USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > Madison > A history of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin : including the Four Lake country : to July, 1874, with an appendix of notes on Dane County and its towns > Part 5
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"February 23. Remained at ST. CYR's by reason of the snow storm.
" February 24. Continued DOTY's work at Madison, and camped there.
" February 25. Continued DOTY's work at Madison, and went to ST. CYR'S.
" February 26. Returned to Madison and finished all of DOTY's work west of canal, and then went to ROWAN's and slept, having paid ST. CYR $13.50. ROWAN lived about twelve miles south of Fort Winnebago, where is now Poynette, on the Madison and Portage Railroad. "
From RowAN's, the surveying party took the Wisconsin river and followed down on it to Helena, and thence by land to Min- eral Point. This work of surveying was the starting point of settlement, and was soon after followed by the erection of a log house by Mr. EBENEZER PECK.
In the month of February, ALEX. F. PRATT, Esq., now of Waukesha, in company with AUGUSTUS STORY, started on a tour to the mining regions. Passing through Prairie village, now Waukesha, they proceeded by the way of Fort Atkinson and thence to the Catfish river, near the present site of Dun- kirk. Here they encamped, building a fire, which they kept up till morning, on account of the wolves, which watched them closely. The next morning they proceeded up the river, know- ing that it would lead them to the Fourth Lake, where there were several wigwams, and where they could obtain something to eat, even if it was not of the choicest kind. We quote from Mr. PRATT's narrative:
" At about noon we reached the First Lake, and seeing moc- casin tracks in the snow, we followed them for a short distance to a wigwam, but found it tenantless. After searching it from top to bottom, we found a few cold roasted potatoes, which, we assure you (after having fasted for twenty-four hours), relished
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well. We remained in this wigwam an hour or two, and then passed on to the point where Madison is now located. At that time, neither the ax, nor " the shovel and the hoe," had been hung up or laid down in that vicinity. It was nearly sundown when we crossed the Third Lake. After traveling over the first eminence - where the capitol now stands - we struck a ravine (between capitol square and the present site of the University), where we made a halt, struck up a fire, and encamped for the night, without even making any inquiry about supper. The cold potatoes which we ate at noon, supplied the place of breakfast, dinner and supper. The weather had moderated a little, which, together with the hardships of the journey, and our extreme fatigue, caused us to sleep quite comfortably dur- ing the night. The next morning we crossed Fourth Lake, a distance of about four miles, where we saw a small log cabin, which was the first building of the kind we had seen since leav- ing Fort Atkinson. We knocked at the door, but all was si- lent. We were both cold and hungry, and the sight of a cabin was some relief. We did not wait for ceremony, but bolted in, where we found a squaw and some four or five pappooses. We spoke to her in the Pottawatamie language, but she made no reply. We were soon satisfied that she did not understand us. We then made all the signs that our Indian education or inge- nuity would admit of, to show her that we were hungry; but all in vain. We expected that her husband would soon come in and kick us out of doors, without waiting for an explanation, and were at a loss what to do. A white man,* however, soon came in, spoke to us in good English, and seemed glad to see us. He informed us that he was a Canadian, that the squaw was his wife, and that the children were also his. The squaw belonged to the Winnebago tribe, and spoke a different language from the other Indians in the vicinity.
" He had been an Indian trader there for years. The lands which he had cultivated had been sold without his knowledge; for, in fact, he took no interest in anything except trading in furs, etc. His wife on being made acquainted with our wants,
* Michael St. Cyr.
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flew around and prepared for us a supper. It was a kind of pot-pie, which we relished very well. After finishing our meal, we inquired what kind of meat we had eaten, and were informed that it was musk-rat. We remained there till morning, and then left for the Blue Mounds."
The year 1837 is memorable as the beginning of the perma- nent settlement of Madison. The Indians who up to this date had nominal possession, became aware that they must move to other homes; the country to be reclaimed from barba- rism and subdued to the wants and requirements of civilized life. We have before referred to the purchase of this location by DOTY and MASON, and of its selection as the site for the seat of government.
