The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-08-21


ious meetings regularly held this fall
of 1885. Such meetings had begun
quite early. The first is said to have
present twenty-one had taken part,-so
promising was Pike river piety. We
get a glimpse Of another October Sd,
where the audience were not so talka-
tive, but invited Mr.. Lothrop to " i'm
prove the time" Some settlers came
six miles to attend these meetings,
which indeed Mr.. Lothrop thinks were
the only ones within thirty miles
round,-Root River not being given to
religion just then. Deacon Weed and
others wanted the Baptists to organize
a little; but objection was made that it
would produce sectarian feeling, and so
the meetings remained open to all.
But in December we find the Metho.
dlsts partially organized and listening
to Abner Barlow, who came over from
Pleasant Prairie to preach once a
month. Soon after a Presbyterian
missionary apparently Rev. Cyrus
Nichols,-is found preaching OCCASION
ally. The Baptists, though still with
out organization, oatnumbered the
others, and some were urging Elder
Woodin, of Hannibal, to come and
{" heaye the Baptist banner" as one of
them expressed it. The audience was
increasing, though Elder Lothrop con-
fesses the place is not remarkable for
religious attention" Most of the set
tlorc bod oo,,oo RI hold olo;,oc ,,oIl,o ~,
than build churches; and even the re-
ligious talk savored this, so that an
exhorter urged the necessity of MAX
ing a good claim in heaven
WINTER OF 1896
The first winter passed quietly.
Some of the country settlers had left
their claims to return in the spring.
Some staid and wintere their cattle
from the hay they had cut, unless, in
deed, the stacks were burnt in the fire
which had swept over the prairies in
September. These were busy splitting
rails to fen ce their claims. Alvin
French prepared $500 with his single
axe between November and March;
and in the spring L. G. Holt and Sam
Howard laid 10000 into four miles of
worm fence. Here, at Pike river.
some were building; others at work in
various ways. The idle gathered at
Bullen & Aliens store; and the less
temperate congre lated now and then
at Resigue's tavern. About the holt
days Mr.. Lothrop and the Crossits left
that old boarding house by the lake,
where Amos Grattan succeeded them.
Mr.. Crossit moved into his new house
which he had built near his blac ksmith
shop, and there, too, they kept boarders,
as most househol6ers did then. Not
very spacious room did the boarding
houses furnish. And one of the board
ers in this tells me that the sleeping
chamber wa so low that they had to
put their heads out of hole in the
roof to get room to draw on their PAN
falcons, while at night the sleepless
wight would sometimes entertain him.
self looking out of this hole and hearing
the wolves howl along Main street.
The weather was favorable, and save
a week of severe cold in November, the
winter was open ard pleasant "like a
New 7 ork October one writes. Still
the settlers were not without anxiety,
and we do not learn of any holiday |
festivities. Provisions were getting |
scarce and dear,-four $1,000 barrel. |
There were game,-deer and chicken
but these were not highly esteemed. |
Pork was what the pioneer stomach es-
peclally craved, and pork is quoted |
with surprise at seven cents a pound |
and hardly to be had at that. Nay, be-
fore the holidays, find it written that |
Orrin Jerome down on the creek, has
killed his lean hogs, and is selling
them at ten cents the pound. Before
,he winter was past, provisions did, in
Iced, become short in the settlement;
md the spring of '36 is still spoken of
IS the hard time" when travellers had
% be turned away without a break
asst, and many of the settlers went
lungry.
& SCHOOL.
But our Pike river settlers were
lone the less active. Jason Lothrop's