Hi friends and neighbors of the Marshfield Mail community. We certainly are so very blessed to have plenty of rain this year. After three years of drought I hope I never complain about mud again. O K everyone are we all ready to continue on with our story about how our Native Americans were treated when they were being rounded up for the forced march known as the Trail of Tears? Before we pick up where we left off last week, let me remind everyone about the last eight weeks. During the administrations of President Jackson and Van Buren they both had a joint goal to rid America of the five civilized tribes of Native Americans. Through years of haggling, bogus peace treaties and local hatred from greedy plantation owners and other white settlers our Indian friends stood little chance against the thousands of federal and state troops searching for their capture. Our weekly focus has been on the Cherokees however the other tribes went through similar experiences of torture and brutality. Now let’s bring everyone up to the watering trough of knowledge and remind everyone where we left off last week. General Winfield Scott commissioned Captain Folers with hundreds of federal troops to take over the Valley Flatt Plantation. The soldiers used the Valley Flat as their base of operations to ride up into nearby Cherokee land and bring Indian captives back to keep them incarcerated until the time was ready to begin their forced march to Oklahoma. The Mr Igley Moley of the Valley Flatt wants the rich farmland and slaves of the Cherokees and the army wants to capture the Indians. Idimer Hader is the Valley Flatt’s head henchman and has used a former captured slave of the Cherokees to lead the soldiers to the Cherokees hiding place inside Buzzard Beak Cave. Last week we left off with the soldiers and Idimer surrounding the cave and setting fires inside and outside to smoke the Indians and slaves out for capture. O K my faithful readers one more step. Mount up your favorite history horse to take us back into the past for this week’s sad story. All mounted? Let’s ride! Close your eyes count to three and —------ we made it! We are now in stealth mode invisible to everyone around us below. Let’s listen and watch–oh, over there by the cave entrance, fire is raging while the Indians and slaves are trapped inside. Idimer Hader, “O K men, them Injuns and slaves will be coming out like rats before you know it.(suddenly a 6 year old Indian child comes running out screaming and crying) Idimer Hader, “let me get him. (Idimer spurs his old mule and ropes the kid and dragging him around while he is screaming and hollering in pain. He stops and from a distance begins talking in Cherokee) We have one of your Di-Ni-Yo-TLI. (means children in Cherokee) Come out or else!” Instantly the child’s father comes running out with a rifle and a barrage of gunfire from the awaiting soldiers opens up and he is killed instantly.) O K rambling readers let’s listen inside the cave to what is going on with our trapped Indians and slaves. Chief Rain Frog, Tender Leaf the school teacher, Ezekiel the slave that used to be with the Cherokees until Idimer captured him and others are frantically running around dipping up water to put out the internal fires. Chief Rain Frog, “Everyone come together we must council! We finally got the fires out. Tall Tree has already been shot and killed by the white men trying to rescue his son.” Swift Horse—raising up his spear, “I say we all go out together and charge the white men and destroy them now!” Tender Leaf, “No! Please listen to me. The White Soldiers have many guns waiting for us. We must think of the future of our children and people. We must have faith that we can endure this present trial and persevere for the future of our people. I say we surrender. Otherwise we all perish.” Little Fox, “I will never surrender to them. I would rather die than surrender and be the white man's slave. What do you think Ezekiel? You’ve been the white man's slave for the last three years and our’s since birth.” Ezekiel, “ My family and people here have no choice. We either will die here today or we

Not too many years ago could be found on many dairy farmers’ calendars the telephone number of their “cow breeder.”

