River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-07-29

TIP ahd wAen we once more reached terra TRINA
we presented a neat apprenticeship We walk
cd out upon rail fence, carrying orr shoes and
socks and. after washing the mud away. sat on
the fence posts aud reelothed our feet. shortly
after, while rolling smoothly along, we ascend
ed high hill and there appeared before Us a
beautiful gravel slope with what appeared 10 be
a smooth yellow clay road across swamp and
some five feet above the surface Of tie water
Oris was ahead and the peTspiIatiOn was cours-
ing down his face in streams. The prospect for
fine spin was too much for Us and away we
went down the incline. We struck what had
appeared TO be smooth al the bottom of the hill
and 10, and behold the clay stood mp ia ruts
about six inches high and OH how We did jump.
Oris was some three rods ahead OF me and sud-
denly he disappeared from my sight. On pass
ing his point Of disappearance l heard loud
splashing and Immediately dismounted and
back-tracked to his rescue. In a moment he APP
peared above the bank dragging his wheel and
water pouring in streams from both man and
machine Then how we did roar He and the
bike went entirely out of sight in the water and
in as quick time ever boy dived from the
old springboard at the birch We were only
half mile from Dalton aud got there as quick
ly possible. Here we had dinner and Oris
with the wind in our back. Arrived at Fergus
Falls at $50 and spent the remainder Of the day
and night there, as A. h. Chaplin was at that
city, oris and win concluded to remain over for
few days and so Frank and / made up our
minds 10 come on alone. While at the Falls we
visited the State Insane Asylum and other points
of interest and Frank and / had supper with
John West, an old gentleman who used to buy
cattle at River Falls and is well known in that
vicinity. Next morning we came on and just
out of Fergus overlook Hector Beech and Albert |
Knight on their way to the hay field on the
farm where they are working. At Dewey's
Bridge we stopped and got some milk to drink
and had talk with one Of the Dewey boys
cousins Of the Taylors of River Falls-and then
struck west over the prairie for Breckenridge |
t25 miles away The ride into Breckenridge |
was revelation TO us, as we had not anticipated
any such roads as we encountered. Oris had |
told US that from Fergus Falls the balance of he
journey would be made over smooth turnpike |
roads. We certainly misunderstood him. He |
evidently said turnbike roads, as our bikes were
turned from under US about every ten rods for |
the first - miles We could not find the roads |
in places and some OF them were simply two |
deeply-sunken tracks, our pedals striking the |
sides at short intervals and throwing us Off We |
arrived at Breckenridge at 11:l5 Saturday morn |
ind and after crossing the short bridge over the
Boise de Sioux river found ourselves II last in |
Wahpeton and North Dakota. Our first move |
on entering wahpeton was to hunt up VIII |
FaTnsWorth and we then repaired TO restau- |
rant and had dinner IN the afternoon we re- |
manned to witness the ball game between the |
wahpeton- Breckenridge and Moorhead teams |
and had chat with Rudie Conrad of Ham
mond who is on the pitching staff of the former |
cities. When the game was ended and lunch |
disposed of we headed south for Ia rmont |
against a strong head wind and struck some |
horrible roads-new grading-and it took US |
over two hours to make the run of Is miles |
When we entered the town we repaired 10 the |
home ofWilbur Cox and were very pleasantly |
entertained until Sunday morning. We enjoy |
ed our stay with them and Ned Ballard very |
much.
Sunday morning we took TO the trail and ar |
rived at Hankinson at 1900 O'Clock, refreshed |
ourselves at pump Our best friend on the trip
and came on for the last stage of the run. Thus |
far we had encountered no rain, butseven miles |
east of this town we ran into shower was |
about half mile in advance Of Frank and lit |
out for stiles-an elevator station on the 500
and Frank turned I'm at a farm house to await a |
cessation of the storm. When this storm was |
over Frank joined me and pulled out for |
Lidgerwood through the mud; and talk about |
hard riding. we got it. At every hill we were
obliged to dismount, as the resr wheel would |
slide round in the greasy mui. and it was at
times impossible 10 roll the wheel up hill as the
forks were so packed with mud and grass to |
lock them dead Everything has end and at !
2:3O we entered the village and hunted up Joe I
mn Tu1iue a % wi 4
clasped their hands and received the Woodmen |
grip from both Of them.
We have been having an enjoyable visit with |
the boys and have made the acquaintance of
quite a number of the citizens here. We can |
not say that we are in love with the country, |
although it is as billy in this immediate yicin- |
ity as at home, but the hills are bare with no |
woods to crown them. We are only nine miles |
from the South Dakota line and IS miles from |
Minnesota. / expect to be at work in the |
Broadaxe Office ere this reaches you, as I wish |
to stay here the coming winter and experience |
a genuine blizzard. so that can tell you some |
of the ard-to-believe stories that have been told
us since we arrived here. Frank will undoubt |
edly be at work soon.
We drove to Hakinson Tuesday and got our |
extra raiment which we four shipped up by |
freight and on the way home we got caught in a |
hard and continuous rain storm and, having an |
open rig, got quite thoroughly baptized by |
pouring.
Times are hot here. and in fact all around this |
part of the state, over the blind pigs and some |
y injunctions are pending against keepers of
such holes.
The grain is just beginning TO turn and the |
prospects are excellent for an immense crop of |
wheat.
Rain began falling here Sunday afternoon |
and has continued to descend almost without |
ceasing until this morning and nearly seven |
inches of water have fallen. There is now all Of
that commodity that Is needed and everything |
is green and growing rapidly
Last evening eight of US drove out two and |
half miles into the country and charivaried |
newly welded couple and were very hospi- |
tably received, and furnished them some ex- |
cellent singing.
On looking over this epistle find it has drawn |
out to rather long extent and, though have |
only given the skeleton OF our trip and have |
made no attempt to enumerate the beauties of
the scenery and the cities through which l |
have passed, find that 1t is about time to draw
it TO a close
Although the boys are doing all in their power |
to make US feel at home yet we feel the same |
sentiment of Louis Romdenne when he remark |
ed to US. "st. Cloud is all right, but would |
rather live at River Falls than any place I have |
ever seen"
With remembranees from Frank and myself to |
our friends, I remain, Resp'ly yours,
"swIvEL."
ONO.
Miss Elsie Thomas is IN the sick |