The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-06-07
HELPED OPEN THE WEST
Dexter M. Camp, Aged "a, Visits Ben
nington After 65-Year Absence.

NA'A wal plOhSSi VI tuc Oiu NOSl'
and man who has seen the price of
his wheat rise from 25c bushel to
the present price of $121, has returned
to visit his native Vermont after an
absence of 65 years. He will spend the
summer in this vicinity looking up
friends of his boyhood. At the pres
ent time he is stopping at the home of
his cousin, Henry G. Camp.
To go through the four years of the
Rebellion; pass through the trying
times in the siege of Vicksburg. be
several times wounded but finally re-
ceiye an honorable mastering out; go
west into Kansas and Oklahoma when
the only neighbors were Indians, bison
and antelope, be twice married, raise
16 children and lose six Of them; and
finally at "a years of age be in such
physical trim that one can make a
journey of over 5000 miles alone, con-
stitutes life of rich experience few
men are privileged to live.
All this happened to Mr.. Camp and
he is still hale and hearty with mem
ory unimpaired and the walk of man
forty years younger.
Mr.. Camp was born in this vicinity
in 1892, the son of James Camp and
Betsy Jepson Camp OF Pownal. He
passed his boyhood in the rugged
weather of southern Vermont and was
first married here but shortly after
the California gold fever struck the
country, bade goodbye to the Green
Mountains and started for the golden
west. He got as far as Illinois and had
when the Civil war began and he
promptly enlisted in the Attn Illinois
regiment and served the whole four
years.
lie went through the Mississippi and
Nicksburg campaign under Grant and
was captain OF company during that
memorable siege. When asked to
name the battles in which he partici
pated his memory was in such good
shape that he called them off faster
and in more perfect order than they
could be taken down even in newspap
er shorthand. He saw fighting at
Pennington, Miss. the siege of Cor.
inth, Iuka, Miss, Corinth again on Oct
Bird and 4th, 1852; Vicksburg, May
22nd, Raymond, Jackson. Big Black
and Champion Hill, Cupola, Miss, and
the Red River Campaign. He was
several times wounded. although not
seriously. He carries for the head OF
his cane a canister ball which caused
one of his wounds in that fighting.
Some time after being mustered out
he went to Larned, Kansas. when the
country had few white men, and took
up government land. At that time
herds OF bison roamed the plains
Fresh meat was to be had only for the
trouble OF little shooting. The In
dians in that part of the country did
not trouble him and as the country be.
gan to open after the war, he went in
to the business of wheat raising and
ranchine.
Previous to leaving Powual he had
married Miss Lucy Sweet who joined
him in his adventurous life in the west,
But she died in 1876 and he married a
second time, losing his second wife
about three years ago. Sixteen chill
dren came from these two unions. six
| Of whom he has outliyed. He has 81
grandchildren and 2l great.grandchil
| dren.
From Larned, Kansas, he moved to
Oklahoma where he spent about Il
years in farming and stock-raising and
| whence he started last summer to sec
the United States. On May 9th oi
| last year he left for the California eX
| position. After seeing the sights al
| San Francisco he went to San Diego
and saw the exposition there, wen
down into Mexico and visited relatives
| thence up to Los Angeles where ht
| was a guest Of brother he had mo-
seen for 40 years. After spendlns
boat for Seattle and went 800 mile,
back into the state to visit n daughter
He came back to Seattle went to Port
land and $50 miles south visited an
other daughter He Travelled the CO
lumbia River, then went down to Sal
Lake City where he spent anothe
week He came back to Kansas b.
way of Denver and Colorado spring
and started east to attend the ns
tional grand army encampment >
Washington, d. c.
After visiting in Washington unit
the encampment was over he left fo
Florida, later coming up the coas
stopping off at all important sigh
seeing points until he reached Phil
delphia and New York From Ne
| York he returned to his native We
, mont and began looking up old friend
and relatives.
Il Mr. Camp owns considerable prope
, ty in Kansas and Oklahoma at the pr
, sent time and wheat which he one
, sold for 25c bushel when he fir
+ went west, now brings S1.2l He h,
n had many amusing experiences loo
ing up companions of his boyhood al
+ expects to stay in Vermont until Sc
II tember. He still enjoys excellent heal
!. and believes at the age of 81 that the
G are still many years of rich liyiI
!. ahead OF him.