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HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY WISCONSIN
COMPILED BY FRANKLYN CURTISS -WEDGE EDITED BY EBEN DOUGLAS PIERCE, M.D. 1
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO AND WINONA H. C. COOPER, Jr., & CO.
1917
F587 17909
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
EARLY WISCONSIN, 1-16
Topography, 1-2; Sovereignty, 2-4; Boundaries, 4-6; First Men In, 6-8; Coming of the White Men, 8-9; Missionaries and Traders, 9-12; French Fur Trade, 12-14; British Fur Trade, 14-16.
CHAPTER II
GEOLOGY, 17-25
Rock Exposures, 17; Geologic Divisions, 17; Successive Stages of Formation, 19; the Trempealeau Bluffs, 23-24; Recapitulation, 24-25; Natural Resources, 25.
CHAPTER III ARCHAEOLOGY, 26-35
Distribution and Character of Antiquities, 26-27; Significance and Authorship, 27-28; Platforms, 28-33; Antiquity of Man, 33-34; Recapitulation, 34-35.
CHAPTER IV
GOVERNMENTAL JURISDICTION, 36-40
Spain, France, England, United States, 36; Territories, States and Counties, 36-38; County Organized, 38-39.
CHAPTER V REIGN OF THE INDIANS, 41-51
Tribes, 41; Winnebago, 41-43; Dakota (Sioux), 43; Wabasha, 44; Decorah, 45-47; Black Hawk, Tradition of Capture, 48-49; Modern Encampments, 49.
CHAPTER VI
EXPLORERS AT TREMPEALEAU MOUNTAIN, 52-64
Description of Mountain, 52; Hennepin, Accault, Auguel, 52-54; Duluth, 53-54; Perrot, 54-55; Le Sueur, 55; Linctot, 56; St. Pierre, 56; Marin, 57; Carver, 57-58; Pike, 58-59; Long, 59-61; Leavenworth, Forsyth and Ft. Snelling, 60; Sawmill on Black River, 60; Cass, Schoolcraft, Doty, 60-61; Sawmill on the Menomonee, 61; Long, Keating, Schoolcraft, 61; "Virginia," the First Steamboat, 61; Beltrami, 61-62; Featherston- haugh, Mather, Catlin, Kearney, Lea, 62.
iii
iv
CONTENTS
CHAPTER VII
EARLY SETTLEMENT, 65-69
Joseph and Augustine Rocque, Trappers, 65-66; Louis and Augustine Grignon, Traders, 66; Gavin, Missionary, 66; Stram, Farmer, 66; la Bathe, Trader, 66; Doville and Antoine Reed, 66-67; James A. Reed, 67; Reed's Followers, 67-68; L. H. and W. B. Bunnell, 68; Influx Begins, 68; Routes of Travel, 68.
CHAPTER VIII
LOCALITY SETTLEMENTS, 70-105
Changes in Nature Wrought by Man, 70-72; Trempealeau, 72-78; Black River Val- ley, 78-79; Beaver Creek Valley, 79-83; Frenchville, 83; Ettrick, 83; Galesville, 83-86; Trempealeau Prairie, 86-87; Dodge, 87-88; Arcadia, 88-91; Burnside, Hale, Chimney Rock, 92; Lincoln, 92-93; Whitehall, 93-94; Pigeon, 94; Preston, 94; Albion, 94-96; Unity, 96; Sumner, 97; Land Office Records, 97-102; Tax Records, 102-105.
CHAPTER IX
COUNTY GOVERNMENT, 106-128
First County Board, 106; Pre-Bellum Boards and Their Doings, 106-109; Com- missioners and Their Doings, 109; Present System of Government Inaugurated, 112-114; County Seat, Courthouse and Jail, 114-116; Asylum, 116-117; Alms House (Attempted), 116-117; Roads and Bridges, 117-118; County Officers, 118-120; County Supervisors Since 1872, 120-128 (Previous Boards Given Earlier in the General Text of the Chapter) ; Organization of Townships-Trempealeau (Montoville) by La Crosse County, Date Unknown, 106; Gale, 106; Preston, 107; Sumner, 107; Arcadia, 107; Caledonia, 107-108; Lincoln, 108; Chase, 108 (Vacated, 109); Ettrick, 110; Burnside, 111; Hale, 111; Albion, 113; Dodge, 113-114; Pigeon, 113-114; Unity, 113-114; Chimney Rock, 113-114.
