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dome reminiscences 07 aPioneerBy CHAS. McCORMICK(Continued Jrom last Tveek)In one of such Btorm9 old Mr. Brady and an uncle Etarted out to go from Tom Tobin’s place to Tom Dawson’s a dissacce of ooe half mile aod got lost on the prairie and perished in the storm.Id the winter of I808 Tom and Matt Reid started down the river on the ice with a hand sled to get a sack of fiour. They fell through an air hole andcame to Palo Alto. Among Jthese were such men as M. L. Brown, T. W. Harrison, Geo. B. McCarty, E. S. and A. L. Ormsby, John Hall, Pat Joyce, Jamee Fitzgerald and very many more which time forbids mentioning.The Ormsby’s etarted the First National bank in 1872 and Brown Shea the Palo Alto County bank shortly afterwards.Now, as a matter of fact, we think we have the very best county • in ;tne state, and, aa citizens, we think weMatt’s feet were so badly frozen tnat a part of tbem came off. In fact dur- rank with the very best in the state,ing the winter time there was but little travel as people did not care to take chances on getting lost on the prairie and losing their lives.In these days farming was not done with so much machinery as it is today. At first all the hay was cut with a scythe and the grain cradled. Later came the combined reaper and mower, then, the self rake dropper followed by the Marsh harvester and binder. John McCormick, I believe, purchased the first combined reaper and mower that came to Palo Alto county. It was the old J. P. Monaa hand rake and was thought to be the greatest thing out at this time.O, such wooderfu) improvements in farm machinery! Then we never dreamed of such things as self binders, riding cultivators, discs, bay-loader,these 60‘CaIled vain titled gentlemen notwithstanding.I mentioned Father McComb and Father Smith as being the firBt ministers who conducted religious services in the county. I will nowtnake mention of our friend and townsman, Father Smith. Rev. Smithcame to this county, I think, in 1871,about 35 years ago and his has been a continuous pastorate among the people ever since. In an early day Mb field of labor was broad and wide. His main charge was here in Em-metaburg but I am also sure that hia field extended many, very many miles north, east, south and west.The country at that time was but very sparsely settled, houseB being few and far between.The roads at the best were but ahay-atacker. buck rakes and all such j dim track across the prairie. Yet inmodern conveniencesTorn Harrison has given a -very correct history of the progress of this county since JS70 and I shall not eay much about it in later daya.The newspapers all seem to compliment in highest terms the proceedings and doings of July 4, 5 and 6. As I view it the 4th was in every way a complete success. The bU3inees interests and houses were well represented in the parade, the crowd was immense, all the stands, novelty shops, fakirs, and bowery dances did a thriving business.On the 5th there was also a good crowd and the sports were all excellent and first class in every respectall kinds of weather, hot or cold, wet or dry Father Smith drove across the prairie fco attend to the needs of his parishoners. I well remember an occasion -30 years ago that Father Smith bad been to St. Joseph in the southern part of KosBUth county about 35 .mites distant, where he had been holding services and in returning home was caught in a enow afcorm, Ho had a good spirited team and forced them to face the blinding storm. Fortunately, he got to my place on Section 4 on the river in West Bead township just at dusk in the evening. It made one shudder to think what bis fate might have been if he bad got lost on the prairie in such a storm. This is onlyand gave splendid satisfaction. It lb one of the many instances in which estimated that $30,000 was spent in j Father Smith had a narrow escape in our town during the three days eels- ! battling with the severe elements, in jbration and that 25,000 people were in j his Master's work during the years j I attendance on the celebration. ! that he served the people or this sec- \would roll up hie eyes like pealed onions, cur! his tail oyer his back in a ring and leap through the water and mud until he was tired out. Two or three drivers would get on each side of this long team and would wade through the water waist deep to drive the oxen.Lot Laughlin told me of an experience that he and Tom Tobin had in hauling from Port Dodge, It occurred in crossing a very bad slough at the head of Brush Creek. They got into