Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-11-04
A Hundred Years Ago.
For the Northern Tribune.


template the wonderful progress of our
country? Do they know that about one
hundred wears ago, there was not one
white man in what is now Kentucky,
Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois? Some of what
Is now known as the most flOurishing
parts of Uncle Sans dOminiOns was as
little known as portions of country in
the heart of Africa itself. We believe it
was not until 1776 that Boone left his
home in North Carolina to become the
first settler In Kentucky. The first piO-
neers of Ohio did not settle until twenty
years later. A hundred years ago Can
ada belonged to France, and George
(hatcheD Washington was modest Vir-
ginia colonel, and Post 81 Van Arsdale's
new brick block was not dreamed Of.
About one hundred years ago the United
States were part of the British empire,
and only here and there faint speck on
the political horizon indicated the strug
gle that in few years was to result in
the laying of the foundation of the
greatest republic of the world. A hun
dred years ago there were but four small
papers in America, (and the NORTHERN
TRIBUNE was not one of the fOur). Steam
engines had not been imagined, and To-
comotives, and steamboats,, and rail-
roads, and "magnetizing telaflOOs" had
not been dreamed of. Percussion caps,
mot night caps), friction matches, pos
tai cards, and breech-loading guns, gas
for dwellings. India rubber shoes, Spald-
ings glue, and Brandreths' pills were all
"undiskivered." Spring mattresses,
Kerosene oil, lever watches, and cotton,
and wooden factories in anything like
the present meaning, were utterly I'M
known. A hundred years ago, there
was not greenback, nor Greenbacker,
and Salmon P. (pickeraD Chase had not
been born, and the Cheboygan water
works had not been planned. A hundred
years ago there was not corn crib in
the entire state of Illinois. A hundred
years ago the spinning wheel was in al
most every family, and clothing was
woven and made up in the household,
the girls remaining at home spinning
yarn for the garments of the family, in
stead of spinning street yarn There
was not nail or brick, or knife, or
pair of scissors or shears, or razor, or
pair of woven stockings, or an axe or
Ratchet, or hoe or shovel, lock or key,
or plate of glass of any size made in
what Is known as the United States.
Even in 1850 there only seventy post
offices in the country, and our present
worthy postmaster was not a candidate
thatnyear, while the whole extent of
the post routes was less than ninteen
hundred miles. A hundred years ago
geology and chemistry and the ChebOy-
gan salt we'll were unknown in our
country. The "Grand Central had not
been built, and fresh fish were not ex-
posed for sale in our streets for the rea-
son that nobody was around to buy them.
In word is it not true that to the CEN
fury past have been allotted more i'm
provements in their bearing on the hap
piness of mankind than to any other
that has elapsed since the creation of
the wOrldp The improvement and ad-
vancement in our state is simply marvel
Gus. To conclude, we propose that the next
Centennial be held at ChebOygan. We
could put a "caliope" on top of Post &
Van Arsdale's new building, big organ
on the town hall, and in case the arte-
sian well proves success, we could
place a big pepper box over that and so
have fountain. We trust that all this
may be realized, and all be on hand to
see that fountain squirt.
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