CHAPTER X
HISTORICAL PAPERS, 129-223
Recollections of Antoine Grignon, 129-136; James Allen Reed, 136-143; Irish Set- tlers, 143-150; Polish and Bohemian Settlers, 150-152; Scandinavian Settlers, 152-159; The County in 1871, 159-162; Cruise of the Spray, 162-164; Early Trempealeau, 164-166; Trempealeau Prairie, 166-167; Beaver Creek Valley, 167-169; Lewis Valley, 169; New- comb Valley, 169-171; Holcomb Cooley, 171-172; American Valley, 172; Rainey Valley, 172-173; Meyers Valley, 173-175; Trout Run Valley, 175-176; North Creek Valley, 176- 177; Bill's Valley, 177; Korpal Valley, 177; The Banner Robbery, 177-178; Williams- burg, 178-181; McGilvray's Ferry, 181-184; A Wisconsin Pioneer, 184-196; Early Osseo, 196-202; The Olson Lynching, 202-204; Winnebago Festivities, 204-205; Scotch Settlers of Glasgow and Decorah Prairie, 205-207; Wessel Lowe's Experiences, 207; James N. Hunter's Reminiscences, 207-208; George H. Markham's Reminiscences, 208-211; A. D. Tracy, 211-212; Antoine Grignon and the Indians, 212-218; Remains of a French Post Near Trempealeau, 218-222; Organization Act of Trempealeau County, 222-223.
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XI
MODERN VILLAGES, 224-254
Population with Dates of Platting and Incorporating, 224; Arcadia, 225-231; White- hall, 232-237; Galesville, 237-240; Independence, 240-245; Blair, 245-248; Eleva, 248- 250; Osseo, 250-252; Strum, 252-253; Ettrick, 253; Dodge, 253; Pigeon Creek, 253; Trempealeau, 254.
CHAPTER XII
NEWSPAPERS, 255-260
Trempealeau Times, 255; Trempealeau Banner, 255; Galesville Transcript, 255-256; Trempealeau County Record, 256; Galesville Journal, 256; Journal and Record, 256; Trempealeau County Messenger, 256; Whitehall Times, 256; Whitehall Times and Blair Banner, 256; Whitehall Times-Banner, 256; Trempealeau Representative, 256; Trem- pealeau County Republican, 256; Arcadia Leader, 256-257; Arcadia Republican and Leader, 256-257; Galesville Independent, 257; Trempealeau Free Press, 257; Trempea- leau County Democrat, 257; Galesville Republican, 257; Independence News-Wave, 258; Independence Weekly News, 258; Independence Wave, 258; Trempealeau Gazette, 258; Trempealcau Tribune, 258; Trempealeau Herald, 258-259; Arcadian, 259; Blair Press, 259; Osseo Blade, 259; Osseo Recorder, 259; Osseo News, 259; Eleva Herald, 259; International Good Templar, 259; Wisconsin Good Templar, 259; Anzeiger, 259; Der Nord Staed, 260; Booster, 260.
CHAPTER XIII
RAILROADS AND TELEPHONES, 261-269
Location of Railroads, 261-262; La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott, 262; Chicago & Northwestern, 263; Galesville Branch, 263-264; Green Bay & Western, 264-265; Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy, 265; Mondovi Line, 266; Ettrick & Northern, 266-267; Telephones, 267-269; Veitch-Luce Galesville Line, 267; The Utter Fiasco, 267; The Waumandee Line, 267; Arcadia Telephone Co., 267; Trempealeau Valley Exchanges, 268; Western Wisconsin Telephone Co., 268; Osseo Telephone Co., 268; Rural Lines, 269.
CHAPTER XIV
PLACE NAMES, 270-281
Townships, 270-271; Incorporated Villages, 271-272; Platted Vilages, 272-273; Trading Centers, 273-274; Principal Streams, 274-276; Lakes, 276-277; Geographical Landmarks, 277-279; Valleys and Cooleys, 279-281.
