USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 60
USA > Wisconsin > Pepin County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 60
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Then came the famous winter of 1856-57, the winter of the deep snow. The snow came unexpectedly on November 12, and remained until late in April. The Cookes were not anticipating a winter of such length or severity. Only a few days before, Mr. Cooke had killed two or there deer, and knowing the supply to be so plentiful, had thrown the front quarters to the dogs, preserving the hind quarters. But there was no more until spring, and the little venison thus preserved was all the fresh meat the family had through the winter. The little pioneer cabins were prac- tically snowbound. A track was beaten to the creek and to the sheds. Before the spring came, the hay had all given out, and the stock subsisted in part by browsing upon trees cut down for that purpose. Several calves died. In April, Chauncey Cooke, brother of Samuel S. Cooke, managed to get to the family with news that James Buchanan had been elected and inaugurated president of the United States; a bitter alternative to the friends of the slave of whom Samuel Cooke and his sons became known in their community.
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With the opening of spring settlers began to come in. Among the first were Edward Cartwright and party. This party consisted of Edward Cartwright and wife, a son Ezra, with wife and child, a son Edward. Jr .. unmarried, and a son-in-law, Charles Spaulding, with wife and child. They settled in the valley above Cookes. Spaulding abandoned his claim the next year. The Cartwrights remained for some years. Carl Crandall settled in the western part of the town and remained a few years. Marvin and James Pierce had a considerable tract north and east of Cooke's, and had it cultivated several years by employees. In 1858, their nephew, Theo- dore Lockwood, settled thereon. W. H. H. Amidon was the first settler in Bennett Valley. Other early settlers were Roderick J. Bailey, S. Wales Bailey, George Wooster and Edwin Lovejoy. The last named was a cousin of Rev. E. P. Lovejoy, the famous abolitionist, who was shot to death by a mob while defending his printing plant from destruction at Alton, Ill., in 1837. Edwin Lovejoy and Samuel S. Cooke were both strongly in sym- pathy with the anti-slavery movement and thus became warm friends. Mr. Cooke continued to live on his farm, with the exception of the years from 1868 to 1874, until April 10, 1879, when he died.
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CHAPTER XVIII PEPIN COUNTY
Pepin County is located in the western part of Wisconsin, its neigh- boring counties being Dunn and Pierce on the north, Buffalo on the south and east, and Pierce on the north and west. The neighboring Minnesota counties are Goodhue and Wabasha. Its northern boundary is the line be- tween Towns 25 and 26, and the line north of Sections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, Town 24, Range 15 west, and Sections 25 and 26, Town 24, Range 16 west. Its eastern boundary is the line between Ranges 10 and 11, and the Chippewa River, which flows nearly southerly from the northwest corner of Range 13, Town 24, bearing slightly to the west until it enters the Mississippi River in Range 14, Town 22. Its south- ern boundary is the line between Towns 24 and 25, and Lake Pepin almost due southeast from the northwest corner of Section 25, Town 24, Range 16 west, until it receives the Chippewa in Town 22, Range 14. Its western boundary is Lake Pepin and the line between Ranges 14 and 15. The Chippewa River runs across the country from northeast to southwest, con- sequently the drainage is good and the natural advantages are great. The general surface of the country is level, though some portions of it are slightly undulating. East of the Chippewa River are found Cranberry, Fall, Dutch and Bear creeks; the three former flowing northward nearly, and entering the Chippewa in the vicinity of Meridian, Dunn County, and the latter flowing due northwest and entering the Chippewa in the town of Durand, on Section 16, Range 13 west. Bear Creek has its source in Buffalo County; the others find their sources in Pepin County, and are formed by springs in the marshes on the lower lands. On each side of Cranberry Creek are found various small cranberry marshes, hence, its name. On the west side of the Chippewa River, the first stream of any im- portance is the Eau Galle River, which runs a little east of south, and en- ters the Chippewa