History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 110

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298

USA > Wisconsin > Richland County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 110
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 110

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

his father and family, emigrated to America. They first settled in the State of Ohio. Here the young man did not stay long, for, feeling dissatisfied with that country, he pushed on, following the 'course of empire,' and finally arrived in the then pioneer city of Galena, in the fall of 1835. Early the next spring, as soon as the snows had melted, he started for the lead mines in Grant Co., Wis. Here he re- mained until in the summer of 1838, when he, in company with two young companions, John La Rue and Frank Hubbard by name, crossed the swift Wisconsin river in an Indian canoe, landing near where the town of Port Andrew is now located. The party at once went to work and erected a cabin for themselves, which stood about two rods cast of the stone bridge in that now thriving village. Here all was then a primeval wilderness, the hunting ground of the wild Indian and the home of the hardly less savage beasts. These young men, having some idea of a settlement in their mind, chris- tened their embryo village Trip Knock ; but their hopes of then being colonists were blasted -nipped, as it were, in the bud. Just how long they tarried here cannot now be ascer- tained with any degree of accuracy, but finding the Indians, who, it was generally supposed, had been removed by the government to reser- vations west of the Mississippi river, were likely to prove troublesome neighbors, they deemed it prudent, at least, to vacate and re- turn to the mines, thinking, no doubt, discretion the better part of valor.

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HISTORY OF RICIILAND COUNTY.

"But John Coumbe had had his eyes blessed with the sight of the promised land, and he felt a strong desire to again enter upon the pos- session of this western Canaan. Therefore, in June, 1840, he determined to make another trial, and this time was more successful. He was accompanied on this expedition by his brother, Edward. On one of Capt. Coumbe's first visits to Richland county, he was accompanied by a Mr. Popejoy. After landing, they located about half a mile west of where Coumbe and his companions had built their first cabin, two years before. Here John remained, a tiller of the soil, and one of the most highly respected men among the pioneers who immediately fol- lowed in his footsteps, until the day of his death, which occurred May 2, 1882. He was married in May, 1849, espousing a daughter of Thomas Palmer, one of the band of early pio- neers of Richland county."

These hardy adventurers were beyond all doubt the first white inhabitants of the county, in the sense of actual settlers. Edward Conmbe, however did not stay very long, but returned to Grant county, where he died many years ago. It has been claimed that the actual settlement of some others, preceded this last location of the Coumbe brothers, but a rigid examination of the dates given, prove induditably, that they are entirely mistaken, and that the palm of be- ing the pioneer of Richland county, belongs to Capt. Coumbe. The land settled on by him lies but a short distance west of the now village of Port Andrew; here the river bottom expands into a beautiful plain, two miles or more in width, and a house built on it commands a fine pictur- esque view of the broad river, studded with its green islands, and the broad valley stretching far away into the blue and misty distance, en- closed, as it were, within the walls of the state- ly bluffs that frown down in somber magnifi- cence upon the beholder. All these, no doubt, charmed the early settler and made him feel that this was an earthly Eden.

In July, of the same year, Matthew Alexan- der came into the county, locating a claim about six miles east of the land of Coumbe, near where Eagle Corners has risen in later days. Mr. Alexander brought his family with him, and as Mr. Conmbe, who, by the way, was at that time a bachelor, has the honor of being the first white man in the county, Mrs. Alex- ander can also claim her just dues to being the first woman who settled in these wooded wastes.

When the frosts of autumn began to touch the leaves of the forest during that same event- ful year, Wiley H. Waters, his brother, Samuel, and William Smiley, crossed the tortuous chan- nel of the Wisconsin, landing near what is now called Orion village. These men staid with John Coumbe, until early in the spring of 1841, when the Waters brothers, determining to turn colonists themselves, located a tract of land, in true squatter style, a short distance west of the mouth of a stream called Bird's creek. Here, these hardy pioneers commenced their labors, and erected a cabin. But let Mr. Waters tell the story himself, which can be found in the fol- lowing statement made by him, and read at one .of the meetings of the Old Settlers' Association. After entering upon an account of his early years, Wiley II. Waters goes on to state that he came to Grant county in June, 1833, when he was about fourteen years of age. He stopped about three miles west of Platteville, and in 1837 or 1838, went to Iowa connty and located a short distance west of Ilighland. In the fall of 1840 Mr. Waters, his brother, Samuel A., and William Smiley, crossed the Wisconsin river just below Muscoda, a Parish landing. At that time Matthew Alexander and family lived three and a half miles below what is now Orion. The place is now called Pilling's Mills. Capt. John Conmbe was keeping bachelor's cabin near his present residence. At this time Mr. Alexander and Capt. Coumbe were the only actual settlers in Richland connty. Mr. Waters, his brother and Mr. Smiley remained

