The
people in the early history of Monroe county took no care to preserve
history -they were too busily engaged in making it. Historically speaking,
those were the most important years of the county, for it was then the
foundation and corner stones of all the county's history and prosperity
were laid. Yet this history was not remarkable for stirring events. It
was, however, a time of self-reliance and brave, persevering toil; of
privations cheerfully endured through faith in a good time coming. The
experience of one settler was just about the same as that of others.
Nearly all of the settlers were poor; they faced the same hardships and
stood generally on an equal footing. All the experience of the early
pioneers of this county goes far to confirm the theory that, after all,
happiness is pretty evenly balanced in this world. They had their
privations and hardships, but they had also their own peculiar joys. If
they were poor, they were free from the burden of pride and vanity; free
also from the anxiety and care that always attends the possession of
wealth. Other people's eyes cost them nothing. If they had few neighbors,
they were on the best of terms with those they had. Envy, jealousy and
strife had not crept in. A common interest and a common sympathy bound
them together with the strongest ties. They were a little world to
themselves, and the good feeling that prevailed was all the stronger
because they were so far removed from the great world of the East. Among
these pioneers there was realized such a community of interest that there
existed a community of feeling. There were no castes, except an
aristocracy of benevolence, and no nobility, except
a
nobility of generosity. They were bound together with such a strong
bond of sympathy, inspired by the consciousness of common hardship,
that they were practically communists.
Neighbors
did not even wait for an invitation or request to help one another.
Was a settler's cabin burned or blown down? No sooner was
the fact known throughout the neighborhood than the settlers assembled
to
assist the unfortunate one to rebuild his home. They came with
as little hesitation, and with as much alacrity, as though they
were
all members of the same family and bound together by ties of blood.
One man's interest was every other man's interest. Now,
this
general state of feeling among the pioneers was by no means peculiar
to these counties, although it was strongly illustrated here. It prevailed generally throughout the West during the time of the
early
settlement. The very nature of things taught the settlers the necessity
of dwelling together in this spirit. It was their only protection. They
had come far away from the well established reign of law, and
entered a new country, where civil authority was still feeble and totally
unable to afford protection and redress grievances. Here the settlers
lived some little time before there was an officer of the law in
the
county. Each man's protection was in the good will and friendship
of
those about him, and the thing that any man might well dread
was
the ill will of the community. It was more terrible than the law.
It
was no uncommon thing in the early times for hardened men, who
had
no fears of jails or penitentiaries, to stand in great fear of the
indignation
of a pioneer community. Such were some of the characteristics
of
Monroe county.
HOUSE
AND HOME COMFORTS.
The
first buildings in the county were not just like the log cabins that
immediately
succeeded them. The latter required some help and a
great
deal of labor to build. The very first buildings constructed
were
a cross between " hoop cabins " and Indian bark huts. As
soon as
enough men could be got together for a " cabin raising," then
log
cabins
were in style. Many a pioneer can remember the happiest time
of
his life as that when he lived in one of these homely but comfortable
old
cabins.
A
window with sash and glass was a rarity, and was an evidence of wealth
and aristocracy which but few could support. They were often
made
with greased paper put over the window, which admitted a little
light,
but more often there was nothing whatever over it, or the cracks
between the logs, without either chinking or daubing, were the
dependence
for light and air. The doors were fastened with old-fashioned
wooden
latches, and for a friend, or neighbor, or traveler, the string
always hung out, for the pioneers of the West were hospitable
and
entertained visitors to the best of their ability. It is noticeable with
what affection the pioneers speak of their old log cabins. It may be
doubted whether palaces ever sheltered happier hearts than those homely
cabins. The following is a good description of those old landmarks,
but few of which now remain:--
"These
were of round logs, notched together at the corners, ribbed
with
poles and covered with boards split from a tree. A puncheon
floor
was then laid down, a hole cut in the end and a stick chimney run
up. A clapboard door is made, a window is opened by cutting out
a hole in the side or end two feet square and finished without glass
or transparency. The house is then ' chinked ' and ' daubed' with
mud. The cabin is now ready to go into. The household and kitchen
furniture is adjusted, and life on the frontier is begun in
earnest.
