History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2), Part 66

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

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at dances and spelling schools. After quitting the lime business in town I came to the farm, in 1890. With the exception of one year spent in Cali- fornia, I have lived here continuously since I came from New York state at the age of twelve years."

Nelson Sabin, the first settler in Bear Creek Valley, moved with his family from Rock County, and on May 28. 1856, settled on land in the present Lima Township on a farm, later owned by N. P. Ward, Sr. It was before the enaction of the homestead law, and at that time government land was secured by settlers under the pre-emption act at the rate of $1.25 per acre. The following facts are gathered from his reminiscences.

When Mr. Sabin and family settled in the Bear Creek country much of the land was already claimed, but there were no houses between the mouth of Bear Creek and Osseo. There were many wild animals, including bears, deer and timber wolves. Deer were often seen in large numbers. The wolves were large ones, of the timber variety, and did considerable howling at night.

The winter of 1856-57 was known as "the winter of deep snow" as far south as the Ohio River. In this section it was four feet deep on the level, making it a difficult matter to get around. As a result of the vast snowfall, deer died in large numbers, and there were never so many after- ward. There were destructive floods in the spring of 1857.

In 1855 an attempt was made to start a town called Chippewa at the mouth of Bear Creek, in Durand Township, but the flood of the spring of 1857 was so disastrous that the future of that town did not look encourag- ing and it was subsequently abandoned. For a time there was considerabie rivalry between Durand and Chippewa, and one year there were rival Fourth of July celebrations. Later, the town at the mouth of Bear Creek gave up the struggle. Since that time the channel of the Chippewa River has changed to some extent and the river now occupies some of the space occupied by the old townsite.

Many of the buildings at the mouth of Bear Creek were moved to the city. Among those still standing are the following: The Isaac Plume building, now part of the home of Sam Shapiro; the home of Dominic Boehm, near the brewery, and the house occupied by Ole Paulson.

Skinners' Prairie was thus named because of the fact that a man named Orlando Skinner developed and operated a large farm on the edge of the prairie for a number of years.

The erection of Dorwin's mill by V. W. Dorwin, about the year 1859, was an improvement much welcomed. It was the first grist mill on this side of the river for many miles and did a great deal of grinding. In its early years the dam was often washed out by spring freshets and it became necessary to rebuild before any more grinding could be done. A grist mili was put in at Mondovi about the time the Dorwin mill was built.

The early settlers were energetic and industrious, and it was not long until large quantities of grain were raised. Charles Averill was among the first to purchase an Esterly reaper in Bear Creek Valley. In order to get this machine along the roads it was often necessary to chop off stumps.

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Truman Curtis, who lived at the mouth of Bear Creek, witnessed a war dance of a band of Chippewa Indians one night in 1854. He could understand the language of the Indians and asked them what they were going to do. They informed him that they were going down near the mouth of the Chippewa River, probably at Battle Slough, and get "heap Sioux scalps." They went down the river in canoes and appear to have met with a warm reception, for only a few of them came straggling back a day or two later. When asked how the battle went they admitted that they got the worst of it, saying they encountered "heap Sioux." It is not recorded that they went on any more expeditions of that kind.

The Chippewa Indians and the whites never had any difficulty in this section, but the white settlers became more and more numerous and the Indians became scarcer and scarcer.

To help get a start, many of the early pioneers worked in the woods in the winter and helped raft lumber in the spring. In the earlier days there was little rafting or floating of logs. This came later and with much damage to the channel of the river, resulting from jams of logs.

PEPIN

Pepin Township is the largest of the eight townships in Pepin County, and is of irregular shape. It is bounded on the north by Pierce County, and the town of Frankfort; on the east by the town of Frankfort and the Chippewa River; on the south and southwest by Lake Pepin, and on the west by Stockholm. Bogus and Lost Creeks and Roaring River flow in a southerly direction through the township.

The first settler in Pepin County and Pepin Township was John Mc- Cain, who selected a claim in 1844 and moved here in 1846. The next was McCain's cousin, W. B. Newcomb, who assisted him in putting up his log cabin, and who that fall took a claim on the present site of Pepin Village, on which he did some breaking. The next were Robert, William, Samuel and John Hix, who came up from Illinois, and settled on Roaring Creek, four miles east of McCain, near the trail leading up the Chippewa. These men were energetic in laying out and working roads in varoius directions, and to their efforts much of the development of the farming community was due. In 1848, James White, from Beloit, settled west of McCain, and in 1849 Samuel Newcomb, of Fort Madison, Iowa, settled two miles north of McCain.

