The Game

            The county which these earlier pioneers had thus chosen was a hunter’s paradise. The prairie, timber and water-ways were crowded with game of all kinds, and without this it is doubtful if this region could have been settled until a score of years later. The early thoroughfares, obliged to deviate from a true course to avoid marshes and impassable rivers, left his region isolated, and the tide of population following these lines of travel, naturally avoided this section. Thus cut off from the sources of the country alone, which, even with abundance of game, proved but a meager support for the family. Deer were found in unlimited numbers, and the first settlers found no trouble in killing more than the needs of the family required, right at his own door. Droves, reaching to the number of a hundred, were often seen, and settlers were in the habit of carrying their guns on almost all occasions, and seldom returned from any expedition without an evidence of the abundance of these animals in the shape of a haunch or ham of venison. Wild hogs served also to vary the frontier fare. These were animals that had escaped from the older settlements, and subsisting upon the nuts and roots of the woodland, had gone wild in the course of nature. They were of a long-legged, gaunt species, and kept the timber pretty closely. They were no particular damage or annoyance to the settlers, but furnished capital hunting sport, and gave a relief to the monotonous recurrence of venison upon the table of the settler. Wolves were of the coyote species, and were found in the open prairie. These were of more annoyance to the settlements, attacking sheep, young pigs and sometimes cattle. They were miserable cowards, never attacking a person, and were hunted and killed as a nuisance. They were small and undersized, making the night dismal with their howling, and when overtaken by the dogs, would fall on their backs and fight much like a cat. On frozen ground, and when filled with a recent meal, they were run down with little difficulty on horseback, as they seemed to avoid the timber, and would risk capture rather than go into it. Pinnated and ruffed grouse, better known as prairie chickens and partridges, were everywhere found in inexhaustible numbers, and furnished a touch of delicacy to the early fare. Wild geese, cranes, herons, ducks of the mallard pintail, blue-winged teal, wood and ring necked varieties, were found by thousands, and are still found here in hardly diminished profusion, to the delight of hunters, who are attracted in large numbers to enjoy the hunting.

    The Iroquois River has sustained its reputation as one of the best of its profusion of fine edible fish, came to the frontiers through the Indians, to whom this was a favorite place of resort each fall and spring. Here bass, bream, pike, salmon, mullet, suckers and other varieties are found, some of these varieties having been found over twenty-five pounds in weight. With this abundance of what are even now considered luxuries, it would seem at a casual glance that the pioneer life was a life of ease rather than hardship; but when it is considered that these were the sum of their early luxuries, that what we deem the common necessities and find so cheap as to pass almost unnoticed in our estimate of family supplies and expenses, were to the early settlers almost inaccessible and the most expensive, a great change is wrought in our estimate.

    Salt was more expensive than sugar, and more difficult to procure. Flour could not for a time be procured at any price, and even meal, such as provided to-day, was unknown on the frontier. And even the variety of game provided, soon failed to answer the purposes of beef and pork. The system exposed to ravages of disease, and subject to the trying experience of early farm labor, demanded something more substantial than this. Nor could all give their attention to hunting.

    The prime reason for the presence of most of the pioneers in this country was to build up a home and lay the foundation for a future competence, and to accomplish this the larger part of the community centered here had only their hands with which to accomplish their mission. It was no uncommon occurrence to find men surrounded by this profusion of game who never shot a deer, and occasionally one who never owned a gun.

Source: Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, Indiana by F.A. Battey & Co., 1883.