USA > Wisconsin > Sauk County > A standard history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, Volume I > Part 40
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play with; their cornhills have been leveled, the village of Sauk City being located upon them, whose largest portion of inhabitants consists of Germans.
THE EARLY CLAIMS
"When I arrived at Sauk I found some Americans had made their claims here. The land could not be bought from Government, as it was not yet in market. Of these claims I only mention a few. Messrs. Haney, Russell, Crossman and Ensminger, who soon sold out. Chas. O. Baxter, Esq., has occupied his elaim ever since; so has Jonathan Hatch. In all there were but a few acres of land broken and fenced, and a few log cabins built. Haraszthy and his men had erected one already, and we went to work and soon built another.
"As time has passed on, all of these cabins, have disappeared. The one in which Hallasz lived burned down during a very severe winter night, by which he lost many things. The next year after we settled here, we were very short of provisions. My brother and I raised an enormous quantity of melons, which aided much in giving a variety of food.
A WEEK OF MISHAPS
"Haraszthy, Hallasz, my brother and I, sometimes made hunting excursions. At one time, leaving the settlement, we started for Honey Creek valley, in which at that time, not one living soul could be found, but a plenty of rattlesnakes. We killed many of them; also lots of pigeons and prairie chickens, which made us fine soups. We found wild honey, too, but how to get it, we did not understand at that time. At another time we started out, taking a horse to carry our tent and other things. Near that bluff where Merrihew's mill now stands, the Count shot a deer, but unluckily so that it escaped him. By and by we all four started after the buck, but in vain was all the trouble. In the chase we had lost much time and greatly exhausted ourselves, and did not notice a tremendous thunder storm coming over us. The Count's head was wounded and we had nearly lost him. We arrived at last at camp drenched to the skin, where, in the dark and rain, we found everything wet ; the tent torn into pieces, and its contents swimming in water-110 fire-cold and shivering. You can believe we made pretty sour faces that night; but never mind, the night passed; at daybreak we regaled ourselves as best we could. Fine sunshine warming us up again, we endeavored to cross Honey Creek. But to do this we had no idea what a difficult job it would be. We tramped up and down the ereck through mud, heavy underbrush, and were by thorns half torn to pieces. At last we were so lucky as to find a place where the trunks of fallen trees
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lay partly across the stream. Now we ventured out balancing. But such balancing I had never done before in my life. I used to balance in dancing saloons, in Hamburg, New York, and even in a log cabin on the Wabash river; but here, surely it could not go very well, from sheer nervousness on account of being in such a critical position. I declare I was not afraid of water, as in my former days I was called a pretty good swimmer; but that swampy mud by the shore !- if any shore was there, nobody could tell where, or whether a bottom could be found; then to swim in mud is a considerable piece of art, and I knew, not so easily done, as I had experienced before in a piece of Honey Creek swamp. However, over we must and did go. But oh ! our travel- ing assistant had to come over yet, besides all our guns, tent and bag- gage. Finally, all crossed safely, which consumed a half day's labor. Now we traveled on, up hill and down hill, for hours, until we struck an Indian trail, which set us in good spirits. Not understanding how to travel by compass, however, we took ours out, which showed us green- horns about the direction we wished to take; but on we traveled, fol- lowing that trail. After many hours, up and down, round and about, we came out in an entirely contrary direction from what we wished to travel; we stood upon a height and saw our Wisconsin river, where we finally camped. Being now not very far from Helena, we visited for the first time the oldest settler in Sauk county, John Wilson. We traveled and eamped out several times along Pine river, where we met a great many Indian graves, but no settlers. Near the head of this river we discovered a cave, in which we slept that night. The next morning brought us a most disagreeable affair. We soon noticed that overnight our most worthy traveling companion, our horse, had got loose, and was now-who knows where? Here we sat in the wilderness -with kettle, coffee-pot, blankets, tent, etc., but the horse was gone. With empty stomachs, my brother and I started immediately in search of the four-leg. We searched and searched-traced back where we had traveled the day before, not noticing much how fast the time passed by. At last, fatigued and very near giving up all hopes of finding the horse, there, there, we came in sight of him far-far away-so far we could hardly distinguish him. Really we had to combine all our energy to advance with something like good humor. The four-leg was eating grass very comfortably, while he kept walking slowly on, bound home- ward. Noticing this, we had to march faster, to cut him off by and by, but to do this, it cost us a heap of drops of sweat, until we got so far- now commenced a chase, and a trying, and trying over and over again, to catch that-our traveling companion. We learned now, if we had not learned it before what independence means-that horse-really he . showed himself an independent one. He tricked us ont continually.
