SEVENTY years ago all these valleys and table-lands of the Whitewaters were a dense forest, where the bear, the wolf, the panther, brushed their trunks. The agile deer browsed at their feet. The pioneer hunter crept stealthily about; the painted braves passed noiselessly on the war path beneath their shade; how many herds of wild beasts have chased each other through yon wood, and left their bones to bleach, there is none left to tell. But we have a record to tell us of the first white man, who first saw this sequestered valley. While towns were on the St. Lawrence and the seaboard, this inland region lay unexplored. Long after trading houses had been opened and fields tilled and battles fought, these meandering streams that course their way through our fertile valleys in Wayne county were embodied in a forest, until after the revolution, when the white man came to plant him a home; it was then the great change began. When I was but a youth I remember how much pleasure it appeared to give early pioneers, when Richmond was but a small village of a few hundred inhabitants, to sit on the corners of Front and Main streets on dry goods boxes and relate to each other incidents and reminiscences of their early coming, and recount the many disadvantages and privations necessarily attendant upon the settling of a new country. But to-day there are few if any of these first pioneers among us; their places here are known no more, save in history.

Earliest Settlers

It was in 1804 that the first discovery of the Whitewater territory was made by Judge Peter Fleming and Joseph Wasson, a revolutionary soldier, both from the State of Kentucky, and the first entry of land was made near the State line dividing the State of Ohio from the Indian territory. Prior to that date the Indians and the wild beasts of the forest roamed unmolested, and the country was known in history as the Indian Territory. About two miles south of where Richmond now is, was the first settlement, comprising the families of the Holmans, Rues, McCoys, and others, all Kentuckians, with partially grown families. The early life of Holman was somewhat romantic in its character. In the early settling of Kentucky, he being in his youth was captured by the Indians, and remained a prisoner among them about seven years; he had many thrilling incidents to relate of his experience while in his captivity. At one time, upon refusing to bear a burden ordered by the squaws, a council of these savages was held concerning it; the decision was that an equal number of Indian men and squaws were to form a file and these were armed with bows and arrows, clubs and other missiles, and he was made to run the gauntlet between them. He came through unhurt. It was supposed those untutored savages screened him from harm, or saved his life, owing to his extreme youth. Holman resided on the land he settled upon till his death in 1850, at an advanced age. He was a man of considerable notoriety in the county, a period of near a half century. Richard Rue and the others lived on the lands they selected until their decease. Rue was the first justice of the peace in the territory. A little lower down the stream of Whitewater, Hugh Cull settled near the mouth of a small stream, a tributary to Whitewater, called Elkhorn (a name given by elkhorns being early found near the stream). Cull resided at this romantic spot until his death, living to be one hundred and five years old, near fifty years a resident in Wayne county. He was a useful and respected citizen, and for many years a Methodist preacher. Still further down the stream Shadrick Henderson entered several hundred acres of land and settled and was supposed to have erected the first saw mill in the territory in the present limits of Wayne township. The Lambs and others soon after settled near by, mostly from the State of Kentucky. James P. Burgess, a survivor, settled near by, where he has lived over half a century, in the enjoyment of unimpaired health, and is a good citizen. In this connection, I might here continue to notice other early settlers further, in what is now Abington township, as the Hunts, Whiteheads, Smelsers, Endsleys, and others. Some of these yet survive and remain on the lands first settled upon by their fathers, and are now themselves quite old settlers. Several of these have held important offices since the territory became a State and Wayne county formed; but space will prevent an extended history in that direction in this little brief sketch. For a general history of Wayne county I refer the reader to a late history of the county.

