Pioneer Farms

Bloczynski Family

It was during the year of the Chicago fire, 1871,
when Jan and Viktorya (Letarski) Bloczynski became
urged to move from Milwaukee to the great free and
open spaces. For five years they studied their plans.
One hot, October afternoon, during the Indian
summer of 1876, they arrived in the Town of Riet-
brock. They arrived, yes. But, what unwelcome new-
comers! There was not a living soul to greet them.
And our present nearby railroad stations at Edgar and
Athens, where were they? Well-that was over one
hundred years ago. They traveled from Wausau,
which was then the nearest railroad station, to Rib
Falls, in a wagon drawn by a team of oxen. For two
weeks, the women and children of the pioneer group
made their living quarters within the Henry Baseman
blacksmith shop, while the men and boys blazed a
trail, and cut down enough trees for an ox team to
pass through the dark forests. Having loaded four
hundred feet of lumber upon a wagon, the ox team,
followed by men with bundles in their arms, began
their westward journey. Jan and Viktorya exchanged
carrying, upon arms, the baby of their family,
Dominica (Sister Christina), who was then three years
of age. After wading through swamps, and groping
their way in the dark evening shadows for many long
hours, they finally reached their destination which
soon had been incorporated under the name of Ponia-
towski, who was loved by his Polish people. Bloczyn-
skis settled in the central part of Section 14. In
later years, it was purchased by their grandson
Thomas Myszka. It is here that Thomas's wife Helen
still lives at the present time.
Jan and Viktorya camped for the first several days
on the hill, which now is a part of the Oliver
Schueller farm. Until their first log cabin was built,
they found shelter under a roof of thicket and ever-
green brush. Together with them, the Milkowski,

the Norlock, and the Klawinski families were the
first to live where no white man had ever lived before.
Four weeks later, this little group of Rietbrock's
"Daniel Boones"-the solitary pioneers-was followed
by six more families, who were also Milwaukee
emigrants; and all of them were harbored temporarily
at the Rietbrock camp.
In the second group of pioneers were the families of
Stephen Rethka, Simon Myszka, Frank Wisnewski,
Theodore Lewandowski, Nick Knaczenski and Anton
Rzepinski. A year later followed Peter Wojciechowski,
Martin Nowicki, Joseph Waskowiak, Adam Schwitt-
lick, Jospeh Szczepaniak, and Anton Poznanski.
The pioneers lived far apart, separated by miles of
forests and marshes. They were, indeed, very lonely.
But soon, news reached the farmers of Rib Falls and
Marathon city about the Rietbrock pioneers. That
was when they had to pay their first taxes to the
Town of Rib Falls, as the pioneer land were still
under the jurisdiction of that town. Among the many
neighboring settlers who exchanged visits with the
newcomers were the Haesle, Halkovitz, Rux, and
Tessmer families. As soon as the colonists knew that
they had some fine neighbors on the other side of
the marsh, they did not wish to return to their old
homes in Milwaukee; the mighty spirit of Kosciuszko
was moulded in them; they were eager to sacrifice
everything in order to help their neighbors. Whatever
pecuniary aid they could give to their neighbors, they
gave it gladly, even if they themselves were not har-
vesting any money in that far-away forest country.
Satisfaction is not always complete in money alone,
for money in a wilderness has little value. The tales
of the pioneers confirm this point of view. Most of
those pioneers had savings and money with which to
buy food, but it meant a sacrifice of long hours and
difficult labor, to furnish it to their homes. A day, and
even longer, was the time schedule to Marathon City,
as those very early trips could be made by foot only.
Each "schopper" brought home just the little bundle
which he could carry under his arm, or upon his
shoulder. We must remember that there were yet no
roads for wagons; and there were no horses, even for
several years. After forest lanes were chopped through
the treachererous swamps, Jan Bloczynski was the
first to request Mr. Magdans-a farmer east of Rib
Falls, who had an ox team-to deliver a load of food
stuffs. When the farmer received the twenty-dollar
goldpiece for his produce, he exclaimed, "Mein lieben
Gott, ich habe so vas nicht geschehen fur eine lange,
lange zeit." (My loving God, I have not had this