USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 55
USA > Wisconsin > Pepin County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 55
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Many grade herds of Herefords in the county are headed by pure-bred sires, while Sam Glanzman & Son, of Gilmanton, own a number of pure breds.
The livestock industry, here as well as elsewhere, received a great impetus with the introduction of the silo, which enables its owners to keep a large number of cattle on a comparatively small acreage. Shredded cornstalks are also largely utilized as fodder. The first silo in the county was built in 1887 by William Ulrich, of Waumandee. W. L. Houser and M. M. Farr built theirs soon thereafter.
Scientific methods are coming more and more into vogue, a progressive step in the interest of agriculture being the adoption of a resolution by the 1918 county board for the engagement of a county agent.
The horse as a factor in the development of the agricultural resources of this county is entitled to a prominent place. Before the advent of the railroads and the automobile it afforded the only means of rapid transit known to our people, and in transporting various conveyances for busi- ness or pleasure his services were much in demand, and for that matter are yet, as well as for the cultivation and harvesting of crops. The first horses brought here were of the general purpose type and rather small in size. It was claimed for some that they had Morgan blood, but however that may have been, they were certainly tough and wiry for their size and rendered valuable service both as drafters and drivers.
The first attempts at improving the breed were made by importing grades from Illinois, Iowa and other sections, but soon there was a demand for pure-bred sires, and one of the first Percherons to be imported was the horse "Horace Greeley," owned by a Mondovi stock company. He proved to be a remarkable horse and laid the foundation for the large number of
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excellent horses that have been produced in and around Mondovi. Encour- aged by the success of this venture, others were induced to buy pure-bred horses, mostly of the Percheron breed, and it was not many years before good-sized drafters were not an uncommon sight.
One of the first to go into the breeding of pure-breds on a large scale was W. L. Houser, of Mondovi, who has made a state-wide reputation for Ethelwold Farms on his Percherons, Clydesdales and standard breds. Although Ethelwold has produced some grand champions of the Percheron breed, Clydesdales are Mr. Houser's favorites, and his achievements with animals of that breed at the International are a source of pride not only to himself but to all lovers of horse flesh in the county. Among other Percheron breeders are: James Dillon, Whelandale Farms; and Will Hurt- ley, of Mondovi; Frank E. Rockwell, Modena; Louis Haunschild, Gilman- ton; Herman Luther, Nelson; and Emil Loesel, of Lincoln. Others who did good work in advancing this breed by bringing pure-bred sires into the county are: August Schreiner, Antone Quarberg and G. C. Parish, of Mon- dovi; Jacob Wald, of Alma; Wm. Schaub, of Lincoln; George Kindschy and John and Florian Flury, of Montana; and Otto Hohmann, of Arcadia." A large number of Percheron stallions were also owned by stock com- panies organized among the farmers, and in most instances good results were obtained. Clydesdale stallions were owned by Andrew Florin and Conrad Christ, of Montana, and Jacob Beck, of Fountain City, while Henry Eikamp and Gustav Kurtzweg, of Lincoln, specialize in Belgians. Outside of Mr. Houser's trotting stock not many were kept for breeding purposes in this county, and although stallions were kept at different times and places, our farmers stuck to the raising of drafters, and in this they have succeeded well. Taken on the whole, our farmers own a high class of work- ing horses and thousands of good horses have been exported from the county, among them some for the army, and there are many left that would have withstood the rigid test required by the government buyers. Horse breeding has received more care than any other line of animal husbandry in this county and much credit for this is due those mentioned and others in their line of business for providing our farmers with good breeding stock.
When the county was first settled, many bare hillsides offered a fine opportunity for sheep pasture, but with onward march of cultivation prairie fires were materially checked, or at least confined to limited areas, so that almost all the uncultivated land is overgrown with trees and brush and no longer fit for sheep ranging. The number of sheep kept in the county is therefore not near what it was in the early days, or some forty or fifty years ago. Other causes that have discouraged the sheep industry are marauding dogs, wolves and unfriendly legislation. The great war, even before we got into it, again greatly stimulated sheep raising, as the price of both wool and mutton went out of sight. The sheep business was put on a paying basis, but the scarcity of breeding ewes, their high price and the prevailing inexperience along this line acted as a damper, so that not so many sheep were bought as might have been the case otherwise. Through the activity of Messrs. Dillon and Houser, of Mondovi, several hundred
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lambs were sold to the boys and girls of the county, and as the youngsters took a great interest in this work, as well as in the calf and pig clubs started by the same gentlemen, this small beginning may be the nucleus of many a future herd. Of the 10,519 sheep in the county, the towns of Glencoe, Mondovi, Nelson, Naples, Canton and Maxville have the largest number.
