USA > Indiana > Wabash County > Atlas of Wabash County Indiana. > Part 7
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Through these open forests there grew a rank, coarse, nad stram-like sage grass, as toll as a man's head ; and it was hy firing this in the fall of the year that the Indians had kept them so perfectly free from underbrush. In later years, when a settlers' cabin was located here and there, these fires were pro duetive of mnost disastrous consequences, destroying stock and fencing, and very often homes besitles.
These openings were interspersed with small wet prairies, varying in extent from twenty-five to eighty neres, and st that time covered with water during a greater part of the year. Many of these bad evidently been Inkrs at no very remote period, and the filling-in process which made them prairies instead is slowly progressing at the present day. Within the memory of many of the eller inhabitants the waters of the present lakes have receded quite perceptibly; and the shores of Mud Lake, in particular, are said to have encroached upon its limits not less than three roils on all sitles within the period of prescat recollections. Nearly all the lakes in the township are surrounded by extensive belts of swamp land, which have evidently one time been water surface, and will some day be cultivated fields. Indian tradition tells of the existence of a large Inke in the eastern part of the township, oo what is now koown ns the Thorn form, nod land adjoining. At the time of the arrival of the first settlers n small lake still existed in the centre of the prairie; but hay since dissppenred altogether.
Beaver Lakes .- Another feature of some interest. many examples of which are to be seen in this township, are the prairies which were once lakes forment by the labors of that interesting animal, so plentiful hereabout in former times-the beaver. in many localities, their Inbors have performed en im- portant part in shaping the surface of the country ; nudl their Jong, low, monod-like dams are still to be seen in many loenli- ties; generally on the outskirts of a prairie which has onee been one of their artificial lakes. They carried the earth from the billsides to build long embankmeals acroys the valleye; thus overflowing large tracts of heavily timberel country and keeping it under water until all the trees died, or were ent flown by their sharp teeth. When their dams broke away they re- paired them, though never in the line of the former structure, and so they lived for ages, until all the fallen timber had become water-logged, settied to the bottom. and become dreply covered by the sediment of the lake. At length the advent of the white trapper and the far-off approach of civilization drove them to the westwaril: their dams were washed away to be repaired no more, and their lakes settled into min.she's, and finally became the low wet prairies which were aren by the first pioneers. in Jater yeary, as the land has been chained and the mutek become settled, the ohl stumps and trunks of trers which have been hichten for ages have gradually worked their way to the sur- face to tell us the tale of years gone hy.
Soil, etc .- Notwithstanding the beauty of the central and northern pentions of the townshijo, and the case with which it could be rendered lit for cultivation, ali the carls settlers chour the more densely wooded portiony niong Ert River, or in the helty of timtar further north, thinking the barrens unproduc- tive and worthless. Subsequent expense has proved the fallacy of this belief, however ; for umeleriying the comperatively thin surfare soil of the oak fap I was found a yellow, limy sub- woit, containing an inexhan-tible supply of all the clements
necessary to render the land continuously fertile. In the heavily timbered tracts, or beech lands, as they are sometimes called, the soil is of a rich, loamy nature, nudlerlaid lo a Idur clay subsoil; while in the prairies nud in the vicinity of the streams it consists of a rich black muck of great depth and fertility ; though requiring thorough drainage in order to ruler it fit tor cultivation. The subsoil bere is generally of a gravelly nature.
First Settlements :- Pleasant Township was the dwelling- plave of the noble red man until the spring of 1835. It was at this time John Anderson, formerly from Obie; but more recently from somewhere near Logansport, together with his wife, two sons, and two daughters, came up on the north side of' Fel River and settled on Squirrel Creek, about a mile above the present town of Stockdale. Near the site of that town there was at that time an indian village called Squirreltown, after old Capt. Squirrel, the chief, after whom the crerk was also named. His Indian name was Niconza; that being the l'ottawattamie word for synirrel. Nicowza post office, just within the limits of Miami County, is named in honor of the old chieftain ; who is said to have been a model red man, pre- siding over his village with an amount of wisdom and discre- tion unusual in his race. He died at a very advanced age. The village occupied a cleared space of ground just east of Stockdale, on land now owned by James Burdge; and their burying-ground was situated at the corner of the road east of there, part of it now being in the highway.
