The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-04-06
Found in the Heart of a Tree.
Decatur. Iowa Mob a 10

Decatur, Iowa, Mch. 81, 1905.
On Tuesday, the 2Sth of this month,
". Il. Golfer, of Decatur, gave Earl
Riley large cottonwood tree on his
farm to cut down, providing he took
limbs, brush and all, except the stump.
The tree was cut down and measured
80 inchesTin diameter across the stump
and contained 40 circles from the heart
OF the log to the surface, which gives
the age of the tree at 40 years. About
2 feet up from the butt of the tree a
horseshoe was found in the heart of the
log hung there by Milton Boord in the
spring of 1860, forty-hve years ago,
when the tree was small sapling four
years old. W. D. Shelton, of Decatur, is
very familiar with the circumstance,
being boy, at that time, fifteen years
OF age. Mr.. Shelton says Milton hung
the horseshoe on the sapling, early in
the spring, and some time in the fall,
about horseshoeing time, Milton wanted
the shoe, but the sapling had grown so
much during the summer and the shoe
being so tight around the tree, he left
it there.
James Millsap, John Gardner and
Samuel Black remember of the horse
shoe being in the tree and of Milton
talking about it at different times. This
tree was located on the John Cole farm,
south by west of Decatur one-half mile
and one hundred and fifty yards south
by west of John Coles house, standing
directly on the spur of two ravines
leading west. John Cole sold the farm
to Geo. McClain and McClain sold it to
Calvin s. Boord and is now owned by
W. b. Golfer. Milton Boord was Cal
wins son. This horseshoe and the nails
were hammered out by James Ownsby
that is the supposition of the old set
tiers who live here now and James
Ownsby, his son. The shoe as it hung
around the sapling is in block of wood
just as it appeared in the tree and is a
curiosity to look at. If any of the old
settlers or anybody wishes to see it call
at G. R. Riley's Office, Decatur. l am
told that 49 years ago around Decatur
was mostly prairie and that the public
road led from house to house all over
the neighborhood and that man called
everybody his neighbor from one TO
twenty miles away. How different now;
man seldom calls the man living next
door his neighbor. Some of the old
neighbors living in and near Decatur
that were farmers are:
John Cole, James Millsap, Jessie
Lloyd, VIM. Cash, Vird Covington, Lewis
Walker, James Summers, Calvin Boord,
George McClain, Fred Teale, Commo-
dore Ward, Medley Shelton, John Euritt,
James Woodmansee, John Mclaughlin,
Amos Mclaughlin, John Tullis, Mat Cor
nett, Robert French, AL Wafford, John
Zion, Henry Ellis, Thos. Black, Matthew
Houston, Peter Scott, VIM. Akers, Spence
Akers and Ad Alden. Merchants; John
Hall, Robert Notson, Geo. Shelly, Wash
McGrew and Medley Shelton. These
men got their goods by wagon route
from Keolluk. Blacksmiths: James Owns
by and VIM. Bear. Doctors: j. O. Day,
DR.. McClelland, Dunn Bros. and James
Lane, Preachers: ]. G. Porter, Moses
Hull, Samuel French and BENJAMIN
Springer. Carpenters: John Shelton,
Frank Hacker and Samuel Page. Mil
Ter: John Wartenbe. Judge: Absalom
Black. Justice, Merchant, Mayor and a
gentleman Of leisure, W. D. Moore. A
few Of these old settlers live here now.
Some have moved away and the majority
of them have passed over the river.
These old settlers wild neighbors were
the Indians, deers, wolves and elks.