The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1904-07-28
BACK AMONG OLD FRIENDS
twenty-five Years Changes Scenes
in Southern Wisconsin

birthplace for twenty-five years or
more and then returned to the old
homestead? If you have you know
how 1t seems, if not, you cannot real
ize the peculiar sensation which comes
over you as you retrace the footsteps
of your boyhood days. The writer has
been given this pleasure and will long
remember his visit back to old Grant
county, Wisconsin.
Going from Madison west through
one of the wealthiest regions OF the
state, over the Northwestern R'y,
which follows the ridgeway from the
capital city to Lancaster, we were
4 given splendid opportunity to view
the country. The western portion OF
this line of railway has been con-
structed since we came west and has
done much to develop what was thirty
wears ago mostly woodland. Numer-
Gus villages have sprung up and some
n of the towns are vigorous and forging
to the front in fine shape. Noticeable
among these is Fennimore which was
"a m re postotfice town in the early
days, but now is thrifty young city.
"a We were amused at the antics OF the
passenger train as it twisted about the
short curves. The track is well con-
structed and the trains made good
time, but never before have we known
of a track being so crooked that the
engineer was obliged to keep ringing
the bell for fear of losing the hind
coach. Another thing we thought
advantageous to the railroad was the
straight corn rows. III the farmers
had made crooked rows the engine
~ would surely have jumped the track
e and followed off a corn row in prefer
ence to keeping the roadbed. Here as
everywhere on the Northwestern R'y
the train men are courteous and oblig-
& ing to passengers and know how to
(. take and give a joke.
Nearing Lancaster we began to
M "rubber" in hopes of seeing some
# familiar spot or building, but were
E disappointed on account Of the heavy
growth of trees and not until we had
left the train and came in view of the
old court house square did our eyes
find what they were in search OF.
Even here there was change as the
beautiful new court house has taken
the place of the old, and the sheriff's
residence and jail is now across the
street. The soldiers monument is
still there in the northeast corner and
we'll preserved. Lancaster is an at
tractive city, prosperous and its peo-
pie contented and happy. Here we
found many old familiar faces but, as
at other places on our trip, many have
passed away. In fact this feature was
about the only thing we had to regret.
To our inquiry many times, ''where
is -" would come the reply,
"gone to their reward" Families are
broken up, the younger people have
intermarried and firm names have
changed. On the signs we found the
familiar names of Hyde, Ivey d Webb,
Ziegler, John Wright, Gibbs, SChreiner
Reed and others, but many are repre-
scented by younger members of the
families whose fathers founded the
business in an early day. The Teller
and Herald are both enterprising
newspapers and are doing good busi'
ness. The former has model office
and is always alert to the city's inter
est, Mr.. Johnson, proprietor of the
Herald, is full of business push and
is making his paper talk for the COM
munity.
From Lancaster we were driven tC
Bloomington, and oh my, those hills
Up and down, up and down, all the
way. In the deep ravines were fine
farm houses indicating that even with
patch here and patch there which
~ can be cropped, the farmers are pros
porous. 1t is not the crops-just look
at that fine herd of cattle or flock o.
sheep; and say take squint at those
hogs. That is where the money comes
from.
Again, as we near Bloomington ano
our cousin, Mrs. VIM. Scott, point:
out this place and that, we have tC
strain our imagination to recall how
it used to look "when we were boy
The fire which wiped out the sOutl
side of "CanaF' street proved a bless
ing as now the entire row is construct
ed of brick. Many changes have also
taken place here. The little village is
forest of trees, many evergreens
which hide the dwellings, but the
s streets are the same. One thing IL
particular that we could not harmon
q ize was the narrowness of space
Everything seemed to have beer
4 drawn together, hills did not seem Sc
high, valleys were not so wide and il
fact the face of the country seemed tC
have been squeezed together by some
unseen force. The old stone mill
bearing the name of its founder
"Dan w. Taft-1S53," still stands