Racine High School - Kipikawi Yearbook (Racine, WI)

Page 77 text:

I N- . t - , - - . . L KA gps . K W My S1W m i. ,, I we . A A W h X A- ' I Nr- . 4 , I ,, QILYH . 1. .,., , . .YL ...vm wzm.wsznmwssu.1xawaa1esasa.rsf. E , K , gg - ,,,.4 .....a.-... 3 gg if R I ii J' s' ' 31.5. was beyond, higher than the first, upon which stood a forest. The towering trees of all varieties of hard wood not only crowned the top of the bluff, but covered its sides as well. 'LI thinkf' said the father, that I have never seen a more beautiful piece of tim- ber than that one, and over there is our cabin. Noticing the light of the setting S1111 gleaming low through the great trees, he said, Come, boy, we must hurry on. Cautiously they made their way down the steep side of the bluff, crossed the frozen river, and pushing through the tan- gle of vines and undergrowth of the low- land, they entered the wood at the foot of the opposite bluff. It was hard to climb to the top, but when they finally reached the log cabin the father unbuttoned the door, saying, 'fHere, Stephen, is our home, we shall share it together. There was one room in the little cabin, ten feet wide and twelve feet long. In one corner was a sha.kedown bed, the mattress was a spreading of prairie hay covered with scanty bed clothing. The room contained two other important arti- cles that were commodities as well. a bar- rel of flour and a barrel of beef. Best of all the furniture was a small cook stove, and the pile of wood just outside the door looked encouraging. We shall not stop to consider the mode of cooking used by these cabin dwellers, nor chronicle their recipes for bread and butter, nor learn how, together, they cut logs to make into three-legged stools, a cupboard for their dishes, and a shelf for the Bible and a few other books that they had brought in their trunks. VVhen they finally had made a table they felt really patrician, because they no longer dined from the head of a barrel. But out of doors was the stillness of the forest, under the light covering of snow was that deep, thick carpet of leaves that had been gathering for no one knows how long. Together these two companions felled the forest trees, first selecting those on the side of the bluff, rolling them to the bot- 5341911 cv tom, where they sawed them as they need- ed them. Many logs were hauled to the saw-mill at the Rapids to be used aft- erward in a new frame house. So 111any kinds of wood used in this building have now become rare that today the house is really valuable because of the material it contains. Imagine how black walnut sid- ing or clapboards would astonish people nowadays. In the log cabin there were spent com- fortable days in 1836, but the winter nights brought some suffering. The wind reached through the cracks between the logs and often snow found its way through too. Sometimes the prairie wolves and foxes came sniffing about the door. but no one was ever molested by prowling ani- mals of any kind. As spring advanced everything became interesting. Maple sap was gathered and made into sugar. The very first sugar that our pioneers had tasted in their cof- fee for months. The wild birds and wild flowers appeared. Of these, the young man found an endless number of unknown varieties that he always wished he might name correctly. The great fiight of wild pigeons that came and went each springtime in such marvelous numbers clouded the sun for hours in passing. Along the bayou Cwhere the J. I. Case plow factory is nowj he often saw the sand-hill cranes on parade. Ile was never able to approach very near these birds, for they were very alert. At sight of him they rose into the air and formed into line like trained soldiers. As they moved away in a sinuous course the line appeared i11 the distance like a great ser- pent moving along the sky. It was late in March that year when the ice went out of the river with a rush-and the current was swift and strong for many days fol- lowing. Meanwhile the inevitable northeast wind had made old Lake Michigan roll in sand until a huge bar stretched along near the shore. Higher and higher piled the sand until the river was walled in. It spread over the Hats, crept north and

Page 76 text:

tw. fm 5' ,,,,,.-,M . - - M, m,,, .,f.,.,,.,, wk, In :ix.V,,,bb mw,,,,,,k,, 4..k F. .. . .. . ,,,k K S, ., R, .K -- . a z, ' -, , -. 1 W . 5', , M '- ff IFS. . . I xT.1s1fffs.f . - .. ' '- f -1 . . b . E if I fi , Q .3 5 , h . ..,, . . y . 7 . vw IT WAS IN 1836 Along the Indian trail, between Chi- cago and Milwaukee, moved an ox team. It may have been the first time that these plodding animals had traveled this trail, for they had just been purchased by the young man who was driving them. Behind them, in a new spring wagon, were seated three companions of the driver. Here, James, said Lucius, get in here and let me take my turn at driving, since I own a half interest in this turnout I propose to do my part of the work. These oxen will have to learn our way before they can be of much use to us on our farms, and we may as well teach them now how we Connecticut folks manage an ox team. Cousin Sid, he continued, you will have to try driving next, and Stephen will be last in turn, because he is the youngest. The person he addressed as Cousin Sid was a tall, slender man of about thirty years, dignified in manner and quiet of speech. He had left his business as merchant in Massachusetts to join his father in the West. As soon as his seven- teen-year-old brother, who was attending Bennington Academy, heard of Sidney's decision, he announced that he, too, should go to Milwaukee county CWisconsin was then a part of Michigan Territoryj and help his father subdue the wilderness. James and Lucius were just at that time ready to buy a farm near the mouth of Root River, so the four young men ar- ranged to travel together, and on this morning in February, 1836, they were, one and all, glad that they had nearly reached the end of the long, tedious and difficult journey. Not because rest was to be found there, but because it was the end of their quest. Toward noon they met a man who told them that they were only about four miles from Racine. Eagerly, then, Sidney urged James to walk with him to the set- tlement, leaving the other two compan- ions to follow with the team. They strode rapidly away through the forest and were KW sf- wif? U soon out of sight of the two boys, both of whom now walked beside the oxen, be- cause they were too impatient to sit in the wagon. An hour or two later the boys had reached the place where Racine College now stands-not that they were following the shore of Lake Michigan, for the shore line then was more than a quarter of a mile east of where it is today. But this was a memorable spot, because just here the boys were met by friends from the village who had come out to greet them. One of this number was Ste- phen's father, and in the joy of meeting, the boy and man almost forgot the long year of separation. At the public house they found Sid- ney and James waiting for them, and they all enjoyed the good dinner served to them by the landlord himself. Late in the afternoon the father turned to his younger son, saying, Well, boy, you and I must be going over to our cabin before dark. , Hearing this remark, the generous- hearted landlady came forward, saying, Mr, Sage, here are a few dishes that you may have to use in your cabin if you in- sist upon staying over there, and I have packed, in a basket, some things that you and your son will enjoy eatingf, Such was the generous hospitality found in this western country, and it was deeply appreciated by our two pioneers. After leaving the house they walked to the end of the Only street, which was a short one, then the father guided his son across the rough, frozen ground to the edge of a bluff. Here they stood for a mo- ment, for before them was a scene that the boy never forgot. It was one that, years and years afterward, he longed to describe to some artist who could reproduce it upon canvas. The side of the bluff upon which they stood was almost a perpendic- ular wall, and at its base, thirty feet be- low, wound Root River. Stretching be- yond the river to the west was the low- land covered with maple trees, but the- glory of the scene was the great bluff that

Page 78 text:

W g..A ,,,LL,. NM. ...,,,. .g,,N, , , 4..,, t . Ng,i V. Vgyy. , ,.,A , ..1t.i,,i,, . ,. .,,, . ,A L ,rg I 1 l .Mana-iw...-le xriw ,..X,NLx. ..'..11,...., it a .QNJ V i ,i...- -IIJ ,.,,5,,,,,.t,mQ.s..,x: ,X,. plight' V , ,L , ..., ,. -- .,,- .,,,,,, ,,,l mm, ' l E7 south until it found the lowest place in the sand bar, where it forced an outlet to the lake. Thus the mouth of our Root River in those days moved at times north or south anywhere between Hamilton and Fifth streets of today. Crossing the ice had made the walk to Main street an easy one for our West Side companions in 1836, but now that the river was clear some craft for cross- ing the stream had to be found. The first boat was a dugout,H just a great bass- wood log in which had been hewn a cavity large enough for a man to sit in. Later a very pretty skiff superseded the unstable dug-out. ' ' Whenever a friend wished to visit this cabin in the woods he had but to walk to the east side of the river, call Halloo! when our young friend would rush to his boat, row to the other bank and quickly bring the visitor to the west side of the river. Three blocks is quite a long way to one 's front door, but hospitality is not measured by distance. This section of land where our two friends lived was bounded on the east and south by Root River. The west line was where the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad is now. The north line was de- fined by Duck Creek, that little stream that was a torrent in the spring. It ran in an undulating course through a deep ravine which was for years the dividing line between the Fourth and Fifth Wards. It received its name because it was a re- sort for the wild ducks in the spring and fall, during migration time. We read the obituary of this stream when our daily papers, a few years ago, announced that Duck Creek sewer had been formally ac- cepted by the Common Council. To those who love our river above the rapids, it will be interesting to know that the banks were once quite as beautiful all along-even as far for nearl as State Street bridge. The tall trees then were festooned with wild grape vines and the wild ivy glowed scarlet at the tops of trees as we see it now when We row up the river in the fall. VVe can hardly imagine this section, just defined, covered with the forest, but one delightful stroll, often described by our pioneer, was along the course of the river through the woods, crossing at Kin- zie's mill, then the path led him to the Indian mounds and just beyond to an opening made by a Hwindfallf' Near this place he always called to see an uncle who had a house there. Returning from such a stroll one summer evening, he reached home at dusk. There in the cabin he was startled to find four big Indians talking with his father. He was relieved to know that they were there only to rest a little before continuing their journey to Chicago. There they were going to at- tend a great meeting. The next morning our two friends went out to dig some early potatoes, some that they had planted in the spring and had watched and cared for with great interest. This morning they noticed many holes in the soft earth-proof that the Indians had reached into the ground with their long fingers and had drawn out some of the largest potatoes. They surely enjoyed a feast if they appreciated the tubers one half as much as did the men who raised them. The actual contrast between then and now we cannot appreciate nor really comprehend. How can we, in imagination, see the wild bees gathering honey from the Wild crabapple, locust, and basswood trees, where we really see the brick buildings of the Fish Brothers' factory spreading over the ground. In that spring of 1836, While our pio- neers Were out gathering sap from the maple trees that covered the flat, they were surprised to discover a nest of young wolves at the foot of the bluff. Now the splendid office building of the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company cov- ers the spot where these animals were found. It was just west of this building where the young man of this sketch once shot some wild turkeys. He awoke one morning to learn that the