INTRODUCTION 23 



conditions in Lake County at the period of its settlement 

 in the early thirties, is based on firsthand experiences 

 and displays an intimate knowledge of the Indian and 

 the frontier. Several of the characters, such as General 

 Harrison and Shobonier, were well-known figures of the 

 time. "The Will," while it possesses some literary merit, 

 is far more interesting for its general content than for 

 plot or style. 



A story pertaining to Indian life, written before 1851 

 under the title "The Last of the Buffaloes," has been lost 

 to sight, possibly buried in an ancient newspaper file. It 

 is to be hoped that some day this tale may be made avail- 

 able, for, judging from "The Will," it should present a 

 suggestive picture of civilization on the prairies prior to 

 white settlement. 1 Record also exists of an Emigrant 

 Guide entitled The Prairie Farmer, which was prepared 

 and published about 1850. 2 It is a fair presumption that 

 the guide contained a compilation or resume of a series 

 of articles intended for the guidance of prospective set- 

 tlers in the West which Robinson published in the Culti- 

 vator, American Agriculturist, Farmers' Cabinet, and 

 Prairie Farmer between 1840 and 1845. 3 



An address which Solon delivered before the settlers 

 of Lake County at Crown Point in 1847 offers recollec- 

 tions and observations on the genesis of a western county 

 in the thirties and forties by one of its chief residents. 

 Reasonably accurate in detail, and varied in content, 

 this study of local history constitutes an informing rec- 

 ord of the pioneer period of the Middle West, and has, 

 ever since its appearance, been regarded as a basic docu- 

 ment for the evolution of Lake County. 



Statement has been made that Solon Robinson was 

 not a practical farmer. The Reverend Timothy Ball and 

 others interested in Lake County history expressed this 



1 Ball, Lake County, from 183U to 1872, 282. 



2 No copy has been found. See post, 140 n. 



8 During this period Robinson published some twenty-one articles 

 primarily designed for the guidance of emigrants. 



4—60109 