The first mill in the township was built in 1853, on Roaring River, and furnished the early settlers with grist. It was owned by Isaac Ingalls and Melville Mills. In 1856 Philip Plaff established a mill on the same river, and operated it until his death in 1890. It was destroyed by fire in the fall of that year. In 1871 he had erected a steam feed-mill, which, upon his death, passed into the possession of his widow.

Pepin is an incorporated village of about 500 population, situated near the foot of Lake Pepin, in the southern part of Pepin township, and on the Chicago-St. Paul branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. It is 22 miles southwest of Durand, the county seat. The situation is one of unusual beauty, with its wide expanse of lake, bounded on the Minnesota

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side by rugged bluffs, and on the Wisconsin side by undulating hills and prairies, giving a most charming variety to the scene. The village has good telegraph, telephone and express service. The most important enter- prise is the fishing business, which flourishes on a large scale. There are also in Pepin two general stores, two hardware stores and garages, one restaurant, one drug store, one millinery store, a newspaper and printing office, four saloons, a lumber yard, two elevators, a creamery, a hotel, a furniture and crockery store, a pickle factory, a factory manufacturing children's bob sleds, and a bank. A good school affords education facilities in the grade and high school courses, and two churches, the Methodist Episcopal and the Evangelist Lutheran Immanuels, minister to the moral and religious needs of the community.

Originally, the village extended along the levee, but with the excep- tion of the hotel, the business houses have been moved a block farther back on higher ground, commanding a view of the lake, and here also most of the residential portion of the village is located.

In 1908 the village erected a neat little village hall, and recently a small natural park has been laid out and improvements started.

The village is lighted by electricity, which is furnished by a private corporation, and with the last ten years cement sidewalks have been laid and a healthy civic pride aroused which has led to beneficial results in public improvements.

Pepin has been successively known as Newcomb's Landing, Kansas, North Pepin and Pepin.

The earliest settler on the present site of Pepin Village was William Boyd Newcomb, a river pilot, who came to this vicinity from Fort Madi- son, Iowa, in 1845, resided for a year on the other side of the river, and in 1846 came to what is now Pepin, split some rails, plowed some ground and assisted his cousin, John McCain, erect a log cabin at Lakeport.

He did but little toward developing his Pepin claim until after his marriage, in 1849, when he brought his bride here, and made plans for a permanent location. When the land office was opened at Hudson he en- tered a claim, embracing the main part of the present village.

The point selected, though it did not embody a good boat landing, was on the main route of travel between Lake Pepin and the pineries of the Chippewa region, and several pioneers, quick to see the advantages of the location, gathered around Mr. Newcomb. Among them may be men- tioned Otis Hoyt, Elias Brock, James Little, Ebenezer Thompson, B. O'Con- nor and S. Carlos Fayerweather.

The years of 1850-1854 were busy ones in the development of the Chippewa pineries, and there were indications that Newcomb's little settle- ment would become an important center. A road was opened along the line of the old trail between North Pepin and Chippewa Falls, and through the efforts of Col. Benjamin Allen, a stage line was opened between the two towns, making the round trip in two days, at a fare each way of $3. In the winter of 1854-55 a postoffice was established with John Newcomb as postmaster.

In 1855 the village was platted as North Pepin, the surveying being

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done by A. W. Miller, then a resident of Hudson, later of Maxville, Buffalo County. On the plat members of the Newcomb family appear as the sole owners, although Otis Hoyt, Benjamin Newcomb and John O'Connor were probably interested to some extent. The first village lots were purchased by Elias Brock. Ebenezer Thompson erected a suitable building and opened a hotel in it. He also put up a building in which B. O'Connor opened the first store. A warehouse was erected by A. C. Allen and others and was afterward converted into a hotel. Several residences were put up. A Masonic lodge was instituted this year.

In 1856 a large store and warehouse was erected, afterward converted into an elevator. The same year a church, the first in the county, was erected by the Methodist Episcopal denomination, services having been held as early as 1850 by the Rev. John W. Hancock, of Red Wing, Minn.

In 1857 a schoolhouse was erected, the first school having been taught as early as 1853-54 by Louisa Ingalls, in a house erected a few months previous by Elias Brock. The same year, 1857, a newspaper was estab- lished under the title of the Pepin County Independent.

The year of 1857 marked the high tide of early Pepin prosperity. Up to this time the village had grown rapidly. Building after building had been erected in quick succession, hotels and stores were in fuli operation, and two banking houses were started, the Oakwood Bank, with B. O'Con- nor as president, and A. C. Allen as cashier ; and the Chippewa Bank, with E. Lathrop as president, and J. C. Mann as cashier.