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HISTORY OF RICIILAND COUNTY.

with Mr. Conmbe during the winter of 1840 and 1841. In the spring of 1841 Mr. Waters and brother located upon a tract of land a short distance west of Bird's creek, built a log house, cultivated some of the land, and Mr. Waters' father, Thomas Waters, and family, occupied the premises for three years, and sold out to James Andrews, a , brother of Capt. Andrews. In the spring of 1841 Capt. Smith and Thomas Matthews established a ferry 'between Muscoda (which was then called Savannah, to the best of "my recollection) and Orion, which they gave the name of Richmond. They soon laid out a town plat and were the first settlers in Orion. In the season of 1841 one Robert Boyd located on Mill creek where Rodolf's mills now stand, with the view of erectinga saw-mill. He after- wards sold his interest to Capt. Stephen Estes and Thomas J. Parish. They built a saw-mill and a "corn erusher" grist mill the following year, which were the first mills in Richland county.

Hardin Moore accompanied Boyd in the spring of 1841, and located on the land which constituted part of the McClary farm, more re- cently owned by Marvin Briggs. Mr. Moore put up a large cabin and put in a basswood pun- cheon floor. IIe started a blacksmith shop, the first in the county. He had no family, and only one room in the cabin. That summer Mr. Moore raised some cabbage, potatoes and other vegetables. He put them in the cellar, and in the fall turned his attention to his trade, using his eabin for a shop. There were but two horses in the county, which were owned by Capt. Andrews. On a bitter cold day in the latter part of 1841, Capt. Andrews and Mr. Waters took the horses to Mr. Moore for the purpose of having them shod. One of them was taken in the cabin and held by Mr. Waters. Hle braced himself well, taking hold with both hands to hold steady. Capt. Andrews held up one of the fore legs while Mr. Moore took his drawing-knife (for want of something better), squared himself around facing Capt. Andrews,

placed a piece of board on the floor and rested it against his shoulder while Mr. Andrews held the toe of the hoof against the board and Mr. Moore began to pare the hoof. The horse became restless and began to struggle till he finally floundered and plunged himself into the cellar among the cabbage and potatoes. After the horse became quiet, a second platform of pun- cheon was arranged, and with leading, pulling and boosting the horse was brought out.

In the fall of 1843 Mr. Waters, his brother, James Andrews and Vincent B. Morgan first vis- ited Pine river valley. They came up the Wis- consin river from Port Andrew to Pine river, then np Pine river and Ash creek, and landed a short distance below where Brimer's carding mill now stands, and where they remained some time hunting bees and killing game, which were quite plenty.

About this time Samuel Swinehart, Mr. Palmer, Mr. French and Mr. Green estab- lished a logging camp on Pine river, sec- tion 22, in the town of Rockbridge, a short dis- tance west of the present residence of W. H. Joslin. They cut and put into the river several hundred pine logs and floated them down to Muscoda. They had no team and were obliged to do everything by hand.

During the same year a trapper by the name of Knapp, also built him a cabin on the creek that now bears his name, in the town of Rich- wood.

These rugged and hardy adventurers were soon followed by others, who settled all along the northern shore of the Wisconsin river. Hardin Moore, Stephen Taylor, Capt. James B. Estes, Thomas J. Parrish and Robert Boyd lo- cating in 1841; G. C. White, Thomas Andrews, his son-in-law, with his brother, James An- drews, Martin Moon and V. B. Morgan in 1842; Robert Akan, Iliram Palmer, Nathaniel Green, John Youst, Samuel Swinehart and Thomas Parrish in 1843, had penetrated up the Pine river as far as Rockbridge, aud engaged in log- ging at that place. Mr. Swinehart gives an in-

