The natural stand of timber, the best in the southwest, was a boon to the pioneers. Many of the first settlers bought an acre from the Low brothers and the timber furnished wood for many a log cabin and fuel during the winter months.
When the big ditch was started thirty years ago, the Bear Lakes passed out of the picture as a hunting, trapping and fishing area. The ditch has been only partially successful. The sifting sands and dirt and the growth of trees and weeds in the bottom of the ditch have lessened its effectiveness.
When Nature Was at Her Very Best
A sketch of a nook in Bear Lake in the late sixties
The Bear Lake timber was a pleasure resort for the early settlers. The tall stately trees, the adjoining lakes, the woods full of gooseberries, choke cherries, currants and plums made it an ideal spot for picnics, Fourth of July celebrations, etc. There were sailboats on the lakes during the celebration, programs, orations, big feeds, lemonade by the barrel, stirred with a spade, and the memory of these gatherings is hard to erase from the memories of the youngsters of those days who are still living today. To many people it seemed like vandalism to cut down the fine timber and destroy the beauty of the surroundings, but civilization has but little sentiment.
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One of the men who has been closely associated with this section for seventy years is Charley Aspeline. He and his brother trapped the lakes for years and in the winter of 1907-08 their take of muskrats was over 18,000. Even as late as 1904 the lakes furnished a lot of rats and Fred Gass took over 1,000 pelts that winter.
A post office was established on the west side of the north lake in 1877. The first post office was part dug-out and part sod. L. Manchester was the first postmaster. He sold out in two years to James Bissett who, after holding the office for a few years, traded it to Evan Jones for a farm near Lake Benton. Mr. Jones was postmaster until the office was discontinued. Mr. Jones also kept a stock of groceries and dry goods. Oran Jones now lives on the place where the old settlers got their mail for years. Being close to the lake bank, many Indians were seen by the folks, going for their mail, sometimes as many as a hundred in the group, but they were friendly; they had not forgotten the defeats of 1862-63.
The wave of settlers that came to Lowville township in the late '80's brought a lot of good men to the township. Among them was level headed, steady and substantial August Erickson; George Vallance, a keen-witted, hustling Yankee and Albert Oberg, who really did more to hasten the hog movement in this section than any other man. Then there was A. Olin, physically handicapped though he was, who left his imprint on the community for better farming and better living.
The first schoolhouse was built in the timber. It was 12x14. There were no desks or tables. The kids sat on wooden benches. Reading, writing and arithmetic were the only subjects. There were no maps, no globes — not much of anything. Amelia Cleveland was the first teacher. The kids would walk four miles to school. Wm. Lowe also taught in the school in the timber.
Among the descendants of the signers of the organization petition living in this section are Marshall Low and his daughter Mrs. E. (Pauline) Allinson, and the Mihin family.
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