Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-05-20
EARLY PIONEER LIFE
lContinued from tfrst pagel

three days TO reach their destination.
During "A part of the day they broke a
road and found camping place for
the night. when with only the one OK
team they brought mp part of the
goods aud returned for the rest that
all their belonging might be to gether-
at night Ii was on one OF these re-
turn trips after the second load that
Isaac was making when his shepherd dog
which always accompanied him. would
walk back and forth in front of the oxen
with hair bristled toward his head as
though ready TO try his strength and
tushes on something. After loading
his goods he started for camp. He
had only gone a short distance when
an animal jumped from the brush in
to the road some seven or eight rods
ahead of the oxen. Now was the
time for the dog to show what he was
made of and ran up to buckle into the
animal which very promptly arched
up his back like an angered feline and
promptly dealt TIE dog blow on the
cheek which peeled his face from his
nose 70 his eye He returned 10 the
wagon crying most piteously. Isaac.
boy fashion, not liking to see his dog
hurt, grabbed an axe from the side of
the rack and started to dispatch the
animal. When within a few feet of
Al - ptfffh
AK what next to do. as the animal
looked as though he might serve him
AS he had the dog if he venturned 10
near. He stood cycling the animal
when it suddenly gave screech and
jun ped into the brush. IL had been
out-countenanced by the human eve.
Isaac afterwards learned that IL was a
LYNX. A little bewildered he returned
to his waiting OK team and made a
haste to reach camp.
In due course of time they finally
reached their last destination and
begun a log shanty to live in until
they could build a better one. 1t was
built west of the orchard west of this
house. Now the strenuous work OF
chopping and clearing began prepare.
tory TO getting in crops and building
/ houses on each of their farms. George
built his house to the southwest OF
where the new house now stands.
Isaac's house is the old log house still
standing on the south side of the
road. across from Frank Gees. He
afterwards kept store here where
during the year of Starving Gratiot
he was nearly bankrupt by having SC
many outstanding accounts.
In the course of ones life there are
a great variety of occurrences, some
sad and others laughable. 1t was dur
ing this time of bachelorhood while
/ keeping store that little incident
occurred to relieve the monotony for
the time being of pioneer life. A
family had come a long distance to Go
some trading as it was near dinner
/ time Isaac asked them to stay to din
ner with them He told Hiram Ben
der to 80 to the kitchen and start
dinner. In those DAYS il was pancakes
or iohnnycake, they happened TO
/ have pancakes which were rising I'M
der the elevated oven in the kitchen.
But 10 when Hiram went to the
kitchen he found that thev were
raisei and mixed by small pig
which had the freedom of the back
yard. ana though his liberties were
unbounded He had very calmly and
quietly rooted the back door open and
mixed the cakes to his satisfaction.
\ Hiram came rushing back into the
store and said Good Oh Isaac
What will we do foI dinnery That
internal pig is in the kitchen and up
set the pancakes - | never found out
whether OF not the people stayed to
dinner.
Michael Mcnamara and wife worked
for George and Isaac for a year when
they had earned enough to get start
and bought the so acres of land on
section 9 where the brick house now
stands, for $50. At that time II was
called swamp land. They built log
shanty to the east of the brick house.
Ii was here that Mrs. Mcnamara
showed her pluck. All one summer
she had the ague every day Once
did Mr.. Mcnamara become scared for
fear he might loose her, said TO her,
Margaret Wen pack up the things
and get out of the woods - Her
reply was, "Michael this is the first
home we nave ever had.and here Wen
stay. " Her pluck was justified and
they finally accumulated over 40C
acres of land.
You can find this same Mrs Me-
Nsmara living In her coy little home
in Alma and Is still quite hale and
hearty.
There is one little joke perpretarted
\ by George f. Gee which | cannot
pass by without telling. Isaac and
he left their wilderness home to visit
their mother and other relatives at
North Plains. 1t took them about two
days TO make the trip out there. When
they reached there they were as boys
let out of school, ready for any sort OF
fun. IL was a dismal rainy day with