Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1924-07-09
HISTORY OF
THE MILITARY
RIDGE SCHOOL
Continued from last week.


The first transportation through
This country was on foot, though the
rivers served as the principal nigh
ways. 49,,
Land travel, due to roughness, UNI
bar and brush, necessitated travel on
foot or on horseback. Wagons could
not no drawn until roads were made
As early. however, as 1861, the oIu
Military Trail, which runs not LUo
rods from our school, was followed by
Indian traders and french SoIuleIo
between Fort Crawford ana Gfeeu
Bay. These two places were the Hlsc
trading posts in the northern part VI
the Northwest territory. All the Trains
portation carried on over tnls u dl
was done on foot. Indian braves anu
runners travelled this trail on various
messages of war or peace. Early
white settlers blazed trees Tor the pen
eft of their fellow travellers When they
wished to travel between Fort CfaW-
ford and Milwaukee. Today one Can can
see these trees that were blazed, stlll
standing. and the Indian trail SO call
ed. worn to ravine as II reaches
the summit of the hills that come up
the Wisconsin valleys that is at the
head of the Hicklin hollow.
The Indian trail has been uSed IoI
nearly one hundred years as thor
ouphfare for vehicles. In the last HVe
wears this road, called the Military
Highway. has been made into one OF
the best and most Travelled highways
reaching from the Mississippi to Lake
Michigan. From this road we get the
name for our school and school dis
tTict.
After roads were built through the
wilderness loads of produce were
hauled great distances. Wheat some
times had to be taken as far as Platte-
Vile or even Galena to be ground.
This took sometimes several days as
the ok teams were slow and the roadS
moor. 1t was not an uncommon Slgnt
to see families go visiting their rel
atiyes miles away in a lumber WaS-
on drawn by team of oxen hltched
together by a yoke made OF heaVy
wood. and piece called a key, a
small piece OF wood which fastened
together the yoke and the neckyoKe.
The wagon would have boards
stretched across from one side TO the
other. There were no lines or guIueS
on the oxen, as they Travelled Slowly
over the rough road picking the grass
as they went, and guiled and encour-
aged when they stopped too long IN
one place by a rawhide whip and the
words "Gee," which meant right, and
"Haw" which meant left. This touch
sometimes caused the animals to lope
and the wagon went bounding over
the ruts while the occupants sWayed
from side to side hanging on for dear
life. Stages came into use few years
later and mail was brought from
Prairie du Chen to Patch Grove. The
people from this district got their
mail from this town.
In the days of the earliest settle
ments there was no mail except that
which came up the Mississippi in the
summer and none whatever in the
winter. The stage coach mail was car
ried from one large town to another
until it reached the town nearest to
which the person for whom it was in
tended lived Mail in winter was slow
and uncertain and it sometimes lay in
the postoffice because the owner
could not traverse the snow banks to
get it.
In the days of the gold rush and
great immigration, between 1910 and
1860, prairie schooners, covered wag-
ons, lumber wagons, men on horse
back and on foot, surged westward
by way of the old Military Trail, to
the rich land beyond the Mississippi
At this time tradition tells us a man
by the name of Barrette had a hand
ferry which took the people across
the river from Bridgeport to Prairie
du Chen. There were so many to
cross the river at times that wagons
were lined for miles, waiting to cross,
Sometimes they could not even find
camping room nearer than our vicin-
ity and went back for miles for food.
They bought nearly all the produce
that the settlers had and everyone had
an open house for the Strangers. Some
times the travellers would wait two
weeks to cross the river.
A man named Mr.. Nelson contract
ed to take men from our land to Cal
ifornia in the days of the gold rush
for so much apiece. They would start
out in a covered wagon and after
many months of travel and dangers