Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1909-08-26
THE PIONEERS DAY.
At The ST. Louis Home Coming Was
Last Friday.
PROVED INTERESTING EVENT.
Large Cr0wd Listened AttentiVely to the
Various Speakers

According to the official program
Friday afternoon of the st. Louis
home coming week. was set apart for
the pioneers of Gratiot county. A
large and interesting. crowd was pres
ent and listened to the various ad-
dresses as arranged for the day. Alma
was represented by Michael Polasky
who came to Gratiot in 1868. For
the benefit of those not present at st.
Louis Friday. we give our readers
Mr.. Pollasky's address in full. He said ::
Mr.. Chairman Ladies and Gentle
men 1T is not so much because l
think myself as old as Methusaleh,
that have consented to be called up
on to give you few "reminiscences of
pioneer life as 1t is in priding myse If
of being one of the oldest young men
in this assembly and as such / desire
first to invoke the blessings of deity
for having been permitted to be here
with YOU on this occasion. as our
number has indeed been reduced to a
certain minimum My first appear
ance on the horizon of Alma or Ely
ton, ss some parts have been known,
was surrounded with many diff
cult problems and obstacles l presume
this was on account of the primative
state of the place which had not been
even Incorporated at the time. and re.
minded me of story l have once
heard, "A certain Globe trotter.
while travelling through foreign coun-
tries on one cold frostv morning
tramped through thickly populated
settlement, The natives were attracted
bv his outlandish garb. and the dogs
pitched onto him fom every directi on.
In despair he made an attempt to
pick up stone in his defense, bu t
unfortunately thew were solidly frozen
to the ground, so in disgust he cried
out, ''cursed be such q country.
where they tie up stones snd let the
dogs loose. I almost found myself
in the same predicament, at that tim e
a. the poor globe trotter.
My friends, as l have only five
minute limit, I'll have to cntine my
self to a few comparisons relative to
pioneer life in 6ratiot county, in the
early sixties and the present progres.
sive age. When ] first landed here we
did not have railroad accommodation
nor even good roads for that matter,
but we had so called corduroy roads. Oh
but neither did we have to take oul
lives in our own hands as we have tC
do now day while travelling on rail.
roads, esp ially on the Ann Arbol
lire. where nere are more wrecks anG
accidents to the square inch than any
other line / know of. We did not have
brick buildings in those uays snt
but only few frame houses with stow,
pipes penetrating through the center
of the roof. but we did have comfor
table log houses with wooden chin
neys, built from sticks and mud at
tached 10 the building, and the house
wife was not required to be con
fined in the care of their homes, a.
they preferred out door life and WITH
rosv cheeks and pretty appearance.
assisted their husbands in arranginl
1 fence rails.
N We did not have cement walks those
6ays as everyone built his own wall
hy throwing stones in the mud anC
jAmping from one to another, which
whs healthy exercise. We did not have
bJcicles those DAYS, but neither did W,
hAve TO suffer with weak spines. w,
did not have automobiles those days
but had trained OK teams, of course
their speed was not as brisk
but neither were there thousands o.
lives wiped Oft from the face of the
eafth, as it is done now days bv th,
acsursed autos. which in nv opinion
ard the d-s own invention. Th,
msde of living and wearing appare
al 10 was different, somewhat from
what il is now, especiall, in the foo
wear. AS / was engaged in mercantil,
nhrsuits l had occasion to observ,
these changes For instance. paten
leaNers and tanned shoes were no
wornVN mcn them dsys In fact NJ
kind oNbOes except brogans and stogi
cots intunmer and snow-packors IL
winters. )shoes were worn exclusivel,
bv the fomen an they were made OF
a bro& last and had com monsens,
heels ,ud / dare say that no lad,
woul6bsve dared TO pinch ber foo
Confined on page four.