In the month of April, EBEN PECK * and his wife ROSE- LINE PECK came here from Blue Mounds and became the first settlers. JOHN CATLIN, Esq., had been here before Mr. PECK, and
* A more particular notice of the pioneer family of Madison is desirable. Eben Peck was born in Shoreham, Addison county, Vermont, in 1804, and was taken to Middlebury, Genesee, now Wyoming county, New York, by his parents when quite a child; and on his return to Vermont in 1827, he established himself in business in Middletown, Rutland county. There he was married, February 24, 1829, to Miss Roseline Willard, a native of Mid- dletown, born February 24, 1808; the wedding taking place in the house in which she was born, with her parents, grandparents, and numerous friends and relatives present. In 1832 Mr. and Mrs. Peck moved to Mid- dlebury, New York, and thence, as Mrs. Peck's statement shows, in 1836, to Blue Mounds.
Mr. Peck went to California and Oregon in 1844; and though since re- ported as in Texas or New Mexico, is supposed to have been massacred by savages when crossing the piains.
Mrs. Peck's mother was Julia Ann Burnham; and her grandmother Burnham, (wife of John Burnham, an able lawyer of the Bennington bar), was a sister of Gen. Isaac Clark, of Castleton, Vt., a soldier of the Revolu- tion, known as Old Rifle, and who commanded a regiment in the war of 1812, making a successful expedition against Massequoi, Lower Canada, October 12, 1813; was member of the Constitutional Convention, and Judge of the County Court; died at Castleton, January 31, 1822, aged 73. Gen. Clark was the grandfather of Hon. Satterlee Clark, an early pioneer of Wisconsin, and for many years a prominent member of the State Senate.
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had put up a log house on the ground now occupied by the United States Court House and Post Office, but it was not in use until after Mr. PECK's house was built and occupied. Mrs. PECK who is now residing at Baraboo, Wisconsin, has contri- buted two interesting articles on her early life experience at Madison, published first in the Baraboo Republican, in March and April, 1860, which were subsequently republished with valuable historical notes by Dr. L. C. DRAPER, in Vol. 6, Col- lections of State Historical Society of Wisconsin. From these papers much desirable information has been obtained, and from which we have made liberal extracts. Mrs. PECK has also at our request furnished an additional paper. These reminiscen- ces throw much light on pioneer life in Madison, and will be read with interest. It is proper to state that the two first pap- ers were called out by the fact that a Mr. GEO. W. FEATHERS- TONHAUGH, an English Geologist employed by the United States Government, to make geological surveys in the northwest, on his return to England published a work entitled " A Canoe voy- age up the Minnay-sotor, with an account of the Lead and Cop- per Regions of Wisconsin. London, 1847. 2 Vols. Svo." In this work he refers to his visit to Madison, an account of which will hereafter be given, and took occasion to criticise the do- mestic arrangements of Mrs. PECK's house. His statements in reference thereto, are very unjust and untrue. While at Mad- ison he received from that lady every attention and civility that any honorable man would require, but he was a fretful, con- ceited Englishman, and nothing pleased him or'was good enough for him. His criticisms on her table and accommodations, brought from Mrs. PECK the communications referred to. In quoting from them, we have taken the liberty to omit some portions.
" We came direct from Genessee county, New York, via Buffalo, Detroit, Michigan City and Chicago, to the Blue Mounds, at which place we arrived, July, 1836 - our goods having been shipped by the way of Green Bay and the port- age (Fort Winnebago). The two forts or garrisons were then kept at those points and the Blue Mounds, being situated on
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the old military road from Galena, Mineral Point to the port- age, there was considerable travel. A postoffice was soon after established at Col. BRIGHAM's place at the Mounds. We took possession of his house with every thing appertaining thereto - his large and excellent garden, a number of cows, etc., and boarded himself and his farming and mining hands, during autumn and winter, also entertaining travelers.
" On the return of the northern members of the Belmont legislature to their homes, with the information that Madison had been selected as the location of the seat of government, Mr. PECK purchased some lots, and immediately sent hands and teams to 'erect three large rooms or buildings for their occupancy. The buildings were put up before I saw them."
Of the buildings as erected, and her commencement of house- keeping, she says:
" The men employed to erect this first house, were two French- men, one named JOE PELLKIE, the name of the other is for- gotten; they were with a party of Winnebagoes who had spent that winter at the largest of the Blue Mounds; and one ABRA- HAM WOOD superintended the work. WooD then lived at Strawberry or Squaw Point - since better known as Winne- quah, on the eastern side of Third Lake; he had a squaw wife, a daughter of the Winnebago chief DE KAURY. WOOD subsequently removed to Baraboo, and erected a saw-mill there. During the erection of these cabins, which was in March, Mr. PECK made two excursions with teams to Madison, to carry out supplies, and give directions about the work; there was then snow on the ground, and the lakes were frozen, so that Mr. PECK crossed on the ice to Strawberry Point, to stay over night at WOOD's. PELLKIE remained in and around Madison for some time; at one time, BERRY HANEY, a noted character, shot PELLKIE in a dispute about a land claim, and when last heard from, PELLKIE was still carrying the ball in his back. The other Frenchman, the companion of PELLKIE in building our cabins, had a squaw wife, whose brother was stabbed and killed on the beach of Third Lake.
