USA > Wisconsin > Barron County > History of Barron County Wisconsin > Part 7
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The only votes cast on the question in the present Barron county were at the home of John Banks, the first permanent settler of the county, who was then living near the present village of Prairie Farm. The confirmation of the vote by the Legislature left Dallas county with the present eastern, western and southern boundaries of Barron county, but with an additional five town- ships on the north.
By an act approved March 2, 1868, the Legislature authorized the organ- ization of Dallas county, for all civil and judicial purposes, from and after Jan. 1. 1869. The county was to continue as one town under the name of Dallas. The first town election was to be held the first Tuesday in November, 1868, or failing that, any time before Jan. 1, 1869, providing proper notice be given the voters. The first county officers were to be appointed by the governor, and were to take office Jan. 1, 1869, or shortly afterward. The first regular county election was to be held the second Tuesday in November, 1869. Cir- cuit court was to be held in the county the last Monday in February, and the last Monday in August, of each year. The county seat was located in sec- tion 26, township 34, range 12, west, east of the present city of Barron.
In 1869, the name of the county was changed to Barron, in honor of Henry D. Barron, a prominent Wisconsin pioneer editor, assemblyman, senator, and jurist. The same year, township 37, ranges 10 to 14, inclusive, was annexed to Burnett county. In 1872 this row of townships was once more placed in Barron, but in 1874 were again annexed to Burnett, leaving Barron county with its present boundaries.
In 1882 an effort was made to include a part of Barron county in a new county to be created from portions of several adjoining counties, but the effort did not succeed.
CHAPTER VI.
EARLY COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
The first election held in Barron county for any purpose was at the home of John Banks, near the present village of Prairie Farm in 1862. The county was almost an unbroken wilderness, and constituted one township, called like the county, Dallas. Knapp, Stout & Co. were operating at Prairie Farm, and there were a few scattered lumber camps here and there. In addition to vot- ing on reannexing a portion of the county to Polk county, a list of town officers was elected. No record has been preserved so far as known.
At a meeting held at the home of John Banks, No. 2, 1863, it was ordered that the elections thereafter be conducted at the house of John Quaderer, which was located in Barron, on the south bank of Quaderer's creek, just south of the west end of the present courthouse square. The entry is signed by J. H. Vannett and John Myers. Since that date the records are preserved continuously.
The second entry in the book is dated Nov. 2, 1863, and contains the cer- tified oaths of A. Sampore, chairman of the special town meeting held Nov. 2,
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HISTORY OF BARRON COUNTY
1863; James H. Vannett, "sworn before E. B. Bundy, county judge", as justice of the peace; William Stansberry, A. Sampore and Edgar P. Long, inspectors of election; and James H. Vannett and John Myers, as clerks of election.
The third entry in the book is dated Nov. 3, 1863. It contains the certified oaths of Henry McCormick, John Quaderer and John G. Johnson, inspectors of election; James Bracklin and James G. Neville, clerks of election; Samuel P. Barker, chairman of election.
The next entry is dated Nov. 10, 1863, and contains the oaths of James G. Neville, as chairman of supervisors; James Bracklin, as supervisor; and James G. Neville, as town clerk; James H. Vannett as justice of the peace, with James G. Neville and Samuel P. Barker as sureties.
May 3, 1864, two more bonds were filed: Joseph Lancour, as constable, with Samuel P. Barker and Henry Sawyer as sureties; and Baptiste Quaderer, as constable, with James Bracklin and John Quaderer as sureties.
At a special meeting, undated, but probably in 1864, with John Quaderer, Jacob Ingler and Baptiste Quaderer as inspectors; and James G. Neville and August Yager, as clerks; Solon H. Clough received all the votes for circuit judge of the Eleventh district.
The first mention of taxes is made at the annual meeting of April 5, 1864. A tax of $600 was voted for general expenses, a tax of $100 for the superin- tendent of the poor; and a tax of six mills on the dollar as a highway tax.
On Jan. 26, 1865, the following accounts were allowed: To A. J. Mes- senger, for making tax list for 1864, $60; to E. B. Bundy, for making tax list for 1863, $50. On Jan. 28, 1865, Knapp, Stout & Co. were voted $364 for work done on highway.
In 1865 the town authorities took action in regard to securing volunteers for the Civil War. Upon petition of twelve citizens a special meeting was held March 1, 1865, at which a tax of $1,200 was levied to pay bounties to volun- teers. At the annual meeting, April 4, 1865, a tax of $150 was levied to look after the families of volunteers.
