History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2), Part 54

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 885

USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 54
USA > Wisconsin > Pepin County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 54

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his home, were splendid trout in large schools, but as he had neither hook nor line they were safe from him, his knowledge of woodcraft being about equal to his resources for hunting and trapping-a minus quantity. He did not remain there very long and the spot where his cabin stood is today still a wilderness, for although the mill was built, it is located farther down the stream and was built by one more experienced and more blessed with this world's goods, our friend locating on some of the fertile lands in the valley where by frugality and industry he amassed a comfortable fortune which he is now enjoying in his old age, a retired gentleman-farmer."

Such were some of the conditions that confronted the pioneers and. although not all of them started in this primitive way, the log cabin and the trusty axe played a major role in the history of every pioneer.

Coming as they did mostly from Europe, although in the northern part of the county the early settlers were from the East, they found things vastly different from conditions in their old homes. There they had fairly comfortable houses, good roads, cultivated fields, schools and churches, and their homes were in or near villages or hamlets. They were not used to improved farm machinery, hence they were in this respect, at least, not handicapped. Many of them were professional men, tradesmen and factory workers from the cities of Europe, but taking counsel of their more experienced neighbors, they soon adapted them- selves to the new circumstances, for they had come here to make homes for themselves and their families. They exchanged work and clubbed together in various ways. A breaking plow was a fortune and its pos- sessor was a man much esteemed and sought after, and a yoke of oxen often made the rounds of the neighborhood helping out here and there. Oftentimes two settlers who owned an ox apiece would work together. The grain was cut with the cradle bound by hand and often threshed .with the flail or trampled out by cattle, several neighbors clubbing to- gether for that purpose; but one of the first farm machines to make its appearance was the threshing machine. It was, of course, a primitive affair, driven by what is known as a horsepower, only that oxen were first used instead of horses, and a little later on it was often a mixture of both that yielded to the long whip of the driver.

J. P. Stein is said to have raised the first grain in Buffalo county. He broke some land in the summer of 1851, procured .two bushels of wheat from Galena, Ill., sowed it in the spring of 1852, and raised a crop of seventy-four and a half bushels. The threshing was done with a flail. The first barley was also raised by Mr. Stein. He secured a gallon of seed from Wabasha and raised seven bushels. Mr. Stein resided between Alma and Fountain City and kept a stopping place for travelers.

Among pioneer threshers were Balthasar Carisch, Florian Schneller, the Meulis, the Ochsners, the Walds and others in different sections of the county. The machines were often kept a-going as long into the winter as the deep snows would permit, and to lug an outfit from one valley to another on bobs was not less common than for a man to carry a borrowed breaking plow across the bluffs on his back. Mills were also among the early conveniences that the pioneers were blessed with, although some

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of the very early ones were forced to grind their grain by hand in a coffee mill. Flour was available only at river ports, being brought from Galena, Ill., by boat in summer and by teamsters who toted to Ft. Snelling, in the winter. This, however, could be procured for cash only and the price was about twelve dollars a barrel and "thereby hangs a tale," for few were the fortunate ones who had that sum in solid hard cash, as gold was the only currency acceptable among strangers. Wild-cat money, issued by irresponsible banks, there was an abundance of, but as it was little better than a promise to pay, given by a stranger in some far-off state, it was rather a handicap than a convenience, for no one would accept it for fear that it might become worthless over night, which was too often the case. Farmers paid their hands in goods or merchandise which they got in exchange for the grain they took to town and wages were as low as fifty cents a day for harvest hands, the price of grain being correspondingly low. But to return to the subject of mills, they were established at Holmes Landing, now Fountain City, at the Bear Creek, now Misha Mokwa, and on the Mill Creek, near Alma, at a very early date, while Gilmanton, Modena, Waumandee and Mondovi were thus blessed soon thereafter, for a mill was indeed a blessing to a community.

