USA > Wisconsin > Columbia County > A history of Columbia County, Wisconsin : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
The library has steadily grown by the purchase of new books (the money being raised in various ways by the women) and by valuable gifts of single volumes and collections, until it numbered about two thousand volumes, when at the first annual meeting of the association, on October 26, 1901, it was formally offered to the city and accepted ; and on December 1, 1901, the board of directors appointed by Mayor J. E. Jones assumed control, the association disbanding.
The mayor's appointees were Mrs. W. G. Clough, Mrs. P. J. Bark- man, Mrs. J. E. O'Keefe, Mrs. Fred Burbach, Mrs. R. B. Wentworth and Hon. A. J. Turner, all of whom had been active in the work of the association. The city superintendent of schools, Dr. A. C. Kellogg, be- came an ex officio member of the board. Mrs. Clough was appointed librarian and the vacancy on the board, caused by her resignation, was filled by the appointment of Mr. J. E. Wells.
On January 10, 1902, the library was moved to its present location in the new City Hall Armory Building, where it has continued to in- crease in size and usefulness till at the present time it comprises 10,000 volumes and is accounted Portage's most valuable asset.
By the will of the late Mrs. Catharine Krech, the library was made her beneficiary in the amount of $5,000, the income from which shall be available each year for the purchase of new books.
Previous to the removal of the library to its present location the duties of librarian had been performed by different members of the board of directors, but since that time Mrs. Clough has occupied the
192
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
position-for which she is admirably qualified-with great credit to herself and to the complete satisfaction of the patrons of the library. Miss Gwendolyn Kennan is the assistant librarian, having succeeded Miss Mary Porter who resigned the position about two years ago, after a faithful service covering a period of eight years.
The present board of directors are: Dr. A. C. Kellogg, president; Mrs. J. E. O'Keefe, vice president; Mrs. R. B. Wentworth, secretary ; Mrs. P. J. Barkman, Mrs. J. H. Rogers, Miss Harriet Coleman and City Superintendent of Schools W. G. Clough, ex officio member; City Com- missioner F. F. Goss is also an ex officio member of the board.
THE CITY WATERWORKS
In October, 1901, a board of water commissioners was created com- prising the mayor, one alderman and three citizens, the last named to be elected by the common council. The purpose of this move was to take over the waterworks plant then owned by the Portage City Water Company, which had been originally built in 1887. The municipal plant now consists of two sets of Worthington pumps, which furnish consumers with over half a million gallons of water daily through seventeen miles of mains. The source of supply are three wells located a mile west of the center of the city. The water is filtered through two of the wells, pumped into a third, and thence distributed. Including power house and equipment mains and fire hydrants, the works are valued at about $100,000.
ELECTRIC LIGHT. AND POWER
The electric light and power furnished the citizens and the indus- tries of the municipality are supplied by a private concern-the Portage Electric Light and Power Company, of which G. E. York is president, and R. E. York, secretary and general manager. A sub-station of the Southern Wisconsin Power Company, whose great plant is at Kilbourn City. was crected at Portage in the fall of 1909. Through the former which is housed in a large brick building near the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad tracks, is distributed 1,000 horse-power, about half of which is converted into electric lighting.
COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT ADOPTED
For the past two years the city has been under the commission form of government, and there is still a division of sentiment as to whether it is an improvement on the old system; but this is no place to advance opinions. Pure history is a narrative. Therefore, to continue the story of Portage.
193
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
The commission form in all Wisconsin cities is adopted under the provisions of Chapter XL, Section 925, Revised Statutes of 1911. Under it any city of the second, third and fourth classes may adopt the city commission plan upon the petition of electors representing twenty- five per cent of the votes cast for mayoralty candidates at the last pre- ceding municipal election. Any law in force, the prevailing territorial limits of the city and vested property rights are not to be changed with the form of government. The mayor's term is fixed at six years, and two and four-year terms are provided for the other two commis- sioners, at the inauguration of the commission form of government. No commissioner is eligible who holds a license for the sale of liquor. Fur- ther, the enabling act creates the general departments of public finance and accounts, public health, safety and sanitation, streets and public improvements, parks, recreation grounds and public property, and pub- lie charities and corrections, and authorizes the common council to elect a city clerk, corporation counsel, comptroller, treasurer, superintendent of streets and assessor. The commission form may be abandoned by popular vote at any time after it has been in force six years.