On that day we had some experience in Western horse-catching! My legs seemed to me to have turned over to the age of sixty or more years;
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my brains-in what condition they were is hard to tell! At last! At last! we caught him, and almost dropped down, so exhausted we were. Now came the returning to our cave, which luckily we found at last; we had done enough that day, which lasted then but a short time, and it was sunset. Next morning we started together from our cave, but met also with a most unlucky day. We had traveled all day, and not noticing that we traveled in too much of a circle, at evening found ourselves at the same spot we had left in the morning-our cave. During the following day we endeavored to do better-came at last to a creek, but knew not which one it was, and being bound for home we followed it down. We had exhausted our provisions; the large and fat coon the Count had killed was gone. By elimbing upon a high bluff we convinced ourselves that we were going straight ahead and right. With half empty stomachs, we calculated with joy at about what hour we should reach Sauk; but as it often goes-so here-we soon found we had made a miscalculation. We had to pass a great hindrance, which consisted of a large tamarack swamp, many of which at that time were along the Honey Creek valley. We were anxious to get home and not willing to march for miles round it; so we concluded to cross it in a straight line, but we had to suffer for it. At the commencement, for a good while, we did not care for the great elasticity of the ground, but our marching went over into a kind of jumping, somewhat like grasshoppers. It often happened that in jumping to what seemed a pretty solid place, on arriving we would find ourselves in mud-first knee deep, afterwards deeper-but the hardest trouble was our travel- ing companion, that independent horse, with all the baggage. O, Jeru- salem !- hot and sultry it was; our bellies fallen in, our skin pretty near the bones, and no inside fat present, sweating all the time! Now that horse got stuck sundry times, not alone we had to carry the bag- gage! No-we had to carry the horse too, mostly through this mud and nasty smelling swampy concern. I consider it yet half a miracle how it was possible that we crossed this place, but it came to a fact that we crossed it, and we were thrown into astonishment at the fact ! But hurrah now for sweet home; this we reached at sunset, totally torn and dirty, having been out eight or ten days. Our German settlers glared and stared at us. I believe they could not make out whether we came direct out of - or from the moon. In fact, we looked worse than any European beggars, Winnebagoes or chimney sweeps.
FIRST FRAME HOUSE IN SAUK CITY
"The Count soon employed a carpenter, Mr. Morgan, an English- man, who put him up a frame house for his family. This was the first one erected in Sauk City. I purchased it in later years, and have kept it in repairs. It stands yet, and is occupied by one Mr. Cowles.
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More frame buildings were then put up. That of Mr. John Gallards and one under the name of the United States Hotel, now occupied by Hiram Miller; that now occupied by J. Werner, Sr., then a part of the District School building; then that of the Catholic Church-but before this latter building was finished, during church time it caught fire, and burned down in a few moments. It was full of persons at the time who had to flee for their lives. It was supposed to have taken fire by some one emptying his pipe before entering the church. From the abundance of shavings which lay around, the flames spread rapidly.
THE SAUK REVOLUTION
"Provisions at one time being rather scarce, a civil rebellion broke out in the village among the workmen of the Count and Bryant. The motto of the rebels had previously been, 'pork and potatoes for break- fast, potatoes and pork for dinner, etc;' and seldom anything extra. A procession was formed, headed by a stout man, carrying on a long pole a picked ham bone for a banner, the rest following in single file like geese, each one carrying a piece of the cooking concern, such as tea- kettle, tin-pail, tin-pan, etc .; beating on them, shouting, joking, and making a tremendous noise-which from the clearness of the evening, was echoed back from the bluffs upon the opposite side; and the rever- beration came again and again, from the numerous islands up and down the river, as though all pandemonium was there. When the procession disbanded, the settlement was still and quiet. The supper horn was blown by the cook at an unusually early hour. In a short time a great hurrahı was heard, the sequel of which was, that dishes were heaped with pies and eakes, etc. So ended the Sauk Revolution.
