Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/274

 218 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY early as 1853. The township was organized at the time of the general act in 1858. Mrs. Julia B. Nelson, at a meeting of the old settlers of the Lake Pepin valley some years ago, related some of her early experiences, from which the following extract is taken: "Had I ever been scalped by a savage Sioux, or scared to death by harmless Chippewas ; had I ever lived in a seven-by-nine log house on three grains of corn a day; had I ever practiced driving four-in-hand with an ox team ; had I ever raised vegetables on territorial ground, or raised the chickens that crowed when Minnesota was admitted to the Union, it would not be inappro- priate to call upon me in an old settlers' meeting, and I should be both proud and happy to respond. As the case stands, if 1 speak and confine myself wholly to the facts, I fear you will not he greatly entertained and will conclude that as an old settler I am a fraud and a failure. On a darkish night in June of 1857 the steamer Henry Clay landed at the town of Wacoota, and from that boat stepped my father, Edward Bullard, who had been down the river and brought back with him some horses, some cattle, and two awkward school girls, one of whom was myself. Although it was late at night, I saw a good many lights in the darkness and thought I had really come to a town. Passing to my new home T heard men sAvearing inside one of the three hotels in the place and thought I had come to a new country. "I couldn't make a claim and develop the resources of the country, but I did what I could by attending the spelling schools and lyeeums, which were in full blast. About two years after I began to 'teach the young idea how-to shoot.' and have fol- lowed that business much of the time since. (Note — Mrs. Nelson has now retired and lives in Red Wing, where she is still prom- inent in religious, temperance, equal rights and philanthropic work. — Ed.) Speaking of Sabbath keeping in the early days, 'when there was no sound of the church-going bell.' an aunt of mine who came to the state before I did. who had no neigh- bors, and whose husband had gone on a journey of several days, kept the Sabbath, as she supposed, and the next day put out her washing. Her husband, returning, notified her to her horror that she had been washing on Sunday. Great changes have been wrought before our eyes, great improvements have been made in our time, but what pleases me most of all, more than the thought of railroad facilities and Avonderful immigration, more than telegraphic communication and. spacious and beautiful pub- lic buildings, is the prosperity of- those who came here to make homes, bringing with them only health and hope and honest hearts and willing hands. To see those who worked hard behind