On the 16th of April, 1912, occurred the first meeting of the com- missioners, viz: Moses J. Downey, mayor, head of the department of streets and public improvements ; H. L. Bellinghausen, two-years' term, department of public health, safety and sanitation ; Fred F. Goss, former city clerk, four-years' term, department of public finance and account. At this session the rules of the former common council were declared to be those of the new, and under the general state law nothing in the city had been changed-neither legal nor property rights were inter- fered with ; so the Portage government glided almost imperceptibly from the old to the new.
In May, W. B. Washburn, the present incumbent, was elected clerk. Besides the officials already named, J. J. O'Keefe, is treasurer; John Diehl, assessor; W. O. Kelm, corporation counsel; Dr. A. J. Batty, phy- sician ; C. E. Corning, engineer; and Nathan Warren, superintendent of streets. The new government is operated at an expense of over $92,000. The assessed valuation of the city in December, 1913, was over $4,000,000.
PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE
The burning of the old United States Hotel in 1851 gave the people of Portage their first forcible warning that the city should no longer be without fire protection. Other warnings came within the next decade, but the city did not organize a "department" until the 6th of June,
Vol. 1-13
194
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
1863. A few men and boys with buckets comprised about all the pro- teetion against fire for the first year, but in the spring of 1864, the citi- zens, under the vigorous push of Chief James Collins and Treasurer John Graham, purchased a hand engine-a second-hand one which had been used in Milwaukee. Oregon Company No. 1 was then organized, with John Curry as foreman. This company proved itself of substan- tial use and did not disband until the late '70s.
The first hook and ladder company was organized in November, 1871, with William Hensel as foreman. Mr. Hensel continued in that posi- tion for many years. In 1874, the city purchased a Champion Fire Extinguisher for $2,200, Excelsior Engine Company No. 2, having pre- viously been organized to man it, with Alexander Thompson as fore- man. The company flourished until the Silsby steamer, a first-class engine in those days, was bought. It cost $5,500. What was known as Silsby Steamer Company No. 3 was organized in October, 1877, the first officers being : V. E. Brewer, foreman ; D. M. Neill, first assistant and treasurer ; William Edwards, second assistant ; John Lewis, secretary.
The present department consists of about thirty volunteers, with a chief, assistant, engineer of the Silsby steamer and two teamsters, the five men last mentioned being paid for their services. The city has over 100 fire hydrants and therefore feels that property owners are well protected.
The house now occupied by the department was formerly the city hall erected in 1886, and was remodeled and turned over to the fire laddies when the home of the municipality and the militia was com- pleted in 1902.
WISCONSIN RIVER BRIDGES
The ferries and bridges over the Wisconsin River at the portage have always been important features in the growth of the village, city and neighboring country. Peter Panquette, the two husbands of his widow-Antoine Pervonsal and Silas Walsworth-and William Arm- strong, all operated and owned the ferry. In March, 1851, the Portage Bridge Company was incorporated for the purpose of bridging the stream, but was obliged to relinquish its charter, as work was not com- meneed within two years of birth. In 1855, another company was formed, which likewise failed to accomplish anything tangible. In November, 1856, the bridge question was placed in the hands of the authorities of the City of Portage and the Town of Caledonia, and in October, 1857, it was completed by a Philadelphia firm, Hall & Leet. Shortly before it was finished the old Wisconsin River Bridge was thus
195
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
described : "It is a massive piece of work. The large oak piles which compose the outwork of the piers are driven through the sand and stand fast in a solid clay foundation. The inner spaces are filled with rock, 2,000 cubic yards of which have been used for the purpose. This insures a foundation against which floods and rafts may beat with impunity. Over 200,000 feet of lumber will be used in the framework. The whole length of the bridge will be 650 feet, with a draw of 130 feet." The entire cost of the structure was $41,000.
Great excitement prevailed over the selection of a bridge commis- sioner, and in May, 1860, C. R. Gallett was chosen on the sixty-ninth
SECOND OLD WISCONSIN RIVER BRIDGE
ballot for the position by the city council, John Graham, the pioneer druggist, being mayor at the time. Mr. Gallett was succeeded by Charles Schenck, George Wall, John Bean and Patrick Sheehan. By this time the expenses had exceeded the receipts of tolls by $20,000, and the bridge bonds were at a scandalous discount. Finally, in February, 1868, the city sold the bridge under the hammer to W. W. Corning for $2,000. But the sale was revoked by the common council, and in the spring made a contract with Chapin & Wells, of Chicago, to remove the old structure for $1,000, place a Howe truss bridge upon the same piers for $18,000, and allow the city the market value for any old material which might be used. The new bridge was completed in August, 1868.
