History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 123

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 123
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 123

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).

Many of the items relating to the early schools and the later and present status of the educational interests, having been made men- tion of in the history of the various towns, have been omitted here to avoid useless repetition. By a reference to these, it will be found that there this subject has received the full con- sideration which it deserves, a subject we all have the deepest interest in, for it has most truly been said that "the public school system is the palladium of our liberties."

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

869

CHAPTER XI.

GOVERNMENT SURVEYS.

From the field notes of the surveyors and the Government plats, many items of interest are obtained. These sources furnish the facts pre- sented in this chapter.

The town lines in Richland county were run by William Burt, Lucius Lyon, Joshua Hatha- way and J. E. Witcher, in the years 1839, 1840 and 1845, mostly in 1840.

The sectional lines were run by Orson Lyons, Harvey Parker, Sylvester Sibley, Alvin Burt, Joshua Hathaway, Robert D. Lester, James M. Marsh, Willard Barrows, Charles Phipps, Gar- ret Vliet and A. L. Brown, in the years 1833, 1839, 1840, 1842, 1844, 1845, 1846 and 1852. The first surveying was done by Harvey Parker, who ran the sectional lines in the southwestern part of Richland county in February, 1833.

The last general surveying was done by Charles Phipps, who surveyed the towns, Mar- shall and Sylvan, May, 1852.

Town 8 north, of range 2 east (sections 1-5, 11 and 12, in the southeastern part of Buena Vista), was surveyed by Sylvester Sibley, Feb- ruary, 1833. Ile was assisted by James Videto and A. L `Cotton, chainmen, and Noah Brook- field, ax-man. Was re-surveyed by Alvin Burt, assisted by Reuben Frenick and John S. Byrne, chainmen, and Anson B. Morey, marker.

Town 9 north, of range 2 east (sections 1-6 and the northern half of sections 7-12, is in the southern part of Ithaca; the southern half of sections 7-12 and the whole of sections 13-16, constitute the main part of Buena Vista), was surveyed by Alvin Burt, assisted by Reuben Feniek and John S. Byrne, chainmen, and An-

son B. Morey, marker, June 1842. The bluffs in this town are high, abrupt, rocky points and ridges, thinly timbered with a stinted growth of black and white oak, with a thick under- growth of aspen, hazel brush and vines. On the bottoms it is thinly timbered with bur, black and white oak, with aspen and willow under- brush, and near the margin of the streams with maple, elm, ash, aspen, alder, linn, etc. On sections 22 and 23 is a growth of pitch pine.

Town 10 north, of range 2 east (main part of Ithaca), was surveyed in 1843 by Robert D. Lester, who was assisted by Joseph Atherton and S. P. Folsom, chainmen, and James Ilall, marker. This town is generally hilly and bro- ken, land good in the ravines; on ridges soil is thin and light, well watered by pine springs and small streams, thinly timbered with black and white oak, elin, linn, aspen and hickory, with an undergrowth of oak, hazel and poplar bushes.

Town 11 north, of range 2 east (Willow), was surveyed in the fourth quarter of 1855, by James M. Marsh, assisted by William Clear- land and Joseph Stone, chainmen, and James Anderson, marker. The face of the country in this town is very broken, consisting of high precipitous sandstone bluffs, in height from ten to 150 feet, covered with a heavy growth of aspen, eh, linn, sugar cherry, white and black oak. The country is well watered by springs. The streams are rapid. The east branch of Pine river, south branch of Honey creek and the south branch of Baraboo river have their source in this town.

870

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

Town 12 north, of range 2 east (Westford), was surveyed in 1843, by Gilbert Vliet, assisted by J. Vliet and C. T. Seregmbe, chainmen, and C. Webster, marker. This town lies in the "divide" between the Baraboo and Pine rivers. It is for the greater part heavily timbered, the timber being of good quality, large and thrifty. The land is principally undulating, of good quality, well adapted to farming, the principal objection being a want of water, though where found it is of a superior quality.

'Town 8 north, of range 1 east (northern part of sections 4 and 5 in the southwestern part of Orion), was surveyed by Sylvester Sibley, United States deputy surveyor, assisted by James Videto and A. L. Cotton, chainmen, and Noah Brookfield, ax-man. 6 The survey was com- menced February 19, and completed March 4, 1833.

Town 9 north, of range 1 east (sections 2-11, 14-23, 23-35, the main part of Orion; section 1, and the northern half of section 12 is in the southwestern part of Ithaca; southern part of section 12 and the whole of sections 13, 24 and 36 is in the western part of Buena Vista), was surveyed in March, 1833, by Sylvester Sibley, assisted by James Videto and A. L. Cotton, chainmen, and Noah Brookfield, ax-man. Was surveyed by Alvin Burt, June, 1842, assisted by Reuben French and John S. Byrne, chainmen, and Anson B. Morey, marker. In his notes Mr. Burt says: "This town is mostly broken and hilly. The ridges are high, narrow and rocky, timbered thinly with white and black oak, with a thick undergrowth of oak, hazel, aspen, dogwood, hickory brush and vines. The ravines are mostly narrow, deep, and timbered with white and black oak, elm, linn, aspen, sugar and ironwood."