Under the act, organizing the county, a town election was held at Barron on Nov. 3, 1868, and the following officers elected: Supervisors, S. P. Barker (chairman), Daniel Beagle and James G. Neville; town clerk, Rassman Kel- logg; treasurer, James Bracklin; assessors, James Bracklin and S. K. Young; justices of the peace, S. P. Barker, C. P. Fuller, Francis Finley and John Gar- rett; constables, Bradford Lampman, Alfred Finley, Alexander Miller and Leon Laforte; overseer of poor, John Quaderer; sealer of weights and meas- ures, D. T. Boswell.
Under this board of officers, the town name was changed to Barron, Feb. 6, 1869, to correspond with the change from Dallas to Barron in the name of the county.
Governor Lucius Fairchild, in 1868, appointed officers for the county as follows: Supervisors, Rassman Kellogg, S. P. Barker and C. P. Tuller; clerk, D. T. Boswell; treasurer, James Bracklin; register of deeds, James G. Neville; county superintendent, Oliver Demers; county judge, Francis Finley; sheriff, Alex Beaton. At that time, counties in Wisconsin were governed by boards of regularly elected supervisors, the system of government by a board consisting of the town chairman and city and village supervisors not being adopted until later.
The first meeting of the county board, appointed by the Governor, was held Feb. 6, 1869, on call of S. P. Barker and Rassman Kellogg. These two, and C. P. Tuller, constituting the full board, were present. The name of the town of Dallas, embracing the whole county, was changed to Barron. A bounty of $2.50, in county orders, was offered for every wolf killed within the county limits. S. P. Barker was appointed to consider the matter of securing a build- ing for county purposes, and the clerk, D. T. Boswell, was authorized to secure the necessary books for the county records. Thus the government of the county was set in motion.
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HISTORY OF BARRON COUNTY
April 13, 1869, an agreement was signed between S. P. Barker, and the county supervisors, for the use of the Johnson House, for county purposes. . The Johnson House was not in section 26, where the Legislature had located the county seat, but in the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of sec- tion 27, just north of the river. The county was to spend $60 in fitting up the place, and Mr. Barker was to have the use of not more than a quarter of it for postoffice purposes.
Lots to determine the term of office of the commissioners were drawn on May 24, 1869. Mr. Barker drew the three-year term; Mr. Tuller, the two-year term; and Mr. Kellogg, the one-year term. Salaries for the county officers were fixed. The clerk was to receive $600, the treasurer, $600; the county superintendent, $100; and the county judge, $75. A tax of $3,000 was levied to defray county expenses, and a tax of $468.60 to defray school expenses. This school tax was a two-mill levy on an estimated valuation of $234,300. The tax demanded by the state was $417.27, a levy of 21/8 mills on a valuation of $196,364. A judicial election was held in the county April 6, 1869. L. S. Dixen received 41 votes for chief justice and Francis Finley 40 for county judge.
At the state and county election of 1869, a maximum of 124 votes was cast. The voters were for the most part loggers engaged in the winter lumbering operations. The Republicans swept the county, Lucius Fairchild receiving 123 votes for governor, and some of the Republican candidates the whole 124. For members of the Legislature, no less than 144 votes were cast, John Com- stock, for senator, and Samuel D. Draper, for assemblyman, each receiving that number. The election of these two men was closely contested in other counties, and those in charge of the election here saw to it that the vote re- ported from this county was of goodly proportions.
The county officers elected were: Supervisor (in place of Rassman Kel- logg, who had drawn the one-year term), Henry Sawyer; clerk, Orville Bray- ton; register of deeds, William J. Smith; county superintendent, Oliver De- mars; treasurer, John Quaderer; coroner, K. Whitman; surveyor, Orville Bray- ton. The election was unanimous.
The total receipts of the county treasurer for the year 1869 were $2,812.78. The disbursements were $457.08. The balance of $2,355.70 was divided as fol- lows: Tax certificates, $1,396.48; cash on hand, $954.68; personal property returns, $4.54. The financial sheet of the county for that year is interesting as compared with the present day volume of county business, some fifty years later.
Assets: Tax certificates, $1,396.48; cash, $954.68; unpaid taxes on personal property, $4.54; state tax due from taxpayers, $417.27; county tax due from taxpayers, $2,500; county school tax due from taxpayers, $460; county super- intendent tax due from taxpayers, $100; due from state, $686.52; total, $6,918.09.
