USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin > Part 31
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Formerly it took as many men as there were oars to manage a raft, each working his oar. It was necessary to have a cook with his utensils and materials upon the raft, and the whole was com- manded by a pilot, who sometimes had an assistant. All the crew
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TRANSPORTATION.
now required is that of the steamboat, re-enforced by a few hands to help in landing the raft and in securing stray logs in case of an accident. To carry on the operations on the Beef Slough there are about six hundred men engaged during the rafting sea- son, but during the remainder of the season about one hundred are retained for different kinds of work. For the accommodation of these men there are several camps:
Camp No. 1 on SE } of NE & of Section 27, T. 22, R. 13. At this camp or near it the office of the company is located, there are also different other buildings, among them a storehouse for cables and other things required in the operations of rafts and boats.
Camps No. 2, No. 3 and No. 3} are strung out along the bank in Sections 21 and 16. Camp No. 4 was out in the swamp west of the main Slough. Camp 5 is a short distance above in Sect. 16, all in Township 22, Range 13.
Camp No. 6 is in Sect. 12, T. 22, R. 14 at the head of Perrin Slough, Flat Bar Camp is in Sect. 36, T. 23, R. 14. A small crew camps at the Jam Boom, some are also at the Shear Booms, and occasional camps are formed at other places, especially by the Rear Drive Crews." All these camps are furnished with victuals and cooks, with beds and blankets by the company. The permanent camps are large and well ventilated houses, affording such com- fort as may be or is usually afforded under similar circumstances. Meat and vegetables are usually supplied fresh, of good quality and sufficient quantity, procured from the butcher at Alma, and from people on farms in the neighborhood of the slough.
Something is yet to be said about the amount of logs handled by the Beef Slough Company and the other companies working with it as above explained. It is neither necessary nor particu- . larly entertaining to make a table of every year's output.
We find that in 1868 it was: .5,785,000 feet.
In 1875
129,066,630
In 1885 535,000,000
In 1886 .463,847,560
The output for the present season is expected to be even larger than that of 1885, which has been the largest so far.
The necessity of inspecting the logs and lumber passing through the Beef Slough led to the organization of the 9th Lum- ber Inspection District, This was done by Chapter 90, Laws of
361
TRANSPORTATION.
1870, and the first inspector appointed was Maj. J. F. Hauser from March 19, 1870, until May 20, 1871 when he resigned, John A. Mc Rae being May 31, 1871 appointed to fill the vacancy. He was succeeded by Geo. W. Gilkey who held the office from March 19, 1872 until April 27, 1874. Martin W. McDonnell held the office from April 27, 1874 to the same date 1878. Mr. D. J. Mckenzie has held the office, ever since.
For some of the information regarding the lumber inspectors of this district I am obliged to Mr. Henry Casson, Private Secre- tary of Gov. Rusk. Those who are specially curious regarding the extent of the 9th inspection district are referred to the chapter of the laws of 1870 above mentioned.
The office of the Lumber Inspector has nothing to do with the Beef Slough Company or the Mississippi River Logging Co., the latter in fact scaling their own logs. Lumber Inspector M. W. McDonnell says in his report for 1875, that less than one-fourth of the output of that year had been scaled by him, the balance by the M. L. C. Lumber Inspector D. J. Mckenzie reports that in 1885 he scaled 148 of the 535 millions and in 1886, 168 of 463 millions.
The operations at the Slough, as well as the necessary offices and other arrangements are under the direct superintendence of Mr. Irvine, the Secretary and Manager of the Mississippi River Logging Co. But, it being manifestly impossible for any man to supervise these extensive works, some points of which are so far apart, and the operations so multifarious, there are superin- tendents or bosses appointed, who are in their places and for cer- tain purposes the temporary authorities. At Round Hill, the northern picket of the grand encampment, Mr. A. B. Gilmore is in command, at the Jam Boom Mr. Mike Hawley, and over the Rafting Works, and the operations connected with them, Mr. Edw. Douglas has the superintendency. As a matter of course there must be some discipline among so many people of all sorts and so many new ones every season, and as there never was any serious disturbance or interruption on account of refractory men, the dis- cipline appears to be satisfactory. To this the regulation, that no liquor of any kind is to be brought and drank upon the premises belonging to the company, has assisted in a great measure.
