Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume VI (1872)

              466 state historical society which were riven out and shaved in this locality a small colony of mormons established themselves and for a time were under the leadership of the somewhat noted james j strang for aught the speaker knows they may be there to this day the first prayer meeting in walworth county was held at the house of a a hemminway on spring prairie july 10th 1836 it was appointed by s r phcenix and fourteen persons were present another was held at the same place on the following sabbath and fifteen were present i would tiere state that this county in its early settlement abounded in deer herds of from ten to twenty were fre quently seen and as they went gently bounding away in measured leaps with their uplifted tails fringed with white weaving like plumes nothing could be more animating or graceful sand hill cranes also abounded and sometimes they might be seen in large companies standing erect on the ground flapping their wings and leaping apparently per forming a waltz or an indian war dance prairie wolves were common and often made the night hideous with their bowlings and the large gray wolf was not unfrequent east troy — the settlements in this town commenced at an early day and about the same time with those of spring prairie and troy asa blood and family were the first actu al residents he came in 1836 just what time i do not know and built a house on the north bank of honey creek near where the east troy mills now stand he and a young man by the name of eobekts claimed the mill site austin mc ceacken came afterwards in 1836 and built a house daniel griffin and his sons delanson and beuben allan ham ilton benj jennings and gaylord graves all came in 1836 or 1837 jacob burgett in the spring of 1837 pur chased the claim to the mill site one of the best and most * they did not tarry long in wisconsin but removed to beaver island lake superior where they remained a while their wisconsin settlement was called voree ; while there from september 1846 to september 1847 they published the voree herald changed flcst to zianrs reveille and then to the gospel herald several numbers of which have been presented to ur hietforicaj soqiety by chs l woodward esq a paper on the voree mormon community is kindly promised the society by hon wm.jp lton ll d of our supreme court l c d