From this point permit me to pass up Whitewater to a spot on the west side of one of the tributaries known as the Middle Fork of Whitewater, about one mile and a half north-east of where Richmond now is. A young man by the name of David Hoover started in company with a few others, his seniors, from his father’s temporary home on the Miamies in Ohio in the spring of 1806. In a subsequent memoir of this young man, written in a ripe old age, he informs us of his having some knowledge of the art of surveying, which no doubt enabled him to follow section lines over a tract of country comparatively a wilderness, forty or fifty miles west to the place designated, where they seemed to fancy they had found the Canaan they were seeking, Young Hoover’s father had a short time previous emigrated from North Carolina to where he had stopped, on the Miamis, until he could select his future home for himself and large family. The parents of this young discoverer were of German descent and originally from the State of Pennsylvania, but early emigrated to the Carolinas, and were of the Society of Friends. David Hoover, the son, was supposed to be the first white man that set foot on the banks of the Middle Fork stream, north of Richmond. This little band of adventurers after reconnoitering discovered many natural advantages among which was the gushing springs of cold, sparkling water, issuing from either bank of the stream, also future mill seats and inexhaustible quarries of lime-stone and gravel, and the land being extremely fertile and rich, they concluded they would explore the West no further. They took up their march from that spot following the course of the stream on the west bank. It is not improbable they discovered an impassable swamp immediately north of Richmond that could not be crossed on horseback. A few subsequent years after, not a few of the early settlers’ cows would get swamped there. On one occasion when Judge Fleming, above alluded to, was hunting his cows on horseback, in attempting to ride in after them mired his horse down. He being corpulent rolled off his horse, and with some difficulty he extricated himself and horse upon terra firma, but discovered he had lost his English silver watch; he never recovered it. In their course down the stream some mile and a half, they found traps set by some friendly Indians near the west bank of Whitewater proper, near the present railroad bridge. These Indians they found could speak broken English and learned from them that white men lived a little way down. They continued their course through a dense forest a short distance, when they crossed the stream. Passing a little further south they found there early settlers as previously described, where they were hospitably entertained and learned of them something of the geography of the country. From this pioneer colony of early settlers Hoover and his comrades steered their course back to the settlement on the Miamies, taking a somewhat different route from that on coming, passing through a site staked off among the beech trees for the town of Eaton, and reached home in safety, and reported of finding the “promised land.” Upon this favorable report, the Hoover family the same year, 1806, came to Whitewater territory, and selected several hundred acres of choice land in the vicinity which had been discovered. The father, having several grown sons, all of whom as they married, settled them around him. David being the eldest, after taking a wife before coming, chose the land he first set his foot on as his portion, and erected a log cabin near the west bluff of Middle Fork, in 1807, and commenced housekeeping. It may be well to note here that he made this his first and last home during the remainder of his life, a period of fifty-seven years. It shall be my purpose in the future of these sketches to refer to him as forming a link in the chain that connects the history of the early settlings of the Whitewaters.

Quakers

At the above date I propose to note the emigration to the Territory of a religions sect commonly designated Quakers, but more properly the Society of Friends. As the Hoover family were of this persuasion and the first to emigrate, the probability may have been that the Society of Friends would not have had the honor of being proprietors of the lands on which the city of Richmond now stands and of receiving the name she bears, had young Hoover failed to have discovered the location he did. I believe the Judge claimed in his late memoirs a little credit as being a kind of John the Baptist or fore-runner for the Friends to prepare a place for them in the wilderness for their future greatness.

Jeremiah Cox and John Smith wended their way from a land of slavery to seek their homes and fortunes in territories freed from this blighting evil. By accident or otherwise they were attracted to the Whitewaters and each procured lands principally on the east side of Whitewater stream where Richmond now is. Smith’s lands all lay south of now Main street. Smith cleared a patch of ground near the east bluff and erected a rude log cabin, Cox purchasing of one Woodkirk who previously bought of John Meek. Woodkirk having made a small clearing of four acres and planted it in corn, Cox paid him a consideration for his improvement.

Emigration had now become a fixed fact. The spirit of emigration had become rife in the Southern States; the Society of Friends who had settled in those States when a new country, had prior to that absolved themselves from holding in physical slavery the African race, but in the course of human events a union of all the States was effected and a constitution formed for all, permitting those Southern States the right to hold human beings as goods and chattles; hence the desire of the Friends to migrate to a land freed from the recognition of slavery. It has been a notable fact with those acquainted with the peculiar traits of the Friends, that wherever a colony of them locate in the West, others of the same persuasion will flock to them from South as well as East, until a permanent settlement is effected. Soon after those families became settled others from the Carolinas began to arrive. The earliest were the Hawkins, Hills, Morrows, Wrights, Charles, Gilberts, Burgesses, Stewarts, Evans, Bonds, &c. All the above were from the Carolinas. The places they came from became almost stereotyped phrases; when being asked where they came from the general answer was “Guilford county, near Clemmens’ store” or “Beard’s Hatter Shop,” “Dobson’s Cross-roads” or “Deep-river Settlement of Friends.” The heads of these families were generally of middle life and robust as well as their worthy matrons and mothers, who seemed to be adapted to the privations and hardships they were to encounter in frontier life, for at that date it was considered the extreme border of civilization. No settlements were known in any part of the territory except at Vincennes. In addition to the above families I might notice others not mentioned, as the Flemings, Wassons, Irelands, Maxwells, Purviances and others, chiefly Kentuckians, and of other religious persuasions.

