A METHODIST CIRCUIT RIDER'S HORSEBACK TOUR FROM PENNSYLVANIA TO WISCONSIN, 
1835. BY ALFRED BRUNSON, D. D.

*****************************************************************************
USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE:  These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in 
any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons.  
Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the 
written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the 
submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this 
consent.
*****************************************************************************

Submitted by: David W. Taft, 2003

Source:

Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume 15, Pages 
264-291.

Originally published: Madison, WI; Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 
1900.  Edited and Annotated by Reuben Gold Thwaits, Secretary & 
Superintendent of the Society. 


Original images of the article can be viewed at the Library of Congress 
American Memory Collections:

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html

Search using Alfred Brunson


A METHODIST CIRCUIT RIDER'S HORSEBACK TOUR FROM PENNSYLVANIA TO WISCONSIN, 
1835. BY ALFRED BRUNSON, D. D.[1]

Page 264 

[Note 1: 1 Alfred Brunson, D. D., author of this journal, is said to have 
been "the first Methodist minister who set foot on the soil north of the 
Wisconsin River." He was born in Danbury, Conn., February 9, 1793. Seven 
years later the family moved to Sing Sing, N. Y., where the father was 
drowned in 1806; the mother returned to Danbury with her seven children, and 
apprenticed Alfred to a shoemaker. But being an inveterate reader, although 
with little scholastic training, ambition grew in him, and while still a 
cobbler he studied law. In 1809, having become "awakened" at a Methodist 
revival, he was licensed as an exhorter. In 1811 he was married, and settled 
on an Ohio farm. Two years later he entered the army for a year, and was at 
the taking of Malden and the retaking of Detroit. Returning home, he was, in 
1815, licensed to preach, and had long labored successfully in Ohio and 
Pennsylvania, when he felt called to become a missionary to the Indians on 
the Upper Mississippi River; and the interesting journal herewith presented 
is a record of his overland horseback tour from Meadville, Pa., to his new 
location at Prairie du Chien, Wis. Upon arrival, he was made presiding elder 
and Indian missionary of a district extending from Rock Island, Ill., to the 
head of the Mississippi River. In 1839, ill health caused Mr. Brunson to 
abandon the ministry for a time, and for ten years he held various official 
positions and practiced law; in 1840, we find him in the territorial 
legislature; in 1842 he was appointed Indian agent at La Pointe, on Lake 
Superior; in 1850, after a defeat for a judgeship, he returned to the 
ministry of his church, and two years later became presiding elder of the 
Prairie du Chien district. For a time, commencing with 1862, he was a 
chaplain in the Union army, but resigned because of ill health, and finally 
retired from active labors in 1872.His wife had died in 1846. Dr. Brunson was 
fond of historical research, wrote much for both the secular and the 
religious press, was the author of numerous articles in the Wisconsin 
Historical Collections, and published two books: A Western Pioneer 
(Cincinnati, 1872), in two vols., and Key to the Apocalypse (Cincinnati, 
1881). He died Aug. 3, 1886, in the ninetieth year of his age. His early 
journals and letter-books are in the possession of this Society. One of his 
MS. books contains the journal here published, which appears to have been 
written after the events narrated.--Ed.] 

Sept. 9th 1835. Having made preparations, I left my family, in Meadville, Pa. 
and an endearing circle of friends & acquaintances, to go on a Mission to the 
Indians on the Upper Mississippi, accompanied by Wellington Weigley. Bro. 
Weigley was one of the young men whom I had introduced into the Ministry, 
having employed him one year before he was admitted on trial, & he being his 
2d year on trial at this time.

I took the thills from my one horse wagon, and putting a tongue to it, we 
attached both our horses, took our saddles, bridles, saddle-bags &c. all 
which made but a light load. He designed to accompany me to the Illinois 
conf. to which 

Page 265 

we had both been transferred, & which, was to meet on the 1st of Oct. 
ensuing, & as much farther as his appointment would admit of.

To leave home under such circumstances, & with such an object in view, was 
attended with feelings & reflections of the most solemn character. The 
distance to the nearest Indians I expected to visit, was about 900 miles, to 
visit whom, & to select a site for the location of my family, would occupy 5 
or 6 months, & cost me about 2000 miles travel; a good part of which must be 
performed in the dead of winter. Some of this time I must be separated from 
all white or civilized society, & the remainder of the time mostly among 
strangers.

Nature had shrunk from the task; but I stood reproved. The fur trader, the 
Indian agent & the Military officer & soldier had went farther for the 
purposes of commerce, war & worldly business; And to think that the Ministers 
of Religion should be unwilling to brook the difficulties these men do, (for 
the sake of money,) for the sake of saving souls, is enough to cause the 
blush of shame.

I was also lame, & unable to walk at the time, only with crutches, from an 
injury I received in the heel a few weeks before. But being inspired by views 
& feelings, produced, 

Page 266

as I trust, by the influence of the Divine Spirit, I moved forward with the 
alacrity usual to one conscious of being in the path of duty.

We traveled 25 miles between 2 & 8 o'clock P.M. And lodged at Bro. Parkers in 
Kinsman, Ohio. Here we found a gracious work of God in progress, it being the 
time of a protracted meeting. Some 30 souls had then been at [the] alter, 
several of whom had found pardon. We left the meeting in progress, tho' much 
in want of ministerial help. (I did not go to the meeting house myself, on 
account of my lameness; but Bro. Weigley went tho' we arrived so late, & gave 
an exhortation, &c.)

The circumstances under which the house in which this meeting was held, was 
erected, & came into the hands of the Methodists, shows the mysterious ways 
of Providence. The town of Kinsman, like all others on the Connecticut 
Western Reserve, is laid off 5 miles square. The roads are usually laid off 
at right angles, which the levelness of the country admits of to advantage, & 
the centre is the usual site for meeting house, school house &c. There, was, 
however, a deviation from this, in this town, owing to local circumstances.

Mr. Kinsman, the original proprietor of the town, settled 11/2 miles south 
west of the centre, which of course, became the place of business, & centre 
of social operations. Here the Presbyterians built a large & elegant church, 
designed for the accommodation of all the members of that church in the town. 
But a part of them, residing north & east of this point objected to having 
the house thus one side, & refused to aid in its erection on that site. The 
friends of this site, however, being more wealthy tho' less numerous than 
their opponents, succeeded in their design.

Upon this the other party assembled, raised funds & built another house, less 
spacious than the other, but sufficiently so to accommodate those it was 
designed for. They found, however, that it was difficult if not impossible to 
get preacher of their order to serve them. They were considered schismatics, 
& therefore not to be countenanced.

