Description

It was inevitable that early settlers
on this Island should have had a
most difficult time. Isolation and unfamiliarity
with a n ew world and its
ways made for poor beginnings. In
many cases, hunger, cold, and disease
provided fairly rapid conclusions. A
heroic heritage was thus fashioned for
the edification of generations to come.*
Although still-abundant wildlife provided
food and clothing in the early
days, some species could also be quite
dangerous to human life. The mind
conjures images of slavering bears
lurking behind, most big trees, or perhaps even wolves stalking the intrepid
ancestor through the winter drifts.
Nothing could be further from the truth:
large animals presented minor problems.
The real danger came from mice.