The
one-legged bedstead, now a piece of furniture of the past,
was
made by cutting a stick the proper length, boring holes at one end
one
and a half inches in diameter, at right angles, and the same sized holes
corresponding with those in the logs of the cabin the length and breadth
desired for the bed, in which are inserted poles. Upon these poles the clapboards are laid, or linn bark is interwoven
consecutively
from pole to pole. Upon this primitive structure the
bed is laid. The convenience of a cook stove was not thought of, but
instead, the cooking was done by the faithful housewife in pots,
kettles
or skillets, on and about the big fire-place, and very frequently over
and around, too, the distended pedal extremities of the legal sovereign
of
the household, while the latter was indulging in the luxuries of
a cob-pipe and discussing the probable results of a contemplated deer
hunt on Salt river or some one of its small tributaries."
These
log cabins were really not so bad after all.
The
people of to-day, familiarized with "Charter Oak" cooking stoves
and ranges, would be ill at home were they compelled to prepare
a
meal with no other conveniences than those provided in a pioneer cabin.
Rude fire-places were built in chimneys composed of mud and
sticks,
or, at best, undressed stone. These fire-places served for heating
and
cooking purposes; also, for ventilation. Around the cheerful blaze
of this fire the meal was prepared, and these meals were not so
bad,
either. As elsewhere remarked, they were not such as would tempt
an epicure, but such as afforded the most healthful nourishment for
a race of people who were driven to the exposure and hardships which
were their lot. We hear of few dyspeptics in those days. Another
advantage
of these cooking arrangements was that the stovepipe never fell down, and the pioneer was spared being subjected to
the
most trying of ordeals, and one probably more productive of profanity
than
any other.
Before
the country became supplied with mills which were of easy
access,
and even in some instances afterward, hominy-blocks were
used.
They exist now only in the memory of the oldest settlers, but
as
relies of the " long ago," a description of them will not be uninteresting:
A
tree of suitable size, say from eighteen inches to two feet in diameter,
was selected in the forest and felled to the ground. If a
cross-cut
saw happened to be convenient, the tree was '" butted," that is,
the kerf end was sawed off, so that it would stand steady when
ready
for use. If there was no cross-cut saw in the neighborhood,
strong
arms and sharp axes were ready to do the work. Then the
proper
length, from four to five feet, was measured off and sawed or cut
square. When this was done the block was raised on end and the work
of cutting out a hollow in one of the ends was commenced.
This
was generally done with a common chopping ax. Sometimes a smaller
one was used. When the cavity was judged to be large enough,
a fire was built in it, and carefully watched till the ragged
edges
were burned away. When completed the hominy-block somewhat
resembled
a druggist's mortar. Then a pestle, or something to crush
the corn, was necessary. This was usually made from a suitably sized
piece of timber, with an iron wedge attached, the large end down.
This completed the machinery, and the block was ready for
use.
Sometimes one hominy-block accommodated an entire neighborhood
and
was the means of staying the hunger of many mouths.
In
giving the bill of fare above we should have added meat, for of this
they had plenty. Deer would be seen daily trooping over the prairie
in droves of from 12 to 20, and sometimes as many as 50
would
be seen grazing together. Elk were also found, and wild turkeys and
prairie chickens without number. Bears were not unknown.
Music
of the natural order was not wanting, and every night the
pioneers were lulled to rest by the screeching of panthers and the
howling
of wolves. When the dogs ventured too far out from the cabins
at night, they would be driven back by the wolves chasing them
up to the very cabin doors. Trapping wolves became a very profitable
business after the State began to pay a bounty for wolf scalps.
All
the streams of water also abounded in fish, and a good supply
of
these could be procured by the expense of a little time and labor. Those
who years ago improved the fishing advantages of the country
never
tire telling of the dainty meals which the streams afforded.
Sometimes
large parties would get together, and, having been provided
with
cooking utensils and facilities for camping out, would go off
some distance and spend weeks together. No danger then of being ordered
off a man's premises or arrested for trespass. One of the
peculiar
circumstances that surrounded the early life of the pioneers
was
a strange loneliness. The solitude seemed almost to oppress
them.
Months would pass during which they would scarcely see a
human
face outside their own families.
On
occasions of special interest, such as election, holiday celebrations,
or
camp-meetings, it was nothing unusual for a few settlers who
lived
in the immediate neighborhood of the meeting to entertain scores
of
those who had come from a distance.
Rough
and rude though the surroundings may have been, the pioneers
were none the less honest, sincere, hospitable and kind in their
relations. It is true, as a rule, and of universal application, that
there
is a greater degree of real humanity among the pioneers of any
country
than there is when the country becomes old and rich. If there
is an absence of refinement, that absence is more than compensated in
the presence of generous hearts and truthful lives. They are bold,
industrious and enterprising. Generally speaking, they are earnest
thinkers, and possessed of a diversified fund of useful, practical
information.
