Message #:	1324
Date Posted:	11-07-2001
Subject:	Sorenson, Andrew (History - 1877)
Posted by:	Transcriber
Email:	Posted4U@Charter.net
Surnames:	SORENSON BENSON DIX PATCH

1918 History of Clark Co., WI

ANDREW SORENSON, who was born in Denmark, and came to the United States in 1877, says: "I first went to Stone Bank, Wis., and from there to Dorchester in the fall of 1877. My father bought a farm one and a half miles from town, all timber. There were six of us boys, and we all helped father to cut the timber and clear the place. The timber was all hardwood and hemlock, which we burned to get it out of the way. I worked at logging in the winter and in sawmills in summer to help support the family. At that time there was but one store in Dorchester. A Mr. Benson later opened another store and furnished supplies for the settlers. We used to carry ours home on our backs. We cut logs and built a log house of one room, plastered with mud. There was one sawmill and four or five logging camps. We used to play hotassy and shuffle the shoe. The schoolhouse was used for the first church meetings, and all other meetings. Old Elder Patch used to come from Steven's Point and preach and occasionally old Mr. Dix came here and held meetings. I used to work in the mill twelve hours a day for $1.25 paid 9 a barrel for flour, $22 a barrel for pork, and 10 cents a box for matches. There were no roads at that time, but soon after they were cut through for five miles. We built our own beds out of pine boards, and mother pulled hay and filled the mattresses. We made our own chairs and benches also a table out of pine boards. All was homemade except the stove, which was brought from Oconomowoc."