Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-06-26
Mrs, j. A Chadwick' paper.l

ed from Rochester, N Y, my birth
place; then the spirit of pioneer,
which seemed to be SO much a part
of my fathers nature, again took
possession of him, and in the spring
of 1886, be left his family and start
ed westward to found another home
going first to Michigan. He was not
fayorably impressed with the state
where ague then prevailed to Il great
extent, SO he came farther west, until
at last he reached the tertil valley of
the Rock, where he located his claim,
the fine water power here, ATTRACTING
especial attention; the land was not
in market and in order to hold his
claim he must stay on it, so he sent
for his family. and on the Goth of
September, 1885. we left our pretty
Ohio home and went to Cleveland
where we were to take a schooner for
the Northwest territory, as our
state was then called. To children
change is ever pleasant, but [ have
often Wondered what my mother s
sensations were when with her family
of seven children, one a babe of a
year, must have been when she un-
deFtook that journey, to be filled
with SO many privations. Steamers
IN those days came no father west
than Detroit, SO we were obliged to
come on schooner, and wait for fav-
orable winds. For six days we lay i'll
Guy yahoga river, and again for a week
we lay wind bound on the St. Clair
fats. When we reached Mackinac we
were again becalmed for a day or
two, but about October 10Th 4 do
not remember the exact date) we
landed in Milwaukee, having been
three weeks making the trip. One
would not recognize in the prosper
Gus city of to-day, the village we
then Saw. Although only a child of
nine years my recollecUions are very
vivid of that journey and all con-
nected with it. We can all recall
when the east side was called Juneau,
ard the west side Kilbourn town,
the two small hotels, the 'Belleview"
and 1.-The Cottage Inn," the trad
ing post for the Indians kept by Sol
ONION Juneau, and how the red men
loved and revered him, calling him
SNichisin Solomo," in their iangu-
age meaning Good Solomon" My
father met us in Milwaukee, and hired
teams to take us to Prairieville, now
Waukesha. His plan was to come in
canoes to Oconomowoc, thence to
where the Oconomowoc stream emp
ties into Rock river, then down to
where he had located MS claim, the
site OF our present city. They had
four canoes, they being dashed to-
gether IN pairs quite an imposing lit
tie fleet; but the winter came on
early that year, and the next morn
ing after we reached what is now
Oconomowoc the lakes were SO firmly
frozen over that the Indians crossed
en- the ice. This neceSstated our
going into camp and remaining until
nay father could come Oh here
and get a yoke of oxen and
wagon with which to complete
Our journey, rather a primitive mode
of travelling compared with The pres
ent style of palace and dining cars,
and all the modern convenienees. Be
sides my father, there were three
other men, Messrs. Miller, Griswold
and Baldwin. Leaving Griswold with
US, he took the other two, and my
oldest brother, then a lad of / 4Vears,
and came on here as [ remarked be-
fore. [ have thought also that he
| must have felt somewhat anxioas to
knoag if he still had a claim toooome
to, for in those days, "rnight was
right" and if a claim was left but
for a night some one may have tax
en- possession of it, or in early days
expression, have Jumped it." At
the end of q week they returned, but
our pfogress was slow and tedious,
as the country was heavily timbered
and orr road had to be cat. Some
times we would camp for several
days in the same spot, the progress
made being SO little that it would
scarcely he worth while to move our
camp. When we reached IX@nia,
tired vita such slow movement, my
Oldest brother, my two sisters next
older and nnyself left the party, and
pushed on to our new home. When |
think how tenderly the children of
to-day areseared for, I wonder how
our parents could have allowed,ns to
go, on foot, alone through an un-
known forest, our only path an Gaadi-
zan trail; but we reached here, finding
eone small log cabin standing very
rear where oar Opera House Row
stands. 1t was occupied by a French
aGan and he seemed very glad to see
US All he had to eat was some salt
pork. but that he offered freely, say
ing in his broken English "pienchy
ma&er, plenchg pork" We had
brought n loaf of bread, not very
good, but as good as our limited
faciiities for baking while in camp
would admit of; but no meal of later
years ever tasted better than that,
nay Eqst in Waterto@n, consisting
only on salt pork and bread, with
plenty ot good water Two days
later the rest Of the iadaaily arrived,
December 18th, 1886, tifty-two years
ago, we had been three weeks coming
from Waakesha, double the time it
takes now to cross the continent. At
Waukesha ray father had lain in a
supply of vegetables, enough lie
th0upht for orr WintRp's I1se but orr