Year: 1875

some time occupied in vainly


trying to regain their path, and fear
ing that they would, in the darkness


of the night, wander still farther from
it, they concluded to remain all night
there in the wilderness. Te this end
they unsaddled their horses, and teth-


cred them to. saplings, spread one
saddle blanket on. the ground for a
bed, arranged their saddles at the root


OF tree for pillows, used the other
saddle blanket for covering, and so
remained there until morning-their
sleep frequently disturbed during the


night by the howling of wolves. Early


the next morning, by little search


they recovered the road, and by sten
clock reached a house where they


procured breakfast.


i Some time during the ensuing twln-
ter Mr.. Larsh entered, at the Land
Office in Cincinnati, the southwest
quarter of Section No. 10, in Dixon
township, in this county. He moved


onto his land the following spring, ar
irving there with his wife, a pair of
horses, one COW, and a sow and pigs,


on the 9th day of April, 1907. They


arrived in the evening of that day, and


constructed a camp beside large
black walnut tree that had been blown
down by a storm In front of the
camp they built fire to do their


cooking, and to keep them warm, and


on the opposite side of the large tree


threw down some straw for bed for


the sow and pigs. They were there
located in an unbroken wilderness,


not stick amiss, and but few set
tiers any where near them. AS some


indication of the gloomy prospect then
surrounding them, one incident may


be related. During the first night Of


their stay in this camp, the wolves
seized and carried off one of the pigs


from its bed, on the opposite side of


the log from their camp.


From the residence of Charles


Sweringen, (Larsh's uncle, on Cotton
run, in Butler county, to the Potten


ger settlement on Seven mile, where
Camden now is, they had somewhat
travelled road, but from thence to their
place of destination, they had to cut
road through the wilderness, where
the foot of white man had never be-
fore been. This was labor of no in
considerable magnitude and difficulty
At that time, within the bounds of
what is now Dixon township, there
were but very few persons living. Eli
Dixon, and his brother Joseph, had
been year Or two on the farm now
owned by Alex. Huffman, and James
Kircheval was living in that township
also. There were also, perhaps, few
settlers in the south part of the town
ship, but the data are too uncertain to
justify the mention of names.


After erecting small log cabin in
which to live, our subject commenced
theoretically telling the forest and
preparing field in which to raise .
crop of corn. Notwithstanding that
it was almost the middle of April be-
fore he got fairly to work in his
clearing" and that he had the un-
broken green forest to contend with,
he prepared the ground and planted
six acres of corn that same spring.
As indicative of the privations aud
tribulations that beset the pioneers of
that day, it may be interesting to re-
late how he had to subsist through
that first summer, whilst his first crop
was growing At that time there was
literally NO breadstuff to be procured
nearer to his residence than some dis
tance below the town of Hamilton;
and no mills to grind grain any nearer.
During the first summer, when he was
out of meal for bread, he would ride
down to some farmer who had corn to
spare, few miles below Hamilton,
which would consume one day. Then
work two days for a bushel Of corn.
In the evening of the second day take
it to the mill, stay there all night and
get it ground into meal, and the
fourth day carry it on his horse home
with him. When the supply was ex-
hausted. do the same thing oyer
again.


One advantage the early pioneers
had, however, which should not be
omitted-they had game plenty. The
forests were FULL Of deer and turkeys,
and no one need be destitute of meat
at any time No part of the Miami
valley was ever more plentifully sup
piled with game than was Preble
county. The writer of this sketch-a
native of the county-remembers very
well of the time, when to be WITHOUT
venison was the exception. Up to the
year 1918 there was apparently no
diminution of the number of deer in
the forests, but the remarkable crust
on the snow, of the winter of 1S17-1S,
was so destructive of the deer, that
they were never very numerous after
ward.


On the 9th day of April, 1903, the
first Board of Commissioners of Preb-
lie county met At that meeting,
James Caldwell returned list of
horses and cattle in Israel township,
(Which then comprised Israel, Dixon,
Jackson, and jefferson townships)
amounting to 176 horses and 123 cat
tie; and for taking and returning
which list, the board allowed him the
munificent sum of six dollars! His
territory was a miles long and 6 miles
wide. This return of stock is men
toned merely as indicative of the
probable population of the given terri
tory at that time. There was proba-
bly, not to exceed IS families then re-
sident within the territory named, or
On average of less than 20 families to
township. The time named is about
one year subsequent to the settlement
of Mr.. Larsh Within year or two
thereafter, we find him taking part in
the managing of public affairs, having
been appointed as lister, (er assessorD
for several successive years.


At the October election in the year
1872, Paul Larsh was elected Sheriff
of Preble county, being the successor
in Office of Jacob Fudge, who was the
first Sheriff of the county. He served
two years, and was succeeded by Sam
uel Ward, who continued in the Office
four years. In 1918, Mr.. Larsh was
again elected to the Office of Sheriff,
and was reelected in 1920, thus serv-
ing In all six years.


On the first day of January, 1919,
Sheriff Larsh moved to Eaton where