Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-05-12
sAID:oR WRITTEN TO THE CENSOR
Doinss, "reminiscences and Observations
of Friends Near and Distant

| l.. H. Keir. Fairbanks, Alaska: En-
closed find substantials for renewal OF
my subscription to the old home paper,
| which always seems like a letter from
home. We have had an unusually fine
winter, only about three weeks of Sc
we're cold. During that time the ther-
mometer registered in the fifties below
every day. Sleighing is good yet. II
locks as though this would be pros
porous year for Fairbanks and vicinity.
There is a shortage in provisions here
this spring, and it will be nearly two
months before we can get fresh sup
plies from the outside. Consequently
prices are high. Below will be seen the
| present prevailing price per pound on
some of the staples: sugar 25c, rice 25c,
potatoes 15c, beans 15c, butter 81, ham
and bacon 40c, fresh meat 40c to Toe,
dried fruit 25c; eggs 81. so per dozen;
apples 25c each; other things in proper
tion.
L. H. Conklin, Philip, South Dakota:
Everything looks good out here and
thousands of acres of grain and corn
are being put in. An investment of 81, ,000
anywhere here, one year ago, would
have doubled by now. Am employed
as carpenter on creamery building in
course of construction. Mr.. Bennett, q
Viroqua carpenter, is working on the
same building. Mr.. V. Wilt, also OF
| Niroqua, is here ana seems to think
well of the country. He is looking up
a location. Farmers and business men
are putting up modern creamery and
| there is strong talk of establishing city
electric light and water works. A con-
servative estimate of the population OF
I Philip is 500 and the burg is growing
day by day. Every day brings in cars
loaded with horses, machinery and goods
for the new home and the country is
full of men with money co invest in
land. much of which is being sold fo'
$3.50 to $50 an acre. "
Sidney Higgins, Liberty Pole: "Just
sixty years ago today MAY 10), my
parents, with their three children ar
rived at Liberty Pole, Bad AK county,
from the state of Michigan. We came
with horse teams, there being no rail-
roads west of Chicago, and that now
famous city was no larger than Viroqua
of today. We crossed the Wisconsin
river at point near Bridgeport, thence
Iu.owing the old Black River road to
our destination, where | have con-
stantly resided since. The country was
practically a wooded wilderness all the
way from the Wisconsin river to Lib
erty Pole, although there was fairly
good trail. ViroqCa was little known
on the map at that early period, and
people from that section came to Lib
erty Pole for their mail, my father be-
ing the postmaster. ] doubt if there is
more than one person now living in
Vernon county besides my brother Jud-
son and myself who was here when We
came in lS49, and that man is Jonathan
II. Swain, now of Viroqua, then boy
in his fathers family at Brookville
The eide Swain was well-known ply.
sician, who practiced his profession
near and far, a one-legged man, who
usually went on horseback to attend L
the wants of suffering humanity.
@-----~-----
f. l., Domke, Glendive, Montana
1.-THE first real western experience o.
us former Veinonites was when Mrs
johnson and daughter Jennie, Lizzie
Domke, Mary Devil and Mary Bresde
were lost on a vast prairie. Weather
has been fine, yet we do not like the
wind that blows ninety-nine miles ar
hour. The Yellowstone river still has
ice on its banks. \ rain yet in Mon
tana, hence no grass can grow. Move
ments of our Vernon colony are that
John Kenney has gone to Billings tC
look at land; Joe Bema has returned Il
the east; George Brendle is putting q
floor in his homestead shanty; Gust
Schlich drove to Glendive; Miss Jennie
johnson located on a homestead ranch
Misses Brendle and Devil made neigh
borly call on Jacobson; also Mary Bren
die, Miss Domke, Paul Moe and Mr..
Fields. Thus we tender-footed new
comers in this wild and woody west en-
Joy a continuous round of greetings
among the folks we have so well knowr
back home.
George Wilder, Bloom City: "'Prouc
that | had the opportunity in my young
er manhood to vote for sainted Uncle
Abe Lincoln: first time at Readstown
in 1854 at Johnsonville, Tennessee, while
II VS. "a Lincoln hireling of Uncle
Samuel. If there is any one thing ar
old man may look back upon as bright
spot in life it is that he was follower
and admirer of the worlds greatest
emancipator. The world is much better
for the inspiration and hope and resliza-
ton brought to it through the life work
of Abraham Lincoln. "
Andrew Baldwin: Speaking of old
days and business in De Soto, well
remember that the highest price have
ever known being paid for wheat in a
local market was there, the year fol
lowing the war. paid as high as three
dollars bushel. The opposition buyer
at that time paid Barney Eckhardt,
(now the affluent miller and big busi-
ness man in Chicago, $3. Is for his
whole crop. Wheat dropped to an ex;
tent that the buyer lost over a dollar a
bushel on this high priced crop"
Another Pioneer Suddenly Passes.
At his home in the village of Stod-
dard, during the night Of Thursday,
April 29, the spirit of William A. Hodge
left the body and ne was found cold in
death by his aged companion the morn.
ing following, death probably
being caused BY heart failure. Mr..
Hodge is reported TO have been as vel
as usual on retiring He was an old
resident Of the county, having locattt
at Victory in 1865, after the close OF
the rebellion, in which he served with {
Pennsylvania regiment. He was borr
in the state Of New York in 1892. Al
Victory he was engaged in fruit grow