196
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
FINAL DISSOLUTION OF $119,000
The entire cost of maintaining both the old and the second bridges, from the commencement of work in March, 1857, to March, 1871, was $119,000.
In October, 1869, the bridge was boarded up and covered, and at various times during the succeeding thirty-five years sections of it were unroofed by high winds, or carried away by floods. In its thirty-sixth year it met its final dissolution.
On the night of the Sth of August, 1905, a terrific wind stormi swept down the Wisconsin Valley from the west, and the bridge was blown completely off its piers and the wreckage carried down stream for about 300 yards. This was the end of the longest and strongest wagon bridge in the state, and in the following year it was replaced by the fine steel structure, which really seems to be able to successfully resist the fiercest onslaught of wind or flood.
NOMENCLATURE OF PORTAGE STREETS
The streets of Portage are especially suggestive of local history, and he who walks them may be reminded of many interesting facts if he keep in mind the information furnished by the late A. J. Turner, as follows :
"When names for streets were first considered the U. S. troops were at the fort and the army officers were much in evidence in suggesting names for them which will explain why the names of so many who had been prominent as army officers appear as names of streets.
"The streets to which were given the names Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren and Pierce were so named, of course, in honor of presidents of the United States bearing those names.
"Wisconsin Street was so named because of its proximity to the Wisconsin River, and Fox Street was for a similar reason given its name because of its adjacency to the Fox River.
Mac, Dunn and Armstrong streets had those names applied to them in honor of Hugh McFarlane, Andrew Dunn and William Armstrong, the proprietors of McFarlane, Dunn and Armstrong addition to the City of Portage. Dunn Street received its name in honor of Andrew Dunn, second mayor of Portage and one of the proprietors of Dunn, Haskell & Tenney's Addition to Portage.
"Cass Street received its name in honor of Gen. Lewis Cass, the dis- tinguished soldier and statesman, who had been at one time governor
197
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
of Wisconsin when it was a part of Michigan territory, and had crossed the portage before the fort was built.
"Hamilton Street was so christened in honor of Alexander Hamilton, famed as a soldier and statesman.
"De Witt Street was named for W. R. DeWitt, an attorney of the city; the name was never entirely acceptable to older residents of the city, and there was some effort to change it in subsequent years, but it was thought best to leave it, as the name had become well settled in the publie mind and little care was given to the why's and wherefore's of the name.
"Clark Street-who this street was named for is involved in some uncertainty, but probably it was in honor of Maj. Nathan Clark, who had died at Fort Winnebago, while in command of the post, and whose daughter, Charlotte Ouisconsin, had married Lieutenant, afterward, Gen. H. P. VanCleve. Some have thought the street was named for Clark Whitney, one of the early settlers of the town, who was engineer in charge of the construction of the canal, and who built one of the first frame houses in Portage, if not the very first, a little distance from the Emder House. Mr. Whitney owned the tract of land bordering on the canal through which the street ran.
"Lock Street was so named because its terminus was near the Wis- consin river lock.
"Canal Street was so named, of course, in consequence of its adjacency to the canal.
"Cook Street was given its name in honor of one of the Cook families who resided in the eastern part of the town. There were two of them Lawrence and James, brothers, and Erastus, Hiram and Moses, also brothers and to each one of these has been ascribed the honor of having the street named for him.
[Since the above appeared in the Daily Register, Mrs. G. W. Morrison, who has resided in the city since early girlhood and who is an authority on early times, informs us that it was always the understanding that the street was named for Capt. Erastus Cook, who resided at the corner of Cook and Hamilton streets, and such is probably the fact.]
"Main Street was given its name because it was at the time near the business center of the city.
"Conant Street was so named, presumably, in honor of the famous Roger Conant, but this is not definitely known.
"Pleasant Street received its name purely on sentimental grounds, as it was pleasantly laid.
