Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-02-18
"reminiscences Of Prairie du cnien.

address on the ''Early Settlement OF
he Northwest" before the Old Set.
tiers association of Crawford Coun.
ty, which met at Prairie du Chic on
the 9th ult. We copy the folio wing
portion:
"ln the old maps of my school boy
days. what is now Wisconsin, was q
part of the territory northwest of the
Ohio river. After the organization
of the St. to of Ohio. Indiana and
illino =, it was called Huron Terrific
ry on some maps. but soon resumed
the old name Of Northwest Territory.
In 1918, after the admission of Iii
'nais as u State, what ia now our
State, was attached TO Michigan ter
ritory, and continued so until 1917,
w en-, with what ia now Iowa and
Minnesota, Wisconsin Territory was
organized; The latter were soon set
of TO them selves, and our present
State limits were settled and we be.
came State in 1918
In 1918 the legislative council of
Michigan divided our territory into
two counties. The line between them
run north and south through the
middle Of the portage between the
Visor sin and Fox rivers. Green
Bay was made the county seat of
Brown county, and Prairie da CHEN
The county seat Of Crawford county.
These two places being the only set
Elements then ia tho Territory.
The first white man who is known
to have come here tor settlement, was
one Cardinael, hunter and trarper,
who with his wife came from Canada
in 1926. to follow his trade. His wife
was the first white women known
to be on this Prairie. She il said to
have died in 1927, aged 1870 years
She was married TO q dozen different
men, one after the other having died
The next " ar GARNER came, auces.
ter of BAIL Garnier. Others who
came as voyageurs, liking the coun-
try, settled here and became farmers,
occasionally voyageuriDg, when en-
ployed TO do so As the news OF this
beautiful country reached Canada
emigrants came; St me bringing their
great box stoves near an inch thick
of iron +; all in bark canoes, which
were portrayed over the falls of Fox
river. and from that river to the Wis
consin. These settlers divided the
Prairie into A farms and 90 village
lots, previous to 1898.
The first Fort built here for Ameri.
can troops was in 1912 In the same
year the British from NICKNAME took
it and held it until the peace of 1915,
and the next year it was re-occupied
by our TROOPS.
The name Of this Prairie is from a
Fox chief. whose name was Dog
CHEN in French and the Canadian
traders finding him here, called it
Dog Parairie.
But as experiences are to be
related, | suppose must give mine.
Tn@ frst | heard OF this place was 10
1923 when lived in Detroit. BIT
| thought it so far beyond sundown
that should never see il set have
lived here longer than ia any other
place. In 1925 | came as a missions
airy to the Indians. came in a bug
gY from Mead lille, Pa. to Galena,
aud from thence to this place in the
saddle. On reaching the south bank
of the Wisconsin the road came To an
end. But seeing house on the hill
on the other side, | hailed, and soon
Hat boa came to ferry me over.
On the boat | enqnired "Is this the
Wisconsin river 2" isis bits" was
the answer. This understood to be
The ferrisge l then motioned to-
wards the water and asked again.
The answer was "Oui MeSsieur. EViS.
c0nSdn, Wisconsin" How for to
Prairie du Cnien ?" ISIS mile" was
the answer felt as il ha got to
the end of the world and the jumping.
off place The tirst man l met on
The Prairie was j. p. Hall, who was
staggering his way home on the Wis
consiu bottoms. Ienquired for Sam.
ueI Gilbert. lis he your brother ~
was the answer. mo, except in The
Lord" I replied. On. may be you
are missionary 2" Yes, l profess
to be" Welt said be, Sammy Gil
bert is good man If it want for
him and [ the Prairie would sink "
| concluded that if he was all that
saved the Prairie it must be in bad
fix. | afterwards learned that he
was bsckslidden Baptis', but still
believed that he was no of the elect
and woul 4 surely be saved, though,
as he said. be had swallowed 81 600
worth of whisky.
/ tried to rent or buy a house
There was only one tor sale. which
which had been offered for $4,000
But The SPECTATORS had reached Cass
vile a short time before and lots had
been sold for fabulous prices, aud the
Frenchman who owut d the house
seeing stranger thought on y Of
Cassville prices and asked 5000 for
his log house, shackling as it was
This was more than | could give
Lumber was $50 per / 600 feet just
AS drawn out of the water. OArpen'
ter and mason work was from So to
s. per day. and the rule was 20 work
just hare enough to give them an ap
petlte; aud learned that men in
this country could eat from a third
10 half more tuan they did where
came from.
Under these circumstances the
thought Of building was frightfol.
succeeded in purchasing piece o.
land and wrote bone TO my wife and
she contracted for keel-boat, and
tor getting out house, all ready &C
put together. That house ] am now
living 10.
| returned home in the saddle
over 1000 miles. in the dead of win