At this time anticipations of the pioneers that Pepin would become a flourishing city, the "Queen City of Lake Pepin," the "Gate City of Chip- pewa" seemed to be about to be realized. The place seemed the natural outlet of the Chippewa trade. Raftsmen, after taking rafts down the Mis- sissippi, were landed here by the steamboats, and walked to the pineries. Travelers came here to take the stage to that region. Everyhing was booming. Everything was busy. Settlers were taking up the land, men anxious for opportunities of investment were thronging here, building lots were selling at a high figure.

Then came the financial panic of 1857. But this was general all over the country, the other villages of the Upper Mississippi shared the same fate, and like the others, Pepin in due time began to recover, enough so, indeed, that in 1859 the village was incorporated by special act of the legis- lature. The first president was W. B. Newcomb, the first settler. The trustees were Joseph Manning, Dudley Manning, Peter B. Granger and H. D. Barron; the first clerk was U. B. Shaver. Four years later the in- corporation was abandoned.

For there were causes at work which were to defeat the high aspira- tions of the people of Pepin. Pepin had no adequate steamboat landing, and in low water it was practically impossible for steamboats to land either passengers or freight here. So to a considerable degree the steamboat business at Pepin languished. Light draft boats began to ply the Chip- pewa, diminishing the business of the stage line which had brought the village so much of its business. Shorter routes were opened between Mis- sissippi points and the pineries by way of Durand, and Durand became a

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successful rival. Beef Slough was opened, taking the business of the rafts- men to Alma. Pepin even lost its advantages as the county seat, Durand being the fortunate winner. In 1870 railroads were opened on the Mis- sissippi side of the Mississippi, and this also diverted considerable business. Thus perished the aspirations of the village to become one of the great cities of the Upper Mississippi.

But with the development of the farming region tributary to this re- gion, Pepin again became a thriving agricultural center, and plans were made for a reincorporation. A petition was presented March 4, 1882, the census of the previous day taken by Amos S. Gray having shown a popula- tion of 340. The petition was granted, and at an election held May 11. 1882, in charge of A. S. Gray, C. M. Hilliard and Philip Plaff, every one of the fifty votes cast was in favor of the proposition. The first election of officers was held June 5, resulting as follows:

President, M. B. Axtell; trustees, F. A. Fisher, James Hullsworth, John Lowry, Hugh Francis, August Thier and Claus Stoltenberg; super- visor, A. D. Gray ; clerk, C. M. Hilliard; treasurer, Philip Pfaff; justice, S. C. Fayerweather; police justice, M. B. Axtell.

The officers for 1918 are: President, O. G. Fuller; trustees, I. M. Newcomb, E. F. Woods, L. F. Marsh, William Juliot, L. P. Mears and M. H. Newcomb ; clerk, R. D. Newcomb ; supervisor, L. O. Fuller; assessor, O. M. Axtell; treasurer, O. G. Potter; justice, B. L. Mitter; police justice, A. Clifford.

The Chicago, Burlington & Northern was opened for business Aug. 23, 1886, and while it brought no immediate growth to the village, has never- theless been an important factor in its prosperity.

The fishing industry of Pepin originated many years ago, but in 1893 a more rapid growth set in which has since continued to increase, until now the annual catch amounts to from $125,000 to $250,000, the busiest season being for three months in the winter. Lake Pepin fish, on account of their superior quality, command a better price in the markets than fish from most other sources. As much as $15,000 worth in a week have been shipped from here. All scale fish go to New York and the skin fish to southern markets.

The first school in Pepin was held in the winter of 1853 in a frame house, just erected by Elias Brock, situated on land afterwards platted as Block 9, and was supported by subscription. W. B. Newcomb was the chief promoter, he having induced Mrs. Louisa Ingalls to come from Ft. Madi- son, Iowa, to instruct the youth here. In this school there were enrolled twenty pupils. In 1854 another private, or select school, was taught by Mr. Caldwell, in a building owned by John Newcomb, Sr. Mrs. Mary Miles followed as teacher in 1855. In 1856, Prof. E. W. Gurley was the principal, with Mrs. Miles as assistant.