CHAPTER XV
BIOGRAPHY, 282-801
(For Index, see Biographical Index in Back of This Volume)
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVI
BANKS AND BANKING, 802-810
First Banks, 802; Bank of Arcadia, 802-803; John O. Melby & Co. Bank of White- hall, 803-804; Bank of Galesville, 804-805; Home Bank of Blair, 805; State Bank of Osseo, 805; Farmers' and Merchants' State Bank of Galesville, 805-806; Bank of Ettrick, 806; Citizens' State Bank of Trempealeau, 806-807; Farmers' State Bank of Arcadia, 807; First State Bank of Dodge, 807; Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Independence, 807-808; Farmers' Exchange Bank of Osseo, 808; First State Bank of Strum, 808-809; Peoples' State Bank of Whitehall, 809; First National Bank of Blair, 809-810; State Bank of Independence, 810; Bank of Eleva, 810.
CHAPTER XVII DAIRY INTERESTS, 811-816
Story of the Growth of Dairying, 811-812; Statistics of the Individual Creameries, 812-815; Statistics of the Cheese Factories, 815-816; Values, 816; Butter and Cheese Made on Farms, 816.
CHAPTER XVIII NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCHES, 817-835
The Norwegians, 817-818; Story of the Individual Congregations from Dr. O. M. Norlie's "Norsk Lutherske Menigheder I Amerika, 1843-1915," 818-828; French Creek, Tamarack, Hardie's Creek, Fagerness and South Beaver Creek Congregations by Rev. C. B. Bestul, 828-833; Whitehall and Pigeon Creek Congregations, by Rev. Einar B. Christophersen, 833-835.
CHAPTER XIX
CATHOLIC CHURCH IN TREMPEALEAU COUNTY, 836-851
Catholics in American History, 836-838; Sacred Heart and St. Wenzeslaus' 838-839; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 839-843; St. Bridget's, 843-845; St. Michael's 845-846; St. Peter's and St. Paul's, 846-848; St. Mary's, 848-849; St. Bartholomew's 849-850; St. Stanislaus', 850-851; Summary, 851.
CHAPTER XX OTHER CHURCHES, 852-863
German Evangelical Lutheran, 852; Swedish Lutheran, 852; Evangelical Associa- tion, 852-854; Congregational, 854-857; Presbyterian, 857-860; Methodist Episcopal, 860-861; Baptist, 861-862; Episcopal, 862-863; Independent, 863; Union, 863.
CHAPTER XXI BENCH AND BAR, 864-866
Judges and Lawyers of Trempealeau County.
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXII
SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF PIGEON, 868-882
Preliminary Observations, 868-871; Man-Made History, 871-876; Pigeon Falls, 877- 880; Political History, 880; General Development, 881-882.
CHAPTER XXIII
MORE HISTORICAL PAPERS, 883-908
Trempealeau Mountain Park, 883-884; Gale College, 884-888; Arcadia in 1876, 888- 889; Pioneer Schools, 889-890; Galesville Fair, 890-891; Agricultural Development, 891-893; Orchard and Its Advancement, 893-895; First Meeting in Sumner, 895; Trem- pealeau Municipal Improvements, 896; Independence Municipal Improvements, 896-898; Early Burnside Records, 898-900; Early Adventures, 900; Flood of 1876, 901; Borst Val- ley, 901-905; Green Bay & Western Railroad, 905-908; Risberg Accounting System, 908.
CHAPTER XXIV SOURCES, 910-913
Trempealeau County Historians : George H. Squier, 910; Benjamin F. Heuston, 910; George Gale, 910; H. A. Anderson, 910-911; Eben D. Pierce, 911; Stephen Richmond, 911-912; F. Curtiss-Wedge, 912; Historical Staff on Present Work, 912-913.
