Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-10

}. T. and A. D. Searles, lived few
niles from Fox Lake, Wis. They had
,ritten us, giving us glowing accounts
+ Iowa and especially of the section
+ country where they had been the
ear before and made their claim ms,
asst of Chester. When we arrived at
heir place in Wisconsin the weather
vas warm and farmers were seeding
Never before had we seen such large,
level fields. We drove their
oxen and assisted in dragging and there
was complete abse nee of stones,
which was great surprise and change
from the stony fields we had just left,
with their small lots fenced with
stone wall fences, some of them wide
enough to drive horse and wagon
upon and still the stones were thick
upon the surface of the ground. and
while planting upon the hillsides it
was no uncommon thing to see men,
women and children carrying earth to
cover the seeds.
We arrived in Lime Springs in the
evening of the 18th day of May, 1856,
aud being ten years of age we can re-
call most Of the early settlers names,
and many Of the residents Of these
early days.
Here was A d. G. Knowlton, the
pioneer and pathfinder" with his
family, who kept the only hotel, post
office and grocery store and supplied
the settlers with many of the comforts
of life, but most of the trading was
done at New Oregon, DEBORAH and
McGregor.
Mr.. Knowlton named this village
tie spring gushing nyAf forth tt from
a lime, clay or chalk substance on the
south bank of the Iowa river, just be-
low the mill. From this spring we
drank with the early settlers and we
thought it the clearest, coolest and
best water in the world. Here was
our world and has been since. That
spring is still flowing and the waters
are sought by many.
Our first school was taught by my
sister, Helen S. Van Leuven, in a
room in @. G. Hewitt's house, now the
Davis location.
Families here and soon to arrive
Joseph Knowlton, B. Baker, J. Lake,
M. M. Marsh, Oliver Cheesibro, w. o.
Cheesebro, O. c. Hewett, E. White, ].
B. Johnson, George Tibbals, Theodore
Southland, Ed. Burhite, ]. Burhite, N.
B. Moulton, o. A. Bunker, John Sad
Ter, James Hildridge, j. w. Reed,
James McGregor, Mrs. Thompson,
Joseph Baldwin, A. Craig, Mr.. Irwin,
L. 81. Van Niman, ]. Adams, Mr..
Stems, A. Carver, Joseph Cook, Dan
lei Haven, Henry Cook, Mr.. Bucklin,
VIM. Munger, Mr.. Risley, Joseph Cray,
Mr.. Upton.
Young men-H. E. Ober, II. p.
Marsh, G. W. Burgess, Mr.. Collins,
Lewis Persons, E. Randall, Lon Miller,
81. H. Wells, Warren White, Harry
White, A. Lick, Moses Hartford, d.
W. Haven, James Thompson, S. L.
Thompson, w. Thompson, Hermon
Burgess, A. N. Van Leuven, Bill
Jasper Moulton, A. O. Van
Leuven, G.. M. Van Leuven, II. G. Van
Leuvep, A. Knowlton, A. E. Marsh,
Wesley Cook, Arthur Cook and Henry
Lick, who founded the New Oregon
Plain Dealer. With him we started
to learn the trade, or profession and
we boarded with w. r. Mead. We
learned to clean type quite we'll but
soon saw that age and schooling were
necessary. The age we have attained
but our schooling was hard work amid
the early privations.
Mr.. Knowlton had large stock OF
cattle and one very large OK called
Dandy" he wore a bell as did two or
three others. One night some young
mon removed the bells from the cattle
and when Mr.. Baker had returned,
they went into the corn Geld. Soon
Mr.. and Mrs. Baker were out after
the cattle, he said he knew ''old Dan
dy" was In the corn for he heard his
bell, but when he got to where the
bell sounded that was quiet and
another bell in the distance would
call him to the opposite side of the
field. Poor old man chased and chas-
ed the cattle for hours and was tired
out; when morning came his corn was
O. G. Lake early took to his gun as
his best protection, he said that he
was not afraid of Indians or wolves
and there was only one thing that he
was afraid of and that was a Sand
HiA Crane. At that time Charley
could tell why he feared the Crane.
Lon Miller built the first saloon.
Most OF the people were opposed to it,
they counciled together and decided
that the saloon should not exist here.
A procession was formed and led by