The first Old Settlers gathering held October 16, 1874.
Samuel Preston is pictured on the right center about in the second row.
He has grey hair and a beard (like every other man), a dark colored bow tie,
and something white in his left hand on which an "X" has been drawn,
probably by Florence Luella (Downing) Horner, the mother of Alice Horner, the contributor of
this postcard.
The natural beauties of the county are many and cannot be surpassed. Carroll Creek, or the "Waukarusa" the Indian name given it, starts from Badger Springs, near Shannon, flows just north of Lanark, winds its crooked way westward, passes through Mt. Carroll, through City Park, thence through Smith's Park, to Plum River and on to the Mississippi at Savanna.
Plum River, which has its source in Jo Daviess County, passes through Freedom and Woodland townships in Carroll County. Elkhorn Creek, quite a pretentious stream, flows through Milledgeville southward making the county a well-watered one at all seasons of the year, for there are many "runs", rivulets, and small creeks running into and feeding the larger streams, while Johnson Creek starting southeast of Mt. Carroll, meanders through Salem, Mt. Carroll and York townships, growing in size before it reaches the Mississippi.