The first school house was built by subscription, in 1857, the chief promoter being Prof. Gurley, whose object was to establsh an academy known as The Hesperian Institute. After the school was in session a few years, with students from points as far off as Hudson, Wis., the Civil War broke out, and Prof. Gurley enlisted. The academy was then closed as

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such, and the people bought the building for their use as a public school. Several principals succeeded during the war and shortly after, of whom no record is available. Among them were Dr. M. B. Axtell and Ezra Moore. It was in this building that the Peace Celebration, shortly before the as- sassination of President Lincoln, was held in April, 1865. It was burned on Jan. 1, 1902, and the present building erected in that year, of red brick, two stories and basement, heated by steam and lighted by electricity. The school covers the usual grades and the full four years of high school work, there being three teachers in the high school and four in the grades.

From 1868 on the records show the following to have been principals in the order named: V. D. Carruth, J. S. Garvin, E. T. Fitch, W. E. Barker, C. H. Keyes, A. B. Burr, C. H. Evans, W. E. Barker, D. S. Schuler, O. E. Rice, T. H. Lage, D. E. Cameron, J. M. Bold, G. E. Pratt, F. B. Webster, W. T. Darling, G. A. Bowden, John W. Burkholder, Oscar Klang, T. H. Lage, J. C. Householder and L. C. Banker.

The interest always taken by Pepin's citizens in education is well shown by their action in 1875, when they organized their school as a free high school, under Chapter 323, Laws of 1875, when the first special aid to high schools was given. This aid has been continued to this date; without it, it is highly probable that not many small high schools would have been started, or even maintained, if organized. At the organization of the high school E. T. Fitch was the principal, and there were forty-two students, ready to pursue at some point a high school course. It was not then the rule to require the course to be followed closely, and no class was graduated until under Principal C. H. Keyes, in 1882, when the first class of three was duly honored by commencement exercises. Since 1882 a class has been graduated every year, except in 1890. The first course was a three-year course, though many students, especially the first class, did more work than the course called for. The first class receiving a credit of four years' work was that of 1905, since which time all students have received the benefit of a four-year course.

The first newspaper in the county, called the Pepin Independent, was founded in January, 1857, by U. B. Shaver, as the North Pepin Independent, and was published by Lathrop & Shaver. It was suspended within a year, but was revived in April, 1858, by E. W. Gurley and E. B. Newcomb. In the following autumn it was again suspended.

In 1858 Richard Copeland started the Hesperian Monthly, a paper that, like the Independent, had but a brief existence.

The Pepin County News and Pepin Star originated with the Pepin Star, an independent weekly, established in 1884, by Leo E. Kirkpatrick. In August, 1885, it was acquired by Robert A. and Orla B. Axtell, who conducted it jointly until 1894, when Orla B. withdrew. It was then con- ducted by Robert A. alone until 1897, when it was sold to J. M. Axtell, who owned it until June, 1906, having in March, 1904, moved it to Durand, and changed the name to the Pepin County News and Pepin Star. The subscription list was taken by the Courier and the outfit was purchased by the Entering Wedge.

The Pepin County Press, a Republican weekly paper, was established

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in Pepin, in June, 1860, by U. B. Shaver, and was continued by him until its suspension, in May, 1862. From February to April, 1862, it published a series of articles on the history of Pepin.

The Era of Progress, a bi-weekly paper, was started in Pepin, Dec. 25, 1861, by John Sterling.

The Pepin Herald was established Feb. 13, 1908, by Lloyd A. Axtell, son of Dr. Milton B. Axtell. Mr. Axtell acquired his first journalistic expe- rience in the office of the Pepin Star, then conducted by his brothers, Rob- ert A. and Orla B. Axtell, and subsequently worked as a journeyman printer on the Pacific Coast. The Herald is enjoying a good circulation, and in connection with the paper Mr. Axtell has also built up a profitable job printing business, having a complete equipment in both departments.

