Fancy Recipes from 1858

Recipes from The Grasshopper (at Valley Falls) newspaper, June 12, 1858

CLAY CAKE—One pound of flour; 1 pound of white sugar; 1-2 pint sour cream; 1 teaspoonful soda; the white of 12 eggs. The eggs should be put in the last thing. Flavor with lemon.

POTATOE (sic) PUDDING—Half a pound of butter; 1-2 pound of sugar; 1-2 pound of mashed potatoes; 1-2 gill of cream; 5 eggs; 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy; 1 tablespoonful of nutmeg; the same of cinnamon.

Mash the potatoes with the cream, when cool, add the butter and sugar, beat to a cream, then add the eggs and other ingredients.

Bake in a rich puff paste.

This story appeared in “Yesteryears” in April 2018.

Joint Smashing in Perry

From the Farmer’s Vindicator, February 22, 1901

Friday evening fifteen of the most prominent women of Perry smashed two joints and destroyed the liquor in one drug store. The women were led by Mrs. Coe, wife of the Methodist minister, and Mrs. J.L. Raines, wife of the cashier of the Perry bank.

They first visited the joint kept by A. Brewer. He received the women politely and held a light while they destroyed his store of liquor. They next paid their compliments to the joint of J.H. Peak where they destroyed all the liquor they could find and demolished the handsome bar with plate glass mirrors, which had been furnished by the Val Blatz Brewing Co. They then visited L.H. Bouton’s drug store, and found and destroyed the liquor it contained. One of the women broke a bottle which she supposed contained whisky but which was filled with carbolic acid, and her hand was severely burned.

Logan, Ohio, ladies shame proprietors of liquor establishments, 1874.

The other drugstore, owned by Fred L. Diggs, mayor of Perry, and son of Annie L. Diggs, state librarian, was not molested, as Mr. Diggs has never sold any liquor during the five years he has been in the business.

The value of the property destroyed was about $700, not including the bar and mirrors, which bring the total to over $1,000.

Mayor Diggs says the joint smashers were among the best women of the town, and that they were cool and determined.

This story appeared in “Yesteryears” in April 1992.

Escaped from Slavery

From the Oskaloosa Independent, September 18, 1903

Jarett and Dicey Ann Smith tombstone, McLouth Cemetery, photo by Raymond Riley

The death of Aunt Dica Smith at McLouth the other day removes another of a fast narrowing circle. Aunt Dica was born in Kentucky in 1830, and until 1862 she was owned as a slave. Her master took her to Pleasant Grove, Missouri, in 1841. In 1862 she ran away with her husband and across the ice on the Missouri river into the vicinity of Leavenworth. The husband at once enlisted in the Union Army, serving until the end of the war. He is alive yet, and both he and Aunt Dica bore the respect of every citizen of McLouth where they had lived for many years.

This story appeared in “Yesteryears” in April 2006

From the McLouth Times, September 11, 1903

Jarrett Smith's Civil War Pension application, B 79, U.S.C. Infantry.

Free Roaming Cows in Town

From the Oskaloosa Times, March 13, 1896

It would be something in the neighborhood of a blessing to this town if every cow that roams the streets day after day should mysteriously disappear and could never be heard of. The writer counted eleven in one herd one day this week. It is an outrage and a shame that this town has to deal with, it is decidedly a law breaking matter. It would be well if this town was corporated, we are quite sure that the city marshal if he attended to business could make big wages. 

As it remains, a farmer cannot come to town to do any trading and leave a sack of flour or the like without one of these town cows has it partly eaten before he returns. It is high time something of this matter should be looked into in its true light. Treat your neighbor like you would like for him to treat you.

This story appeared in “Yesteryears” in April 2005.

From the Camp of Oskaloosa Infantry Company

From the Meriden Ledger, June 29, 1916

We called on the Oskaloosa members of the K.N.G.* last Sunday. About fifteen Oskaloosa folks were at the reservation during the day. The Guard was encamped on the government reservation on the Pawnee Flats between Manhattan and Fort Riley.

Up to Sunday afternoon none of the Oskaloosa boys had been examined or mustered into the federal service. Neither had they drilled any since their arrival; the officers saying they thot it would be best if they were allowed a day or two to get used to their new location.