While some fine graded herds are owned in the county, it is rather dif- ficult to ascertain who are the owners of pure-breds, but most of those who have the grade herds use pure-bred sires, mostly Shropshires. James Dillon & Son and Whelandale Farms, of Mondovi, have pure-bred herds of Shropshires.
Of the Merinos, which were introduced at an early day by the late L. J. Claflin, very few are left, most of them having been discarded during the nineties when the price of wool had sunk to a level that made sheep- raising a nonpaying business.
In the early days when spinning and knitting were among the regular household duties, a small flock of sheep was a common thing, and if an estimate of the amount of wool worked up in that manner could be made, it would surprise many of the readers of this work. Now that almost all of this work is done in factories and the farmers are able to pay for the finished product, the spinning wheels of our grandmothers have been rele- gated to oblivion or are kept as honored relics of the past and the family sheep has either disappeared or been superseded by the commercial herd.
Although hogs were kept by the very earliest settlers, hog-raising on a large scale or for commercial purposes began with the coming of the railroads, which made possible the shipping of live hogs. During the Civil War pork was very high and some hogs were raised and sold dressed, being shipped from Winona or Eau Claire in the winter. Some were also sold to lumbermen for use in their camps in the pineries, but all this was not enough to make the hog a commercial factor in the county's farming operations.
In connection with dairying, with skim-milk as a by-product, the hog industry has become one of the most important branches of farming in the county and the proverbial mortgage lifter has performed that function on many a farm. The breeds most common in the county are the Poland- Chinas, the Berkshires, the Chester Whites and the Duroc-Jerseys. Most farmers keep grades of either of these breeds and some also keep cross- breeds, but pure-bred sires are becoming rather the rule than the exception. Among those who at an early day began to introduce pure-bred swine are: the late L. J. Claflin, the late Thomas Dillon, and others in different parts of the county, the Chester Whites and Poland-Chinas being the breeds first introduced. Now there are many pure-bred herds in the county and with- out taking a census it is impossible to mention all the owners of pure-bred swine as well as those of horses, cattle and sheep, hence reference to a few must suffice. Among Poland-China breeders are: John Sutter & Son, Foun- tain City ; W. H. Armour & Son, F. J. Seyforth & Son, and Stewart Saxe, Mondovi; L. Kennedy & Son and H. O. Tiffany, Nelson; L. J. Rosenow, Waumandee; and Oscar Hitt, Alma. Leading Chester-White breeders are:
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Geo. A. Stamm, Modena; J. F. Gobar and Fred Grob, Alma; and Geo. Muehleisen, Cochrane. Some of the pure-bred Duroc-Jersey breeders are: F. J. Seyforth & Son and A. R. Pierce, Mondovi; C. F. Reinhardt and Theo- dore Roemer, Nelson; Nic. Weinandy, Cochrane; and E. F. Ganz & Son, Alma; while James Dillon & Son, of Mondovi, are breeding pure-bred Berkshires.
A man who has taken a leading part in advancing the county's agri- cultural interests and who has been more specially interested in promoting sheep and swine husbandry, is James Dillon, of Mondovi. Mr. Dillon has had charge of these departments at the state and county fairs, and during the past year as a member of the County Council of Defense, has been active in the promotion of calf, lamb and pig clubs, and in conjunction with Mr. Houser, has aided the young people of this county in making a most excel- lent showing at the state fair and at the International.
More and more the production of poultry is becoming an important branch of agriculture. From the humble biddie that arrived in a prairie schooner to the flocks numbering hundreds is about as big a step as that from 6 cents a dozen for eggs to 50 cents. Flocks of poultry are now found on every farm and pure bloods are very common, all breeds being repre- sented. The ones most common are the Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds. Turkeys, geese and ducks are also raised in large numbers. One hundred thousand dollars a year is a low estimate of the value of eggs and poultry shipped from this county, although that figure may be a surprise to many.
