Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-10-20
MRS. THUNDER
GOT TWO PLUNKS
v. S. Pease Writes of Visit to Col
umbia County in Search For
archaeological Facts
BY v. S. PEAsE

Last week Wednesday and Thurs
day a party bent on archaeological
research visited Columbia county and
spent the two days in the vicinity of
Wyocena, surveying Indian mounds,
|examing collections of relics and cur
iosities and listening to tales of the
early days. Charles E. Brown, curator
of the museum in the State Historical
library building, Madison, H. E. Cole,
M. C. Crandall and V. S. Pease OF
Baraboo, comprised the party. The
excursions were personally conduct
ed" by Arthur w. English, register
of deeds for Columbia county, who
was born at Wyocena 81 years ago,
and who has been a student of
archaeology and local history all his
life.
Mrs. Thunder Gets 81
During these two days Mr.. English
told many tales of early history and it
seems well that some of them be re-
corded AS the party drove from
place to place, Mr.. English would see
some, to him, familiar object to which
Vas hanged tale, and then would
proceed to- relate the incident The
naihie OF; Yellow Thunder, the old In
dian 6tchief who is buried in the
town of ? Fairfield was m e n tt o n
ed, and this recalled to Mr.. English
that when he was a small boy band
of Winnebagoes' came to his fathers
house and among them were Yellow
Thunder and his squaw, Mrs. Thunder,
as she was called. Mr.. English says
that his mother kept close watch on
Mrs. Thunder, because she had a wide
character for taking things. A two-dol-
lar bill was ON the clock shelf when
the Indians entered, but after they
had gone the bill was missing. His
mother always said that Mrs Thunder
got it, .'..|
=. The Last Bear
On Thursday, while the party was
preparing dinner in forest a couple
OF miles west of Wyocene, Mr.. Eng
fish told of the last bear that was
killed in that section Of Columbia
county, about AZ yers ago. Bruin was
freed in large white oak, not far
from the camp site Of the party, and
later in the day he pointed out the
tree near the road to WyOcena. This
is the story: It waY~en a Sunday after
noon that some boys chased the bear
up the tree, and then went to their
home to get gun with which to dis
patch him.
But there they met an obstacle.
Their father was strict member of
the Congregational church in Wyo-
cena, deacon to boot, and refused to
let his Sons fire a shot on the holy
day. Thereupon they took ropes and
ladders and after much eff0rt\gOt two
lassos around bruins neck and pulled
him from the tree. They had plenty
Of help, for all the boys in the com
munity were there by this time, and
they took their captive to their home
IA year later the bear bit one of the
Thanksgiving feast, and the flesh OF
the beast garnished forth many a
festive board in that vicinity.
A jeff Davis Bridge
About three miles northeast OF
Wyocena is a bridge over the North
Branch of Duck creek that was first
built by Jefferson Davis, while he was
a. lieutenant in Fort Winnebago. The
old structure has been replaced, but
much of the original foundation is still
in use. Lieut.. Jeff. Davis came to Fort
Winnebago in the winter Of 1828-1829
from Fort Crawford. He afterward be
came famous as president of the south
ern confederacy. He was an engineer
of ability and really built Fort Whine
bago, or superintendent its building