Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-01-26
IN PIONEER DAYS.
Memories of Gentleman Who Travele
Through the Northwest in 1897


kept by Cannon. The landlady
seemed to run the whole business the
kitchen. dining-room and office. Here
we rested up for day or two. and
made a sale of our ponies and wagon
to Colonel Hampstead. believe. Our
boss was destined to Cincinnati to
make returns. while the boys would
skip on foot via Chicago back to their
homes in Michigan.
AtFulton we put up with a man who
was having his house fitted up for a
grocery store-residence above and
store below. The lower room was
unfinished. A carpenters bench and
tools. with plenty of shavings upon
the floor. little box stove and some
green WOO! constituted the furniture
Pointing to the floor around the stove.
he said: '.Herc, boys. this is all l can
do for you; be careful about the fire. :"
We took lodging and put in a good
nights rest. At daylight in the
morning he came in and told us he
could give us no breakfast. He did
not expect another boat up the river
until spring. and his supply of provis-
ions was scant; he was afraid he would
not have enough TO carry his family
through. But if we took that cattle
trail five or six miles we would find a
settler who had lately come in. and he
guessed he had brought provisions
with him. Accordingly VIC struck
out. After some two hours brisk
travel we arrived at the house. ordered
breakfast, and it was furnished. The
bill of fare was hot corn bread fresh
pork, wild honey and coffee. good
wholesome meal for footmen to travel
on. The next day we called for break
fast at a settlers near Sterling The
woman of the house said she could
give us breakfast. 'but what kind Of
money are you going to pay in?' Our
cashier produced some bills upon a
New York safety fund bank. She
gazed 1T the bills and called 10 her
son, young man. and told him: go
and tell Harry to come here. an older
son. He came staring at us suspicious
ly. and closely scrutinized our money.
questioned us rs to who We were and
what was our destination. and finally
told his mother that he guessed all was
right. And soon we were served with
the best meal we had partaken of for
many a day.
Oar next point OF interest was at the
Widow Barry's tavern. about ten miles
west of Chicago. where we were told
that we could not get TO Chicago, rs
there had been no communication for
four days. Recent heavy rains had
flooded nearly all of that big, flat
prairie Immediately west Of the city,
and the hard cold had frozen leo too
tender for teams or footmen and not
strong enough to bear up either We
told the folks that surveyors had no
such word rs cant" in their dictiOn-
airy, and we struck out for the little
town over the tender ice The habit
of running lines caused lis to take q
| bee line, which soon led us int to trouble.
| Where the water was but few inches
deep the ice was strong enough to bear
us up. but as soon as we came where
the water was considerably deeper the
ice broke and let us down, sometimes
to our waists. Sometimes we had to lay
down and slide to keep from break
ing through. We finally reached the
sandy beach of tn, lake. fatigued and
heated in the upper half. but chilled
and benumbed below. We hurriedly
made our way homcward. which we
finally reached the day before Christ
mas. We brushed the dust of the
great prairie from our garments, and
proceeded to celebrate our safe re-
turn by taking in the holidays. The
young people seemed to fairly lionize
us or account of the journey VIC had
made "away to that river and upon
the boundless prairles inhabited only
by wild beasts and savage Indians
close to the setting sum-"
Few OF the younger people OF Iowa
and Illinois can now realize the won-
derful change that has taken place
since 1887. Michigan was but sparse
lv settled ut that date. and Northern
Illinois WAS only surveyed into town.
ships. AMI rs for Iowa. the Indians
held sway over all except the Black
Hawk franchise. and l believe that
was only strip along the river about
fifty miles wide. Seeing such vast
amount of vacant country we natur-
ally thought it impossible for it
TO become settled and fully in
habited in our day and gen.
Grafton. Where could the people come
from to fill up this immense void OF
three great Territories? These were
reasonable conclusions then. but the
experience of the last forty years holds
up to our vision very different his
tcry. In this connection we are led TO
inquire where the territory is that shall
supply the Westward-bound emigra-
| ton for the next half century, if emil
grafton continues any thing like it has
been for the last fifty years? I would
hero further say that Indians Wero
numerous upon that part of Iowa at
the time we were surveying We met
with detached parties Of Winnebagoes.
Menominecs, Cherokees. Sacs. Foxes.
Osagcs and Sioux. They appeared to
be hunting in small parties. The
game was plentiful especially in the
vicinity of the Turkey timber We
saw deer. elk. geese. ducks. brant and
prairie chickens in feeks too numer-
Gus to mention.-E. g. Cole. ~ Dss-
6uque Herald