The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-03-12

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its&t. a',IS EW0&SS&A ~nlC0 bcttAcAS ia
/ !. nv \WN northern Michi-
81 A&Sf1k.k IA gan was q man
4 n Ss iii namedJohn Mead
eTp ] ows, who, with
VA AV&N HE vito and H.
'-XY@" ycar-oid son Jul
ian,rsigrated from
: <;1I q: s:::~ ss;: !:
uuarter section of wild land in what
q now CheEoygan county. @h
q The hardy pioneer made tho long
{ tourney of 800 miles-mostly through
IN unbroken wilderness-with IN OK
4 team and cart, in which last were stored
few simple farming implements and
\ household goods, a pair Of young pigs,
I'll stock OF flour and such other neces-
Z saries as, he could afford to buy, while
behind the cart walked wife and son,
/. leading q mich COW and heifer calf,
which all looked upon rs the founda-
Hon of herd to be raised III their new
home.
Tho trip occupied 20 days, and each
!. night of those days tho little family
J: rested on the ground beneath the cart,
enjoying such sweet sleep as is happily
the blessed reward of honest toll. Tor
I desh food they depended then, aad for
many months afterward, solely upon
the long, Aintlock rifles carried by IA
Their and son, as deer. bears, wild tur-
keys and other game were extremely
plentiful in most parts of the country
~ so1
After many stirring, though not dan
Rerous, adventures, the immigrants
finally arrived at the previously-se'
! lected tract of densely-wocded land.
beautifully eituated on the west bank
Of Indian river. Then father, mother
and son went vigorously to work. and
In four days had erected water and
weatherproof log shanty which was to
be their home for the next three years.
In like manner they then built a Sc
cure shelter for the cattle. which, al
though finding abundant pasturage on
the open spots along the river, had to
be brought in every night. for at that
time fierce gray wolyes.-still numer-
Gus in many parts of Michgan-roamed
everywhere through the primeval for
est.
During that first summer. John Mead
Owls and his sturdy boy. aided by the
oxen, cleared off five acres Of land, and
early, In September sowed the patch
with fall wheat. BY the middle or
May next spring they had three acres
more in serviceable shape though fully
one-third of the area was encumbered
by stumps ard piles of such large green
logs ss could not be burned until par
tally dried by the coming summer sun.
Howeyer,s all the available space4,v
pIante4 with potatoes, Indian corn.
pumpkins, turnips, onions and such
other seeds as the settlers had been able
to procure from travelling traders mex
change for furs. Moreover, Mrs. Mead
oyvs now had leisure to prepare a little
f.ower-garden in front OF the house,
and this, by the Fourth Of July. was
q glory to behold.
AS is generally the case with we'll
directed industry. Providence smiled
upon the labors of the woodland farm
ers; oil their crops turned out splen-
didly, and the second winter not only
tho family, but tho cattlc-now in
creased to five head by the addition Of
a spring calf, had an abundance Of
vegetable food, while the two parent
pigs and large litter of thrifty young
ones gave promise that not for long
would the household have to depend
solely upon game for meat
The wheat, thrashed partly by hand
fails, partly in the old patriarchal fash
ion of treading out by oxen, was, in
default of tanning mill, winno,:ed by
tossing high in air while the autumn
breezes blew; and after laying by
enough OF it for a years bread and that
seasons seeding, the surplus was
traded to Thomas Owen, lately-ar'
rived and well-to-do settler, for couple
of sheep, a pair OF ducks and half
dozen chickens.
/ Que immigrants were getting on in
the world. After being only 10 months
! in the bush, they now had Is acres of
rich land cleared, a years stock Of pro-
visions on hand. and, best Of all, u fam
! lily of friendly neighbors within the con-
vcnient distance of three miles, space
that in the backwoods is reclzoncd no
greater than as many blocks in = big
city.
But, meantime, they were almost out
of white -four. Some of the wheat
must be ground, and the nearest mill
and country store, located on the pres
ent site of Mackinaw City, were 50 miles.
away. j.
So, when, toward the end of Novem.
Der, the first heavy snow fell, John
Meadows borrowed ten bags from Mr..
Owen, put therein ~ bushels Of wheat,
piled all on a homemade sled, drawn
by the oxen, and, with his wife, set out
tor q Journey to the grist-mill, leaving
Julian, now stontfellow of 1914 years,
TO keep house and care for the liye
stock. =.
The couple carried with them the
tkl,ox, AuI eoov,f F.. ~.