SOURCE MATERIAL (Chapters X and XIII)
American Valley, 172 .- Anderson, Margaret, Pioneer Schools, which see .- Ander- son, H. A., Letter from Olds, 164-166 .- Arcadia in 1876, 888-889 .- Banner Robbery, 177-178 .- Bishop, W. E., Agricultural Development, which see .- Beaver Creek Valley, 167-169 .- Bibby, Jemima, Scotch Settlers of Glasgow and Decorah Prairie, which see .-- Bill's Valley, 177 .- Bohemian and Polish Settlers, 150-152 .- Borst Valley, 901-905 .-- Borst Virgil, Borst Valley, which see .- Brovold, E. J., Scandinavian Settlers, which see. -Burnside, Settlement of, Markham's Reminiscences, 208-211; Early Records of, 898- 900 .- Cleveland, E. H., the Banner Robbery, which see .- Caledonia, Old's Reminis- cences, 164-166; also see McGilvray's Ferry .- Decorah Prairie, Scotch Settlers of, 205- 207 .- Dorwin, Flora Luce, Galesville University, Opening Days of, which see .- Flood of 1876, 901 .- French Post near Trempealeau, 218-222 .- Gale College (Galesville Uni- versity), Opening Days, 194-196; History of, 884-888 .- Galesville Fair, 890-891 .- Gaveney, John C., Irish Settlers, which see .- Arcadia in 1876, which see .- Gimmestad, Rev. L. M., Gale College, which see .- Gibbs, A. A., Trempealeau Municipal Improve- ments, which see .- Glasgow, Scotch Settlers of, 205-207 .- Green Bay & Western Rail- road, 905-908 .- Grignon, Antoine, Recollections of Early Trempealeau, 129-136; Indian Impressions, 212-218 .- Grover, John, The Orchard and Its Advancement, which see .- Hess, Mr. and Mrs. John, Reminiscences, 167-169 .- Holcomb Cooley, 171 .- Horticul- ture, 893-895 .- Hunter, James N., Early Burnside Records, which see .- Hunter, James N., Reminiscences, 207-208 .- Hyslop, E., Early Osseo, which see .- Independence, Mu- nicipal Improvements, 896-898; Settlement of, Markham Reminiscences, 208-211 .-
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CONTENTS
Indian Scare, Hunter Reminiscences, 207-208, Markham's Early Adventures, 900-901 .- Irish Settlers, 143-150 .- Jackson Jacob, Independence Municipal Improvements, which see .- Jones, Mrs. Nettie F., Reminiscences of A. D. Tracy, which see .- Johnson. Peter H., Scandinavian Settlers, which see .- Korpal Valley, 177 .- Kulig, John F., Polish and Bohemian Settlers, which see .- Latsch, John A., donor of Trempealeau Mountain Park, which see .- Lowe, Mr. and Mrs. Fred W., Reminiscences of Wessel Lowe, which see .- Lowe, Wessel, Reminiscences of, 207 .- Lewis Valley, 169 .- McGilvray's Ferry, Old's Reminiscences, 164-166; _ Rankin McGilvray's Reminiscences, 181-184 .- Markham, George H., Reminiscences, 208-211; Early Adventures, 900-901 .- Markham, John A., Independence Municipal Improvements .- Montoville, see Trempealeau .- New City Brawl, Hunter's Reminiscences, 207-208 .- Newcomb Valley, 169-171 .- North Creek Valley, 176-177 .- Olds, J. D., Reminiscences, 164-166 .- Olson, Hans J., Lynching of, 202-204 .- Orchard, The, and Its Advancement, 893-895 .- Organization Act of County, 222-223 .- Osseo, Early, 196-202 .- Perrot's Fort Near Trempealeau, Archaeological Sketches, 218-222 .- Pierce, Eben D., Recollections of Antoine Grignon, Indian Impres- sions of Antoine Grignon, Life of James Allen Reed, Cruise of the Spray, Beaver Creek Valley, Williamsburg, McGilvray's Ferry, Winnebago Festivities, Remains of French Post Near Trempealeau, which see .- Pigeon Valley, Old's Reminiscences, 164-166 .- Polish and Bohemian Settlers, 150-152 .- Poultry Association, Trempealeau Valley, 891. -Rainey Valley, 172-175 .- Rathbone, Albert R., A Wisconsin Pioneer, Story of, 184- 194 .- Reed, James A., Grignon's Recollections of, 129-136; Pierce's Life, of, 136-143 .- Reed's Town, see Trempealeau .- Richmond, Stephen, Trempealeau County in 1871, Trempealeau Prairie, Lewis Valley, Newcomb Valley, Holcomb Cooley, Rainey Valley, Thompson Valley, Trout Run Valley, North Creek Valley, Bill's Valley, Korpal Valley, which see .- Risberg, P. K., Accounting System, 908-909 .- Scandinavian Settlers, 152- 159 .- Schools, Pioneer, 889-890 .- Scotch Settlers of Glasgow and Decorah Prairie, 205- 207 .- Seymour, Frank B., The Green Bay & Western Railroad, which see .