As before stated, in order to reach the market or mill, farmers fol- lowed the water courses, and in order to cross the bluffs, wended their way up one ravine and down another, but soon, as towns were organized, roads of some kind were built, and although they were of a primitive nature, they answered the purpose for a long time, being better than no roads at all, and although some good bridges were built and an occa- sional stretch of permanent roads was constructed, it was not until the coming of the automobile that the state and county took a hand in the busi- ness and a system of roads was planned, and although this is, at this time, in its infancy, it promises to become one of the most important steps in the advancement of both the agricultural and social interests of the county.

Shortly after the introduction of the threshing machine the reaper made its appearance-not the self-binder of today, but a machine that cut the grain which dropped onto the platform back of the sickle and was raked off in sheaves by a man who clung to a kind of seat fastened to the rear of the platform, a herculean task, indeed. This was soon superseded by the self-rake, a reaper with a raking attachment that deposited the sheaves, which were tied by hand. Harvesters which were equipped with a stand and elevator on which two men rode and bound the grain, were, in the seventies, equipped with wire binders, which, however, were not quite satisfactory, while the self-binder of today, which was invented a few years later, is as perfect a machine as man can make, doing the work of half a dozen men better than it was ever done by hand in the days of the reaper or the cradle. With the self-binder came a new era in the history of agriculture.

In the early days marsh or swale hay was considered the only hay, and those who lived on the bluffs and in the valleys where no marshes were near, drove for miles after that hay, which in reality was little better than hundreds of tons of straw and cornstalks which went to waste on their

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farms. Timothy as a cultivated hay crop was early introduced, and clover soon followed it, so that today they are the main forage crops, while marsh hay, which was usually cut with a scythe and raked up by hand, receives little consideration. Modern hay tools, such as the mower, the hay-rake, hay-loader and hay-mower, make it possible to harvest large crops with little expense and in a short time. Alfalfa has been cultivated to a lim- ited extent, but owing to some difficulty in obtaining a stand, does not receive the attention which it perhaps merits. With the introduction of the reaper and threshing machine, horses became more common, and about the outbreak of the Civil War most farmers who had become fairly well located had at least one span of horses. Newcomers and beginners, of course, were still content to start with a yoke of cattle and thankful to have that. About this time many began to come from the older counties of this state or from the east, and most of them brought their horses with them, as did a few of the very early pioneers who came from the southern part of the state. Cows were kept in sufficient numbers to sup- ply the home demand for milk, butter and cheese, as everyone in the vil- lages had his own cow and there was no demand whatever for dairy prod- ucts nor any way of shipping them. Thus the raising of small grain became the one and only thing left for our farmers to do, and with the Civil War and big prices those who had plenty of help and a large acreage under cultivation became quite prosperous and made many improvements in the way of new buildings, etc.

After the war, help was again more available, hence a greater acreage was tilled and some improvement being made on the roads, more grain was marketed. Another thing that tended to increased production was the fact that many of the returned soldiers took homesteads and began to farm for themselves. The more remote coulies and the uplands or bluffs were now being rapidly settled. This land was not open or prairie land, but much of it heavily timbered or covered with a growth of brush and necessitated much work in clearing before it was ready for the plow. Al- though all this had to be done by hand, stump-pullers and dynamite having not yet come into use for that purpose, there was hardly a field opened before all stumps had been dug up and removed, and a field of grain or hay with stumps left in it was a rare sight indeed. This was extremely hard work, but speaks volumes for the thoroughness with which the pio- neers went about their work.

Thus wheat became the watchword, and to raise wheat and more wheat was every farmer's ambition. This went on for a number of years when nature began to rebel against this system of soil robbery. Rust, blight and chinch-bugs all took their toll of a crop that both in quality and .

quantity was far below what it had been but a few years before, and the thoughtful farmers who had had experience with fertilizers in Europe, be- gan to see the handwriting on the wall and considered a change of methods, while many who had come from the east after going through this same experience there, began to make preparations to heed the advice of Horace Greeley and "Go west," where new opportunities and more virgin soil awaited them. Nor were the easterners the only ones who chose this easy

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way of solving a vexatious problem, for there were soil robbers in abundance among the immigrants, hence many a foreigner rather than return to methods of fertilization practiced in Europe, chose to drift with the cur- rent and also went west. This exodus made room for others, and many of the Norwegians now residing in the county came about that time.

