Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-15
}. E. Wilson Finds Section OF
Iowa That is Comparatively
a New Country
"oLD SETTLERS" STILL ACTIVE
Many Still Occupying Farms Secured
From the Government When Game
Was Plentiful and Hunting and
Trapping Was Profitable Pastime---
Homo Filled With Many Trophies.
Special to Times-Rcpubllcan.

/
Garner, Dec 15-The beginnings OF
agricultural development in this part
of Iowa occurred at a time not so long
passed but that many of the original
settlers are yet participating in active
| life and dwelling on the same farms
they occupied as portions of what they
remember as a vast unsubdued prairie
wilderness. Not the least interesting of
| the "reminiscences of some of these old
early hunting and trapping exploits
at time when huge flocks of prairie
chickens made frequent visits to the
locality where railroad was being put
thru, attracted to the place by the
gravel used on the road bed; when
great packs of wolves roamed the
prairies and innumerable mink. musk
rat and other small fur-bearing ami
mails frequented every slough. stream
and pond. The trapper lad who has
spent several days trying to capture
two or three mink and finally securing
them, finds an eager purchaser for the
hides at an unusually high price. re-
marks that he could enrich himself in
one winter if there might only be a
return of the old conditions is at once
informed that the business was not so
profitable then as now because of high
transportation charges and low prices
that prevailed when these creatures
We're so abundant. The continued exis-
tence of settlers in those days depend
something to do besides hunting and
trapping.
One Of the most enthusiastic and
successful of the early day sportsmen
of Hancock county is Mr.. ]. T. Brown.
owner of splendid 240 acre farm
about half way between the towns of
Garner and Britt. About forty years
ago Mr.. Brown, then a resident of IL
linois, received letter from former
neighbor who had located in this vi
cinity in which he described the de-
STABILITY of the locality from the
sportsman's point Of view and urged
him to come to the new state to live.
The recipient of the letter at once act
ed on the suggestion of his friend,
landed at Iowa Falls. then the western
terminus of the Illinois Central rail-
road and unattended proceeded on
horseback to the spot where he To-
Gated. He paid $3.50 per acre for his
farm and has since seen 1t increase
in value forty fold.
A visit to the Brown home is time
we'll spent by any one interested in
guns, traps and hunting trophies.
Among other firearms that will be
shown him are 500 shotgun with
barrels of Damascus steel: a $3.50 Bel
gian gun from the Krupp gun works,
which was on exhibition at the ST.
Louis exposition; another fine gun
made at Kankakee forty years ago and
valued one time at 5000. Expensive
rifles and revolvers complete the COL
lection which has a value of about
$780,
About 800 traps are kept in that
room when not in use; beaver traps,
otter traps, wolf traps, and many 9TH
er kinds Of traps. each kind particu-
larly adapted to the trapping of some
particular kind of animal.
A list Of the trophies Of hunting
and trapping expeditions includes the