Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-02-02


loads of fat hogs shipped from tha
point, as well as cattle, this winter.
met good many of my old friends tha
l had known in Arcadia Valley in year
gone by. It seemed good to see thos
faces and feel the hearty grasp o
their hand once more. called at tn,
printing offices. for that town sport
two papers, Republican and Demo
cratic. So you pay your money ant
take your choice. Both editors ar,
nice looking young men.
Friday afternoon l was taken to So
Lake Blackstone and Camp Yancey
about three miles down the road, JUS
above where the Mckenzie Creek en-
ters into Black River. Our old FRIEND
and fellow citizen, Charley d. Yancey
and some others are making place o
resort for hunting and fishing. AS VIZ
reached camp, we found a large camp
made of boards. On going in we saw
two large wall tents inside of the plank
house; the floor was the ground, and
in the center large tree was standing
with the roof of the camp built around
the trunk. Near one corner was 9
fire fue made of rocks and a big merry
fire in the fireplace, just pouring out
the heat, and | tell you it looked and
felt good to sit before the fire On one oi
| the camp chairs. AS / walked around
| saw cupboard nailed up against the
wall, that / was ready to claim as
mine, that had at the old Brewers
Creek mill, when kept batch. Oh!
just felt as though ! wanted to spread
my blanket and spend the rest of my
days right there. It made me feel
homesick to leave the place, and such
a splendid place it will be when brought
into shape a little. Such fine fishing
and hunting; we saw squirrel tracks
in the snow in few yards of the cabin.
The lake is bounded on the east and
south by huge steep bluffs, covered with
trees. ferns and rocks that reach down
to the clear waters; on the west the
railroad has a very high enbankment.
with high bridge at the upper end,
but no outlet at the lower end, so that
is all ready for ornamenting. As stood
at the foot of the bluff, just above the
water, 1 saw, for a great many yards
around, the water act in cOmmOtiOn.
AS I looked, saw great bubbles con-
stantly coming up from the bottom OF
the lake. It was in such constant mo-
tion that no ice could form on the
water. l was told the water was very
deep in some parts of the lake, and
saw in part Of the ground that was
not covered with water moss OF green,
which found to be cane. / had seen
no cane for great many years; had
forgotten all about the canebrakes that
used to grow down in that country.
remember when we first came to this
country there were but very few peo-
pie living down in all that part OF the
world, and the fats and river and creek
bottoms were covered with cane. Ev-
cry fall, before cold weather came. all
of the farmers that had much stock up
in this part of the bountry, up in Mad
ison, St. Francois and Washington
would hitch up a team of
four or six horses to one of those big
schooner. wagons, load in few sacks
Of salt, their bedding, -four, cornmeal,
coffee, guns and traps. Then they
would gather all of their spare horses |
md cattle together and go down to the |
'wamps on st. Francois and Black riv-
srs and spend the winter, hunting, |
ishing and trapping beaver, otter and
mink They would hunt bear and deer
md turkeys, and what splendid times
hey did have and how fat they lived,
'oasted bear meat and wild turkey |
,reast for bread. l tell you to get be-
ore good log fire, with big chunk
If roasted bear meat in one hand and
roasted turkey breast in the other.
Oh! it makes me hungry just to think
# it, and fish roasted on the Goals, go
lway! When spring came and the
,uffalo gnats came, then it was time
o pull up stakes and get out of the f
wamps, and such loads of venison and
,ear bacon as they did bring back with
hem, and their cattle would come out
# the swamps looking sleek and nice,
Ifter feasting on the cane all winter.
And now, as l look all over that
and think of all the good old
lays gone by, feel that, after all, this
8 a great and good part of the world.
Did Iron may not have as good land,
nay not rave OF. as fine stock as some,
Ter inhabitants may not have as much
i this worlds goods as some. but
must defy the world to raise more chill
rem, smarter boys and prettier girls
han old Iron! You can find boys &
nd girls that were born and raised in
Id Iron everywhere you go, and they |,
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