The opening of vast areas in the West by the advancement of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and other transcontinental lines of railways, made wheat raising with all its handicaps an unprofitable, if not a losing, proposition here. Thus the ones who persevered and held onto their farms here became indeed hard pressed, for without railroad facilities and with the prevailing low prices there was little encouragement to enter upon diversified farming. But all things come to him who waits, and finally the Burlington was built along the Mississippi, the Omaha came into Mon- dovi, and even before this markets on the Green Bay, in Trempealeau county, had become available to residents in the eastern part of this coun- ty. With only river transportation during part of the year, the shipping of livestock was an impossibility, and dairying and poultry raising were handicapped in a like manner. Some dressed beef and pork was marketed at Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls for use in lumber camps, but this was a very uncertain market, and to most of our farmers, very remote.

Conditions as above described applied to all sections of the country, soil robbery being by no means confined to our county alone. The federal and state governments therefore, by means of bulletins and farmers' insti- tutes, proposed to correct this matter.

Although the people who are always ready with their little hammer to "knock" every innovation, were extremely busy and these institutes were for some time rather unpopular as the farmer resents to have bookworms come and tell him what to do, better judgment finally prevailed, and now institutes, held in different parts of the county, are always liberally patron- ized, and together with the different agricultural schools have done much toward advancing the agricultural interests of the county. Thus diversi- fied farming became introduced into Buffalo county partly by necessity and partly by education derived from bulletins, agricultural papers, farm- ers' institutes, schools, etc.

Wheat raising was out of the question, and the only remedy lay in turning to dairying and livestock raising; therefore the advent of the creamery, the cheese factory and the pure-bred or high-grade horse, cow, hog, sheep and chicken.

As above stated, dairying to the extent of supplying the home with butter and cheese was practiced by almost every housewife as a matter of · course, just as she spun the yarn and knitted the socks and mitts in the early days, but as a business proposition little was done along this line before the advent of the railroads above mentioned. There were, how- ever, a few attempts at cheese making in pioneer days that deserve notice.

Joseph L. Rohrer, one of the progressive pioneers who settled in Rose Valley in 1856, brought with him from a down-river point a number of cows, and coming from that part of Switzerland where the manufacture of cheese was the chief and only industry, he at once embarked in it and kept

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it up until he retired from the farm which he later owned near Cochrane. Jacob Baer, who lived near him; Fred Moser, of Gilman Valley; William Ulrich, of Waumandee; and John H. Johnson, of Mondovi, all entered upon the same venture later on, but before the establishment of regular cheese factories. There may have been others, but these were some of the pio- neers, and when all the obstacles they met with in regard to marketing their product, etc., are considered, they certainly deserve honorable mention.

There were factories for the manufacture of American cheese in and near Mondovi and at Gilmanton before the factories now in operation were opened, but these have all been superseded by creameries. Of the fac- tories now running, the ones in Mill Creek and Pine Creek valleys, in the town of Alma, were the first. The Mill Creek factory was first operated on the farm of the late Jacob Wald, and for many years he was the leading spirit in managing it and promoting its interests. Charles Maier was the first cheesemaker there and the product was Swiss and brick cheese. The factory in Pine Creek valley was organized by Michael Meisser, Paul Accola, Nic. Kindschi, Wieland Allemann and others, John Eberli being the first cheesemaker, and its products being the same as those of the Mill Creek factory, although both, together with a number of other factories in oper- ation in that town, now make American cheese. In the vicinity of Alma cheese factories are very numerous, and during the summer months regu- lar weekly shipments are made from that station. When the first fac- tories were opened, milk was at times delivered for the price of about fifty cents per cwt., yet this was better than nothing, and the farmers who received it were perhaps as well satisfied as those who today get three dollars for the same quantity.