Liabilities: Due to the state on tax of 1869, $417.27; due the town of Bar- ron on account, $896.01; outstanding county orders, $1,504.16; due for books and stationery, for which were issued notes at 10 per cent., $589.26; estimated interest on these notes, $40.00; drainage fund due the town of Barron, $360; total, $3,806.70. Balance of assets over liabilities, $2,712.79.
Even this early, property owners were defaulting in their taxes, and the cost of printing the tax sales list was one of the county's heaviest expenses. There was no indication that the county would ever become a farming region. After the land was cut over it was left in stumps, brush and rotting trees. Much of it was allowed to revert to the county for unpaid taxes.
The board for 1870 consisted of S. P. Barker, C. P. Tuller and Henry Sawyer. Before the year was out, J. N. Hoag appears as a member of the board, probably in Mr. Barker's place. Feb. 28, 1870, and for some time thereafter, the board met at Barker's camp, section 7, township 34, range 11, now the town of Stanley, and the clerk, treasurer and register of deeds were author- ized to establish their offices there.
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HISTORY OF BARRON COUNTY
The abstract of 1870 gives an interesting picture of property conditions at that time: Horses of all ages, 61; value, $4,820. Neat cattle of all ages (prob- ably a large proportion of which consisted of oxen), 390; value, $12,176. Mules, . and asses of all ages, 6; value, $600. (The large number of mules used by the Knapp, Stout & Co. in their operations were taxed elsewhere.) Sheep and lambs, 20; value, $56. Swine, 170; value, $595. Wagons, carriages and sleighs, 180; value, $4,629. Gold and silver watches, 32; value, $513. Value of mer- chant and manufacturers' stocks, $9,800. Value of all other personal prop- erty, $35,475. Total value of all personal property, $68,663. Number of acres of land taxable, 124,491; value, $257,098.61.
At the annual election in November, 1870, the vote reported was consider- ably reduced. For congressman, 57 votes were cast, of which Jeremiah M. Rusk received 40, showing a continuance of the Republican preponderance. For assemblyman from the district including Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Bar- ron, Douglas and Polk counties, Samuel S. Vaughan received the 55 votes cast. E. L. Doolittle received 56 of 57 votes cast for sheriff; Robert McAuley received 40 of the 57 votes cast for district attorney; and John Kelley received 41 of the 56 votes cast for clerk of the district court.
The county board for 1871 consisted of William Meauley, Henry Sawyer and Hiram Pelton. The board served through the following year, and held its last meeting March 28, 1873.
Aug. 9, 1871, efforts were started toward bringing settlers to Barron county. It was ordered that pamphlets telling of the county's advantages be printed in English, German and Norwegian, and suitably circulated. Later in the year, further measures were taken in behalf of prospective newcomers. A county map, plat book, and the government field notes were secured. The county treasurer was placed in charge of the abstract of entries, and ordered ' to secure a list of all patents issued on Barron county lands prior to May 1, 1871. A request was made of the land office officials at St. Croix Falls that M. W. Heller be appointed local agent in Barron county to transact business with all persons desiring land under the homestead or preemption laws. Orville Brayton was appointed land inspector for the county at an annual salary of $750 from Jan. 1, 1872.
At the fall state election in 1871, Cadwallader C. Washburn, Republican, received 169 votes for governor against 35 for James R. Dolittle, the rest of the ticket running about the same. For state senator, J. E. Trish received 180 votes and Samuel C. Johnson, 23 votes. Henry D. Barron swept the county for member of the assembly, receiving 202 of the 204 votes cast.
The county officers elected were: Register of deeds, Aristide Mero; county treasurer, M. W. Heller; county clerk, Orville Brayton; coroner, T. W. Hickok; county superintendent, A. B. Finley; surveyor, Orville Brayton.
The last meeting of the board at Barker's Camp in section 7, in what is now Stanley township, was held March 27, 1872. On Nov. 12, 1872, and for some time thereafter, the board met at Quaderer's Camp, in the village of Barron.
The first presidential election in which Barron county participated was in the fall of 1872. The Republican presidential electors carried the county by a vote of 120 to 38. For the assembly, Henry D. Barron, for whom the county is named, received 141 out of 158 votes cast.
Dec. 19, 1872, with W. S. Grover sitting on the board in place of Henry Sawyer, a petition for the division of the town was received from E. M. Sexton and forty others. Less than thirty were freeholders, the remainder being homesteaders and non-property owners, so action was postponed.