`1- The Methodist Episcopal Church had its beginning in the fall of 1849. Samuel Newcomb and family came to Pepin from Iowa. He, with his wife, one son, and one daughter, were members of that denomination. A that time this region was missionary ground. On May 16, 1852, the Rev. George W. Richardson, a missionary on this field of labor preached to the people and formed a class of nine members, anpointing Ebenezer Thomp- son, a Baptist, as class leader. The class was called Newcomb's Landing Class, St. Peter's Mission. In the fall of 1852 S. M. Webster and wife came from Illinois and joined the class, and he was appointed class leader, with Rev. Samuel L. Leonard, preacher, in charge, and Rev. Chauncey Hobart, presiding elder. In the spring following (1854) a number of Methodist brethren immigrated from Pennsylvania and other parts and joined the society. At the conference of 1853 the Rev. David Brooks was appointed presiding elder, and the Rev. Matthew Sorin, of Red Wing, the preacher in charge. He preached to the people once every four weeks. During this year several more were added, so that the society numbered twenty-four members. In 1854 the conference again appointed the Rev. David Brooks presiding elder, and Rev. Dwight Kidder preacher in charge. The charge was then called Chippewa Mission, and embraced the country between Lake Pepin and the Eau Galle Mills. The first quarterly conference of the Chippewa Mission was held at Newcomb's Landing, or as it was pretty ex- tensively called, Kansas, on Oct. 7, 1854, in the schoolhouse, the members present being Rev. David Brooks, presiding elder; Rev. Dwight Kidder, preacher in charge, and David Fayerweather, steward. At the conference of 1855 this northwestern field of labor was divided into two districts, and the Rev. David Brooks was appointed to the St. Paul District, and the Rev. Norris Hobart to the other, called the Winona District, which included North Pepin. The Rev. Calvin Kellogg was sent as preacher in charge to North Pepin. This was still missionary ground, and $100 was appropriated for the support of the gospel in the mission.

At the general conference of May, 1856, which was held at Indianapolis, the northwestern part of Wisconsin was joined to Minnesota and made a separate conference, called the Minnesota Conference, which held its first session at Red Wing, Bishop Simpson presiding. There was nothing appropriated to the Kansas or North Pepin mission, so it became a circuit to support its own preacher, and Thomas Day was appointed preacher in

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charge. At that time there were six preaching places: North Pepin, Plum Valley, Dead Lake Prairie, Spring Creek, Big Bear and Eau Galle Mills.

On Monday, Sept. 1, 1856, a meeting was held for the purpose of con- sidering the advisability of erecting a church edifice at this place. On Sunday, Jan. 7, 1857, a little over four months later, the church was dedi- cated. It was a plain building, 36 by 30 feet, with 12-foot walls, and cost $470. It was the first church erected by any Christian denomination in Dunn County, then including Pepin County. Rev. Thomas Day was the preacher in charge. On April 24, 1857, M. Webster, George W. Densmore, William I. Saddler and L. O. Ferris were appointed trustees.

The present church was built in 1875, at a cost of $2,500. It was dedicated June 27, 1885, with D. E. Carrier, J. Newcomb, William McCain, J. Hilliard, P. N. Tuttle, J. Holden and George Toplis, trustees; Rev. M. Woodly, pastor, and Rev. J. D. Searles presiding elder.

Originally the German Methodist Episcopal Church of Pepin was embodied in the Wabasha and Lake City circuit. Pepin and Beef Slough were in 1886 organized into a separate mission. The first board of trustees of the Pepin society consisted of John Peters, Charles Peters and Joseph Betz. The frame church was built in 1861 under the pastorate of Rev. Frederick Groschtenmeyer, and the parsonage was built in 1891 under the pastorate of Rev. F. J. Wiegand. William Krienke was pastor in 1886-87; C. H. Sauter, 1887-89; W. F. Eberhardt, 1889-90; F. J. Wiegand, 1890-93; C. A. Borchardt, 1893-94; H. Ziegler, 1894-95; J. G. Steffer, 1895-97; H. Schmittker, 1897-1901; William Pagenhardt, 1901-02; Carl Krueger, 1902- 07; W. F. Eberhardt, 1907-11; Leon Koch, 1911-12, and H. E. Young, 1912- 13. After considering the feasibility of uniting the two M. E. churches, the English M. E. and the German M. E. churches, for several years, it was finally agreed upon at the Fourth Quarterly Conference, held Aug. 3, 1913, by unanimous vote of the conference, and the two churches were consoli- dated. It was further agreed that the one property be sold and the returns applied toward the other property ; also that the West Wisconsin Conference be requesed to transfer the custodianship of the English property to the Northern German Conference, and that the said conference have charge of the consolidated work, with Rev. J. J. Hoffman district superintendent, Rev. H. E. Young, preacher in charge, and with R. D. Newcomb, N. J. Dunlap, Thomas Gore, Charles Richardson, W. L. Hunter and David Fayer- weather, trustees of the English church, and John Peters, Louis Peters, William Batz, Charles Brunkow and William Peters, trustees of the Ger- man church. The Rev. E. G. Meierbachtol was the first pastor of the con- solidated churches. Under his pastorate the church property was greatly improved, and a new parsonage erected, and it was his mission to har- monize the two congregations. The present pastor is Rev. H. Clement.

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History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2), Part 66

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

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