Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-03-22
A PIONEERS STORY.
"Reminiscences of Early Life In and
Around Chicago.

"Reminiscences of Early Life In and
Around Chicago.
Williamson Price: am eighty-seven
years old and live in Cherokee, Crawford
County, Kansas. l went out there in
1871. Chicago is wonderful city, and
when ! think of it as first knew 1t
wonder II am living and If what see
is real.
Let me tell you story Of Gurdon S.
Hubbard, of whom every Chicagoan
knows. Long before there was any Chi
cago Hubbard was an Indian trader; he
had house on the Iroquois river and
squaw for wife. Soon after Danville
was laid out he bought his time from his
Indian wife and went to Danville. He
went to merchandising, and soon after
married. He went to Cincinnati on a
wedding trip. The bride and groom
boarded a steamboat at the mouth of
the Big Vermillion river. At Terre
Haute an old man named Linton got
aboard with his family. They were GO
ing to Philadelphia. The month was
March and the waters were booming
everywhere. The boat was running
pretty fast. Mr.. Linton's boy, four
years old, fell overheard. Hubbard
pulled his coat, jumped into the river,
recovered the child, swan to shore, and
the boat rounded to and took them on
board. Linton offered Hubbard $500,
but Hubbard wouldn't take it.
"All right" said Linton, "then I'll
change the boys name. ''I'll call him
Gurdon S. Hubbard Linton
At the next election we sent Hubbard
to the Legislature. That was in 1880.
The Legisture met in those days in Van
dalia Lots at Fort Dearborn were sell
ing at $50 apiece. l remember a drove
of hogs which Hubbard bought in 1882.
He hired man named Elliott to drive
the hogs from Georgetown to Dan
vile and then to Chicago. There was
nothing but an Indian trail between
Danville and Chicago; no road. Elliott
took several wagons loaded with corn
with which to feed the hogs. There was
not soul living along the trail or any
where near it. Elliott and the hogs
finally reached Blue Island. The wealth
er turned cold and the snow fell to a
depth of four feet on a level. People in
Chicago knew they were coming and
went out to meet them and leveled out
a road so they could get the hogs into
town. The next year Hubbard moved
into Chicago. He built house near the
river on the North side. l remember
the man who built the house, Tom Dun
ham. When he went back to Danville
he was telling me about it. He said if
every spear of grass between Danville
and Chicago was $50 bill it would new
er build road to Chicago on account of
the .swamps.
1 remember that Josephus and Ste
phen Collet, merchants in the Town of
Eugene, bought goods in New York and
had them shipped by lake to Chicago
My father-in-law went after the goods
with his team. 1t took eighteen yoke
of steers to pull the wagon-load through
the swamps of Chicago.
When the first railroad-from Kanka-
kee to Chicago-was built Tom Dunham
got on the cars and went to Chicago
When he went back home he said to his
neighbors: Il have seen what / never
expected to see in this world and now
/ am ready to die" And he did die soon
after.
Before Chicago was laid out our sheriff
at Danville, William Reed, paid the
tdAcS OuG VI HIS OWN pOCheI TdJHer IHdH
go to Fort Dearborn to collect the taxes
due on the spot where Chicago now
stands.
remember that the winters in those
times were pretty hard. Two men, Hill
dreth and France were their names,
started from Georgetown to Chicago on
horseback. The cold weather overlook
them. France killed his horse, took
out the entrails, and crawled into the
animal to keep warm. He froze to death
that night. Hildreth tried to cut his
horses throat and lost his knife. He
wandered about all night and finally
found his way to cabin next morning.
He didn't leave the cabin for six weeks.
When he did he had no fingers or toes.
/ heard not long ago that he is living
somewhere in Kentucky.-Chicag Tri.
bune.