One Township's Yesterdays Chapter VI  

LINKS IN NATURE'S CHAIN

"All served, all serving; nothing stands alone; The chain holds on, and where it ends, unknown." ... Alexander Pope

NATURE'S CHAIN HOLDS ON, says the poet in his on Man," and life dissolving vegetates again. "All forms that perish other forms supply."

The mastodon, the mammoth and other prehistoric species of wild life passed out of existence in this region, but there were still others, some of them not so very far removed from the extinct forms, that survived. And were known to early man in these parts, to the Indian, and to the first white settlers. In. 1836, when the first permanent white settlers came to this township, some of our old friends of the zoo were still here, roaming about in their natural state; now they are gone, except for the smaller animals. So it is, through eras of change, that Nature's chain holds on.

When the white man first came to this region, he found the bear, deer, bison, puma, wild cat and smaller animals, also familiar types of birds, snakes and other reptiles, and insects galore. He found the wild creatures in mighty hosts in those days; he found them in swarms, colonies, roosts, and other sorts of communities. He found beasts and birds of prey hunting and fishing to their hearts' content; no licenses were required. Conditions looked mighty good to the incoming white man prospecting for a home. It may be, although history is not clear on this point, that he found the hunting and fishing so good in this region that he said to himself - - and maybe to his family also, for the women and children were likewise keenly interested: "This spot suits me. No use going any farther west. We'll just pitch camp here, near these lakes, build ourselves a home, and enjoy a little hunting and fishing while we're about it."

One thing is certain, the pioneer larders were well supplied, and the early comers failed to "pull up stakes" and go on. They stayed and enjoyed the sport. The varmints were either killed off or scared off; at any rate, the settlers made it too hot for them and those that survived sought other hunting and fishing grounds.

The buffalo or bison, it is reported, had totally abandoned this country before 1816, but the elk still remained in many places, The Indian probably made it too uninviting for the buffalo on the rather sparse prairies hereabouts; there were broader plains to the west. Among other creatures, raccoons were found "in great plenty." The pole cat or skunk was very numerous on both prairie and woodland. Br'er 'Possum inhabited the country in large numbers. Porcupines were seen, but they were very scarce. The prairie wolf was numerous, and the grey and black wolves were also natives. Grey squirrels abounded, and there were gophers, prairie squirrels, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, of which there were not many, and fox squirrels, mostly in the southern part of the State.

Elk Found Here.
Deer, elk, wolf and bear inhabited the woods. Prior to 1850, several specimens of the elk were found in the southeastern corner of Marshall County, which indicates that this species of animal was formerly an inhabitant of this immediate territory. The panther was rarely discovered, but the wild cat was numerous. The brown rabbit, one might be sure, contributed radically to the density of the wild animal population in those early days.

It is said that the deer, bear, bison, and many of the present smaller animals, such as the wild cat, lynx, and fox came later than the mastodon.

Twenty years or more prior to the coming of the first permanent white settlers to Union Township, travelers reported an abundance of wild turkeys, wild geese and ducks, prairie hens, crows, hen hawks, of which there were not, however, so very many, and numerous "sandy hill cranes," also a few pelicans and swans.

The first birds, no doubt, to appear after the glacier were the water birds, lovers of the marshes, lakes and rivers, such as the waders, the cranes and others that thrived in an inundated region.

Within the memory of man, the most numerous of all birds in these parts were the wild pigeons. Daniel McDonald recalled a pigeon roost in a dense tamarack swamp not far from Wolf Creek mills, just over the Union Township line. By night, the tamaracks of the roost and also oaks and other trees for some distance away, were full of these birds. The pigeons moved in immense droves or swarms, he said, like, a heavy dark cloud. In flight, they made a great noise, reminding one of a gale passing through the limbs of the trees. The roost became well known, and "people for miles around turned out in great numbers to see the almost miraculous wonder and secure what birds they needed for food." With long poles, they knocked the birds from the branches, and carried them home in sacks and baskets. The birds roosted there in thousands. Under the heavy weight of solid masses of' pigeons, limbs would give way, and hundreds of birds were destroyed in the resulting downfall of branches and occupants. The pigeons are gone now; not one remains. For years after they went, evidences were visible of the destruction they wrought at the roost.

Among the recollections of W. S. EASTERDAY as a boy in Union Township is the memory of seeing wild pigeons, but not many, for by that time they were getting scarce and were soon to be seen no more. His information regarding pigeons in such vast numbers as existed during the early settlements is chiefly in story form. Older folks would often yarn about them. Each year, when they returned from the breeding places in western and southern forests, their ranks would be thinner and thinner, until at last none came and they were but a tradition of the past. The wild pigeon was said to be very "good eating." Mr. EASTERDAY was a bit too late to enjoy such a feast. "We couldn't shoot them," he explains, "with our clumsy muzzle loader, the only kind of gun we had." And the roost had been abandoned.

Remembers Wild Pigeons.
Mrs. REBECCA ROBINSON remembers the flocks of wild pigeons passing over like clouds when she was a girl. There were also plenty of prairie chickens then. She was well acquainted with them on the farm. Wild turkeys were another sort of game bird that was welcomed to the pioneer table. There were occasions, however, when they might have found their way to the table, but were not welcome. That was when they had eaten ramps, which were called leeks by some people. Ramps used to grow in the thick woods, sometimes covering the ground under the trees. When a man killed a turkey that was rampy, says an old resident, it was thrown away.

