Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-09-16
OLD SETTLERS.
The '0ld Boys" on a Tare-After Good
Dinner They Feel More Like business, and
Organize-Rem arks by Major Rountree
aud Qthers

Inc annual m3etlBg Of Old oetlleis
was held at the Court House on We'd
nosday, Sept. 9Th, and, as usual, an
informal happy gathering of old cit,
izons assembled who had lived with
IN the county since the dawn Of it's
early settlement. The number was
hardly up to the usual attendance, as
the weather was threatening during
the early part of the day, but there
was hearty sociable feeling, kin
died by the common impulse that
brought them there, which made the
Reunion u notable success 1t is
said that raking up of the enbers
Of the past, of the ashes of the long
ago, will sometimes thaw the ice
about cur hearts and lot in the light
and wermth Of other days Certain
it is, that to an observer, the ball
and doorway of the Court Honse on
this occasion presented an array OF
smiling faces and glowing eyes which
seemed inconsistent with grey locks
and the natural dignity of years. A
good doal Of chatting was INDUCED
liza about sold times" old settlers, etc.
but there was rapid dispersion as
| soon az the dinaer hour was announce
ed. At about 2 o'clock p. N. OF the
ringing of the bell, the members as
sembled in the Court room. The
President, Hon. j. H. Rountree, Of
Plattovlle, then offered some very
pertinent remarks concerning the
early history Of the county. We APP
pend q verbatim report, as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:--I am
happy to announce to you, though
expecting that you are fully informed
upon tho subject, that this is the an
nual reunion Of our Old Settlers So
ciety OF Grant county. | am happy
to meet so many to-day who have
| assembled here notwithstanding the
inclemency Of the weather. We find
4 c9ody number who remember with
kindness and gratitude this anni7er-
sary-ono that is held dear to many
of US, and especially to those who
date their settlement in Grant coun-
ty almost half q century ago. lhave
had also the pleasure of meeting TO.
day old settlers whom met 40 years
ago-more than 40 years ago-when
we were separated by long stretches
of timber, and wide prairies without
! track upon which TO travel 10 meet
each other. To-day | meet them az
citizens Of well settled country,
highly improved with roads, bridges,
school houses, churches and all The
advantages of a cultivated people in
prosperous circumstances. 1t gives
me the highest pleasure in compar-
ing the condition of the country now
with wha it was as | saw it, and as
most Of you saw it, years ago. We
camo here and s3tJled in our log
nuts, with dirt floor, sod roof, With
some poles for orr bed-steads, and
lived upon picked pork and hoe
cakes then the food OF the country.
| We see that those cabins have boon
removed aod suppaatoi BY fne res
iicncos in the midst Of fine farms.
| came here FOR the purpose OF dig
cling ead ore, smelling leaf and
making money, not supposing that
this was an agricultural country or
calculated to produce sustonaneo for
any one. Neasly all Of US spent The
first years Of our settlement here in
mining, smelling and hauling lead to
market, and pursuing the line Of pol
| icy that we thought was best oalcul>
ated to mako money. Many Of us
recoiioct the time well. | rcmem-
Der we'll when all the mail that camo
to Grant county | brought in my
pocket from GaIena. ! WAS postmas-
ter in PlatteVlle in 1929, and when
Ii went to Galena every two
or three weeks, the postmaster wo II
give nc tho mail, and | would firing
it outin my pocket. | r2collect tho
time very well when the frs! track
| for wagon was made through the
eastern part Of this county to the
western part-to Prairie du CHEN; |
rccollect the building Of The first
school house in what is now Grant
county. | sec an old settler before
nc who contributed, as wei as my
| self, to lis erection. II was used Tor
q schoo! house and church Ia 1888. |
rccolect well when we began To build
larger houses that all the ncighb0rs
would assemble to build log cabin
for the sheltering, perhaps, of new
FIRMLY. | witnessed the blowing Of
| The first piece Of land in what is now
the limits Of Grant county, and coa!d
| now identify IT. it was q ten aero lot.
| Whon .heso things are brought to
MIND, snd take By the haad ladies
and gentlemen whom | know half a
century ago, it makes my heart -
out ia gratitude to that great Giver
of all good gifts for his mercies to US
as community. These memories
| we shOutd CneIlSU, tbab CHey may
keep alive those kind and good feel
ings that ought TO exist between cit
liens of all communities and ospao-
tally between those who are united
| by subjects Of such doep interest as
those connected with the early set
element Of this country.
We were nominaly attached to
Michigan, for judicial purposes, when
| settled here. What is now Wis
consin was then embraced in two
counties Brown and Crawford =
and the land we are now on vas In
dian land; the government had MT
yet acquired title to it. Bat in the
year 1929 the government treated
with the Sacs and Foxes at Prairie
du Chion, the commissioners being
| Gap Gortt Mr. Maps~I ~ "a ~