Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-08-28
BLAKE's PRAIRIE.
Observation-Disclosures = Business Changes
and improvements-The New Congrega-
tonal Church - Dedication Nursery
Biake's Prairie Orange, de-, Sc.
From our regular Correspondent.

ly boundless, expanse. with no vari-
alton OF landscape, no diversity of
hill and valley, of meadow and for
est, TO relieve monatory which soon
becomes tedious to eyes accustomed
to an endless profusion of natures
aspects. 1t may be for the reason
that Blake's Prairie presents this
same agreeable diversity of land
scape, that its visitors cannot re-
strain their exclamati> of surprise
and delight, as they ride over its
hills aud through its winding valleys,
now beholding its gentle slope for
miles covered with the waving grain,
now amid its fertile meadows, sur
rounded by almost perpendicular
bluffs of limestone. Their enthusi-
asm is as justifiabe as it is unani-
nous; and they might be excused
for pronouncing it the very .,Gem of
the Prairies" with its setting of
rivers, on the north the Wisconsin,
the southeast the Grant, aud on the
west the Mississippi, all bordered
by lofty forest-crowned bluffs, aud
receiving the numerous streams which
drain the Prairie,
This Prairie is the home of an in
dustrious, staunch and prosperous
population, mostly of Eastern an
| tecedents, who are not lax in money
getting; and still are not so absorb
ed in it, as to neglect culture and re-
ii ne ment, and the practice of the
virtues which adorn, as we'll as of
those which dignity and support a
people. Three villages are included
within its limits, Patch Grove, b DOM.
ington and Beetown, while several
more lie on its boarders, and in a
measure, derive their support from
It. AS the HERALD readers were no
long ago favored with a minute do
scription of these towns, and of the
various business enterprises in each,
it is not proposed to repeat the de.
scription here; but rather TO mark
changes and improvements, with
notes upon new things, and events
which come to the notice of the OBJ
server and seem TO be Of general
interest.
Bloomington is stirring business
place, and its inhabitants comb ne
the traditional Yankee shrewdness
with the push and energy of the
| West. It's business men do not wait
to sec if the town is going to amount
to anything, or to see if the Millen-
NAL Railroad is coming, but they
erect their stores, pile them full of
goods, advertise largely, and are
never disappointed in the result.
Failure and bankruptcy are things
unknown to them, and though times
are hard and money is scarce, they
manage to live and thrive, and even
to inaugurate new enterprises. The
new firm of Woodhouse & Morse
have opened a large stock of grocer
les and hardware in their new and
commodious building on canal street
| The firm OF Wilson x Wheeler owing
to. the death of Mr.. Wilson, has ta-
ken the name of the Wheeler g.
Wilson, company. Humphrey and
Clark, Bankers, have just completed
an pretentious, but convenient
building which they propose to &C.
cupy soon. Mark Hadley, of the
Bloomington Hotel, has added a
wing to the building, which improves
it's appearance greatly, and will in
crease the comfort OF himself and
that Of his guests. The West Grant
Adu0cate, edited and published by @.
n. Holford is a new and enterprise
ing publication, rapidly gaining fa>
vor and circulation, though the ter~
ritory which it claims has not been
thoroughly canvassed as yet, the
circulation reaches 300, while the
job-work and advertising patronage
is good. Mr.. Holford intends to
adapt the folio sheet soon. The
grist mill, erected by j. w. TAFT in
1852, after several changes of own
ers, has passed into the hands of
Hale, Stanley & Heiner.
One of the most noticeable chan
ges is t Q transformation of the AGA
deny building, into the neatest and
most elegant church edifice in the
village. After several years OF hesi-
fancy and indecision, the Congrega-
tional Society which formerly met
in the church one and a half mile
southwest of the village, yielded to
the pressure brought to bear upon it
and decided to move their structure
to the southern part of the Prairie,
near NorthAndover, and to erect
another in the village. The society is
not yet divided and it is expected
that the same pastor will supply
both churches. The church in the
village was dedicated with appro.
pirate services last Sabbath. The
sermon was preached by Rev. II. A.
Miner of Columbus, Wis, who found
q fitting text for some timely
thoughts upon worship, in Ezra V.
4. The report of The building com.
mittee showed that the total cost of
the building and grounds footed up
to SLIGO rs. The resources were
from the Ladies fund, acquired by
self denying labors in festivals and
in dinners at the Fair grounds, S215..
10. Subscription paid in and pledged,
about $345 90. Tbs deficit amounted
to about 100000, $4,000 of which
were expected from the Congrega-
tional Building Fund. OF the de-
felt s5l2 90 were pledged last Sab
bath, and on effort is to be made to
secure the rest, without assistance
from the Building Fund. After
Il A. q A