THE BARK COVERED HOUSE,

OR

or, BACK IN THE WOODS AGAIN;BEING A GRAPHIC AND THRILLING DESCRIPTION OF REAL PIONEER LIFE IN THEWILDERNESS OF MICHIGAN

BY WILLIAM NOWLIN, ESQ.

1876

PREFATORY NOTE.

I little thought when I left my farm yards, horses and cattle in the careof other men, and began to write, that I should spend nearly all thewinter of 1875 in writing; much less, that I should offer the product ofsuch labor to the public, in the Centennial Year. But I have been urgedto do so by many friends, both learned and unlearned, who have read themanuscript, or listened to parts of it. They think the work, althoughwritten by a farmer, should see the light and live for the information ofothers. One of these is Levi Bishop, of Detroit, who was long a personalfriend of my father and his family, and has recently read the manuscript.He is now President of the "Wayne County Pioneer Society," and is widelyknown as a literary man, poet and author.

W.N.

KEY.

Sketch of the lives of John and Melinda Nowlin; of their journeying andsettlement in Michigan.

Thrilling scenes and incidents of pioneer life, of hopes and fears, ofups and downs, of a life in the woods; continuing until the gloom anddarkness of the forest were chased away, by the light of civilization,and the long battle for a home had been fought by the pioneer soldiersand they had gained a signal victory over nature herself.

Hope never forsook them in the darkest hours, but beckoned and cheeredthem on to the conquest of the wilderness. When that was consummated hopehovered and sat upon her pedestal of realization. For better days hadcome for the pioneers in the country they had found. Then was heard thejoyful, enchanting "Harvest Home;" songs of "Peace and Plenty."

Crowned with honor, prosperity and happiness—for a time.

PREFACE.

I have delineated the scenes of this narrative, from time to time, asthey took place. I thought at the time when they occurred that some ofthem were against me.

I do not place this volume before its readers that I may gain anyapplause: I have sought to say no more of myself than was necessary.

This is a labor of love, written to perpetuate the memory of some mostnoble lives, among whom were my father and mother who sought a home inthe forests of Michigan at an early day. Being then quite young, I keptno record of dates or occurrences, and this book is mostly sketchedfrom memory.

It is a history of my parents' struggles and triumphs in the wilderness.It ought to encourage all who read it, since not many begin life in a newcountry with fewer advantages than they.

It is said that "Truth is stranger than fiction." In this I have detailedthe walks of ordinary life in the woods. In these pictures there istruth. All and more than I have said have been realized. My observationshave been drawn from my own knowledge, in the main, but I am indebted tomy sisters for some incidents related. Together, with our brother, weoften sat around the clay hearth and listened to father's stories, wordsof encouragement and counsel. Together we shared and endured the fears,trials and hardships of a pioneer life.

This work c

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