Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1914-04-10
EARLY DAYS IN The COUNTY
PIONEER DAYS RECALLED IN
SELLING OF DAN CAMPBELL,
HOMESTEAD

Swanville News: Pioneer days here
were called to mind, the other day,
when Dan Campbell, Sr. sold his old
homestead in section seven, town of
Culdrum. Mr.. Campbell was one of
the first seven settlers between Little
Falls and Long Prairie, settling upon
the homestead forty eig ht years ago
this spring. The trials and hardships
he and his family passed through in
those pioneer days, while carving
home from out the wilderness, makes
on interesting story.
In March, 1866, Mr.. Campbell left
Xenia, Ohio, with his family, coming
to Lacrosse, Wisconsin, then by boat
to St. Paul, and finally landing in
Little Falls, on the 9Th day Of April,
St. Paul, the Campbell family found
to be frontier village of incense
quental size, but the gateway to the
whole, very sparsely settled northern
wilderness. A railroad was in opera
ton, into the north country as far az
Little Sank, near st. Cloud. This tho
family journeyed over, and from there
made their way to St. Cloud and Little
Falls by stage. st. Cloud was an i'm
portant trading post and Little Falls
was mere hamlet containing a dozen
small stores and handful Of houses.
The country abounded in Indians
and wild game. White settlers were
few and far between.
just why Mr.. Campbell decided to
locate his claim where he did, in the
then most wild and uninhabited part
of the vast territory he had to select
from, is not material to this story.
The fact is evident that his Judgment
was sound. Location was more than
a mere word to those settlers, realiz-
ing, as they did, the necessity of GER
tain factors which meant success or
failure to them. Wood, water, build
ing material and roads were these fac
tors. The Campbell claim possessed
all of them.
A stage trail passed the spot, Civ
ing access to the town, the surround
ing forest furnished fuel and build
ing material, game and fish were o.
tainable for food, Swan river and nu-
merous springs furnished an abundance
of water. Even the wood lands fur
nished the family with their only lux
ury-maple syrup and sugar.
Oxen were the motive power in
those days, and with these he had to
clear away the forest, break his fields
or wend his way to market. Two days
it took to make the 16 mile trip to Lit.
tie Falls and return. Little Falls was
his nearest trading point, and the
family's only way Of communication
with the outside world. The slow mode
If travel made these trims infrenuent
and news from the outside was months
old when received.
The lonesomeness of life to the fam
lily thus almost completely cut of
from the world, suffering the monot-
ony of voluntary exile while carving
home from the wilderness, may be
imagined. In the heart of unbroken
forest, no while neighbors near for
friendly intercourse, nor church in
which to gather with their kind, nor
school that their children might attends
Thrown upon themselves for society
and recreation, and denied the com.
partnership Of others, as essential to
life itself. Extreme faith in the fu.
ture of the country, and neighbors sure
to come, must have been theirs in
withstanding the hardships Of that first
year.
The summer of 1866 was that fol-
lowing the close Of the civil war; tho
whole country was in a turmoil, times
were hard, money scarce, and rumors
of Indian troubles were brought to
the settlers, all adding to their burden.
Where will one find, now, a family Of