Milford chronicle., 1904-08-12
SCOTCH DREAMER's PALACE
Al, That Remains Of Munki''f'
colonization scheme

AZ CoIonization Scheme
To few passing an old building !. not not
- ~ mi u,,les from Hayton would IT ap-
,I ulau' 90 romantic. Fifty years ago
.,o,.artbeless. po~, it had for its occupants
.eorlo ~, Of high birth, says a layton
IWjsl correspondent Of the Mi'"a1 nd
kee Sentinel. people Of wealth ,lpa alo
.ot,,o,nent ~ Inside It was veFitaDie
noIace Rare works Of art, costly lul, 1,
piture everything that the hnest 'as.e l',,.e
could dictate or wealth pi0~
adorned it o,7 Nlrn-
In 1873 a Scottish laird named Nun N un
,,;++r,cr owning vast estates in Per'h-
Shire conceived the idea of emisrauns :
70 America and founding a colony u
his countrymen in ths west
lie djsposed of his property IN scOl,
loud and through Il New York lanu
agency purchased an immense ua1' @
of land in what is now ManltoWoc
county about ten miles east OF 'nlS
viIlore He was ASSURED that thousn
timbered, the land was woliuerl ui's d ,
fertile. and could be made 10 yle'u "
eompetancy for 1000 people.
The laird. possessing the coiA''Ni'te coi
and esteem OF mis- former tenants, els-
fv induced numbers Of them to make
the voyage across the Atlanuc wiz
him Lured by tales of the wonder1ul
fertility of the land and their faith IN
bornded in the man who led them
their bitter disappointment 10 nhu 'l'
elysiuln of their dreams a dreary waste
of swamp and marsh may well DC
imagined. In all the 5000 acres pur-
chased by Munkittrick but few nun
dred gave even slight promise OF pro
ductiveness. True, the land was re-
markably fertile, but TO clear the
svamps and drain the marshes mean'
the expenditure Of thousands OF DOL
lars and half century of time
Dismay at the ruin staring him IN ue
face. but still mindful Of the plight oi
those he had induced to wander so tai
from their homes. Munkittrick further
denleted his waning fortune by sending
the company home with the exception
Of q few families who voluntarily cas'
their lot with his.
The laird proposed to erect palace
in the wilderness and furnish 1t IN
stvle the like of which the country hal
never seen.
The household furnishings were
brought by boat TO Manitowoc ant
there stored until the dwelling coult
be completed. With unabated energy
the laird erected rude cabin of tam
aracll logs.
1t was not until the end Of the thirC
wear that the dwelling was completed
owing TO the difficulty Of transporting
material. With the driving of the las
nail the whole of the laird's fortune
had taken wings. Fifty acres of tn
best land had been cleared and sowl
TO wheat and oats, but it produce'
barely enough TO provide the meros
necessities of life. and by the time til
house was ready for occupancy the,
were in sore straits indeed.
shortly after tile mansion had bee
fitted up with its sumptuous furnish
ings the lairds wife died, succumhin
10 the change of climate The sickle,
ing emanatious from the dank eXpan'
OF marsh and swamp, the wet and q.
cold. all conduced to produce that dis
ease so fatal in its effect and so IL
sidious in its approach. One by on
the three children sickened and died 0
the same malady until only the lair
himself remained. broken hearte,
shattered in mind and body. FINAL
he. too. succumbed and was laid I
rest in a grave beside the four otLe
members Of his family.