Covered Wagon Days - 1866

It Used to be Hard to Get Here

Newspaper Article - appears to be 1940 - Record Eagle of Traverse City

    Just what reaching the Grand Traverse Region meant in 1866 is vividly set forth in the diary of Alice W. Dexter who, with her mother, Elliza Dexter, Brother William and a cousin left Knox, Ind., for Traverse City in a covered wagon on July 19.

    C. L. Carpenter of Benzonia, son of Alice Dexter Carpenter, has sent this diary to Con Foster for use in the Foster Museum and the story of the trip is reprinted here.  Mr. Carpenter also sent two shoulder bars of a captain in medical corps during Civil War which, he said, Maj. Monroe of Monroe Center tore off his coat and gave to his mother.

    The diary follows:

BOOK OF TRAVELS

1866

    Thursday, July 19th--First day traveled 14 miles and have good weather.  No accidents and camped within nine miles of South Bend at a farm and partly unloaded and put what we unloaded into a blacksmith shop and all four of us slept in the wagon although the man of the house urged us to go into the house and sleep.

    Friday, July 20th--Traveled 12 miles and stopped at a farm house and got the cattle put in a clover pasture.  Willie was offered $85 for his steers in South Bend and every little ways someone would say "Don't you want to sell those steers?"  and "Don't you want to sell that heifer?"  Madge is the best ox we have got.  Mother bought 25 cents worth of pork and had some new potatoes and string beans given to her.

    Saturday, July 21st--Traveled 12 miles and got caught in two showers and had to stop and unhitch while it rained.  Put up at a farm house and Mother and I stayed in the house and slept in a bed for a wonder and the man of the house gave us a pail of potatoes so it does not cost us scarcely anything for vegetables  We are now about a mile north of Edwardsburgh and nine miles from Cassopolis.  Got the cattle put in a marsh pasture.

    Sunday, July 22nd--Traveled 15 miles and had good roads and cool cloudy weather.  Now I will tell you the distance between the towns that we came through.  From Liberty to South Bend to Edwardsburgh 14miles and from the burgh to Cassopolis 10 miles and from Cass to Jone's Mills 4 miles and from the Mills to Churchill's Corners 4 miles.  We put up at a farm house and got our cattle put in a good pasture and Mother and I had a bed furnished and breakfast furnished us all and they would not take a cent and all because they went to California about two years ago and they had such a hard time getting places to stay that they made up their minds if ever Emigrants came to them they would make them comfortable if they could.  We are going to wash tomorrow.

    July 23rd--Washed and we found the nicest place to wash that ever was.  We went about a half mile in the morning and came to a small pond and chair and kettle and all of the implements for washing except the clothes.  Well we washed and got started about four o'clock p. m. and traveled 4 miles.  We have not had any accidents only I lost the heel of my shoe, the weather is just right for traveling.

    24th--Traveled 14 miles and are within 3 miles of Pawpaw which is 19 miles from Churchills Corners.  Roads fine and crops splendid.  Fruit good and everything lovely--

    25th--A week ago today since we started and it does not seem as long as that.  We traveled 12 miles and stopped at a farm house and had supper and bed and pasturing for nothing.  Rather a hot day but the cattle stood it very well.  It is 12 miles from here to the junction on the plank road.

    26th--Traveled only 10 miles as it was very hilly so we could not go very fast.  We put up at a farm house and Mother and I had a bed furnished us.  It commenced raining about 2 o'clock and rained all afternoon and all night but does not rain now so I think that we shall travel all day.  It is 2 miles from here to the plank.

    27th--Traveled 11 1-2 miles and had very hilly and sandy roads.  Very warm and sultry weather.  We are now about 25 miles from Grand Rapids.  We passed a little town called Martins Corners about 3 miles from the junction.

    Saturday, July 28th--Traveled 15 miles and are within 10 miles of Grand Rapids.

    Sunday, 29th--Traveled 10 miles and passed through the Rapids.  A very pleasant place but not as pleasant as I expected.

    30th--Traveld 4 miles and laid by two weeks.

    August 13th--Traveled 12 miles and found a fine country and passed through a little place called Lisbon.  It is 40 miles from Grand Rapids to Newaygo.

    August 14th--Traveled 16 miles and had rather rough roads and traveled 8 miles through the Pinery.  Saw some splendid Pines.  Staid with Mrs. Beckwith's niece Amanda Wilkinson.  Beckwiths folks went along about three weeks ago.

    Thursday, August 15th--Traveled 12 miles and found pretty hilly roads and sandy.  This is the first country that I ever saw pine and oak grow together.  We passed through Newaygo and it is situated in a hollow and steep hills all around it but it is a pleasant place when you get there although it is a small place.  We shall go into the woods today and then we shall have to camp in the wagon.  This is a splendid lumber country.  There is so much fine pine lumber, is only 7 and 8 dollars a thousand.  There was two fellows fell in with us yesterday going to Grand Traverse and I suppose they will go all the way through with us.  One of them is French and the other is Irish.  They seem to very civil boys.  They are from Albany, N.Y.