First Mills

It was but natural that ways and means should be devised to supply the temporal wants of those new comers; means whereby they could procure bread-stuff were the first in consideration. Some at first had to perform a pilgrimage to the older settlements on the Miami streams in Ohio to buy and get their grain ground. A very interesting and amusing account is related of a trip of the eldest son of Cox, who was quite young, in company with his Uncle James Morrisson. Young Cox is still living at the penning of these lines, aged over four score years. A few years ago he wrote out a graphic account of their mill trip, which was read at an Old Settler’s meeting in Wayne county, and recently was published in one of our weekly newspapers; hence I will omit the recital of it in this connection. Jeremiah Cox, Sen., saw the necessity of erecting a mill on his lands on Whitewater; that rude mill stood a short distance south of the present National bridge; the precise spot was probably near the middle of the present bed of the Whitewater. This mill had at first but one pair of mill stones, procured from the banks of the stream, which no doubt served the purpose at that day well enough; and perhaps they did not complain half as much as at this day about the quality of the flour. I omitted to mention that one Charles Hunt had a small mill, perhaps a little prior to the erection of Cox’s, at the mouth or Elkhorn, that served to crack corn for the lower settlement. It was said the hopper was covered with clapboards.

Perhaps some who read these sketches may not have learned that their ancestors dined on pounded hominy from corn, and also may be curious to know how it was made. It was simply to burn a concave hole in the end of a log, and set it on end, soak the corn in lye and put it in the mortar, pound it by hand with a wooden pestle until the hull is loosened, and then put the pounded corn in water to separate the hulls, &c. But a very early settler down Whitewater invented a hominy mill. It was on this wise: he had on his place a running branch of water in which was a perpendicular fall of some eight or ten feet; he made a rude water-wheel, attached a crank, placing as aforementioned an upright log with basin-like burnt hole, attaching a pestle to the crank of the wheel; the pestle would work up and down on the corn. The economical farmer would, after placing the corn by walking up on a temporary platform, leave it to attend to other pursuits, when his mill would pound away for his neighbors, taking care to take toll. But unfortunately his enterprise was somewhat suddenly terminated one day when off on duty. He had a flock of sheep ranging around the mill; the bell-weather had become familiar with it, and seeing the old man packing corn up to the mortar and leaving, bell-weather ventured to look after the corn; arriving in safety at the mortar he plunged his head in after the corn, but his delay in gobbling a mouth full proved fatal, for the pestle struck him on the back of the head toppling him over down the precipice. The rest of the flock seeing the way clear one by one walked up, each one receiving a similar blow, and tumbled all in a pile down below.

Cox and Smith

A very early settler has recently informed the writer when he was a boy, in 1811, he saw Cox riding down a cow path road from his house where North Front street now is, carrying before him on his old Carolina bay horse a bunch of straw to stop craw-fish holes in his mill dam. Another relates that he saw him wearing very wide-legged pantaloons; when he had occasion to wade in the dam to stop holes he would draw up the legs of his pants into his pockets. In the mean time Smith, to supply the wants of the early comers, procured store goods, and tradition says he brought his first stock of goods on horseback from Cincinnati, and had his first store in a buckeye log cabin near Wiggins’ tan yard. It was said that one night the Indians threw off the clapboard roof and stole some of his goods. Smith had subsequently traded some with the Indians; perhaps he was not much the loser if they did steal from him. Smith had the reputation of being a shrewd trader, selling a great many articles and yards for a quarter of a dollar and “phippenny bit.” He remarked to a friend when he was an old man, smiling, that the famous Tecumseh owed him a coon skin, but he supposed it was his little unpleasantness with Uncle Sam that prevented his paying it.