"Next day lumber, nails, hammer, plow, and everything was handled extremely fast. At one time I was requested by the Count to ride his mare to upper-town, to buy a few articles from D. B. Crocker's storc, which was a very small one, and the only one in the country. After I jumped upon hier back I found her willing to run off too fast, and therefore held the reins very tight, so she overthrew herself and myself backwards upon the hard ground. I was near losing my life at that time ; but she gave me a lesson how to ride a mare. I did not know, and had no idea this female creature had such a soft mouth!
"Bears now and then made their appearance here, and in hard winter nights we often heard the yell of packs of wolves, whose tracks in the snow on the ice were to be seen in abundance all along the river. "My neighbor, Lueders, and my brother-in-law, J. C. Grapel (deceased) arrived from Hamburgh. Grapel, my brother and I bought a claim of Ensminger, who was afterwards killed in the Mexican war. We settled on the land and kept bachelor's-hall in his log house, but took our meals with our neighbor, R. H. Davis', who lived in Esquire
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Alban's house, at that time, which was situated where J. P. Mann's steam mill now stands, and was surrounded by a grove of timber which has sinee disappeared, and is supplanted by fences, buildings, etc., of German people. To get a house built upon our place we sent to Galena, and got out the families of B. Ragatz, Louis Aecula, and Wolf. When they had finished the house, old Mr. Bartholomew Ragatz, a Swiss (now deceased), with his family moved out to his claim on Honey Creek, and this was the first settler in Honey Creek Valley. This valley is now settled mostly by Germans and Swiss.
THE COUNT ENTERS SITE OF SAUK CITY
"When the land -came into market, most of the persons owning elaims in Sauk County could be found at the Land Office at Mineral Point, to seeure if possible, his piece of land. They passed resolutions to protect each other against speculators overbidding them. The land sale went off peaceably, however, and on the 27th day of October, 1843, the land where now stands Sauk City, was entered from Government by Charles Haraszthy, the father of Auguston Haraszthy.
BOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI AND WISCONSIN
"The Count and Bryant were somewhat engaged in steamboating ; they owned a share in the Rock River, of which, at that time I was clerk. We went three times from Galena to Fort Snelling (St. Peters) and baek, and once from Fort Crawford (Prairie du Chien) to Fort Winnebago, for which latter fort we brought numerous soldiers of U. S. Infantry, their baggage, etc., returning from their Florida war trip. At the Forts we were kindly entertained by officers and men. Our boat was frozen in at Prairie du Chien, but as a warm spell of weather came afterwards, the engineer, two other men and myself were sent off from Sauk City in a skiff to get the boat to Sauk, if possible. After we had started it commenced freezing very fast. Past sunset we were nearly blocked up with running ice; we stopped upon an Island and camped, it being in the month of December.
"Without a fire we lay down to rest, and when we awoke, found about half a foot of snow upon our blankets. We hauled our skiff onto the iee, and carried it to where the river was open. We however had to leave the skiff about three miles from Prairie du Chien. We commeneed our march from here, through the deep snow towards that place. Our engineer gave out, and if left alone would perish. We took him between us and supported him onward as best we could. We arrived at the boat and cut her loose, but the ice was too strong for her to work in, and our trouble was all in vain. We went home under great hardships, it being very eold. Later I was engaged as elerk in
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Haraszthy's store. He built the first brick building on Sauk Prairie. It is that which now Messrs. Williams & Son occupy as a store."
CAPT. LEVI MOORE
William H. Canfield in his "Historical Sketch," 1891, has the fol- lowing appreciative sketch of the late Capt. Levi Moore, and it is here reproduced, even at the risk of repeating certain faets in his life which have already been given. He says: "The Captain's first acquaintance with the Winnebago wilderness country on the Baraboo river was in 1840. Levi was the tenth and the next to the youngest of Joseph Moore's family, who was formerly from Massachusetts; thence moved to New York and thence to Ohio.
"At a very early age he had a fondness for sailing. He went onto the lakes and served in all the capacities from cabin boy to captain and owner and was familiar with the location of every town from Buffalo to the head of Lake Superior. He also learned the ship carpenter's trade. At the present time, at the age of 82, he has a beautifully con- structed model for a wooden ship nearly completed that he believes to be extraordinarily strong. He thinks it could hardly be broken short of a terrible catastrophe. We think he expects to obtain a patent upon it.
