Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-04-10
HARyESTINGON Big S
I'LL
ABNER SILBAUGH GAZEs n IN
THE WESTERN WONDERS
After Years Absence Writes of His
New Washington Home and Some
General Conditions

my friends in Wisconsin, but | assure
you that | have not. Time and dis
lance have not lessened my affections
by years absence, for the old home
and friends, but | have been so busy
getting started in my new place that |
neglected to write to anyone Chester
and | reached Seattle, March 22nd. and
went east of the mountains to our land
on the oath of the same month. We
put up tent with side wall for tenn
porary use and then went to work to
build house for Chester, his lwife and
baby. Our wives did not arrive until
about four weeks later. The land is
located twelve miles from town called
Withrow, which is situated in the great
wheat bend section and roads and
country are fine. When we get il
about four miles of the land we start
down hill and the land is located in
great :oulee. 1t is about seven hun
dred feet lower than the wheat country
above and is a mile to one half mile
wide. When we arrived the country
was wild. The irrigation company had
not yet completed their plant and there
was only one family and couple of
bachelors living in'there. Since then
the plant has been completed and the
man who joins US on the north has in
cultivat. n over two hundre j., acres;
has thirty acres of fruit trees and he
planted everything last summer, even
to peanuts and sugar cane, in fact
everything that grows on farm. He
is man of considerable means. There
has been about five hundred acres bro
ken up and put in crop during the sum-
mer and wealthy company from this
city owning land in there has erected
quite large building which is used as
a store, hotel, postoffice and central for
the Bell telephone company. He keeps
a team, saddle horse and all equipments
there on his place. Chester and his
wife are in complete charge of this
ranch and Chester is the postmaster.
The men themselves live and are in
business in this city and the manage
ment of everything is left to Chester
and his wife. 1t has been new BUSH
ness for them and is quite responsible
position, but one of the men was in my
brothers. office short time ago and
told him Chester was the right man for
the place, and that they were pleased
with his work so far. The store is To-
Gated on the state road between Seattle
and Spokane and there is a good deal of
traffic through that way. AS high as
twenty-three automobiles have gone
through that road in single day. We
have had forty-four acres broken on
our land, seventeen of which is in al
falfa; ten acres of fruit trees; five
acres of wheat and quite a little vege-
tables. We were handicapped little
by the water not getting on in time 1t
was the first year and there was good
many things to do to get everything
going. The harvesting and the wheat
fields were very interesting to as. These
combined harvesters and threshers are
a wonderful invention. They are drawn
by thirty-four good horses and cut the
grain and bag it. While a six horse
team follows and picks up the bags and
places them in piles where they remain
until time to haul them to market.
These machines are very high up and it
is necessary to go up flight of stairs
to get on top where the driver sits.
When Miss Sophia Clark, who came
west with us, visited US last summer
we went in the field where they were
running one of these machines; they
stopped and asked us to get upon the
machine ard ride, which we did. We
could look down on the right and see
the sickle cutting the grain and on the
left and see it filling the sacks. | saw
one of these machines running on the
18th Of July and on the Bird of October
a man told rue had 300 acres to cut get.
The wheat does not she'll out and tley
can leave it as long as they wish.
have been to Waterville number
of times since ! came west. That is
the town where Frank and Fred Alex
ander have a very fine store and keep
five clerks, who are always busy. When
was there the boys seemed to be doing
just fine and everyone speaks well of
them. WaterviIle is beautiful little
town about the size of Viroqua, and
some very wealthy people live there,
My wife and came over to Seattle
to spend the winter and the nice seven
room cottage where we are living has
doors that swing wide open to people
from Vernon county. We get lonesome
some times to see our old friends, but
there is lots of comfort in being so near
Chester and my brother. We live only
four blocks from my brother Jackson.
We feel very much interested in Miss
Clark, who came with US, and are very
anxious to have her do well. She has
had position ever since the first few
days after her arrival and is now a
saleslady in one of the largest depart
ment stores in the city. She has GER
tainIy made good and seems to be
pleased with this country. | have made
il point to meet as many Wisconsin
people as possible and have had several
nice visits with Albert Rhodes, form
erly a store keeper in Trempealeau,a and
is now one of the wealthy men in this
city. He and his brothers have four
stores and over 400 clerks. Albert has
charge of the Seattle store, where he
has $50 regular clerks and 300 during
holidays. Miss Clark is employed in
his store and they seem to think we'll of
her because she has had a promotion
since she started working there.
We watch eagerly for the CENSOR
each week and read it the same as we
would a letter from an old friend. We
are grieved to notice so many old Viro-
qua people passing away the past year.
We read with interest the letters writ
ten by others who have left Vernon
We are alwas glad to read
them for we think old Vernon is all
right if it were not for the cold win
tiers.
Best regards to all acquaintance.
Your friend,
ABNER SILBAUGH.
Seattle, Washington.