USA > Wisconsin > Sauk County > A standard history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, Volume I > Part 51
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HOME ECONOMICS CLUB
The women of Sank City are also well forward in the advanced line of thought and action. They have a Home Economies Club, organized in April, 1913, the expressed purpose of which is the "improvement of home and civic conditions." It has a membership of sixty and the fol- lowing officers: Miss Josephine Merk, president; Miss Amelia Pohl- mann, vice president; Mrs. Oscar Bucrki, secretary; Mrs. Louis Back, treasurer.
CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES
There are three religious bodies at Sauk City-the Catholic, the Frec Congregation and the German Reformed Congregation. Saint
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Aloysius Catholic Church and Society, which was founded in 1844, is the oldest organization of that faith in Sauk County and one of the first to be established in Southwestern Wisconsin. The first settled priest was Rev. Adelbert Inama, of Tyrol, who came in September, 1845, and, through the generosity of Count Haraszthy, who gave some lots for the church with other donations, a house of worship was soon after erected. It was burned in the following year and another building put up. In 1853 a large church took the place of the smaller one, and in later years a mission in the Town of Honey Creek was added to the Sauk City charge. Its present pastor is Father A. Schauenberg, who is the twenty-eighth priest who has been in charge of St. Aloysius Parish.
The Free Congregation at Sauk City are sometimes designated by religionists as "free thinkers." The congregation had its origin in the Free German Association, which held its first meetings in 1842, the mem- bers styling themselves Humanists. Charles Duerr was their first speaker, but the society was not regularly founded until October, 1852, after Eduard Schroeter had become their leader. The congregation has 110 settled dogma; equality of the sexes is recognized ; morality, absolute honesty in doctrine and living are inculcated, and the underlying basis of the movement is radicalism, or going to the root of whatever matter is under investigation. Mr. Schroeter served in the capacity of speaker for thirty-three years, or until a short time before his death. The con- gregation owns a hall at Sauk City, in which its exercises are held, and from the platform of which lecturers from various cities address its members on religious, moral and reformatory topies of the day.
The German Reformed Congregation is in charge of Rev. C. M. Zenk. Its first religious services were held in 1850, at the old schoolhouse, by Rev. Mr. Knoepfel. The church was built during the pastorate of Rev. A. Winter in 1861. The membership of the German Reformed Congre- gation is large and on the increase.
In addition to the churches and the congregations at Sauk City, there are several lodges which have substantial followings. The leaders in that connection are the Modern Woodmen, with its auxiliary, the Royal Neighbors, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Degree of Honor and the Equitable Fraternal Union.
PRAIRIE DU SAC, OR UPPER SAUK
The Upper Village never fully recovered from the setback it received when it lost the county seat to the Baraboo-Sauk City combination. It was, however, for a number of years thereafter a strong contender as an industrial center and a point comparatively easy of access from the east on account of the bridge thrown across the river in 1852. The early stage line operated by Prescott Brigham from Madison also gave Prairie du Sae transportation importance. The Moores, who started a large
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store and a lumber yard in 1850-51, and soon afterward quite an exten- sive warehouse, brought forward Upper Sauk, and encouraged the building of the bridge, the first crossing the Wisconsin River for several years, or until the people of Sauk City completed their span in August, 1860.
FIRST BRIDGE ACROSS THE WISCONSIN
With the arrival of Mr. Moore, in the spring of 1850, the bridge matter was vigorously pushed. The charter had been obtained, but all seemed to lack initiative until he came upon the ground. Under his direct supervision, the engineer, or chief mechanie, commenced work in the fall of 1851, but as the structure was built directly on the spile foundation, which was simply planted on the bed of the river, the ice and the spring freshets of the following year swept away almost the en- tire bridge. The foundation put in during 1852 was supported by stone piers, as it should have been before, and therefore stood the battering of iee and water. The bridge, which was eighty rods long, with a suit- able draw, originally eost $1,500. It was at first a toll enterprise, under the management of a bridge company, and was long a paying institution. E. B. Crane, a resident of Bloomfield, New Jersey, was at the head of its affairs for a number of its earlier years.
