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An Interesting Biography of Twolt;Early Pioneers of Republic CountySiThe following story was sent in, I little bacon, but those occasions were thand we believe it to be of sufficient rare; living in cabins with puncheon wlt; interest to Republic county readers | floors and a home-made door with Hlt;squeaky hinges and a latch string | Ki eyes I which could hang out or in accord-1 w- w — — — — -w — — —to warrant its publication: With hands raised to theirsheilding them from the sun, people ing to the way the owner felt.watched the great ship come intoPispThe woods hid abundance of wild Co harbor. Among those coming down I turkey, pheasants and quail. Horn|w the gang plank were a family of owls and hcot owls could usually j ti* Bohemians, who were leaving be- be heard at night crying their “whoo hind them their homeland and their who-o? who are you ” out in thejto kin, searching for the new land with woods and the plaint of the whip- 01 its promises they had heard so much poor-wili could be heard from every |C(its I thicket.They followed blazed trails, years was holding onto his mother’s I there were few roads cut. Wheat | hand, fearful of this strange new was cut first with a sickle, later a something he was seeing with keen | cardie and threshed with a flail. Thefirst threshing machine was brought 18571 in about 1845 and was a horsestarted a life in this strange country tread affair, the horse being led on I p for this tiny boy, Wesley James a wooden tread set at a sharp angle.1With his parents he went to A release started the tread movingabout and hoping for some of benefits. A tiny boy of but twohias |msiblue eyes.So on this sunny dayinlrCSaip.Iowa City, Iowa, near which they backwards under him and his con-settled on a farm living here until stant treading forwards for a foot-1870, when they placed their living hold kept it running and furnished necessities in covered wagons and | the power to run the thresher. Fewwith other families formed a so- of these were used and until the called wagon train and came to Kan- horse power machine was broughtsas. Long days when the oxen lab- over and they became more popular, ored along the roads or trails. Days [This young man was always interest-Iwhen the yell of Indians could be j ed in threshing machines and from heard, when the women and children the horse power on to the steam en-workedraids, etc. They met a group of | ing an outfit each season.The winters were cold and veryIndians who had fought with thewhite men and scalped some, hanging severe. It was no unusual sight to Mthe scalps in plain sight as a sort of | awake in the morning and see a N “leave us alone” warning.1]world covered with heavy snow. ItThey settled on a farm west of would blow through the cracks of Marysville on the Marshall-Washing- the cabin and cover lightly the pal-lt;Mton county line, where they lived for lets made of straw and built up with two years, when they moved to Re- heavy feather beds to keep them 11 public county south of Mundenlwarm. where the old homestead still lays.When but a lad of early years j drouths, the heat of summer sun, thegrasshoppere |suffering the hardships of all theismsThen only the fittest survived the winters. Then came theWhat hours of sweat and toil!cearly settlers, eating corn bread, and What hours of worry!e | molasses. Sometimes a delicasy of ® white bread was had or perhaps aBut—weren’t there country danc-yntinued on back page)
Newspaper Details
Republic County News
Republic, Kansas, US
Thu, Feb 14, 1935
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
NA, 12 Sep 2020
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