While living on the old VOREIS homestead farm west of Burr Oak, Mrs. ROBINSON had not a few wild animal neighbors, some of which no longer exist in this part of the country. Her recollections are of animals seen and of others that she did not see but heard about in the family circle and among the neighbors. There were, of course, no buffalo then. It was too late; they had been gone for a number of years. She never saw an elk. They had become a great rarity in this part of the world. The beaver, too, was a creature of the past. There were some lynx, but they were scarce. Wild cats and panthers were not much in evidence in those days. The most vivid memories of these animals centers chiefly around the scary tale: that were told to the children.

Mrs. ROBINSON knew the deer particularly well, for they were still to be found in goodly numbers in the township. She was also familiar with the 'possum and the 'coon, sought and found aplenty by the early hunters. The timber wolf, or grey wolf, prowled about the countryside in those days, and still does. Some are to be found in Union Township today. Wolves are still run down and shot, usually in the winter.

JAMES M. GREER in his reminiscences said that the timber wolf did not do much harm, but howled at night in the woods. The dogs kept them away, and the sheep were always shut up at night; some men made a sort of fort for them out of slabs set in the ground. Dens of prairie wolves were also found. In early days, the county paid three dollars each in county orders for wolf scalps, or the skin off the top of the head with the two ears attached. "They would pay taxes," said Mr. GREER. Think of it! Wolf scalps wiping out the tax burden! That is something for citizens of 1934 to ponder! Wolf Creek, by the way, was so called because of the prevalence in early days of black wolves from one end of the stream to the other. The creek originally bore the Potawatomi Indian name for black wolf.

Although Mrs. ROBINSON recalls seeing the skins of the brown bear, she saw none "in the, flesh." This was a small bear, sometimes called the cinnamon bear. The first settlers saw an occasional black bear, of which the cinnamon is a variety, but like the panthers and catamounts, they were soon killed and driven out by the white hunters and the Indians who were still here.

The red fox is remembered by Mrs. ROBINSON. This sly fellow pestered the chickens literally to death. There were quite a few mink and otter in those days. There are some mink left in the township today, but the otter is very scarce.

What was thought to be the last buffalo in this section was reported killed some ninety-six years ago by a young Miami Indian. This animal was once numerous on the prairies of the Kankakee, and many of them strayed over into this region, and occasionally still farther east. They preferred a prairie country, however, and their regular runways consequently were on the open plains. The buffalo, strangely, appears on the State seal of Indiana.

Porcupine Numerous.

The porcupine, a prickly creature: something like the European hedgehog, was reported by early settlers as being quite numerous in this region. Dogs sometimes attached and tried to kill them, but generally got a nose full of quills for their ambitious attempts.

The deer was the most useful animal found hereabouts, supplying both food and skins for clothing and various other purposes. They were much hunted. In the region of Lake Maxinkuckee, they were very plentiful. "They went in families, or droves," according to historian MCDONALD, "and had regular runways from their feeding grounds to the lake and river where they went to drink. Near these watering places salt would sometimes be scattered, and these cunning animals soon cultivated a taste for this saline substance, and could be frequently found at these 'licks' if the hunter could secrete himself so as not to be, seen. It was not an unusual sight to see eight or ten deer running through the prairies or woods, and the writer, when a small boy, remembers of having seen a drove of twenty, running tandem through an open stretch of ground about one-half mile from his father's house."

N. W. RECTOR's father had a dug-out canoe on Maxinkuckee one day lie and his brother saw a deer swimming across the lake to Long Point. They gave chase in the canoe, overtook the deer, and got their prey. In the (18)50's and early (18)60's, it was not uncommon for deer to swim the lake,

Had. Insects Too.

Last but not least in Nature's chain so far as we are concerned, are the insects. Less power to them! They must have got their start before the glacier had time to retreat; they grew so strong and numerous-- and so vicious. Maybe it was they that drove the mastodons and mammoths into the bogs to get mired down and give up the ghost; maybe they bit and stung the poor dumb beasts to death. Who knows? At any rate, the 'insects survived to wage war on all comers, flesh, fish and fowl, ever since. Like the poor, they are ever with us, now and forever, world without end.

Insects caused great annoyance to early travelers, one of whom, THOMAS SCATTERGOOD TEAS (or just plain TOM TEAS), tells about them in his Journal of travels afoot in 1821. He was in the wilderness not far from here. "After passing the principal part of the night in continual warfare with myriads of fleas," his story runs, "I was compelled to retreat from the field, or rather bed of battle, about two hours before daybreak." And later, "The mosquitoes (so spelled) and gnats are as numerous here as along the sea shore, and are very troublesome." By sitting in the smoke of a fire which he kindled, he made out to keep off the "musquitoes" at the risk of suffocation. Another traveler told of horses being much tormented with flies, "some as large as the English horsefly and some as large as the wasp." These flies infested the prairies. The mosquitoes (the same, only spelled differently), gnats, fleas and flies are still with us, some of their species, from all accounts, being almost as big as horses.

Several old residents of the township tell tales about the insects in early days. Screens in those times were unheard of luxuries. At the VOREIS homestead near Burr Oak, it was the children's task to cut fresh green branches from trees or bushes. These were waved back and forth over the, table during the, meal to shoo the insects away and prevent their getting at the food before members of the, household had that privilege.