THE GRABBING OF THE POSTOFFICE
For several years in the period of most strenuous rivalry between the Upper and the Lower villages, Prairie du Sac had also the advantage of postoffice location. Thomas Baker, who was its postmaster for nearly a quarter of a century, thus presents the topic: "When Prairie du Sac . was first settled much of the land in Sauk county had not yet been sur- veyed, but Lyman Crossman managed to secure a quarter seetion imme- diately south of the village plat, and was appointed postmaster. This was when the postage on a letter was twenty-five cents. Money was scarce and Mr. Crossman sympathetie, and if a poor man found there was a letter in the office for him and had no money to pay the postage, he usually got his letter on a promise to pay, but the promise was not always fulfilled.
"On the death of Mr. Crossman he was succeeded by George Cargel. In the meantime the village of Sauk City (one mile south) had been platted, and Simeon Dean moved from Madison and started a store in Sauk City. Having friends to assist him, he secured the appointment of a postmaster for Prairie du Sac, and moved the whole postoffice outfit to his store in Sauk City. Such a howl of rage as went out from the citizens of Prairie du Sac would be hard to describe, but postmaster Dean remained serene. He headed and dated his letters, 'Sauk City,'
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then stepped to the corner of his store where he kept the postoffice, and postmarked them, 'Prairie du Sac.' The matter was finally fixed up by the postmaster-general establishing a new postoffice at Sauk City, and Alexander Ostrander was appointed postmaster at Prairie du Sac. Mr. Ostrander was a young lawyer looking for a place to practice his chosen profession, but Prairie du Sac was then, as now, a poor place for a lawyer, and finding his legal practice unrenumerative Mr. Ostrander resigned the office of postmaster in favor of Isaac D. Evans, and moved to New York City where he secured a lucrative practice. This was under the administration of President Franklin Pierce, and Mr. Evans held the office until August, 1861, when he was succeeded by Thomas Baker. Mr. Baker remained in control of the office until November 16, 1885,
OLD BRIGGS HOUSE Built in 1855. Torn down in 1902
when he was succeeded by W. T. Kelsey (now Judge Kelsey). Mr. Kel- sey held the office until January 1, 1890, when Mr. Baker again assumed the duties and on January 1, 1894, surrendered to Harwood V. Page."
THE PRESENT UPPER VILLAGE
Prairie du Sae is a neat, rather quiet village of some 800 people at the present time, and its old promise of industrial growth has not materialized. In the '50s and '60s its position in the center of a rich grain, dairy and agricultural district pointed to it as a likely center for the manufacture of farm implements. In 1858 James Christian built a plow factory in the village, which was maintained there for many years, and perhaps twenty years later J. Werner established a reaper factory for the special manufacture of the Challenge Harvester. Mr.
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Werner had built the Eureka flour mills in 1864, the original establish- ment being a planing mill. In 1869, again, M. H. Keysar & Company erected at Prairie du Sac the largest grain warehouse and elevator in the county, and operated in connection with it livestock yards of large capacity (for those days). But the building of the North-Western through Baraboo Valley, three years later, completely changed the out- look for both Upper and Lower Sauk.
Prairie du Sac is now a pretty, neat village with hopes not founded on a rushing present. Her people, however, are contented and comfort- able, surrounded by a beautiful and prosperous country of farmers and dairymen. It is a desirable residence village with a good school, a news-
HION. J. S. TRIPP
paper, a couple of banks (the Sauk and the Peoples State), good water and electric light, and churches and societies sufficient to meet the wants of the higher life.
SCHOOLS OF UPPER SAUK
It is said that the first teacher at Prairie du Sae was a Scotchman named Quentin Smith, who taught a private school in 1843. When the old courthouse reverted to its builders in 1846, with the removal hence of the county seat, the village took it for school purposes, and used it as such for ten years. Then the stone schoolhouse was built and the little frame courthouse moved off the lot and converted into a workshop. The next move to improve the public school accommodations of Prairie du
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Sac was taken in the spring of 1871, when the Academy Building, which had been used as a private high school for seven years, was sold to the district which included Prairie du Sae.
LIBRARY AND VILLAGE HALL (TRIPP MEMORIAL)
The village also now numbers among its educational institutions the J. S. Tripp Memorial. Mr. Tripp was a finely educated New York lawyer, who located in Baraboo at the commencement of his practice in 1853; moved to Sauk City in 1854 and there spent thirty-four years engaged in practice and the banking business; thence to Prairie du Sac, where he was a banker and a public spirited citizen until his death in July, 1915. In 1862 he had represented his district in the Assembly
THE TRIPP MEMORIAL
and was for sixteen years elerk of the Town of Prairie du Sac. At the time of his death he was the oldest Mason of continuous service in Wisconsin. The Memorial Building, the cornerstone of which was laid in October, 1912, includes not only accommodations for the library but various village offices. The village clerk's office adjoins the stairway hall on the main floor. The library is also on the main floor, and assembly . hall above. The building is a little gem-a decided ornament to the village. Its construction involved an expenditure of $13,000, of which Mr. Tripp donated more than $10,000.