John Anderson was the first man to ent a road from Weasau Creek up Eel River into Wabash Conaty; and saw-mills being a convenience of civilization not yet introduced, and the neves- sary number of men to carry on n log-raising not to be hait within a radius of ten or fifteen miles, his first habitation way necessarily of a rather primitive style of architecture. He is deseribed as having settled himself with bis back against a large poplar log with a roof of split elapboards over him, sup- porteil by crotches and poles. Such was the first cabin built by a white man in Pleasant Township. A man named Ralston had settledl on the other side of Eel River, further down, in Miami County, the winter before, and mule a small clearing. In the sunumer of 1835. a party of three followed an Indian trail down from Manchester to Squirrel village and to John Anderson's cabin, a mile above it. Their names were Jesse Myers, Jacob Gill, and Mathias Lukens-who was at that tine a boy of sixteen. At Manchester the road from La Gro in Turkey Creek prairie crossed Eel River ; and these three were the first white men to ent a road from that point down. At the time of their coming there were about sixty Miamis and Pottawattamies encamped on the bank of the river, aeross from Manchester. The lagd dul not come into market until the ensning september, when it was bought up quite rapidly. At the time of Col. Anderson's settlement, and until the ensuing full, no provisions could be obtainedt short of the Wea prairie, near Lafayette. The nearest mill was at Logansport, to which point they made their trips in a pirogue. This journey occupied several days; the task of returning up stream being slow and teilious.
\ corn-erarker was built on Eel River at an early dny, how- ever, which did nway with the greater part of this ardnous duty. it was situated a little below where Laketon now stands, near the site of U'llery & Miller's saw-mill. James Cox was the archi- teet and proprietor ; and the structure was voore like the cabin before-mentioned. consisting of little besides the rude machinery andl ruder burrs (dressed ont of' a couple of boublers, or - mg. ger-beads," as they are often enlled), with a roof supported by poles over the hopper. The mill did very good work, however, and in course of time they came to grind wheat there also. Both of the burrs are still to be seen near the old site of the taill.
In the fall of 1836 the importance of the presidential elec- tion about to take place, so impressed the critaly of the few Mettlery that they met together and named and organized i'leas- ant Township, in order to secure the privilege of bulding an election withon their own limits. The voting was done at the house of Saunel Thurston, and there were but Ilve legal voters present ; thuse being all present who had been in the State a yrat ; just chongh to form their board, sod no more. Their names were desse Myers, John Anderson, Joe Deunis, Jahn Ferree, and Jacob Gill. There were three Whigs and two Discoverat4; but os the Democrats did not know the panies of their « lerturn, only three ballots were cast, att two of the five legal voters, the judges of the election, carried the returns to
Organization,-I'leasant Township was not regularly organ- ized until 1834 or '99. Elertions were held at the house of
Samuel Thurston, on Silver Creek, for two or three years, before Laketon became the voting place of the township.
The first elretion of township officers resulted as follows: Treasurer, Jacob Rantz : Werk, Henry Eichholtz ; l'rustees, J. Buzzard, Philip Wertenberger, Mathias Taikous. Henry Eichholtz was clerk by appointment, the person elected to that office being incompetent to serve.
During the temporary organization of the township its school matters were managed by a board of trustees whose territory simply embraced town. 20, range G. The first schout-houses in the township were pot np without any appropriation of funds for that purpose. All the settlers in the vicinity would get together, and raise a building which auswered the purpose, in n cleared space barely large enough to accommodate it.
Jobu Anderson, or Col. Anderson, as he was more commonly called, having been an officer in the Indian War, why the first Justice of the Peace in Pleasant Township, and beid the office ten or twelve years.
Other Early Settlers .- Among the rarliest settlers of Pleas- sant Township not before mentioned, were Samuel Shuler, Lewis B. Mussleman, Harter, Barney Payne, above where Laketon now stands, John and Cornelias Ferree, Isaac Teal, Nathan Herandine, Jacob Larew, Sutherlandl. Paval Castle- man, John Walters, William Eckwright, Avery Brace, Mathias Myers, and Burdge, and Albert Panling and Curtis Pauling, in 1837. James Meechaun and John and Robert Ellison were early settlers near Squirrel Village, on Michigan Road land in Miami County. William Cornell settled north of where the present village of loann is now situated.
First Death .- The first white woman who diert in the town- ship was the wife of Mathias Myers, who died in 1836. Sbe was buried in the Vieooza burying-grousd, just across toe line of Miami County.