in the town of Waterville, on Section 30, Range 13 west. This river, in former days, bore a great amount of pine lumber from the northern counties, all of which entered the Chippewa in Pepin County. The next stream is the Little Missouri Creek, which has its source in Dunn County, and flows nearly southward and enters into the Eau Galle about half a mile from its mouth, on Section 7, Town 25, Range 13. The next stream is the Arkansaw Creek, which has its source in the northwest corner of the town of Waterville, on Section 6. Its general direction is due southeast and empties into the Eau Galle on Section 24, Town 25, Range 14. The next stream is the Porcupine Creek, which has its source in Pierce County, and flowing in a general southeasterly direction, empties into Plum Creek on Section 17, Town 24, Range 4. The next stream west is Plum Creek, which also has a general southeasterly direction, and empties into the Chippewa River on Section 26, Town 24, Range 14. The next stream is Little Plum Creek, which has its source on Section 30, Town 24, Range 14,
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flow also in a southeasterly direction and empties into Plum Creek about half a mile from its mouth. Roaring Creek has its source on Section 1, Town 23, Range 15, and runs in a southeasterly direction and empties into Lake Pepin, near its southern end, on Section 31, Town 23, Range 14. Lost Creek has its source on Section 2, Town 23, Range 15. This stream runs due south, and loses itself about a mile north of Lake Pepin. Bogus Creek has its source on Section 4, Town 23, Range 15, flows due south and empties into the lake on Section 21, Town 23, Range 15. Near the central part of the county from the middle of Section 36, in the town of Waterville, and extending through Sections 1, 2 and 11, in the town of Frankfort, is Dead Lake. This lake is about three miles in length by one- half mile in width, and is supplied by springs. Its outlet is the Chippewa River.
The Chippewa River and Eau Galle River are navigable for rafts, and the former was once navigable for boats of small tonnage. All of the above streams afford abundant water-power, a resource, as yet, but litle used, although a number of flour mills, and a few sawmills, have been erected at various times. Most of the creeks are formed by springs, and as most of them are stocked, trout is quite plentiful. The two larger rivers, and Lake Pepin, furnish many fish, and at Pepin the fishing industry reaches large proportions.
The eastern portion of the county is mostly prairie, originally inter- spersed with oak openings, hay marshes and tamarack swamps. The central portion in the Eau Galle and Chippewa bottoms originally consisted of a great natural meadow. The western portion is more rolling, and was origi- nally covered with hardwood timber such as oak, ash, elm, maple, bass- wood, butternut and birch, forming a part of the "Big Woods." The soil in the eastern portion is a rich loam. In the region originally timbered it is a heavy loam with clay subsoil.
Geologically, there is much of interest concerning Pepin County. There is found here, quite generally the top of the Potsdam sandstone, and the bottom of the Magnesian limestone. The bed-rocks have been seen cropping out in places in the Chippewa River. The Potsdam sandstone, varying from 100 to 150 feet in thickness, which appears to be filled up with a great many kinds of trilobites and various kinds of insects, the nearer the top of the sandstone the more trilobites, then comes for a few feet in thickness a rather impure limestone on the hill-tops, the county being rather broken, with ranges of high hills on the east side of the Chip- pewa River. The soil, between the hills, varies from a few feet to about one hundred feet in thickness above the sandstone, and appears to be made up of drift earth and stones of many kinds. It appears in many places like a sand bar in a river. Stones of nearly every formation, from small peb- bles to large syenite and granite bowlders of two thousand pounds or more in weight, are scattered throughout the valleys. The soils are of various kinds, from a coarse sand to the finest black muck. The sandstones are a very fair rock for building purposes. Some of the limestone makes a first- class lime for plastering purposes. All of these rocks where they crop out show marks of water and ice. On the tops of the hills are found large
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quantities of porous flint rocks which are full of fossil shells, also bowlders of quartz, syenite, granite, etc., scattered over the surface.