In 1811, Smith built the first brick house in the territory of which this is a sketch of. Jeremiah Hadley, a son-in-law, owns and resides in the house. Smith had his store a short time in this house; afterwards had it on the west side of Front street near the public square. A common dirt road at that date ran from the east through Smith’s land, now south of Main street, passing by his store and dwelling, down the bluff diagonally, crossing Whitewater and ascending the bluff in a similar manner, on to Salisbury then the county seat of Wayne. Smith being a man in middle life and possessing some sagacity and business tact and forethought, conceived the project that his land and partially opened farm would make a good site for a town. Previous to 1816 he sold some lots on Front street, south, to new comers, and frame houses were built and families successively lived. Some of these houses stood the thief of time over a half century, till they were removed recently to make vacant the court house grounds.

Robert Morrisson

In 1810 Robert Morrisson, who subsequently became identified and interwoven with the history of Richmond, arrived direct from North Carolina, and stopped with his brother-in-law Cox, and lodged the first winter in an out-house or cabin. In the following year he purchased a tract of land about six miles north of Richmond, where he remained a few years and made some improvements as a farmer. In connection with this he was a wolf-trapper. A surviving old settler relates some adventures of Morrisson’s enterprise in trapping. He says, himself, with a brother-in-law of Morrisson, visited Morrisson at his residence. He proposed to go along with him to look after his traps a few miles east of his home. On coming to one of his traps they found a large wolf in it, when Morrisson began to devise ways and means to capture the wolf alive that he might have sport with it and his dogs, suggesting to ham-string him, &c.; but while he was preparing to do so, Turner, his brother-in-law, picked up an axe, and with a well-aimed blow between the cracks of the trap dispatched him at once, saying, “by blood, I’ll kill the wratched varment.” But it is said Morrisson did, some time after, capture a wolf and have fun with his dogs. If any one will take the trouble to search the archives of our county’s earliest records he will find Robert Morrisson credited with wolf scalps.

In the year 1814, Morrisson sold his farm to a new comer for about eight hundred dollars. After reconnoitering for a new home and business, he found his contemporary friend, Smith, in the mercantile trade without competition nearer than Vanausdal in Eaton, Ohio, consequently his custom and trade was extensive, and it was not unlikely his trade was as profitable as some merchants of the present day. Morrisson rented or procured a small piece of swampy land from his brother-in-law, Cox, now opposite the court house, and now corner of Main and Front streets. A portion of this land fronting on the road, now Front street, was dry land; this road led down to Cox’s mill and Salisbury. On this he built a small frame house for a dwelling, and soon after brought some goods from Cincinnati. Smith finding in the mean time that he was about to have competition and that business was gravitating towards Ezra Boswell’s beer saloon and Morrisson’s corner, moved his store to the opposite corner where the new court house now stands. Not long after Morrisson was in occupancy of his new home, the house accidentally took fire and was burnt to ashes, with the most of his household goods. Previous to the fire Morrisson and Smith entered into co-partnership and Morrisson had moved his goods over in Smith’s store; but for some cause not known the partnership was abandoned.

Ezra Boswell

Right here in connection, I will allude to Ezra Boswell, the one-eyed man who made beer and gingerbread, on Front street. Perhaps there are yet some living in Richmond that quaffed beer and ate his gingerbread. The writer is a living witness of testing the latter. When Richmond was but a small village they had a town council that served free gratis, but a rumor was circulated that they drank beer at the town’s expense.

Settlers North of Main Street

Before passing to something else I will notice a few more early settlers on North Front street, in the vicinity of now Pearl Street Church, among whom was Adam Boyd, who was the first ‘squire of the town and was a wagon-maker. John McLane, Sen., the blacksmith, (he was of the Friends’ Society, and was a stout, robust, broad-shouldered man in the meredian of life, and was supposed to have some fighting proclivities, at least the townspeople thought it best to keep on good terms with him). Abel Thornburg, Evan Chaffin and Mark Reeves; the two latter were carpenters and the former a millwright, and perhaps is living. Reeves was the father of Mark and James Reeves the bankers.