"Carroll Street had that name applied to it in honor of Charles
198
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
Carroll of Carrollton, famed as a statesman and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
"Howard Street was named for Gen. Benjamin Howard of the U. S. army ; but whether it was for Benjamin or Benj. C. Howard, also of the U. S. army and eminent as a statesman I am unable to say.
"Prospect Avenue was originally a part of Howard Street, but not being connected for its entire length, that portion of it lying west of Wisconsin Street, and leading on to Prospect Hill was given by an ordi- nance, the distinctive and most appropriate name of 'Prospect Avenue.'
"Franklin Street received its name of course, in honor, of Benj. Franklin, the distinguished philosopher and statesman.
"Marion Street was named in honor of the South Carolina 'Swamp Fox,' Gen. Francis Marion, the soldier who distinguished himself so highly in the south during the Revolutionary war.
"Emmet Street had its name in honor of Robt. Emmet the mar- tyred Irish patriot and orator.
"Burns Street was given its name as a mark of the high esteem in which 'Bobby Burns' was held by a large Scotch element which had flocked to the vicinity.
"Bronson Avenue was so christened in honor of Hon. Alvin Bronson, one of the proprietors of Webb & Bronson's plat.
"Center Avenue received that name because it marked very closely the center of the 'portage' between the Wisconsin and Fox rivers.
"Mullett Street had its name bestowed upon it in honor of the civil engineer and surveyor John Mullett, who did much of the Government survey of the state.
"Dodge Street was given its name in honor of Gen. Henry Dodge, distinguished as a soldier and statesman, and who was one of Wisconsin's territorial governors, and first U. S. senator.
"Pauquette Street was so named in honor of Pierre Pauqnette, famous as an Indian scout and trader, and who had been in the employ of John Jacob Astor at his trading post in this city.
"Brady Street was christened in honor of the one legged hero, Gen. Hngh Brady, who gained high honors during the War of 1812.
"Brooke Street was so called in memory of Gen. Geo. Mercer Brooke, famous as a gallant soldier in the war with Mexico, and a detach- ment of whose regiment, the Fifth Infantry, was stationed at Fort Win- nebago, although I think Gen. Brooke himself was not on duty here.
"Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, the great lakes, were deemed as appropriate names for streets.
"Water Street was given that name because of its close proximity to the Wisconsin River ; much of it now being in the river.
199
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
"Thompson, Jones, Griffith and McPherson streets were respectively named for Sheldon Thompson, DeGamo Jones, Robert McPherson and G. P. Griffith, who were part owners of the Grignon tract which, later on, became the Webb and Bronson plat.
"Whitney Street was so called in honor of Daniel Whitney who had two trading posts here, one at either end of the 'portage,' before Fort Winnebago was erected, and who did the first lumbering on the Wiscon- sin river.
"Morgan Street had its name in honor of Gen. Daniel Morgan, illus- trious as a soldier during the Revolutionary War.
"Warren Street had that distinction applied to it in honor of the gallant soldier, Gen. Jos. Warren, who fell at Bunker Hill at the begin- ning of the Revolutionary War.
"Wolfe Street was given its name in honor of the renowned British general of that name.
"Dorr Street was named in honor of Thomas W. Dorr, famous as a leader of what is known as the 'Dorr Rebellion,' in which an attempt was made in a revolutionary manner, to give the people of Rhode Island a constitution in place of a colonial charter under which the state govern- ment was being administered.
"Williams Street, on Webb and Bronson's, was given its name by Mr. Webb, one of the makers of Webb and Bronson's plat, in honor of his friends and townsman of Detroit, Gen. Alpheus Starkey Williams, who had gained honorable distinction in the Mexican war.
"The names of several streets of the city having been duplicated in making addition to the city, the city council (November 5, 1883, April 2, 1884, July 2, 1901), changed some of them, so that one named for a street should appear. By these ordinances-
"The street originally platted as Lake Street in Prospect Hill addi- tion, was changed by the council, Nov. 5, 1883, to Park Street, but it continues to appear on some recent maps as Lake Street. It was con- templated at one time to establish a park on Prospect Hill and this sug- gested 'Park' as the name of a street running to it. 'Lake' had no significance.
