Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-08-04
ANOTHER TERRITORIAL SETTLER
Anseiine Riley Tells of Early Days
Urges Attendance al Homecoming


EDITOR CENSOR: l came TO the leail
diggings in Iowa county in the sprintv
of 1874. | cail 20 mind that five young
men left the Chggings in the spring of
1916, went to Galena and enlisted in
the Mexican war. At that time we
thought Mexico was long way off and
was a serious s'fair Four returned,
one dying in New Orleans. That was
sixtY-three years ago.
/ came to Liberty Pole in the spring
of 1850, when | was married TO John
Riley. In the spring Of 1854 Henry
Nichols, Sr., received the contract to
carry mail from Black River Falls to
Saltwater and established stage line,
making the road through the woods.
We moved to Beef river to keep an
eating and feeding station. The near
est settler was sixteen miles. After
October, till the following May, the ar
rival of the stage was irregular, often
till after midnight, and frequently two
and three extra wagons with passengers
numbering twenty hungry and cold men
going to the st. GroiX lumber camps,
for whom l had to prepare meals after
midnight. ! had two small children
who could walk and one in the cradle,
wholesome. In addition to bread, pork
and beans, had coffee with ~ o. sugar
to sweeten it and n. o. molasses for
pancakes: wild Strawberries, blackber-
ries and huekleberries. Game was plen-
tiful grouse drummed early in the
morning, quails came to the door to eat
crumbs, deer frequently walked past
the station, bears were often seen and
lAr. nd l. Ha1
in the midst of natures bountiful sup
ply, came to beg bread Squirrels
PLAYED in the forest and bees made
wild honey. The streams gave cow
slips for greens, school of trout, red
the lake abounded with ducks, geese
and wild rice, robins came in the spring
and pigeons in such numbers that stall
wart trees were broken bytheir weight.
No doctor less than ore hundred miles
.snrained ankles were 'doctored" with
smart weed, while child colo was quiet
ed with catnip, providentially provided
by forethought.
Under these conditions we roughed it
at the station two years. In 1856 we
returned to Liberty Pole, where | have
spent fifty-sevcn wears of my life, six
W ~cNiFNAi ~ " tcNN1A9lils AAelfG eAAhIitdIA
every fair and read every number of
the CENSOR from Nc. l., Vol. l, |
hope to attend the Home coming to
welcome those who went into the will
derness; to talk of our youth when we
wove garlands of wild flowers for the
brides, of the coming of the occasional
preacher, the first born, of twins, of
the infant baptism, death in the fan1i-
ly and the many incidents of pioneer
life when all were poor with a strong
faith in the Lord as preached by Revs.
Perdun and Cook. ! hope with others
to meet Luther and Henry Nichols. who
helped to blaze the road to Saltwater
and carried the first overland mail to
the northwest, and renew the story of
the midnight supper by candle and
breakfast as the morning star was
shining through the branches of the
forest trees. Come to the fair and re-
new acquaintances, and closing with
FIVE thousand voices let's sing, Shall
auld acquaintance be forgot?"
ANGELINE RILEY
Liberty Pole, July p.