"In March, Mr. Dory and lady returned, (their residence be-
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ing at Green Bay), and put up over night with us. They found a decent, clean table, a thing seldom found in those days. I informed Mrs. Dory that we were going to settle in Madison. She said if I would be the first housekeeper there, I should have a present, and my choice of the best lot in the place; it was also confirmed by her husband, but, by-the-by, I never got it; and on the 15th of April, 1837, we arrived there, and as we were well aware what our business would be when settled, we provided ourselves accordingly, and purchased at Mineral Point over one hundred dollars worth of groceries, as I have the bills now to show; among the items were one barrel of pork, two of flour, one of crackers, one of sugar, half barrel dried fruit one box of tea, and as good a sack of coffee as was ever brought into the State, besides a half barrel of pickles, put up by myself, also a tub of butter, and jars of plums and cranberries, collected from Blue Mounds' thickets. All these were carried to Madi- son when we moved, besides a good load of potatoes. I also made six more bed-ticks, to be filled with grass or hay as occas- ion required, as we fetched but four feather beds with us.
" We started from BRIGHAM's place, at the Blue Mounds, on Thursday, the 13th of April, after dinner, with our teams, I riding an Indian pony. We traveled about seven miles, where some person had made a claim, and had laid about five rounds of logs towards a cabin. We camped therein that night with a tent over us. The next day, the 14th, we pushed on-a more pleasant day I never wish to see; but I had a severe headache before night. We pitched our tent on a little rise of ground, within three miles of Madison; spread down our beds, and rest- ed comfortably, till near 3 o'clock on Saturday morning, when we were awakened by a tremendous wind storm, and howling of wolves, and found snow five or six inches deep which contin- ued to fall until after we arrived in Madison.
" Well, now, here we are at Madison, on the 15th, sitting in a wagon under a tree, with a bed-quilt thrown over my own and little boy's heads, in a tremendous storm of snow and sleet, twenty-five miles from any inhabitants on one side (Blue Mounds), and nearly one hundred on the other (Milwaukee).
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What is to be done? Go into the buildings with no floors laid, and nothing but great sleepers laid across to walk on? No; I must have the buildings plastered with lime, and floors laid first - only one saw-mill in the Territory, and that, way up in the Wisconsin Pinery, and not completed, and of course no lumber; but there lies a pile of puncheons -just build me a pen under this tree, and move in my stove, and we will crawl in there. Sure enough, we soon had it completed, and a fire built .*
"Some two weeks from this time, or about the first of May, on a pleasant day, there were about fifteen men arrived from Mil- waukee, to look a road through, and see Madison. Among the number were A. A. BIRD, the two PIXLEYS, merchants, W. M. DENNIS, and Col. MORTON, of the Land Office - but I cannot enumerate names. Well, we had a spacious dining-room - under the broad canopy of heaven - where I spread tables for them. A portion of the party, the hired men, set out on their return the next day. We immediately sent a team to the other side of Fourth Lake, where there had been some hay put up by a party of half-breed French and Indians, and got a load of it, with which we filled our bed-ticks; we then laid down puncheons in one end of one of the buildings, spread down our beds, built a fire of chips (hewn from the logs) at the other end between the sleepers, tacked three or four sheets of bed- curtains around the walls, and there they rested; and they staid with us three or four days, enjoying themselves hunting and fishing around the lakes, and looking at the country; and then left for Mineral Point, or perhaps Galena; and in eight or ten days BIRD returned, accompanied by Judge DOTY, EBENEZER BRIGHAM and others.
" Judge DOTY observed, 'Why do you not move into your house?' 'Why, my dear sir,' I replied, 'I must have it plastered with lime first.' Said he, 'we do not know as there is a lime quarry within a hundred miles of you, and you need
* Henry G. Abbot, Esq., of Utica, N. Y., informed the writer that he, with a friend, staid one night with Mr. and Mrs. Peck in the latter part of April, 1837, - before Mr. Bird's first visit.