WATER AND ELECTRIC PLANTS
The people of Prairie du Sac have cause to take pride in their water works, built in 1915, and electric light and power plant. Their supply
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of water comes from deep wells and is noticeably pure. It is another feature of the village which emphasizes its standing as a desirable residence town.
SAUK COUNTY NEWS
The Sauk County News of Prairie du Sac was established by Burnett & Son of Black Earth, Dane County, and G. W. Ashton of the Upper Village, its first number being issued October 21, 1876. Mr. Ashton was its editor. The newspaper was printed in Black Earth and published at Prairie du Sac for the first few years of its life. S. W. Corwith con- ducted the paper from November, 1877, to December, 1884; Charles E. Whelan, now national lecturer for the Modern Woodmen of America, was the next, retaining the paper until June, 1886; George L. Conklin, two years; Fred W. Johns, 1888 until his death in 1892; Etta Johns till 1894; Brown Brothers and E. J. Browne, 1894 to 1899; Bert Giegerich and W. P. Just, 1899 to 1909; since that time Bert Giegerich.
CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES
The Evangelical Association and the Evangelical Lutheran Church have long supported growing societies at Prairie du Sac. Of the former, Rev. Phillip Schneider is pastor and Rev. F. Lambertus is in charge of the Evangelical Lutheran organization. The Methodists have a stable society under Rev. R. C. Hallock and the Presbyterians with .Rev. S. G. Schiek as pastor. The last named is the oldest religious society in the village, dating its organization from January, 1841, when eight members, formerly affiliated with the Church of Christ, formed themselves into the First Presbyterian Church of Prairie du Sac, under the pastorate of Rev. Solomon Chaffee.
The societies which are most in evidence are the Masonic (including a chapter of the Order of Eastern Star), the Modern Woodmen, Royal Neighbors, Beavers and Loyal Americans. The Masonic lodge (Eureka. No. 113) was founded in 1858.
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CHAPTER XVIII
SPRING GREEN VILLAGE
FIRST RAILROAD VILLAGE IN COUNTY-THE ORIGINAL TOWN-GENERAL PROGRESS OF VILLAGE-ORIGIN OF NAME, SPRING GREEN-"UNCLE JOHN" ON FIRST FREIGHT TRAIN-CENTER OF CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS -PIONEERS OF THE VILLAGE-THE FIGHT AGAINST LIQUOR-THE NAME AGAIN-DISTRICT SCHOOLS-THE CATHOLICS (ST. JOHN CON- GREGATION)-THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH-THE CONGREGA- TIONALISTS-SPRING GREEN NEWSPAPERS THE BANKS-THE DAIRY BOARD OF TRADE.
The Village of Spring Green, on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul line, is a prosperous center of the large dairy interests of the south- western townships of the county. Honey and Little Bear creeks also drain and fertilize a splendid live stock and agricultural section, and the Village of Plain, five or six miles to the north, although without a railroad, shares in the riches of the surrounding country. Spring Green with its railroad, which it has enjoyed for over sixty years, is a village of over 800 people, with an outlook of comfort and a bright intellectual atmosphere as well. Its citizens live well physically, and the fact that there are few places in the county where such uplifting move- ments as those propelled by the Chautauquas are sure of hearty support as at Spring Green speaks, at least, stanch booklets for the intelligence of its residents. The village also has the good sense to own the water works upon which its people depend for their domestic supply and (mainly) for their protection against fire.
Spring Green has two substantial banks, a large cheese warehouse, including a cold storage plant, six general stores and eight or ten special business houses, four churches, an up-to-date village school, an old and good newspaper, and enough lodges and societies to fill all the social and benevolent chinks in the lives of its people which are not covered by more domestic friendships and the church organizations.
FIRST RAILROAD VILLAGE IN COUNTY
As already noted Spring Green was the first community in Sauk County to secure railway connection. That was in 1856. It was incor-
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porated as a village by aet of the Legislature published March 29, 1869, and its boundaries were described as "the southwest quarter and the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 7, and the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter and the north half of the northwest quarter of Section 18, Township 8 north, of Range 4 east; also the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 12, and the northeast quarter of the north- east quarter of Section 13, Township 8 north, of Range 3 east, all being in the town of Spring Green, Sauk Co., Wis."
