USA > Wisconsin > An illustrated history of Wisconsin from prehistoric to present periods : the story of the state interspersed with realistic and romantic events > Part 32
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Childrens Corner.
Dimple and the Bears
by NoseTtam. S. Krale ..
IN ye good old days, when the headwaters of the Milwaukee river, for seventy miles above its mouth, were heavily timbered with cedar, tamarack and ash swamps, black bear were as thick as blackberries in August. In the immediate vicinity of the headwaters of the Milwaukee, which is in the town of Osceola, are innumerable lakes, and in those days they were fringed with lovely cedars and other evergreens, which reached back into the heavily-timbered forest.
In the early '50s, forest fires had swept over miles of this beautifully wooded country, which, in a few years, produced near the openings and on the hillsides, vast fields of blackberry brush. During the latter part of August each year, after the great fires, the neighbors for miles around, as well as the in- numberable black bear, were wont to visit the berry fields and revel in their delicious fruits.
Early in August, in '59, Jim Hardin, a youthful nimrod, discovered two young cubs playing near a creek that emptied into the river, near Mud lake, which is the source of the Mil- waukee river. Jim selected the larger of the two and shot it
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DIMPLE AND THE BEARS.
dead. While Jim, with open mouth, was viewing his victim, he heard a noise close by, and soon Mother Bruin appeared. Jim recognized her at once as " Old Nick," a large black bear, who had gained notoriety among the early settlers by helping herself to numerous delicious pigs. Jim's gun being unloaded, the next best thing he could do was to climb a small sapling near by, and had hardly reached the first limb, which was not far from the ground, when " Old Nick," who had smelled of her dead cub, was close after him. Jim succeeded in pulling himself upon a limb of the tree and out of danger, but not before he had lost an important part of his trousers and received a few deep scratches as souvenirs of the exciting oc- casion. Mother Bruin, after vainly attempt- ing to climb the sapling, which was too small for her to clasp her arms around, took a long look at her dead cub, then, with the surviving one, walked slowly into the forest.
It was during the latter part of the same month that the farmer boys in the vicinity made up a caravan, consisting of a large lumber-wagon, hauled by a pair of sturdy oxen and headed by a two-wheeled cart and a yoke of steers. In the front cart was Joe Brown, his mother and three-year-old sis- ter, Dimple, two or three neighbor- ing urchins, nu- merous pails and utensils ; while in the large lumber- wagon which fol- lowed were several women and child-
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DIMPLE AND THE BEARS.
ren, with camping utensils of every description, as they intended to stay one night, then return with their berries. The berry picking season was always looked forward to by the young people, as well as by their mammas, as the occasion of the year, and only equaled by the Fourth of July.
The happy berry pickers started early in the morning, crossed from the west to the east side of the Milwaukee river, and by nine o'clock had reached the berry picking grounds. The oxen were unyoked and tied with long ropes to saplings, near an adjacent field of wild grass, the tent put up, wood gath- ered for their camp-fire, and soon the merry berry pickers were picking the large, delicious fruit which abounded in every direction. Joe Brown, who was about eleven years old, and a small com- panion, were left in charge of little Dimple and two or three other little girls, who were placed on blankets and left under a convenient shade-tree. The little girls played merrily, while their young guardians soon discovered an early plum tree, and readily forgot their little wards, until their attention was attracted by loud cries and screams issuing from near where they had left the children. It did not take long for the boys to reach the spot, but imagine their surprise when little Mabel Hawkins, between sobs, told them that a black bear, almost as big as a house, had carried away little Dimple.
It was two hours later before the berry pickers had been found and assembled at their camping place. One of the boys was dispatched home to notify the settlers, while Joe Brown started out into the woods alone in search of his lost sister. In a short time Joe found that the bear had crossed a small creek and gone into a cedar swamp, about one-half mile from the camping place. Joe followed the tracks, which were now easily seen in the soft moss and mud, that soon led him to a moss and leaf-strewn cavern, underneath the roots of an upturned cedar.