The oldest burying-ground in Pleasant Township is situated on the southern side of Win. Nabors' farm, in Sec.
It was a part of a clearing made by a man banned Simonton, who had come from the southern part of the State in. the summer of 1837 or 1838 Ile cleared off a few seres there, sowed it with wheat, and commenced putting up a small eabin, into which he intended to move his funily as soon as it was completed. Death stepped in and changed all these plans, however, and a portion of his prospective home was made his final resting place. It subsequently became the generel bury- ing-ground for the neighborhood, though it has of late years fallen into disuse.
Game .- Pleasant Township was well supplied with game, which contributed greatly to the support of the early pioneers. Until within the last cight or ten years deer were still seen occasionally within its limits, and it was a favorite hunting- ground with the Indians who lived on the reserves further south, long after the others had been removed beyond the Mississippi and the laod partially cleared up by white settlers.
Bear Lake .- This small sheet of water derives its ferocious name from the circumstance of a bear being killed there at an early day in the country's settlement. Que Sunday afternoon. some time in the year loi7, as the church-going people of the region were returning home from attending services hekt in the log school-house which stood across the road from where Pleasant church is now situated, in Sec. 19, Henry Eichhoitz discovered a near passing through the country to the south- ward. The aların way immediately given, and as Bruis had been guilty of travelling on the Sabbath, aone thought it out of order to give him chase on Sunday alvo, and accordingly all the gien and all the fagy in the vicinity were soon in hot pursuit. Bruin took to the water, where the dogs stood no chance against his mindderons pars, but their owner, held them na the shore while n rille-bullet terminated his ex"tence, and his body was towed in by means of a boat. Thus ended Bruin's career and the excitement together ; but the name still clings to the gradually werding waters of the little lakeh.t.
A Cold Bath,-When old David Clark came to the ruuntry with the grenter part of his possessions on an ov-rart, hy way of the ba Gro and Turkey Creek prairie road, and down the indian trail, he broke through the ice on Rel River while at- templing a crossing, and the adjacent settlers bad to turn out. and help to ent a road through the we to the shore. It was a bitterly cold day and the water nearly waist-derp. Mr. Clark Inui n quantity of whuiskry with bun, of which the men partunk freety, wy freely in fact, that, when they finally got the old man and his ox-team safe on shore and repaired to a warin calsse to thew out their beuumlrd limbs and half frozen bugera, they found that they were every one of them " as drank &s Inons." Cow Hunling .- Incidents, Indierous aud pathetie, abounded ( Continued on page 18.)
18
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY BY TOWNSHIPS,-PALMASAST -- PAWPAW -- CHESTER.
( Continued front page 17.)
in the experiences of these early pioneers. The sage-grass of the barrens or onk equnings, and the wild sed-topof the mairies finishedl most attractive pasturagr for the enthr when it was young and tender, but as it grew eperse and straw hike laterin the season. the temptation to wander off in search of finbis fresh and pastores now was very strong atương them, ami no Anders or natural Printers hunted their tamddings, The fumy cow frequently had quite decided ideas of her own regarding the proper time for returning. Sometimes she would come home at night : and very otten she wonhl not, just as happened! to suit lier fancy: lo the case of her non-appearance at the proper time, it became the daty of the good housewife to hout her ap and bring her home ; and so, leaving the vinidren shut up in the calin, she would start on ber search, stopping ever and anton as she went. to listen for the sound of the umkling cow-bell, and then calling " co' boss," "en' boss," unal the woods rang again.
One Way to find Home,-On such an oerasion a worthy dame who is still living, Init whose modesty forhuis mention of her name in this connection, wandered so far from home in ecarch of the festive bovines that, when she found them at last, she discovered that she herself was lost. Night was approach- ing, hurried on prematurely by the unusual fogemess of the atmosphere, and extreme measures must be adopted or she would be compelled to stay out with the wolves alone for com- pany throughout the livelong night. Some women wouldl bnve been at a loss what to do, but not so with this one. Seizing one of the cows by the caudal extremity, she gave her a smart blow with a cudgel : and started in the direction of bome at a pace which was, of necessity, very far from a slow one. If she once let go she would never be able to follow them in the gathering night, through the dim woods and tall sage-grass ; and so she elung to the tail with the grip of despair, plunging through swamps, streams, and fallen tree-tups. what- ever came in ber way, until she at length reached the cabin in safety. She had travelled over three miles in this barum -- carum manner ; and was a trifle out of breath, and some the worse fur wear when she got there. Her bushand had returned home from his work some time before sbe arrivedl; and, hecoming ntarmed at her long absence, was pounding oo a barrel outside the house to attract her attention if she were lost. This was a comoon method of guiding n lost one home at that time, cod when the good man did not return from his labors until the darkness lind come on, his wife would take op her position outside the cabin and pound on the head of a Unrrel with a heavy stick, in order to enable him to find the direction of the clearing.
