The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-17

together with my brother in-law, F. O
Marks, started with three teams of oxer
and one wagon from our home near Osh
kosh in Winnebago county, Wisconsin
to seek location in the west, where
homes could be gotten without money
and without price"
1t was not definitely determined where
they would go, but it was to be some
where in the great, and to us unknown
Minnesota. Pioneer emigration, by the
then only method, the covered wagon
drawn by oxen, was quite brisk that
year, and inquiry made by father and
MIR. Marks of returning explorers, in
duced them to go to Blue Earth county.
They took prairie claims in the un-
named town of Pleasant Mound, immedi-
ately across the west line of Shelby, and
one mile north from the northeast corner
of Martin county.
In the latter part of the same year, all
OF the earthly belongings of my father,
being my mother, seven children, and a
mere handful of household goods, were
loaded into wagon drawn by a pair of
unbroken steers, and we were ready to
start for our new home The two cows
which we had, were to be driven behind
the wagons.
was then a strong boy of fourteen,
and 1 had INDUCED for months in wild
anticipation of the new country, new
scenes, wild game, and many other things
which [ was to see and know for the
first time; but when we came to bid
good bye to our near and dear friends in
the east, and our faces were turned to-
ward the west, and | took the last long
look at the little old school house from
which l was then graduating, l felt the
first real sadness that | had ever known.
Ny elder brother drove the steers at
tached to the wagon, and we, the younger
children drove the loose cattle, and in the
short period of precisely thirty days
we reached Blue Earth county A year
or two ago l made the trip in thirteen
hours
But then, our loads were heavy for the
teams we had, and with Wisconsin sand,
and good Minnesota mud, we made
scarcely more than ten miles per day,
camping at night in and under our wag-
ons. The year had been a peculiar one
in Wisconsin, there had been severe frost
at some time in every month the entire
summer, and corn and other produce was
badly frost bitten, and by October first
all vegetation was brown and dead. .
But there had been much rain in Min |
nesota, evidently preventing frosts, and
when we crossed the great father of
waters at Lacrosse much swollen and
turbid, we We're greeted by green foliage
and the freshness of spring; vegetation
was rank, grass tender, crops good, foil
age magnificent, and boy like 1 at once
fell in love with Minnesota, and though
it has been my fortune to visit nearly
every state and territory in the United
States, that love of good old Minnesota
has never weakened, but grows stronger
as the years go by.
We entered Blue Earth county near the
southeast corner, and went as nearly di-
rectly west as possible, passing as | re-
member well, Minnesota Lake, and the
old windmill near the north shore of the
lake, standing there now, also passing
along the shore of Lura lake and, on to
Shelbyville, where we crossed the Blue
Earth river at what was then known
as Tylers ford.
While my recollection of the southern
part of this county is, that it was most
ly low and level, with very wonderful
growth of wild grasses, yet the lands
were all taken, and there were seen set
tiers shanties, and in some places quite
good houses, until we crossed the Blue
Earth river west of Shelbyville, when
after leaving the settlers cabins in and
near the river timber, the picture was
wild and dreary to the very limit. To
the west and about two miles from the
river stood the claim shanties of Phenis
Latin and Marvin E. Cotton, to the
northwest were the claims of Chancellor
Darling, and his two sons Judd and Ira,
and his law, Horace Kinney, and
one could look from the river, west,
southwest and northwest, as far as the
eve could reach, and not another sign of
human life or habitation could be seen.
A few others, however, were hidden by
the hills beyond.
The claims located by my father and
Mr.. Marks were, as | have said on the
east line of the town of Pleasant Mound,
and they were on the eastern slope of a
very peculiar formation of sharp hills or
peaks, covering about half section of
land, rising abruptly, in a country very
gently undulating on all sides. These
hills were, and still are, called the
Mounds. from which the name of the
town was taken. From these mounds,
then as now. the view was wholly unob-
structed for many miles in every direc-
ton From this standpoint, when we
10 ho 4 bnra oil or