The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1905-06-29
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.
early OK missionaries FOL.
lowed early Settlers.

was only announced on occasions
when the interest was at the highest
pitch and a great crowd was expected.
Our younger readers may be interest.
ed TO know some OF ne particulars OF
such an event. We give them rs they
came TO us from an enthusiastic pio.
neer who participated in these occa.
sions "A local committee where the
feast was held had charge OF details
Tho day preceding the roast trench
was dug some ten or twelve feet
long, four or 1--WE teet wide and as
many deep. On the night previous
or early next morning, fire was built
In this trench and kept burning until
a heavy bed Of Goals was formed at
the bottom. Thel the OK was killed
and dressed and cut into pieces OF
cony nient size, ten laid on bars OF
iron which were placed across the
trench over the bed Oh Goals. The
master OF this part OF the service
watches the beef while 1t roasts, turn
ing IL with a plrchfork. When thor.
ougilly cooked 1t IS placed on tables
and everyone prescnC was welcome TO
help Themselves
such banquet as this was held on
July 3. 1852, IndepenIenc Day com.
ing on Sunday 1t was made the oc.
casion of the laying of the corner
stone Of tho old Normal chool build.
ing, as well as Fourth Of July eel
ebration. Ferris Goodwin superin.
tended the OK roast on this occasion.
His son, James Goodwin, who lives
near Rose Hill, has a distinct recol.
lection OF the event. Two thousanu
Ave hundred people IRE seid TO have
been present and tho event was con.
sldered the beginning OF better things
In an educational way for OGialoosa.
NJ T. Williams read the Declaration
Of Independence fnu Nm. Loughridge
and W. III Sewers were the orators OF
the day. After dim ! there. we're nu,
merous tcasts and responses, among
which were the following: Here's 10
the goose that grew the quill that
wrote the Declaration OF lndepend.
ence," M Il. Wilnams; MAY the to.
per's bottle speedily be broken ana
the cause OF Temperance thrive" by
s. s. Stewart. 1t might be well 10
state that the use Of the steel pen Is
quite a modern invention. Our faith.
ers did almost all of their writing
q with q goose gall.
Fifty and sixty Yeas ago all cattle
ran out on the prairie. MIX cows US.
ualIy wore bell. The blacksmith
VINO could mako COW bells added
many shilling TO his income. All
stock was marked in some peculiar
way, generally In the "ar,--smooth
crop, swallow forE, upper bit, under
bit or round hole! All of these marks
we're recorded by the owner with the
township clerk, who settled all dis.
putes with reference to the ownership
OF the stock. There was but one mar.
ket year for hogs end that was dur
ing the winter months. They were
then collected in large droves and
driven to the river. Generally to
Burlington or Keokuk. They were
goid by weight and had TO be weighed
with large pair Of stilliards. Each
hog had 10 be handled separately.
Breeding was improvised 10 place
around the hog End this was hooked
70 chain or rope which was fastened
10 a sweep like those used In lifting
bucket OF water from the well. When
everything was ready the weigher
said; Hog up" and up he went un.
III he was ordered down. The weight
being ascertained, was recorded, and
20 the work went on u.sil the weight
OF each bunch was known and turned
into the drove. The accommodations
for caring for gtocs on the load were
poor and the owner had often TO
spend the night with his hogs TO
keep them from ireezIr : 10 death.
In Ma1Iaska county, as In almost
all parts OF the word, the American
missionary follow d close on the
heels OF the first settlers. One OF
these young men was b. A. spauiding
OF sacred memory. In 1866 he was
county superintendent ~ Wapello
county and gave the writer his first
certihchats as teacher in that year.
A. J. Cornytock says that In lS43,
shortly after his fathers family had
set';ed in the county a young man
wac was missionary OF tjle pfrs.
byterian church, came TO their home.
Hlsfather's family all belonged to that
church and gave the stranger a cor
dial welcome. Just at that time his
father had gone TO Bonaparte TO mill
and they were entirely without bread.
His mother sent him two and half
miles to neighbor who lived across
, the river TO borrow some -four He
made the trip afoot. crossing the river
on a large drift, but returned without
any -four. There was none TO he had.
Then his reyourceful mother went TO
the bran barrel and, carefully sitting
part OF It's contents, she obtained
sunicient quantity Of pretty good
eour 10 supply bread for he hungry