St. Landry democrat., 1883-08-25
THE PRAIRIE CIRCLE.

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THE PRAIRIE CIRCLE.
"A Wisconsin Pioneers Adventure in an
Electrical Storm in 1916.
Every traveller who, in the early days
of Wisconsin, trayersed the prairies win
remember to have seen rings or circular
marks on the ground, of almost every
size, varyingin diameter from five up to
fifteen and even twenty feet. The cir
scles We're often the subject of much
comment and speculation, and many
an evening was spent in the early days
of the State by travellers and others in
attempts to intelligibly account for
them, and to explain the causes that led
to their formation. They not unfre-
quently resembled the track made in
modern days by the tramping round the
horsepower of a thrashing- machine.
No matter how luxuriant might be the
grass and heritage around the edge of
the circle, and also in the area Of it,
there was always track of foot or
two in width around the area, on which
nothing but a few coarse and hardy
weeds and fungi grew. Various were
: the reasons assigned by the first settlers
for the formation of these rings. Some
asserted that they were caused by the
lettering of an Indian pony, and that
the outer edge was as far as he could
crop the grass while SO tethered. An
other asserted that the female elk there
defended her young from the attacks of
the wolves, and that the outer edges or
track where nothing grew were caused
by the pawings of her fore-feet. Still
another reason assigned was that in
very early times an Indian, condemned
to torture, was tied to stake driven in
the prairie ground, and that he was
made to run round at the extreme end
of a rope fastened to his body, and that
his feet striking SO continuously in one
track had worn out the ground, which
remained Barren. Numerous other
theories were advanced, none, however,
-ascribing the circles to their true cause.
Few men have ever seen one OF these
circles made, and as may be classed
among those very few, / purpose in the
following relation to describe when and
how one of those prairie circles was
founded, on the prairie lying between
Fox Lake and Lake Emily in Dodge
County. 1t might be remarked, how
ever, that the statement is written out
from notes made long ago, to form one
of a series of stories of early Wiscon-
sin life, and further it is as related one
evening TO company for their amuse-
ment. It was in the fall of 1916 when
the occurrence took place, and during
one of those thunder-storms not I'M
frequent in that summer 1t was, too,
during a tempestuous night, such a
one as Burns described in sTam o.
.Shanter:o
Is The wind blew as twad blown its last,
The rafting showers rose on the blast;
The speedy CLEANS the darkness swallowed,
Loud, deep and lang the thunder beloved;
That night. child might understand,
The dell had business on his hand"
/ had been sent for the doctor for
sneighbor reported in urgent need Of
PHYSICIANS services, and had galloped
over the prairie with the mutterings of
the gathering storm all about me. The
physician at first declined to go, but on
my representation that the woman was
.deathly sick started with me- It was
now night. The open prairie was at
least three miles across, with but o
neck Of openings and thicket, which at
one point crossed 1.-THE road passing
through the narrowest part of the
5thicket. By the time we had reached
the high ground Of the prairie it was
seen that the storm was nearer than we
had supposed it to be when IN the val
ley. Though to some extent really
terrific, there was yet something grand |
and even glorious in the whole scene.
To the northwest there was an inn
mense bank of clouds, the upper edges
of which were frequently lighted up
with the repeatedly piercing flashes Of
lightning, sending a. sheen through
them and silvering for an instant their
edges with a brilliancy and brightness
that was almost dazzling. Every mo-
ment or so heavier flash lighted up
the lower edges, or streaked the horizon
line with a blush or liyid look. lasting
however only for an instant. As if an
the impending danger, fights |
of birds were plainly heard overhead. !
Intermingled. with the scream Of the
curlew, and the peculiar Wierd notes Of
the plover, and the buzzing sounds of
the grouse, as they hurried to a place
of safety and shelter from the now rap
idly approaching storm, was the tWitter-
ing of the smaller birds, as all by a COM
mon instinct were fleeing the danger