Page 267

Under these circumstances, rather than have no preaching, they applied to the 
Methodist preachers, who, being commissioned to preach the gospel to every 
human creature, & whether right or wrong about the building of the house, 
they had souls to save, & were, therefore, objects of our pursuits. They were 
preached to, & soon after a society of near 100 members was raised, & the 
house was settled upon trustees according to our deed of settlement. And at 
this time the circuit was so arranged as to give them preaching every 
Sabbath.[1]

[Note 1: 1 Kinsman is now (1900) a post-village in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
with four churches, an academy, a chair-factory, and several other small 
industries; population of the township, in 1890, was 1,029.--Ed.] 

Sept. 10th. Proceeding on our way, we called at my old friends, Wm. Parish, 
in Hubbard, for dinner. As I expected, Bro. Parish objected seriously to my 
leaving the country. "Let others, & younger men go," said he, "but stay you 
here & take care of the churches you have so long been laboring to build up 
in the faith of the gospel." It is certainly much more congenial to ones 
feelings to see people regret, rather than rejoice at my going from them. Yet 
it was painful to my feelings to see them afflicted at the course I had 
taken.

My horse being lame, & showing signs of being unable to perform the journey, 
I exchanged him for another, giving $15, to boot. This was the only time I 
had traded or exchanged horses in seven years. And such is my utter aversion 
to ministers trading in horse flesh, that I should not now have done so, but 
for the extreme necessary of the case.

We reached Canfield this night and lodged with Bro. Elihu Warner. I was not 
long here before I was surrounded by old friends, one of whom, Sister Starr, 
dandled me upon her knee when I was a babe, in Danbury, Conn., more than 42 
years ago.

Sept. 11th. Arrived at New Lisbon, stopped at Bro: Corbets. We proposed a 
Missionary meeting, which was agreed to, on condition we would ask for no 
money. But 

Page 268

as there had never been a meeting of the kind in the place, tho' there was a 
socy of over 100 members, & a population of near 3000 souls,[1] I felt disposed 
to hold one, for the purpose of diffusing the Missionary Spirit, even tho' we 
got no collection. We found the Spirit of benevolence here, however, & as 
soon as the cause of Missions & the duty of Christians to support them was 
spread before their minds, the congregation, tho' small, contributed nobly, 
for their number & the notice they had received.

[Note 1: 1 New Lisbon, a village (1890) of 2,278 souls (less than credited to 
it by the diarist, in 1835), is now the capital of Columbiana county, Ohio. 
It has 6 churches, a number of small mills and factories, and issues three 
weekly papers.--Ed.] 

Sept. 12th. We passed over the ridge through which the Sandy & Beaver Canal 
is to pass by a tunnel about 90 feet below the road, near Hanover. In digging 
the Canal near this town (Hanover) the workman found most of the bones of a 
mammoth of the largest size ever yet found. The Rev. Alcinus Young measured 
the teeth, the Jaw & several other bones; and allowing the proportions to be 
the same as those of the ox or cow, this animal must have been [blank in MS.] 
feet long.

We passed down the beautiful valley of Sandy cr[eek] now containing several 
thriving villages, growing upon the line of the Canal, & reached Judge [blank 
in MS.] at Sandyville, where we spent the Sabbath, each preaching once to the 
people.

Sept. 14th Monday: Passing through New Phila. we dined at Gnattenhuten. This 
place is rendered famous in the history of Missions, from its being the site 
of an old Moravian Indian Mission, & the place where 92 pious Indians were 
inhumanly murdered, by a marauding party of whites, under the command of Col. 
Williams, in March 1782.[2] After 

[Note 2: Gnadenhüten and Schönbrunn were two villages built for Christian 
Indians in 1772, by the Moravian missionaries Zeisberger and Heckewelder. 
They were both on the west bank of the Tuscarawas River, the former in the 
outskirts of the present white town of that name, in Clay township, and the 
latter higher up, about three miles southeast of the present New 
Philadelphia, in what now is Goshen township, Tuscarawas County, O. Details 
of this shocking massacre,--in which ninety peaceful Indian converts (29 men, 
27 women, and 34 children) were slaughtered like cattle, by being knocked in 
the head with a cooper's mallet,--may be found in Withers' Chronicles of 
Border Warfare (Cincinnati, 1895 ed.), pp. 319--327. The leader of the 
marauding expedition was David Williamson, colonel of one of the militia 
battalions of Washington County, Pa.--Ed.] 

Page 269

dinner we walked over the ground on which their village stood, & surveyed, 
with mournful reflections, the remains of their dwellings & the spot so 
ignobly stained by the, blood of American Martyrs. The holes of their cellars 
are yet visible & the width & course of the streets can be traced out, but 
nature seeming to be ashamed of this act of worse than Savage cruelty, has 
caused a thick growth of under brush, plumb trees & some stately oaks to hide 
it from the view of the present traveler.

Viewing this consecrated spot of earth with the eye of a Missionary, bound 
too, to the same race of aborigines, & having just before read the history of 
their Missions among these natives, in which a detailed account of this 
circumstance is given, I felt like stepping light upon the ashes of those 
Saints of God. We found corn which was burnt at the time, with the houses, & 
being in a charcoal, it had not decayed. We took several carnels, a few of 
which I intend to deposit in Museum of Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.

We reached a tavern 4 miles from Coshockton, at the foot of a high & rough 
hill, some time after dark, & were obliged to stay with a drunken Land Lord. 
On his premises were strong symptoms of silver ore.

Sept. 15. We passed down the valley of the Muskingum, which, including that 
of the Tuscarawers, contains some of the best land in the State of Ohio. We 
dined at Dresdon & lodged at Sister Thompsons between Irvill & Newark.

16th. Stopped in Newark, & held a Missionary meeting, but, notwithstanding we 
had a larger congregation than in New Lisbon, the collection was but about 
half as much.1
[Note 1: 1 Newark is now a place of about 3,000 inhabitants.--Ed.] 

Page 270

17th. We reached Reynoldsburgh, on the National Road. Here my two youngest 
brothers live, one of whom I had not seen for 19 years, & the other but once 
in that length of time. In this neighborhood I have a sister whom I had not 
seen in 19 years, & an other whom I had not seen in 27 years. It would seem 
as if nature would lose its endearing tie or forget its kindred feeling in 
that length of time: but this was not the case. And a visit of a few days 
amply restored the affections of nature to their wonted strength, from the 
dilapidation which time may have made.[1]

[Note 1: 1 Referring to this reunion, in his Western Pioneer, vol. ii, p. 28, 
Mr. Brunson says: "Our meetings were pleasant, of course, but nothing 
peculiar or different from that of other folks."--Ed.] 

Sept. 20. Sabbath. Preached twice in Columbus, O.[2] & lifted a collection for 
Missions of $26.62.

