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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.
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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