The county board for 1873, consisting of S. P. Barker, John Leonard and John Quaderer, held its first meeting June 25, of that year. The board made arrangements for paying Dunn county $534.92, due that county for the ex- penses of Barron county cases in the circuit court from Feb. 1, 1869, to Dec. 1, 1871.
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HISTORY OF BARRON COUNTY
The question of county roads came up for official action this year. Late in 1872, William Meauley received pay as county road commissioner, and Or- ville Brayton, county surveyor, and J. W. Wilkinson, his chainman, received pay for work on county roads. No official action appears, however, to have been taken by the board, until Aug. 6, 1873. At that time, the board voted to take over as county roads, one state highway, and two town roads. The state high- way entered the county in section 33, town 32, range 13 (Prairie Farm), and followed a northerly direction to "Station 19" in section 18, township 35, range 12 (Stanfold). One of the town roads entered the county in section 32, town- ship 32, range 12 (west Dallas), and led by way of Barron to Rice Lake. The other town road entered the county in section 31, township 32, range 10 (Dovre), and led by way of Chetek Dam and Cameron to Rice Lake.
At the judicial election in the spring of 1873, Orasmus Cole received all 254 votes cast for chief justice; and Harvey J. Sill received all 254 votes cast for county judge.
On October 2, 1873, a petition was presented, signed by 97 voters, asking that the board authorize a vote on the question of moving the county seat to section 21, township 35, range 11, the location of the thriving hamlet of Rice Lake Mills. The petition, being found to contain a sufficient number of legal signers, the election was duly called for Nov. 4, 1873. Of the 444 votes cast on the proposition, 269 favored the removal and 174 were against it, one of the votes being blank.
At this election, a full state and county ticket was voted upon. For gov- ernor, Cadwalder C. Washburn, Republican, received 356 votes, against Wil- liam R. Taylor, who received 169. The other Republican candidates for state office received an almost unanimous vote. For state senator, Henry D. Barron, who received 283 votes, had a strong opponent in C. L. Taylor, who received 242 votes. S. S. Fifield received all the 531 votes cast for assemblyman. Hiram Sawyer was elected county treasurer; W. S. Grover, clerk; Alex Beaton, sheriff; Washington Bird, surveyor; S. H. Young, coroner; and Washington Bird, super- intendent of schools. These six had strong opposition, the defeated candidates being Orville Brayton, for treasurer; J. G. Johnson, for clerk; W. W. Flinn and G. W. Roberts, for sheriff; N. M. Rockman, for surveyor; D. C. Strong, for coroner; and Oliver Demers, for superintendent of schools. Those elected unanimously were: Clerk of court, W. L. Morrison; register of deeds, Aristide Mero; district attorney, E. M. Sexton. Circuit court expenses voted to Dunn county in 1873 for the 1872 terms amounted to $271.83.
Dec. 26, 1873, William Hufnail took the place of John Quaderer on the board. S. P. Barker and John Leonard continued to serve.
Jan. 16, 1874, the board met at Rice Lake Mills for the first time. March 30, 1874, six townships, Chetek, Sumner, Stanfold, Rice Lake, Prairie Farm and Dallas, were detached from Barron, making seven townships in all. The last meeting of the old board was held July 10, 1874.
The new board, consisting of the township chairmen, met at Rice Lake Mills, Sept. 28, 1874, and was constituted as follows : J. D. Strong (chairman), Oliver Demers, Daniel Beagle, S. K. Young, B. B. Fuller, John Rusk and J. C. Stewart. The annual meeting was held Nov. 10, 1874, at Rice Lake Mills. Com- mittees were appointed, and the present system set fully in motion.
CHAPTER VII. COUNTY SEAT CHANGES AND COUNTY PROPERTY.
The first county seat of Dallas county, now Barron county, was located by the Legislature, March 2, 1868, in section 26, township 34, range 12, west, east of the present city of Barron. No official business was ever transacted
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HISTORY OF BARRON COUNTY
there. The first meetings of the county board were held at Quaderer's Camp, across the creek from the present courthouse block in the present city of Barron.
April 13, 1869, the county rented the Johnson House, in the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 27, township 34, range 12, west, just north of the river, and a little east of the present city of Barron, and the county offices and postoffice were established there.
Feb. 28, 1870, the board established the county headquarters at Barker's camp, section 7, township 34, range 11, west, now the town of Stanley.
