Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-08-03
BACK AMONG FRIENDS.
Twenty-Five Years Changes Scenes
in Southern Wisconsin.


George N. Breed, who was born IN
Bloomington and passed his boyhood
days in that village, afterward learn
ing the printing trade in Lancaster
and Platteville, has the following to
say in his newspaper, the Brookings,
South Dakota, Register, regarding
visit to the scenes of his youth, after
an absence Of twenty-five years:
Have your ever been away from your
birthplace twenty-five or more years
and then returned to the old home
stead? If you have you know how it
seems, if not, you cannot realize 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 North Western R'y,
which follows the ridgeway from the
capital city to Lancaster, we were
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
years ago mostly woodland. Numer-
Gus villages have sprung up and some
of the towns are vigorous and forging
to the front in fine shape. Noticeable
among these in Fennimore which was
mere postofice town in the early
days, but now is a thrifty young city.
We were amused at the antics of the
passenger train as it twisted about the
short curves. The track is we'll con-
structed and the trains made good
time, but never before have we known
of 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. If the farmers
had made crooked rows the engine
would surely have jumped the track
and followed off corn row in prefer
ence to keeping the roadbed. Here as
everywhere on the North Western R'y
the train men are courteous and oblig-
ing to passengers and know how to
take and give joke.
Nearing Lancaster we began to
rubber" in hopes of seeing some
familiar spot or building, but were
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 we're in search of. Even
here there was change as the beauti-
full 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 inter-
married and firm names have changed.
On the signs we found the familiar
names of Hyde, Ivey & Webb, Ziegler,
John Wright, Gibbs, Schreiner, Reed
and others, but many are represented
by younger members of the families
whose fathers founded the business
in an early day. The Teller and Her
aid are both enterprising newspa pers
and are doing good business. The
former has model Office and is always
alert to city's interest. Mr.. Johnson,
proprietor of the Herald, is full of
business push and is making his pa
per talk for the community.
From Lancaster we were driven to
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
a patch here and patch there which
can be cropped, the farmers are pros
porous. It is not the crops-just look
at that fine herd of cattle or flock of
sheep; and say, take squint at those
hogs. That is where the money comes
from.
Again, as we near Bloomington and
our cousin. Mrs. VIM. Scott, points
out this place and that, we have to
strain our imagination to recall lhow
it used to look "when we were boy"
The fire which wiped out the south
side of Canal" 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
a forest of trees, many evergreens,
which hide the dwellings,, but the
streets are the same. One thing in
particular that we could not harmon
ize was the narrowness of space.
Everything seemed to have been
drawn together, hills did not seem so