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

ed, corn and potatoes were the only foOs
If one was fortunate enough to kill
: goose, all of the neighbors were invite,
to partake
Ladies did YOU ever make a pie witt
the crust of corn meal and sweetene,
with sorghum2 II mot, my advice is
don't try it.
Because some of the settlers on Willow
creek were supplying themselves with thu
necessaries of life by trapping otter
mink, and muskrats along the creek,
concluded that I was best fitted for g
hunter and trapper. { had three traps
which we had brought from Wisconsin
In the fall of 1859, began what promis-
ed to be very successful career along
! this line, but after looking after nv
traps for nearly the entire winter, the
aggregate results were;. one mink, and one
/ muskrat $l.O5, my traps which I had set
| in bunch for fox, were all carried off
by large wolf
In 1859, 1860 and 1861, the southwest
ern part of the county was supplied with
mail by weekly stage route from Man
kato to Garden City, Vernon and Shelby
vile, and thence on to Winnebago and
Blue Earth City. The postoffice for
our country for miles around was Shelby
vile. This promising town was plated
in April, 1856, near the Faribault county
line, and about two miles south from the
present village of Amboy, by John w.
Powell, father Powell whom YOU all
know.
Father Powell started general store
and Robert Shannon opened hotel.
Shelbyville soon became quite a smart
little village, and in, 1859, there was
general store, saw mill operated by
Stock and Porter, of which our fellow
townsman, John Diamond, was chief en-
gineer, another saw mill operated by
John Swearengen, a blacksmith shop, and
quite number of residences. Both saw
mills for portion of the time had facil-
tiles for grinding corn to limited ex-
tent, and in a very crude way
We were four miles away from Shelby
vile, and to get our mail we must 90 this
distance and cross the Blue Earth river,
either in a canoe or by fording 1 re-
member one occasion in the very early
spring, when the river was scarcely free
from ice and was badly swollen, filling
its banks, five or six of US, neighbors,
started for Shelbyville ON foot to get our
mail, and to hear the postmaster read
the News from weekly st. Paul paper,
which came to him, and which I think,
was the only paper then taken in that
vicinity. We reached the river, the ice
had gone out, and the boat was on the
other side. We agreed to draw cuts and
decide who should swim the river and get
the boat. The lot fell upon Jonah, and |
have had chills ever since. | think there
was outrageous cheating in preparing the
cuts.
Shelbyville is dead, very dead, and it is
deserving of a parting tear.
In 1859, Pardon B. Day and Jesse
Thomas operated small portable saw
mill in the timber of Willow creek. An
old threshing horse power was used for
a motive power, operated by oxen, and
such timber, all thicknesses, sizes and
shapes could be had in any one board.
The more prosperous used these boards
for floors, roofs, etc., but others less able,
to which class my people belonged, used
the slabs, with the flat side up, for floors,
benches, sc.
The first building used as school
house on the west side of the river of
which l have any knowledge, was built
in 1858 or 1859, near Horace Kinneys,
and was known as the Hutchins house.
In the spring of 1860, the settlers made
bee, and hauled logs and built school
house about twelve or fourteen feet
square on government land very near my
fathers house. and three months term
was taught there that year by Miss
Tiffany, whose parents lived near the
Blue Earth. This school house was COW
cred with bark, had no window, and no
floor, the benches or seats were made of
slabs and the open door and cracks be-
tween the logs afforded sufficient light.
The first religious service in our settle
ment was conducted in this school house
by Uncle Johnny Swearengen, who lived
or the Blue Earth river, and was attend
ed by the entire settlement. The men
were nearly all in bare feet, the women
were dressed in drills and demins, with
calico sunbonnets; the children were COM
PEELED to stand for want of seats.
Such were the people who made this
great state, and who are entitled to the
greater share of the credit for all that
is good and true, and brave, and worthy,
among us today.
Prior to the summer of 1862, there had
been but two or three enlistments for
the war of the rebellion in all the country
west of the Blue Earth and south of Will
low creek On August 18th, 1862, an
evening war meeting was held in the