Naming the New Town

Front street previous to 1820 was the main thoroughfare from the north into town as it led directly to Boswell’s beer shop and Morrisson’s and Smith’s stores and Lacey’s tavern. Solomon Dickinson, Sen., lived near Morrisson’s and Boswell’s and was a tinner. Perhaps some yet have a recollection of his dingdong hammering in that vicinity. In the mean time John Smith had a sale of lots in 1816 on now Pearl street; quite a number were sold and immediately built on. The town now began to number several hundred inhabitants, chiefly industrious mechanics as carpenters, blacksmiths, cabinet-makers, tinners, potters, &c. But Cox appeared to have no pencheant for a town, saying he would rather see a buck’s tail than a tavern sign. When Cox sold lots on Front street, which had previously been laid out as a county road, allowing forty feet in width for a road, he deemed that width sufficient for a street, not anticipating any more town on his side or wishing any; but finding that his neighbor Smith was bent on having a town, concluded as he would be annoyed anyhow with boys robbing his apple and peach orchard, he consented to sell and lay off Pearl street. I omitted to note that David Hoover’s knowledge of surveying was brought into use in surveying lots for Smith and Cox as well as writing deeds, &c. The reader may be informed when Smith sold the first lots. Previous to 1816 the town was called Smithville; but after the first public sale of lots, the towns-people wanted another name, but disagreed among themselves in selecting one. It was agreed to leave it to three disinterested persons outside of the town limits. Thomas Roberts, James Pegg and David Hoover were chosen. Roberts suggested “Waterford,” Pegg, “Plainfield,” and Hoover “Richmond.” The latter was satisfactory to the townspeople.

Commerce

A new era seemed now to dawn as the town now had a name. From 1820 to ‘22 quite an accession of new corners was added to Richmond, principally from the Eastern States. James McGuire, an Irishman, had a store near Bargis’s stove store. Perhaps few, if any, are here to-day that ever saw this burly, unmarried man. He at one time boarded at Morrisson’s on the old Strattan corner. The writer has a recollection, when a boy, of being on a visit with his parents at Morrisson’s. It so happened I was lodged in McGuire’s room; the next morning, being the Sabbath, I arose from my couch earlier than my fellow rooms-man, which gave an opportunity to take observations. The room was not decorated with pictures, save a whisky bottle on the mantlepiece. About this time McGuire awoke; he almost raised the hair on my head, he swore so. Suffice to say, I have let the bottle alone ever since.

Joseph P. Plummer came and occupied a frame house and store on the corner, now Nestor’s, David Holloway, Sen., on the opposite corner, Eli Brown, the hatter, next to Plummer’s, on Main street, John Wright, next to Brown’s, and in after years known as the Brightwell store. Morrisson had erected a frame dwelling and store room on the corner of Main and Pearl streets. Smith had Edward L. Frost as a partner, a single man; subsequently Frost and his brother Gideon had a store of their own on now Knapp’s corner. On the opposite corner where the Richmond National bank is, was a tavern owned by Philip Harter; one Baily probably was the first tavern keeper there. Morrisson, a few years previous, having discovered the difficulty of the new settlers in obtaining shoe leather, started a tan-yard on his swampy land, that was fed by a spring, which he carried on several years successfully. The demand for leather yearly increased as emigration continued rapidly. It was said that much of the sole leather when weighed was sometimes pretty damp. Smith also had a coincident inspiration of the necessities of the settlers about the same time, and started a tan-yard near his house, now Wiggins’. Neither Smith nor Morrisson were practical tanners, but Smith hearing of a dwarf Englishman, a friend Quaker, who had arrived from England and landed at Cincinnati; he employed two men teamsters, members of Friends, to go with their teams and bring the family to Richmond to carry on the tan-yard. It was said in coming from Cincinnati, which took several days, the two young men were careful to have along some good liquor as the water was bad away from Whitewater. The bottle was generally carried in the side-box attached to their wagon beds, where they deposited their curry combs, &c. One day in helping themselves to some they offered it to the friend Englishman who had been walking; he had not been used to red-eye, the consequence was they had to haul him in the wagon the balance of the way to Richmond. Morrisson had in his employ two young men of steady habits—Legg and Wilcox—for several years, till Daniel P. Wiggins came with a young family from Long Island, who was foreman of the yard some years longer. I believe my contemporary friend, Calvin Outland, served a number of years in the Wiggins family and tan-yard. Wiggins was a practical tanner, was foreman in Hicks & Co.’s tannery before coming. At the date of this writing friend Wiggins is still living over his four score years in retired and easy circumstances on Linden Hill, near this city. Morrisson was the first post master in Richmond, appointed under the administration of John Quincy Adams, and it is said his first quarter’s receipts were but two dollars and seventy-five cents.

