The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-06-07

Id SaIie our county bears no ignObl'
title. Let 1t be proud OF him, anC
more so because il bears the name o
one To whom obstacles We're only en-
couragements To greater eXertiOn anC
to whom despair was unknown.
Passing over the other explorers W,
come TO DIR. Davidson, the first whit,
} settler here since the French. III,
came from Virginia in 1923 and bull,
his log cabin near Buffalo Rock, where
he traded with the Indians until hi,
death in 1926.
On account of the difficulties OF
underwriting and the scarcity OF
lake boats, few settlers came until
Immediately after the Black Hawk
war, when settlements were made al
Seneca, Cedar Point, Marseilles, Day,
ton, Indian Creek, La Sale and
lOttawa.
The Black Hack war, in 1882, was a
memorable event in the history OF
this county. Black Hawk thought
the white settlers were trespaSsing
and therefore sought redress in war.
These troubles We're settled by the de-
cisive battle Of Bad Axe in which he
was defeated.
immigration commenced anew, the
fugitives from the Indian war return
ing from their eastern homes. When
this war closed Ottawa South Ottawa
now contained a rough board court
house, small hut where Henry Hicks
bartered with the Indians, fort, and
a small house where David Walker
lived. The county continued to grow
land when the Mexican war broke out
I Ia, tpih t.I Oh 4
and under II. Lyle Dickey the Ottawa
troops did good service.
When the civil war came our coun-
ty had progressed so as to contain
10000 inhabitants, and when the call
for $1,000 volunteers was made, the
response was hearty: from no county
more hearty than from La Sale.
From that time till the close of the
war, the patriotic county sent forth a
continuous procession to fight its
country's battles. In all nearly 5000
enliStmentS are put down to the
credit of La Sale county.
| The people went 5nergetically to
work to repair the breach made by the
war. and since then the county has
steadily progressed in population, in
wealth. and in culture.
What are the elements that have
contributed to this progress and what
have made the county what it is ~
The political economist would I'M
ldOubtedly answer, that the two chief
elements are great natural resources
and varied population. "A mixed
population is always more fruitful Of
inventions and eXppdients than pop
tulation OF one race. Its various ele-
mentS contributed to the community
the best methods from all commune
ties. and the varied qualities of mind
that have made the community of
each succeed.
The inhabitants of each agricultu-
raj neighborhood, however, are from
one locality and thus we find distrib-
uted throughout the county commun-
tiles of thrifty New Englanders, of
hard working Pennsylyanians, of busy
New Workers. of rugged OhioanS, of
people from low Virginia and Caro-
lima and from Kentucky's dark and
bloody domain. Each one of these
races helped to make the county what
it is now. Being mixed promiScu-
ously, they could not help but see
what was not best in their own ways
of working and what ecdS best in the
ways of others.
How different now the scene from
that which greeted La Sale. when
two centuries ago he landed in the
county that now bears his name.
Could he revisit his name-sake now,
even the pride with which he would
view her wealth and beauty. would be
overwhelmed by the sense of the
almost miraculous change which the
industry of man has wrought. In
stead of lurking bands of Indians, he
would see cities, peopled with intelli-
gent citizens and filled with cultured
homes. In place of the softly gliding
canoe the swiftly moving palace car
would meet his view. Where herds of
buffalOS. and deer, and hocks of tur-
keys, ducks. and grouse once made
their home, he wound see the pros
porous farm, the busy market, the
school, the factory and the shop. He
would observe in the history of this
county a miniature representation of
this country's history, and would read
in it the great lesson of life-that all
things grow from state of uncOn-
trOlled disorder by the exercise of in
dustry, intellect. and virtue, into
symmetrical and well governed works
of God.
The Rhine.
Miss Louise Ravens handled this
subject from German point of view
The Rhine was not alone Germanys
bulwark against her western enemies
| in time of war, but to it she attribted
the inspiration of the German poets,
composers and writer's. She described
| the beauty of the stream, and its cas-
ties, cities and towns. The stream
was like the history of the German ma
ton, tOrrential at its source, but
smoother and more quiet as it nearS
the sea. The wars for Germany are,
for the present, ended. She enjoys an
era Of peace. She stands alone, just
as the Rhine needs no other river to
give depth to its tide,
| Arthur ID. AuSsen delivered in poet
ical manner, that ever interesting
sketch, the
| Glass History.
1t was in the early autumn of the
year of eighty-siX
That the noble class of ninety took
their seats in five and six.
We were filled with wild elation, and