home near Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
to seek a location in the West, where homes could be had "Without money
and without price," in the great new state of Minnesota.

In October of '59 all of the earthly belongings of my father, being my
mother, seven children and a handful of household goods, were loaded
into a wagon drawn by a pair of unbroken steers, and we started for our
new home with great anticipations. Our two cows were driven behind the
wagon. My elder brother drove the steers attached to the wagon, and we,
the younger children drove the cows, and in the short period of
precisely thirty days we reached our new home in the western part of
Shelby county. Now we make the trip in twelve hours. But our loads were
heavy for the teams we had, and through Wisconsin sand and good
Minnesota mud, we made scarcely more than ten miles a day, camping at
night in and under our wagons.

The year had been a peculiar one in Wisconsin. There had been severe
frost at some time in every month during the entire summer and corn and
other produce was badly frost bitten. By October first all vegetation
was brown and dead. But there had been much rain in Minnesota, evidently
preventing frosts, and when we crossed the great Father of Waters at La
Crosse, much swollen and turbid, we were greeted by green foliage and
the freshness of spring. Vegetation was rank, grass tender, crops good,
foliage magnificent, and boy-like, I at once fell in love with
Minnesota.

We entered Blue Earth county near the southeast corner, and went as
nearly directly west as possible, passing Minnesota lake near the north
shore, camping for the last time very close to the north shore of Lura
lake, where we spent the night.

My recollection of the southern part of this county, is that it was
mostly low and level, with a wonderful growth of wild grasses. The lands
were nearly all taken and there were seen here and there settlers'
shanties, and in some places quite comfortable homes, until we crossed
the Blue Earth river west of Shelbyville, when, after leaving the
settlers' cabins in or near the river timber, the picture was wild and
dreary to the very limit. Save a few cabins and claim shanties in the
vicinity of the Mounds, one could look from the river west, southwest
and northwest, and not a sign of human life or habitation could be seen.

We were four miles from Shelbyville, and to get our mail we must go this
distance, and cross the Blue Earth river, either in