The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-01-05
PIONEER PfR|lS
CHAPTER III
REV.. M. BAIN
IN THE wlLps OF WISCONSIN

Ily. Andrew and Donald on the farm
during the summer months, had so
utilized their spare moments that
considerable progress had been
made in their studies, coached by
Drs. Clark and jameson. Hard work
and diligent~study was so judicious
~ sandwiched with wholesome rec
-eation, that the socalled drudsery,
monotony, grind, often credited TO
farm life, was an unknown condition
to them. +.
Their fathers were industrious,
frugal progressive farmers, exer.
cising in due proportion brain and
muscle, social and intellectual cul-
ture to the extent Of their ability to
secure, planning with their sons
many half day holidays on Satur-
day, an evening with neighbor, es-
pecially during the winter, with an
occasional all days hunting excur-
sion with a few friends which an
swered two fold purpose, killing
OF carniv6rous animals destructive
to domestic stock and supplying
their larder with fresh fowl and
venison.
Magazines, new books on many
SuCn do VIC ~" hSNC wei y
beyond their reach, yet we recall
" European emigrants Of the intelli
gent thrifty class, which included by
far the majority, brought the choic-
est literature in a few books, which
generously loaned to each other, ov-
grooming In a large degree the lack
of public libraries. Plutarch's Lives,
Gibbons Rome, Scots and Dickens
books of fiction, D,Aubignes' His
tory of the Reformation, Bunyon's
Pilgrims Progress, Millions Paradise
Lost and Regained, were among the
books freely exchanged with each
other. Every country school as soon
as fully established had one or two
spelling schools during the winter,
schools and parents. Writing and
singing schools, barn and house
raising, quilting and husking bees,
and hunting excursions, broke the
monotony OF hard toll, bringing good
cheer, cordial friendship into their
lives, so that they were able to bear
up under hardships with more real
enjoyment, genuine happiness than
now to be found with all our modern
conveniences and better organized
society.
Every family was neighbor to ev-
cry other family covering a radius
of many miles, without any class
distinction so generally apparent in
older settled portions of the country.
During the two winters Andrew
had~made good trapping within q
reasonable distance from home
which success stimulated him to
Go - aRAIl ia 10 70
suits, so we find him up in Northern
Wisconsin, Just beyond the settle
ment line at that date, in q log cab
in built by himself and William
Lockhart, a young man from his
home district. who while deer hunt
ing the winter before had vision Of
future wealth in the great pine and
hemlock forests, so had made a
claim in a choice location where q
saw mill could be located and the
lumber RATED down. the Wisconsin
river. His letters to young Andrew
were largely responsible for his
coming to this particular locality.
His shanty was ten miles up the
stream from Lockhart's prospective
mill plant, thirty miles from the
nearest village and fully half that
distance from what might be called
frontier settlement. His only com
panions were his two faithful, well
trained dogs, Mack and Mage, who
were always with him during the
long evenings in this one living
room, until time for them to retire
for the night to their warm kennel.
On this particular night, following
severe days of low temperature
weather, Andrew after a hard days
work looking after his traps set
along several miles, returned home
with an unusual load of game drawn
by the dogs. The early evening was
1.-THE days catch well stretched on
form and stored away in an addition
to the shanty for that purpose, pre-
pared and ate a hearty supper large
lily Of game, then seated before a
warm cracking FIRE, with the dogs
lying on soft pelts by his side, he
was soon lost to all his surrounding
reading Our National Parks" by
John Muir.
The writer being personally &C.
Quainted with the Muir family who
emigrated to America the same
year and settled in the So called In
dian Land, but ten miles apart, be-
fore surveyed by the government OF
divided into counties and townships
gives the following brief sketch oil
this man of great gifts and large
theart as a reason for the, interest
shown by the young reader In his
wilderness hut:
John Muir, born in Dunbar, Scot
land in 1888, was when a young boy
fascinated by the description OF Am
erica by the naturalist, Alexander
Wilson. His great ambition there
after was to see the wonders of Am
erica's great forests.
One night he was startled by
hearing his father say, "Bairns you
medina learn your lessons the NIGHT
for we're gan to America on the
morn" The voyage on sailing yes
sci, although six week and ave days
was not too long for John and his
brother who spent their time largely
on the deck, the rougher the weather
the better it suited them. On land
ling in America the family went d.
lrectly to Wisconsin and began farm
life breaking the son FIRST with the
spade in a wilderness land inhabited
only by the natives who were most
1 friendly to emigrants as they settled
among them.
John was but ten years old when
the family located, with no school
privileges, yet the evenings in the
Muir family were In reality a regu-
lar school so that little was lost, moi
having puhlic schools to attend