History of Buffalo County Wisconsin 10847607, Part 2

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g. Pine Creek rises in the southwest part of the same town as the former and flows for the most part through a narrow valley the slopes of which are, with few exceptions, steep. It took its name from a cluster of pines on a high and almost perpendicular rock at the place where once it broke through the hills and now enters upon the river bottoms.

h. Trout Creek comes from some springs and a small swamp near the quarter section corner in the northern line of Section 2, Township 22, Range 13 and flows in a general southeastern direc-

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tion for a distance of about five miles. The slopes of the valley are steep and close to the creek in the upper part of its course, but in the middle and lower course the hills recede and the creek runs in a narrow marshy bottom, while between that and the hills terraces intervene, which slope gradually up towards the steeper part. The creek received its name from the abundance of trout it contained during the earlier times of the settlement.

B. From the left bank. .

a. Rossman's Creek rises in Trempealeau County in Town- ship 24, Range 9 and flows northwest for about five miles. The valley of this and the creeks next following are comparatively wide and undulating, the higher hills being at the heads of the streams.

b. Fifteen Creek so called because it flows through Section Fifteen, Township 24, Range 10, about two and one half miles long, course northwest.

c. Adams' Creek, about one mile west of the last named, resembles it in all other respects.

d. Pettingil's Creek has its headwaters among the swamps and springs in the southwestern part of the township, where the hills are steep and the valleys narrow. Its course is more directly north, than that of the foregoing, and its length about four miles.

e . Dillon's Creek is but two miles long and runs through an undulating valley north. From this we come to no tributary for almost six miles, but this tributary we find entering into the river in Section 16, Township 23, Range 11, is the most considerable of all tributaries of Beef River in this county. Its name is Elk Creek. The main branch of this creek takes its rise in Section 2 of Township 22, Range 10, flows north for about three miles thence west northwest until it is joined by the other large branch, which is usually called Bennett Valley Creek its strongest affluent.

Bennett Valley Creek rises in Sect. 1, T. 23, R. 10, flows west for about four miles, when it turns southwest and after a course of about two miles joins Elk Creek in Sect. 18 of said township. The main branch has one affluent of an unknown name from the east, another called Eads' Creek from the same direction, one Mower's Creek from the north, and finally Three Mile Creek from the south, each of which is equal to any of the tributaries named for Beef River under a, b, c, d and e in this division,

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The stream from its junction with its north fork (Bennett Val- ley Creek) continues west, receiving Hadley's Creek, on the right Erskine and Bailey's Creek on the left side. The valleys of the main branch and of most of the different affluents are compara- tively wide, bordered on the north, east and south by high hills or bluffs, from which spurs are running in different directions, and by those the surface of the country is somewhat cut up and diversified.

g. Hutchison Creek is divided from Elk Creek by a high ridge, one of the spurs last mentioned, which extends in a nearly western direction to within half a mile of the main river. This Creek rises in Sect. 35, Township 23, Range 11 and receives its only affluent at the southwest corner of said section, from which point it flows nearly west through a narrow strip of marshy meadow, which is bordered on the right side by the foot of the bluffs, and on the left by a strip of prairie land nearly level up to the hills.

h. Huett's and Nething's Creeks are small and short.

i. Wenger's Creek coming from Sect. 28, Township 22, Range 12 is also not over two miles long and flows nearly northwest with a rolling valley.

j. Mill Creek has two branches, one from the east and one from the north, whose valleys are narrow and short. They unite above the millpond and after coming out of it the creek flows out into the level bottoms of the river.

In the above descriptions, as well as in those which may fol- low. it will be noticed that some creeks are named after persons, usually after the first, or else some prominent one of the earliest settlers. Whether or not these names will be continued in use, we know not, but they designate to the present generation the ob. jects named and also some local points of history. Where other names are given their origin if known, is mentioned. The maps, even those of the original government survey, are not always reli. able, but as no person can know the exact location of every spot, they are, of course, the only thing to rely on for the purpose of description and location.