The description of the assorting and rafting works, and so
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TRANSPORTATION.
many minor arrangements would take too much room and could hardly be understood without plats and drawings. The same might be said in regard to the construction of a large reservoir for logs adjacent to the lower end of the Slough or rather the junc- tion of Beef River and Slough. In this the causeway aeross the swamp built by the village of Alma with some aid and assistance of the Town of Nelson and the county, has been utilized as a dam and the course of Beef River changed by putting loeks into it at the eastern bridge.
The above naturally ealls to mind the times and per ons of. the pioneers of this enterprise. They are mentioned in the course of the narrative, but those who at that time lived in, or had to come to and remain at Alma will especially remember Dr. M. M. Davis and his son, Mr. James H. Bacon, who for the time was the leader and motor of the whole; with him we saw his son, and his nephew Edgar Warner, who built a little cottage near Camp No. 1. Elijah Swift was at that time frequently at Alma, also T. Crane. The American House then kept by J. A. (Squire) Hunner and afterwards by S. S. Cooke was the headquarters of the Beef Slough folks in general, though the office was kept, together with the law- office of Moser and Hunner, in the building now oceupied by Ja- eob Burkhard as a saloon and residenee.
After the management of the rafting works had been in differ- ent hands, the company engaged Mr. Charles Hewitt, under whose vigorous administration the extensive rafting works at and near Camp No. 2 were eommeneed, which were altered and enlarged as experienee required. Mr. Hewitt, 'or, as he liked to be ealled among friends, Charley, lives now on his farm in the town of Ona- laska, in La Crosse County,
His successor was Mr. George Stiles, who did not stay very long. He is now in Minnesota. Mr. Stiles' successors were suc- eeeding each other so rapidly, that we could not keep up the ree- ord, though we caught the last of them.
At first it was eustomary to employ only old hands, that is sueh, who had been on the Slough from the start. Very soon this was impossible, as the supply gave out, and it was no longer neces- sary, sinee the work had beeome greatly changed and simplified. In course of time, therefore, the number of original hands dwin- dled down to about one dozen, all of them put into positions re-
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quiring attention rather than exertion. The supply of men for the preparatory work was drawn largely from the adjacent country and gradually from a larger area, extending occasionally to Mon- dovi and Glencoe, with a more or less considerable contingent from Alma. Many of the young men who had grown up along the slough earned good wages at odd times or at steady work.
Like every enterprise of such a magnitude as that connected with Beef Slough and the different companies or combinations concerned, this establishment conferred upon the people of the adjacent country some considerable advantages, which are perhaps not always fully appreciated, but which may also at times have been exaggerated in the minds of some people. The company is utilizing a natural privilege which otherwise could not have af- forded any benefit to anyone. To do so there had large sums of money to be expended in procuring shore rights, buying real estate and for work in fitting the slough and its different parts and 'positions for the purpose of the business intended to be carried on. Most of this money went to parties living in the neighbor- hood. Then, with the recurrent season of activity there was the regular outlay for carrying on the general work. Of the amoun so paid out to the hands of all kinds a part went directly and a other, and at times a more considerable part, went indirectly into the pockets of the people of the neighborhood. It is also to be acknowledged that roads and bridges along the parts of the shore most often passed by teams in the employ of the company were better taken care of and improved than in other parts in the neighborhood. Some of these improvements were effected by the order of the company through their employees, others were paid for by taxes assessed upon the company. There are certainly two sides to every thing and some disadvantages may have resulted from the establishment of this enterprise. Some private damages were claimed to have been inflicted upon some of the property adjacent to the log-channel by the deposition of logs, sand and rubbish upon lands previously useful. Where any institution of this magnitude is concerned, and so many people's land has to be passed by workmen and exposed to extra overflow on account of logs obstructing to a certain extent the passage of the water, it is to be expected that some grumbling, with and without sufficient cause, will occur. But these are private grievances. Public dis-
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advantages we had but few to apprehend. The first experiences with the "boys" as most of common employees of the company were called, could hardly encourage any hope of favorable rela- tions between the new company and the citizens of the neighbor- hood. During the nineteen years which have since elapsed, mat- ters have gradually improved, especially under the administration of the resident officers and managers of the Mississippi Logging Company, and it is a fact that a good understanding exists be- tween the company and its regular emplo, ces on one hand and the authorities and the citizens on the other, which goes to the credit of either party.