With the instinct of an Indian, which was prompted by the terrible circumstances, Joe soon found that the bear had left the
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cavern and gone into the depths of the trackless forest. When he realized this, his courage gave way, and he sat down upon a fallen log and burst into tears. His grief was shortly inter- rupted by the voice of little Dimple, emerging from under- neath the upturned cedar, saying : "Joe, what you cry for? Come and see my black dog." Joe, with the quickness of a young badger, dove into the cavern beneath the cedar, where he found his little sister Dimple nestling close beside a robust little black cub. Joe embraced little Dimple, and shed tears of joy to think that she was alive and well, and had been adopted by Mother Bruin, who had evidently undertaken to supply the place of her lost cub by the introduction of Dimple into her house- hold. Joe realized at once the danger of remaining until the mother bear returned, so, taking little Dimple in his arms, he started to leave the bear's retreat, but little Dimple persisted so strongly in having her little black dog, as she called the little cub, that Joe grabbed the cub, which was following them, under one arm and little Dimple under the other, and retraced his steps toward the camp.
It took some little time for Joe, with his heavy burdens, to get out of the swamp, but he finally emerged into an old trail, which led him near the camping ground. Now, being fatigued, he sat down upon the ground to rest, and was enjoying the antics of little Dim- ple and her new companion, when he was suddenly startled by a noise proceeding from the dense swamp. Joe's instincts immediately taught him that Mother Bruin, who was looking for her offspring, was near at hand; so, grabbing Dimple and the cub he started with the speed of a frightened deer towards the camp.
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DIMPLE AND THE BEARS.
As Joe, with his companions, came into a little opening, he saw, a short distance ahead, the camp-fire of the berry pickers and the forms of some of the neighboring farmers close by. Within ten feet of Joe and his precious burdens came the infuriated bear. Joe, in his eagerness, stumbled and fell, but hardly had he reached the ground before the report of a rifle rang out through the forest, and Mother Bruin dropped dead at his feet with a well-directed ball in her brain. Little Dimple and Joe were received by the berry pickers with great joy.
Of all the settlers who hastened to the berry pickers' camp to vainly search for little Dimple, and avenge her anticipated death, Jim Hardin was foremost ; and while deliberating upon the proper course to pursue, little Joe had emerged from the forest, closely pursued by "Old Nick." It was Jim's steady nerve and unerring Kentucky rifle that avenged him for his previous treatment by Mother Bruin.
The skin of Mother Bruin, with her large, massive head and gigantic claws, now adorns a room in an elegant mansion in northern Illinois, and it is not infrequent that Dimple, now a stately matron, sits with her children and tells them the story of her adoption by "Old Nick" on the banks of the Milwaukee river, while the Kentucky rifle that saved Dimple and her brother Joe is still cherished by its owner and hangs over the fireplace, in front of which is spread all that remains of " Old Nick."
W.HOWLAND SC, N.Y.
Wisconsin's
Historical Magazine.
July, 1893.
CONTENTS.
GOVERNOR HENRY DODGE,
-
Frontispiece
TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS,
Finely Illustrated.
-
Clark S. Matteson
ADMINISTRATIONS OF STATE GOVERNORS FROM 1848 TO 1861, Clark S. Matteson
Illustrated.
WISCONSIN IN THE CIVIL WAR,
-
Col. C. K. Pier
The only condensed history of Wisconsin in the War of the Rebellion.
JESSE E. MATTESON, Author's Assistant.
MILWAUKEE. THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1893.
FOND DU LAC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Entered at the Post-Office at Milwaukee, Wis., as Second-Class Matter.
1
CHAPTER XXXIII.
WISCONSIN'S TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS .- 1836-1848.
ADMINISTRATIONS OF GOVERNOR HENRY DODGE. 1836-1841. 1845-1848.
GENERAL HENRY DODGE, upon the creation of the Territory of Wiscon- sin in 1836, was appointed its first governor and superintendent of Indian affairs by President Jackson. General Dodge, on the 4th day of July, 1836, at a "grand independent celebration" at Mineral Point, solemnly subscribed to the oath of office in the presence of a large assemblage. This was the most Democratic inauguration ever held in Wisconsin.
On March 4, 1841, the Whigs having come into power under Wm. H. Harrison and John Tyler, Governor Dodge was removed from office, to make room for James Duane Doty. Upon Governor Dodge's removal in 1841, he was made the Democratic nominee for delegate to congress, and was elected over Jonathan E. Arnold, of Milwaukee ; he was re-elected delegate in 1843, over General Hicox.