Nov. 4, 1873, by a vote of 269 to 174, the citizens declared in favor of mov- ing the county seat to Rice Lake Mills, now the city of Rice Lake, and the board held its first meeting there in a hall rented from Knapp, Stout & Co., Jan. 16, 1874.
At that time the county was in the control of Knapp, Stout & Co. Its offi- cers were chosen by the company and elected by its employes. This company owned the land upon which the hamlet of Rice Lake had been started, and, nat- urally, desired to secure and keep for that place any advantages that county seat privileges might bring.
A few of the independent thinkers in the county planned otherwise. John Quaderer owned the camp and much of the land at Barron, and though he was originally a Knapp-Stout foreman, and was still contracting for them, he was one of the leaders against the company domination of county affairs.
Another one of the opposition was Woodbury S. Grover. Unlike most of the early settlers, Mr. Grover was not then working for the company, but had a little farm in Dallas township, to which he was devoting his time, in addi- tion to his duties as county clerk, and deputy to several other county officers.
At the election of 1874, the friends of Barron mustered enough votes to declare in favor of moving the county seat back to Barron, and elected Mr. Grover county clerk.
The company determined to carry the fight further, and there was talk of an injunction restraining the county officers from removing the records to Barron. Mr. Grover, in the meantime, had possession not only of the records pertaining to his own office as clerk, but also of the records of several other county officials to whom he was deputy.
The Governor proclaimed the change of county seat on Dec. 29, 1874. Word reached Rice Lake of the proclamation late in the afternoon a few days later. Accordingly, Mr. Grover, to forestall injunction proceedings, gathered the records, and on a cold, winter night made the trip from Rice Lake to Barron, where he deposited the records with John Quaderer. Henry Sawyer, the county treasurer, although favorable to Barron, was under the domination of the Knapp-Stout company, and refused to move his office and books.
The board met at Barron, Feb. 8, 1875, and designated the upper floor of the Quaderer hotel as the courthouse. This building is still standing on the south bank of Quaderer's creek, just south of the west end of the present court- house block. Mr. Sawyer was ordered by the board to move his office, but still refused to do so. The next day it was reported that Mr. Sawyer had not met all the legal requirements for qualifying for office, and his position was de- clared vacant. John Quaderer was appointed and took office Feb. 11, 1875.
The county seat being fixed, the board on March 11, 1875, appropriated $10,000 for the erection of the county buildings. Nov. 10, 1875, it was voted to lay a two-mill tax for county buildings. The vote was a tie, but was de- cided by the chairman. Feb. 28, 1876, by a vote of 4 to 3, it was decided to build a courthouse in Barron. The present courthouse block was presented by John Quaderer. John Rusk, A. G. Hall and John Rafferty, prominent members of the board, were appointed the building committee. March 21, 1876, it was reported that the contract for the courthouse had been let for $2,400 which was $283 more than the tax levy. April 23, 1876, the building was all complete except the plastering, and was occupied shortly thereafter. This
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HISTORY OF BARRON COUNTY
courthouse, a two-story frame building, occupied the site of the present brick building, and faced the creek. The county offices were on the lower floor, while the court room was on the upper floor.
Later, a small office for the register of deeds was erected on the site of the present jail.
For some years, Barron county prisoners were incarcerated in the jail in Chippewa county. Late in 1878 it was voted to make provision for a local jail. Jan. 21, 1879, cells were purchased. April 16, 1879, it was voted to build a jail. This building stood north of the present courthouse on the north side of the street, on lot 12. It was two stories in height, the lower story being used for a jail and the upper for a residence. The building was 18 by 24 feet, and the jail part was ten feet high. Floor, walls and ceiling were made of 2 by 8 joists, set edgewise, several layers thick, and studded with spikes. Inside were the cells. This edifice was completed late in 1879, at a cost of about $800.
In the late eighties, the county seat fight was renewed with vigor, and although thirty years have since passed, the echoes of the contest have not yet died down.
Barron and Rice Lake were forging ahead. Political lines in the county were drawn between the supporters of these two places. Each of the two villages had dreams of becoming the county metropolis. When a bill was in- troduced in the Legislature in 1887, incorporating Rice Lake with four wards, the supporters of Barron immediately brought their influence to bear to have Barron likewise incorporated with four wards. Both cities were accordingly incorporated, thus leaving the balance of power on the county board undis- turbed.
From 1880 to 1890, the population of the county had more than doubled, increasing from 7,024 to 15,416. The need of better county buildings was ap- parent. Especially, was there a necessity for a better jail than the antiquated structure then in use.
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