Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-07-18
RttCOlLtCIIONS
OF INDIAN DAYS
Continued from first page.)


of Ieggings, moccasins, baskets, mats
and bead work. She had made the only
pigeon trap I ever saw among the In
dams. It was made of willow filled
with rushes and heavy grass. 1t was
about IL feet long and7 feet wide and
z or 8 inches deep. On the ground it
looked like big pan. They had it set
on what we used to call "The Island"
at the north side of the marsh 1t was
set on an angle of about 80 degrees
and was dropped by pulling a string.
They baited with corn, wheat, wild
rice or acorns. When I saw the trap it
had about so pigeons in it. I did not
see the trap sprung They had caught
them several days before. I saw Sam
and his mother get some of them out,
which was done by putting blanket
over one end and along one side. Sam
crawled under the blanket at the corr
ner, got under the trap and handed the
pigeons to his mother one at time
them in her basket We took them to
the tent, cleaned and cooked them. It
was then from Sans mother / learned
how to cook birds in clay. They were
covered entirely with clay and with a
sharp stick she made several holes in
che clay so it would not crack and to
let the fire get into the meat. They
were dry, but good eating.
There were quite number of In
dians in this camp and I asked Sam
which was his father. He said none Of
them, that his father was Frenchy
and lived up on Yellow River and had
another squaw now.
Most of the Indians had corn with
them when they were travelling. They
raised but little themselves. I think
they got most of it from the whites,
though there were several corn
grounds in Caledonia and other parts
of Columbia county, near Portage. The
last corn ground around BarabOo was
on Badger hill east of town It was
about four acres and was surrounded
by thicket of plum trees, and the
best wild plums to be found.
Yellow Thunder.
used to see Yellow Thunder
great many times He stopped with
Dr. Charles COwles when he came to
Baraboo. The last time I remember
seeing him he was sitting on a stone
on the corner of Third and East street
talking to Judge Camp and Missionary
Hall. heard Judge Camp tell him he
should not be allowed on the street
dressed as he was, that he did not have
clothes enough on to cover his naked
ness. The talk seemed to please the
old fellow and he took hold of the
Judges black broad cloth pants and
said, "You give me-. He was bright
eold man and his face was the color of
! baked sweet apple and about as
wrinkled, but his eyes were sharp and
bright. He was about 100 years old
and had walked from near Kilbourn
that day.
The Indians in those times were
very fond of tobacco and whisky. They
would trade anything they had for
whisky and whisky was plentiful.
There were several home distilleries
around Baraboo, where they made and
sold whisky by the jug or small key,
and one of considerable capacity at
Parfrey's Glen run by man named
Roper. I was foolish enough on sew
eral occasions to get jug of whisky
for Sans mother She was the most
happy Indian ever saw after she had
a drink or two, and Sans step-father
would sell his soul for drink if he
could get it in no other way. He was
fine looking man when he was sober,
a good hunter and trapper. He made
lots Of money but it all went for booze
and tobacco. The Winnebago name for
whisky is Paganine. Most OF the
esuuaws use tobacco. A man with
"a bottle of whisky was welcome in any
Indian camp and they would almost
CRY for Pagnine.
The wild life of the Indian seemed
to appeal to most boys, suppose we
inherit it from the man back yonder.
/ know it used to pull strong on me.
These were great times for boys and
no doubt the boys these days would
enjoy the life we led during the Civil
war. We lived on the South Side, near
where Herfort's Canning factorp is
now, as every familp had COW or two
as thep had to go into the woods and
open fields for food. The boys would
have to go after them and bring them
home at night The cows in our neigh
borhood went into the woods on an
old trail where Ed Alexander lives,
through to Skillet Creek bottoms
which were good feeding grounds. Say
from the Charlie Spencer place to a