Supplies

Perhaps some at this day may be curious to learn what kind of stores were kept in early times in Richmond. Reader, they were not as at this day, classified off as dry goods stores, drug, grocery, hardware, queensware, &c. For example, Smith had calico, chiefly blue, with white spots, apron checks, cap-stuff (very fine), white muslin (very fine), and some remnants of blue broadcloth of a fine quality. Then he had medicines, as castor oil, glauber salts, opodeldoc, Bateman’s drops, Godfrey’s cordial, &c. In hardware, he had sugar kettles, pots and skillets; also wrought iron in bars, and shovel-plow moles, nail rods, &c., knives and forks, sheep shears, knitting needles, gimlets, augers, fire-tongs and shovels, and irons, curry combs, bridle-bits, horsecollars, blind-bridles, trace-chains, Barlow knives, &c. These, with augers, gimlets and other hardware were wrapt up in oil paper with a sample of each on the outside and placed on shelves to distinguish them. For dye stuff they had madder and indigo, and copperas, and Spanish brown for paint. I believe some of the early stores competed with Smith and Morrisson in the leather trade and had eastern tanned sole leather. All the above articles enumerated, were indispensable in the early settling of the Whitewaters. Sheep-shears were to clip the wool off the sheep’s back; the augers to bore holes in the sugar trees to get the sap to make sugar; the kettles to boil the sap in; the madder and Indigo to color their garments; the medicine to take when sick, but as there were yet no doctors here in those days but few persons were sick. As to the blue broadcloth alluded to, but few could afford to wear such; but occasionally, when some of the first families got married, the young gent would get a coat of it, and had it cut in the fashion with a high rolling collar, brass buttons and claw hammer tail, with a two-story bell-crown hat. Thus equipped, he generally got the inside track among the “gals,” about Whitewater. In some instances they led some bouncing Miss before the country ‘squire to be tied together, she being attired in muslin of angelic whiteness, obtained at Smith’s store.

Settlers South of Main Street

I will notice a few early settlers that lived on south Front street, Smith’s side. One William Williams lived in a frame house on the now Court House ground, which was raised the day of the first sale of lots, in 1816; he was the first minister of the Friends at Whitewater meeting. He was a wheelwright by trade, made spinning wheels for the early settlers to spin flax and wool for their clothing. The Friends had their preachers at that early day, as they paid no salaries. Other religious denominations who paid for their preaching, consequently had to wait to get their hearers. Near Smith’s store a tavern was kept by one Lacey. I believe my friend Achilles Williams had a saddler shop near by. It is said at that date we had but one lawyer, and he boarded at Lacey’s tavern; [he] used to walk the pavement, such as it was, in front of the tavern, with his thumbs stuck in the arm-holes of his vest, head about at an angle of forty-five degrees backward, spouting some Latin; but no business came. He soon left where his merits would be more appreciated.

Eleazor Hiatt and others had a pottery on Front street; pottery ware was a useful article in those days. The first printing office was on Front street, south of Main. Some of the earliest settlers on north Pearl street, were Jacob Sanders, William L. Brady, Caleb Shearon and Ithamer Warner, who was the first permanent doctor in Richmond, unmarried, boarded at Morrisson’s, and owned property on Pearl street. The building known as the Warner building, now the property of the city, and occupied as a Mayor’s office and other city offices, was donated to the town by Warner before his death, many years ago. He accumulated a handsome fortune during his lifetime in Richmond, and was highly respected by the citizens. Brady and Shearon lived to their death on Pearl street.

The first vehicle or carriage that superseded carts and wagons, perhaps, came from Carolina, owned by Josiah Gilbert, who had settled a mile or more south of town. Perhaps there may be some yet that recollects of seeing him and family riding through town on Front street, going to Whitewater meeting at the hour of eleven o’clock, which was the hour of Friends’ meeting from time immemorial. And as Yankee clock peddlers had not wended their way to Richmond, but few of the early inhabitants had time-pieces. It was said Gilbert’s were so regular on time to meeting a few minutes before eleven, that when the matron mothers saw the carriage in the street, they went to kindling the fire to get dinner. I have previously alluded to the fact that doctors were not among the earliest settlers, hence there were but few deaths; but one did die, and it so terrified the town that they went to work to find out the cause. I believe the most they did was to mow down all the dog fennel they could find in town.