On the west side of the Chippewa River the rocks are very much the same, but the limestone becomes thicker to the westward, and the sand- stones are very rarely brought to view. Twenty or thirty miles west of the Chippewa River, the limestone reaches the thickness of 400 feet and over, and in many places the rocks are almost entirely made up of shells, different from what are found on the east side of the river. These shells vary in size from the size of a man's thumb nail to two inches across.
The soil through this part of the country is mostly made from the frag- ments and decay of lime rocks, but even here at an elevation of from 500 to 700 feet above the Chippewa, the high lands are strewn with these large bowlders. The limestone on the west side of the Chippewa is in many places well adapted for building purposes, and a good quality of lime is made from the same. The lands west of the Chippewa River, in the Mag- nesian limestone area, was originally thickly set with a heavy growth of hardwood timber, and is well watered with springs. About one-half of the towns of Waterville, Stockholm, Frankfort and Pepin extend into the lime- stone region, and the other half runs to the river, and Lake Pepin occupy- ing the sandy and broken soils of all kinds.
Mounds abound in various places throughout the county. A few have been surveyed and some have been opened by local investigators, and skeletons and stone implements found.
The land now included in Pepin County was claimed by Wabasha's band of Indians. Wabasha's Indians were Dakotas, the Dakotas, as a branch of the great Siouan family, being commonly called the Sioux. The claim of these Dakotas was, however, disputed by the Chippewa, who made many a murderous foray down the Chippewa Valley against their ancient enemies. The Dakotas relinquished their claim by a treaty signed Dec. 29, 1837, but war parties continued to surge back and forth through the val- ley, several battle parties passing through the valley as late as 1856. After the Minnesota massacre of 1862, the Indians practically disappeared from this region.
The first white men to view the county were Father Louis Hennepin and his two companions, in 1680. The first white men to establish them- selves in the county were Nicholas Perrot, and his companions, who prob ably about 1686, possible had a fort near the present village of Stockholm. There was issued the proclamation claiming the upper Mississippi in the name of the King of France. The first white man to ascend the Chippewa for any considerable distance was Jonathan Carver, in 1767.
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The first settler in the county was John McCain, who selected a claim in what is now Pepin Township, in 1844, and moved onto it in 1846. In that year he erected a log cabin, assisted by his cousin, W. B. Newcomb, who at the same time selected a claim on the present site of Pepin Village, though he did not do much toward its development until several years later.
In the fall of 1847 Robert, William, Samuel and J. Hix came from Illi- nois, and settled four miles east of McCain, on Roaring Creek, near the
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trail leading up the Chippewa River, and the energy and public spirit dis- played by these men in laying out and working roads in different directions, soon had the effect to settle the country, and their prospect seemed hope- ful. In 1848 James White, from Beloit, settled west, and S. Newcomb, from Fort Madison, Iowa, settled two miles north of the McCain farm. Truman Curtis came in 1849, and settled in the northern part of the county, in the present town of Waubeek.
Pepin County was formed from Dunn County, by a special act of the legislature, approved Feb. 25, 1858. This act also located the county seat on Section 25, in Township 23, of Range 15 west, the village of Pepin. By the same act, the Governor was requested to appoint the necessary county officers, who were to serve until the first day of the following January. He appointed Henry D. Barron, county judge; N. W. Grippin, clerk of the court; Benjamin Allen, district attorney; Ebenezer Lathrop, treasurer; Edward Livingston, sheriff ; U. B. Shaver, clerk of the board of supervis- ors; Lucius Cannon, register of deeds ; J. C. Wolcott, surveyor; W. F. Hol- brook, coroner. The first election for county officers occurred Nov. 2, 1858, and resulted in the selection of Lyman Gale, sheriff; George B. Rickard, treasurer; M. B. Axtell, district attorney ; U. B. Shaver, county clerk; B. T. Hastings, clerk of the court; A. W. Miller, surveyor.
