Mexico weekly ledger., 1907-09-19
Excerpt From an address BY Hon. W.
Il. KEENAN, at the Boone County
"0ld Settlers" Meeting Aug.
10 1907.

dUulu VI blc tuAAAitot "a4"aSSf -
the fierce, furious and unrelentinI
savage.
The desire to take and hold thes'
dangerous out-posts, and endangel
! their lives, and give up their lives, a
many did, were born within them; Il
was a part, the strongest part, OF theil
very natures, which they had inherit
ed from their brave, yenturesome ant
self-sacri6cing ancestors, who hat
lived on the border, and held ant
] maintained similar hazardous posi-
tions from the time Of their boyhoot
days, up TO the date OF their deaths.
The names and deeds Of these self
sacrificing men deserve to be perpe
tuated. II is but just and proper that
the great State OF Missouri, with hel
untold wealth, should, at the earliest
period possible, make an a~ppropria
ton, q sufficient sum TO erect ant
equip, on the campus Of the Univer
sity Of Missouri, q capacious, fre.prool
library building, and In IL place
tablet of marble, on which should bt
inscribed, in plain letters, the names
OF these heroic and daring pioneers
recounting in full, their unparalleled
deeds OF valos and suffering, SO thai
the living may catch and retain the
indomitable spirit that actuated and
animated the lives of these early brave
defenders OF Missouri soil, and wac
gave their lives, their all for mis-
souri,.
Those who came to Boone county
after the organization Of territorial
and state government were mostly
from Kentucky and Tennessee, and in
whose veins ran the rich red blood Of
their proud and patriotic Virginian
ancestors, and many Of whom followed
and fought with Washington In the
Revolution, and were with jackson al
New Orleans.
They erected and lived In mud-daub-
ed log cabins covered with boards,
held on with weights, made OF poles.
Not a single nail used in their con.
struction, with mud-daubed stick
chimneys, puncheon floors and board
doors, hung on wooden hinges, and
fastened with rude wooden latches,
the strings Of which were ever to be
found on the ''outside" ~,beckoning To
the hungry, weary, wayfaring stranger
TO pull and enter in, and psrtake Of
the homely fare which was always
plentiful.
With their axes they felled the for.
e~st-trees, cut rolled and burned the
logs, cleaned and broke the ground,
planted and cultivated crops which
Welded them q rich superabundance
OF supplies, for man and beast.
They raised and fattened their thor
ses, cows, oxen, mules and sheep on the
rich and rare pastures of the open
woods and broad and beautiful undul.
ating prairies.
Their hogs multiplied grew, MUNICH
ed and gorged on the marvellous Apro-
duct OF nutritious mast, which fell
from the oak, hickory and pecan trees
In e~xtravagant abundance.
They fed and Toasted themselves al.
most TO bursting, on the sweet honey
OF the honey bees, which swarmed aud
housed themselves,in countless num-
bers,in the opening in the bodies Of
the trees Of the vast forests,o on tooth
some fish and game Astounding in
stream and forest, in unlimited guam
titles. Most truly then, "Old Boone
was a land allowing with milk and
honey"
They cultivated and gathered only
sufficient Of the products of the soil for
their immediate needs. Since they had
but a scant market for the surplus
they might chance to have, hence they
had much unemployed time, which
they spent mostly In fishing, hunting,
at log rollings, corn shucklings, house
raisings, shooting matches for quarters
Of beef and turkeys, and at quilting,
when the cuttings were over and the
quilts were taken from the frame, i'd
ding and dancing followed from early
candle light until late In the night At
these quilting we're made the matches
for life, between the sons and Gsugh-
tiers Of these honest, freehearted happy
people. There was no surplus Of mar
riageable girls In "Old Boone, in
those halcyon days. In number the
manageable boys and girls were
about even. All the girls had a chance
for a husband.
They married early, and became
mothers Of large, heathful, happy and
interesting families.
The good mothers and their daugh.
tiers, God bless them carded the wool
by hand and made 1t Into rolls, which
they spun upon their wheels and
weaved into cloth on their looms and
which they made clothes for their
families.
They tanned their leather and
made their shoes, harness, saddles, etc.
n short, they made everything they
used in their families and on their
Each family was an indepen-
lent infant manufacturing industry,
md as far as | know, never asked any
protection from any source.
The means OF grinding and boiling
their bread stuff were Of the most
primitive character. The wheat was
TO the mill on horses and
round on stones, run by tread wheels
iramped by horses.