Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-04-06
about exhausted. 1t was at this
time Samuel Holes and William

porte, Ind, for the purpose of
bringing their families. We were
all brought down to rations of dry
bread and bean soup and by April
first the last loaf of bread was
baked and starvation seemed near.
At this critical moment, having
knowledge that two families were
living at Union Grove, about six
teen miles from our cabin, Hiram
Smith and I started one bright
morning with six inches of a fresh
April snow to walk through, and
made our way to those people for
assistance. The first house we
came to was occupied by one Mr..
Underwood and wife, who had
come from Holyoke, Mass. We
were cordially received. Mrs. IN
derwood gave US a good dinner,
filled our sacks with thirty-three
pounds Of flour each, which we
dashed on our backs and made our
way back home, covering thirty
two miles. =
The brilliancy of the sun caused
me to become snow blind and it
was three days before my eyes
would bear the sunlight. This sup
ply gave US temporary relief.
w tn the mild weather of April the
lakes and streams began to free
themselves from ice. Then the
wild geese and ducks came in
abundance. Later fish became
plentiful. Finally on May 4, 1857,
J. M. Ayers drove in with two
yokes of cattle drawing full sup
ply of provisions.
The spring of 1857 opened quite
flatteringly in point of immigration
to Green Lake. Samuel Holes,
Oliver Taylor. Francis Arnold ar
rived with their families from La
porte, Ind; VIM. and George
Kouts, both single men, lived with
US, and M. Smith was there in the
month of June. V. L. Forsythe
and young wife, and J. W. Burdick
came from New York state. Fen
B. Woodcock, Mr.. j. Adams with
a large family, and one Mr.. Shep-
ard all located claims.
A road was opened from Irving
to Paynesville which gave us an
outlet to St. Cloud. forty-five miles
away. We also had communica-
tions with Union Grove, Manannah
and Forest City. In the month of
May three good dwellings were
erected on the TOWNSHIP of Column
bia. Mr.. Arnold opened the first
grocery and provision store where
the first goods were sold in the
county. A mail route, tri-monthly,
running from Henderson to Column
bia was established. Joseph R.
Brown was the contractor and the
first mail arrived July l. Every
thing appeared to be prospecting
Nearly one hundred claims had been
taken in the county in six months,
and a good class of people were
seeking homes in the Green Lake
country. The same season the gov.
eminent surveyors were busy check
ing up the prairie into quarters
The line of railroad was also sur.
veyed in the months of August anc
|, September the same year, and so We
passed the season flattering our
selves that we were destined tt
have a populous country and {
thriving town.
But very little farming was done
this season. Most of the settler!
, came so late that no effort wa
made for crops, more than breaking
; prairie for the next season. Oul
winter supplies had to be cartet
from St. Paul or Henderson, which
was a long haul by OK teams. II
the month of October I made a tril
. to St. Cloud for the first time ant
returned loaded with lumber ant
!, potatoes, the first potatoes that WI
, had eaten at our own table at Greer
Lake.
The first farce of an election wa
held at Columbia in October. Thu
, democracy was running Governo,
) Sibley for governor. They tool
pains to hunt out all back settlers
send in their tickets and appoin
their judges. The Republicans di(
{ not find us and the consequence wa
that on the day of election all vote
7 in our precinct, somewhere from
fifteen to twenty, voted solidly TO-
) Sibley. We had no republican
tickets to vote.
Il About this time we began t.
! hear rumors about the inancia
> crash in the east. Banks were fail
, ing. and 1857 will long be remem
> bered as the year of the grea
money crash which brought hare
= times all through the west.
q In the month of November, Sol
, ONION Foot came from Ohio. will
his family. He selected a beautiful
claim at the east end of Foot lake.
Quite a number of Swedish fami
] lies had taken claims around Eagl'
y lake and settlements were formin,
Y in all directions. The winter O
! 1857 '58 passed quietly and the soil
q tude was broken Onlv bv rOvinl