As a rule they do not arrive at a conclusion by
means
of a course of rational reasoning, but, nevertheless, have a
queer
way at getting at the facts. They hate cowards and shams of every
kind, and above all things, falsehoods and deception, and cultivate
an
integrity which seldom permits them to prostitute themselves
to
a narrow policy of imposture. Such were the characteristics of the men
and women who pioneered the way to the country of the Sacs and
Foxes. A few of them yet remain, and although some of their descendants
are among the wealthy and most substantial of the people
of
the county, they have not forgotten their old time hospitality and free
and easy ways. In contrasting the present social affairs with pioneer
times, one has well said:-"
Then, if a house was to be raised, every man ' turned out,' and often
the women, too, and while the men piled up the logs that fashioned
the
primitive dwelling-place, the women prepared the dinner.
Sometimes
it was cooked by big log fires near the site where the cabin
was
building; in other cases it was prepared at the nearest cabin, and
at
the proper hour was carried in to where the men were at work. If one
man in the neighborhood killed a beef, a pig or a deer, every other
family in the neighborhood was sure to receive a piece.
We
were all on an equality. Aristocratic feelings were unknown,
and
would not have been tolerated. What one had we all had, and that was the happiest period of my life. But to-day, if you lean
against
a neighbor's shade tree he will charge you for it. If you are poor
and fall sick, you may lie and suffer almost unnoticed and unattended,
and probably go to the poor-house; and just as like as not
the man who would report you to the authorities as a subject of
county
care would charge the county for making the report."
Of
the old settlers, some are still living in the county in the enjoyment
of
the fortunes they founded in early times, " having reaped an hundredfold."
Nearly all, however, have passed away. A few of them
have gone to the far West, and are still playing the part of pioneers.
But wherever they may be, whatever fate may betide them,
it
is but truth to say that they were excellent men as a class, and
have
left a deep and enduring impression upon the county and the
,State.
" They builded better than they knew." They were, of
course,
men
of activity and energy, or they would never have decided to face
the
trials of pioneer life. The great majority of them were poor, but
the
lessons taught them in the early days were of such a character that
few
of them have remained so. They made their mistakes in business
pursuits
like other men. Scarcely one of them but allowed golden
opportunities,
for pecuniary profit, at least, to pass by unheeded.
What
now are some of the choicest farms in Monroe county were
not
taken up by the pioneers, who preferred land of very much less value.
They have seen many of their prophecies fulfilled, and others
come
to naught. Whether they have attained the success they
desired,
their own hearts can tell.
To
one looking over the situation then, from the standpoint now, it certainly
does not seem very cheering, and yet, from the testimony of
some
old pioneers, it was a most enjoyable time, and we of the present
live in degenerate days.
At
that time it certainly would have been much more difficult for
those
old settlers to understand how it could be possible that sixty-five years hence the citizens of the present age of the county's progress
would
be complaining of hard times and destitution, and that
they
themselves, perhaps, would be among that number, than it is now
for us to appreciate how they could feel so cheerful and contented with
their meager means and humble lot of hardships and deprivations
during
those early pioneer days.
The
secret was, doubtless, that they lived within their means, however
limited,
not coveting more of luxury and comfort than their
income
would afford, and the natural result was prosperity and contentment,
with
always room for one more stranger at the fireside, and
a
cordial welcome to a place at their table for even the most hungry
guest.
Humanity,
with all its ills, is, nevertheless, fortunately characterized with
remarkable flexibility, which enables it to accommodate
itself
to circumstances. After all, the secret of happiness lies in one's
ability
to accommodate himself to his surroundings. It
is sometimes remarked that there were no places for public
entertainment
till later years. The truth is, there were many such
places;
in fact, every cabin was a place of entertainment, and these
hotels
were sometimes crowded to their utmost capacity. On such
occasions,
when bedtime came, the first family would take the back
part
of the cabin, and so continue filling up by families until the limit was
reached. The young men slept in the wagon outside. In the
morning,
those nearest the door arose first and went outside to dress. Meals
were served on the end of a wagon and consisted of corn bread, buttermilk,
and fat pork, and occasionally coffee, to take away the
morning
chill. On Sundays, for a change, they had bread made of
wheat
"tramped out" on the ground by horses, cleaned with a sheet,
and
pounded by hand. This was the best the most fastidious could
obtain,
and this only one day in seven. Not a moment of time was
lost.
It was necessary that they should raise enough sod corn to take
them
through the coming winter, and also get as much breaking done
as
possible. They brought with them enough corn to give the horses
an
occasional feed, in order to keep them able for hard work, but in
the
main they had to live on prairie grass. The cattle got nothing else
than
grass.
