The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-11-14


introduce to supersede the old. Some
one brought into the settlement a
threshing machine called 'chaff-
piler,' it being a cylinder encased and
mounted on two wheels, and fitted in
with feed table. 1t was run by horse
power. The straw, chaff and wheat
would come out at the tail end of the
machine together. Two men with pitch
forks would separate the straw from
the wheat.
moses Novels, who settled over in
Jefferson Township. in April, 1S43,
owned the first tanning mill that was
ever brought into the Settlement, il
not in the county. He told the writer
short time before his death, that he
had the tanning mill brought up to
Des Moines River on a steamboat
from Keokuk, the mill being used by
the settlers within radius OF eight
and ten miles,unt it was worn out,
The new and improved methods of
ckaF.pler and tanning mills '"ssened
the labor greatly OF the settlers in
taking care of the small grain.
Matche7 Unknown.
The period had now arrived when
Scott Township began to be settled
up very rapidly, as was cyinced by
numerous new log cabins that could be
seen dotting the prairie valleys near
The timber and streams, The addition
of those new arrivals was pleasant as
well as convenient, as oftentimes when
we had let the fire go out in The fire
place, some one of the family would
have 70 go TO the nearest neighbors
after q brand Of fire to rebuild n new
IRE al home. If matches had ben in
vented at that time, the settlers lid
not know it and did not have any to
use. The flint, with steel and punk
were carried and used by everyone.
Especially was this the case With the
tobacco smoker, who lighted his pipe
Ly using the steel and flint.
improving the Home.
Sometime in the latter part of the
forties, some genius made himself i'm
mortal BY covering in Cedar Creek
Bluffs, opposite jesse Hallowelrs mill,
a strata OF fine light blue clay, which
made a good whitewash when mixed
With water to the consistency OF white
wash, and which would not rub off
when dry. The women and children
would then make it up by the bucket
full, and using a broom as substitute
for a white wash brush, they would
whitewash the interior of the cabin,
and sometimes the outside, giving it
q rice clean and cheerful appearance.
Something like metropolitan airs
Logan to prevail among the settlers.
For the first years we occasionally had
a meal of wheat bread and biscuits on
sundays; but now we usually had
mess Of wheat bread once a day, some
Times oftcnCr.
" Early Market Values.
The first market the settlers had
FOR wheat they received from forty to
hWy GEMS per BIZ hi tor it u trade,
by hauling the saue to EdGyyjile Cal
iCo sold at that time al thirty-fve to
forty cents per yard, and was very
.carce a, that. The merchant who had
in stock a few bolts Of calico was
looked uror as a merchant prince roy
a. Often settlers would exchange a
hushcl Of Whp2t for q Yard Of calico,
and ,Eauld often take ten or twelve
bushels ol wheat to market eXchang-
ing for that many yards of calico for
a dress pattern for the good wife,
which would be made up into II dress
of latest style and laid by for Sunday
nee she being epvied by her neigh
bors when she would appear at meet
ing. held at the log schcolhousc. with
nnr brighG colOred new calico on.
The first market settlers had for
their hogs was in the latter part OF
the fartics, when Dan COrwin and Dick
Butcher built a packing house at Ed
dyville and commenced buying dressed
hogs paying from $50 to $500 per
hundred. delivered at their house in
Eddyville. Settlers would butcher one
day ard on the next day would deliver
their hogs to market, usually making
the trip with an OK team and sled"