History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People, Part 22

Author: Publius Virgilius Lawson
Publication date: 1948
Publisher: Chicago : C.F. Cooper
Number of Pages: 773

USA > Wisconsin > Winnebago County > History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People > Part 22

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HISTORY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.

has furnished Senators W. P. Rounds and Ira W. Fisher. The county has had the late Hon. James H. Foster, a pioneer, for senator. The county is still apportioned into one senatorial dis- triet. In 1888 the town and city of Menasha were attached to Outagamie county senatorial district for a short time, as it had a sure Democratic population, and Mr. P. V. Lawson, Jr., was made the Republican candidate to run against a sure Democratic majority of 2,000 and could only reduce it by 200 votes. Since then Outagamie county has become Republican, but Menasha city remains Democratic. Mr. William Hewitt remarked that "Menasha and Texas always voted Democratic."

For assemblymen the county first had three districts, as now, in 1857, and Philetus Sawyer became a member of assembly, be- ginning that historic political career that has placed his name high in the annals of legislation. Col. Gabe Bouck was first in the assembly in 1860 just before going to the war. He was after- wards a member and speaker of the assembly. He once re- marked the only thing he wished to forget was that he was once an alderman. Col. George B. Goodwin, of Menasha, was an as- semblyman before the war. Hon. Hichard C. Russell, the long- time banker of Oshkosh, was a member in 1864. Mr. Henry C. Jewell was a member in 1864. In 1872 the apportionment gave the county four assemblymen up to 1879. Hon. Tom Wall was in the assembly in 1873, 1876 and 1877. In 1879 William Wall became an assemblyman. Dr. N. S. Robinson, of Neenah, was a member in 1875, when the city charter of Menasha was granted, and Hon. W. P. Peckham was a member in 1874, when the Neenah city charter was passed.

About a little table in the school house at Ripon on February 28, 1854, sat a small body of men who drew a resolution for a new party, adopted by the crowd of determined patriots who jammed the little building. In a few days a great ratification meeting was held in Madison and the new Republican party was started. Up in Winnebago county the first Republican meeting was called out at Thompson's corners, in Clayton, September 9, 1854. Mr. Cornelius Northrup, of Menasha, was chairman, and Mr. Armine Pickett, of Winneconne, secretary. Mr. E. S. Welsh, of Neenah, and Mr. C. R. Hamlin, of Winneconne, were elected delegates to the Republican congressional convention to be held at Waupun. A mass meeting was called for Thompson's school house September 28, 1854. to nominate a candidate for assembly and a committee appointed to confer on a Republican senatorial

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REPRESENTATION.

convention, consisting of S. R. Hopkins, of Winchester; Ben- jamin Strong, of Clayton; Rufus Lambert, of Vinland; Mr. Thompson, of Poygan; (. Northrup, Menasha, and Armine Pickett, of Winneconne. The convention endorsed Jonathan Dougherty, of Oshkosh, for Congress, but he did not receive the support of the congressional convention, which placed in nomi- nation Mr. Charles Billinghurst, of Dodge county. This was the first Republican congressional convention and was held at Waupun, September 20, 1854. The members consisted of those who previously had been Free Soilers and Whigs. Billinghurst was elected, defeating the Democratic candidate, John B. Macy. At the mass meeting called at Clayton, September 29, 1854, to nominate a Republican candidate for assembly, II. Reed had sixty-nine votes and E. S. Welsh thirty votes. Gov. Harrison Reed was formerly made the first Republican nominee for as- sembly. There was some change made after by which Mr. Welsh became the candidate and was elected. "A ranting. canting, pie-bald hypocrite," said the "Advocate."

The first Republican county convention was held at Oshkosh on October 12, 1854, and nominated this ticket : Coles Bashford, senator ; John P. Gallup, sheriff; Jonathan Daugherty, treasurer; Lester Rounds, registrar; II. Osborn, clerk; L. M. Taylor, clerk of court; Edwin Wheeler, district attorney. Coles Bashford was then holding the office of senator. This ticket was elected except registrar and clerk of the court.

In the fall of 1855 the new Republican party put up its state ticket with Coles Bashford, of Oshkosh, for Governor. In the outcome Barstow was declared elected, but a trial in. the Su- preme Court exhibited frauds showing that Bashford was elected and he was finally given the office. For Governor Neenah gave Bashford 149 votes and his opponent, Barstow, 49 votes. Osh- kosh gave Bashford 311 and his opponent 312 votes; but Bash- ford carried the county by 553 majority. The new Republican party over the state captured a majority of the legislature and elected a Republican United States senator.