Attempts at establishing creameries were made here in the eighties, Arcadia, in Trempealeau county, having operated one for several years before and drawn some trade from the eastern part of this county. Among the first was one at Alma, but owing to lack of good roads, scarcity of cows in the vicinity, poor business management and other adverse circum- stances, this proved a failure, and due to the establishment of cheese fac- tories in the vicinity, the project was never resurrected.

With the establishment of co-operative creameries, this industry re- ceived an impetus in this county. There were, of course, different parties active in their establishment, but above all others there was one who made co-operative creameries his one and only work, and he talked and wrote on this subject whenever and wherever opportunity offered and when opportunity did not offer, he made it, for he went into communities and held meetings for the purpose of organizing creameries and was always enthusiastic in advocating this progressive step. He was a retired farmer and Civil War veteran, and as he could not be without work, he devoted himself to this task and gave counsel and advice without ever asking or expecting compensation. He acted as secretary and general manager of the Modena Co-operative Creamery for years at but a nominal salary. This man was the late John B. Meyer, of Modena, and when the roll of honor of Buffalo county agriculturists is made up, his name should appear well towards the top.

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There are now in active operation in the county thriving creameries at Mondovi, Gilmanton, Modena, Burnside in the town of Nelson, at Nelson, Waumandee, Cochrane and Fountain City. All are prosperous and have done much towards advancing the interests of the respective communities in both a business and agricultural sense.

At an early day, in fact, immediately after the Civil War, attempts at introducing pure-bred livestock were made, but for several decades when prices were so low that a young beef, for instance, would not bring more than a hide brings now and a good cow not as much as a calf is worth now, interest in improved stock naturally flagged and was not revived until conditions improved in a business way.

H. N. Muzzy, of Modena, was among the first to make an attempt at introducing pure-bred cattle by shipping in a few Shorthorn bulls from the East. They were prime animals and were disposed of in different parts of the county and left their mark on the herds wherever they were placed. The late L. J. Claflin, of Gilmanton, shortly after the Civil War, went east, to Vermont, I think, and returned with a large flock of pure-bred Merino sheep of fine quality. This flock he kept on his farm for many years and it furnished the foundation stock for many a good flock in the county. The most important step in horse improvement was the purchase of the Percheron stallion "Horace Greeley" by a Mondovi stock company. This is "the horse that made Mondovi famous," for with him started the move- ment which has made Mondovi and, in fact, all of Buffalo county the home of the best farm horses in the state, that community having taken grand champion honors not only at state fairs, but also at the International.

In these days of rapid accumulation of wealth, financial success is often considered the only thing that counts or is worth while, and men who have been eminently successful in developing and introducing improved livestock are not considered successful breeders unless they pile up stacks of money, but although money is a very convenient commodity, it is not the only thing that spells success. Among those who have been prominent in the intro- duction of pure-bred livestock and active in the fostering and development of this important industry, Hon. W. L. Houser, of Mondovi, deserves spe- cial mention. As editor of a country newspaper, he found little opportu- nity to indulge in this hobby, but gradually he worked into it and became a pioneer in the introduction of some of the best horses and cattle ever brought to this county or state. He went into this work enthusiastically, for Mr. Houser is passionately fond of animals, and being a man who loves all the world and everything in it, he is specially fitted for having charge of animals that require extra care and kindly treatment. He has a state- wide reputation as a successful breeder and has been at the head of the movements instituting the baby beef contests, sheep and hog contests and other activities along those lines in the state. He has done much for the advancement of agricultural interests in the county and state and for this should receive due credit.

Since the establishment of creameries and cheese factories and ad- vanced prices for their products, the interest in pure-bred dairy cattle has been revived, and among the breeds represented are the Holstein-Friesians,

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the Jerseys, the Guernseys and a few Brown Swiss and perhaps some Ayrshires, there being, however, no pure-bred herds of the two last men- tioned breeds, but only a few individuals.