In March, 1845, the Democrats, under James K. Polk, having assumed national control, General Dodge was appointed governor of the territory, and in this capacity continued to serve until Wisconsin was admitted into the union in 1848.
The new state legislature met in June, 1848, and elected Governor Dodge and Isaac P. Walker to the United States senate. The senators drew lots for the long and short terms, which resulted in Governor Dodge drawing the former. In 1851, he was re-elected United States senator for the term ending on the 4th of March, 1857. This closed the public career of General Henry Dodge.
While it is conceded by all that an immense amount of bragging and false- hood has crept into the popular accounts and histories of the Black Hawk war, yet General Dodge rendered valuable service by terrorizing the Winnebagoes. General Dodge also took part in the engagements at Wisconsin Heights and Bad Ax, having led charges in both battles.
The various administrations of General Dodge were both wise and judi- cious. His messages were clear and comprehensive. He desired that the general government, through congress, take steps to clear the Rock river of its obstructions. He also recommended the propriety of asking congress to donate one township of land to be sold, and the proceeds of the sale to be used for the establishment of an academy for the education of the youth. This recommendation embodied the principle of the plan on which universities
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were established in Wisconsin and other states by land grants from congress .* General Henry Dodge was born at Vincennes, Indiana, on October 12, 1782, and during the early Indian disturbances in that state. He was named after Moses Henry, who rescued him from the hands of an Indian who was about to dash his brains out.
The general died at the home of his son, Augustus C. Dodge, in Burling- ton, Iowa, on June 19, 1869. His last years were principally passed at Mineral Point, among his numerous friends, and were a contrast to the priva- tions, warfare and stormy activity of his frontier life, which was passed in the heart of the Indian country. Well may he be called "The Father of Wisconsin."t
* The legislature of Wisconsin, of 1870, appropriated $1,000 for Nowell's marble bust of Governor Dodge, which stands in the capitol at Madison.
+ Maybelle Park, in "Distinguished Citizens of Wisconsin."
CHAPTER XXXIV.
1841-1844.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR JAMES DUANE DOTY.
JAMES DUANE DOTY, Wisconsin's second governor, was one of our most able statesmen. He was born at Salem, Washington county, New York, on November 5, 1799. After he had completed a thorough English course of study he read law, and, before he was twenty years of age, had settled in De- troit, where his suave manners, ability and commanding presence made him ex- ceptionally popular. As early as 1819, he was admitted to the bar of the su- preme court of Michigan. He occupied the positions of secretary of the Detroit city council, clerk of the supreme court, and secretary of the territorial legislature.
In September, 1820, he made a tour of the lakes, in the General Cass ex- pedition, and acted as its secretary. While he lived in Detroit he was distin- guished for his close application to his profession. At the early age of twenty-two, he had already revised and pub .. lished the laws of Michigan. At this time he was admitted to practice before the supreme court of the United States.
All the country west of Lake Michigan, in the old Northwest Territory, was, in 1823, set apart and organized into a new judicial district, and Mr. Doty was appointed, by President Monroe, to be its first judge.
In this judicial capacity he heard murder trials, divorce cases, actions upon contracts, controversies between trappers, claims to unsurveyed lands, numerous conflicts between civil and military authority, and in that capacity brought order out of general chaos. Judge Doty was amply able to do this. He laid the foundation for the better establishment of society, and taught the wild and lawless classes to respect and obey the laws. This was no easy task.
In 1832, Mr. Doty was appointed by the secretary of war to lay out military roads from Green Bay to Prairie du Chien and Fort Dearborn, now Chicago. In 1834, he was elected as a member of the territorial legislature of Michigan, and drafted the act which, through his influence, was passed, that made Michigan a state and Wisconsin a territory. In 1837, Mr. Doty was
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elected delegate to congress, in which capacity he ably served. He was re- elected and succeeded himself, until he was appointed governor and superin- tendent of Indian affairs of Wisconsin territory. In this dual capacity he served from October 5, 1841, to September 16, 1844.
Governor Doty's first message was long, clear and comprehensive. He opposed all laws savoring of monopolies or their creation. He recommended that steps be taken to organize a state, and that bank circulation should be cir- cumscribed and made more durable, for the protection of the people. To encourage the introduction of the sheep-growing industry he advocated that sheep and their fleeces be exempt from taxation ; that an effective system for the support of common schools be devised, and that all Indian tribes be removed from the territory.