"A captain must always have a mate. He chose his in the state of New York-Miss Adelia Titus. About one and one-half years there -. after she died, leaving Erastus for the captain's charge and comfort. When he came to the Baraboo country Erastus was put out to board in that estimable family of Prescott Brigham, Sr., on Sauk prairie. Erastus was old enough in 1861 to enlist in the war of the rebellion, in Company F, Wisconsin cavalry. He died at Vicksburg, Arkansas. He was a mild, pleasant boy.
"We conjecture that the love of adventure led Mr. Moore to abandon the lake country. He went to Illinois, thence to Grand Rapids, Wis- consin, and there built a boat, the first one that ever ran over the rapids. He also built a ferry boat at Haraszthy, now called Sank City, and a boat at Baraboo. He first visited Baraboo in 1840. Spent the winter of 1840-41 in hunting deer and in becoming acquainted with the coun- try, and located his claim about the falls of a creek, which he named Skillet, from the circumstance of conical holes being washed out in the soft sand rock, which made nice places in which to wash your hands, as they were constantly supplied by small streams of water. In the winter of '41-2, he, in company with Alex. Draper, hunted deer in Back Woods near Whitewater. In June, 1842, we found Mr. Moore at his cabin at Skillet Falls. Ile had a family keeping house for him by the name of Simon Griffith. This season, or perhaps the next, Moore entered into the mill business. He first helped put in the gearing to
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Wood & Rowan's sawmill. At one time, 1846, the people thought to organize a military company. Mr. Moore was recommended as the proper person for captain. Governor Dodge gave him a captain's com- mission. The whole matter soon fell through, but he has the old parch- ment still. His being the captain of a lake vessel and holding a com- mission doubly made the title good, and he is now spoken of as the Captain.
"In August, 1846, he chose his second mate, Miss Deborah Stevens. Harris Searles of Sauk Prairie tied the 'knot.' Four grown up children and their mother and father constitute his present family. The chil- dren are Margaret (Mrs. C. H. Williams), Valloo, Carrie and Edith ; the three latter are at home.
THE CAPTAIN AND THE COUNTY SEAT FIGHT
"The Captain dislikes high colored sketches of a flattering charac- ter; hence, we feel quite free to say that in the fore part of the county seat war he had a plenty of political enemies made by his action as one of the county commissioners. The seat of justice of Sauk county was by the legislative commissioners located at that one of the Sauk villages which would make the highest bid for it. The upper town bid was received. It consisted of a donation to the county of a certain number of village lots. In making out a deed of them to the county there was a proviso that if the county seat should ever be removed the lots should revert to the original owners, with all the improvements upon them. This proviso was so ingeniously worded that it was difficult to discover the deception. Two of the county commissioners voted to accept the deeds.
"The Captain discovered the trick. The Prairie du Sae lawyers tried their best to convince him that the deeds were properly worded and did not convey the intent he thought they did; but he was invincible. Long discussions and explanations were had. He stood alone. The two other county commissioners voted Yes; but he had put in a big No. The clerk, Audrew Garrison, recorded the vote. Moore told him to put down a big No, and insisted upon it. Not satisfied by being whipped out of justice by treachery, he ordered the clerk to write out a protest for him against the swindle and put that upon the record. The clerk said he could not do that, as it was all he could do to record his negative vote. Moore replied : 'Garrison, you are the clerk of this board to record our doings and not to be judge of them. I am one of this county's board of commissioners. A minority, as well as a majority, ean be represented on the books as he chooses, and you are not to be judge of what is or is not proper. Sir, I demand of you to place upon record my protest to the infamous trick." Garrison wrote out a protest, accord- ing to Moore's dietation, and put it upon the book. Not satisfied yet,
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he called at the meeting at the bluffs to show the trick up to the people. It was largely attended, and the matter was so thoroughly sifted that the Sacites offered to make a new draft for the deeds, leaving out the objectionable feature. There was a motion made that for the present the matter be 'laid on the table.' A Baraboo unparliamentary back- woodsman moved to amend by having the whole matter put under the table. The amendment carried by a large majority.
