Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-02-23
CHOPPED EARLY INTO BAD AK
Geo. Ii. fryan Tells the Manner His Faith
er's Family Cut Their Way Through the
Timber to the Town of Stark-Many
Incidents of Early Days-paper Read
at the Old Settlers Meeting.

y
Uncle benjamin Bahr, his family and goods
In awagon drawn by one yoke of oxen. When
we got TO the Wisconsin river We We're ferried
over on fiat boat, taking one wagon and a
cam at a time. We had no great mfshap till
one OK jumped overheard and had to swim
and made the rest OF the way. We crossed at
and continued our way northward
through forests, living like Gypsies, trudging
along like tramps, tired, wet, foot-sore and
uncomfortable. literally chopping our way for
the last nine or ten miles into Bad AK county,
the place for our future home. 1t was on
the banks of the raging waters of the East
hlckapoo near the mouth OF jug creek Our
hrst house was iumberman's cabin situated
under the dense shade of the forest trees.
where we arrived June 10, 1855
L remember one amusing feature OF our
Journey was the care OF our broody hen
which thoughtful neighbor gave to my
mother with setting of eggs. She sat on
those eggs in a bucket tied under the wagon
and when we arrived at our journey end those
chicks were Matched We thus got our first
start in poultry The woods were infested
with wild animals In those days and remem-
Der my parents were afraid to let us children
get out OF sight Of the cabin for fear we
would get lost or that the bears would get us.
sometime during the last two or three days
of our journey we fell in with man named
Geo. Waits, who was also moving into the
same locality. tfe men OF the party went
on ahead and blazeed out road through the
woods over the most favorable ground they
could fnd, then chopped 1t out DIS they came
back to the wagon, then drove the teams up
for the last nine or ten miles of the journey
Mr.. Waits and Mr.. Bahr settled on jug
creek, and ii was wild and lonesome place,
not house nearer than three miles up the
river where the Brown & Updegraff saw mill
was then located, later known as the 0stran-
der mill There was no road to any point
save the track we moved In on and that was
Il very poor one, yet the road at the present
time from the Kickapoo as far as Moses Mar
shall's lies very nearly on the same line OF that
my father blazed through and chopped out
when p10XnN into the pOnDtV THE
in my fathers cabin was as, elastic as his
hospitality. Uncle Bahr and his family
moved in with us while the men went and
built them cabin. Fullmer's and Ralges
were entertained in like manner in turn as
they came to the country. The men worked
and believe the women and children cried
great deal of the time of inconsistencies. One
day man came along on horse-back 1--WE
afterwards learned it was Lawyer Bierce)
and told mother that Indians were camped
up the creek little way, and undoubtedly
they would pay US d visit before long, but
she need not be frightened as all the Indians
were friendly to white settlers. She begged
of Bierce to stay until they came but he
could not, he was in such haste to get to VII
Poqua. The Indians came sure enough and
don't you forget it, there was some scared
Kids there that afternoon when they showed
their black heads through the door, gun in
hand. We had never seen an Indian before.
We soon found out they meant no harm.
They were hungry, asked for something to
eat and wanted to swap" venison for flour.
numerous calls that an Indian is always
hungry.
We soon found a way through the woods
to the Black River road which led east to
Baraboo, whore father went with oxen and a
cart made from the hind wheels of a wagon
to buy our supplies, and 1t took week to
make the trip.
In the summer of 1856 C. W, Adams moved
ill., He settled on the ridge above the head of
jug creek. About that time Peter Smith set
tied at the mouth of Webster creek. Uncle
n
the ridge, near the headwaters of Indian
creek on the Black River road. 1t was only
a track cut through the woods, which, for
many years after was innocent of the work of
pillow, spade or scraper. The first grain raised
in the settlement was taken to Spriugville to
mill. My father, Uncle Bahr and Jake Wag
goner, "a young man staying with Geo. Waltsl
started in the winter with oxen and sleds and
v ent up the ridge to William JOseph's, then
out the Black River road to Hazens Corners,
then the stage road to Springvlle. When
they got there they found they could not get
their grinding done for so long. they conc I'D
ed to go to Readstown mill. They got their
done there, but were Is miles from
home and no road, so they cut road most of
the way. That trip took more than week.
There was a great deal of travel through
the country past our place, but there was no
bridge over the kickapoo Ny eldest brother
was large enough to row his boat and he used
to ferry great many travellers over and
sometimes they would wade across. After
while the men turned out and made q foot
great deal OF amusement for the boys Some
people could not walk the logs so high above
the water, so they used to coon" across the
logs something like clothespins and kind OF
skid over.