AGRICULTURAL
IMPLEMENTS.
An
interesting comparison might be drawn between the conveniences
which
now make the life of a farmer comparatively an easy one,
and
the almost total lack of such conveniences in early days. A brief description
of the accommodations possessed by the tillers of the soil
will
now be given.
Let
the children of such illustrious sires draw their own comparisons,
and
may the results of these comparisons silence the voice of
complaint
which so often is heard in the land.
The
only plows they had at first were what they styled " bull plows."
The mold-boards were generally of wood, but in some cases
they
were half wood and half iron. The man who had one of the latter
description
was looked upon as something of an aristocratic. But
these
old " bull plows " did good service, and they must be awarded the
honor of first stirring the soil of Monroe county, as well as that of
the
oldest counties of the State.
The
amount of money which some farmers annually invest in agricultural
implements
would have kept the pioneer farmer in farming utensils
during a whole lifetime. The pioneer farmer invested little
money
in such things, because he had little money to spare, and then
again
because the expensive machinery now used would not have been at
all adapted to the requirements of pioneer farming. " The bull
plow"
was probably better suited to the fields abounding in stumps and roots than would the modern sulkey plow have been, and the
old-fashioned
wheat
cradle did better execution than would a modern
harvester
under like circumstances. The prairies were seldom settled
till
after the pioneer period, and that portion of the country which
was
the hardest to put under cultivation, and the most difficult to cultivate
after it was improved, first was cultivated; it was well for
the
country that such was the case, for the present generation, familiarized
as
it is with farming machinery of such complicated pattern,
would
scarcely undertake the clearing off of dense forests and cultivating the
ground with the kind of implements their fathers used, and which
they would have to use for some kinds of work.
MILLS
AND TRADING POINTS.
Notwithstanding
the fact that some of the early settlers were energetic
millwrights,
who employed all their energy and what means
they
possessed, in erecting mills at a few of the many favorite mill sites
which
abound in the county, yet going to mill in those days,
when
there were no roads, no bridges, no ferry boats, and scarcely
any
conveniences for traveling, was no small task, where so many rivers
and treacherous streams were to be crossed, and such a trip was
often attended with great danger to the traveler when these streams
were swollen beyond their banks. But even under these circumstances,
some
of the more adventurous and more ingenious ones, in
case
of emergency, found the ways and means by which to cross the swollen
stream,
and succeed in making the trip. At other times again, all
attempts
failed them, and they were compelled to remain at home until
the
waters subsided, and depend on the generosity of their fortunate
neighbors.
Some
stories are related with regard to the danger, perils and hardships
of
forced travel to mills, and for provisions, which remind one
of
forced marches in military campaigns, and when we hear of the
heroic
and daring conduct of the hardy pioneers in procuring bread
for
their loved ones, we think that here were heroes more valiant than any
of the renowned soldiers of ancient or modern times.
During
the first two years, and perhaps not until some time afterward, there
was not a public highway established and worked on which they
could travel; and as the settlers were generally far apart, and
mills
and trading points were at great distances, going from place to
place
was not only very tedious, but attended sometimes with great danger.
Not a railroad had yet entered the State, and there was scarcely
a thought in the minds of the people here of such a thing ever reaching
the wild West; and, if thought of, people had no conception of
what a revolution a railroad and telegraph line through the
county
would cause in its progress. Then there was no railroad in the
United States, not a mile of track on the continent; while now there
are over 100,000 miles of railroad extending their trunks and
branches
in every direction over our land. Supplies
in those days were obtained at Hannibal. Mail was carried by
horses and wagon transportation, and telegraph dispatches were
transmitted by the memory and lips of emigrants coming in or
stranger;
passing through.
The
first mill was built in the county in 1827, and was known as Benj.
Bradley's mill. At first the mill only ground corn, which had to
be sifted after it was ground, as there were no bolts in the mill.
There
was only one run of buhrs, which, as well as the mill irons, were brought from St. Louis. They were shipped up the Missouri
river.
The mill cost about $50. The mill had no gearing, the buhrs
being
located over the wheel, and running with the same velocity as the
wheel. It was a frame mill, one story high, and had a capacity of
25 bushels a day. People came from far and near, attracted by the
reports of the completion of the mill, with their grists, so that, for
days before it was ready for work, the creek bottom was dotted over
with hungry and patient men, waiting until it was ready to do their
work, so that they might return with their meal and flour to supply
their families, and those of their neighbors, thus enduring the
hardships
of camp life in those early days in order that they might be able
to secure the simple necessaries of life, devoid of all luxuries. Bradley's
mill was located about two miles north-east of Florida.