XVII.

ORGANIZATION OF TOWNS.

Omro. As previously explained, all the earlier towns of Win- nebago county were absorbed by act of the territorial legislature of April 1, 1843, expanding the town of Butte des Morts into the town of Winnebago, embracing the whole territory of the county, and thus it remained until the act of February 11, 1847, which provided for organizing of five towns within the county- Winnebago, Butte des Morts, Brighton, Neenah and Rushford.

The town of Butte des Morts comprised the part of the pres- ent town of Omro and part of Winneconne, south of the Fox river, composed of the area as stated, "All of townships 18 and 19 in range 15, lying south of Fox river." An election was held at the house of Edward West on April 6, 1847, at which nine- teen votes were polled. The corner of township 19 was set off to Winneconne, March 11, 1848, and the name of the town of Butte des Morts was changed to Bloomingdale by act of the leg- islature, April 3, 1849, and by an act of the county board in 1852 the name was changed to Omro. In 1850 the south half of section 31 was attached to Rushford, and in 1856 the north half of the same attached to Rushford. Sections 1 and 2 and the north half of 13 in Rushford were attached to Omro, completing the present boundaries of that town.

Oshkosh. Under the above mentioned act of February 11, 1847, the new town of Winnebago, which was afterwards changed to Oshkosh, comprised township 19 of range 15, north of Fox river (afterwards set off to Winneconne) ; the south half of township 19 and fractional lots of town 18, range 16 and 17, and for temporary township purposes, the future Wolf river and Winchester were attached to the town of Winnebago. The part mentioned as part of township 19 was set off to Win- neconne on March 11, 1848. The town of Winnebago was further changed in its limits by an act of March 22, 1849, declaring township 18. range 16, to constitute the town of Winnebago. By authority of the act of August 21, 1848, authorizing county boards to set off. organize and change the name of towns, the town of Algoma was set off from Winnebago by the county board in 1850 and the name of the town of Winnebago was

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ORGANIZATION OF TOWNS.

changed to Oshkosh by the county board, November 10, 1852. The two southern rows of sections of the town of Vinland were attached to Oshkosh in February 8, 1856, by the county board.

Nekimi. The town of Brighton, of the act of February 11, 1847, included the future towns of Nekimi, Black Wolf and Algoma. The town of Algoma was set off in 1850 by the county board and the name of Brighton changed to Nekimi. Black Wolf was set off November 14, 1850, thus the town of Nekimi became limited to its present size.

Neenah and Menasha. Under the act of February 11, 1847, the town of Neenah embraced townships 20 and north half of 19, ranges 16 and 17. It was reduced to township 20, range 17, by the setting off of Vinland and Clayton in 1849. The town of Menasha was set off from Neenah by the county board in 1855.

Rushford. As originally organized by the act of February 11, 1847, the area of this town included the present towns of Nepeuskun, set off November, 1849, and Utica, set off March 11, 1848. Some other changes in its boundary is explained under Omro.

Utica. Set off from Rushford by act of the legislature, March 11, 1848.

Nepeuskun. Set off from Rushford by the county board, No- vember 17, 1849.

Winneconne. This town as a complete township was organ- ized under an act of the legislature, March 11, 1848.

Vinland. As explained above, Vinland was set off from Neenah under an act of the legislature, approved March 15, 1849.

Clayton. As explained above, Clayton was set off from Neenah under an act of the legislature, March 21, 1849.

Algoma. As stated above, Algoma was set off from Brighton by the county board, February 5, 1850.

Black Wolf was set off from Nekimi by the county board, No- vember 14, 1850.

Winchester. The town of Winchester was organized by the act of the county board, November 11, 1851.

Poygan was organized pursuant to an act of the county board, November 11, 1852.

Wolf River. This town was originally organized by virtue of an act of the county board, January 4, 1855, under the name of Orihula. On July 6 of the same year the name was changed to Wolf River. The former name remains attached to the village and postoffice.

XVIII.

THE STEAM AND SAIL BOAT ON LAKE AND RIVER IN EARLIER DAYS.

The almost impassable highways in the pioneer days compelled the settler to resort to the natural highways by lake and river. and from the earliest days the canoe and barge had been the favorite mode of travel from place to place.

In the winter of 1844 Capt. Peter IIoteling engaged the ser- vices of Brothertown Indians to construct a steamboat at Man- chester, in Calumet county. This was the first steamboat on Lake Winnebago and was named the "Manchester," Capt. Peter Hoteling. Its name was afterward changed to "Fountain City," being still in service in 1861 with Capt. J. Lapham in command.