The first meeting of the board of supervisors was held at Pepin, March 15, 1858. The supervisors were J. C. Davis from Pepin Township, and L. G. Wood from Bear Creek Township, the clerk being U. B. Shaver. Davis was a young attorney of Pepin, who soon after moved to Wabasha. Wood and Shaver were both surveyors. W. F. Holbrook, of Pepin, was present at the meeting and attempted to take part in it. On motion of Wood, Davis was made chairman. The bonds of the clerk and treasurer were approved. Wood introduced a resolution creating the towns of Albany, Lima, Waubeek and Frankfort, and a motion to adopt the resolution was made by Mr. Holbrook. But he was ruled out, and the motion was lost, Mr. Wood voting for it, and Mr. Davis against it.
At the township election in April, 1858, L. G. W. Wood was chosen chairman of Bear Creek Township, and H. D. Barron, of Pepin. Although the act creating the towns of Albany, Lima and Frankfort had not passed the previous county board, the towns of Albany and Lima made an attempt at organization. Under this attempted organization they did not attempt to seat members of the county board, but they did attempt to secure repre- sentation on the board of equalization. The assessor elected from Bear Creek was V. W. Dorin, the assessor elected from Pepin was P. M. Mc- Inerney. Emerson M. Crandall claimed to be the assessor from Albany and Charles Gwiss from Lima. These four, together with the county clerk, U. B. Shaver, met at Pepin Sept. 20, 1858, for the purpose of equaliz- ing the county taxes. But the clerk refused to recognize Messrs. Crandall and Gwiss, as they had no credentials, and Mr. Dorwin, who believed that they should be given membership in the board, withdrew from the meeting with them. Whereupon, Mr. McInerney took the chair and adjourned the meeting until the next day, at which time he sat alone as the equalization board and rendered the opinion that, owing to the fact that there was so
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little personal property in Bear Creek Township, no reduction should be made in the valuation per acre placed on real estate.
The chairmen of the county board have been: 1858-J. C. Davis; 1859-Henry D. Barron and Henry Barber; 1860-Henry Barber; 1861- S. D. Washburn; 1862-Henry Barber; 1863-S. L. Plummer and Henry Barber; 1864-69-Henry Barber; 1870-1874-C. W. Dorin; 1875-78- George Tarrant; 1879-1882-V. W. Dorin; 1883-1885-S. L. Plummer; 1886-W. H. Huntington; 1887-1888-V. W. Dorin; 1889-P. J. Ryan; 1890-A. R. Dorwin; 1891-1892-S. L. Hunstable; 1893-D. C. Topping; 1894-C. M. Hilliard ; 1895-P. J. Ryan; 1896-G. Dowd; 1897-1900-S. L. Hunstable; 1901-Charles Richardson; 1902-1906-Fred Knaack; 1907- 1908-M. Dorwin; 1908-W. A. Parker; 1910-1911-E. J. Ryan; 1912- W. A. Parker; 1913-Fred Pittman; 1914-1916-M. Dorwin; 1917-John Brunner, Jr .; 1918-M. Dorwin.
The rapid growth of Durand caused that place to aspire to county seat honors. A vote taken in November, 1859, resulted in a vote of 348 in favor of the removal from Pepin to Durand, and 351 against it. The question was again before the voters in November, 1861, and the decision reversed, by a vote of 429 in favor of the removal, and 327 against it. The seat of government was accordingly taken before the courts. After long litigation, a decision was rendered by the courts in 1867, confirming the removal. In a few years Arkansas b came an aspirant for county seat honors, and as early as 1872, when the building of the courthouse was considered, peti- tions were presented to the county board, asking for the removal, before the county should be put to the expense of erecting a building on a site which later might have to be changed. In November, 1881, the voters were called upon to consider the question of removing the county seat to Arkansas, a proposition which was decided favorably by a vote of 697 to 648. The next year the question of removing the county seat back to Durand was voted upon, but was defeated by a vote of 357 for the proposition, and 764 against it. But in 1886 a vote was again taken on removing the county seat back to Durand, and this time a favorable decision was reached by a vote of 937 to 618. The courthouse, a sightly structure of simple lines, standing on a favorite site, was started in 1873, and completed the next year, at a cost of about $7,000.