When, shortly after the Civil War, the price of hops went soaring sky- ward, and farmers in some of the older counties made fortunes in a year, some of our farmers embarked in that enterprise, but overproduction sent prices to a level that discouraged this industry, so that hop-raising has been entirely abandoned for many years. Grapes have been cultivated spasmodically, but never in large tracts, the only one who embarked in this and made a success of it, being the late Conrad Ulrich, who went into this first on his farm in the town of Waumandee and later for commercial purposes at Fountain City. His success was largely due to his experience in Switzerland and to his untiring efforts and perseverance. Others have successfully conducted small vineyards for home use. Apples can be successfully grown here and with proper care and cultivation, do well, but as this is lacking in most instances, orchards are not as numerous nor as profitable as they should be. Orchards are found on many farms, espe- cially on the bluffs along the Mississippi river. One of the leading apple producers is J. F. Gobar, of Alma, who has a fine orchard of several hun- dred trees and has demonstrated that the apple may be successfully grown in this county, and it is to be hoped that this practice will become more general and that in the not distant future every farm may have its orchard of apples, plums and cherries, all of which thrive with proper care, as do raspberries, strawberries and other small fruits. Sorghum has been cul- tivated off and on in small patches, but cheapness of sugar and syrup and increasing prosperity consigned this industry to oblivion until the scarcity of sugar, caused by the war, revived it. Raising cucumbers for neighbor-
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ing pickle factories has been practiced to a limited extent, also the cultiva- tion of sugar beets, but the prevailing scarcity of labor has put a stop to this. At Mondovi there is a canning factory, and much truck is raised there to supply it, while truck and vegetables for home use are abundantly pro- duced on our farms as well as in the gardens in town, and to a much larger extent since the war started than before. The cultivation of tobacco has also been experimented with, but the acreage was small, lack of experience and shortage of labor being among the drawbacks which prevented the growth of this industry. Honey, although not strictly a farm product, deserves to be mentioned here, and apiaries are found on a number of farms. Among the county's successful pioneer apiarists, the late Jacob Wald, of Alma Town, and the Butlers, of Nelson, deserve special mention. Pota- toes have been cultivated mostly for home use, but the past two years saw a great increase in the production of tubers, and many carloads have been shipped from the county. Wheat-raising, which had been practically aban- doned, was resumed in response to the call by the Government, and lo and behold, it produced so abundantly that it may again become a staple crop. The rest cure has done wonders for our soil, and the plagues that drove wheat away seem to have disappeared for the time being, at least.
In conclusion, let me state that the farmers of Buffalo county, although somewhat conservative, are a thrifty, thriving lot, and that for improved and modernized farm buildings this county holds its own with any com- munity, and it will not be many years before it will take a place in the front ranks with older communities as regards improvement in livestock, seed grain, highways and other things that spell progress and prosperity.
When the settlers first came to Buffalo county, the United States Land Office for this region was located at Mineral Point, in Iowa county, this state, and the entering of land therefore entailed a long and tedious trip. On July 30, 1852, a United States Land Office was opened at La Crosse, a much nearer and more convenient place. Few entries were made before 1854, and practically none before that time were made for agricultural purposes.
The first surveys of land in Buffalo county were made in 1848 by D. A. Spaulding. At that time there were small settlements at Holmes' Landing, now Fountain City, and at Twelve Mile Bluff, now Alma. There was also at least one settler in Nelson. Mr. Spaulding in that year surveyed town- ship 20, ranges 10, 11, 12 and 13; township 19, ranges 10, 11 and 12; and township 18, range 11. He started to survey township 18, range 10, that year, but did not complete it until 1849. S. W. Durham then took up the work. In 1849 he surveyed township 24, range 13; township 23, range 13, and started township 24, range 14, completing it the following year, 1850, in which he also surveyed township 23, range 14, and township 22, range 14. John Ball started work in 1851, surveyed township 23, ranges 11 and 12, and township 22, ranges 12 and 13, and started township 21, range 13, com- pleting it in 1852, in which year he also surveyed township 21, ranges 10, 11 and 12; township 22, ranges 10 and 11; township 23, range 10; and township 24, ranges 10, 11 and 12.