Among the prominent Holstein breeders in the county are: Henry Knecht & Sons and Krause Bros., of Waumandee; Nic. Weinandy and John Stuber, of Belvidere; Kaste Bros., William Herman, Alfred Haigh, Irvin Haigh, Emil Haigh and Marks Bros., of the town of Lincoln. The first pure- bred Holstein sire was brought to Buffalo county by William Ulrich, then of Waumandee, who, when he retired from the farm, had the nucleus for a fine herd. Another good herd was that of John Farner, of Waumandee, who took his cattle with him when he removed to Colfax, this state. Among those mentioned there are some exceptionally good herds, and be- sides these there are scores of high-grade herds with pure-bred sires at their head, especially in the cheese factory districts. Thomas Irvine, sec- retary of the M. R. L. Co., who, by the way, was also a breeder of pure- bred Jerseys and standard bred trotting horses, bought a fine herd of Hol- steins in the state of New York and for a few years kept them on his farm at Beef Slough, but on removing to St. Paul, took them with him onto a farm near that city. A few animals from that herd were retained in the county and used as sires on grade herds and the results were very satisfactory.

The Jerseys were early introduced into the county, and among the best and largest herds first kept were the one of Thomas Irvine, above alluded to, and one owned by W. L. Houser, both of which were, however, dispersed. Buffalo county now has a Jersey breeders' association and in the northern part of the county there are some good herds of pure-breds, while herds headed by pure bred sires are very common throughout the county. Among the prominent Jersey breeders are the following: James Dillon & Sons, Wm. Armour & Son, F. J. Seyforth, Earle Franzwa and Otto Witte, all in the vicinity of Mondovi. There may be a few pure- bred herds in other parts of the county and also in Pepin county, but the above are among those who take the most active interest in the breed.

The Guernseys are less numerous than the Jerseys, although many grade herds, headed by pure-bred sires, are to be found in different parts of the county. Some of the pure-bred herds are those of C. W. Pace & Son, C. H. Adams and Mrs. George F. Krampeter, all of the town of Naples. while George B. Sankey, just across the line in Pepin county, also has a fine herd of pure-breds.

The dual-purpose breeds, like the Red Polled and Brown Swiss, are rep- resented by grade herds in different parts of the county, but the writer has no knowledge of registered herds of those breeds. Some good herds of Red Polled cattle are owned by the Allemans, Christs and others in the town of Montana, while Otto Farner, of Gilmanton, has a high-grade herd of that breed. Frank Kuehn and Charles Jahn at one time kept some Brown Swiss cattle in the town of Lincoln, but at present there are no registered herds of that breed in the county.

Of the beef breeds, the Shorthorns are the most numerous in the county, there being a Shorthorn breeders' association in existence. There

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are numerous herds headed by pure-bred sires and among the owners of registered herds are: Whelandale Farm, Mondovi; E. O. Klein, of the town of Cross; Ashton Bros. and Martin Bros., of Glencoe; John Carrothers & Son and J. P. Ward, of Canton; F. G. Theisen, of Montana ; C. J. Rongholt, Anton Dworschak, Ole Aase, Louis Aase, Carl Aase, Hovey Bros. and Paulson Bros., of Dover; and Hitt Bros., John Risch and Paul Lanicca, of the town of Alma.

The Aberdeen Angus were first introduced into the county by W. L. Houser, of Mondovi, who bought his foundation stock from the champion herd of Mr. Martin and also some prize winners from Roesch & Gelbach, of Potosi, this state. From this herd, known as Ethelwold Herd, founda- tion stock was supplied to all of the herds now owned in the county, while sires have been furnished to a number of farmers who breed grades for marketing purposes. In 1914 Mr. Houser sold his entire herd to E. F. Ganz & Son, of Alma, and the herd is now known as Buena Vista Herd. James Allison & Sons, of the town of Maxville, and M. O. Quarberg, of Modena, also own registered herds of this champion beef breed, while S. A. DeMarce, of Arkansaw, Pepin county, who secured his foundation stock from Buena Vista Herd, has a herd numbering some twenty head and intends to em- bark in the business on a large scale. His herd, known as Forest Vale Herd, numbers among it some very promising individuals.

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History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2), Part 54

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Number of Pages: 885

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 885