    Friday, August 16th--Traveled 11 miles and camped in the wilderness.  Cut down three or four trees and made a large log heap and the boys laid by the fire.  We heard the wolves howling all the fore part of the night.  We got stuck three or four times.  The blackberry briers are so thick and the out tomorrow night we shall not the stumps until then. (?)

Note: By the author mistakenly writing Friday twice it will put the days one off .. ie the 17th is Sat and 18th should be Sunday.  Sunday the 18th should be Monday the 19th due to there being 2 August 18ths ;)

    Friday, August 17th--Traveled about 11 miles and had to camp without any water.  The boys took turns setting up, tow of them sit up part of the night and the other two the other half.  It was the luckyest thing that has happened to us since we started running on to those two boys for they are so handy.  Yesterday the pins broke that fastened the hounds to the reach but they soon fixed it.  The old cow gives almost as much milk as she did before we started.

    Saturday, August 18th--Traveled only 8 miles as it rained and passed a settlement of only five families.  Find pretty rough roads but guess that we shall get through all right.

    Sunday, August 18th--Traveled about 8 miles and had three breakdowns but not the kind I like.  First the pin broke out of the hounds again and second the tongue broke and they fixed it again and in a little while it broke entirely and we had to make a new one "Come on my partners in distress, My comrades through the wilderness.

    Monday, August 19th--Traveled about 10 miles and had tolerable roads and good luck except one hill, we had to partly unload and go up the hill.  Traveled all day through Tameracks and that is why we had good roads.  It has rained three days back.

    Tuesday, August 20th--Traveled about 4 or 5 miles and had to stop on account of the rain.  There is jumping off place ahead about 2 1-2 miles and they say that we will have to unyoke the cattle and let them go down and take the wagon apart and carry it down.  "Get out of the Wilderness".  Had very rough roads and passed through a swamp about a mile long where the wagon went in clear to the hubs.  When I travel this road again the state will know about it, nothing but stumps and bushes, you cant see the road a rod ahead  I guess that I should have something else beside the Erycipelas if I had to ride much farther in that old wagon over such rough roads. The old cow has almost dried up and I hope our journey will dry up pretty soon.  Ill bet that Mrs. Beckwith give this road a setting out when she passed through here.

    Wednesday, August 22nd--Traveled about 4 miles and had very hilly roads.  Got to that hill and had to take the wagon all apart and carry it down and and unyoke the cattle and let them go down.  I tell you it was like crossing the Alps in Switzerland.  We had to hang hold of the bushes at the side of the road to get down and when you get about half way down there is a sharp angle and that is the trouble that teams cannot go down because there is danger of tipping over.  We had to unload to go up another sand hill and that takes time.  If we do not get wheels.  Expect to get out today as have provisions enough to last us through.

    Thursday, August 23rd--Traveled about 4 miles and had miserable roads as usual.  O if I get out of here alive you will never catch me abroad in the bush again.  It has rained every day but one since we came in the woods and this is the eighth day.

    Friday, August 24th--Traveled 6 1-2 miles and the boys went out to the settlement and got some flour and potatoes.  It is about 6? miles out now and then for civilization again.  Willie says that he never saw prettier places that there is at the settlement.

    Saturday, August 25th--Traveled about 6 miles and broke the hounds of the axeltree and two spokes out of one of the forward.

    Wednesday, August 29th--Travel it is only a mile but I don't know as we shall, we have had such bad luck.  Slept on the ground and never slept better in my life but there was a mouse run over Mammy's face and give her the fidgets so that she could not sleep and got up and sat up the rest of the night.

    Sunday, August 26th--Traveled 6 miles and got out of the wilderness and I am glad.  Staid at a settlers and got a warm supper and breakfast and bed.  Roads pretty good and never saw better crops in my life, expect to got to Beckwiths the first place.

    Monday, August 27th--Traveled 8 miles and staid at a settlers.  Find pretty rough roads but nothing compared to the woods.  Heard last night that the Beckwith staid about three weeks here and sold his cows and start for Missouri.  I suppose that she did not like it here.

    Tuesday, August 28th--Staid and washed where we staid last night.

    Wednesday, August 29th--Traveled 4 miles and stopped for good at a Mr. Stetsons from York State until I can get work.

                                                                        Thus ends my tale,

                                                                                         Allie W. Dexter

With the mixup in dates they could have gotten here Monday the 26th... but there is a Wed the 29th out of place so that would make it Tues the 27th. Who can tell for sure? ;)

Grand Traverse Region by Brenda K. Wolfgram Moore
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23Dec2005