3. WAUMANDEE CREEK (EAGLE CREEK).

I find in the map before me, taken from the Atlas of Wiscon sin, that this creek is called a river, but knowing, as I do, that the

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people living alongside of it call it always " the creek," I shall do the same, although there may be other streams of no greater magni- tude, which are locally designated as rivers. I shall also consider Little Waumandee Creek as an affluent or tributary. The terri- tory drained by this stream and its tributaries or affluents is en- tirely within our county, and although the main valley is wide, yet the hills surrounding the whole basin are high and steep. The main creek rises in Sect, 4, Township 22, Range 10, from which place it flows south about two miles, thence it turns and flows southwest until joined by the Little Waumandee Creek from which place it assumes a general southern course to its junction with Mississippi, in Sect. 8, Township 19, Range 11. Its tribut- aries are:

A. On the right bank.

a. Lee's Creek, from the west short and very small.

b. Schachuer's Creek, rising in some springs in Sect. 12, Township 22, Range 11, flowing south about two miles.

c. Little Waumandee Creek rising in a spring in Sect. 21, Township 22, Range 11. Its upper course is sometimes dried up and for nearly a mile uncertain. At first it flows for about two miles southwest, and then turning into a southern course, which it continues until near its mouth, where for about half a mile it flows nearly east, turning south again for a short distance. It has a number of very small affluents, of which Schmidt's Creek from, the West is the most considerable joining it in Sect. 36, Township 21, Range 12, and Mattausch Creek from Sect. 20, Township 22, Range 11. Its next and most important affluent is Jahn's Creek, which comes from Sect. 22, Township 22, Range 11, entering into, the larger creek, in Sect. 1, Township 21, Range 12, so near the line between Ranges 11 and 12 that it is difficult to decide about the matter. About one and a quarter miles farther down it re- ceives its last affluent, Wilk's Creek from the west near the quarter section comes in the east side of Sect. 12. It receives no further affluent but joins the larger stream in Sect. 29, Township 21;, Range 11.

d. Keith's Creek comes from Section 24, Township 21, Range 12, is about 2 miles long and joins in Sect. 31 in the range east of the former. .. .

e. Schmidt's Creek, from the west is very short and small.

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f. Suhr's Creek, just like the former.

g. Berg's Creek, about the same. These are all the affluents from the right bank.

B. From the left bank.

a. The first and quite a considerable one is Danuser's Creek, which has its rise in a number of springs that unite in Sect. 28, Township 22, Range 10. It flows nearly west for about five miles and enters in Sect. 36, Township 22, Range 11. Danuser's Creek has a number of little affluents and, correspondingly the valley has sidevalleys, through some of which roads are leading toward Arcadia and Trempealeau Valley in general.

b. Irish Creek, received its name from the circumstance of people of that nationality settling there in considerable numbers early in the history of the county. The creek comes from Section 21, Township 21, Range 10, and flows in a general western dirce- tion, entering the Waumandee Creek in Sect. 15, Township 21, Range 11. This creek has one considerable branch which comes from a more northern direction and joins it in the lower course.

c. Schoepp's Creek comes from Sect. 26, Township 21, Range 11, and flows in a southwestern direction in a narrow valley of about four miles in length.

d. The little runs from Oak Valley and from Tracutlein's Valley are of but small importance. The valleys are short and narrow.

e. Eagle Creek. The western branch of this creek comes from Sect. 31, Township 21, Range 10 and flows southwest, and afterwards south to Sect. 15, Township 20, Range 11, where it re- ceives the eastern branch, which rises in Sect. 6, Township 20, Range 10. From their junction the creek flows nearly south to Sect. 33 of the same township and range, from which it flows nearly west to Waumandee Creek, joining it in the upper part of what is now designated as the mill pond. The further course of' Waumandee Creek is short and terminates as before related.

4. TO THE TREMPEALEAU RIVER.

The basin of the Trempealeau River is mostly outside of this county. There are however a few small streams coming from the eastern part of the town of Montana which join larger streams flowing to the river. From about the southeast corner of Town-

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ship 21, Range 10, this river forms the boundary line between our county and that of Trempealeau to its confluence with the Missis- sippi in Sect. 15, Township 18, Range 10, almost south of the point where it enters upon the boundary and about 15 miles from it in a straight line. It is, of course, very much more by the meanders of the river. With the exception of the first one, the affluents from this county are small and, in general short, though there is a bottom of meadows on our side, between them and the liver; the hills are mostly high and steep. All the tributaries to Trempealeau River from this county are from right bank and are:

a. Muir's Creek. A number of small streams uniting in Sect. 14, Township 21, Range 10 form this creek. From the con- fluence of said streams the creek flows nearly south, without re- ceiving any considerable addition and falls into the river in the northeast quarter of Sect. 2, Township 20, Range 10.

