River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-02-24
HISTORICAL INCIDENTS OF CLIFTON.
By AN OLD SETTLER.

Though we'll supplied with the best
power in the world, (the never.failing
Kinniekinnic) the manufactures of
Clifton consisted merely of the Mills
in the Hollow, and one erected above
by King & Goodell, in 1855 or 1856,
called dayton Mills" besides a few
shops of Mr.. Manning's, such as coop.
ering, wheelwrighting, &c.
Henry Crosby undertook the manu-.
facture Of matches, but owing to some
inadvertence in his operations, Man.
ning's hogs got in and devoured his
prepared ingredients, which broke up
this establishment, and the poor
brutes, victims of their own voracity,
went about discharging flame from the
nostrils like miniature volcanoes, un-
til death relieved them of their agony.
This so overcame Mr.. Crosby's feel
ings that he gave up the enterprise,
and thus ended, in fiery fury what
might have been one of the prosper
Gus industries of Clifton.
Nothing seemed to prosper better in
Clifton than wheat-Iaising, and to this
day she stands the peer of any town
in the county, or indeed in the whole
country, in the production of the staff
of life. All of her soil from the rich
black loan of her southern prairies,
to the pale clay of her northern tim
bered part, seems to be equally con-
genial to this popular crop. If on the
prairie we find the more profuse yield,
in the timber soil we are compensated
with a very extraordinary quality.
We cannot imagine a much more
cheering sight than to ascend one Of
these mounds in the latter part of
July, just before the harvest time,
when the fields have assumed their
ripening shades of yellow, and behold
these rich plantations of beauty all
over Clifton, and away beyond its
borders, everywhere a rich wavy sea
of golden wheat. Indeed the earth
has put on her robes of rejoicing, and
o, it is enough to make the heart glad
and thankful to Him whose oft recur-
ring witness in the cloud reminds us
that He who said that seed time and
harvest shall not fail, forgets not his
vows.
Clifton has been remarkably free
from such distressing casualties as
usually beset mankind all over the
world, and the reason is very proper
ly found in the superior intelligence
of the people, their good average phil
osophical understanding, and, above
all, perhaps, their freedom from in
temperance, intoxicating drinks hav-
ing never been sold within her limits.
Could we but say as much for every
town and community, it would bring
unsp"akable joys to millions.
But about four fatal casualties to
citizens of the town have ever occurred.
The first was the case of man by the
name of Graves who went to Prescott,
got drunk, and, in fray with young
Blaisdell, the saloon keepers son, got
shot and died OF the wound. The
next was probably accidental, no one
ever knew certainly,-a gentleman by
the name of Marshall, who came out
from Massachusetts, and took up the
land in the extreme northwestern part
of the town, since known as the Childs
farm, was at work clearing up his land,
and one night failed to come home to
his boarding place. The night was
very stormy with heavy rain and
thunder and lightning. The next morn
ing he was found with life almost ex-
tinct, lying in the brush by his work,
where he had lain all night in the
storm, and being too far gone to speak,
it could never be known what pros.
trated him.
Mr.. Childs, who inherited this same
land, coming on from Massachusetts,
and settling upon it, and residing there
for several years, came to a similar
sad end by drowning in the lake near
his home. 1t was in late winter when
the ice was thawed along the shore in
many places, and Mr.. Childs in driv-
ing home from Prescott late in the
night, went of the ice near the Min
nesota shore, and himself and one horse
were drowned. The other horse stood
in the water until rescued the next
morning about ten o'clock. In later
years Frank Doe committed suicide in
fit of insanity.
Two Of these four startling accidents
were caused by drink.
CLfPToY Feb %