In the spring of 1850 the steamboat "Peytona," a famous river boat, was completed on the shore of the river in Wisconsin street, east of the library, in Neenah. Three years later it was pur- chased by B. F. Moore, of Fond du Lac, and ran direct from that city to Menasha, connecting with the plank roads. The "John Mitchell" was built at Menasha in 1851 by Capt. James Harris and commenced running to Oshkosh. It is said to have been the first of the lake boats to go up to Portage. That season the other boats on the lake were the "Badger State;" "Oshkosh City," Capt. John Moody; "'Menasha;" "Peytona," Capt. Steve Hotel- ing. This same year the "Van Ness Barlow" was built on the south shore of Little Butte des Morts lake at Neenah for Town- send Bros .. and when the lock in Neenah was finished in the spring of 1852 this was the first to go through, and her upper works completed afterward. In August, 1854, as the steamer "Barlow" was leaving the dock at Oshkosh both boilers ex- ploded, killing two firemen. Mr. John Fitzgerald, the owner. gave the widows $200.

The third boat built in Neenah was the "Jenny Lind," con- structed on C'edar street near the Jameson machine shop in 1851 by Dr. N. Peake and Patrick Tiernan. Being too large for service on these waters, it was taken over into the Mississippi.

The rivalry between the villages of Menasha and Neenah

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THE STEAM AND SAIL BOAT.

caused Mr. Curtis Reed and Charles Doty to build the "Menasha" in 1851. Boats ran from Lake Winnebago up river through the Portage canal by July, 1854. In June, 1856, the steamboat "Morgan L. Martin" arrived at Oshkosh from Green Bay, the first steamboat to pass through. In. August, 1856, the "Aquilla" arrived from Pittsburg via Ohio, Mississippi, Wis- consin and Fox rivers, the first steamboat to pass the entire length of the great waterway.

"On Wednesday the steamers 'Peytona,' 'Barlow' and 'Samp- son' arrived here, crowded to their utmost capacity with pas- sengers and freight. On Saturday the steamer 'Eureka' and schooner 'Merchant and Trader' landed here," says the . "Menasha Advocate" of May 31, 1855.

The steamer "Sampson" was built at Menasha in the winter of 1855 and commenced running in the spring to Fond du Lac. On her return trip her boiler exploded at Calumet, killing sev- eral and mangling others. Steamer "Independent Republic," with a long name and short engine, had a race with a deer in Lake Winnebago and the deer won out.

John Fitzgerald purchased in 1855 the entire steamboat force on the river and systematized the business, running regular lines. At one time this aroused Jere Crowley, of the "Advocate," be- cause they raised the passage rate from Fond du Lac to Menasha from $1 to $1.50. In 1856 the steamboat fleet had the added names of "Queen City," "Eureka," "Menominee" and "Shioc." The "Ajax" and "Pioneer" passed the locks and canals below Appleton by June 11, 1856. The "Aquilla" had for some weeks previous made regular trips from Oshkosh to Appleton through the Neenah lock.

In 1861 "Fannie Fisk" was added to the fleet, the "Tigress" in 1870 and "Flora Webster" in 1872, built by Webster & Law- son, of Menasha, as a freight boat for logs, having a power crane for handling logs. "Steamer 'Energy,' Captain Gordon, cleared from Menasha for Dubuque with spokes and hubs from Webster and Lawson, May 25, 1870. The week before the 'P. V. Lawson' cleared with two barges loaded with hubs and spokes, tubs, pails and barrel stock for Prairie du Chien."-Menasha "Press."

For many years Capt. Holly S. Thurston ran the "Island City" on the river route. In 1872 he bumped into the lower gates of the Menasha lock and broke them down. The force of the water loosened the upper gates and this let the whole canal rush into the lower lake. The boat was helpless on the floods and rushed

234 HISTORY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.

out broadsides over a mile into the lake before brought under control. Capt. Thurston was buried at Menasha, August 10, 1882. In addition to those named there have been a host of smaller crafts-tugboats, sailboats and pleasure yachts.

Among the freak boats may be mentioned "The Traveling Pottery," a vessel constructed in Menasha in the winter of 1864 by Mr. Clough to run up the Fox and Wisconsin and down the Mississippi river, making pottery for sale on the route. A wind- mill furnished power for the clay-grinding machinery. The boys called it Noah's ark, and a description is given in the current "Advocate." It started on its voyage and recently a lady in Oshkosh has mentioned the fact of witnessing the pottery at work at Oshkosh. Messrs. Clinton, owners of the steamboat "Swan," when the season closed in 1854 set up lath and shingle machinery in the boat and operated the business all winter.

