Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-02-10


was the proper undertaking. Thought
so to. Finally on our return home it
was agreed that we make the venture
and six of Us said we would go, agreeing
to get ready and start on Monday this
was on Saturday, Monday morning
came and three of the boys backed out.
Orly Douglas, Henry Mason and my
self started for the west on foot. After
travelling for about three days we arri
we'd at st. 10, Mich. where we expected
to take boat for Chicago. When about
ready to start Mason backed out, said
he was going back home and home he
went. Orley and myself boarded the
steamer for Chicago After about nine
hours of rough sea we landed in Chi
cago leaving behind us good quantity
of dried herring and crackers which
the water claimed (the herring in par
ticular) which we gave up or rather
throwed up thanking our stars that we
had our shoes left. After looking about
Chicago for chance to work few days,
Douglas met with good success but l
failed. | said to him, Il will 60 on far
ther west and report prospects" l paid
my fare to Galena, Ill. via stage and
arrived there in about two days. |
looked around for work but none could
| get as l was told that I was too small
for working in the mines. / then tried
to hire as teamster, carry brick in the
brick yard. or anything, nobody wanted
me, too small was the reply IN all cases.
then left Galena starting for Dubu-
que or Mineral Point, they both being
in the mining district. Upon arriving
at the point where the roads turned,
the left to Dubuque, the right to Mineral
Point, 1 decided to place nv cane as
near the forks of the road as [ could,
shut my eyes, saying which ever way
the cane pointed | would go. let 90
the cane, it fell to the right. 1 shoul-
dered my grip after eating some crack
ers and cheese, (no more herring for
me) and trudged on, no chance for a
ride as all seemed to be going the other
way. 1 arrived in Mineral Point the
next day, looked high and low for job,
as my sixteen dollars which / started
with was running verv low, no job could
| get, same old reply, too small. The
fact is l was small for my age, 10 years.
/ began to think not much chance for
BOYS, my thoughts went back to the old
home knowing however | could not re-
turn. | left Mineral Point and trudged
still farther north thinking l might get
a chance on some farm. | had not gone
far on my journey when | arrived at
place where there was a saloon in
hollow and several men pitching quoits
at S. per game. | looked on for while
and was then getting ready to move on
when one of the party asked me where
l was going, said nowhere in particu-
lar, was looking for work; he then asked
me if was a good cook. / said [ was,
having cooked for several years on
steamboat. On the Mississippi river?
No, on st. 10 river He said take Oft
your pack and when my team gets done
eating 1 will take you to the pinery
where you will get good wages cooking.
| said, | will 90. Dinner now was called
and as he started to go he said, little
one" are you hungry? said yes, some.
Aint you going to get dinner? [ said no.
Why? No money was my reply. Come
get warm dinner, will pay for it and
we will then start. Don't you think
for minute, dear friends, that that
dinner was ever forgotten by me.) We
started on our trip north with our wa
gon loaded with two barrels Of pork,
one bbl. of whiskey, with flour and gro
ceries completing the load. and arrived
that evening at a tavern, at a place
called Blue Mounds, from Blue Mounds
we travelled on the Old Military roa
arriving at Fort Winnebago in about
too and one half days, from thence to
Grand Rapids in two days.
After leaving Jared Walsworth, where
we took dinner, we saw some Indians
looking at our load, Mr.. Bell (by the
way, Mr.. Bell was the teamster for
Messrs Sampson and Strong to whom
the goods belonged) said to me we must
look out from this on as the Indians
would try titles for the whisky if they
knew we had any After leaving Wads-
worth we changed the position of the
load by laying the barrel of whiskey
down and placed some boxes on top
which concealed it from view to quite
an extent and arrived here all right,
whiskey and all.
Mr.. Bell told Mrs. Sampson he had
brought her cook, meaning myself.
She seemed glad to think she was get
ting help, and at it [ went, helping her
and Mrs. Strong in the kitchen, they
being the only two white women there.
The place consisted of saw mill To-
Gated near where the Pioneer Wood
Pulp mill now stands, together with
one boarding shanty and the tavern,
kept by Sampson and Strong, was about
all the buildings think of now.
The surroundings were a heavy Lody
of tall pines and hemlock. The inhabi-
tants consisted mostly of French and
Indians, with the Indians largely in the
majority and a hard set at that. AT
times they were ugly, so much SO that
Mrs. Sampson saw fit at one time to
throw one of them through the dining
room window into the street Mrs.