Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-07-05
HARDsHIPs OF PIONEER DAYS
Mr. Dunlap Gives Ills Last chsptsr-A Trip to rsus
County,

FRIEND MUNsoN: want to use your
columns to publish nv last trip of the
year ls49 In SeptelI Der, about a week
after we moved hera, we left for Dane
county after the rest OF our goods,
equipped with four yoke of oxen and one
team Of horses and three W lgons The
party consisted of Solomon Decker, Phil
lp Snyder, father ami myself We went
TO Meskers Corners and tnen through
the woods Of the Kickapoo to Reedburg.
In my last letter l told you about Mr..
Gardner leaving us at Meeker's Corners
Ior MS home In Dane county, and thst
Mr. Crosby accompanied him as far as
Reedsburg. When they got within about
fifteen miles of that city their horses
gave ont and Gardner left his team tied
TO couple of trees and Crosby to stay
with them, he going through on foot to
secure the aid OF man and team. Com
ing hack the next day they found the
horses still tied there but no Crosby TO
be foU.nd Gardner returned TO Reeds
burg TO get men to hunt for him, but no
trace of him could they get. Gardner
was then placed under guard, people
thinking that he had murdered Crosby.
II seens the latter had gone down into
the valley to get water for the horses,
got lost and was unable to find his way
back After wandering about Ave days
he was finally found by farmer out
hunting his cows. but was so weak that
qe couldt stand The alarm was given
and Gardner was released.
Reaching Dane county we loaded up
and started back through Sauk City and
Baraboo and then took the Indian trail
through Lemenweir valley. Here our
trouble commenced, for it rained almost
every day and the weather was very hot
We mired down so much on the road
that we ran out Of provisions. We came
20 turn In the river, myself and fwo
yoke of oxen In the lead. In hot wealth
er oxen will go anywhere to jump into
water, 30 I got out on the off side OF
mine TO keep them away from the river
as 1t was very high. Philip Snyder had
the next team of oxen and he forgetting
to watch them, they ran and Jumped In
TO tho river | leaped from the main
bank onto some hoodwood and grabbed
the lead oxen by the horns, unlocked
the chain and unyoked one OK. he
swan across the river and the other did
likewise with the yoke still on. The
team ou ths tongue of the wagon were
partly oNsr the brink but we succeeded
in getting them back on solid terra tir-
ma. All that saved the wagon from go
ing into the river with its load Of crock
cry and hardware was that 1t was
cramped 80 hard that the tongue broke.
Now came the query as to how we were
| gJing TO get the oxen back to our side or
| the river. None of the men could swim
except myself Qf you would call me
man). and they would not let me try 1t
as tie water was very deep and the cur
TfaThaV v1pnas1rad tpUn alah0
at a sawmill twenty miles up the river,
pinned them together, made paddle
and got Snyder onto the craft. He went
across in the prickly ash swamp and
with dog managed to get the oxen
: suaIuv,I 1acK across Inv a.,~.. 4no uuo
without the yoke came out all right. but
! the other one went into springhole un-
| der the bank and we thought we were
| minus an OK But We dug the bank off,
put chain around his neck, hitched
three yoke of oxen on and pulled the
beef stake out To our surprise he got
up and commenced eating grass, we
thinking IL would be necessary TO kill
him
So we apliced our wagon tongue and
moved on, as a bad storm was coming
and we wanted to get to our old camp
ing grounds in grove about three miles
distant. Arriving there we got the
horses turned ont before it reached us
We stayed in our covered wagons
In the night after the stormtwas over,
heard something around the wagon and
awakened the men Eight Indians were
outside but after talking to them short
time they departed In the morning
we cooked few potatoes, for that was
all we had, and moved on. We got into
the mud and mired down, and t took
us a long while TO go short diItance.
One night we camped at the foot OF Di-
viding Ridge hill and had only fourteen
small potatoes left to eat. A p,It of
them wo boiled that night and the rest
in the morning, leaving them In the
kettle until we were ready TO take the
last load up the hill. But when we went
to the kettle we found that the dog had
advanced on us and devoured the whole
'push That wound up our stock OF
eatables. At Indian pond wheis the In-
dians always camped, we stayed for the
night, with nothing to eat. took my
gun and started ont on foraging and
hunting expedition and had the luck to
get one poor little innocent pigeon. Mr..
Decker pulled his mantle OIL, put him
on the end Of e stick and parched him
over the FIRE He divided 1T among us
four men and being the youngest and
smallest, the Others got the meat and l
got the rump.
Next morning we started out on u
soldier trail, no road but just Tapped
bushes and blazed trees. Mr.. Decker
and father put the biggest part OF the
load Of the horses on the OK wagons, 80
they could 10 faster and get some pro-
visions OF old Esau johnson at the pin
cry. When they returned that night
we were getting pretty lank, not so very
hungry Dut weak and sick from eating
too many hazel nut leaves. A little this
side Of Hazsns Corners we passed one
night with man named Billy Rhodes.
IN the evening while we were seated in
the house talking we heard rafting
among the dishes. Ii was little log
house with some wooden pins put In the
logs with an augur and slabs resting up
on these furnished shelves for dishes.
The chinking was out between the logs
aud q black bear had climbed up the
outside and pat his paws through the
crack 70 get hold OF the sugar bowl. He
climbed down and disappeared in the
darkness when we came around the
house.
This ia my last writing con jerning the.
removal Of our people TO Vernon coun-
ty / Rm now the only one left of the
first two families of the city of Viroqua,
and also the second oldest settler in Yer
non county. ! am your friend and well