b. Cowie's Creek. This creek is formed by two small streams in Sect. 35, Township 21, Range 10, flowing from there southeast about 14 miles into the river.

c. Grover's Creek, from Sects. 13 and 24, Township 20, Range 11 flows southeast about 3 miles.

d. Heutges's Creek, from two smaller ones in the western part of Section 32, Township 20, Range 10, runs nearly east about 1} miles.

e. Bohri's Creek, according to the map an affluent of the former, but only in its lowest course, is probably somewhat larger and combines from a number of smaller streams, which unite in Sect. 5, Township 19, Range 10.

f. Piper's Creek, is the last tributary to this river from our county and flows from Sect. 20, Township 19, Range 10, about 3 miles southeast, between very steep hills. There are a small num- ber of short streams which flow to the Mississippi or into some side slough directly. Of these we might name Stein's Creek in, the south western part of Township 21, Range 12 and Raetz's Creek about a mile below the actual village of Fountain City, but within; that corporation. The enumeration of all those tributaries and affluents may seem superfluous to some of the actual residents of : this county, but it will remind them of some things, which they : may have had before their eyes without taking interest enough in them to form any accurate conception of them, as I know from

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experience with a great many. To those not residing here, the description of the water courses will give the only foundation for a mental picture of the surface of our county, since between these lines of drainage the elevations are situated. It is, of course, to be regretted, that the outlines and slopes of the hills are not re- presented in the map, but so far nobody has undertaken the task of this delineation. Persons capable of doing this work are scarce anywhere, but much more so in a new country, where even those who could do this, are compelled to make their living by other occupations. From the horizontal configuration of the country we pass naturally to the

PERPENDICULAR CONFIGURATION.

By this we mean the differences in level of different points and situations. As intimated in the description of the water- courses, we find a great number of valleys, some of which are wide and rather undulating in their surfaces while some of their side valleys are narrow, deserving very often in their remote parts the name of ravines rather than of valleys. This indicates that there are hills with steep slopes between the valleys. We find the surface of the county very rough or interrupted, but we have, nevertheless no mountains. No elevation in the county reaches beyond a height of 500 feet above the level of the adjacent plain or of the surface of the Mississippi river. But this ascent falls in most cases within the distance of one fourth of a mile or less, measured perpendicular to the trend of the slope. Considering the average elevation 450 feet, it would require a uniform rise of 4 inches in every foot for 1,350 or 30 feet more than a quarter of a mile = 33} per cent. or so many feet rise for every 100 feet hori. zontal distance.

The slopes of our hills are no more uniform than those of others, and so we find many places where it is difficult to climb them. On the bank of the Mississippi river especially, and along the alluvial deltas called bottoms, the hills present a very bold and in many places perpendicular or otherwise inaccessible front, probably suggesting for them the name of Bluffs, which, accord_ ing to Webster's definition, means: A high bank presenting a steep front; a high bank almost perpendicular projecting into the sea; a description which will fit exactly if we substitute the word

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TOPOGRAPHY.

are submerged at high water. In times long past there were large eddies in their places and in these eddies were deposited the fine materials which had remained afloat in the turbulent waters, and which could not have come very far, as they would in case of be- ing coarse have been deposited before they reached these spots. In this way the prairies between bluffs and bottoms were first formed when the waters rose much higher and staid longer than in historic times. It is very seldom that the water now cuts off communications between different parts.of the prairies, but I re- member that only by erecting dams considerable parts of Sects. 16, 15 and 22, Township 20, Range 12 were saved from inundation, at high water both in the spring and in the fall at different times. After the prairies the islands were formed. Islands is the name given to these bottoms or their parts for the reason, that some of these parts are always, others at ordinary, and another set only at high water, surrounded by the sloughs, which in some cases, are wide and in some even navigable at a season of abundant water, while in most cases they are nothing but shallow, and often dry channels. At very high water but little land remains visible, and it is only indicated by trees, where islands used to be. The legal status of these islands, deltas, or bottoms is swamp lands or over- flowed lands. These and the immediate banks of Beef and Trem. pealeau rivers are the only level lands in the county.