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

teresting account of these early days, and per- haps it would be as well to give it in this con- nection. In relating his experience to the old settlers assembled on a late occasion, Samuel Swinehart, now of Avoca, but one of the pio- neers of Richland county, as noted above, goes on to relate that he first crossed the Wisconsin river Oct. 10, 1843, in a canoe, a short distance above Muscoda, landing near the mouth of In- dian ereek. He then made his way along the north shore of the Wisconsin to the mouth of Pine river, and pitched his camp on its east bank, but was soon compelled to remove it by the Winnebago Indians, who were inelined to appro- priate everything to their own use. The latter part of October and first of November were occupied in exploring the valley of the Pine as far up as Rockbridge, where the West branch passes through the rocks. Ile passed through the aperture in a little canoe made of a pine log, and so light he could easily carry it on his back or pass it over or under a log or other ob- struction in the river. He established a camp under the east side of the shelving rock near the southern extremity. Two hackberry trees stood close by, and upon one he cut his name. This was in November, 1843. A week or ten days were occupied in making explorations in the vicinity, the chief object being to find pine timber near the river. After satisfying him- self, the next important consideration was whether logs could be floated down the Pine into the Wisconsin. In order to ascertain this, it was necessary to go the whole length of the river in a boat. For this purpose, about the 15th of November, he embarked at Rockbridge (the name he had given it) in his tiny boat to explore the river, which he found to be of good depth, without shoals or rapids-a beautiful stream, but quite erooked, having many acute angles. About the fourth day he reached the month of Willow creek, where he found an old Indian village, many of the wigwam poles still standing. He found places where the Indians had smelted lead ore by making a shallow basin

in the ground, placing flat stones on the bot- tom, then the ore on the stones, and a fire on the ore. Proceeding on his journey, two days more brought him to the mouth of the Pine. On this journey he had with him his gun, two dogs, pair of blankets, a hatchet, a frying pan and some hardtack. He subsisted chiefly on game, which was abundant. Ile proceeded to Galena, procured an outfit, and returned in December of the same year, accompanied by John Youst, Nathaniel Greene, Iliram Palmer and a Mr. French. An attempt was made to reach Rockbridge, by the way of Indian creek, with a sled drawn by two yoke of oxen. The snow was deep, and after a trial of two days they were obliged to turn back to Museoda. A hand-sled for each man was constructed, and tools, provisions and camp equipments placed thereon, and the party set out in high spirits upon the ice on the Wisconsin river, and the mouth of Pine river was made with little trou- ble. The party went up the stream to within two miles of Ash creek; the weather grew warmer, the ice thin, and in many places the current had eut it out, rendering it almost im- possible to proceed. A few days were spent in hunting coons, which were plenty. Here the party passed the holidays, which were properly observed. The bill of fare consisted chiefly of roast coon. The weather became colder and a forward move was made. From this point to the rocks on the east side of the river, a mile above where Bowen's mills now are, the journey was very laborious; the ice in many places was nearly gone, the sleds were hanled through the deep snow, over logs, through the brush and numerous swamps, but by energy and persever- ance, after fifteen days of great fatigue and hardships, they reached the rocks, and it was decided to go into eamp.

The next morning Swinehart assured the party they were not far from the pines, and he made a motion that the camp be left in charge of one of the dogs, and proceed to the pines, with axes, dig out a canoe, come down the river and take

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

up the luggage. The first day they reached the pines, they found a bee-tree and after feasting on wild honey and the Innch they had with them by a huge blazing fire of dry pine, Mr. Swine- hart proposed to fell a majestic pine standing near the bank of the river, which was agreed to, and the sound of the white man's axes resounded in those woods for the first time. The canoe was completed, and floated down to the camp which they found duly guarded by the dog, and all right. A camp for the winter was con- structed and the party employed for the remain- der of the winter, cutting the beautiful and majestic pines that were then standing thick on the high lands, and rolling them into the river. Four hundred logs as choice as ever was cut were put into the river and floated out at the breaking up of winter. Mr. Swinchart was occupied most of the time in packing supplies on his back from Muscoda, which usually took him a week to make the trip. The boom which held the logs gave way in March, the camp broke up, everything was placed in canoes and the party followed their winter's production. It took them till the 4th of July to reach the month of Pine river, innumerable trees which lay across the stream impeding their way, hav- ing to be cut out. They sold their logs at Muscoda, to Thomas Parish, for $1,200.