Hi rambling friends and neighbors of the Marshfield Mail. I’m very glad to be back to share week 7 about the history of the Trail of Tears. We have a lot of ground to cover this week so let’s begin with a review of the last six weeks. At one time our country had Native Americans everywhere. As the white men approached they pushed them off of their land. President Andrew Jackson had as his priority to remove our Native Americans from the United States to take them to the Oklahoma Territory by any means possible. He assigned General Winfield Scott with thousands of federal troops. In addition the locals were asked to join in to help locate and capture Indians that did not go willingly. The most prominent of the Native Americans were the Cherokees since they were considered wealthy and many were educated. In addition they owned over 1500 black slaves and even gold was discovered on their land in northern Georgia. Our priority through the rambling weekly articles has been on the Cherokees. O K folks: are we all ready to ride? Our magical history horses are all saddled and ready to get started. My personal horse ‘Flashback’ is already saddled along with the others. Mount up, close your eyes, count to three. Whoa! We made it. We are now in Northern Georgia overlooking the Valley Flat Plantation. Idimer Hader and the federal troops are getting started to ride out to search and find by any means where the Cherokees are located and bring them back in chains and put them in stockades until the time to begin moving them. Let’s listen in and watch for ourselves what is going on. Idimer Hader, (speaking and pointing at one of his slaves) “hey Mulebone, go get Ezekiel and bring him here. He’s in the cotton barn.” Mulebone, “Yes sir Master Hader.” Mulebone goes over to the cotton barn and sends Ezekiel to Idimer Hader. (O K readers I need to give you a little background about Ezekiel. Originally he was with his family and a slave for the Cherokee Indians and his master was Chief Rain Frog. One day Idimer Hader was going after a runaway slave in Cherokee country when he found Ezekiel picking peaches. Being that Ezekiel was a strong healthy black man he knew he would make a fine slave for the Valley Flat Plantation. He captured him and brought him back. Ever since he has made it known that he wants to return. Once he escaped and Idimer captured him back and gave him a severe whippin’) Idimer Hader, “Ezekiel, how would you like to join up with your family again? Ezekiel, “Master Hader, yes sir I would! Do you really mean it?” Idimer Hader, “Sure do we’re going to Cherokee land now. You find your family members and you will get to be with them. Go saddle Windstorm and ride with us.” Ezekiel, “Yes sir Master Hader.” (In the meantime Captain Folers of the federal troops begins questioning Idimer Hader while Ezekiel is gone saddling up his horse.) Captain Folers, “Idimer, what’s the meaning of taking a slave with us? We don’t need him. I thought you knew where all of the Cherokees lived.) Idimer Hader, Don’t you understand? Ezekiel has lived with the Cherokees for over 30 years; he knows all of their hiding places and everything about them. I am using him to find his family alright but also to find your Cherokees for you. We will both be happy. You get your Injuns and I get their slaves for the Valley Flatt Plantation.) O K rambling friends let’s take a little break and fast forward two weeks. We are now looking down at Chief Rain Frog’s cabin and village where his people used to live. It is very obvious they have left the area and are in hiding. Captain Folers “Idimer—- where are the Indians?” Idimer Hader, “Don’t worry Captain we will find our Indians. Just be patient with me and don’t say anything. Let’s pay a little visit with Ezekiel; he's at the end of the column. (meanwhile Idimer and the Captain ride back to where Ezekiel is) Idimer, “Ezekiel, we made it. It’s just like you told us. I don’t see your family or your old Master Chief Rain Frog. Tell you what I will do. I'll give you two weeks of food and we will turn around and go back to the Valley Flat