it and got their oxen down and had to get out into the mud and. water and unyoke them to get them up. It was in the fall of the . year and the weather was cold. Tom and Lot had to carry the load out on their backs and then take the wagon out in pieces-They finally succeeded in crossing the slough in another place where it was not quite so soft.Of course I could tell you of many things of this kind, of getting atuck in the mud, sleeping in the wagon at nights and many other hardships that it was necessary to endure. Yet despite all these little inconveniences we had a good time, plenty of room to get around in and no quarreling about neighbor^ cb ickens scratching up your garden. In fact we were all real neighbors and got along nicely with each other.Never beard of cyclones for if one came the people were so far apart that it struck no one. Never heard of appendicitis and we doubt if any one over dreamed that he had an appendix. In those good old.days we had no time to be sick. I will just state that the doctor in the county was. Dr. J. H. Underwood who came about 1864 or 63. Fern Valley township was named by my brother Thomas, who was the first postmaster of that place. Emmets-burg wae named for that Irish patriot, Robert Emmet, and Fern Valley for the place we wore born in the county Tyrone, Ireland, that place being Fern Hall,-aod McNight point after Edw. McNight.I could -give many other reminiscences of those early days but as I have tauen up already considerable space, 1 will close. — C. McCormick.Commencing May 10th, until September 30th, the C, M. St. P. railway will sell tickets to Clear Lake, Arnolds Park, Qkoboji and Spirit Lake, at owe third faro for the round trip. Good to return 30 days from date of sale. W. E. Losey, Agent.The 6th, “Did Settler's Day/' as I ! tioa of the state. Just think of 3AsellresAlteorIC013eonlictlewIforinl-theIforofputfor rep I re lie?Iforview it was only a misnomer being : years coutinuously in the harness.only Old Settler’s Day ia namo. The ; I might mention what I know per-1 1 crowd was immense, the barbercne a 1 vocally of the price oS grain in this!complete success for there was lots : county, I have seen ear corn sell -52.00 i of meat of the choicest kiuu for every- . a bushel aod we were glad to get if at! body but all this did pot make an ! that and ground jt in a coffee mill for! old settlers’ day. On toe platform food. I have since seen It soil for 10; there were Capt. Ingham, of Algona. ■ cents per bushei. I bave known wheat Bert Carter, the oldest settler in the ; to sell for 82 00 per bushel aod as low county, Ed Ridley, os Estherville, i as 35 cents, oats as high as 75 cents John Neary, Sr. and Jr. .Judge Hickey, j and as low 8 cents, potatoes for ?I 50 a real judge of the olden days elected j and as low as 20 cents, hogs for $8.00 as such by the people, Joe Muironey, ; live weight and as low as si.75 after Lot Laughlin, Patsy Jackman, Johncarting them to Algona. I have seen Doran, Martin Goonan and mauy other good feeding steers seil for several of the old settlers of this and adjoin- years at five cents per pound, a 1200 icg counties. Each or all of these ; pound steer would bring $00 and a J500 men could have given-a reminiscence j pound steer $75. There wa8 free grass of the early days that coming from ! everywhere and at that time big their own personal experience would money was made in the cattle business, have been interesting and in keeping i la later years 1 bave seen good feed-with the day aod occasion, but not one ! era sell for $2 50 per hundred. I have word did we hear from them. Now j given somewhere near the extremes some of these had their little pieces ; in priceB. Now the rate of interest ready to give, myself ineluded, being | in early days was 10 per cent for legalfjpgssStm mM(lt;ryri1fa i*lt; .;c«t:k?irelt;IjiiM *• ”li‘/ • .A.4£*V~3dolicited to do so, but not one of us old pioneer settlers were invited to eay one word of the hardships, pleasures and happenings of those early days.The most of the time in the tent wae taken up with the orator of the day, Mr. Healy, a man for whom J bave the utmost^ respect but who knew nothing at all aoout the pioneer daya.rates but in many instances as high ae 60 per cent, was paid for money. In early days cattle men were considered the roost desirable men to whom to loan money and 1 per cent, per month waa the common rate to pay. In fact I have borrowed thousands of dollarB from my old friend and benefactor, Angus McBane, of Port Dodge. InPORT ARTHUR ROUTEiIbrsui5rJitfu1foid*••Straight as the