The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-04-07


thought that seven hour course was an
ample foundation to master any dog
language" and if not well. then a
cuff or two in time would have a tend
ency to increase the knowledge and
suffice to hasten along the lettering intel
hgence. But be this as it may in the lat
ter part of April 1877 we boarded the
steamer on her journey to the great west.
Touching at several ports on lakes Erie
and Huron We arrived at Macklnaw, but
owing to the ice in the straits were then
detained or ) days. Finally forcing
passage we entered lake Michigan, and
on May I'd shortly after dinner on
pleasant sunny day, Manitowoc hove in
sight. When drawing closer to port there
was not much to be seen of town how
ever, while towering forests skirted the
shore both north and south as far as the
eye could reach. The town site itself
looked little inviting, the buildings be-
ing few and far between, and with rare
NAOCPliOLo q lllut-N OIu anu
dllapidated appearance The visible ter
rltory south of the river looked especial
ly bad and desolate, and the whole land
scape of the town was cherries add de-
pressing even on that sunny afternoon.
Yet wlthal | felt extremely happy. for
here was the realization of many ii boys
dream right before me and what I loved
so well; a seemingly boundless forest,
and at It's foot extending far towards the
rising sun the dark blue waters of
great and beautiful lake. But my adj
miration was not shared by the others
for L soon observed that they cast their
eyes in great Disappointment on the for
lorn looking shore we rapidly approach
ed, and it was but a brief time until they
gave vent to their feelings in stoutIy de-
nouncing the place as unfit for IMAM or
beast" to live in. Some hasty and ex-
cited consultations followed, and the re-
suit was that when we brought up and
made fast to the south pier-then a new
structure and the only means of land
ing-more than two-thirds of the 1mmi-
grants yehemently refused to disem-
bark, and proceeded on their journey
further south, and after being hung up
on a rock for some days, finally left the
boat and settled at Port Washington. a
point far inferior to Manitowoc in every
respect, as they discovered to their great
regret afterwards
What fools we mortals are
Young. and old --"
-Four families however chung to us.
maintaining their readiness to share our
fate whatever it may be on the strange
shore; the whole crowd including an old
time acquaintance of the governor resld-
ing at Buffalo and coming with us to see
the country, numbering twenty-nine, and
beng largely composed of small children.
A few OF the men, the women and child
rem went IN charge of Capt. Powell and
some boatmen, being pushed across the
river from the sand spit then iutting out
into the stream little below the present
mill of Truman & Cooper, and went to
the American House, while the rest of lis
remained on the pier to see our traps put
out. This being done the steamer back
ed out and resumed her journey amid
some derlslve grinnIng and haunting re-
marks of our unfaithful friends. And
right here then would be the time when
according to the say George Dusold
with his man Friday, vulgo Christian
Band, should have appeared on the scene.
but to the best of my recollection did not.
At least [ did not see him, and | believe
If he was he must have been there in
spirit. and not In body-an occurrence
alleged to happen frequently nowadays.
1t Is true, forty-five years is a long time
to~remember facts of little moment dis
tlnctly, and it is also true that boy of
10 years Is not apt to remember matters
as wildly as an older persons would, yet
L think that | am correct In saying that
neither Dusoid nor Band were at Mani
towoc May 2, 1877. My recollection is
that Christian Band came month or two
after US, and as more immigrants arrived
about that time, was employed by Boupb-
ton of the National Hotel acting as a
sort OF immigrant runner for that house.
His command of English and German
being far superior to that of George Du-
sold, who was a terror on both. |
further recoliect that Jacob Leist did not
come with us from Buffalo, he came some
months later with other immigrants.
The question: who was the father of
the German settlement of Manitowoc
is not only difficult, but prob
ably past answering at this late day. 1t
is certain nevertheless that his name is
not George Dusold, much as | woulu like
to see George wear the laurels of that
great event-but it is untenable. While
1t is fact that Germans came to this
county during the earliest period of its
settlement in the 30's, any one of them
could hardly be called a settler and a
father as they were single men, and after
a temporary stay all drifted away again
to other sections of the country, and
could not be traced in any event. l think
the first actual German settlers took
their abode in the northern part of the
county, and among the foremost, if not
the first, was my old departed friend
Frederic Borcherdt, late American Con-
sui at Leghorn, who came to this county
TO stay IN 1914 if not 1S43 He arrived |
at Two Rivers by way of Detroit, and |
went to Neshoto where he resided num- |
Der of years. He was there when we
came to Manitowoc Rapids the county |
.eat-in the early SOS holding either a
NJ ~ off, lan,,+.-ol,,,. 4