[Note 2: 2 Columbus was then a city (it had been incorporated in 1834) of 
about 3,000 inhabitants, and rapidly growing.--Ed.] 

21st. Left Columbus, & in about 5 miles lost my saddle bags, which, from the 
roughness of road, were jolted out of the wagon behind; but did not discover 
the loss till 13 miles after. Bro. Weigley took another horse, leaving ours 
to rest, & went back for them. A traveler had found them & carried them back 
to Columbus, where they were obtained. It would have been a serious loss, not 
to have recovered them. They contained most of my money, and valuable papers, 
& all my change of clothing I had with me. He returned with them 10 o'clock 
at night.

Sept. 22. Soon after we started, we broke our double tree, in a mud hole. 
This we mended with a with[e] & a pole which we cut with our hatchet, & drove 
300 miles with it, before we could conveniently get a new one. The roads 
through Ohio & Indiana were extremely bad.  Passing through Springfield, we 
lodged at an inn 7 miles a head.

23d. Passing through Dayton, we reached Alexander.

24th. Went through Eaton, & several little towns, & reached Milton, Indiana, 
some time after dark. The country & the people began to assume a rougher 
appearance than they before had done.

Page 271

25th. We got on to the National Road, then building, but the late rains & 
immense travel, made the road intolerable. Some times we were obliged to take 
the woods to escape the mud, & even there travelers often got stuck fast. The 
tide of emigration is very great. We pass from 10 to 30 moving wagons a day, 
with droves of cattle & sheep, mostly going to Illinois. Lodged in 
Greenfield.

26th. Passed through Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana. and reached 
Belleville, where we spent the Sabbath, each preaching once, & taking up a 
small collection for Missions.

28th. Going through Greencastle, we lodged at a farm house where they took 
all the feed from our horses, after we went to bed.[1]

[Note 1: 1 Western Pioneer, ii, pp. 28--30. The host, Brunson thought, seeing 
that their guests were preachers, expected no pay; so made only a feint at 
entertaining their horses.--Ed.] 

29th. We reached Clinton, on the Wabash, & lodged with a friend. Here my new 
horse had become so lame, & stiff with the scratches, that I was obliged to 
exchange again. I this night took a severe cold, with which I was afflicted 
for several weeks.

30. Through Paris, Ill. & onto the grand Prairie where it was 15 miles to the 
first house. This is one of the most delightful views in the world. I had 
often heard tell of these Prairies. I had seen them, tho' small, in Ohio & 
Michigan, but the half had never been told me. Except the few wet places 
which carry off the water, it affords the best natural road I ever saw, and 
when these "wets" are bridged & the road through them turnpiked they will 
exceed any road in the world, having no more work done to them.

We reached a cabin, with 3 moving wagons, containing 27 persons. The cabin 
was not over 18 feet square, with a bed room attached to it, & in & about it 
40 persons lodged that night.

Oct. 1. Traveled 15 miles to the first house, where we took breakfast--15 
miles to the next, then 23 miles further, making 53 miles. But this was too 
much for Bro. Weigleys horse, after having traveled so far. He gave out.

Page 272

Oct. 2d. Reached Springfield,[1] Sangamon co. Illinois, and found the conf. 2 
days in session. We were much fatigued, having traveled 630 miles in about 3 
weeks.

[Note 1: 1 At this time Springfield was a town with perhaps 1,500 
inhabitants, and the largest settlement in Illinois, except Jacksonville, 
which claimed 1,600.--Cf. Moses' Illinois (Chicago, 1889), p. 431. It was not 
selected as the capital of the state until 1837.--Ed.] 

3d. Went into conf. presented our transfers & were introduced to the conf. by 
Bishop Roberts.[2] Here we met Brethren Mack, Hitchcock, & Whitney who had 
transferred from Pittsburgh. The sight of old acquaintances & friends, in 
this distant land, was cheering to our spirits. Some of the members I also 
had seen at Gen. Conf. in Phila. in 1832; otherwise they were strangers, but 
I soon found they were brethren, & engaged in the same common cause.

[Note 2: 2 Robert Richford Roberts, born 1778, died 1843.--Ed.] 

Oct. 4th. Sabbath. Heard several excellent sermons, witnessed the 
ordinations, & preached at night, & concluded by calling up 8 or 10 mourners 
to the alter for prayers.

5th. The conference Missionary Society held its anniversary. "Theaphilus 
Armenius" & myself were the speakers. But such is the eccentricity of that 
remarkable genius, that it is impossible to follow him in a speech with any 
degree of satisfaction. He ranged the world from its creation to its end, & 
talked, in broken fragments, a little about every thing connected with the 
spread of the gospel. He had the attention of the people, but it was hard to 
get that attention after he had done. The meeting, however turned off in good 
stile. The cause of Missions is beginning to be appreciated in every part of 
the church.

6. I had intended to keep clear of committee business, if possible, at this 
conf. having had my part in Pittsburgh. But before I was aware, I was on 
three or 4 committees, as was usual in my old conf. And before conf. rose I 
had 4 written reports in my hands at once ready to be presented.

7th. crowded yet more with committee business, growing out of a difficulty 
between two preachers, but succeeding in getting a reconciliation between 
them, we were discharged from further trouble about it.

Page 273

8th. Bishop tho't best to give me charge of Galena Mission Dist.[1] in 
connection with my mission to the Indians. The Dist. lies on the extreme of 
the white settlements, within which my family must be located, & contains 
only 5 appointments. This would occupy but 5 weeks out of 13 to attend to 
their quarterly meetings, & leave 8 to explore the Indian country.

[Note 1: 1 "A district," says Brunson in Western Pioneer, ii, p. 31, 
"extending from Rock Island to St. Anthony's Falls, five hundred miles long, 
including all the settlements on both sides of the Mississippi River, and 
about. seventy miles wide. Dubuque, however, was the only settlement west of 
the river."--Ed.] 

9, & 10. Rested, & wrote letters.

11. Sabbath.--Preached to a large & attentive congregation.

Oct. 12. Started for Galena, to which Bro. Weigley was appointed.[2] But we soon 
found that his mare could not travel so far as to do us, & at 18 miles we 
stopped at a friends & he exchanged horses.

[Note 2: 2 Later, Weigley became a member of the Galena bar.--Ed.] 

13th. Traveled 43 miles through a beautiful Prairie country, & lodged with a 
half backslidden professor.

14. Reached the Illinois River at Peoria. In reaching the river we descended 
hills, from the common level of the Prairie, which were about 500 feet above 
the level of the river. After the dissent, we passed over a rich river bottom 
covered with wood, but the crops on the cleared fields did not look as 
bountiful, as they did on the Prairie land. The Prairie, therefore, appeared 
to be richer than the river bottoms.

