This part could boast of sturdy families; Yet modestly these bore their worthy lots: Stauffachers, Guises, Brennans, Babbisches, Murphys, Armstrongs, Yaussis, Jeffrys and Otts; Pachas and Trienens, Seematters and Dow; And others that I have forgotten now. And Herkimer should ever brightly shine For blithe savants: Carbott and McConnaughey; No school house feast could glow without their chime-- Their choral gems and jocund roundelay. And over many snowy miles we’d swing To hear these two declaim, debate, or sing. Its violin players were hard to beat: Whoe’er heard Clark Stewart play “The Mocking Bird” At spelling schools, they heard a heavenly treat: To be enraptured was but to have heard. Here, likewise, too, held voluptuous sway The Schumacher dulcet stringed orchestra. This district had its great families too: The Runkles, Schumachers and Dorfeners; Niemanns, Emmerts, Kellers, Hickeys and True, Lyndes, Amelunxens, Koenekes, Raemers-- Most, pioneers who in the sixties came, And helped the prairie’s wild frontier to tame. And Deer Creek! fairest district of the dell! If spelled with “a” instead of “e” no seer Could have objected: here did truly dwell A hundred pretty girls for ev’ry deer. And all could laugh and spell and sing and play, So that the coldest heart turned glad and gay. Among the worthy families were, Schmidlers, And Cockerills, and Watsons, Travelutes; McKees and Severns, Koppeses, and Winklers; Sedlaceks, Tatlocks, Websters, Keys and Lutz-- And teachers great like Shaner, Prichard, Barbour, Charley Travelute and Lizzie Mohrbacher. Blue Valley too, still famous from its grange, Held many wizards of the spelling book; And hence we always tho’t it something strange If in such contests they no honors took: The Rogers, Cottrells, Fultons and Blackmars, Had lasses that could spell to beat the stars. In songs and plays they also were real good; Their literary parts were out of sight: We ne’er went to their fettas but we stood Chuckful of irrepressible delight. And their forensic sons were known to fame; Their laurels sprang from many a wordy game. The story of this vale would lose its sheen Here to withhold the names these tales arouse; As Butler, Benson, Schultz, Mayhew and Green, Herring, McNulty, Spealman, Bull and Howes: And they all strove most earnestly, at least, To make the West twice as great as the East. And Pleasant Ridge, the heart of this quintette, Embowered in a vale that always gave A hearty welcome to the neighboring set, Likewise to worth and wisdom, strong and brave-- Modestly it gave the gauntlet and took, Of friend and foe in bout in spelling book.