Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-09-23
A Trip Through the County x
BY THE EDITOR.


We enjoyed long and interesting in
terview regarding school as we'll as
town matters. Mrs. Dalziel vas alb
sent for the day, but Euphemia, the
youngest daughter, prepared dinner
to the satisfaction of all. John Dali
ziel, Jr., is assisting his father with
the work on the farm. Taking leave
OF the jovial Scotchman, we drove on
into School Dist No. 80. We came
across the threshing outfit of Anton
Erickson and Thomas Thompson,
threshing fax from the held of one of
the Erickson farms. The engine is a
20 h. p. Reeves, with two steam cylind-
ers. The engine has been used one
season, and the engineer, Mr.. Erick-
son, claims that for steady motion the
engine cannot be excelled. The COD
ious rains make the moving of these
heavy traction engines and threshers
a serious problem. It required five
hours to move this rig mile or two
on the previous evening. We drove
across the fields to the Carlin home.
We crossed what has formerly been
lake bed. Now we drove between
windrows of some of the finest fax we
have seen this year. John 81. Carlin
is the clerk of School Dist. No. 80.
We found him at home tinkering with
corn-binder. He promptly. assisted
us in finding what records are still
left and in giving US information at
his command. The first school taught
in the district was a select school held
at the residence of P. Car]in by Miss
Mary Murray, later Mrs. Dan Flynn.
After finishing our work here we drove
on into Dist No. IS. Mr.. Patrick
Lawler is the clerk, a position he has
held since the organization of the dis
trict in 1883, and we found our way
across the fields towards his comfort
able home. We passed by the old
bed of Johns Lake, the banks of which
were beat by waves not score of
years ago. The old homestead of
John Lawler which stood here and
from which the lake derived it's name
is also a thing of the past.
On arrival at the P. Lawler home,
we found that the elder LAWYERS were
on a trip to Willmar, but expected
home at any time. Mr.. Lawler lives
on the line between Green Lake and
Kandiyohi townships. The residence
is located in Green Lake and the barn
in Kandiyohi. The we'll on the place
is $50 feet deep. Three other deep
holes had previously been drilled on
| the place, one to the depth of 400 feet
A phenomenon was met with in drilling
one of these holes in 1883, which would
probably puzzle geologist to account
for. At the depth of 40 feet a cur
rent of air was encountered. It being
Saturday evening, the drill rested.
A whistle was arranged at the end of
the pipe. During the entire Sunday
| and until the drill started Monday
morning, the current of air continued
unabated. Mr.. and Mrs. Lawler came
home soon after our arrival. A fine
couple are these worthy people. A
very interesting evening was spent.
The school records were soon disposed
of, and Mr.. Lawler related the story
OF the early settlement of the COM
munity. Thirteen or more heads OF
families moved here from Scott county
in '68 and $50: Daniel Lawler with
four sons and one daughter-John,
James, Jeremiah, Patrick and Mary
MRS. John Haley; Farrell Daugherty;
John Murray with two. sons, Simon
and Patrick; and the four. Downs
brothers James, Michael, Daniel and
John. OF hardy race are these
Irish-Americans. But few deaths have
since then occurred in these families.
The descendants of Daniel and Sarah
Lawler now number eighty. The
travelling scribes Jared we'll at the
Lawler home, where we remained for
the night. OF the three children, Alice
alone is at home. John resides ct st.
Paul and Sarah has become Mrs. Ed.