5
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not expect to live in this pen until there is one found and burned. No, no, you must move in; we will help daub up the kitchen part on the outside with mud, and when the lime is found you can finish the inside to suit you.' So at it they went, (only think, Governors, Esquires and Mayors, in pros- pective, daubing cabins!) and by night we were all comfortably situated in the kitchen. And this is the room in which, a week subsequently, the great Scotch-born and English-bred FEATHERSTONHAUGH was entertained."
"The size of this room was twenty-four feet long and eight- een or twenty wide - the same length of the dining-room, and situated immediately back of it,- wherein they used to dance cotillions, three sets at the same time. The other two build- ings were joined on the northeast and southeast corners of the kitchen, leaving a passage, where afterwards was erected a frame dining-room, in which many a weary traveler and hun- gry wight was fed."
The next person after Mr. and Mrs. PECK, who came to Madison, and has given an account of his journey and experi- ences, was G. W. FEATHERSTONHAUGH, recently referred to. In coming from St. Louis in this direction, he heard much of Ty- cho-be-rah, or the Four Lakes, and elaborately engraved plans of several cities in their vicinity were shown him. He was as- sured that they were flourishing finely - Madison in particular was represented as already a city. Let us now cite his graphic description of Madison and its first house, which he gives as follows, under date May 30, 1837 - passing from Dodgeville to Col. E. BRIGHAM's, at the Blue Mounds, to dinner:
"Pursuing our journey at 1 P. M., we passed the military road leading to Fort Winnebago and Navarino (Green Bay), and soon afterwards got into one of the most exquisitely beau- tiful regions I have ever seen in any part of the world. The prairie that had hitherto been distinguished by a regular roll- ing surface, here changed its character and took the form of ridges, somewhat elevated, which frequently resolved themselves into masses of gracefully rounded hills, separated by gentle de- pressions, that occasionally became deepened valleys. In these,
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some of the heads of a stream called Sugar river, a tributary of Rock river, took their rise. * *
"The aspect of this lovely country at once accounted for so great a population flocking to the lakes, on whose enchanting banks those cities were founded of which we had heard so much, and to which we were now advancing. Four noble lakes, in the center of a region of such unrivalled beauty, must constitute perfection itself. Our expectations were exceedingly raised. Every movement produced a new excitement: the oc- casional glimpse of the shy deer, with their elegant fawns, and the more frequent flushing of the prairie-hen from her nest, . gave animation to the still beauty around us. Enraptured with all I saw, I could not but occasionally reflect on the oddity of seven large cities, each capable of containing a population of half a million of people, have congregated so close together. There was Madison City, which was the metropolis; adjacent to this was the City of the Four Lakes, a short distance beyond this was the city of North Madison. Close upon this again was the city of East Madison. Then there was the city of West Madison,* the city of South Madison, and the City of the First Lake, and the "City of the Second Lake."+ Of each of these I had a beautiful engraved plan, with all its squares, streets, in- stitutions and temples."
In the vicinity of Madison he found some very interesting mounds and other interesting Indian monuments, which he de- scribes, and continues :
" We hastened on, as the day was drawing to a close, and we had yet some distance to go to Madison City. For some time I had kept a good look-out for some of the enterprising farmers, who must have come from great distances to this fertile coun- try, and was rather surprised that we should hitherto have met
* The "City of West Madison " was platted and recorded June 23, 1837. The proprietors were, Steptoe Catlin, Wm. Glenny and Timothy Johnson.
+ "The City of the Second Lake" was owned by J. P. Arndt, J. W. Colton, B. W. and E. W. Edgerton, S. Juneau, F. W. Hawley, E. G. Bry- ant, E. Starr and S. W. Beardsley. The plat of the city was recorded October 11, 1836.
-
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no one. We had not passed a single farm, and concluded that, being an Indian country, the settlers had clustered round the great city we were bound to, and had established themselves near that lake where the best fish abounded. Fresh fish! pro- digious varieties! cat-fish, pike, pickerel, salmon, trout, buffalo, perch! What anticipations for men who had for so many days been bolting pieces of tough fat bacon, cured 1,000 miles off. At length we came to a belt of open trees, and, passing through it, we reached the flat, marshy shores of the largest of the four lakes; we could see almost entirely around it, and much did we look; but, alas! no vestige of human dwelling was in sight.
