gold strike. Troy Hale was also one of Doc Middleton's backers in this race.

Two other Valley Precinct settlers were George Heuerman and his brother-in-law Charles Fenske. Mr. Heuerman was President and Mr. Fenske on the Board of Directors of the Battle Creek Mutual Insurance Company when it was first organized in 1892. Both also helped organize the Citizens State Bank in Battle Creek, Mr. Heuerman serving as president. Mr. Heuerman and Mr. Fenske both serving on the Board of Directors. Harry Barnes was cashier and T. L. White, assistant cashier. When Mr. Heuerman retired he built the house now occupied by August Praeuner's.

Another early settler in Fairview Precinct who later retired to Battle Creek was Henry Peterson and his wife Martha. Mr. Peterson had learned the trade as a wagon maker in his native country, Schleswig-Holstein. In 1888, he left his homestead and came to Battle Creek to engage in this trade. In those days there was no central factory manufacturing like we have today. Mr. Peterson built wagons, his shop being in the rear of what later was Severa Rooming House. The front was occupied by Conrad Hanson, a blacksmith who forged many a tool for on the spot delivery. Frank Reavis, his brother-in-law, occupied part of the building and plied his trade as a gun smith. Conrad Hansen was the father of the late Charles Hansen and Frank Reavis was the father of the late Harry Reavis.

Henry Peterson was the father of Frank Peterson (a veteran of the Spanish American War) now of Madison of whom more will be written later because this writer had an interesting interview with Mr. and Mrs. Peterson in their home some months ago. A daughter of the Henry Peterson's, Luella, married Emil Merz. Another daughter, Mae, married Leo Moore, (brother of Paul Moore). The younger son, Ray, was a helper in the railway station under Henry Whitney and later became station agent at Creighton, Nebraska.

Frank Peterson related breaking prairie as a boy on his father's homestead using a mule, a cow and an Indian pony hitched to a breaking plow known as a grasshopper. It consisted of a lay and three board rungs to turn the sod. When the family moved to town Frank learned type setting under Bob Scott in the Battle Creek Enterprise. Later when Corey Montross started the Battle Creek Republican, Frank left the Enterprise to set type for the Republican because of political differences. People took their politics a little more seriously along party lines than they do now.

Then came the Spanish American War and Frank Peterson along with Richard Hedman, James G. Taylor (brother of the late Molly Taylor), Chris Miller (brother of Mrs. Emma Haight) and John Clark Hoover enlisted in Company F Volunteers which was formed at Madison. They volunteered for and were sent to the Philippine Islands to fight against Spain in the Spanish American War. Then when Insurrection broke out there among the natives after the United States had freed them from tyrannical Spanish rule, the boys, who had enlisted for the war against Spain,

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