The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-03

Idul, ana LOOK u Smaller DOdG lTOIu 81
Paul to Mankato and landed at Mankat,
on the 9th day of May. 1885,. The lat
Robert Taylor, was president of the as
Isociation and as, he had been in Min
nesota before and settled near Winona
but sickness overtaking him he LOS
his wife and family, all except his son
john. who resides in Lyra, became dis
Icouraged and returned to the east agar
and as he had. been in Minnesota, he
was chosen, as a pioneer and sent out
ahead of the colony to select a place
to settle. The Maple river being the
Iplace chosen for settlement it was there
the colong located, and if they had
sought Minnesota over they could not
have found better location as time
has proven. We have cropped it ever
since and as far as 1 am a judge have
exhausted it's fertility but little and one
thing sure we have never had a failure
of crops in forty-seve years. What
portion of the United States can say the
same? Last spring the atmosphere tried
to blow us away, crops and all, but we
hung by the roots and staid and last fall
it tried to drown us out but still we're
here. The early winters of our settle
ment in Minnesota seemed to be more
severe and when spring would come there
was a plentiful crop of grumblers, and
some would leave and look the country
over, but most generally would come
back and report that they could find
nothing as good. Of late years people
have been more contented. One reason
is that they have got better buildings
for themselves and their stock and can
laugh at a blizzard.
When our colony reached the Maple
river they brought with them L. G.. M.
Fletcher, of Mankato, to survey their
claims for them. If they did not have
some one with them there would have
been trouble for there was not one of
them who could locate a claim, except
perhaps Robert Taylor, or our worthy
secretary. Mr.. Fletcher sent our de-
scription to Chatfield, where the land Of
flee then was located, and filed our pre-
emption for us, and so saved trouble,
else we might have been like country
man of mine who came here during our
civil war and took a claim in the town
ship south of me. He could not give the
description so he took the section stake
to the land office at Winnebago City and
they made out his papers for him, but
told him that it was $500 fine for
moving that stake, so you see how much
trouble we saved by having Mr.. Fetch
er's aid. But 1 would not have you
understand that said colony all came
from New York. Some came from Mas
sachusetts, some from Connecticut, some
from Ohio, and some from Indiana. The
late James H. Cornell came from Indiana,
Drove through with OK team from In
diana to Mapleton. Our young men of
today would have to hire a car if they
had to cross two or three counties.
What change in this age? The people
OF today don't know what hardships are.
Our pioneer, Robert Taylor,was in fav-
or of taking the said colony TO the Crow
river country, but at last choose the
Maple river, and it was lucky choice,
for if they had gone to Crow river the
probability would have been that in the
1872 massacre there would not have one
left to tell the story. Besides the hard
ships and difficulties would have been
much greater there. How does that
country compare with Blue Earth coun-
ty yet, and what would it have been
then? We old settlers love to look back
and live over again the pioneer days of
the state. That is why we are here as
scmbled today. Let us then have a good
time, for the days of the old settlers are
few. Many of them who came in Terri
torial days are fallen and there are but
few of us left and the place that knows
us now will soon know us no more.