Mr. Swinehart soon returned to Rockbridge and continued to exercise possession of his claim. Harvey Cole, a lumberman of Galena, became interested in the enterprise about this time, and during the summer of 1845 a saw- mill was erected, but not completed till the fol- lowing spring.

In the fall of 1845 Mr. Swinchart with a party of men opened the first wagon road from Orion to Rockbridge, and the following winter, under contract, cut out Pine river, eighteen feet wide, of all logs, trees and brush above the ice. The mill was started in the spring of 1846.

To the best of Mr. Swinehart's recollection, Mrs. Minerva Culver, the wife of Mason Cul-

ver, a millwright, who worked on the mill, was the first woman that came to Rockbridge.

Mr. Swinehart was actively engaged in lum- bering at the mill and marketing its products until he sold his interest in the year 1848. Mr. Cole disposed of his interest to James Vine- yard and James Moore, of Platteville. Thomas Mathews named Indian creek, Mr. Swinehart named Ash creek, by reason of the heavy ash timber upon the ridge near by. Rocky branch being the only stream running into the Pine which has a gravel bottom, it was thus given its name. What is now known as Center creek was called Camp creek, by reason of its being a camping ground; Brush creek, because it was filled with brush ; Horse creek, because a horse in crossing became mired and died ; Fancy creek, for its resemblance to a stream of that name in Sangamon Co., Ill .; Buck creek was near the Creeds ; Sole's creek, because James Sole built a cabin and manufactured shingles in its valley.

Robert Akan, another of these advance guards of the future civilization of Richland county, has also left on record a very amusing as well as instructive account of the times which graphically depict the mode of life then in vogue. In this acccount, Robert Akan relates, that:

"When we arrived at Rockbridge, Nov. 5, 1845, there were sixteen men working at the mill. All the provisions had to come from Platteville, seventy-five miles away, and no road from Orion to Rockbridge. Two men of some experience were sent to blaze the trees, and three men started for Orion on November 10, to cut a road so that we could get through with a team and load. I went with the men to get the cattle and sleds, and the men at the mill commeneed to cut the road to meet us. It was a good day's walk to Orion. On the third day after we got there, we had our loads on and started on our expedition to Rockbridge; camped the first night on Indian creek, at the spring where M. Mellhatten's widow lives. A deer

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

made its appearence; three or four started in pursuit, each eager for a shot. I was the first to fire. At the crack of the gun, the deer bounded off and I lost sight of it and returned to camp, while some of the others still pursued. In about half an hour they returned, bringing the deer, which had fallen dead after running a short distance. We roasted, broiled and stewed it, and got up in the night to eat of it, and not one slice of that deer was left when breakfast was over next morning. We doubled teams up-hill and passed over to south Ash creek. At Booth's farm, one of the men found a bee-tree, and we got a wash-tub full of honey. We camped at the spring where Thompson lived. Some of the men had cut and put up hay for their teams, if all things went on all right at the mill. Some went to cutting stringers for a bridge across Ash creek, while others made puncheons for the cover, which took all day. The men went out to hunt, and one of them brought in a fine buck. Next day we camped at Durfee Bovee's farm; the timber was awful. The following night we got to Klingler's spring, this we called the Ash swamp, for the cattle mired. Got to Rocky branch the next night. Stopped there until the men cut the road to Muddy branch or Center creek, a day and a half. My partner and I went to Center creek with the men in the morning, who were cutting the road. We followed the blazes to Brush creek, and the men thought they would make it that night. We killed a deer, back of where Hurbert Downs lives, and undertook to drag it to camp, down through the brush. I thought it was five miles, so we hung it up and struck out for camp; it was dark when we got in; we could see the smoke but the brush and vines were awful to make our way through. Here our oxen went back on us; they run back to Orion. We sent two men after them, who brought them back, which took three days- We had, in the meantime, cut the road to Fancy creek, where the others met us, and there we had a jollification and a regular old pioneer drunk, as we had with us a barrel