If it should be our intention to trace the principal ranges of hills and to subdivide them according to their height, massiness, or extent, it must be confessed that this would be an intricate, and very perplexing enterprise. One of the reasons for this is that the surface on the top of the hills, though not exactly level, presents so many similarities, or repetitions in its features, that distinction becomes difficult. We can nevertheless follow the principal groups. The lower group of bluffs extends from the confluence of Waumandee and Eagle Creeks down along the Mis. sissippi and its sloughs to the Trempealeau bottoms a distance of about ten miles, then between the streams flowing to the Trem. pealeau and those flowing into Waumandee Creek; branching off into spurs between the different smaller streams, it takes a decided turn towards the west in the northern part of Township 22 north of Range 10 West swinging round the source of Big Waumandee

TOPOGRAGPHY.

Creek and separating the waters flowing to Beef River from those flowing to the creek. The line between Townships 22 and 23 runs mostly on this ridge of bluffs, until it comes down between Sec- tions 4 and 5 in Range 11. The bluffs separating Little Wau- mandee from Beef River Valley take a general southwestern trend and finally reach the Mississippi River near Alma, from which they continue southeast towards Fountain City, the high chain only once interrupted at the opening of the Waumandee Valley. This valley is an irregular basin with a rim of about three or four hundred feet. There are but very few places affording a com- paratively easy ingress or egress. The divisions between the tributary valleys are equally marked and the only interruption is at the mouth. From the northeast turn of this rim the bluffs set off to the north in the eastern part of Range 10 dividing in this extension the valley of the Trempealeau from that of the Beef River and in a westward extension through the northern tier of sections of the Township 22, Ranges 10 and 11 into 12. This might be called the southern or perhaps more properly eastern, bluff system for its trend as a whole is towards the North, and it is on this body of bluffs that in earlier times a road was laid out from Fountain City to Eau Claire, following the main chain of the bluffs until the northeastern turn of the Waumandee rim was reached when it soon descended into a ravine, and thence into the valley of Elk Creek.

A northwestern, or northern and western group of bluffs might in a similar way be recognized, the east side of which lies more or less closely along the west bank of the Beef River and is only occasionally indented by narrow erosion valleys. In some , places the foundation rock crops out perpendicularly, but in most others this rock is covered by the overlying drift. The north side of this group extends from the turn of the Beef River from its western to its southern course near Mondovi almost due west to the Chippewa River. The west side lies some times closely, some times more distant along Beef Slough and has a trend.to the north with a swing to northeast near the Chippewa, by which swing it comes to a junction with the north side the whole mass being roughly triangular. The only basins of local importance that might be said to be enclosed within this group are that of Brown's Creek and that of Little Bear Creek, the heads of which

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are only separated by a steep and high spur. This seems to be sufficient for a general idea of the elevations covering the surface of our county and running as watersheds between our streams.

In close connection with topography, as being dependent upon latitude on one side, and the situation on a continent and the presence or absence of mountains on the other hand, we must consider the

CLIMATE.

In regard to latitude we are so nearly situated in the middle between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle, that our climate should most nearly answer to the general description of the temperate zone, exhibiting no extremes either of heat or cold. But in fact it is remarkable for just these extremes, rather than for its moderation. Situated between the 44th and 45th degree of North latitude, the same as the southern part of France and the northern of Italy, we experience the cold of the countries bordering on the Baltic Sea and a heat exceeding that of Italy. Our lakes and rivers are annually frozen for several months, and our hot season is but seldom less than three months in duration. Between 40 and 50 degrees below zero are not very often reached in winter time, but they do occur; so 100 degrees above zero in the shade in summer time. Our climate is as much remark- able for sudden changes, as for extremes of degree. A rain in summer is usually accompanied by a perceptible reduction of temperature, and our winters seldom pass without several thaws, often occuring in the months which we must consider the coldest ones. The severity of our winters is so much more surprising, as we are not so far above the level of the sea as to find in our eleva- tion a cause for this experience. According to Lapham the mouth of the Black River is only 683, Lake Pepin 714 feet above sea level, an insignificant elevation, as far as the difference of climate is concerned. We must, therefore, look to other causes which influence our climate. We find them in the total absence of large bodies of water in our immediate neighborhood, and of lateral mountain chains farther north. If there was a vast chain of mountains extending east and west, or nearly so, where the so-called plateau or height of land lies, on the divide or watershed between the system of Arctic rivers and that of the Mississippi, we would probably enjoy a climate similar to that of the valley of