Elections for the village officers were fixed for the first Monday in May, and the first set chosen in 1869 were as follows: C. B. Pearson, president of the board of trustees; M. F. Hurley, Henry Kifer, P. W. Runyon, C. W. Farrington, trustees; C. E. Brainerd, police justice ; Louis Goedecke, clerk; C. W. Finn, treasurer; George. B. Van Orman, constable.
The village was reincorporated in 1878 under the general law, which provided for a president of the board of trustees, six trustees, a clerk, a treasurer, a supervisor for the county board, a police justice, a justice of the peace, a marshal and a constable, all elected by the people, with a street commissioner to be appointed. During the period when the village government was getting into its present shape, C. B. Pearson, J. C. Brainard, J. G. Pelton, E. P. Newell, M. F. Hurley and J. E. MeKenna were presidents of its board, and Louis Goedecke, W. A. Wyse, S. P. George, A. Gill and J. N. Finn, clerk.
THE ORIGINAL TOWN
The original Town of Spring Green was entered from the Government by William Barnard in 1850. E. B. Evans bought it of him for $600. It was purchased by A. C. Daley in 1856, who, in order to secure assistance in building up a town, sold an undivided quarter to B. F. Edgerton and a third to A. G. Darwin. Messrs. Daley, Edgerton and Darwin were therefore the original owners of the site when improve- ments really commenced. The property was platted by Surveyor Put- nam in the spring of 1857, in the summer the St. Paul Railroad Company built a little depot there, a P. (possibly Pat) West appeared as agent. then trains which had been running through that corner of the county since the previous July commeneed to make regular stops at that point, and the Village of Spring Green took the name of the town which had been organized as such for some seven years.
GENERAL PROGRESS OF VILLAGE
The general progress of Spring Green was told generally, yet graph- ically, in 1907 by Miss Maud Lloyd Jones, historian of the Old Settlers Association, who said in a paper read before that body . "In the Sauk
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county records we find the following transfers of title in land of the original plat of the village of Spring Green :
"United States to Wm. Barnard, September 16th, 1850.
"Wm. Barnard to Susan Dowling, February 11th, 1851.
"Susan Dowling to Robert C. Field, March 8th, 1854.
"Robert C. Field to Evan B. Evans, March 23d, 1854.
"Evan B. Evans to C. L. Daley, April 21st, 1856.
"C. L. Daley to A. C. Daley, July 5th, 1856.
"A. C. Daley to Adam E. Ray, undivided one-sixth, September 9th, 1856.
"A. E. Ray to A. G. Darwin, one-half of undivided one-sixth, Novem- ber 9th, 1856.
"A. G. Darwin to B. H: Edgerton, January 17th, 1857.
"B. H. Edgerton to Garwood Greene, November 22d, 1857.
"A. C. Daley, Garwood Greene, B. H. Edgerton, A. G. Darwin, to Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Company, December 1st, 1855.
"We also find this entry in the first volume of the plat book : 'Spring Green is situated on sections 7 and 18 of township 8 north, of range 4 east, on M. & M. railroad, and is a healthy and beautiful location. It is the only station in Sauk county and will command the trade of the greater part of that county, as well as a part of Rieliland and Iowa. It is one and one-half miles from Helena shot tower.' This is signed by H. C. Putnam, civil engineer.
ORIGIN OF NAME, SPRING GREEN
"There are many stories as to how Spring Green was so named, but this one seems most nearly correct: The town was named by Mrs. Wil- liams, who lived near where Nortons now live. Mrs. Williams came to Spring Green as a widow named Turner, from Massachusetts, where she had been a school teacher. She had two children, a boy and a girl. After coming to Spring Green she married Mr. Williams. Mrs. Williams was the first white woman who lived on the Spring Green prairie. The United States land surveyors boarded with her, and she asked of them the privilege of naming the town. Her request was granted and she called it Spring Green, because to the north of her home, in the hollows facing the south, the green came so much earlier in the spring than in the surrounding country.
"The first building erected in Spring Green village was that which Mr. Thomas Jones built when he arrived. It stood near where the town hall now stands. Mr. Jones lived here with his sons Caradog and Alfred. Mrs. Evans (his daughter) was then living with an aunt in Ohio. One day Mr. Putnam, the railroad surveyor, and his assistants ate dinner with Mr. Jones and then and there they decided to call the village after the town.