That there arc exceptions to this, and occasional acts of vio- lence and disturbance occur, can not be denied, nor that it is some- times necessary to apply the law to refractory individuals. Yet, considering all the circumstances, I think there is but little cause for actual complaint.
The company owns very much real estate and numerous shore rights along the Slough. These parcels of land have been carefully mapped, first in a book in separate sections eight inches square, then in a continuous map about seven and one-half feet long, containing all the land from Sect. 35, Tshp. 22, Rge. 13 up to Sect. 31, Tshp. 25, Rge. 13, in which Round Hill is situated, or from Alma to within two miles of Durand, in which the company or some individual members of the same have any claim or property.
Incident to the subject of rafting, the old style of which I have above described among the earlier operations of the Beef Slough Co., we ought to remember the time, when more than 30 years ago, till a much later time, until after the establishment of this institution, not a few of our citizens earned money by the hard work connected with the management of an oar and other man- nual labor incident to rafting after the old method. For a time there was quite an amount of trading done with crews of rafts that were landed at Twelve Mile Bluff, or at Holmes' Landing. All this was quite desirable during a time when the resources of the country were yet entirely undeveloped. It is many years since shipping as a hand upon a raft was a habitual summer employ- ment with any of our fellow citizens, and but few of the younger generation know anything about it. Usually the shipping was
365
TRANSPORTATION.
done at Read's Landing, that place being a sort of rendezvous for pilots. The rafts went sometimes as far as St. Louis, and the voy- age down and return consumed a considerable part of a summer. The work was hard, the treatment rough, the wages often small, payment not always secure, so that he who managed to save a few dollars out of a trip, might consider himself fortunate. But at home there was nothing to do and nothing to earn, so that any prospect for improving the situation, was eagerly accepted. For many the rough work and life had its charms and they followed rafting during the summer and went into the logging camps, or the pineries, as it was usually called, in the winter. The rafters, as a class, were rather dreaded along shore, and if now they have almost disappeared, it is not to be deplored. It was but too often the character of the regular rafthands, those who followed rafting for a business that made the existence of the accidental hands upon the rafts disagreeable and even perilous.
Long as the chapter on " Transportation " has grown, it can not be supposed, that the incidents and accidents still stored in th memories of the earlier settlers have been exhaustively related, but it is believed that the main points have been carefully enough collected, so as to give a picture of how things once were, how they gradually changed and how they now appear.
366
AGRICULTURE.
AGRICULTURE.
The varied surface of Buffalo County, for the description of which I refer the reader to the chapter on "Topography" destined it for an agricultural community. The changes of hill and dale, of highland and lowland, combine many advantages and disad- vantages, which are to be taken into general consideration before entering into particulars. The great advantage of this configura- tion is that it affords chances for manifold uses in an agricultural sense, that is, the country is as well adapted to the cultivation of the different cereals usually cultivated in corresponding latitudes, as to the successful propogation and development of those do- mestic animals found with all civilized nations, and forming one of the great staples of life in the shape of meat and dairy pro- ducts and the uses to which wool and hides are devoted for ar- ticles of clothing and other subordinate appliances. There can be no question that a hilly country affords to live stock of any kind a natural protection, which is not to be found in a country essenti- ally level for many miles, open and subject to sweeping winds, and apt to experience periods of long continued droughts. The hills are the natural reservoirs from which springs derive their water, and the rills and creeks affording moisture for plants and drink for man and animals are certainly a most desirable provi- , sion for the cultivator of the soil. It is true that in a hilly coun- try there must be some land which can not be brought under cul- tivation, but as wood is one of the necessaries of life, and natur- ally grows upon those places where the plow can not be employed with advantage, this seeming disadvantage is no detraction from the general usefulness of the land.
Of disadvantages we must mention the difficulties of inter- course or travel, which are occasioned by ascents and descents, and by swampy places which are the results o imperfect natural drainage, and compel the inhabitants to spend much time and
367
AGRICULTURE.
labor, or their equivalent-money-in the building of roads, and in keeping them in proper condition. Another disadvantage is the liability of slopes which admit of cultivation, to be torn up and denuded of the most valuable soil.
We must leave it to the judgment of every person to form their own estimate on the balance of these advantages and disad- vantages, whether they are about equal, or which of them pre- ponderates. But we may, or must, adinit that we know of no country in which everything is endowed with only favorable pro- perties and conditions, and if there is one, in which no favorable conditions whatever exist, there is little or no danger, that it will become and remain the dwelling place of civilized people.
