The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-10-04
A RETROSPECT.

rate the event by historic reminis.
cences as well as by current news. So
Iong time, and yet so short. Great
changes time has wrought in those
twenty years, and the COLUMBIAN has
chronicled every important event
The whole file, or series of papers,
during those years constitutes a great
volume of history, interesting and in
structive in every detail. Thousands
OF Its pages might be scanned with
profit by future generations.
But instead of a fifth, let us glance |
back half century. Then without
railroad transportation, without tele-
graph communication, without steam
and electricity as the chief motive
power, without gas and electricity as
artificial light, without all the modern
Improvements of inventive genius,
without the fine arts, in all depart
ments of human enterprise, without
the aid of advanced science in demon
strating natural laws which govern the
universe Of nature, one may we'll infer
that the past generations CROPPED their
way In darkness before the individual
and the public mind were thrust upon
the vortex of progression. Improve.
ment mental, physical, artificial and
scientific seemed to run in ruts, and
the well beaten paths seem never to
have been left for exploration and dis
covery in the great ocean of knowl.
edge until late in the nineteenth cen.
tury when the whole panorama of hui
man action became an arena of light.
ming activity. Fifty wears ago the
greater part of northern Columbia
county was a comparative wilderness.
Bloomsburg was then but a small
and dull village with but little outward
commercial advantage, and connected
with other small hamlets by rude high
ways, such as the old state road and
other rough byways, making travel
burdensome and laborious. In those
times were wonderful flights of
pigeons that excited the entire popu-
lace, and sporting seemed to be with
out limit, and the people reveled in
luxurious game. In this connection,
another interesting item should not be
overlooked.
There was also yearly pilgrimage,
or run of Yankees The mode of
transporting lumber to the markets
from the lumber country was by
means of rafting. During the spring
freshets the larger streams and rivers
were lined with lumber RATS, each
containing many thousands Of feet
which required an army of men to
safely steer to their place Of destina.
tlon-Harrisburg, Haverdegrace, Bal
timore and other points. On their re-
turn from market those yankees {"
were obliged to pass through Blooms
burg up the old State road, via Light
SHeet, Orangeville and Cambria the
terminal of the old state road and
junction with the old Berwick tnrn-
pike. Thence those "Yanks" be-
took the turnpike via Fairmount
Springs, Long Pond, (Ganoga Lake, }
Dushore and Towanda, until they
reached their lumberwoods homes.
The run of Yankees afforded some
employment to people who were fond
OF :" hauling yankees" as the saying
went. AT that time there were but
few openings, or clearings along this
pilgrimage highway and forest fires
were frequently very destructive,
which gave the country a dismal and
gloomy appearance. Those "Yanks''
were sometimes heard to remark
while travelling between Zaners and
Van Camp" d hard land to
work" Cant see how people live"
&c. 1t must be remembered that at
that time every family did its own
manufacturing, with few exceptions,
OF all the fabrics and wearing apparel.
The loom and spinning wheel were a
necessary household furniture while
sheep and flax were as essential to
the household as bread and meat.
The hum and buzz of the spinning
wheel, the bang Of the loom and the
shoe hammer of the cobbler furnish,
ed music for the household while
casslmeres and calico, satins and silks,
and all the luxuries of the day, includ-
ing the organ and piano now grace the
homes of modern progression. Where
once the Yankee" said, 1T is
hard land to work. Cant see how
people live" the country is now a
verltable garden and paradise, with a
population of as contented and happy
people as can be found in all
Yankeedom." In this review Of the
past have only touched upon few
minor points Of interest. The peo-
pie who then inhabited the locality
the great majority of them at least,
hay NTH tk., N,~l~