The story is told of o negligent husband who forgot to tell bis wife that he was going to attend a "corn-shocking" at a neighbor's one evening, and the devoted woman stayed out ond pounded on that barrel-head until long after midnight.
Chilled to Death .- Another circumstance of s similar nature to the one before mentioned, although attended with a sad finale, occurred some time afterwards. A young woman named Anna M. Geik was lost while hunting the cows, and obliged to remsin out all night. She climbed a tree, and spent the dreary bonrs among its branches, with what seemed like ten thousand wolves bowling and raving under her. They gnawed the bark from the tree, close to the ground, snd tore up the earth for some distance all around it. The fright and exposure of the frosty night proved too great a shock for ber constitution, and she died a few weeks afterward.
Lost Child .- It was oo uncommon thing for children to strsy away from home and become lost in the woodls, while woods were so cominon and clearings so small and so unfrequent. One of the most netedl of these cases, in local history, is the lesing of one llenry l'eurod. at that time aged three years, He disappeared ahout four o'clock our afternoon, and the family. failing to find him, when it began to grow dark, callert in their neighbors to assist in the search. The news spread like wild- fire, that a child was lost, and every one turned out to hunt for the little wanderer. They searched all night, and when morning came he was still missing. A more thorough and systematic search was organized, with the large force then on hand, and almost nine o'clock the gan was fired which chanted that he had Inch found. An old heater named Jsme flare. who was as good on a trail as any Indian, had tracked hian to a cornfield about a mile from home, where he had slept soundly and safely all night; the prowling wolves, for a wordler, having failed to find him.
Wolves .- These nuimaly were not so fierce as in former years, but still madle sad havoc among the small stark of the wetthers; enlves, small pigs, sheep, rte., having to le provrient from them with great war (. the wire sometimes mited in the soft quaggy bottom's if the futfries, and haif-eaten alive by three cowardly brutes, before their owners, attracted by their bellowing, could reach thin. Though no instabrey are known where they have ever attneked man in this part of the country. people were very enn ful not to give them too gomil an oppor tunity ofter nightfall. A trachtion among the linhans fonud living bere nt, the time when the first white settlers rate, tol! of une of their warnors having been devoured by theon a few years previons. The way returning hutue from a hunt, with a deer strajged on bis Irak ; when being journed and overtoken by a pack of these ununals, he bucked into a hullyw tree,
where he defended himself with his hatebet ne long as he could, Unt was finally overpowered and enten by them, deer and all. First Church .- The first church in this township way organ- ized by the Baptist denonnnation, in the yenr 1842, with Rev. David la wis as quistor, and a membershapeof nine persons. A4 we learn from their reenrds, Grey hell services m leuns and schod los, and in Mosheman's sau-mill, until the year 1,53, when they built their present eililive on the Miami County line. Their fust converl was ahe inand Lewis, a son of the minister, who was baptized in Squirrel Check in the winter uf 1-42. The record further states that the weather was extremely coll at the time, the thermometer standing at g- below zero.
The Presbyterian Church at Shiloh was organized the same year. In 1543 or 1>14 they put up a log chapel, which was the hrst church estive built in the township, and which remained io use for alot twenty years. It bas since been replaced by a Game Imilding.
Mammoth Bones,-Pleasant Township has contributed some valuable information respueting the ancient fauna of the country. A few years ago a party of men, who were throwing up an embankment for a bridge across Silver Creek, discovered the bones of a mastodon reposing under about five feet of muck. The workmen tonk little interest in the discovery, only digging up some parts of the skeleton. Some of these bones are at present in the cabinet of Wabash College at Crawfordsville.
On the west line of the county Mr. Longareker recently unearthed the skull ami antlers of an elk which had apparently been mired in the swamp which he was ditching. It measured eight feet from tip to tip. A number nf Aztec arrow or sper heads were found some years ago on Eel River by John E. Busard.