We ferried the river, at the outlet or mouth of Illinois Lake, where the 
River is narrower than at any other point from the Rapids to the mouth, being 
only about 150 yards wide. A company is incorporated to build a bridge here. 
This town will no doubt be a place of great business,[3] but, at present there 
is the most shaving, the highest prices, & the least accommodations of any 
place of the size I was ever in. We had traveled 50 miles to get to a 
blacksmith, 
 
[Note 3: 3 Now a city of about 50,000 inhabitants.--Ed.] 

Page 274

to shew Bro. Weigley's horse, but of two smith, nothing could be done for us. 
We had to travel 24 miles farther, crooking about, to two smiths more, & 
finally got it done at Chilicothe, 18 miles up the River, or at the head of 
Ill. Lake.

At this place (Peoria) I saw a new patent hard mill. The stones were 2 feet 
in diameter, the upper one 15 inches thick, & both went, but contrary ways, 
by the same crank & cog wheel. The spindle was hollow, one working inside of 
the other like the posts of a watch or clock. The whole frame, including 
hopper, box, stones & all did not occupy more than about 5 feet square & as 
many high. A very little water power would turn it, as it could be turned by 
hand to grind considerably fast.

South & east of this River the Prairie country is generally level, or nearly 
so. But north of this, it assumes a more rolling or undulating form. South of 
it, the country affords but few stone. In the banks of the large streams are 
some times found quarries, about 100 feet below the common level of the 
country. But upon the plains no stone are visible, except here and there a 
primitive rock, called in this country "lost rock:" There are on an average 
about one to a 100 or 160 acres, & are supposed to have been thrown here by 
the action of the water in the deluge. Stone coal is abundant on this River, 
& by a slip of the bank, a little above Chillicothe, a stratum of coal was 
laid bare, 36 feet in depth; an other 6 feet in depth.

South of this River the Streams of water are sluggish, & very few mill seats 
can be found. But north of it the land becoming rolling the water falls more 
than below, & mill seats become more plenty.

At this place we entered the scene of the Indian, or Black Hawk war, of 1832. 
The stockades & forts were yet visible. The one at this place was called fort 
Clark. The Potewattimies were just on the move for their new home west of the 
Mississippi.[1]

[Note 1: 1 By treaty concluded at Chicago, Sept, 26, 1833, the united nation 
of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Pottawatomie Indians ceded their lands along the 
west shore of Lake Michigan, and agreed to move to a reservation of five 
million acres on the Missouri River. It took several years to effect the 
removal.--Ed.] 

Page 275

Oct. 15. Left Elbow creek where we lodged, after breakfast, & traveled 20 
miles to the first house. The road led over a beautiful roiling Prairie. Here 
we stopped & fed our selves & beast. At table we had 4 Presbyterian preachers 
who had been to a camp meeting, with several of their friends. I expressed a 
little surprise that they should hold camp meetings! "Why," said one of them 
"Camp Meetings began with us, & I should be sorry to lose or give them up 
now." They said that about 30 professed to obtain religion.--We paid $1.00 
for our dinners & horse feed. Two of us.

We went from this to Beauro or Robinsons River, & through Princeton, & to Dad 
Joe Smiths that night 35 miles further, making 55 that day. The last 12 miles 
we traveled after sundown, & by fire light over Prairie, it being on fire. 
This was the grandest scene I ever saw, the wind blew a gale all day, the 
grass was dry, & the fire being in the Prairie, at a distance, where we 
entered it some men were kindling fire to burn it away from their fences & 
then let it run--no odds who it burnt up. As the dark came on, the fire shone 
more brilliant. A cloud of smoke arose on which the fire below shone, & the 
reflection could be seen for miles--in some instances 40. We passed 3 
different fires in this 12 miles, having to turn out & get round them when 
they reached the road. The wind blew across our road, & the long ways of the 
fire was with the wind, in which direction it went nearly as fast as the 
wind. But when a streak was run, in the direction of the wind, then the fire 
worked side ways. By this means we had in view at one time from one to 5 
miles of fire in a streak, burning from 2 to 6 feet high. In high grass it 
sometimes burns 30 feet high, if driven by fierce winds. By the light of this 
fire we could read fine print for a mile or more. And the light reflected 
from the cloud of smoke, enlightened our road for miles after the blaze of 
the fire was out of sight.

Page 276

Till I saw this, I could never so well understand one part of the scripture. 
The cloud which overspread the camp of Israel & kept off the rays of the sun 
by day, was a pillar of fire by night. It was literally so with the smoke 
which rose from these fires. By day the cloud was often so dense & so great, 
as to hide the sun from the view of the traveler, but by night this same 
cloud would reflect the light which shone on it from below, so as to 
enlighten the country for miles around it. The reason why the cloud over the 
camp of Israel gave light, was, because the glory of God, which rested in the 
tabernacle, shone upon it.

Before we reached our lodgings, Bro. Weigleys horse gave out & attempted to 
lie down, apparently with the cholic, tho' probably from fatigue. We had to 
walk him about 4 miles,--Weigley on foot by his side. When we reached the 
place the people were in bed. She got up, however, & gave us some supper.

Oct. 16. We were obliged to take it more moderate, on account of the sick 
horse. We passed more burning Prairies, & large quantities of lost or 
primitive Rock scattered over the Prairies. And where they were burnt they 
could be more easily discerned.

We left the most beaten road, to take a new one, said to be much nearer than 
the old one. We crossed Rock River at Bushes ferry, 5 miles below Dixon's, 
but we paid dear for our saving. It was with difficulty we got any thing to 
eat our selves, but could get nothing but Prairie hay & pumpkins for our 
horses. It began to rain on us, & at length blew a gale. Dark came on before 
we reached a house. At length we reached a Hixite Quakers, where we fared 
very well our selves, but our horses had no stable or shed to break off the 
storm & nothing but Prairie hay to eat.

Oct 17th. We started with the break of day, & traveled 6 miles before we 
could get any grain for our horses, or breakfast for our selves. We passed 
through one of the most beautiful groves, this morning, we had seen in all 
the Prairie country. It was 6 miles thro' it, & composed of 

Page 277

young thrifty timber, on the waters of Elkhorn creek (Dogs head on the Map.)

Here we learned a little of the ways of settling this new country.[1] The lands 
had been surveyed into townships, but not into sections, & of course not yet 
in Market. About 40 families had settled themselves about this grove. They 
had, in the absence of all other law, met & made a law for themselves. They 
have surveyed the township & ascertained that section 16, the school section, 
was within the grove, & they staked it off & appointed commissioners to take 
care of it, preserve the timber &c. so as to make it valuable as possible 
when the township should be regularly settled according to law. They had also 
meted & bounded every manswood land, allowing each family 40 acres of timber, 
& as much Prairie as he pleased to take up. Timber being the great 
desideratum of the country, they would not allow any one man to monopolize. 
Forty acres was thought to be sufficient timber land, to make & sustain the 
fence, buildings & fires of a farm.