Crow Files.”Kansas City SouthernIn fact he admitted that he was not’.fact 12 per cent money invested in born until seven years after the early i good growthy cattle was ae cheap as settlement of the county took place, j dirt. It was a very common thing to Now, how could it be expected that: purchase good two year old steers in Healy could talk upon a subject that, the winter and spring for $25 per head he knew so little about? He told us ! and ruo them on grass all summer and some nice little stories of i;Ruth and = sell them in the fall to Illinois feedersRailwayto:0*SelL-fnsuinEXTREMELY LOW RATES ON FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAYS OF EACH MONTHlhVlOflitNaomi/1 The Stammering Depot! for §50 each, thus doubling yourAgent/1 “The Irieh Woman and i money. Hay coat ub nothing but the Mickey’1 and “The Immortal Lincoln ! labor to put it up aod pasture was free and Gettysburg*1 He mentioned i as we had the range of the entire■ something of bolding up the left hand ;and the grand hailing sign of distress, n \ Also said that if Cummins was electedprairie. A man with a good team and mower could cut 40 tons of hay on the bottom land In a day. This is noSi ----—- ■■ —......— — —-—-[we could stand it; if Perkins, the i a story but the actual fact. At !state la likely to survive and if a dem- j this time we drove our cattle to Cedar Jocratic governor is elected the state ' Falls dlt;] a few years later to Fort ! will be safe and will surely survive. I i Dodge. As a rule neighbors joined | was expecting to hear something of j together and drove their cattle to x:David and Jonathan, Joseph and his i market and in going and coming had brethren or perhaps the story of j a good time. It'was also the custom Queen Esther, but heard nothing j io these early days for several to join more along this line. Considerable j together and go to Cedar Falls to mill10)0The tide of immigration has turned j to the South, where land is cheap and f crops abundant.The Land of Fulfillment,No ether - section of the country promises such great return from products cf the soil and increased values. _It’s Worth Your Time;Write for free illustrated literature.foLhiUmolriVI10VH. D. DUTTON F. Elt; R0ESLER,TflAV L PASS. AST-IMMIG’K A(?tNT#S. G. WARNER, G. P. T. A. *IQ5 THA*EB BlOC.. KANSAS CITV, WO.VCjii’£iiSouro:time was also taken up in instruction j or to buy flour as flour was cheap at30in music and modern singing with j that place. We used oxen almost entrained voices, but I am inclined to • tirely and it was not an uncommonX)think that the greater part of the people did not go there on old settlers’ day—a day that comes only once in a life time, to spend much of their time listening to modern singing and other things that could be heard hundred times each year if one so deBlred, but ratner to bear from the lips of old pioneers something of the real history (of the country. I hope this dlgreB-0js!on will be pardoned and now once ; !more to real history.* In 1870-72 another lot of settlers)010thing to see as many as six yoke of of oxen hitched to one wagon in order to pul lit through the sloughs. I remember on one of these trips Jack Mulroney, Philipp and Tom Dumphy— nephews of Tom Tobin, Jim McCormick and a few others were hauling ilour from Cedar Falls. Invariably when we came to a slough we had to hitch seven or eight yoke of oxen to one wagon to snako it through the mud and water. We had a largo 4 year old steer that wo called WileyStomachNo appetite, loss ot strength, nervousness, headache, constipation, bad breath, general debility, sour risings, and catarrh of the stomach are all due to indigestion. Kodol relieves indigestion. Thk new discovery represents the natural Juices of digestion as they exist in a healthy stomach, combined with the greatest known tonic and reconstructive properties. KodoJ for dyspepsia does not only relieve indigestion and dyspepsia, but this famous remedy helps all stomach troubles by cleansing, purifying, sweetening and strengthening the mucous membranes lining the stomach* Mr. S. S. Ball, of Ravonswood, W, Va..,41 was troubled with sour atomach for twenty Kodol cured mo and we are now using It in milk for baby,”Kotof Digests What YmBottles only. Relieves iudlteitlon. »ur stomach, belchlnc of e»*r etc. % Prepared by E. O- DeWITT Jc OO., OHIO AGO,r:eiwtcgVr:SIVALstrITiiit
Newspaper Details
Palo Alto Reporter
Emmetsburg, Iowa, US
Thu, Aug 09, 1906
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Emmetsburg P.
AL, 01 Dec 2020
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