The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-28


am neither one of the very
early pioneers Of Minnesota, nor yet
4 historian. In early life my horizon
was very narrow. Yet | saw and
experienced Il few of the realities OF
frontier life, OF which some of you
saw and cyericnced many.
ReCCuntimg events which have oc-
Cured i'm our immediate neishbor-
hood is to us the most interesting
Of all history.
We are familiar with localities
and are much more impressed with
the facts. Our Imagination helps us
to see the Indian canoe on our riv-
ers and lakes, and the tepee upon
the banks, and later, our memory
recalls the log cabins and rude sur
roundings of the pioneers, followed
still later by beautiful farms, and
bright cities and villages.
The lives and experiences of some
Of the early settlers of Minnesota
are household words. in this state,
but of the history and experiences
of many others but little is known,
and what is being handed down is
passed along by Just such gatherings
as we have here. -c;-.
In the early. spring of 1859, my
father and brother-in-law started
with teams OF oxen and covered
wagons from our home near Osh-
kosh, Wis, to seek location in
the west. where homes could be got
ten without mpuey and without
price. 49,,
1t was not definitely determined
where they would go, but it was to
be somewhere in the great new
state of Minnesota, to us an I'M
known region.
Pioneer emigration by the then
only method known to us, the cover
ed wagon drawn by oxen, was quite
brisk that year., and inquiry made
by father of explorers returning for
their families Influenced them to go
TO the western, part of Blue Earth
county
In october of the same year all of
the earthly belongings of my father,
being my mother. seven children
and a handful of household goods,
were loaded into a wagon drawn by
a pair of unbroken steers, and we
were ready tenistart for our new
home. The twos COWS which we had
were TO be driven behind the wagon.
Reduce Time of Making Trip.
Nv elder brother drove the steers
attached to the wagon, and we, the
Younger children, drove the cows
and in the short period OF precisely
thirty days we reached our new
home near the southwestern corner
Of Blue Earth county Now we
make ii trip in twelve hours.
The year had been a peculiar one
in Wisconsin. There had been Sc
we're frost at some time in every
month during the entire summer ant
corn and other produce was badly
frost-bitten, and by October first, al
vegetation was brown and dead.
But there had been much rain il
Minnesota. evidently preventing
frosts. and when we crossed th'
great Father Of Waters at Lacrosse
much swollen and turbid, We were
greeted by green foliage, and thu
freshness of spring Vegetation wa
rank, grass tender, crops good, TO
liage magnificent, and boy-like | a
once fell in love with Minnesota.
At that time the southern part o
Waseca and Blue Earth counties wa
almost wholly uncultivated, produc-
ing wonderful growth of wild
grasses.
Limit of Civilization.
We crossed the Blue Earth river
about thirty miles north of the
Iowa line, and it then seemed tina
we had reached the very limit o
civilization. One could look from
oct nd M
west. and, save few settlers cab
ms near the river, not sign o
human life or haDitation could b.
seen. In fact at that time, the west
ern part of Blue Earth, Faribault
and Brown counties, all of Martin
Jackson, Watonwan, Cottonwood
Rock. Mobiles, Murray and Pipestone
Redwood, Lyon and Lincoln coun
ties were entirely unsettled, save 70
a few settlers along the Minnesota
Blue Earth, Watonwan, Des Nome
and Rock rivers, and around Chair
Lakes and Lake Shetek.
Our first impression was that w
were entirely without neighbors. Th
nearest settlers were a mile distan
and there were but four or fiv,
families nearer than three or fou
miles away. But we soon Learned
that we had neighbors even though
the distance was considerable.
First one neighbor and then an
other would extend to every famil.
in the vicinity an invitation to spent
an afternoon or an evening. Some
one would hitch his oxen to hi
wagon or sled, and going from house
10 house, gather up a full load, ant
then at the usual gait for such con
veyance, we rode and visited unit
we reached the appointed place
where perhaps eight, ten or dozel