The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1914-04-10
IDAHO "REMINISCENCES
To the RATHDRuM TRIBUNE:

! wonder how many OF you city
women can realize the real meaning
Of pioneer life, life in an entirely
new uncivilized country, for years in.
habited almost entirely by wild
animals. Such was the life of the
writer from the age Of nine years to
the present age of IS. OF course in
that length Of time the country has
become wonderfully civilized. Many
good people and some bad ones Gas
IN every country have wandered to
this settlement, slowly but surely,
building homes, churches, school
houses and other buildings essential
10 civilized life. can remember OF
sitting and dreaming Of the beautiful
city (of which | had seen very little)
with its bright lights and other
attractions, and Oh, how longed to
be there; and it is beautiful and great.
when you think of it and see the
great things that are being accom-
plished by the hand Of man. It IS
great, but somehow, sometimes |
find myself wondering back a few
years to the new country, where
only the work Of the great creator
was visible, ira nping the wild woods
with my big father in search Of deer,
which we used for meat for our table.
My father was a good shot and deer
were plentiful, as well as were bear
and other animals. No game laws in
those days prevented us from killing
all we wanted, and | have seen at one
time 70 large venison hams hanging
in our smoke house. Several times
my father, when he would come upon
the deer in the woods, would drop to
his knee and hold the large gun for
me to shoot the deer. Thereby /
learned to use gun readily know
ledge which sometimes comes in
handy yet. Many times we have
stood in our cabin door and watched
the deer feed in the opening near the |
cabin. Oh, for the times when, put
ting up good lunch, my father and
brother, two years younger than
myself, would 60 to the top of the |
mountains, $ or 6 miles away, and
there put IN happy day pickiug
the wild huckleberries, killing grouse |
ana enjoying the day generally. |
speaking Of berries makes me i
think Of a little incident l will try to i i
relate to you in as few words as pos Y
''ble. My stcpmother, one sister ! I
md brother and myself, all quite
mall children then, were one day
picking huckleberries about two {
niles from home. Hearing a loud, !.
rashing noise in the woods a short ,
Instance from US. W.: stopped and
u . 'holnenr when out walked a j,
''ke Drown bear shifting with his
:" ~ air. 1t is my opinion
- - was INT caring about US, but /
!, .,elled the berries had worked |
:. day to pick. He kept walking |
slowly but surely toward us. But
we liked huckleberries, too; so we all
began to shout and wave our hands
IN ! aprons in the air. He came on
within 20 steps Of US, and we had
about decided to take to our heels
md make our safety sure by letting
him eat the berries, but to our great
relief he stopped, gave great growl
md turned and walked slowly Of
across low hill nearby.
We resumed picking berries, /
must say trifle nervously. In about
lalf an hour a man whom we knew
:ame to us with rifle and we sent ,
lin in search of the bear. About
lark that evening he and father
brought him in and skinned him.
The bear weighed something over
hree hundred pounds.
A walk Of 5 or 6 miles, that would !
ieem great task now, was great
pleasure to us those days and we
'ften walked a distance of four miles
o Pend d Oreille lake. and carried
home fine lot Of large lake trout.
We have often caught as many as
100 in day. The place now is a
, All lfif,,1 GUNNER roc<rk o.J 1911