The first land in the county was open to pre-emption and sale in 1849.
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June 18 of that year township 18, ranges 10 and 11; township 19, ranges 10, 11 and 12; and township 20, ranges 10, 11, 12 and 13, were placed on the market. On Aug. 18, 1851, the land opened included township 22, range 14; township 23, ranges 13 and 14; and township 24, ranges 13 and 14. Township 21, range 11, was opened Oct. 17, 1852, and on Nov. 15 of that year township 22, range 12; township 23, ranges 11 and 12; and township 24, range 12. The rest of the county was opened in 1853. On July 15 of that year were opened township 21, range 10; township 22, range 10; town- ship 23, range 10; and township 24, range 10. The next day township 24, range 11, was opened. Oct. 17 of the same year, 1853, township 21, range 13; township 22, range 11; and township 22, range 13, were opened. On Nov. 15, 1853, township 21, range 12. June 13, 1856, the land was with- drawn in order that a route might be selected for a proposed railroad. In that year Congress had made a grant of land to be held in trust by the state of Wisconsin for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Portage City to the Mississippi river at La Crosse, with a branch from Tomah to some point on the St. Croix river. The grant was conferred on the Mil- waukee & La Crosse Railroad Co. and the head of which was Byron Kil- bourn. In 1857 the Tomah-St. Croix branch was chartered as the Western Wisconsin Railroad Co. One of the routes chosen for its line was through the northern part of Buffalo county. The grant specified that the rail- road was to receive all the odd numbered sections in a strip twelve miles wide, six miles on each side of its line. All the remainng land in a strip thirty miles wide, fifteen miles each side of the line, was to be open to pre-emption at double rates, that is, at $2.50 an acre.
The Buffalo County Agricultural Society was organized June 10, 1872, with Robert Henry as president, John Hunner, Jr., as secretary, and J. W. DeGroff as treasurer. The first annual fair was held Oct. 9, 10 and 11, on section 12, township 21, range 12, in Lincoln township, near what is now Cream, the grounds being southwest of the bridge crossing Little Waumandee creek in front of what was then the Lincoln House. Lincoln township paid a bonus and was guaranteed the fair for five years. The first three fairs met with success, but then the interest declined. The grounds were in a central location, but the nature of the soil was such that the slightest rain turned the place into a pool of mud. Then, too, there was but one tavern within six or eight miles. It was therefore decided to seek another site. The people of Buffalo city offered a gift of eight square acres of land and a bonus of $200, the people of that city to bear the expense of moving the buildings, fences, railings, posts and the like to the new location. The people of Alma offered to furnish grounds free for ten years, to fence the grounds, to dig a well and to erect necessary buildings, including a hall 24 by 60 feet, horse and cattle stalls, sheep and pig pens and a fenced half-mile race track. The Alma offer was accepted, and the grounds prepared about a mile below the center of the village on the road to Fountain City. These grounds likewise proved damp, and various un- favorable circumstances prevented the success that had been hoped. The fair was kept alive by contributions from the village of Alma and from private citizens. In 1880 and 1881 the interest in the fair was at its lowest
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ebb and the grounds were seriously damaged by the high water. But in 1882 a most successful fair was held and things looked bright for the future. Two interesting features of the 1882 fair, still remembered, were the walking race and the ladies' horse race. The winner in the walking contest had walked fifty times around the half-mile track when the contest was ended. A small fair was held in 1883. Then the construction of the railroad through the grounds rendered it impossible to hold further exhi- bitions there. Therefore, it was decided to remove the fair to Mondovi, that city agreeing to furnish suitable grounds free for ten years, to con- struct the necessary buildings and a race track, and to keep the place in repair. The offer was accepted, and beginning with 1884 the fair has been held at that place. Suitable buildings have been erected and the fair takes high place among the agricultural exhibits of Wisconsin, having won excel- lent recognition in many departments.
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CHAPTER XII
EDUCATION
(By H. J. Niehaus)
One of the greatest difficulties that the early pioneers of Buffalo county, in common with the pioneers of other regions, had to contend with was the lack of educational facilities. Every one of the early settlers came from a civilized country, where they had received such an education as opportunity had offered, and many of them, deploring the total or partial deficiency in this regard in this new country, determined that their chil- dren should have an opportunity to get an education, even though all con- ditions were new and crude. However, the first consideration with the pioneers was the necessity of concentrating their efforts to compelling the virgin soil to yield the ordinary necessities. Furthermore, to start a school it was imperative that several families should be living within walking distance of each other. During the early years of settlement the popula- tion was small and scattered over a large area, so that there were actually but few people living in any one place or neighborhood.
