Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-10-24
the man inside to a safer

lie st. Paul system has recently
T released these ffty-One miles OF line,
but the people say the change has not
benefited the service. Indeed, the
shops have been moved from Wauseka
and most of the section men taken off,
One of them is reported to have saiG
that unless the road bed is given more
attention by next spring, 1t will be
dangerous passing over it. However,
officials have made trips over it lately;
let us hope the big company will soon
spend some money and give the peo-
pie more frequent train service. The
fact is, the trolley car will soon net
work this territory.
The soil of the valley is peculiarly
adapted to tobacco. At Viola the bust
ness men have just completed So
600 warehouse, which gives employ
ment to some 100 people during the
winter months. One man received
check for $1,000 for the tobacco grown
On nine acres. | visited the factory
at PetersL urg where excelsior is man
ufactured. Nine men are employed,
where. However, there is larger
one at Viola, employing fifteen men.
The stuff is used in upholstering, for
mattresses and for packing goods. The
woods used are Eastwood and poplar
Ingenious mechanism Of knives, ply
ing in both directions with great speed
shave the wood into the desired form,
and it is pressed into bales weighing
some eighty pounds. The Viola mill
turns out a ton in ten hours, and is
working day and night.
Travelled on Foot.
1 took the trip on foot, as | have
done on previous occasions The COM
munities run from 200 or 300 people
up to 800 at Soldiers Grove. That
place and La Fargo rejoice in electric
light systems. Soldiers Grove is the
home of Lieutenant Governor David
son, who has a large general store
and is much esteemed through the
whole country. Alley Peterson is the
banker of the place and a patriarch
among the Norwegians and Lutherans
on the whole northwest. Mr.. Peter
son has just. announced himself for
congress and will have strong backing
in both factions in all the counties Of
this district. He was formerly state
railroad commissioner. Candidates to
succeed Mr.. Babcock are springing up
in most of the counties and it is clear
that this veteran-he has been elected
six times in succeSsiOn-haS the fight
of his life on his hands.
This lovely valley has had to carry
unjustly the load of disrepute which
a few horse thieves imposed upon it
forty years ago. Only recently lady
missionary from the east wrote an ar
icle which described the people as
heathens in morals and backward in
intelligence. She was probably con-
fused by the valley practice of spend
ing more money on the barns than on
the house itself. The soil is fertile,
though the stretches Of arabic land
are not large, each farm backing up on
the mountains, which furnish pastures
and wood for fuel and excellent hunt
ing grounds for the boys. Some of the
this is only true between the towns;
in the towns, especially from Gays
Mills north. there is life and culture
and progress. The school house at
ReadStown is beautiful struc-
ture. In this place I noted a process
sion of school children filing about
town. 1 asked the pretty teacher if
a picnic was on foot. She replied
that the pupils were being taken for
walk, a much more sensible practice
than to lock them up with dumbbeIls
in dusty school room. A number of
the towns have newspapers and read
ing circles and lecture courses. One
must visit such places to understand
the truth Of that commonplace of
Fourth of July that the school and the
church are the safeguards of our ma
tional life. Good men and women
have long ago preemptied these van
tage points. The social life largely
rallies about these focii, and the
young people are the connecting links
of the body of ambition, patriotism.
and religion that bind these people
together and upift them.
The Changing Forests.
To employ this valley one must walk
through it. It is especially fine in the
autumn when the hills are brazon and
glorious with the foliage of the chang
ing forests. At the lower end of the
valley to Steben is a reach of nearly
fourteen miles with no town to break
the monotony of the march. The
quiet river is nearly always in sight.
Above me bend the clustering
bOughS;
The cliffs around me stand
And heavenward rear their giant
brows
In beauty calm and grand
l linger lovingly and long
Beside these waters blue
And yearn to give the name to song
0, peaceful Kickapoo!
From the mountain side comes the
occasional sound of the wood cut
ter'S axe or the hav of hOund on