Oskaloosa sent more men to Ft. Riley than any other town with the possible exception of Iola, considering the population. On their arrival there they were combined with the Holton company. The only officer Oskaloosa had was First Lieutenant Quakenbush, Holton’s men holding the other offices. W.R. Jenkins who was First Sergeant of the Oskaloosa Company, was made assistant to the Holton sergeant; and Irwin Dennis was made assistant Quartermaster Sergeant.

Earl Snellgrove was made company barber of Company B, 2 Regiment Infantry; and Ray Haslett company barber of Battery A.

Marvin Snyder passed the examination and was immediately mustered into the Topeka Battery A.

Pup tents, 1917

The boys were required to sleep in their little “dog” tents until Sunday afternoon when they were given the regulation tents and cots. Saturday night they were visited by a heavy rain and electrical storm and were busy most of the night trying to keep dry.

The first night there Henry Williamson left his little tent and returning could not find it, so lay down at the rear of another tent. Later in the evening an officer, passing at the rear of the tents stumbled over Henry.

“What are you doing here,” he asked.

“Oh, I had just been visiting,” Hank replied, “and got lost. So I am sleeping out on the porch.”

“Report at the mess tent in the morning,” was the officer’s order. The next morning Hank peeled potatoes as a reward for going visiting and losing his home.

Rue Jenkins and Irwin Dennis seemed to be the busiest men in the Oskaloosa company. In fact they had been busy since their arrival there; and both looked like miniature “Rip Van Winkles.”

Some of the Oskaloosa boys inquired where were the Winchester men who were so “strong” for an organization of National Guards there. “There is plenty of room for recruits here,” the Oskaloosa boys said, “and Winchester has a chance to get in.”

C.C. Lull, son of Dr. C.W. Lull, of Oskaloosa, was the first man of the Topeka recruits to be sworn into the First Regiment. He is the only Physician with the Topeka company and was given the rank of a First Lieutenant.

Ivan Anderson passed his examination last Sunday morning and was immediately mustered into the hospital corps, under Dr. Carl Phillips of Lawrence.

Arnold Leach was running around camp with his hair clipped close to his head. Some one told Arnold the boys were going home with the Oskaloosa folks and the last we saw of him he was hunting Barber Snellgrove to get his hair back.

Dr. Whitney went out Sunday and tried to enlist as a veterinarian but there were no vacancies at the time and the officer wanted him to enlist as a private. But the Doctor had seen enough to make him change his mind, anyway.

Tag Davis had a swelled upper lip and was lying on a cot in the hospital tent when we found him. Falling asleep sitting on the ground when a base ball some of the adjoining company boys were using hit him in the lip.

George Burnau and Jack Meredith said when they got back home they intended to teach the women of Oskaloosa how to wash their dishes. The boys when they have finished eating fill their pans and cups with dry dirt and rub them until they shine like a silver dollar. No water or soap for them.

The first night out Rue Jenkins said he didn’t sleep a wink. “Just lay there and listened to the remarks of the boys,” he said, “and it was certainly amusing.” Along in the early hours of the morn Charles Evans stuck his head out of his little tent and issued orders to all that he would not stand for any trespassing on his front porch, as he had just given it a new coat of paint, and a little later “called down” some one for spitting on his “piazza.”

There was a large crowd of “sightseers” at the reservation during the day; being probably five hundred autos lined around the roadway. A ten coach special train arrived in the afternoon. Excursions from Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka and other points along the road came in on the train and were unloaded at the reservation.

Company B in Oskaloosa, 1917

Some of the Oskaloosa boys’ relatives sent them “boxes” of fried chicken, cake and other dainties and Rue Jenkins sent back word to his wife that he could eat bread crusts now and that was something he had never before been able to do. John Hofmann sent word to his mother that although he never could eat bacon at home he had eaten it there that morning and after eating his own had asked the rest of the boys for theirs. And so it is with the rest of the boys, they are learning not to be the least bit particular what they eat. It all tastes good in time.

*Kansas National Guard: "Mustered into Federal service 27 June 1916 at Fort Riley, Kansas; mustered out of Federal service 30 October 1916 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917. Consolidated 1 October 1917 with the 2d Infantry Regiment, Kansas National Guard (organized in 1880); consolidated unit concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 137th Infantry and assigned to the 35th Division. Demobilized 9-11 May 1919 at Camp Funston, Kansas." 137th Infantry Regiment (First Kansas)

This story appeared in “Yesteryears” in April 1997.