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the river Po in northern Italy at the southern foot of the Alps. There would be some difference, inasmuch as our climate would even then be a continental one, unaffected by seas or oceans. Our climate is actually a continental one in all its faults and merits. Among the merits of it we may certainly mention the salubrity, which it possesses in spite of its sudden changes and occasional extremes of heat and cold. Climatic diseases, that is such as pre- vail regularly at certain seasons of the year, are almost unknown here. Those which are incident to sudden changes are frequent, but not very often serious. One of the great disadvantages di- rectly traceable to the peculiarities of our climate is the impos- sibity of raising fruits, with the exception of the smaller ones. I am only stating this as a fact. Of trees bearing the larger and finer fruits of a more genial climate, such as apples, plums, peaches and pears, only apple trees are a comparative success, and even those very seldom attain a long life, or a desirable size. Pear trees have for a short time been known to bear fruit, but most kinds of them are winter-killed during the first season after planting. Grapes of wild kinds are sometimes abundant. but the cultivated species are in danger of frost late in spring or early in the fall. These frosts are very capricious in making their appearance, and although it is often jocularly remarked, that it will not be quite as cold on the Fourth of July as in winter, I have nevertheless seen the leaves on the oaks and other trees, and the corn and other tender plants bitten by frost on that very same day.

It is to be regretted that there are no published records of the temperature as observed at stated times within this county, and that we can only speak of it in general terms. We are in about the same predicament in regard to the other meteorological condi- tions, the prevailing winds, the amount of precipitation, the fre- quency of electrical disturbances, the rise and fall of the baro- meter, and similar items. Our prevailing winds are westerly; easterly winds are rare in summer, but northeast winds less so in winter, at which season they are almost always accompanied by heavy snowfall. Northwest winds always reduce the tempera- ture, southwest winds are apt to raise it, but in winter there are some exceptions, at least if we judge by our feeling alone. Thunder-storms are in some summers more frequent than in others, but they are usually not of very long duration. Now and

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then they are vehement, both in the discharge of electricity, and the accompanying rain. Precipitation, consisting of rain, dew and snow, according to season, is quite variable, but usually not excessive. Some of our summers are dry, very few are actually wet, and rain continues but seldom bepond the time of two days. Dews are often heavy and in their season regular, their intermit- tance may often be relied on as a sign for rain. Of our seasons spring is usually rather wet, with a short dry spell, while fall is almost uniformly dry, though exceptions to that are not excluded, of which the fall of 1881 was a most notable one in this decade. The floods in the Mississippi river do not depend on the rains in our own locality, but on those to the northwest and northeast of us; but these rains have a natural connection with our own, and we may therefore say that the floods or rises have. The spring rise or flood begins soon after the breaking up of the ice and con- tinues until May. It is probably the result of the melting of the winter's snow, accelerated by occasional showers. The second regular rise is called the June rise, though it sometimes begins earlier than in that month, and occasionally continues beyond it. At present it is often a mere delusion. Fall rises are of rare oc- curence, but I know that they may occur in consecutive years. This happened, for instance, in 1869 and 1870, but is certainly excep- tional. The phenomenon called a cyclone has visited our county but very little, although some damage has been done by it. The earliest I remember to have seen traces of must have occurred about 1866 or 1867, and ran across the Elk Creek Valley in the town of Dover in a northern direction. Its path was about one- eighth of a mile wide and marked by the trees twisted almost out of the ground or denuded of branches and leaves. The last one swept over the northern part of the county, unroofing houses and barns, lifting buildings from their foundations and tearing down fences and other feeble constructions. It did the comparatively greatest damage in the northern Spring Creek Valley, containing Sections 7, 8 and 9 of Township 24, Range 13, where it struck the new school house of district No. 2 of the Town of Maxville and demolished it entirely. The old log school house close by shared the same fate, although it was a low and heavy building.

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History of Buffalo County Wisconsin 10847607, Part 2

Author: Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages:

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