To those seeking homes in the west
Like many of my retired compatriots, I find myself in a the process of decluttering our household. Boxes, shelves, closets and filing cabinets hold the precious stories of our lives, along with reams of useless paper that is better sent off for recycling. I am not one to “just toss it all,” as my husband encourages, but I am game to go through various files and select only the items I imagine wanting to peruse again in my lifetime.
One publication turned up recently which I’m not sure I had read before, but now it appears at just the right time for me to be captivated.
It is a beautifully written booklet first published in 1858 by J.W. Bishop and leaders of the newly established town of Chatfield, and reprinted in 1980 by the Chatfield News. The booklet is titled “History of Fillmore County, Minnesota, with an outline of her Resources, Advantages and the Inducement she Offers to those seeking Homes in the West.”
These early settlers were in love with the lands and waters of Fillmore County, appreciating its beauty and promise, just as we do today 160 years later.
Treaties with the indigenous people, often signed with treacherous maneuvers, led the way for the U.S. government to remove the Indians and open this land to white people for settlement. At the end of 1854, the first 14 families arrived and “are believed to have been the only white people in her limits.” Half of their names still prevail in this area today.
By 1858, some 11,000 settlers had already arrived in the county, and the writers wanted to encourage many more to come and set up businesses, farms, churches and schools. They had a ready audience out East, as vast numbers of immigrants, poor farmers and factory workers, as well as ambitious young families and business owners were invited to come to a new place where all could “stand on their own feet with their competitors.”
These early promoters recognized that their history here was short, and eloquently noted, “Here the child hath gamboled by the book-side; hath wooed and won his dusky mate; hath worn the well-earned honors of a brave; hath raised his aged voice at the council fire, and has been gathered to his fathers.” Nevertheless, how the indigenous Indians were tricked, betrayed, attacked and forced out of this beautiful land was not mentioned. The national myth prevailed, that Indian genocide was inevitable with the march of modern civilization.
I’ve often wondered if the new settlers appreciated the beauty of this land as much as we do today. Oh yes, they surely did. Their description of the land and water persuasively extolled the pleasing rolling hills and precipitous rocky cliffs.
They were quick to point out that our prairie was “not at all a level tract of country, which extends as far as the eye can reach, a waving sea of grass; where not a tree or hillside breaks the monotony of the landscape. Our prairies, comprising the ever pleasing variety of hill and dale, are sufficiently uneven to be readily drained of surface water (…the cause of so much sickness…) They are abundantly supplied with living springs and streams of pure cold water. … and are generally covered with a scattering growth of burr oaks and poplars, which are sometimes collected in clumps…, bearing a close resemblance to the apple orchards of the eastern States.”
The writer describes something that is often puzzling to us, who today enjoy the mature woodlands of Fillmore County. The scattered trees mentioned above were small and stunted by fires, which, until settlers arrived, swept over the great grasslands. Occasional oak savannas were found where denser trees killed out the grass, thus checking the prairie fires. These were suggested to be future woodlots, by plowing some furrows around the plot, and thus protecting them from fires. They predicted that “as the county was settled with roads and plowed fields, the fires will probably cease altogether,” and that certainly came true. We now have many more wooded acres today than pre-settlement, as the fire pressure disappeared.
Timbered river valleys, bounteous fishing, waterpower potential, stone for building, deep sandy loam soils for farming— Fillmore County was a Garden of Eden. Even the climate was firmly documented to be similar to St. Paul, Chicago and central New York, hinting that a wilder kind of winter was feared by newcomers.
It is fascinating to look at our own familiar landscapes, and try to understand what it was like both before and after settlement, and what changes are continuing today as our generation lives on the land.
Cottage Bacon and Potatoes
Scrub one pound of potatoes (about 5 medium potatoes) and boil in salted water until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and cool a bit, then peel while still warm.
Chop 2-3 ounces cottage bacon, or Bauchspeck, (or try ham, Canadian bacon or bacon) into small pieces and cook in a large frypan. Add 1/4 cup finely chopped onion. When cooked, remove from the pan and add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the pan.
Slice the cool potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and layer into the pan. Sprinkle with the onions and bacon, and cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. Flip when golden brown; do not stir. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed, 1/4 teaspoon marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a bit of butter if necessary for browning.