"The first judge to preside in Pepin County was S. S. N. Fuller. He held court at Pepin Village in 1858. Judge Fuller resigned Oct. 1, 1860, Henry D. Barron was appointed. He was followed by L. P. Wetherby, who served one term. Then came H. L. Humphrey, who was twice elected. Judge Humphey resigned March 1, 1877, to enter Congress. Then came the famous fight for the position which is still a conspicuous phase in western Wisconsin politics. John C. Spooner strongly favored Egbert B. Bundy, of Menomonie. He could not persuade the Governor to appoint him, but he did obtain the Governor's promise not to appoint anyone. A convention was called at Baldwin, and several candidates were brought forward. In this contest John Fraser and Horace E. Houghton, of Durand, both took a prominent part. Seventy-eight ballots were taken before Judge Bundy was chosen as the candidate. The disgruntled ones at once put Horace
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E. Houghton in the field as a candidate, but he was defeated. Judge Bundy served until Jan. 1, 1897, in all nearly twenty years. He was followed by E. W. Helms. Judge Helms resigned Jan. 1, 1914, and George Thompson, of Thompson, has since been on the bench.
When Pepin County was created in 1858, it was included in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which was composed of the counties of Eau Claire, Chip- pewa, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, St. Croix, Polk (to which Burnett was attached for judicial purposes), LaPointe and Douglass.
In 1876, the circuit was reduced to St. Croix, Pierce, Dunn and Pepin counties; the Thirteenth Circuit, created that year, taking Eau Claire from the Eighth; and Buffalo and Trempealeau from the Sixth.
The Thirteenth Circuit went out of existence in 1878, and the coun- ties of Eau Claire and Buffalo were placed in the Eighth, while Trem- pealeau was placed in the Sixth. .
In 1878, the Eighth was made to consist of the counties of Eau Claire, Dunn, St. Croix, Pierce, Pepin and Buffalo.
Eau Claire was taken with Clark and Jackson in 1891 to form the Seventeenth, leaving the Eighth with its present counties of St. Croix, Pierce, Dunn, Pepin and Buffalo.
Among the early attorneys of Pepin County were H. C. Williams, M. D. Bartlett, Frank Clark, H. D. Barron, . D. Gray, H. E. Houghton and John Fraser.
Private banking houses were started in Pepin m the fifties, one being the Oakwood Bank, of which B. O'Connor was president ard A. C. Allen cashier; and the other being the Chippewa Bank, of which D. Lathrop was president and J. C. Mann cashier. These institutions loaned money to the pre-emptors at a high rate of interest, and also dealt in land war- rants. They were in existence but a few years.
The oldest bank in the county is the Bank of Durand, founded in 1884. The next is the First National Bank of Durand, founded as the State Bank of Durand in 1890. The First National Bank of Pepin was founded as the State Bank of Pepin in 1911.
In the past ten years, the banking business of Pepin County has increased about fourfold. In 1905, the Bank of Durand had a capital of $25,000, surplus and undivided profits of $12,033.12; deposits of $206,- 988.34; loans and discounts of $184,240.32. The State Bank of Durand has a capital of $25,000; surplus and undivided profits of $3,251.55; deposits of $66,109.47; loans and discounts, $63,769.49. The total for the county was: Capital, $50,000; surplus and undivided profits, $15,284.67; deposits, $273,097.81; loans and discounts, $248,009.81.