Laketon,-Laketon, the principal village in Pleasant Town- ship, is charmingly situated between Eel River on the one siile, Round Lake, a clear, sparkling sheet of water with a sandy beach, on the other, and Long Lake a little to the north of it. Evidently the original projretors of the place selected this locality as the site on which to found a town from the ex- treme beauty of its surroundings. It was laid out by High Hanna, Isaac Thomas, and Jacob D. C'nssett, on the 8th day of September, 1834, and was maile the voting-place of the township soon nferwarda. At that time it was supply a point on the old Indian trail down Eel River from Manchester, and consisted of a few log cabins, a blacksmith shop, and the mill just below, built by James Cox. William Johnson and Ira Burr were the first merchants of the place.
ljamsville .- This is a small but thriving village which has recently sprung up oo the line of the Detroit, Eel River, and Illinois Railrond, nhout a mile south of Laketon. It is an en- terprising and progressive town, and is evidently destined, nt no very distant day, to become the commercial centre of l'lea- sant Township.
New Harrisburg .- The town of New Harrisburg is situnteil on the western fine of Pleasant Township, next to Fulton County. It was laid off by George Gienhart, in July, 1856. Although it bas hardly fulfilled the expectations of its original proprietors in growing to be a large town, it is the central point and trading place for quite an exteniled tract of country, aml quite a thriving business is done by its mercantile estab- lisbments.
PAWPAW TOWNSHIP.
This township has so recently been formed out of parts of Pleasant and Noble towoships, that it would be difficult to separate its history from theirs. Much of the surface is a low and level plain, mutil Intely covered with n denye growth of trees. The beds of the watercourses are in general Unt little depressed below the level of the surrounding country, and thus by becoming clogged with fallen timber the channels woukl often he so impeded that the water would sprend out over the surrounding country, covering it like a lake, and giving other parto a swampy-looking appearance. For many years this portion of the country was avoided by the settler ; many think- ng that much of it was too for and wet for farming purposes. Of late this notion has been found to he an erroneous one, and the farbis in this township are bring rapully improved. Ex- tensive ditches have been out, and others are contemplated ; which will put these laods on a par with the heut, as there is but little surfare in the township too low to be drained, and when oure rendered snitalde for crops the productiveness of the soil iy nuogunlien.
Cordurey Reads .- Through the low and level portions of this and other townships "corduroy" rond4, as they were called, were formerly a great institution. The uni being mucky and miry. it was almost unfit to travel on, during the early spring especially. Kondy were accordingly improvised by cutting pole and logy and laying them e-wywie with the track. Some- times these poles rested npon other poles or " stringers, " and sometimes they brudd the sjetres between them filled with rarth ; but at best they formed a rough road, and one who hny driven GAPr mich a highway, especially when a little ont of repair, will not aren forget the terrible jolting and shaking that was experienceil: aut with how much difficulty the horses found a fonthold on the loow, yielding polen and roiling logs, vainly endeavaring to stand on which they often elpped into the mury t'enithy in wenth.
Deer Hunting .- In the tune when deer were very plenty,
many of the settlers made n regular business of hunting them, thir sking hong almost the only obtainalde article which had a regular rash vaine, and often the settler's only means of uh- taining; his grocery sorgdies, salt, ete. One of the most sue- erssfut ways of carrying on thuis warfare against the feet and tumorous animals was hy river-hunting, or fire hunting, as it nas sometimes called. Two men would paddle a louer thistance up the river some tune in the afternoon, preparatory to lluat- ing down with the current after dark. When the shades of evening had fallen sufficiently to cover their propredings, they wrotkl start slowly down the river with a light fixed in the how of the hunt and a " blind" behind it to shield them from its rays. One sat in the stern to steer, atul the other close bebund the light to shoot. As they would glide uniselessly along with the current, the deer which had waded out into the water to nihilde the moss along the banks, or the better to protect them- selvey from the all-devamrig mosquitos, would be dazzhed by the light, and allow the hunters to approach within cass range of them without alarm. In ense they became frightened nnd started toward the shore, a slight rocking from side to sule of the ennoe would cause sich n commotion among the shadows of the trees on the bank as to frequently frighten them back into the water again. When a deer was killed, a bari thong was tied around its body and a large stone attached, sinking it in the river in order to secure it from the widvrs and pan- thers until the following day. when the party would return and fish it up. There was no difficulty in timling them, for every hunter knew the river, rod by rod, for miles m both directions.
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