Hi rambling readers. I am so very glad to be back in the saddle for week number five to continue our series about the Trail of Tears. O K–- let me catch everyone up that may have missed a week and for the new readers that need to know where we are in this story. A quick summary is: 190 years when Andrew Jackson was president he pushed congress and our nation to rid our country of all Native Americans. Fraudulent peace treaties, unfair laws and the power of the United States military were very successful in capturing the vast majority of the Indians by any means. We also learned that the Cherokees were very educated and lived in log cabins, owned hundreds of slaves and many had adapted the Christian religion. O K, enough review, let's get started! I already have our history horses saddled for everyone to ride with me in stealth mode into the past. Please mount up and let’s go ride and observe and listen in- first person- present tense. Let’s begin where we left off last week. Close your eyes–count to three. One, two, three–swish we made it! Look below—-friendly reminder: Mr Igley Moley of the Valley Flat Plantation is joining up forces with General Winfield Scott of the United States Army. The army is after the Indians and Mr Moley wants their slaves and land by any means. Let’s all hideout in the clouds above and listen in on Mr Moley and General Scott negotiating terms as they are eating supper. The servants are serving Mr Moley with his family and General Winfield Scott a fabulous meal. Steak, sweet potatoes, gravy and peach pie. Mr Igley Moley, how about it General anything more my servant can serve you? “ General, “I’m fine this has been one fine meal!” Mr Igley Moley, “very well let’s go into my study and join me for one of our cigars that we market and make ourselves. General Scott, “I would be delighted Mr Moley.” (Mr Moley and General Scott get up and go to the study room and sit down and light up cigars.) General Scott, “not bad, this is a great cigar, no wonder your plantation is famous for its cigars.” Mr Moley, “thank you general—- we ship wagon loads of our cigars and tobacco per year up to you yankees. General Winfield Scott, O K Mr Moley let’s get down to business and discuss terms. I have 500 soldiers camped on your land this evening and I appreciate you letting me use your mule barn as a stockade for the captured Cherokees we are holding until we can send them to Oklahoma.” Mr Moley, the Valley Flat joins Cherokee land on our northern border. I believe we can work together.” General Scott, “Mr Moley I am going to be to the point. I want to use your plantation as a staging area for my soldiers and I want to build stockades for the captured Indians. Also: I need the use of your slaves to build stockades for the Indians and to grow enough food for my troops and fodder for our horses. I will keep my troops busy day and night rounding up the Indians.” Mr Moley, “Very well General. You have some high demands however I can do it for the right price. I will need double the income I received last year from my cotton and tobacco acres. General Winfield Scott, “money is no problem Mr Moley. President Jackson wants these Indians captured and removed quickly! Mr Moley, “General you have a deal.” General Winfield Scott, “not quite so fast, Igley Moley there’s one more condition that must be met before we shake hands. I want Idimer Hader as my personal scout and tracker for the duration of rounding up the Indians. His reputation is infamous for his ability to track runaway slaves.” Mr Igley Moley, “now you have gone too far. He’s needed here to keep my slaves in line.” General Scott, “no deal without Idimer Hader and his mule.” Mr Igley Moley, mmmm O K I tell you what I can do. We get all the slaves and land that the Cherokees own when we capture the Cherokees.” General Scott, “It's a deal Mr Igley Moley. You want to shake hands and we start tomorrow?” (The two men shake and finish smoking their cigars) Whoa up rambling friends. Just think about what we have all seen and heard. Mr Moley and General Scott are

The farmer down the road was the first person to pay me for working.

As the new year starts, so does the second half of the school year. It will be the final semester for high school seniors before they venture out into the real world; some will join the workforce, and others will go on to college.

It is a new year, and the Marshfield High School Speech and Debate Team members have been seeing success. Since starting competitions in October, the students have been bringing home trophies, some being 1st place.

The gears are turning for the Strafford Robotics team.

The Marshfield High School Choral program has been earning honors and breaking records for the past few months.

Students at Strafford Elementary sailed the seas and learned some important lessons as Author Isaiah "Izzy B" Basye visited the school on Nov. 8. He and illustrator Ben Askew were there talking about their latest book, "The Mighty McKraken." This fun story introduces kids to concepts such as please and thank you, sharing, and treating others with respect.

The colder it gets outside this winter season, the more people will turn up the heater. We often forget that besides the refrigerator, our heater/AC, aka HVAC is one of the most crucial machines in our homes we need to keep our lives going comfortably. Until the heater stops working… heaven forbid that were to happen, but if so, who should you turn to?

A new weekly segment coming to the Marshfield Mail will feature and Athlete or Scholar of the week from around the County.

Q: What is the most challenging part of your job?

On December 16 the Webster County Sheriff’s Department notified the public of a missing woman, Prem Kuar Prasad, a 65 year old Indian woman.

If you have a senior family member or an adult family member with a disability, it will come as no surprise that there is a house shortage for that population. Wait lists can be up to two years long for some housing centers. For Marshfield, that crisis will soon be less extensive.