The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1921-02-24
A Brief But Interesting History of
Early Life i'm st. Clair County
Should BE Read BY All.
Continued From Last Week)

Continued From Last Week)
The county of st. Clair was or
ganized during 1921. When the
county was created it had q popula
tion of some 800 people, living
chiefly along the river front. A
few t'renchmen lived along Black
river, Z. w. Bunce few miles to
the south. From Bunce's place to
st. Bernard's was practically Il
dense forest. At st. Clair Fulton
had built two houses north of
Pine river with forest land 10 the
south. South of Belle river the
YAK, Petit and Duchene families
hood settled.
In celebrating the Centennial of
st. Clair county we look back up
on most interesting features
which serve to mark the social,
political and economic changes
since 1920. Personal contacts
and community team work in the
early days occurred when house
or barn was to be raised. The
buildings were constructed OF
logs and neighbors came from
miles around to help. The roofs
of the buildings at that time were
covered with strips of shingles
split from the trunks of trees.
The house was one story with a
loft above which was reached by a
ladder. The chimney was of brick
stone or of sticks covered with
clay, and the fire place furnished
not only heat but was the only
means Of artificial light. Fire
was struck from steel, flint or
tinder box.
For windows and doors shut
ters were used, and even blank
ct was sometimes the only guard
to the entrance. Creased paper
was substitute for glass. Though
not transparent, paper admitted
the light and kept out the air.
Tables and chairs were often made
of split logs. The bedstead was
often improvised
There were gala days in the
olden days. 1t was the custom for
an entire family to travel during
the winter many miles to spend
an evening with friends. Quaint
and old-fashioned were the games
of blind-man's buff, the square
dance, the jig, and four handed
reels. What feeling of comrade-
ship about the fireplace, upon
whose crane hung the kettle and
iron pot, as the supper OF sauces,
pies, cakes, cookies, honeys was
being prepared. How important
the problems that were discussed
from politics TO petty domestic
affairs.
A wedding was of the greatest
importance, and included an en-
tire neighborhood, for truly dem
ocratic were all the events in the
face of frontier life. From the
house of the groom to the house of
the bride came the guests, gay tip
piers in many cases, travelling
long distances, some of them, in
ox-carts or on horseback. After
supper dancing was in order and a
single number of the dance often
was continued until the fiddler
was exhausted. The dance perpet-
uated itself by cutting out, y
which consisted in substituting
the tired guests by those of the
company who were rested. Thus
one dance often extended for a
considerable period without in.
teruption.
The pioneer funeral was the oc.
nj "a Of f,.sa dc
and of religious services. Here
again early settlers often travel
led many miles to attend. The
school house was the chief sosia
center and was the scene of the
obsequies many times. The able
bodied men carried the rude coffir
and in double file the mourners
and friends proceeded to the
grave.
Travel was slow in the early
days and OK teams were the mode
During the flooded seasons trav
ell was dangerous, due to the alb
sence of bridge or ferry of any
kind. 1t was not uncommon fo
early settlers to be stuck in th'
mud for hours at time.
Mills for grinding were no
plentiful. Corn was often gratet
on a piece of sheet iron or tin per
forated. Hominy was frequentl.
a substitute for bread. Homin.
was prepared by placing corn in
cavity, as in the end of an uprigh
block Of wood. A club, in the en-,
of which was inserted an irol
wedge, was used as pestle. Ho
water softened the corn whicl
was crushed.
Wheat was thrashed on a clca
space of ground which had bee
somewhat dampened. The sheave
,uere nlaced in q circle with head