Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-12-22
Sweet MEMORIES OF cLDrs DAYs
Compliments for and Corrections Of a
Recent Contributor

EDITOR CENSOR: read with interest
the notes on early life in the Kickapoc
valley, by mrs. Earl, in recent issues
Of your paper. Il was OF more thar
passing interest to me from the fact
that was one Of the actors, in early
days, of that historic region. 1t called
to mind many scenes and incidents long
hidden in that mysterious realm,
Sweet menory. waited BY thy gentle gale
Oft Up tbs stream Of Time turn my sail.
Ts view the fairy-haunts Of long-lostlhours.
BEST with far. grsensr shades. far frsshsl
howsrs."
Yet while the shades were not al
ways greener, nor the flowers fresher,
vet there is lingering fascination for
those early times that makes one hate
to feel they are gone iforever. Yes,
gone forever, and with them too, many
brave and noble man and woman,
who had left civilization behind to take
up the burdens of frontier life. But
the inhabitants of this new country
were not all good, brave characters,
for it had its outlaws and unruly char
acters the same as now.
While the reading of these reminis-
cences are interesting and useful, to be
of greatest value they should be as ac-
curate as possible. / note that speak
ing of Readstown, the writer says it
was plated ard named in 1856 and
founded by one "David Reed" The
fact is that the town was named after
good old "Uncle Dan Reed" as he was
Familiarity called by all who knew him.
| landed at that burg with my parents
in 1852, in the month of May. The res
idents of that town, which was known
as Readstown at that time, were Daniel
Reed, Gilbert Herrick, with whom
"Uncle Reed" made his home, for he
remained a single man until his death,
VIM. Bown and Grin Wisel. Arch Day
lived about two miles east IF town on
a small farm, and a man by name of
Nelson, Sam, | think, lived west on a
farm recently owned and think sold by
Col. G. E. Morley. There was at that
time saw mill there and had been for
some years. At just what date the
village was plated / do not pretend to
know, but Readstown was on the map
probably as early as 1850, if not before.
The writer again drew on her magma
ton when speaking of the grist mill,
saying that the people for lack of road
carried their grists to mill in boats. "
OF course this adds novelty to narra-
tive. but reminds me of little sketch
from one of our histories, as | remem-
Der, history of Crawford and Rich
land Counties" / do not recall the
author. Among important events, the
author chronicled the first death and
burial in the town of Clayton, Crawford
county. The man died in shack just
above the village OF Soldiers Grove, on
the east side of the Kickapoo river, and
the historian says he was carried to
Readstown in canoe and buried there.
The fact are within writer's personal
knowledge, that wake was held the
night before the burial and the corpse
was taken to Readstown by team and
owing to the conditions of the roads as
well as the mourners, the rig was up
set" at least once, but finally reached
it's destination.
The grist mill was built in the fifties,
but there were roads in all directions
sufficient for milling purposes.
Then in speaking of Soldiers Grove,
having beer previously called Pine
Grove, the writer says it was so called
from the abundance of pine timber
which grew in that section, which
might lead one to infer that that Sec
ton of the valley was timbered by pine,
while the fact is there never was but
few scattering pine trees in that part
of the valley. Then, too, she states
that Petersburg, in Crawford county,
is creation OF the railroad" while,
like Readstown, it was on the map be-
fore the war of the rebellion, but like
the former place, it grew with the adj
vent of the railroad.
Being historical sketches it appears
to me that such inaccuracies lessen their
value. The articles are so well written,
however, that perhaps, these should be
regarded as kind of poetic license. -
1t may be of interest to our readers to
know that the first brewery and distil-
lery in the Kickapoo valley, and pro-
badly the first and only one in Vernon
county, was built and run at Reads
town in the early SOS, by one w. II.
Austin. IL was destroyed by fire after
running a short time and Austin and
his family went west.
If this does not find the waste basket,
may, when time permits, give your
readers some of the early history of the
lower Kickapoo valley.
Yours truly,
G L. MILLER.