Governor Doty was one of the first to make a vigorous attempt to have the southern boundary of Wisconsin established on a line drawn from the head of Lake Michigan westward, in accordance with the Ordinance of 1787. Had he succeeded in this, Chicago would have been the metropolis of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee the second city. The administration of Governor Doty was both stormy and unpleasant.
In 1849, Governor Doty was elected to congress, and re-elected in 1851 to succeed himself. In 1861, he was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs of Utah. In May, 1863, he was made governor of Utah, and in this capacity contended with the bloody, revengeful and unscrupulous powers of the Mor- mon church. He occupied this position up to the time of his death, which occurred June 13, 1865.
CHAPTER XXXV.
1844-1845.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR NATHANIEL POTTER TALLMADGE.
NATHANIEL POTTER TALLMADGE, the third and last territorial gov- ernor of Wisconsin, was born at Chatham, Columbia county, New York, on February 8, 1795. He became conspicuous at an early age for his ability to acquire information, having begun Latin without a tutor, and while yet in the district school. He was graduated from Williams college with honors, in 1815, and began the study of law with General James Tallmadge, of Poughkeepsie, New York. In 1818, after representing a dis- trict in Dutchess county, he was elected to the state senate, where he established a reputation which extended far beyond the borders of his own state. He was elected to the United States senate for a term of six years, beginning March 4, 1833.
Mr. Tallmadge was a polished orator, sound in logic, and had the reputation of thoroughly understanding every subject he undertook to discuss. Mr. Tallmadge's controversy with John C. Calhoun, on the rights of the colored people to present petitions to congress, together with his able controversy with President Van Buren, whose recommendations he opposed, brought him prominently before the public. His popularity and audacity of character were now so great that he proceeded to reorganize the Democracy of New York, for the purpose of defeating Martin Van Buren. This was during the year of 1839, and, while so occupied, he was triumphantly re-elected to the United States senate.
In 1844, Mr. Tallmadge purchased a beautiful tract of land east of the city of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, for the purpose of making it his future home. President Tyler having nominated him for governor of the Territory of Wis- consin, in 1844, Mr. Tallmadge resigned his position in the senate, and ac- cepted the office.
Mr. Tallmadge succeeded Mr. Doty as chief executive of the territory on September 16, 1844, and held the office until May 13, 1845, at which time, the Democrats having again come into power, he was removed, and Governor
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HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
Dodge was appointed his successor. When Mr. Tallmadge became governor he found the people of the territory full of excitement, owing to the stormy controversies which had arisen between the legislature and Governor Doty, but Governor Tallmadge restored peace and harmony, and was soon working in unison with the erratic body.
Governor Tallmadge delivered, in person, his message to the legislature on January 17, 1845. In this message he pointed out to the legislature that the famous Milwaukee and Rock River canal had been abandoned, and recommended the construction of a railway from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan.
Among other important measures he advocated and recommended the establishment of agricultural societies and schools. This dignified and able message was so broad in its principles that the legislature authorized seven hundred and fifty copies to be printed in German.
Governor Tallmadge was a lover of philosophy, literature, and good so- ciety. His speeches and writings were refined and showed exceptional ability. Upon retiring from office Mr. Tallmadge abandoned active politics, and, though he continued to reside at Fond du Lac, he spent a large portion of his time at Washington, where he was ever ready to advocate and advance the interests of Wisconsin.
At and near Fond du Lac, at an early day, Governors Doty and Tall- madge had settled, together with a large number of people remarkable for wealth, culture and hospitality. In all the northwest, at that time, there was no so- cial coterie to be compared with this one. Their children were taught French, music and art, by private tutors. They frequently gave hunting and other parties on an extensive scale. They regarded the poor with marked considera- tion and respect, and in every way added a charm and wholesomeness to so- ciety that had never been known in a new country, and is now comparatively unknown. The Tallmadge family was very popular and for many years were society leaders.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
WISCONSIN'S STATE GOVERNORS.
ADMINISTRATION OF NELSON DEWEY.
1848-1852.
Nelson Dewey .- Progress of the Badger Commonwealth. - Legislative Enactments .- Elections.