In 1910 the Bank of Durand had a capital of $25,000; surplus and undivided profits of $25,946.46; deposits of $360,828.32; loans and dis- counts of $278,340.99. The State Bank of Durand had a capital of $25,000; surplus and undivided profits of $3,973.11; deposits of $163,251.00; loans and discounts of $142,870.86. The total for the county was: Capital, $50,000; surplus and undivided profits, $29,919.57; deposits, $524,079.32; loans and discounts, $421,211.85.
Much progress in banking was made in the next five years. In 1915
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the Bank of Durand had a capital of $25,000; surplus and undivided profits of $32,624.96; deposits of $441,660.62; loans and discounts of $418,642.64. The First National Bank of Pepin had a capital of $35,000; surplus and undivided profits of $12,880.14; deposits of $258,295.65; loans and discounts of $236,190.79. The First National Bank of Pepin had a capital of $25,000; surplus and undivided profits of $2,791.72; deposits of $94,577.66; loans and discounts of $96,487.60. The total for the county was: Capital, $85,000; surplus and undivided profits, $48,296.82; deposits, $794,533.97; loans and discounts, $751,321.03.
When Pepin County was created in 1858, it had a population or less than 2,000. In 1860, the population was 2,392, in 1870 it was 4,659; in 1880 it was 6,226; in 1890 it was 6,932; in 1895 it was 7,567; in 1900 it was 7,905; in 1905 it was 7,569; in 1910 it was 7,577; and at the present time it is probably not much changed. The population of the various towns, cities and villages at the various periods of the county's develop- ment are as follows: Albany: 1860-104; 1870-275; 1880-431; 1890- 459; 1895-568; 1900-650; 1905-612; 1910-624. Durand City (included in Durand township in census of 1860 and 1870) : 1880-642; 1890-1,154; 1895-1,372 (first ward, 544; second ward, 828) ; 1900-1,458; 1905- 1,359 (first ward, 563; second ward, 796) ; 1900-1,503 (first ward, 588; second ward, 914). Dura. . Township: 1860-427 (including Durand Vil- lage) ; 1870-917 (incl eng Durand Village) ; 1880-642 (877 with Durand Village) ; 1890 -- 253: 1895-250; 1900-267; 1905-247; 1910-236. Frankfort: 1360 -- 251; 1870-340; 1880-639; 1890-648; 1895-775; 1900-877; 1905-588; 1910-856. Lima: 1860-175; 1870-477; 1880- 605; 1890-765; 1895-748; 1900-743; 1905-763; 1910-730. Pepin: 1860-867; 1870-956; 1880-1,515; 1890-1,491; 1895-1,194 (with vil- lage, 1,569) ; 1900-1,142; 1905-1,071; 1910-1,023. Pepin Village (in- cluded in Pepin township in previous censuses) : 1895-375; 1900-407; 1905-398; 1910-397. Stockholm: 1860-209; 1870-409; 1880-763; 1890-711; 1895-743; 1900-671; 1905-396; 1910-392. Stockholm Village (included in Stockholm township in previous censuses) : 1905-244; 1910-204. Waterville: 1870-835; 1880-1,197; 1890-1,287; 1895- 1,382; 1900-1,522; 1905-1,446; 1910-1,462. Waubeck Township: 1870 -360; 1880-197; 1890-164; 1895-160; 1900-168; 1905-145; 1910- 150.
Agriculture on its fertile acres, and logging on the Chippewa have been the principal industries in Chippewa County since its first settlement, and of these agriculture has taken a predominating place.
In 1860 there were 25,456 acres of land in farms in Pepin County. This would be but little more than two sections more than one complete government township, a government township containing 23,040 acres. Of this land, but 5,271 acres were under cultivation, a tract which if all the cultivated area were contiguous would be less than three miles square. The cash value of the farms of the county was estimated at $228,780, while the value of implements and machinery was estimated at $10,354. There were but 191 horses and two mules. Oxen were still being used to a con- siderable extent, there being 206 in the county. The milch cows numbered
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