[Note 1: 1 In Western Pioneer, ii, p. 33, the author says: "At Elkhorn Grove 
we stopped for breakfast, before taking a twelve-mile prairie, at what we 
afterwards found to be a backslidden deacon's. We did not think it necessary 
to announce our profession for so short a stay and from not seeing any thing 
like religion about the premises. Being curious to know how the settlers 
managed to secure their lands when they came into market, all being now 
'squatters,' we asked many questions."--Ed.] 

As this land was not in market at the time, & the pre-emotion law having run 
out, we asked what security they had, that speculators would not buy their 
lands & improvements, or make them pay what their own improvements were 
worth? The reply was, that there was an understanding in the country, 
equivalent to a law of the land, that the settlers should sustain each other 
against the speculator, & no settler should bid on another's land.

If a speculator should bid on a settlers farm, he was knocked down & dragged 
out of the office, & if the striker was prosecuted & fined, the settlers paid 
the expense by common consent among themselves. But before a fine 

Page 278 

could be assessed, the case must come before a jury, which of course must be 
selected from among the settlers. And it was understood that no jury would 
find a verdict of guilty against a settler, in such a case, because it was 
considered a case of self defense. And if these means could not protect the 
settler, the last resort would be to "burn powder in their faces." These 
things being under stood no speculator dare bid on a settlers land, & as no 
settler would bid on his neighbor, each man gets his land at congress price, 
$1.25 pr. acre.

We this day reached Apple River, at Bro. Jewels. Here was a fort in the late 
Indian War, (1832) made & defended by the inhabitants. About 200 Indians 
under Black Hawk attacked this fort, defended by about 40 men & boys, besides 
a few women. A Mrs. Armstrong[1] assumed the command. She had some women making 
cartridges, others loading guns for the men to fire, while she drove round 
the fort like a fury, cursing & swearing like a pirate. She had all the 
children drove into one room & one woman, with a club in hand, appointed to 
guard them, with strict orders [to] keep them from crying, lest the Indians 
should think they were frightened, & should thereby be encouraged.

[Note 1: 1 In Western Pioneer, ii, p. 35, Brunson gives the name as Mrs. 
Graham. In the account insist. Hist. Colls., v, pp. 288, 289, the woman is 
referred to as Mrs. Elizabeth Armstrong. Apple River was a lead-miners' camp, 
near the present village of Elizabeth, Jo Daviess County, Ill. The attack by 
Black Hawk and some 200 of his followers occurred April 6, 1832.--Ed.] 

The Indians heard her hallooing at the men, & knowing her voice, said 
afterwards that she was very mad. The Indians were defeated with considerable 
loss, while but one man was killed & one wounded in the fort. And both these 
men were shot when gratifying their curiosity by looking over the pickets. 
The bravery of this woman is allowed, by some, to have saved the fort. But it 
is a great drawback upon her credit, being so profane.

Sunday Oct. 18th. Bro. Weigley was sick & took [to] his bed. He had taken 
some cold, & seemed to sink under the 

Page 279

fatigues of the journey. I preached twice to a small, but very attentive 
congregation.

In going to the school house, in which we met, I passed the grave [of] Bro. 
[blank in MS.] Luggs,[1] the young man who traveled the Buffalo grove Mission 
last year, & died at this place. A decent paling enclosed the little spot of 
earth where his mortal remains were laid, raised by the hand of [a] stranger. 
This lonely spot, among the holes dug for lead mineral, a few rods from the 
fort above named, has solemn appearance to a missionary, near a 1000 miles 
from home. I know no difference between a grave in the wilderness of America 
& one in Africa, or in Asia. He died at his post, some 100 [1000] of miles 
from his fathers house, mostly among strangers, but who were kind to him, & 
who, it is hoped will meet him in a better world. The sight of his grave, was 
a source of serious reflection.

[Note 1: 1 In Western Pioneer, ii, pp. 34, 35, the author gives the name as 
Lemuel A. Sugg.--Ed.] 

Oct. 19. Being detained by the sickness of Bro. Weigley I spent part of the 
day in viewing the mineral grounds. An extensive tract of country, here, 
affords the richest lead ore in the world. It yields about 70 pr. ct. or 70 
pounds of lead for a 100 of ore; & there appears to be no end to it in the 
bowels of the earth. It is found mostly in crevices of the rock, from 10 to 
150 feet below the suffice of the ground. Holes are dug from the surface to 
the rock, which is usually 10 or 15 feet, & if no crevice is found, they dig 
another, & so on till they strike a crevice. But every crevice has not lead 
in it. They keep digging therefore till they find one that has, & then follow 
it. The crevices usually run from east to west, or from north to south. A 
Crevice with lead in is called a lead, & when discovered is followed by 
drifting after it. And many holes may be dug to the same lead, so as to raise 
the mineral at different points. These crevices are sometimes 10 feet wide. 
Then they contract to a few inches when they must be blown with powder, to 
get room to work in them. Their usual width is from 11/2 to 3 feet. Many who 
dig for this 

Page 280

ore barely make a living by it. Some are fortunate enough to find a rich lead 
& make a fortune at once, but this number is very small, compared to the 
whole. The most who work the mines make well by it.

These mines being rich, are a source of wealth to the country. The lead taken 
away, more than pays for the goods & provisions brought back, so that the 
country is full of money & becoming wealthy. Farmers are much needed to 
supply the miners with provisions, which when done will save their price to 
the country & of course increase its wealth in the same proportion, for at 
present the most of the provisions consumed, are brought up the Mississippi 
River, from Missouri & Illinois. Farmers are, however, coming in fast, now.

20. We rode into Galena, about 14 miles, over a rough hilly road. This is a 
place of great business, about 1,200 inhabitants. It is situated on a hill 
side on Fever River about 7 miles from the mouth. there are two streets in 
the town, too narrow to admit of teams passing with convenience, & one so 
much higher than the other that the people on the upper street can look into 
the chimneys of those on the lower street. The side hill is but a mass of 
rock, & admits of no gardens worth any thing.

The people are mostly intelligent, enterprising & healthy but too much 
absorbed in the cares of the world to think of religion. They came here to 
make a fortune, & to leave, but have since concluded to stay here. On the 
opposite side of the river is better ground for a town, & 1/2 a mile back of 
it on the hill commences a beautiful Prairie, to which the town must 
ultimately extend. The trade of this Mineral district occupies 6 or 8 
steamboats, which ply constantly between St. Louis & Galena, Dubuque & 
Prairie du Chien.

