The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-12-01
PIONEER SETTLER
TELLS INCIDENTS
Mrs. Mary Bogen Arrived
Here In 1857
JUST HAMLET THEN
Deep Snow On Ground That Win
ter and Food Was Very
Scarce I

Thanksgiving day sixty five years
ago and to- day in Mankato are vastly
different according to the statement.
of Mrs. Mary l.. Boegen, vino came.
here on May 10, 1857 from Tfffan,,
Ohio. This good old lady, who Last
Saturday celebrated her eighty sixth
birthday, in a statement to The Man =
Kato Daily Free Press said that tnr
key were an unknown quantity Ia
Mankato over half century ago. At
the thousands in every grove in and
about Mankato. Had IL not been for.
those birds, and the other wild game
existing here then, the early pioneers
of Mankato would have spent their
first Thanksgiving in Mankato with
out morBel of meat The fall OF
1857 was very short and winter SCI
in early. AS near as Mrs. Boegen can
remember there was deep 6now on
the ground and 1t was very cold by
the time that Thanksgiving rolled
around. The settlers had shot and
shared great many wild pigeons
earlier in the season (which were
sailed and placed in cool place for
to be eat later on in the year. Cotton
tail rabbits also made up large part
OLftlO laduho6lslu6 lCdct- uC oCt-
tier who was lucy enough to bring
Jared well in the way of meat for ~
number of days afterwards. Nearly
every one lived In a small log house.
Lights In Those Days
TN those days" said Mrs. Boegen.
I'VE did not have electric lights as
the young people of to- day enjoy ~
they sit around the house at night.
We did not even have the ordinary
tallow candles for q time after We
reached Mankato. We had to b
satisfied with what we called On
thatsis, rs would PM lard n-2s o-
and put candle wick "a this and H86t
it. FOLLOWING this my husband vent
to st. Paul on q steamhoat w1dch
and purchased me . candle mold,
and with some tallow / made some
very good candles. We then thought
that we had an excellent light. When
the kerosene lamp was introduced
we thought that we had reached the
height Of perfection In the way of
house lighting. And now just think of
il, the lamp Is discarded for the
electric light. Wonders newer cease
what viii come next
"The chinks between the logs N
our homes let in plenty of fresh air.
said Mr.. Boegen with a smile, 'sThisj
may have accounted for our rugged
health. The first settlers to come tAl
Mankato were indeed a healthy 70
bust lot Of people. 1t was a good
many hardships to Be gone thFUugh.i
It seems to me that the climate kanl
greatly moderated since the early
days in Mankato 1t was NO strangd
thing fifty years ago for winter 10 be-
well set in at Thanksgiving with
plenty of snow on the ground, which,
lasted until late the next spring. We;
got used to the cold, and 1t did n0tj
scare us. ] can recall many q sleigh
ride behind a good team Of fn1ses.
with the sleigh bells mexTf1y rinzdngj
as we drove to some neighbofss home
to spend part of the day,
Few Social Events
Social events in Mankato for tAei
first seven years after We arrived
here were very few. People were tooi
aass f %at passasur an we so 1sss 1 .Ssn
we first came here was $22 per bar /
rel, and the prevailing wages Tor al
man was fifty cents q day. You cam
see by this that 1t took great deal
of labor to earn enough to pay fOFi
ones -four alone. Soon aftar coming,
here my husband went St Paul and !:
purchased four chairs for our hnme.I
He could get no two alike so iHuHeAfi
the varied collection home with HIN,
and was delighted to get them We
had no bedstead. bat my hHebaqdi
managed to fashion one ont of small
poles, and in the lieu of springs yej
tied rope from side to side and eudj
to end across the framework. Young
robust health permitted us 10 deep
as soundly as we ever did years lat
er on the most modern bed.
Those were trying days" said NE
old pioneer, "but look back hrOugh
the years with pleasure on them, Tor
strong hearts and love then pre-