Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-09-01
JUST A LITTLE REmINIscENcE
Early Experiences in Vernon and the
West IN 1881

at NoopefstoWn. North Dakotal
Nestled among the great bluffs that
border the Mississippi and several miles
inland is village called Newton, n
vernon county, Wisconsin. About five
miles from this place on higher lar
was the pioneer home of my parents.
They had emigrated from near Malone,
New York, in 1864, settled at Spring
vile, Wisconsin, and later purchased
this home in the woods.
The trees of this primeval forest were
mainly of oak which furnished the set
tiers with logs and luml er for houses.
rails for fences and ties for the new
railroad which later came to Virooua-
a thriving town about nine miles away
Amidst these surroundings | spent nv
boyhood and young manhood. growing
up, going to school, splitting rails. cut
ting down trees for wood and saw logs
grubbing, clearing, breaking, fencing.
and cultivating small fields, striving
for an education and teaching school
In 1876 was married to Miss We'll
thia Hadlock, of Mantorville, Minneso-
ia. In the fall of 1880 taught select
school at Newton, the village mention
ed, seventeen teachers or would be
teachers being in attendance, including
two of my sisters and two Young men
who afterward became their husbands.
my Wife's sister, Mrs. Wright now Hy-
ing at Darcy and Richard McCarten
who has since served in the legislature
of North Dakota. In the winter of 80
and 81 | was the village teacher at
Newton and while thus engaged INV
wife mother, Mrs. Eliza Ann Hadlock.
whose memory | greatly revere, Law
seriously i'll at Kandiyohi. Minnesota,
with pneumonia. Mrs. Bemis FASTENED
to her bedside and when nv school
closed l lost little time in joining her
there. This was the immediate cause
of leaving my boyhood home and going
farther west; but the call of the pioneer
stirred within the desire of possessing
the free gift of 160 acres Of rich prairie
land, which was certainly most alluring
to one who had experienced the life
sapping labor of digging out great oak
grubs IN the heat of summer, splitting
rails and blowing among trees and
stumps. That spring | engaged to
teach term o. school near Lake Eliz-
abeth, not far from Kandiyohi. The
free lands Of Dakota were then being
rapidly taken and as few days re-
manned before The time set for begin
ming my school started for this land
of promise to file on tree claim.
Entering Dakota at Wahpeton. we
beheld from the car window mile on
mile of farm land seemingly as level as
a floor. Arriving at the terminal, Dur
bin, we were confronted by serious
Water lay several inches
deep over all the surrounding country
and If we wanted to get to Casselton,
several miles away, we had to tramp
through this cold water. 1t looked but
a short distance; so | and several other
passengers started out, little realizing
we were treading on the bottom of
prehistoric lake now called Agasiz.
by the way, this lake that was is well
named. Agasiz was great naturalist;
this had been a great lake. Both We're
gone and remembered only by what
they had done). 1t was splash! splash!
splash for miles and miles with Cassel-
ton drawing but little nearer, until we
were stopped near the great Dalrymple
farm by deep ravine trimming full of
water; but the men at the farm had
irnprovised ferry boat from a wagon
box and saw US safely over at quar-
ter apiece.
Arriving at Casselton at last | bought
a dry pair of socks and took The train
for Fargo. We were now on the Nor
thern Pacific, riding in palace car
filled with clean, well dressed passen-
gers. This struck me as remarkable
for such newly settled territory. But
my first impressions on reaching Fargo
were not very fiatterirg to that city as
saloons were lined up down a lLng
street and it was so well filled with
transients or else so lacking in hotel
accommodations that / felt fortunate
in securing a place to sleep.
Impressions of that night were long
to be remembered. In the night | was
awakened by the thrusting into my
room of two drunken men. They soon
began to quarrel as they lay groveling
on the floor. One of them being hit in
the leg exclaimed: 81 am at peace with
all the world and you are trying to
knock my brains out. /" The next morn
ing found them both lying on one cot.
Their misery had subsidized, also mine.
There are three occasions whena man
feels lack of manhood: Q) When his
son becomes big enough and strong
enough to put him on his back in fair
and square wrestling contest; ~ when
he fails in some worthy undertaking;
81 when he is recovering from some
drunken debauch There are three oe-
cas1ons when a man feels most manly:
a. When he gets married; (2) when
his wife brings forth their first born or
when he can see how it sounds to say
pa! in an empty barrel; 90 when he
files on land for future home for wife
and babies This experience was soon
h be mine. By the help of land law
yen who had access to the field notes of
W.. United States survey | became the
Apply claimant of the sw of Section
which now forms an organ
zed part of Greenwich. Steele county,
and we call it 'Pleasant-view home
stead"
My next endeavo- was to get back in
lime to begin school according to con-
sract. Reaching Casselton got my
self a pair of rubber boots that wet
feet might be avoided on my tramp
pack to Durbin. But they were not
needed, for two old freighters We're to
start out my way the next morning.
We logged along at the speed of two
niles an hour until we were stopped by
leep water which the freighters feared |
% enter. !, being very anxious to |
each Durbin in order to catch the |