Introduction
This volume, Pioneer Days and History of Bremer County; Iowa, was made possible through a series of letters which were written by Col. W. V. Lucas, of Santa Cruz, California, and published in the Waverly Democrat, but without any thought by the writer that they would be published in book form. Col. Lucas, pioneer of Bremer county, and a man well posted on the lives of the people and conditions during the early days of the county, was asked by the editor of the Democrat to furnish this paper a story of the early settlers, knowing that it would be of great interest to its readers. Col. Lucas complied with this request, the first letter appearing in June, 1917, with weekly installments thereafter up to January, 1918. These letters were intensely interesting, and before the series was completed the publishers of the Democrat conceived the idea of issuing them in book form, so that much valuable history, which they contained, would be preserved for future generations. But, as stated, the writer having no thought of these being published other than as newspaper articles, did not confine himself to routine dates, but merely selected incidents concerning the most important events of pioneer days of the county.
For the arrangement of these articles there is no apology to be made, While they are probably not in the order in which the writer would have arranged the, had he known they were to be published in book form, they contain historic facts that will be interesting and valuable to the present and future generations. Thus was Pioneer Days in Bremer County brought about.
Following the letters of Col. Lucas, Harry Hazlett, another pioneer of the county, now living in Sioux Falls, S. D., contributed a series of articles for the Democrat, dealing with early settlers, and these are embodied in this volume. Mr. Hazlett possesses a fund of knowledge both as to the early settlers and their lives, and his contribution will lend strength to the book.
L. C. Oberdorf, of Waverly, a pioneer settler of the county, and a man who possesses a thorough knowledge of conditions during the early days and down to the present time, has contributed a series of articles which, when interwoven with the biographical sketches of the pioneers, makes this book complete. No better or more competent person than Mr. Oberdorf could have been secured for compiling this data, for his statements are based on facts which he looked up carefully.
This introduction would not be complete without mentioning the chapter by H. B. Miller, of Waverly, who has written interestingly of people with whom he was closely associated and of his experiences of early days.
THE PUBLISHERS.
June, 1918.
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