The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-11-16
MEMORIES OF OLD SPRING ISLAND
ALICE COUNCILMAN


Of the old Blue Earth river. Back
In 1856 my father came to Mankato
by team from Indiana, and settled
near what Is now Amboy, opening a
store In his own house and preaching
Sundays. Soon after that he took
up a claim in Spring Island, but just
what land I do not know. judge
It to have been the old Payne place
because his claim shanty was Just
behind where the old log school
house was afterward built: This
claim he soon either abandned or
sold, for when In 1857 we rented
from the Rev. B. Y. Coffin what is
to the old log house, the Payne farm
was owned by Uncle Robert Shannon.
Their double log house stood at the
back Of the field, and / believe the
spot Is still marked by some old
loInbardy populars that stand point
ing their lonely fingers toward the
There were but few families OF US
the Shannons, Coffns, Leavitts,
Collinses and Powells constituting
almost the entire hst-but they were
enough to furnish variety of Ia
lent, and what good times we used
to have! was very young and can
not remember who lived on the
outlying ia farms HI.,.t but ao.,a 90 ca ne
and I remember an Ed. Thompson
and his sister who had been fright
ened by Indians until their minds
were affected. It was said that the
parents left the children alone in
the house for a little while, and
some Indians found them. Know.
ing the children were afraid, the
Indians kept glazing at them through
the window; then they entered and
taking the children by the hair, pre-
tended they were going TO- scalp
them. II takes no Imagination to
picture the effect all this had on
the helpless youngsters. / remem-
Der how they used to stare blanhy
at times. and how sorry we all felt
Tor them.
There were seven boys at Uncle
Robert Shannon's, Charlie, Andrew,
VIII, John, Dave, Ed and Cyrus or
Tad as we usually called him. They
were a merry house full when they
were all at home and we youngsters
loved to 60 there. The one sister,
Lizzie. had married before we moved
into the neighborhood, and as Mrs.
Rodolph Crandall was living up
At Ed Coffn's there were both
boys and girls-Wilbur, Alma, An
ME, Millie, and Kinnie at first, and
afterward Mabel. Part Of the time
they lived down by the river, on the
main land just across from the is
land. suppose the old cellar is
there yet, and the hole where Mr..
Coffin dug for gold. They were liv.
ing there the first winter I knew
! Spring Island, and we had a neigh
borhood Christmas tree at their
while the elders interviewed Santa
Clause, then we were called down to
| partake OF his bounty. do not re-
member what got, but presume 1t
was home made pincushion and a
rag doll, for those were times when
money was seldom seen and was
made to 90 long way. I have beer
at that little house by the river
when the extent of it's hospitality
was potatoes and salt. Another time
when an errand took my brother
and in at the mealtime, the menu
consisted solely of boiled wheat, a
| dish of which ! was very fond. My
small brother, however had never
seen 1t and remarked with interest,
You've been Eastwood budding,
amt your" -.
There was quite tribe Of Col
the Rhodes farm together with the
! far their land extended toward Ra-
d! pidan do not know. Ifyou 20 south
of the Club House half mile, then
| turn to your left through the field,
/, you will come to where there used to
/ be a grove Of tall old cottonwood
trees. There Is where the elder Mr..
and Mrs. Collins lived with their
sons, Robert Smooth Spencer and
Mansiloe, their daughter, Maggie,
now Mrs. X inc Of the Clifton House.
Mr.. Kline used to come out often to
see her, and once he and Tom Jones
tried to cross when the old Blue
Earth was on its spring rampage,
thereby nearly losing their lives.
Smooth Collins wife was one OF the
first to be buried in the old GENE
tary, and her grave Is still there.
Frank and Flo, as the twins were
called, were among our choicest
the Collins family, Mrs. Mead being
playmates. The Meads were also Of
sister of Mrs. Kline. Part Of the
time they lived on the Dornbere
place in the little log house many of
you remember, and part Of the time
on the Reinart Olson place. Their
Van was a little chap, but Loretta,
! or Lettie as we called her, was about
: my age and was host when it came
to fun. Her father took the New
York Ledger and Lettie was our ora
Gle on styles and stories. When We
built our playhouse at school she and
John Shannon had frankie Collins
for their little girl while Mansolie
; Collins and had Flo for ours. That
was one summer Mary Caplinger
taught and / always thought she
named the district Spring Island,
but Tomothy Leavitt remembers at
tending meeting where several
names were proposed and Spring
Island officially adopted. Cousin
Will Shannon says that names had
been discussed at their house before
that, and that their vote was for
Spring Island. So Spring Island it
The. Leavitt family had been
driven from Madelia by the Indian
scares Of the early sixties. They
, lived first in South Bend then came
and bought In Spring Island. AS
remember 1t, their farm included
what are now the Larson and Brude
places, but i am not sure. Tomothy
and Henry were among the larger
boys at school, while Seymour be-
longed with us younger children Their
dear old log house stood for years
after the present house was built,