- Spray, Cruise of, 162-164 .- Squier, Geo. H., French Post Near Trempealeau, which see .- Sumner, First Town Meeting in, 895 .- Trempealeau, Grignon's Recollections of Early, 129-136; Reed's Settlement at, 136-143. Municipal Improvements, 896 .- Trempealeau County In 1871, 159-162; Organization Act of, 222-223 .- Trempealeau Prairie, Trim's Reminiscences, 166-167 .- Trempealeau Mountain Park, 883-884 .- Trempealeau Val- ley, at Whitehall, Old's Reminiscences, 164-166; Above Independence, Markham's Remi- niscences, 208-211 .- Trempealeau Valley Poultry Association, 891 .- Thompson Valley, 175 .- Tracy, A. D., Settlement in Tracy Valley, 211-213 .- Trim, William, Interview Regarding Trempealeau Prairie, 166-167 .- Trout Run Valley, 175-176 .- Webb, Jennie Rathbone, Reminiscences of Albert R. Rathbone, 184-194 .- Williamsburg, 178-181 .- Winnebago Festivities, 204-205 .- Wood, David, Reminiscences, 209-210.
INTRODUCTION
The hills and valleys of Trempealeau County have made their striking appeal to the human mind since the far distant days of prehistoric man. The venerable heights have witnessed the coming and going of successive races and unnumbered generations. Its crags have watched the building of Indian mounds in the ages now dark with oblivion, and have heard the aboriginal legends told and retold-chang- ing as they drifted through the centuries, until they have died away and been for- gotten. They have looked down on the haunt of the Indians whose hunting-ground abounded with game, and whose canoes were the only vessels on the waters of the Mississippi. And they have seen the early French explorers, driven by the restless spirit of adventure and the love of con- quest, work their way through the wilder- ness into the remote regions of the un- explored country. They have beheld the self-sacrificing missionaries braving the perils of the savage-infested regions of the land, for the purpose of lifting the barbarous mind of the Indian to a re- ligious plane; and they have witnessed the fur trader with his hunters, trappers and voyageurs penetrating the remote parts of the county in quest of furs. And at last they saw the coming of the pio- neers, who clambered up their sides and broke the silence of the solitude by fell- ing the scattered and scanty trees for cabin homes. These tillers of the soil established permanent homes, and today, far and wide over the surface of the county, are rich farms; thus has the fa- vorite hunting-ground of the Indian been transformed by the march of our Western civilization.
Trempealeau County is in the western part of Wisconsin, on the Mississippi River. It is bounded on the east by Jack- son County, on the north by Eau Claire County, on the west by Buffalo County, and on the south by La Crosse County, as well as by Winona County across the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
The area of the county is 748 miles.
Its greatest length from north to south is 42 miles; its average width is 18 miles. The northern part is a rectangle, four townships (townships 21, 22, 23 and 24) long, and three townships (ranges 7, 8 and 9) wide. The southern part would be a rectangle three townships (townships 18, 19 and 20, ranges 7, 8 and 9) were it not extended on the west by the course of the Trempealeau River, and cut off at the southwest by the course of the Mis- sissippi River, and at the southeast by the course of the Black River.
The area belongs entirely to the Mis- sissippi system, and is separated into three distinct divisions, the Trempealeau Prairie Region, the Trempealeau Valley Region and the Beef River Region. The Mississippi bluffs are broken at Trempea- leau village, and this opening stretches back into a fertile prairie, reaching from the Black River bluffs to the Mississippi River bluffs, the ancient bed of the Missis- sippi. This prairie opens at the northeast into the Beaver Creek Valley, which con- tains the Galesville and Ettrick country. At the northwest, the Trempealeau Prairie opens into valley of the Tamarack River, which flows south between high ridges and then west across the prairie into the Trempealeau River a few miles from its mouth.