"Williams Street, on Prospect Hill, became Sanborn Street, in honor of Mayor Sanborn, and Williams Street in the Northern Addition, be- came Reid Street (in honor of Wm. Reid) ; Monroe Street in Ketchum's addition, became Barden Street, in honor of Judge Barden, and names were given to certain roads in unplatted portions of the city which need no statement of the reasons for the names assigned to them as Caledonia, Baraboo and Fairfield other than the fact that the roads led to those towns.
200
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
"Collins Street, on the Northern boundary of the city, was named in honor of our townsman, James Collins.
"Collipp Avenue was so named, by ordinance of the city, in compli- ment of Conrad Collipp, a prominent German resident of the city and who was one of the first, if not the first, German to establish a home in the city. Mr. Collipp had dedicated a street running to his residence from the bridge across the narrows of Silver Lake with the condition that it should be known as 'Collipp Avenue,' a fact which was not known when the ordinance was passed declaring it to be a part of Silver Lake Street, and the street running north of the Lake from Collipp's residence to the 'Old Pinery Road' was named 'Collipp Avenue.' The error should be corrected and the names 'Silver Lake Street' and 'Collipp Avenue' should be transposed.
"Silver Lake Street was so named because of its proximity to Silver Lake.
"LaMoure Street was given its name for Cooper LaMoure, an early resident of the city who had a hotel on the 'Old Pinery Road,' which was a popular hostelry in its day.
"Hærtel Street had its name bestowed upon it in honor of Carl Hærtel, one of Portage's early residents and most progressive citizens, and who erected the block bearing his name.
"Hettinger Street was named in honor of John Hettinger who was first to establish a brewery in the city.
"Schneider Street was given its name in honor of Carl Schneider, who dedicated to the city the land for the street.
"Slifer Street received its name in honor of Samuel Slifer, a worthy German who early became a resident of the city north of Silver Lake.
"Averbeck Street was given its name in compliment of Hon. Maxi- millian Averbeck, prominent in early public affairs, who lived on the hill north of the railroad track.
"Wells Street was given that name when, by ordinance, a new street was laid leading from the Wells place on Silver Lake to Pierce Street.
"Wood Street was named for Portage's famous merchant, Nathan H. Wood. The road leads from Caledonia Street to 'St. Lukes,' which was owned by Mr. Wood and which he regarded as of a great value.
"Schulze Street was so named, by ordinance, in compliment to Ben- jamin Schulze, who owned the farm bearing his name north of the rail- road track in the Second ward.
"Volk Street, which was for a time regarded as an extension of Cass Street north of the railroad track, was, by ordinance, given its name in honor of a well known German of that name living near the banks of Silver Lake.
201
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
"Carleton Street was so named in honor of Carleton G. McCulloch, proprietor of McCulloch's addition to Portage, a prominent druggist of the city.
"The 'Old Pinery Road,' so called was the road leading to the pineries in the north part of the state running via the Lewis', Quincy, etc., to Conant's Rapids and other lumbering points on the Wisconsin river.
"The 'New Pinery Road' was laid out at a later date, starting from Adams Street and running via the Menominee House, Briggsville, Grand Marsh, etc., to the same general points that the 'Old Pinery Road' led to.
"The writer of this has no knowledge why the names Coit, Denning, Kimberly and Platt, all on Webb and Bronson's were applied to them, but were doubtless best bestowed in compliment to personal friends of the makers of the plat; neither can I say anything about the reason for giving the names Charles, Hermann, James, and Town to streets."
EXPERIMENTS IN BANKING
Two banks failed in Portage before one came to stay-the City Bank of Portage. The Columbia County Bank was started by Marshall & Ilsley, of Milwaukee, in 1853, the local manager being Harrison S. Haskell. It was incorporated in 1854, and in the following year Fred S. Ilsley, of the Cream City contingent, joined the Portage institution as teller. Dur- ing 1855 Mr. Haskell also sold his interest and retired from business. Other changes occurred, and in 1860, Marshall & Ilsley withdrew entirely from the concern. In 1865, John P. McGregor, who had purchased Mr. Haskell's interest, became the sole owner of the bank, who therefore bore the full burden of its failure when it suspended in the panie of 1873.
The Bank of Portage, organized in 1857 with D. Vandercook as presi- dent, was also a victim of the panic, Ll. Breese being one of the receivers who wound up its affairs.
Among the financial institutions of Portage which prospered for a time, but failed in the panie of 1893, was the German Exchange Bank- F. W. Schulze, president ; and R. A. Sprecher, cashier.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.