XIX.

ORIGIN AND MEANING OF PLACE NAMES OF LAKES, RIVERS AND LOCALITIES.

The first thing named in Wisconsin was Lake Winnebago. It is interesting to know that the first of the physical features of the region since erected into Wisconsin to receive a name from white men was Lake Winnebago, and it is quite singular to note that the name it then had still clings to the beautiful lake. Two years before any white man had been within several hundred miles of the region Governor Champlain, founder of the log cabin village of Quebec, had in 1832 drafted a map of the region from the narratives of savages and placed thereon a lake, which he named "Lac des Puans," which is French for Lake of the Winnebago.1 This lake discharged through a river which he named "R. des Puans," which was French for River of the Win- nebago, which has since been changed to Fox river. The Cham- plain map was topographically distorted and misplaced, as no white man had then visited any of the territory covered by it. But students of history agree that it was intended to represent Lake Winnebago and the Fox river. In 1643 Boisoeau, a French cartographer, also outlines in his map "La Nation des Puans" on "Lac des Puans," which is discharged through "Riviere des Puans."2 In the extracts from the peculiar journal of the dar- ing bushranger, Radisson, of 1659, which may be found in II. Wisconsin Historical Collections, p. 69, whose notes .were said to have been "hammered into eccentric English," the fearless traveler refers to a visit to the Mascoutin Nation, who resided near Princeton, and when about to leave them mentions their desire to accompany him "to the great lake of the Stinkings." This was a literal translation of the French term "puans," which means filthy or ill smelling.

As early as 1670, when the great Allouez, "The father of Mis-

' For copy of this map, see "Proceedings Wis. Hist. Society" for 1906. "This map is in Lenox Library, New York, and is to be found in 23 "Jesuit Relations," Cleveland Ed., which may be had in the Oshkosh library.

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HISTORY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.

sions," made the first voyage of any of the missionaries up the Fox river, he refers to "Lac des Puans" as if it was well known to him. He tried to change its name to St. Francis, his patron saint, but no cartographer or voyageur ever followed him in the use of this name. All the French except Hennepin refer to the lake as Puans. He names it in his 1697 map "Kitchigamie," meaning "large lake," which doubtless was the name given him by the savages, as that was their customary name for the larger lakes.

Puans was the name applied by the French to the Winnebago and is supposed to be an erroneous translation of the Alqonkin word Ouinipeg, by which the Winnebago were known to their neighbors, which is the word from which Winnebago has derived its modern spelling and pronunciation. The tribe called them- selves Otchagras. The head village of these stalwart children of Wisconsin forests was located on the shore of Lake Winne- bago, on Doty island, at the foot of the lake, for upwards of two centuries from 1632 to 1832. It was the most permanent, long- est maintained in one place of any Indian village on the con- tinent. It may have been there longer than 1632, as, according to La Potherie in his traditions obtained from Perrot, it would seem to be almost pre-Columbian. The first known account of any other Winnebago village is to be found in Lieut. Gor- . rell's journal, 1760, where he mentions three villages. These may possibly have been the Wild Cats village on Garlic island and Black Wolf's village at Long point, though the famous old chiefs could hardly have been born at that early day.

The far famed historic and romantic Fox river, being the old- est river on the continent, has also the distinction of having been named at the same time with Lake Winnebago, the earliest of all natural objects in the region since erected into Wisconsin. It was named on Champlain's map of 1632, two years before any white man had been within several hundred miles of the river, Rivière des Puans (River of the Winnebago). It had this name two years before the coming of Nicolet and thirty-eight years before Green Bay had any name. On Jean Boisoeau's map, 1643, it still retains this name. When Rev. Claude Allouez, the first missionary, entered the river in 1670 he speaks of it as the R. des Puans, as if the name was well known, and undertook to change it to St. Francis; but the change in name was not adopted by other cartographers or voyageurs. It was not even adopted by the Jesuit map of 1670-71.

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237

ORIGIN AND MEANING OF NAMES.

La Hontan's map as late as 1709 contains the name R. des Puans, although prior to this in 1683 Hennepin had attached to his map R. le Outagamis (Fox river), although in his map of 1679 Hennepin named it R. Verte (Green river). The Chevalier de la Salle in his description of the valley in 1683 calls it Kakalin river, probably because the Kakalin rapids, now Kaukauna, was the most prominent obstruction to the navigation.

