Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-02-13
KNEW KIT CARSON.
Jim Bridger's True Stories Which
Nobody Bell eyed.

Kansas is living in Kansas City. She
is rs years old. She is Mrs. Susan A.
Dillon. Her father built the first
dwelling in WestpOrt.
"My father was Daniel Yoacham,"
said Mrs. Dillon. HE moved from Ten
nessee In 1929. He had not been mar
ried long. My mothers cousin, Major
John Campbell, was Indian agent at
the Shawnee Indian agency, which was
a half mile east of where the ruins Of
Shawnee mission stand. My father and
his bride came here and lived In that
house for nearly a year while my
father was looking around and decid-
ing where to settle.
I'm that Indian post traders house
1 was born. There lived with the agent
Captain Parks chief Of the ShaWnees,
and many Of them were carnped around
the agency. I was the first white baby
they had ever seen, and they simply
me moccasins and clothing and wraps
made of buckskin beautifully embroid-
cred and decorated. They adopted me
into the tribe Until l was grown and
had married they treated me as one Of
their own.
my father took up a government
claim embracing all the land where
Westport is now, and much more. At
that time the only building in all the
territory covered by Westport was a
little log store kept by an Indian
trader. My father built a large hotel,
and 1t was the second building there.
It was built of walnut logs and was
two stories high. 1t was known as
Noacham's tavern. There I lived until
was married
my father was a very popular man
and much beloved. He was known as
Honest Squire Yoacham.' He was the
first justice of the peace in all this
western country. He performed all
the earliest marriage ceremonies in this
part Of the country. People came hun
dreds of miles to be married by him.
81 remember Kit Carson very wen
| indeed. He came east and stopped at
my fathers hotel for several weeks.
He had married a squaw Of the Root
Eater tribe of Indians. He had the
| little girl with him and was taking her
back east to be educated. He bought
her outfit and had her dresses made in
our house. She came to us dressed in
buckskin and left dressed in as fine
! goods as could be bought then upon
the border She was about my age
and was uncivilized. She pulled UP all
my mothers vines and was chewing
the roots when we found her at it.
exit Carson was a 1iice-looking man,
Of mild manners and a strong face
All of those old pioneers were mild
hammered men. ..,.., =:
q time + atea4% t0(qsds jim
sBffdger's wonderful ssSt stories Of =. the
then unexplored west. He was one Of
the earliest and greatest trappers, In
dian fighters and scouts. He was
skAown'~i in. :Nest,6rt asethe greatest liar
that ever lived, but 1 don't think. now
that he told many lies. One of his
greatest whoppers' was about a petri-
| lieu IOFeSL IHdC lie fudu seen away out
west. We know now that-he told the
truth about that, but no one believed
him then, and I've heard many a laugh
about Jim Bridger's yarn Of the petit
fed trees, leaves and even petrif1ed
birds singing in the. branches.-.O OF
course, Bridger didn't tell all that; 1t
was added on by the people who heard
him talk. kansas City Star.
i
Animals Photograph Themselves.
The Technical World has an article
that deals with an odd subject we'll
calculated to be of interest to readers
generally. -.
Photographic views of animals are
| obviously quite Invaluable to the zool-