Our introduction to Galena was rather forbidding. We could find no home but a 
tavern, the bills of which are equal to the Atlantic cities. I preached at 
night to a small congregation in our chapel, the building is small, 26 feet 

Page 281 

by 30, has a fine bell & is occupied as a school house, for the present.

21. A Methodist family invited us to lodge with them. I got my wagon into a 
barn & my harness into a loft to winter, while I took the road on horseback. 
In the course of the day I viewed the place & found some acquaintances, one 
of which was with Rev. Mr. Kent of the Presbyterian church.[1] He is the only 
preacher of his order in the mining country. He is very catholic & friendly 
in his views & feelings, & evinces a great warmth of piety. I preached for 
him at night, to a less congregation than we had, the night before, in our 
own church. Our respective churches are about of a size, say 30 members each, 
but his includes all the members of his church in the mines, while ours 
extends but little out of the town. Within the bounds of country including 
his members, we have one or two hundred.

[Note 1: 1 Rev. Aratus Kent was born at Suffield, Conn., Jan. 15, 1794, and 
graduated from Yale in 1816. After serving pulpits in the East, he was, in 
March, 1829, assigned to Galena by the American Home Missionary Society; 
having previously asked the Society "for a place so hard that no one else 
would take it." He organized at Galena the first Presbyterian church in the 
lead mines, and there labored zealously until December, 1848, when he 
withdrew to other fields. He died November 8, 1869. See Wis. Hist. Colls., 
xiv, p. 93, for account of his visit in 1833, to Fort Winnebago.--Ed.] 

22. Left Galena for the north in a sleet storm. It soon covered me with ice. 
My umbrella became too heavy to carry, but too much frozen to let down. I was 
obliged, therefore, to call at a house & thaw it before I could fold it up. I 
then took the storm in the face, & before I reached a stepping place, I had 
at least 20 lbs of ice hanging to me & my horse. About 3 o'clock P.M. I 
arrived at Major [John H.] Rountrees, Platteville, in the Wisconsin 
Territory, having rode in & out of my way about 30 miles. The Major was not 
at home, but his wife,[2] the daughter of a Methodist preacher, knows how to 
take care of preachers.

[Note 2: 2 Rountree, who settled at Platteville in 1827, married Miss Grace 
Mitchell, Aug. 7, 1828. Mrs. Rountree's brother (not father) was Rev. John T. 
Mitchell, a pioneer preacher on the Galena mission. Mrs. Rountree died Oct. 
16, 1837.--Ed.] 

Page 282

I found it a home for the pilgrim Missionary. A young gentleman by the name 
of Gridley, on a visit at the house, kindly assisted me in getting off my 
over coat, & thawing the ice from my clothes, hat, saddle, &c. I staid here 
several days, till the storm was over. The ground was covered with ice for 
several days. This was rather a gloomy introduction to this country, but I 
was assured that the like was never seen here before. It was the worst storm 
I ever rode in, & cakes of ice were formed on me, near half an inch thick.

25. Sunday. Preached to a small congregation. The people here seemed to be 
very hungry for the word of life. The preacher appointed to this mission last 
year, was accused of an attempt at a rape, & was arrested by the civil 
authorities, & held to bail for trial. As might be expected every suspicious 
eye began to see suspicious things, that were past. And so, many more things 
were reported on him of the same character. Of all of which I shall speak, 
after his trial.[1] Owing to this circumstance, the mission circuit was left 
without preaching, as no other one could be gotten to supply it, & as a 
consequence, when the shepherd was gone, the sheep went a stray, & all things 
were in a state of moral desolation.

[Note 1: 1 "For a while," said the author in his Western Pioneer, ii, p. 38, 
"he succeeded in deceiving me, and I aided him in getting clear of the 
charge; but subsequent developments convinced me of his guilt, the stain of 
which hung to him for life. On his death-bed he repented, and professed to 
obtain pardon from God."--Ed.] 

27. Started for the north. And after traveling about 16 miles in a N. W. 
direction, I reached Aaron Boyce's. Here I fell in company with Sir Augustus 
Charles Murry, a Scotch nobleman, who was spending his time on this frontier, 
partly for the sport of hunting, & partly to learn the character of the 
Indians, from actual observation. He spent the season of the summer hunt, 
with the Pawnees on the frontier of Mexico, seeking Buffalo.

Seeing this intelligent & well educated young man, spend his time, brook the 
difficulties & dangers of such a life, 

Page 283

and for no higher motive than the gratification of his curiosity & passion 
for sport, I felt ashamed before God, that I had so long held back from a 
mission among the Indians in order to save souls.[1]

[Note 1: 1 Western Pioneer, ii, p. 38:--"I slept in a cabin chamber with Sir 
Charles Murray, Queen Victoria's chamberlain, then selecting lands to, enter 
in this country. He yet [1879] owns large tracts in Grant County, Wisconsin, 
but after paying taxes for thirty years it is doubtful whether his lands 
would sell for their cost and the interest on it."--Ed.] 

28th. To save 12 miles in 32, I took a new road to the Wisconsin, for 14 
miles. I traveled a bridle path when in the woods, but when in the Prairie, 
which was most of the way, I had to travel with or without a trail, as it 
happened. I made out to hit upon the fords of the streams except the last 
before I reached the Military road, but there being a farm in sight, when on 
the hills, I found but little difficulty in getting along to the house. Here 
I fed myself, but could get nothing but Prairie hay & pumpkins for my horse, 
of which he did not eat much. In this neighbor hood were 6 families, recently 
settled, but the gospel had never yet reached any of their dwellings.

From this to the Wisconsin, 6 miles, & from thence to Prairie du Chien, 6 
miles more, I traveled the new Military road, which leads from the Prairie to 
fort Winnebago, at the portage between the Wisconsin & the Fox River of Green 
Bay. This road is new & pretty good.

The Wisconsin at the ferry is about half a mile wide including the Islands & 
Slews or buyo's, but if all the water run in one channel, it probably would 
not be over 80 or 100 rods. I saw no place in this or the Mississippi River, 
that I could see straight across it for Islands or strips of land, with 
Slews, channels or pools behind them. In consequence of these Islands, the 
beds of these Rivers are wider, & the channel more difficult to find than 
they otherwise would be. The sand which lies in the bed of the Wisconsin 
moves by the influence of the current so that the channel is often changed, & 
rendered difficult for navigation.