"This considerably changed the current of our thoughts, and materially impaired the beauty of the prospect. Not being disposed to express all we felt, we reluctantly took to the woods again, along the margin of the lake, in the hope to stumble upon some one or other. Night was gradually drawing her veil over everything, and it became rather doubtful whether we should not have-in the language of backwoodsmen - to camp out. Keeping, therefore, all my visions of fried fish in the background for a while, I felt for my box of matches, and, finding it safe, turned my attention - as old Indian travelers always do - to the next best thing, a rousing fire to lay down by. Black clouds were forming in the horizon; we had been drenched thoroughly the day before, and it became pretty cer- tain there would be another storm. Groping our way, and oc- casionally jolting over the fallen trees, we, at the end of an hour and a half, got to the shore of the Third Lake, having somehow or other missed the Second Lake, where Madison City was supposed to be. We now changed our course again, and keeping to the northwest, and meandering, and wondering and shouting for my companion, who had got out of the wagon to follow a small trail he thought he had discovered, I at length gave up the attempt to proceed any further, and, selecting a dry tree as a proper place to bivouac near, had already stopped the wagon, when, hearing my companion's voice shouting for me in a tone that augured something new to be in the wind, I pushed on in that direction, and at length found him standing
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at the door of a hastily patched up log hut, consisting of one room about twelve feet square.
This was Madison City, and, humble as it was, it concen- trated within itself all the urban importance of the seven cities we had come so far to admire, and to which, according to our engraved plans, Ninevah of old, Thebes, with its hundred gates, and Persepolis, were but baby-houses. Not another dwelling was there in the whole country, and this wretched contrivance had only been put up within the last four weeks. Having se- cured our horses, we entered the grand and principal entrance to the city, against the top of which my head got a severe blow, it not being more than five feet high from the ground. The room was lumbered up with barrels, boxes and all manner of things. Amongst other things was a bustling little woman, about as high as the door, with an astounding high cap on, called Mrs. PECK. *
" My first inquiry was, whether she had any fresh fish in the house. The answer was 'No!' Inflexible and unwelcome word. No fresh fish! no large, delicious catfish, of twenty pounds weight, to be fried with pork and placed before the vo- racious traveler in quantities sufficient to calm those apprehen- sions that so often arise in Indian lands, of there not being enough for him to eat until he falls fast asleep. ' Why, then,' exclaimed my alarmed companion, 'what's to be done?' 'I have some salt pork,' rejoined our little hostess. 'Then, madam, you must fry it without the fish,' I replied. So to the old busi- ness we went, of bolting square pieces of fat pork, an amuse- ment I had so often indulged in, that I sometimes felt as if I ought to be ashamed to look a live pig in the face. Our land- lady, however, was a very active and obliging person; she said she would make us as comfortable as it was possible for her to do.
" Whilst we were at this repast, the thunder storm broke over us, and a deluge of rain came down, streaming through the roof in various places. In the midst of the confusion two other vagabonds came in; one of them a ruffian looking fellow, who said he was a miner, on his way across the Indian country from
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Milwaukee; the other, a stupid, boorish, dirty-looking animal, said he had not tasted anything for two days, having lost his way on the prairie; and, having been overtaken the preceding ยท night by a very heavy rain, whilst making his way up a coulee or vale, had been afraid to lie on the ground, and had passed the whole night sitting on a fallen tree. Fortunately there was pork enough for us all."
On the tenth day of June, 1837, AUGUSTUS A. BIRD, the acting commissioner for constructing the capitol, accompanied by a party of thirty-six workmen, arrived. There was no road at that time from Milwaukee to the capital, and the party were compelled to make one for their teams and wagons as they came along. They left Milwaukee on the first of June with four teams. It rained incessantly, the ground drenched with water, and was so soft that even with an ordinary road their progress would have been slow, but when to this are added the obstruc- tions of fallen trees, unbridged streams, hills, whose steepness labor had not yet mitigated, and the devious course which they necessarily pursued, it is not surprising that ten days were spent in accomplishing a journey, which, since the advent of the railroad through the Four Lake country, we are able to per- form in a little more than three hours. They forded Rock river near the site of the present city of Watertown, and the Crawfish at Milford. The first glimpse they had of the sun, during their journey, was on the prairie, in this county, now known as Sun Prairie - a name given it at that time as a com- pliment to the luminary which beamed forth so auspiciously and cheerfully on that occasion, and possibly to encourage old Sol to persevere in well doing.
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