One advantage, not, of course, to agriculturists alone, is af- forded by our hills, which is not yet properly appreciated, that is the building material, which we can get out of them in most parts of the county, not entirely without exertion, but comparatively easily, and without being compelled to transport it a great distance. I am aware of the fact that buildings of stone are yet quite rare es- pecially on farms, but we must not forget that we have not yet reached our highest development, which, especially in an agri- cultural community consists in the application of all natural re- sources to the exclusion of artificial ones, which in this case also means the substitution of the most durable material for the more perishable, and of permanent and enduring constructions for tem- porary arrangements. In spite of the fact that our beginnings date back over more than thirty years, and that every one of us has brought with him at least some of the results of a more mature civilization, we can not pretend to have worked our ways to per- fection. Our roads, our buildings, our mode of management of our farnis testify against us. The excuse of being in a hurry, of being compelled to use every expedient for assuring existence, does no longer hold good. It seems to an attentive and unimpassioned observer, that we have forgotten too much, and learned too easily, or at least that we have adopted certain ways and customs, which we considered improvements upon older ways and means, that were really more consistent with true economy, upon the recom- mendation of the moment, and cling to them without much dis- crimination. I do not mean to descry improvements, and to coun- sel a return to the customs of our forefathers, but I think that now,
368
AGRICULTURE.
when we begin to gain some leisure, we might well undertake to look into many matters with a more critical eye, than we were, and still are, in the habit of doing. But we now have to look to the development of agriculture and its present status in our county. As in the above I have alleged that it is more than thirty years since agriculture began to be practiced in this county, and began those improvements, which were necessary for its success, in the way of building roads and bridges, we must not suppose, nor per- mit ourselves to be led by our imagination into the error, that all the population with all the present appliances began to work. As a matter of fact we must lay down the maxim, that agriculture can not be developed any faster than the population increases, but that, as every public improvement increases facilities, and de- creases difficulties, we might blot out the first five or ten years of the settlements before we begin comparison with the present cir- cumstances.
Yet even then we would hardly do justice to the matter. The truth seems to be that up to a certain time the efforts in cultiva- tion are apparently so slow as to be hardly perceptible, though this is almost solely due to their being scattered and disconnected. The connection then, between the number of inhabitants and the progress of agricultural operations is obvious. From the census of population of 1855 we learn, that in that year there were 832 inhabitants. For the year 1850 official accounts are missing, but the most enthusiastic will not put the number of inhabitants pres- ent in that year above 50. Thomas Holmes and Major Hatch had left long before, and but few had assembled at the place vacated by them. In the chapter on "Settlement," we see how few there were known, and.it is a fact that then everybody knew everybody else, not only because there were so few, that to know them was certainly easy enough, but every one was in some measure in need of such assistance, as had to be given personally, and found him- self obliged to give as well as take in this matter. The first at- tempt at settlement was not in the agricultural line, and very little could be undertaken in that way before the land was surveyed and in market. The table inserted in Topography shows when the land was surveyed, the following table shows when it came into market.
369
AGRICULTURE.
DATE WHEN THE LAND CAME INTO MARKET.
Township. No.
Range No.
When Offered.
When Withdrawn. When Restored.
18
10 and 11
June 18, 1849
June 3, 1856
April 5, 1858
19
10, 11 and 12
20
10, 11, 12 & 13
66
66
"
66
66
21
12
Nov. 15, 1853
21
13
Oct. 17, 1853
.66
66
22
12
Nov. 15, 1852
"
22
13
Oct. 17, 1853
22
14
*
Aug. 18, 1851|
66
"
66
66
23
10
July 15, 1853
23
11
Nov. 15, 1852
23
12
Nov. 15, 1852
23
13
Aug. 18, 1851
23
14
Aug. 18, 1851
24
10
July 15, 1853
66
24
11
July 16, 1853
24
12
Nov. 15, 1852
24
13
Aug. 18, 1851
24
13
Aug. 18, 1851
66
"
66
66
21
10
July 15, 1853
21
11
Oct. 17, 1852
65
66
22
10
July 15, 1853
66
22
11
Oct. 17, 1853
66
66
"
The differences in the time of offering the land may have been occasioned by delays in the reports of surveyors. The with- drawal of the land from market was for the purpose of giving the West Wisconsin Railroad a chance to select the land granted in aid of its construction, or rather to give it time to establish a per- manent survey, for the selection was not exactly a matter of choice, the odd numbered sections being the ones subject to its claims, the distinction being between a fifteen mile limit and a six mile limit, the land in the former being simply with- drawn, in the latter all land being rated at double govern- ment price. The. fifteen mile limit ran through townships 22 and 23, the six mile limit through 23 and 24, nine miles north of the former. The even numbered sections were res- tored to market in about two years, the odd numbered ones in about ten years after withdrawal. Next to the possibility of buy-
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AGRICULTURE.
