Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-10-27
PLYMOUTH ROCKS CRACK.
It's Origin Involves IA Unique and RI.
diculous Bit of History.

Its Origin Involves a Unique and RI
diculous Bit of History.
Plymouth has been called the cradle
Of New England. 1t is on the coast,
thirty-eight miles south Of Boston, and
ia a thriving and prosperous New Eng
land town, with good chools and
churches, and town hall, and shops of
all kinds, and comfortable homes.
On the fiat strip of land that runs
for miles up and down the shore Of
the bay, the diminutive white houses
Of the fishermen are crowded close to-
gether. In the center of the same
lat Iand-strip, fanked on both sides
by the f~ishermen's homes, is n large,
open square forty yards from the wat
er front. Here stands Plymouth Rock,
the first sight Of which gives one a
mental shock, for, no doubt, fancy has
pictured an immense boulder rising
grandly out of the sea; but, instead, the
visitor sees only an onlong. i%rregularly
shaped gray sandstone rock twelve
feet in length and five feet in width
ut the widest point and two at the
rarrowest. Across n part runs a
large crack which has been filed with
cement, and which gives to Plymouth
Rock a highly artificial appearance.
The origin OF this crack is a bit of
unioue history, and bears evidence to
the early differences that at times d.
yided the inhabitants into two fac
tons.
For a long time there waged spirited
and bitter %wrangling between the op-
posing parties, and it wen settled
down upon the m~uch-cherished Ply
mouth Rock, which one party declared
ought to be removed to a more worthy
position in the town square, and the
other ~wranglers protested it should
not be moved an inch from its posi- s.
ton. even though they had to guard
it with their pixies and guns.
Finally, the stronger faction drew
up their forces around Plymouth Rock,
and in attempting to moveait up the
hill split it asunder, which seemed u
bad omen for those who had attempted
such a thing, until an ardent Wing
leader fiourished his sword. and by an
eloquent appeal to the other Jealous
Wings convinced them that they
should not swerve from their plan of
carrying the rock to a place in the
town square,:
1.-The portion that first fell to the
ground belongs to u.s." he cried; "and
that we will transport with all care
and diligence to it's proper home"
Twenty yoke of oxen drew the Wing
section Of Plymouth Rock up the hill,
amid the shouts Of the throng that
pushed forward around the liberty pole
which was to mark the e site. The
ceremony of dedicating the rock in its
new position was very impressive, and
the people stood with barred heads, and
III reyerent tones ch:nted their high
pitched psalms in token of thanksgiv-
ing.
In the town square this part of Ply
mouth Rock remained for more than
half a century, when a committee Of
the council resolved to move it back
to its original position, and join it. as
best they could, to the other half. Ac-
cordingly in 1884 on the morning of
the Fourth of July, the Plymouth Rock
had been reunited in all seriousness to
its long-estranged portion, and the
union made complete by g mixture of
cement and mortar.
To-day four granite columns support
a canopy Of granite that offers Ply
mouth Rock an Indifferent protection
against the rain and the sun, and
serves to keep back, in some measure,
the thousands Of sightseers That come
TO Plymouth with only n object in
view, namely, to press up around the
iron bars, and to gaze through them
at the revered rock, on which they
see the single inscription, cut in the
middle of it's face in long, plain fig
ures, 1920"
The rock is surrounded by a high
iron railing composed Of alternate boat
hooks and harpoons, and Inscribed
with the illustrious James Of the forty
men who drew up the Pilgrims COM
pact on board the Mayflower that No.
vember day as they sighted the coast
that %henceforth was to be their home