SOLON ROBINSON, 1847 53 



I am inclined to think that an old man by the name of 

 Ross also settled on the same section that fall. This man 

 was killed by the falling of a tree near Deep river in 1836. 

 I believe King Al-cohol was there to see, and it happened 

 on a Sunday. An old man by the name of Winchet, from 

 La Porte Co. made a claim, built a cabin, and commenced 

 work on a mill, near the mouth of Turkey Creek, and had 

 part of his family there some time in the summer of 1834, 

 but afterwards abandoned his claim without settling upon 

 it permanently. 



In October of that year, Thomas Childres and myself 

 made claims and moved on to them ; his on the S.E. 1/4 of 

 Sec. 17, T. 34, R. 8, near where C. Volney Holton now 

 lives, and mine on the N.W. 1/4 of Sec. 8, same town., a 

 spot that will continue to be known while the county seat 

 remains in its present location. 



My first house is still standing, it is that little old black 

 log cabin, upon the lot occupied by Mr. Pelton. I arrived 

 upon this spot with my family the last day of October, 

 1834 ; Childres a day or two before. 



On the next day, Henry Wells and Luman A. Fowler, 

 came along on foot in search of locations. They left their 

 horses back on 20 mile prairie. Cedar Lake was then the 

 center of attraction for land lookers, and thither these 

 like others, wended their way, without thinking to in- 

 quire who kept tavern there. They found a lodging in a 

 leafy tree top, and the leg of a roasted 'coon for sup- 

 per. They also found David Horner (father of Amos & 

 Henry), his son Thomas & a man by the name of Brown 

 looking for claims, upon which they settled next year, 

 lived there a few years and flitted again. Wells and 

 Fowler came back to our camp next day so tired & hungry 

 and sick of the country that they would have sold the 

 whole, Easau like, for a mess of pottage. But after a 

 supper sweetened with honey & hunger, and a nights rest 

 upon the softest kind of a white oak puncheon the next 

 morning being a bright sunny one, this land looked more 

 inviting, and they bought the claim and two log cabin 