Just about sun down I reached the house of Bro. Samuel 

Page 284

Gilbert, Prairie du Chien. This good brother & his wife were Methodists in 
Kentucky, but there being no church of their own in the place, they had 
joined the Cumberland Presbyterians, under the Ministry of the Rev. David 
Lowry.[1] As I announced my name & business at the gate Bro. Gilbert & his wife 
met me with a smile, & welcomed me to their dwelling. I had some fears on the 
road. as to the reception I should meet with, not knowing the changes that 
time might have produced, but these fears soon vanished, when I was hailed as 
the messenger of God.

[Note 1: 1 See Wis. Hist. Colls., xii, p. 405,note, for biographical sketch 
of Lowry.--Ed.] 

This Prairie was settled by the French traders more than a century ago. The 
settlers have mixed with the Indians, till about one fourth of them are of 
mixed blood. They are * * * the most of [them] ignorant as their savage 
neighbors, & no more improved in any way, except in their dress, they live in 
a poor kind of houses, & some of them make some little essay at farming. A 
small portion of them are wealthy, educated for business, & hold a 
respectable standing in the world: but professing no more religion than the 
others.

The Prairie is 9 miles long & varying from one to two miles in width. It lies 
on the east of the Mississippi River, & north of the mouth of the Wisconsin. 
The high bluffs which rise and bound it on the east are 3 or 400 feet high, 
covered mostly with Prairie grass, having a little timber & on their peaks or 
points presenting cragged precipices of rock peculiar to the mineral country.

The Settlement extends the whole length of the Prairie, & congress has 
granted to each original settler a patent for his claim, or settlement right. 
About midway, north & south, is the village, which contains perhaps 100 
houses of all descriptions. The whole French & mixed population are about 
600, the American 200 & the garrison contains 250 men, but their wives and 
children, & other attendants amount to about 150 more: making the population 
of the place, including all descriptions about 1200. The garrison 

Page 285

is built of stone, & situated at the south end of the village, commanding the 
river on one side & the Prairie on the other.

I was the first Methodist preacher who ever trod this soil, but even here I 
found friends, yes warm friends. I soon extended my acquaintance to a small 
circle of the American population, a few of whom are really pious. Bro. 
Lowry, who has charge of the Winnebago school nine miles above the Prairie, & 
preaches in town once in two weeks, & Bro. [Ezekiel] Tainter another of his 
members, seemed to be my own brethren. And I must say, I never enjoyed myself 
better among Methodists in my life. Indeed, on the frontier, we seem to be 
out of the reach of the sectarian bickerings of the city & older settled 
countries. The spirit of missions is a catholic spirit. And as this spirit is 
the harbinger of the Millennial glory of the church, we see in its effects, 
both in savage & civilized lands, the character of that glorious age or 
dispensation, when "the watchmen shall see eye to eye."

I preached on Thursday night to about 8 persons more than the family--on 
Friday night to 15 to 20 more than the family. On Sabbath Nov. 1 I preached 
in the new court house, which was opened for the first time for any use, to 
about 100 hearers, & at night to 150.

At first sight of the Rivers at this place it looks like a, sickly country. 
The water is darkened with the small particles of rich soil which float in 
it, yet it is not riley or muddy. The Islands are subject to inundations, 
covered with heavy grass & some of them half under water at all times, 
forming extensive marshes or swamps. But all these unhealthy appearances are 
counteracted by other laws. This country exceeds all others I ever saw for 
springs. All the little streams are made entirely of springs. Their waters 
are clear as crystal & are very uniform in their depth, seldom being swelled 
over their banks which are uncommonly low. And these Islands, being made of 
sand, & not quag mires, & being full of springs of excellent water, very 
little sickness is experienced on their account.

Page 286

Here I intend, if Providence permit, to locate my family, & I purchased about 
100 acres of the Prairie for a farm, for $700.

Nov. 2. Monday, left the Prairie, Bro. Tainter accompanying me [to] the 
Wisconsin ferry & paying my ferriage, 6 miles, & rode to Cassville, about 30 
miles, & preached to near 100 people at night. This village was but just laid 
out tho' the map represents it as a large place. It has one of the best sites 
for a town the river bank affords in this region & will no doubt make a place 
of considerable business. My road to day was over a variegated country. Near 
the Wisconsin River is hilly, covered with timber & abounding in stone 
quarries & lead mineral. After climbing the hills I had a most lovely road 
over a beautiful Prairie, following a ridge the most of the way, with here & 
there a flourishing farm.

Nov. 3. I went to Boyce Prairie, and preached at Aaron Boyces, 20 miles, & 
then to Jos Boyce 6 miles & preached at night. My congregations were small, 
the population being sparse. At Aaron Boyces has since been laid out a town 
for the county seat of Grant county.[1] I this day crossed Grant River & several 
of its branches, all formed by the most beautiful springs I ever saw, & 
affording the purest of water, & the best of mill seats. The hills abound 
with stone & mineral. On some of the streams I saw evidence of stone coal.

[Note 1: 1 The plat of Lancaster was recorded May 1, 1837.--Ed.] 

Nov. 4. Rested & got some washing done, which I found difficult to obtain in 
this country, on account of the scarcity of female help.

Nov. 5. Rode to Platteville, 12 miles, crossing the two main branches of 
Platt. The first is like Grant, about 20 yards wide at the ford, & the second 
about 10 yds. abounding in pure spring water & the best of mill seats. The 
country on this road is hilly, covered with oak timber & well stored with 
mineral.

Nov. 7. Rode to Galena, 25 miles, & began a quarterly meeting for this 
Mission, which continued the next day, 

Page 287

being Sabbath. This was the first qr. meeting I held in the Western country. 
There were but 25 members in the church, tho' on Sabbath we have 200 in the 
congregation, who gave us 21 dolls. in the collection. The State of religion 
here, as in the rest of the dist. was at its lowest ebb. The year before one 
preacher had died, Francis Asbury Luggs,[1] who was appointed to Buffalo Grove 
Mission, Nichols S. Bastion, appointed to Dubuque Mission failed in his 
health so as to be unable to preach, & * * * appointed to Iowa Mission was 
accused of an attempt at a rape. This left only Hooper Crews the P[residing] 
E[lder] & stationed in Galena to supply the four charges. And tho' he labored 
excessively, & traveled when in danger of freezing in the winter, it was 
impossible for him to sustain the work.

[Note 1: 1 See ante, p. 279,note.--Ed.] 

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
Under these circumstances, infidelity triumphed, & religion had but a nominal 
existence. Add to this, the spirit of money making seemed to absorb the whole 
community. Money was made with the greatest facility, & spent with greatest 
profusion; & as a matter of course, gambling, drunkenness, &c, were the 
common order of the day, with the majority. The population contained a good 
share of intelligence & more than ordinary share of enterprise, such as would 
naturally be attracted by the immense wealth of the mines. But coming to the 
country to make fortunes, Religion, with the great majority, occupied little 
or no place in their thoughts. But nothing can be more certain in the world 
of morals, than that if religion gains the ascendancy, (which may heaven 
grant to be the case) so that the wealth & intelligence of the country are 
sanctified to the service of God, it will be one of the most wealthy & useful 
parts of our globe: the soil being of the best quality, & the health being of 
the highest grade.