ing the land, it was desirable to have the United States Land Of- fice conveniently near and accessible. The first entries had to be made at Mineral Point, now in Iowa County. The abstract of entries in the office of the Register of Deeds shows that but very few entries were made previous to 1854 and none of them for agri- cultural purposes. These purchases having a nearer relation to settlement in general than to agriculture, they are quoted under that head.
This condition of affairs could not endure. The destiny of the country was not for large towns, but for rural communities. The bulk of purchases in 1854 and '55 was of agricultural situa- tions.
The La Crosse United States Land Office was opened July 30, 1852. This was a great convenience, as the place could be reached by steamboat in summer, and on foot, or with a horse or wagon, at any time of the year. Nevertheless there were but few entries, in 1852 all in March, hence before removal of the office. In 1853 there was but one purchase, the prospective site of the county- seat, not for agricultural purposes.
In making purchases the newcomers usually preferred valleys to bluffs, open or but slightly wooded land to heavy timber; ex- ceptions to that we find in the neighborhood of trading centres already established. Some of these selections remain puzzles to the subsequent settlers. Aside from the settlements on sand prai- ries, that could not support any population for more than two or three years, we find that some people retired, voluntarily and at once, into inconvenient ravines, when they had the very best and first selection. It may have been taste, but it was certainly per- verted taste. The want of ready money was a great obstacle to the extension of agricultural settlement. After the opportunity for purchasing had been provided, it was not proposed to "squat" on the land. Hope, always the strongest in adventurers, led so many to pre-empt, and forced them to borrow money at any rate of interest, 40 per cent. being the highest I learned of, but the pos- sibility of more or higher is not to be disputed, perhaps not even the fact. And for security, the certificate or patent of the land ! Think of that, you young men! Think of it, you, who have fought the battle and lost it, as well as you, who came off victorious. Remember who became rich and who remained poor, who drew
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'AGRICULTURE.
interest, and who had to sweat for it. But, of course, it was a legitimate transaction !
At that time a man was well off, who owned a wagon, a plow, a yoke of oxen, the most necessary kitchen and household articles, and an axe. A few more tools, say a couple of planes, augers, a hatchet and a square, made him a carpenter, a mechanic who took rank with the blacksmith, or next below him. Other mechanics had to abandon their trades and stick to the plow handle; at least I know many who did, either from choice or compulsion. Shoes and clothing were bought ready made, sometimes fit or no fit. Once bought, they were often worn to rags, frequently much sooner than expected. Mending was practiced to some extent by the housewives, but that would have been a dandy sort of a bachelor, who would or could perform such an operation. In fact there was so much rough work to do, that a rough appearance seemed to be a piece of the eternal fitness of things. I do not mean to say that anybody sat down and philosophized about the matter. After six days hard work with the body and mind they all enjoyed a Sun- day's rest, provided they would get it; for in a case of necessity the Sunday lost its privilege, and the hay or the grain was saved to the imminent danger of the soul. I even know, that at a pinch, when some poor fellow happened to be minus a roof to the house, his neighbors congregated at his place, regardless of the congrega- tions to which they otherwise belonged, and helped him to a roof. By and by things improved, the fences and the houses were up, and crops and cattle, and their owners, had the necessary protec- tion. Of course, it could only be called comfort, if the absence of such was not felt or regretted. The extension of operations made machinery desirable. The first machine was, of course, a thresh- ing machine. Then the reaper followed; not the self-binder of to-day, but the machine by which the raking off was done by hand, and where the rakeman was glad enough to take his seat somewhere on the machine, as long as he could from his perch rake off in decent heaps, or rake off at all. The grape-vine cradle, which had by the time harvests were raised in this county super- seded the reaping hook or sickle, at least in the West, was still much in use, for not every one was as yet able to procure a reap- ing machine. Four or five binders followed such a machine each expected to bind up his station by the return of the machine.
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