That the Fox tribes, whom the French had named La Renard and who were known among their neighbors as Outagamis, were prominent as early as 1683 is evident from their mention by La Salle as having their village three-quarters of a mile west of Little Lake Butte des Morts, but also as giving Hennepin occa- sion to name the river on his map of 1683 R. le Outagamis. As early as 1718 De la Mothe Cadillac had reported the Outagamis (Fox) as "wily and mischievous," "growing powerful," "and becoming insolent," and had it not been for the war with the Iroquois "steps would be taken to humble the Outagamis." Charlevoix, the historian priest, on his visit to the French fort at Green Bay as early as 1721 calls it the River of the Outa- gamies. It has never been seriously known by any other name than Outagamis, which is only another name for the Fox tribe, since first named in Hennepin's map of 1683, so that it may be truly said that Hennepin named the river.

When Captain Cram made the first survey ever made of the Fox river in 1839 he uses in all his maps the name Neenah with Fox river in parenthesis. This was a guarded attempt to change the name of the river and was possibly inspired by Governor Doty, who supposed Neenah was the Menominee name of the river, whereas it was only their word for water. As the Fox tribes had abandoned the river by 1742 and the Winnebago by 1840, their hunting grounds being occupied by the Menominee, Governor Doty may have felt justified in finding a name more consonant to current historical events. But the change in name died at its birth and the name hung upon the map by Friar Hen- nepin way out on the fringe of time, back in the mysterious days of 1683, clings to the mighty river through all the ages.

The Fox tribes had at the very beginning of the fur trade of the French in the West incurred the displeasure of the trader by refusing to submit to unfair methods, and open war was begun by the Foxes against the French as early as 1700, which lasted for upwards of half a century, causing great annoyance and loss to the Canadian Government, who sent many war par-

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HISTORY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.

ties against them and fought several battles at different periods on the shores of Little Lake Butte Morts. The prominence given to the Fox tribe in the annals of the French is far out of propor- tion to their real importance, though sufficient to attach their name permanently to this great waterway, controlled by the war- whoop of the Outagamie. The golden fleece gathered by the French forest rangers on the headwaters of the Wisconsin rivers was in constant jeopardy by the enmity of the tribe and the im- portance of this waterway as the only practical means of reach- ing the rich fur-bearing regions united always the river with the danger of the journey, so that it was natural for such an im- portant highway to be currently connected with the name of the tribe living on its banks, whose warwhoop was heard around the world and whose presence on the river was a constant men- ace to the wealth of the courtiers, who hung on the pleasure of the palace at Versailles.

Little Lake Butte des Morts was named by Father Crespel in 1728 as Little Fox Lake. Very early in French occupation it became generally known by its present name, and the high pre- historic mound builder hill on its west shore near the tomahawk trail was associated with a tradition of the massacre of the Fox Indians, an event placed at about 160 years ago. An attempt was made by a modern map in 1856 to change it to Peepeek lake. Big Lake Butte des Morts is said to derive its name from the same tradition in connection with the second massacre of the Fox Indians at that place on their fleeing from the first assault. There was no hill of the dead on this lake and no reason has been given for assigning the name to this lake. The village and town of Butte des Morts also derive their name from the same tradi- tion; but whether the village takes its name from the lake or the lake its name from the village would be difficult to determine.

Rush lake is so named for the wild rice and rushes which abound on its border.

Lake Poygan is named for a great war chief of the Menominee and has been spelled differently as Pow-wa-ga-nieu. The first postoffice in the town of Poygan was spelled Powaickam. Captain Cram in his Fox river survey names the Wolf river on one map Pau-may-can river. Modern spelling agrees on Poygan for the town, the lake and the postoffice.

The Wolf river is named for Black Wolf, the Winnebago chief of Black Wolf point, on Lake Winnebago, from whom the town of Black Wolf also takes its name. The oldest name for this

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ORIGIN AND MEANING OF NAMES.

river, R. des Mantoueoilec, is given on the Jesuit map of 1670-71. Captain Cram in his survey maps of the Fox river in 1839 names it on one map Wolf river and on another map Pau-may-can river. The town of Wolf river takes its name from this river. The first white person to go on this river was Allouez, who ascended the river as far as Manawa in 1670.

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History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People, Part 22

Author: Publius Virgilius Lawson Publication date: 1948 Publisher: Chicago : C.F. Cooper Number of Pages: 773

Author: Publius Virgilius Lawson
Publication date: 1948
Publisher: Chicago : C.F. Cooper
Number of Pages: 773