Nov. 12. Left Galena & rode to Dubuque, & held a quarterly meeting for this 
mission on 14 & 15. Here I found, as in galena, a small church with about 25 
members. The 

Page 288

town is located on a sand Prairie adjoining the hill but is of difficult 
access from the river, on account of the Islands & Sloughs (slues) which 
abound in the Upper Mississippi, on the west bank of which this town is 
situated. It contains about 600 inhabitants: the most of them foreigners * * 
* & forming the roughest & wickedest class of people I ever saw. The lead 
mines in its neighborhood are of the wealthiest character, and have given 
independent fortunes to some of the most degraded men of our species. Wealth 
in such hands only afford the means of grater wickedness. The lands were not 
in market & the only claim to it consisted of occupancy & consequently 
conflicting claims for valuable mineral ground frequently occurred which were 
often settled by the might of the parties than the decisions of law. A few 
weeks before my arrival at this place one [of] our valuable brethren was shot 
dead at a mineral hole, while contending for his right, by two men, father & 
son by the name of Smith. They were committed to prison & indicted for the 
murder, the father as the principal & the son as accessory, but the 
settlement of the country being far ahead of the tardy movements of the 
government in extending the laws & the jurisdiction of the courts to it, it 
was found that the courts had no jurisdiction over the case & the prisoners 
were discharged. The people, however, feeling indignant at the offender, 
called a public meeting to try [the] Smiths in the true democratic form, & 
but for his escape would have hung him, as they had done one of similar 
character before. Smith, however, returned to the mines in the ensuing 
winter, & a brother of Massey who was murdered shot him down in the streets 
in Galena in open day, & then made his escape, no one caring to pursue him 
under the circumstances of the case. Not long after the younger Smith 
appeared in Dubuque & a maiden sister of Massey shot him in a store & would 
have killed him, but for his pocket book against which the ball of her pistol 
struck. Shooting & dirking were so common, however, that little notice was 
taken of it, unless death ensued; nor even then, if it was considered 
justifiable homicide. 

Page 289

Miss Massey, therefore, was not molested, but soon after left [the] country. 
The state of Religion as might be expected in such a country was very low. 
There were a few who feared God, & worshiped him in spirit & in truth.

Nov. 16. Rode to Menominee diggings on the east side of the River, crossing 
it both ways in a horse boat, in company with Bro. Morgan a local preacher, 
10 miles, with whom I lodged that night.

Nov. 17. I started this morning for Cassville to fill an appointment I left 
when there before. I took the most direct road, which led by the forks of 
Platt where Paris now stands. But when I reached the River I found it 
impassable. The back water of the Mississippi over flowed the bottoms & this 
was frozen one or two inches thick, & the ferry boat, half full of water & 
ice, was frozen fast. Bro. Morgan, who accompanied me, then led me over hills 
& through vales, some timber & some Prairie land, up the little Platt to a 
ford. From this I found my way over a ridge of timbered land to the other 
Platt at Hough's mill & then to the Boyce Prairie. The snow which fell two 
days previous was fast melting away, so that my horseballed, slipped & became 
fatiagueged, and at 3 o'clock I reached Jos. Boyce's having traveled 26 
miles, & yet 26 miles from the place of destination. I therefore despaired of 
reaching the place & put up for the night.

Nov. 18. Rode to Cassville, and tho' the congregation had been disappointed 
the night before, a goodly number assembled to hear the word.

Nov. 19. Rode back to Boyce Prairie and lodged with Bro. Fluharty's.

Nov. 20. Rode to Platteville--Major Rountree's.

Nov. 25. Rode to the head of Platt, to Crows & preached at night. I presume I 
saw 50 deer tracks in the snow in 10 miles ride.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
Nov. 26. West Platt mound. Preached at night. This mound with its mate 3 
miles east of it, rises 200 feet above the common level of the country. They 
are each about a mile 

Page 290

in circumference, & mostly covered with timber. The west one has in it a cave 
which has been explored 1 or 200 yards, & after winter set in a rattlesnake 
was found crawling about as in summer. I was relating this circumstance to a 
lady of truth, a few days after, who informed me that she lived at a spring 
on the Pekatoneka a few years before, in which snakes lived the whole winter-
-the spring was so strong & the water so warm -- If any of them ventured down 
stream a little they became chilled even before the water froze. I climbed to 
the top of this mound from which I had one of the most beautiful landscape 
views I ever beheld. The course of the Wisconsin about 60 miles & the 
Mississippi for 100 by the high ridge on the opposite sides of them. These 
ridges with one south & east of Bean or Fever river forms an Amphitheatre of 
a triangular form of about 60 miles in diameter, with these Mounds nearly in 
the centre, from which the most of the country could be seen, interspersed 
with groves of timber and beautiful & rich Prairie.

Nov. 27. Rode to Galena, & the next day to Apple River, 14 miles, & held the 
first quarter meeting ever held there for the Buffalo grove Mission. The 
place was in sight of the old fort, distinguished for a battle in the late 
Black Hawk war. About 40 men women & children repelled the attack of about 
200 armed savages. The women loaded the guns, run bullets, &c for the men to 
fire. The whites had one killed & one wounded, while some 12 or 14 of the 
Sacs & Foxes were shot down. But this place had more interest to me as being 
the place where Bro. Luggs, the last Missionary & first appointed to the 
mission, found his grave in the 23d year of his age. A friend had built a 
neat paling round it, over which I could but shed a tear of sorrow & 
sympathy. I was a missionary 900 miles from my family; I could see no 
difference between 900 & 3,000 miles to die at from home, whether separated 
from it by the ocean or by a western forest. My feelings were, therefore, 
considerably effected. I held the first love feast & administered the Lords 
Supper for the first time in that neighborhood.

Page 291

A few who loved the Lord enjoyed the meeting exceedingly well.

Nov. 30. Rode back to Galena.

Dec. 3. Platteville.

Dec. 5. Rode to Mineral Point. The next day being Sabbath I preached.[1] This 
town contains about 600 inhabitants, mostly miners, & the place derived its 
name & wealth from the abundance of its mineral resources. It is unpleasantly 
situated, 3 miles from any amount of timber.

[Note 1: 1 See History of Iowa County (Chicago: Western Historical Co., 
1881), p. 714, for Brunson's description of the first church in Mineral 
Point, and his visit thereto.--Ed.]