of whisky. This must not shock the extremists, for it was fashionable, in those days, to get on a jollification drunk once in a while. We got to the mill, however, all sound. The next day Samuel Swinebart and I went to Orion for pro- visions. They had a dance at Capt. Smith's. We got there about dark, and the boys and girls began to assemble for the festivities of the evening. The music, such as it was, was soon in full blast. Capt. Smith and another man had a jug of whisky hid in the room, where I, being tired with my days tramp, had laid down to rest. They had come in three or four times and taken a nip, but Mrs. Smith saw that they were getting full, came in and took the jug and hid it, and put in its place one like it filled with coon oil. In about twenty minutes they came in again. Captain turned the jug up and took a swig but said nothing, handing it to his com- panion, who also took a swallow. The first word was: 'H-1, what's this ?' Captain was silent for a moment, but tasting it said: 'Coon grease"' and swore roundly. This was more than I could stand, so had to laugh outright. He went for me, but I dodged him and got into the ball room to avoid further trouble. Presently in came the men-coon grease on their months and beards. This sec- ond party's wife wiped it off with her hand- kerchief, but he was terribly mad and never forgot it; always blamed me, as I would not explain.and tell on Capt. Smiths's wife.

Once while living at the mill, when the In- dians had run off, or killed off, all the deer and bear, so that nothing but muskrats and pheas- ants were left, provisions getting scarce, I started for Platteville to get a supply. I was gone longer than I had made calculation on. For four days my brother, Andrew, was left with my family; they had half of a deer, twenty pounds of flour, coffee and tea in plenty, and he could kill pheasants, if they could live on that, but he got discouraged, I had been gone so long; thought I was killed or some accident had happened to me. My wife said to him:

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

'You go and kill a deer and we can live for a week yet,' and added that I would be back that day. Ile was despondent, but took his gun and started hunting on the road to Muscoda. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon he heard the driver's halloo to the team. He said that the most pleasant voice he ever heard was that team- ster's at that time."

To resume the thread of the narrative; it was during the year 1844, that Myron Whit- comb, John McKinney and family, Burrell Me .- Kinney, and Peter Waggner, joined the few settlers in this infant colony and the numbers that came every year thereafter steadily in- creased, so that when the year 1846, had dawned upon their little world something like a settlement had been reached, although these few people were scattered over such a wide expanse of country, and among such thick timber, that each seemed "monarch of all he surveyed," for the survey in many instances, did not extend very far. These were the hardy and experienced pi- oneers who led the advance guard of the all conquering Anglo-Saxon, the "most powerful race that ever existed," in their onward march, to found the civilization and culture of the nine- teenth century, in this land of unequalled re- sources, but lying then a virgin wilderness, a leafy desert, having little of outside help or support; yet the settlement grew up from the start, in that form of rugged independence and self-reliance so characteristic of the American people.

ORGANIZATION.

During the fall of 1841, and through the ear- ly winter following, the question of the organi- zation of the county was canvassed, and the seven residents of the district, now comprising this county, meeting in "mass meeting" at Ea- gle Mills, drew up a petition, and signing it, sent it to the Legislature, praying that august body, that such power might be given them, to set off the county of Crawford, of which, it then formed a part, and to organize themselves into a new and seperate county. This prayer

was granted by the third Territorial Legislature, in an act passed Feb. 18, 1842, and signed by James Duane Doty, the then Territorial gover- nor. By this act, Richland county was at- tached to Iowa county for judicial and electo- ral purposes, until such time as a sufficient num- ber of people had moved into the new county, as would warrant them, in setting up a seperate government for themselves. By this act, also, Abner Nichols, James Murphy and John Ray, all of Iowa county, were appointed a commis- sion to locate the future county seat of the newly made county. After some discussion, it was de- termined to fix upon a point, near what was af- terwards the town of Richmond (now Orion). This continned to be recognized as the county seat for several years. We are told that the name Richland was suggested by the character of the soil. What a power, that word rich, must have had over these early settlers of the county. It seems to us that they must have thought of little else, as we find Richland county, Richland town, Richland Center, Rich- land City, Richmond and Richwood town.

The county continued attached to Iowa coun- ty until the first day of May, 1850. When, in pursuance of an act of the State Legislature, ap- proved Feb. 7, 1850, it was seperated, and be- came a county by itself, enjoying all the priv- eleges and immunities thereunto belonging. An account of this organization can be found in Chapter IV, given in detail.

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History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 110

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1298

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298