STUBBORN IN A JUST CAUSE
"We retell this old quarrel story (which ought to be forgotten and all Sauk county be one loving family), for the purpose of showing what one indomitable will can do in an emergency. The good book tells us that 'one man can put 1,000 to flight.' This the Captain very nearly did. When he has a cause of justice to work in, Andrew Jackson could not excel him for stubbornness. We all know that. Some years after the county seat fight he arranged his affairs at Baraboo, went to Black River and bought a saw mill. This mill was destroyed, and he built a new one and ran it for two or three years. Lumber went down, and he sold out and came back to Baraboo. In 1878 he went into the cranberry busi- ness near Norway Ridge and made a great many valuable improvements on his bog. In 1886 and 1887 railroad fires burned his marshes over very deeply. He tried to get redress of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company, but was offered a pittance for the damage. He finally brought suit against them and after two circuit court trials ob- tained a judgment of $6,000. He now is quite a hale man.
DOG SAVED BY BUCK
"We do not like to close this personal sketch without referring to an incident which happened while Mr. Moore, in company with Count Augustine Haraszthy, Edmund Rendtorff of Lower Sauk, T. B. Reming- ton, Abraham Wood, and Wm. H. Canfield, of Baraboo, was going to explore the wilderness in the back part of Sauk County. Wood and Moore, old hunters, agreed to keep us supplied with meat; besides, the count had a shot gun and a setter dog, yet, away back in the wilderness, where now have grown up fine dwellings and broad, rich fields, we had a starvation feast. We subsisted three days upon one partridge, notwith- standing our three hunters and a hunting dog. We had labelled the dog for breakfast. Next morning, however, about 2 o'clock, as we were lounging in our tent, the three hunters being out, we heard the sharp report of a rifle, and soon there followed a loud halloo. We started in- stantly and soon found the captain with a nice young buck hung up. A feast we three had and saved the dog."-W. H. Canfield in "Historical Sketch, 1891."
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ARCHIBALD BARKER
W. H. C. in Sauk County Democrat: "The day for his funeral men- tioned in your paper brought together a large collection of his old neigh- bors. It was indeed a sad 'old pioneers' meeting.' 'It seems too bad that he could not have lived at least a year or two longer to enjoy his new residence in the city of Baraboo' was a very common remark that passed between neighbors. This building and the tastily arranged grounds occupy an entire block. The buildings were erected by M. J. Drown in his prosperous days and purchased by Col. D. S. Vittum soon after his return from the war of the rebellion, and recently by A. Barker. He had occupied it about thirteen months.
"Mr. Barker was a quiet, pleasant, prompt, active, honorable man, full of enterprise. His words needed no props or the scratch of. a pen. We think he never held an office of any kind in his life except school district treasurer. He was both physically and morally courageous and fond of adventure. He had enough of native combativeness and courage to take care of himself, but was far from being quarrelsome and was always just. He was brought up by Protestant parents and always had a regard for the Christian religion, although he made no open profession. At eighteen he left his comfortable home and came to America, landing at New York city; went to New Jersey and worked one summer; then to Philadelphia and wintered there; then came to Iowa to visit an old friend, Mr. Reed, and stayed with him one summer, helping him farm; then went to the lead mines and spent one summer working and prospect- ing and got acquainted with Dunn and McFarland, pioneer Wisconsin pinery men, which took him to the pinery. While spending some time at Ft. Winnebago he formed an acquaintance with Wallace Rowan and went in company with him in the Indian fur trade; this was in 1837. He became attached to the family, especially to the eldest daughter, Emily, and a marriage contract was entertained, but she died of con- sumption after several years' illness in 1847. He never lost his regard for the Rowan family.
IN THE PIONEER PINERIES
"Mr. Barker assisted Wood & Rowan in putting up their sawmill (the first one on the Baraboo river) in 1839. In the winter of 1840-41 he logged in the Seeley Creek pinery and ran down his logs in the spring. In the same summer he built a raft of about 10,000 feet and ran it out of the Baraboo river, selling it at Decorah. This was the first article of commerce run out of our river (1841). He joined in partner- ship with James I. Christie to log in the upper Baraboo pineries, which as yet had not felt the American ax, and in the late fall of 1842 in crossing a creek while going to his field of labor he got his feet wet and very badly frozen, which came near taking his life. On one foot he lost Vol. 1-25
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