NELSON DEWEY, our first governor after the admission of the territory into the union, was born in the town of Lebanon, state of Connecticut, on Decem- ber 19, 1813. The year following he moved to Butternuts, near Morris, in Oswego county, state of New York, where his youthful days were passed upon a farm.
Mr. Dewey's early education was commenced in a district school at Morris, but at the age of sixteen he was sent to Hamilton academy at Chenango, New York, where he remained three years. Among his classmates at the academy were William Pitt Lynde, who, for many years, represented Milwaukee in con- gress, and Professor J. W. Sterling, of the University of Wisconsin.
Mr. Dewey was elected the first register of deeds for Grant county in 1837. He was also elected three times to the territorial legislature, and was at one time chosen speaker of the house of representatives and vice-president of the council. In 1848, upon the admission of Wisconsin into the union, Mr. Dewey was elected by the Democrats to be Wisconsin's first governor, over John H. Tweedy, by a majority exceeding five thousand.
Governor Dewey, upon taking his seat as governor, found himself in the midst of chaos, as the state was now separated from the general federal control. Numerous appointments were made at the dictation of local influence, which frequently created jealousy and dissatisfaction. Notwithstanding these disap- pointments, Governor Dewey was so able and efficient in the administration of public affairs that he was renominated and elected in 1849, by a larger majority than before. At the end of his second gubernatorial term, in January, 1853, he retired to private life, but, during the fall of the same year, the
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Democracy nominated him for the state senate in the Sixteenth district, and he was elected over Orsamus Cole, now chief-justice of the supreme court of Wis- consin, by a majority of only three votes.
In 1873, Ex-Governor Dewey was appointed state-prison commissioner by Governor Taylor. For more than half a century, Governor Dewey was a member or nominee of every territorial and state convention held in Wis- consin by the Democratic party, besides frequently acting as a delegate to its national conventions for nominating candidates for president.
It has been said by those who knew him well, that the numerous honors with which his party adorned him always came without solicitation on his part, and that, in the various positions of trust, his integrity was never questioned. On July 21st, 1889, Governor Dewey died at his home in Cass- ville, Wisconsin, regretted by innumerable friends.
The "Badger" commonwealth, from its first introduction into the union of states, took front rank in the passage of liberal laws, and the generous maintenance of the highest order of public institutions. In territorial times its charitable, penal and educational systems were inaugurated; but now, as the youngest state in the union, it extended and developed its scien- tific methods, in keeping with the growth of the commonwealth.
Wisconsin's magnetic attractions were cheap and rich lands, extensive pine forests, valuable lead mines, and unlimited water power along its beauti- ful rivers. These various attractions gave such an impetus to the growth of the young state that, during the two years succeeding its admission into the union, there was an increase of population of nearly ninety-five thousand. The last territorial census showed a population of two hundred and ten thousand five hundred and forty-six.
This new and healthy population was chiefly from New York, New England and Ohio, together with many thousands of Germans, Scandinavians, Poles, Belgians, Irish, Dutch, English, and Scotch immigrants, all of which has made Wisconsin one of the most progressive states in the union.
During the first session of the legislature, under Governor Dewey's first administration, numerous important bills were passed, among which were the division of the state into congressional districts, the election of judges, the im- provement of the Fox river, appraisal of university lands with relation to the reorganization of schools, the construction of plank-roads, the salaries of state officers, numerous acts relating to the organization of towns and counties, thirty for state roads, thirty-eight appropriation bills, and ten for the incorpora- tion of villages and cities, and other organizations.
Among the most important acts passed was one for the establishment of the State University, consisting of a board of regents, consisting of a presi- dent and twelve members, which included the secretary and treasurer. The
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passage of an act which created the most excitement in Wisconsin, and drew forth serious comments from numerous states in the union, was the " Home- stead Exemption Bill." It was the most liberal law ever passed by any state authority, and is similar to the homestead law now upon our statute books. One of our leading papers at Madison, in commenting upon the law, used the following language :
" 'The legislature has passed a bill, which, if not immediately repealed, will work some most wonderful changes in the business transactions of our new state. This, to a majority of our people, was the most odious feature in the condemned constitution. We can regard it as nothing less than a covert, under which villainy can practice its devices unmolested, as it is a permission for rascals to get in debt, if they can, and pay when they please, not when they ought, as justice demands."
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