctors were usually
the leading orators of the evening on all sub
fleets, sacred or Sc cnlar, but not always; for
the merchants and mechanics-we had no
aristocracy theu-wtre not unfreqnently sue
cessful contestants in arguments with the
representatives oflaw and physic. One even
Ing I remember, while the social and moral
character, present and prospective, OF the
embryo city under consideration. a young
merchant named Notwithstanding has since
been Mayor of Sacramento, aud a nabob of
Californa-aCose and declared upon his hon
or as a gentleman, that in all his experie noes
in other and civilized communities, he had
never found village where morality was
cultivated with better success. There was
no thieving, and no more Drunkenness
less, perhaps-than was fashionable else
where. It was, indeed, he thought, q highly
J moral place, and he was proud and happy to
have alighted upon SO desirable a condition
: ofsociety. Certainly he was very stroug in
his Communications. But, alas on return
. ing 10 hsEstore. after the lyceum had closed
he made the unpleasant discovery that some
unknown individuals in that moral village
had, during his absence, converted sundry oil
his goods and chattels to their own posses.
son. and he saw them no more 49,
: Justice, at an early day, was frequently ad
J ministered in. a manner both summary and
severe upon those who offended aga inst thu
) rude laws of the Territory. The sheriff O
: Racine County had the misfortune 10 have
: his horse stolen from the pasture, one night
2 The vexation attending this loss was height
ened by the Inconvenience which it caused
I Tor the sheriff, in prosecuting his official bus
: mess, had frequently to visit extreme, Dor
: tions OF the thinly settled county. Horse
wereby no means numerous. and CONSEQUENT
; y possessed more than ordinary value NJ
: trace of the thief or the stolen proper f,
! could be dis covered in the neighborhood
= and as the sheriff Guild not afford to lose hi
, horse, he at once adopted the most feasible
j plan to recoverit.. Putting ona pair of sub
: 5 autial "5rogan" boots. and, arming him
self with trusty cudgel. he set out on foo
= to sea rch for the missing animal, mental,
.
vowing vengeance upon the scoundre! VIII,
LID 90 cod hi co tr1,-