Vol. 1-32
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"UNCLE JOHN" ON FIRST FREIGHT TRAIN
"The railroad was built the summer of 1856. The engineer of the construction train was Mr. Newell. The first freight unloaded here was on July 20th, 1856. It was a J. I. Case threshing machine belong- ing to Uncle John Jones. Mr. Stickney was agent in Mazomanie, and the machine came that far. Uncle John went there and had it brought with the construction train across the river. It was unloaded on John T. Jones' farm, near the old building on the Barnard farm. This train made the trip from Mazomanie across the river in twelve minutes. The ties were just laid upon the surface of the ground, and we can perhaps imagine how delightful Uncle Jolin's ride was as he sat at the rear of the flat car beside the machine.
"In September of that year the first passenger train went through. Soon the depot was built, south and east of the present one. Mr. West was the first agent. He lived in rooms above the depot. Mr. Jones soon came as agent and stayed during the war.
CENTER OF CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS
"Probably in no other village in our state will you find the buildings which promote the moral and intellectual education of its citizens grouped in one block as in Spring Green. All this is due to A. C. Daley, who deeded a block for the use of school and church buildings. Any denomination who chose could build a church here. This was indeed a liberal deed and worthy of much praise. On this lot the first school building was erected in 1857. Miss Franklin of Wyoming was the first teacher; Miss Hubbard, the next; then Aunt Ann Wright. In this school building the Methodist society held meetings on Sundays.
"The first school exhibitions were held in the freight room of the depot. A platform was made of planks placed upon barrels, and here brave boys recited 'The boy stood on the burning deck,' or Spartacus' speech to the gladiators, while the timid girls held dialogues or sang.
"In the early '60s Mr. Silsby of Richland City moved his academy to Spring Green. The building was moved by teams and placed on the hill where it now stands, serving as an abode for the training of young minds. Mr. Silsby conducted a school here until he enlisted in the Federal army. He was also for some time the preacher for the Methodist society here.
PIONEERS OF THE VILLAGE
"Mr. Worthington was the first storekeeper in Spring Green. His store was where the Harrison harness shop now stands. This building also contained the postoffice, the Worthington family living in the
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rooms above. Mr. Worthington was an intelligent, publie-spirited man of high standards. He did much to mold the life of early Spring Green.
"Mr. Strong also owned a store for a short time. Mr. Pound eame from Helena and established his business where Cohen Brothers' store now is, with A. C. Daley as partner. Bartlett soon established a store where Hare's shoe store now is.
"In these early days Dr. Hubbard, the Spring Green physician, and family lived where Mrs. Hanmah Davis now lives; A. C. Daley where John Schoenmann now lives. The Spencer home is now the Barnard house. Spencers were noted for their large and well-kept flower and vegetable gardens. The seeds had been brought from the east but were distributed to all the neighbors.
OLD STRONG'S HOTEL, SPRING GREEN
"The Strongs soon built their hotel. It was a small, wooden build- ing situated on the corner where Post's block now stands. A large round sign in front proclaimed it the ' Rainbow Honse.' The Walworth family lived just out of the village to the west. Mr. Walworth was an indus- trious and progressive farmer, and was influential in founding the Methodist society here.
THE FIGHT AGAINST LIQUOR
"In these early days Spring Green was a temperance village. Its purity in this respect was very remarkable, in comparison with the other towns along the railroad. Mr. Worthington helped to establish a Band of Hope which was very flourishing for a time. To its weekly meetings boys and girls flocked from far and near. Its programs consisted of
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recitations and songs. Two of its influential leaders were Eugene Hun- gerford and Uncle Thomas Jones.
"Thanks to the land owners, no ground could be obtained on which to deal out intoxieants. In the spring of 1857 the first saloon was put up on the highway across the track on the east side of the road running north by E. W. Evans'. This had no right to live so its days were few. Soon another brave from Lone Roek put up a shanty on the railroad grounds west of A. C. Daley's warehouse. It, too, had but a few days' existence. The next place we see this lawless monster's head is on the corner opposite the Rainbow House to the west. It was run in connec- tion with a small hotel. Now arrest followed, but the first effort at trial proved in a measure fruitless. In about two weeks word was received from this law-defier asking the privilege to return, to pack up and leave, giving assurance that no liquor would be sold, and thus ended this traffic up to the early '60s.
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