The valley of the Trempealeau River occupies the central part of the county. Entering from Jackson County on the east, the river describes a great bend to the north and then flows southwardly, forming for a part of its course the west- ern boundary of the county, dividing a few miles north of its mouth into two branches, and then spreading into marshes and sloughs on its way to the Mississippi. The Trempealeau River receives two important tributaries from the north, Elk Creek and Pigeon Creek, both of which have rich and fertile valleys.
In the northern part the Beef River flows east and west.
The three divisions of the county are separated by high ridges, and all the val-
ix
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INTRODUCTION
leys have tributary valleys and cooleys which in turn are likewise bordered by ridges.
The physical geography of Trempealeau County has been the important feature in its settlement. Its pioneers came first to Trempealcau, scattered back on the prairie, and up the Tamarack and Beaver Creek Valleys. From the ridges of Buf- falo County to the west and from Jackson County to the east, they poured into the Trempealeau Valley, and from that valley into its tributaries. From the older coun- ties to the east and south they poured into the Beef River Valley. Geographical ex- pediency has also located the incorporated villages, all being at natural trading cen- ters near the mouths of important valleys, and all being the sites of natural water- powers. At or near the present sites of all the incorporated villages, there were stores before the railroads were built. Physical geography has also been an im- portant part in determining the political destinies of the county, political divisions having been made with a view to geo- graphical convenience, and only four of the townships following the lines of the government survey.
The county was created Jan. 24, 1854. The supervisors of Montoville Township met as the supervisors of Trempealeau County, March 11, 1854. Gale Township was created at that meeting, and the first regular meeting of county supervisors con- sisting of the chairmen of Montoville (Trempealeau) and Gale Townships met May 1, 1854. The commissioner system, with a commissioner from each of three districts, went into effect Jan. 1, 1862, and the supervisor system was revived Jan. 1, 1870. The courthouse was ready for occu- pancy at Galesville, July 23, 1856. In 1858 a petition was presented to the legislature asking for the removal of the county seat of Trempealeau, and in 1868 the legisla- ture passed a bill authorizing a vote on the subject. Nov. 7, 1876, the vote was taken by the citizens of the county, removing the county seat to Arcadia. A year later the voters removed the county seat to Whitehall, where the supervisors held their first meeting Jan. 23, 1878. A proposition to remove it to Blair was rejected by the voters in 1878, and a proposition to return it to Arcadia rejected in 1882. In 1883 a petition asking for a vote on the removal
to Independence was declared to have too few signatures.
The courthouse at Whitehall was started in 1883 and completed early in 1884. The jail was built in 1886. Courthouse and jail were rebuilt in 1911. The County Insane Asylum at Arcadia was started in 1899 and completed in 1900. Efforts to estab- lish a poor farm and alms house have thus far failed.
The townships of the county are: Trem- pealeau, created as Montoville by the county supervisors of La Crosse County before Trempealeau County was organ- ized, the exact date not appearing in the LaCrosse records; Gale, created March 11, 1854; Preston, created Nov. 21, 1855; Sumner, created Nov. 20, 1856; Arcadia, created Nov. 20, 1856; Caledonia, created Nov. 11, 1857; Lincoln, created Nov. 13, 1860; Ettrick, Dec. 16, 1862; Burnside, Dec. 31, 1863; Hale, Feb. 16, 1864; Albion, Jan. 20, 1870; Dodge, Jan. 4, 1875; Pigeon, Jan. 4, 1875; Unity, Nov. 20, 1877; and Chimney Rock, Nov. 22, 1881.
The metropolis is Arcadia with a pop- ulation of some 1,400. The other villages are Whitehall, Trempealeau, Galesville, Dodge, Independence, Blair, Ettrick, Pig- eon Falls, Osseo, Strum and Eleva.
The population is 22,928. The Scandina- vian element largely predominates. The German and Polish element is next in numbers. In 1860 the population was 2,560, largely from the eastern states. In 1870, the population was 10,732, the ratio of the population elements being practi- cally as at present. In 1880 the popula- tion was 17,189; in 1890 it was 18,920; in 1900 it was 23,114. The decrease to 22,928 in 1910 was due to the young people mov- ing to the cities and to the West.
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