Then, too, in those days the system of school government was de- cidedly different from the present system. The provisions of school organi- zation were: (a) Each town had a town superintendent and he divided the town into school districts each of which was governed by a district board; (b) the town superintendent had to license teachers and report to the county clerk; (c) the county clerk had to make a report for the whole county to the state superintendent. Under this system the early schools in Buffalo county were organized.
Probably the first school taught in Buffalo county was in Fountain City in the winter of 1854-55. It was held in a log house owned by John Buehler and taught by Mrs. J. P. Penney, of Arcadia. However, this school was maintained by private subscription, and was not in a regularly organized district until the following year.
It is apparent from the records that the first school district organized in the county was District No. 1, Belvidere, now Joint District No. 1, Bel- videre and Cochrane. The first term of school in this district was held in the winter of 1855-56, at the home of Henry Klein, and was taught by Fannie Bishop, of Arcadia. That same winter District No. 1, town of Buffalo, was organized. This was probably the Fountain City district. School was kept that winter in Fountain City by John Meade. The fol- lowing year a joint district was organized in Belvidere. Information con- cerning this district is somewhat vague, but it probably included the people living in Alma and in that part of Belvidere township near Alma. School was taught at Alma in the winter of 1856-57 by Dr. John Ehing.
The report of 1856 is the oldest information now available regarding
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the early schools. That report shows three districts, as mentioned above, one at Buffalo, and two, one being joint, in Belvidere. In these three schools there were 102 boys and 88 girls registered.
A list prepared by Lawrence Kessinger gives the first schools in the county, after the three already mentioned. Mr. Kessinger, himself, how- ever, had considerable doubt as to the correctness of the list. The list follows, giving first the year of the first school, next the township, next the first teacher or teachers, and next the immediate neighborhood:
"1857, Waumandee, Minnie Kirchner and Mrs. Charles Hohmann, on Baechler's land; 1857-58, Glencoe, Thomas Stone, on Cowie's land; 1858, Nelson, Rachel Evans, Mrs. J. Burgess, in Cascade; 1858, Mondovi, Thomas Fisher, Waste Valley District; 1858, Milton, John J. Senn, near the mill; 1858, Maxville, unknown, on section 30, township 24, range 13; 1858, Gil- manton, Olive Hatch, Mrs. Daniel Gilman, near the mill; 1858-59, Cross, John Bert, on Baertsch's land; 1858-59, Alma township, J. K. Bennett, in Mill Creek Valley ; 1858-59, Naples, Achsa Hilliard, H. Adams, Pace's Dis- trict; 1859, Buffalo City, Lawrence Kessinger; 1859, Modena, Elizabeth Gilman, in the present village; 1861, Buffalo township, George Harper, in Lenhard's old log house; 1863, Lincoln, John Muir, in what was then District 3, Waumandee; Dover, 1866, Emily A. Turner, Mrs. W. H. Church, in Bennett Valley ; 1867, Montana, J. P. Remich, in Danuser Valley.
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"It is possible that the first school in Gilmanton may have been taught on the west side of Beef river in Gilman Valley. One authority says that Dora Cook, later Mrs. John Hunner, of Eau Claire, taught the first school on the east side in a little log house between R. E. Fuller's and J. M. Hutch- inson's. Afterwards the little schoolhouse was built near Gilmanton and John Peso taught there first; after him Georgiana Lockwood, afterwards Mrs. G. W. Gilkey; after her, Albert Southworth, of Mondovi, brother of Ryland Southworth, and after him, Louisa Lockwood. In Lincoln town- ship it is possible that the school district at Mattausch's existed about the same time as the school in District 1. It seems positive, however, that in 1863 John Muir taught the first school in the latter district, the school- house standing on the land of F. F. Schaaf between his own house and that of M. Profitlich. In District No. 2 the first school was taught in the house belonging to M. Hammer, and the first teacher was Henrietta Ainsworth."
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