The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-21
CHAPTERS OF CLARK COUNTY HISTORY
Early War-Abundanee
Tribes-WiId o vaiey-The
Glcom.-Coming
by Blnes County Hstorianl
by Jasper Blines, County Historian.l

Some Of the precious memories of
! my youthful years are the pictures
in mind Of the supreme greatness o.
bird life in northeast Missouri. The
forests were deep and dark and i'm
lmensely expansive in extent, and the
EpFairie lands were so vast in terri
tory as to seem boundless as they
spread out to the horizon in all direc-
ltions. And SO grand in power were
forest and prairie dominions that
pioneer settlers would become lost
In day time. Common highway lines
of travel were established upon prin.
iciples of convenience and ease, The
early scouts of the advancing ocean
tof Anglo-Saxon dominion believed in
/ the motto of the least opposition to
their progress, hence they moved
along the SUBMITS of the hills, and
avoided as much as possible the
Opposing gradients Of the higher
lands The Illini, the Sank and Fox,
| the Winnebago and other classes of
ireal natives believed in the pathway
which brought them to their port in
the fewest miles. That is good logic.
THE early whites were not governed
in their travels by obeying surveys
of right angle rules. They went
straight to the desired point and
destination.
| This is one reason why in early
Iperiods of settlement some would
lose directions in their travels. And
there is something peculiar in being
lost in the dark forest or on the
prairie which appears as limitless as
the Pacific ocean One feels an i'm
preston so strange. And then the
lost one is persistent in his deterni-
nation to go exactly in the opposite
direction to the true one. Familiar
scenes are no longer familiar. You
don't know your own home affairs.
The prairies and forests Of Knox
and Clark counties were populated
with hundreds of bird classes, wild
fowl and many species Of the smaller
animals. Those were the golden
periods Of primitive existence in the
central western world. The place
was a paradise for all life
The writer recalls the pleasure of
seeing wild deer or the Virginia
class, here in our valley, during the
summer of 1852, and one early morn
| ing while we were entering the field
of corn on the McGinniss farm, two
corn, took flight and departed toward
the prairie out southwest of the r.
e. Hill home and farm. The boy
made special observation of the deer
as they hurried away, sas he wanted
+ to see them pass over the tall rail
fence on the west side of the corn
! field. 1t is a common tradition Of
! hunters and their stories as to the
| clearing of high walls and other OBJ
structions by deer in their haste to
reach safety, and as the pair Of Vir-
! ginia beauties approached the high
rail fence both sprang high enough
/ and alighted with all four feet at the
same instant upon the top rail. There
was a slight pause at this second
which gave to the deer the desired
spring which carried them FAR on
their line of rapid travel. This is a
point in natural history which was
! learned originally in his own obser-
vatfons.
! Well, the school at the Greenleaf
/ district moved along slowly and
sleepy during it's summer term in
1853. The forest occupied the land
near the school house, and all north
and east were timber. The military
+ rule WHICH IorDIu lne use OIL guns
among the civilian people was
speedily followed by great increase
! in the birds and little animals, and
| squirrels became common and fear
! less Wild pigeons were to be found
! in all the forests, and with the ad.
vent of the early spring months
clouds of pigeons came up from the
south and took possession of our
forests. So numerous were their
class that I remember while living
J in Knox county that the pioneers