Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-07-13
TELLS STORY OF
new settlement
PATHETIC CONDITIONS IN
TOWN OF GUENTHER
AMONG SETTLERS


Pathetic conditions have been found
to exist among the forty-five families
residing in the town of Guenther, nine
miles from Knowlton. All of these
families were brought to Marathon
county through the efforts of the Ma
tional Colonization company of Madi-
son. The men and women who set
tied on these large tracts of wholly
unimproved land are far above the av-
erage in intelligence and pluck and de-
spite condition of near starvation
and OF almost unbelievable privation.
these pioneers have not complained
but are sticking to their task.
A number of Wausau people have
visited the community lately, includ-
ing G. G. Kruger, Mrs Il. II. Stockum.
ID. A. Caldwell, w. j. Rogan and bus
mess men. All have returned with
similar stories and with a desire to do
something to assist these worthy
| farmers.
Mr.. Kruger on, his return Tues
day evening said to a Pilot reporter:
If you are ever inclined to feel that
you are being badly abused, down on
your luck, and that the world is not
giving you a square deal, get some-
one to take you where l was Tues
day. see conditions as they exist and
what these men, women and children
have been Obliged to go through and
you will come back thanking God
that you live in Wausau, that YOU have
so many comforts and luxuries of life
and with a feeling that you have alb
solutely nothing to complain about"
Good Class of Settlers
The farms on which these settlers
are living range in size from 100 to
go acres. The colony Is composed
of mechanics and other skilled labor
ers from the city of Milwaukee, Prior
to purchasing these tracts of land.
they knew nothing about the clear
ing of land and little about farming
methods but they were men and wom-
en- who were willing to work hard to
establish q home. Practically every
cent they had was swallowed up by
initial payments to the colonization
company In some instances as much
as $1,SO0 to $4,000 was paid down and
in other cases as little as $500 This
left absolutely no surplus for the men
to carry on their work.
The suffering of these good people
last winter must have been as great
If not greater than that of the earliest
pioneers of this county. The tracts
OF land had not yet developed to a
point where they produced "a. cent OF
revenue, not because of shiftlessness
on the part of the men and women, but
because these people had no backing
or expert advice as TO how to go about
one thing and another.
During the winter a number of the
settlers lost their horses because
there had not been made any proyi-
sion to take. care of them properly.
Today many of the families possess
no means of locomotion other than
walking. The nearest store and medi-
cal aid are nine miles distant There
is no church nearby and the people
have had an opportunity to attend few.
II any religious services.
Starvation Diet
Bread and water was the diet OF
more than one family during the win
ter months and it was not unusual for
little children to attend school with
out having had mouthful to eat Pit
liable cases of barefoot children and
youngsters fainting from hunger have
been revealed. At the present time
some OF the men of the settlement
have gone to Milwaukee and else
where to obtain work and save money
to come back and carry on the strug-
gle.
These new farmers are not asking
for charity. All they want is a chance
TO make good. When asked IL he was
going to stick IL out" one man over
sixty replied: you bet / am. The
people, according to those who have
visited with them, are the sort of citi-
zens that any community can be
proud of and it seems that some spirit
of community helpfulness Should be
evolved to tide them over.
Certainly fotty-five new farms ard
the lives of the men and women who
are attempting to make homes for
themselves are worth the support that
would be given to any other industry
starting in the community" Mr. Krue-
ger declared in referring to the situa-
tion. "The homes of the people are
clean and well kept. The women who
keep up the homes are hopeful; they
do not want TO quit but IL seems In
eyitable that they must do so unless
some sound, practical business plan
can be put into operation which will
enable these worthy people TO sur
viye the first few years of hardship
which the making Of home implies.
The land is good and can be made into
model farms and this colony made
a starting point for others who will
have learned the lesson from these
earlier settlers and whot%il make
more ample provision for the future
before attempting to follow in their
footsteps"
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