The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1908-11-19
PAPER ON BARABOO FIFTY
YEARS AGO AND MORE
Early Recolections by Eliza S. Chapman of this Cy-Sev
eral Pioneer Characters Described

In the fall of 1849 Mr.. Munson wen
East, accompanied by his wife, wh'
was my sister, and Mrs. Col. Sumner
who stopped in Ohio to visit their ole
home, while Mr.. Munson went toNeW
York after goods for his store. Or
| their return toWisconsin they brought
me with them.
October % we boarded the staunch
old steamer, st. Louis, bound fol
Adams, ( now Baraboo,) Wisconsin,
via. Detroit and Milwaukee. We had
thought of coming by rail from De-
troit toMilwaukee, but when we reach
ed the former city it was raining hard,
so we decided to ''abide in the ship"
Next morning the sky was clear and
we had fair sailing the rest of our voy-
age. AS we were passing through the
straits of Maekinaw we saw group of
Indians on shore beckoning to us. The
captain said they had moccasins and
other trinkets of their own manufac-
ture which they wished to "swap'' to
those on ship board. AS the squaws
of that region were noted for their nice
work ON buckskin and birch bark, with
beads and porcuplne quilts, some of
the passengers were anxious to see
them, but the captain shook his head.
He said once on board they
would be troublesome passengers.
On one of the Manitou islands we
saw large fort. 1t looked to be in
good state of preservation, but we saw
no signs of life about it, and when or
by whom occupied no one seemed to
know.
We reached Milwaukee Sabbath
morning about o'clock and went to
the American House, two story
framed structure, which stood about
where the Plankington now is. Here
we met Mrs. Darwin Hill and her
three charming daughters, Cornie, Nell
and Mate.
They had been East on viSit and
had come by boat from Buffalo to De-
troit and from there to Milwaukee by
rail and were then waiting for Mr..
Hill to come with a carriage to take
them to their home in another part OF
the city Mrs. Hill informed us that her
sister, Mrs. L. F. Perkins, and family,
also the family of J. F. Flanders were
about coming to Baraboo to make
their home. Mr.. Perkins was then
living, but in less than two years he
passed away. The brave struggle
his widow put up to keep her little
brood together h as been so well told as
to need no repetition. A few years
later Mrs. HIPS family came also and
were for some years among our most
esteemed citizens.
The next day, but one after we reach
ed Milwaukee, Judge Camp, with his
bride that he had just been East afser,
came, but not knowing that we were
in the. city went TO the Walker House,
the only other first class hotel in the
city at that time.
Mail Once a Week.
The Camps took passage in the
stage which brought mail once week,
but we, having considerable luggage
were most fortunate in securing pas
sage with james, Christie, a canny
Scott, who enlivened our journey with
many an anecdote of western life. In
those early days farmers hauled their
grain to Milwaukee, and on their re-
turn trip would pick up whatever
they might chance to find. Merchants
availed themselves of this means for
the transportation Of their goods. Mer-
chandise of all kinds was shipped di-
rect from Philadelphia, Boston and
New York to Milwaukee, there being
no wholesale houses in Chicago fer
some years; and when merchants be-