Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-02

stock which they were gradually &C
curing In those days the McMillin
boys had no worries about where their
meat was to come from; there was
plenty of it at first hand and it was
theirs for the taking. The country was
overstocked with wild turkeys, ducks,
geese and prairie chickens. The tur-
keys were as thick as quail in the pre-
sent day and even thicker; In one win
ter season the McMillins killed forty
eight of the birds. All kinds OF prairie
chickens We're around the place and
the ducks and geese as plentiful In
the woods along the river and even
back up on the bluffs and rocks from
the farm, were great number of deer
and it was not an uncommon sight TO
see several of the animals swimming
down the river. In the Des Molnes
which flows by the McMillin home
stead, was plentiful supply of fish.
The river was only about half as wide
as it is now but almost twice as deep
and the water so clear, then, that the
fish could be seen swimming along at
a depth of six or seven feet.
Subscription School.
Mr.. McMi1lin's boyhood days We're
not given over entirely to work on the
farm. In the winter after most of the
labors were over for a few months,
the youngster was sent to school. The
settlers, had located on surrounding
, land about the same time that the Nc
Mullins took their homestead and all
began to feel the need for school.
cpyHc inf nnyy 10
started. AS the name indicates each
farmer living within certain distance
subscribed an amount and this money
was used to run the expenses of the
school. When the settlers began to
think about building they hit upon
the plan Of using the old government
building at Garrison Rock, which had
been abandoned by Dragons a year or
two before when they had been re-
called to Des Moines and then to
Washington by the government. This
building was taken possession Of and a
school started under the tutorage of
Miss Kate Powell who came from OF.
tumwa
Recalls Flood of 1851.
One incident which stands out very
clearly in the mind of Mr.. McMillin
! is the great flood Of 1851. At that
time, the family were unaware of their
great danger, until it was almost up.
on them, as no means of communities
ton was available as in the present
day. The waters of the surging Des
Moines came in on them and they had
only time to make hasty exit. This
trouble started in the early part of
June and it was nearly the first OF
rightly settled in their home, having
moved out and back three times dur
ing that period. The woods were too
thick back up on the bluffs, near where
Cli1fland now stands, for them to take
refuge there, SO the only thing for
them to do, was to cross the river and
seek shelter on the bluffs on the south
side. This they did, and it was with
some difficulty that they made any
progress across the raging, boiling
waters of the angry flood. Nineteen
head Of sheep were lost by the
pioneers in getting over; the animals
being afraid to cross the waters. The
cattle and hogs were tied on the rear
end of the boats and barges in which
the family were trying to get across
and were taken over in this manner
| the animals swimming the tide The
cows suffered greatly from having the
! skin on their legs literally torn off
/ from the excessive heat and force OF
! the water.
! Indians Take the Canoe.
! The incident of the flood brought to
MI McMillin's mind the stories of the
early day boats that used to ply on
| the Des Moines river. He remembers
we'll the first boat that he saw coming
| up the Des Moines. This was at the
! time that he was seven years old, in
! 1S49, when the river was declared nav.
! igable and the boats commenced opera
| tons Much excitement prevailed
when the primary large boat put ir
it's appearance 1t was what was call
, ed a keel boat and was run by mar
named Phelps. 1t was very low flat
! affair and was operated by twelve men
six on each side who were equipped
with long pike poles and in this man
ner pushed and showed the clumsy
cumbersome, contraption UP ths
stream. Another gala day with those
early day people was the coming o
'Tbe Dove" which made its appear
ance in the year of 1851 and soon at