People were coming in and settling up the
fast at that time. AS the whole
might be interesting to some to know how so
many people made a living. About that6ime
it was discovered that the woods were f.,ll of
ginseng" My father was made an agent
httXf hn no ri nAh anti a md
for the unwashed roots. Men, women and
children turned out TO dig ''seng." 1t proved
to be quite an industry. Some men earned
three dollars day, digging it, nearly all
( Ould make good wages We hauled 1t to
" 1odstock, where it was washed and dried
and prepared for market. We brought back
supplies for the people which they paid for
is q hustler from way back.
The school advantages were not very good
in early days. Our first school house was
place in one side. For seats we had the soft
fat side of a slab with pins put In for legs.
Our first teacherwas young lady who taught
three days, then ran away and "she never
came back any more" Then they hired Miss
Mary Ann Brown a sister of Mrs. Goodell
and Mr.. c.. @. Brown of this place. She was
good teacher and taught two terms there.
Her parents had just moved into the town OF
We had number of different
teachers and of all kinds: among them was
one John Small, who could do sums" but we
boys InOugnU ne nau more science III uflNILS
oxen than in the fine art of teaching school,
but we Judged only by they way he could
Swing the CAD" This was under the town.
ship system. After the county superntend-
ent system came 10, we had better schools un-
der the pedaqogy of such teachers as A. w.
DeJean, II, P. Proctor and others. The latter
taught two terms, and at the close OF the last
gave us "A grand school exhibition by way or
Hartwell Allen was present
and gave us n talk on education, he being
county superintendent.
L I,is,ly vVa hn6 in, hnr dc nrD
than year or two before mail route was
We had been getting our mail
at a place called Ash Ridge, twelve miles back
towards Orion. A new postoffice was estab
iished at Peter Smiths, called the Webster
postotiice. 1t was supplied in part by two OF
his sons, Oliver and Justus, who carried the
called the Viroqua Expositor.
There was mail service from Sparta to
Webster which passed our place south toward
Rchland Center. l do not remember its
outhernlterminus. The DePie boys of Camp
Creek, carried the mail through on hores-
back, making one trip week. They went
t. @ur" the woods the best way they could,
swimming their horse across the
stream. L IAN remember helping the mail
boy, las we used 10 call HIM swim his horse
across the Kickap0o when the water was
high. Afterward Dave Mullendore carried
the mail on that route and drove team and
wagon for several years. There were now
bridges built across the streams and passable
roads for those times. | carried the first mail
ii ink this was in July 1865. Afterward the
cas- tern terminus was changed to HillSboro,
then to Eroy and now to Rockton.
l must tell yon about the first American
fla, perhaps, that was ever unfurled and
turned loose to the sport of the breezes on
jug Creek, on that part OF the kickapoo. 1t
was July 4, 1861. My sisters made the flag and
we boys got the pole and put it up good and
strong by sticking the flag pole into an oak
stump that stood on top of knoll near our
house. That flag seemed to be the cause of "a
great many remarks from passerS-by, but 1t
was the best we could do and young America
must have flag on the Fourth of July.
celebration was held at West Lima that
Fourth and enthusiasm ran high, both for
and against the war. News of the war was
received with great deal of interest. lou
must remember we did not have daily papers
and very few weeklies at that time to say
nothing Of telegraphy and the telephone.
Later on war meeting was held at Uncle
FulmeP's house, when James Miller, Ell Nc
Vey, ana others enlisted for the war.
Improvements went steadily on and In
few years the Rockton mills were built by
Bennett & Lawton, the postofhce was estab-
lished and the pleasant little village OF the
same name was started, now great mail CEN
ter, as it receives daily mall from four Qlfer-
emit routes: a SO telephone service, and soon
to be the terminus of the kickapoo Valley Il
Northern rail road and have telegraphic con-
ections with the or side world. A few years
ago Viroqua MAJ said the kickapco farmers
had to buy Goldfish to get the fat to try their
pork in. Now che little village OK la targe
has shipped as high as nine car-loaas of fac
stock in one day. Just note the differenct
in the Kickapoo farmers in a few years
About the first large gathering OF people
that were ever assembled In that part o. the
country, was on the Fourth of July, 1865, at
Rockton. All the old settlers expressed their
surprise at seeing SO large a crowd 1t was
simply astonishing to know where they all
came from. One old lady actually shed tears
of joy at seeing SO many people. she salo
she never expected to see so many together