HUNTING
AND TRAPPING.
The
sports and means of recreation were not so numerous and varied
among
the early settlers as at present, but they were more enjoyable
and
invigorating than now.
Hunters
nowadays would only be too glad to be able to find and enjoy their
favorable opportunity for hunting and fishing, and even travel many
miles, counting it rare pleasure to spend a few weeks on the watercourses
and
wild prairies, in hunt and chase and fishing frolics. There were
a good many excellent hunters here at an early day, who enjoyed
the
sport as well as any can at the present day.
Wild
animals of almost every species known in the wilds of the West
were
found in great abundance. The prairies and woods and streams
and
various bodies of water were all thickly inhabited before the white man
came, and for some time afterward. Although the Indians slew
many
of them, yet the natural law prevailed here as well as elsewhere "
wild men and wild beast thrive together." Serpents
were to be found in such large numbers, and of such immense size,
that some stories told by the early settlers' would be incredible
were it not for the large array of concurrent testimony, which
is to be had from the most authentic sources. Deer, turkeys,
ducks,
geese, squirrels, and various other kinds of choice game were plentiful,
and to be had at the expense of killing only. The fur animals
were
abundant; such as the otter, beaver, mink, muskrat, raccoon, panther,
fox, wolf, wild-cat and bear.
An
old resident of the county told us that, in 1809, while he was traveling
a distance of six miles he saw as many as 73 deer, in herds
of
from six to ten.
HUNTING
BEE TREES.
Another
source of profitable recreation among the old settlers was
that
of hunting bees. The forests along the water-courses were especially
prolific
of bee trees. They were found in great numbers on
the
Salt rivers and their confluents, and, in fact, on all the important
streams
in the county. Many of the early settlers, during the late
summer,
would go into camp for days at a time, for the purpose of
hunting
and securing the honey of the wild bees, which was not only
extremely
rich and found in great abundance, but always commanded
a
good price in the home market. The
Indians have ever regarded the honey bee as the forerunner of the
white man, while it is a conceded fact that the quail always follows
the
footprints of civilization.
The
following passage is found in the "Report of the Exploring Expedition
to the Rocky Mountains, in the year 1842, by Captain John C. Fremont," page 69:
"
Here on the summit, where the stillness was absolute, unbroken by
any sound, and the solitude complete, we thought ourselves beyond
the
regions of animated life; but while we were sitting on the rocks a
solitary bee came winging its flight from the eastern valley and lit on
the
knee of one of the men. We pleased ourselves with the idea that he
was the first of his species to cross the mountain barrier, a solitary
pioneer
to foretell the advance of civilization."
Gregg,
in his " Commerce of the Prairies," page 178, Vol. 1, says:
'
The honey bee appears to have emigrated exclusively from the east,
as
its march has been observed westward. The bee, among Western pioneers,
is the proverbial precursor of the Anglo-American population.
In
fact, the aborigines of the frontier have generally corroborated
this
statement, for they used to say that they knew the white man was
not far behind when the bees appeared among them." There
were other recreations, such as shooting matches and quilting
parties,
which prevailed in those days, and which were enjoyed to the
fullest
extent. The quilting parties were especially pleasant and agreeable
to those who attended. The established rule in those days at
these parties was to pay either one dollar in money or split one hundred
rails during the course of the day. The men would generally
split
the rails, and the women would remain in the house and do the
quilting.
After the day's work was done the night would be passed
in
dancing. All
the swains that there abide
With
jigs and rural dance resort. When
daylight came the music and dancing would cease, and the gallant
young
men would escort the fair ladies to their respective homes.
WOLVES.
One
of the oldest pioneers tells us that for several years after he
came
to what is now known as Monroe county the wolves were very
numerous,
and that he paid his taxes for many years in wolf scalps.
His
cabin was at the edge of the timber that skirted Elk Fork creek,
and
at night the howls of these animals were so loud and incessant
that
to sleep at times was almost impossible.
Often
at midnight, all "At once there rose so wild a yell,
Within
that dark and narrow dell,
As
all the fiends from heaven that fell,
Had
pealed the banner cry of hell."
At
such times the whole air seemed to be filled with the vibrations of
their
most infernal and diabolical music. The wolf was not only a
midnight
prowler here, but was seen in the day-time, singly or in
packs,
warily skulking upon the outskirts of a thicket, or sallying
cautiously
along the open path with a sneaking look of mingled
cowardice and
cruelty.
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