Town 10 north, of range 1 east (Richland), was surveyed by Robert D. Lester in 1843. Was assisted by Joseph Atherton and L. P. Folsom, chainmen, and James Hall, marker. This town is generally hilly and broken. Land generally poor, well watered by the Pine river and its

branches. West of the river it is well tim- bered with white and black oak, elm, linn, aspen, hickory and elmwood, with an undergrowth of hazel, dogwood, and prickly ash, on the highland. In the ravines, in which the streams run, alder, prickly ash, thornbush, etc. East of the Pine river there is principally a second growth of poplar, burr-oak, ironwood, hick- ory, ash, hazel, dogwood, grape vines, etc. Pine river is a stream about sixty links in width, with a quick current of two feet in depth, sand bottom, shores low and of the same kind of soil.

Town 11 north, of range 1 east (Rockbridge), was surveyed by William Clearland, assisted by Joseph Stone, chainman, and James Ander- son, marker. The face of the land in this town is very broken, soil sandy and poor. The tim- ber consists of a heavy growth of white and black oak, linn, elm, sugar, aspen, ironwood, and some pines on the bluffs in the immediate vicinity of Pine river, with a heavy under- growth of grape-vine, briar, prickly ash, etc. The water in this town is very good, consisting of excellent springs. Pine river flows nearly through the center of this town from north to south.

Town 12 north, of range 1 east (Henrietta), was surveyed April, 1845, by James M. Marsh, assisted by William Clearland and Joseph Stone, chainmen, and James Anderson, marker.

Town 8 north, of range 1 west (northwestern half of section 1 and the northern part of sec- tion 2, is in the southeastern part of Eagle. Eastern half of section 1 is in the southern part of Orion), was surveyed May, 1833, by Syl- vester Sibley, assisted by James Videto and A. L. Cotton, chainmen, and Noah Brookfield, ax-man.

Town 9 north, of range 1 west (sections 1-35 and the western half of section 36 is the main part of Eagle. The eastern half of section 36 is in the southwestern part of Orion), was surveyed by Orson Lyon in 1840. He was assisted by Tru- man Carter and S. D. Kirkpatrick, chainmen

871

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

and Thomas Cox, ax-man. The soil of this country is broken and hilly; second and third rate. Excepting the southern part along the Wisconsin river, where it is nearly level, and is first rate and second rate land. The tract is from one to two miles in width on the southern part of the town. The whole is well timbered with linn, oak, sugar tree, ironwood, aspen, etc., with an undergrowth of the same, and prickly ash, plum, thorn and erab apple on the creek bottom.

Town 10 north, of range 1 west (Dayton) was surveyed in 1843 by W. Barrows, assisted by W. V. Anderson and Edward Fitzpatrick, chainmen, and William P. Easley, marker. This town is much the same in character as town 10 north, of range 2 west (Akan), very hilly and broken. The soil in many places is thin and unfit for cultivation. The timber in general is good.

Town 11 north, of range 1 west (Mar_ shall), was surveyed in 1843 by W. Barrows, assisted by William Vandover and Edward Fitzpatrick, chainmen, and William P. Easley, marker. Was re-surveyed May 1852, by Charles (. Phipps, assisted by Edwin Fossett and Jere- miah Hurley, chainmen, Edward Stever, ax-man, and C. F. Mathias, flagman. The surface of this town is very hilly. In the eastern part it is poor, third rate, in the western part it is first and second rate. The timber is of the first quality, and stands very thick on the ground.

Town 12 north, of range 1 west (Bloom), was surveyed in 1845, by A. L. Brown, assisted by Alexander Anderson and Joel M. Higgins, chainmen, and James Anderson, marker. The most remarkable feature about this town is its great quantity of water. At the source of al- most every stream there is a bold and seemingly never failing spring. The timber is chiefly sugar, maple, linn, and elm. There seems to be wild game of every description, with the excep- tion of the wild turkey.

Town 8 north, of range 2 west (sections 2 and 8 are in the southern part of Richwood), was

surveyed by Harvey Parker, February, 1836. Ile was assisted by L. O. Bryan and W. Smith, chainmen. Was re-surveyed by Orson Lyon, May, 1840. He was assisted by Freeman B. Gordon and S. D. Kirkpatrick, chainmen, and Isaac Vanderburgh, marker.

Town 9 north, of range 2 west (main part of Richwood), was surveyed in 1840, by O. Lyons, assisted by Truman B. Gordon and S. D. Kirk- patrick, chainmen and Isaac K. Vanderburgh, marker This town is hilly, second and third rate, excepting in the southern part where there is a strip of land from three-fourths to one and one-half miles in width, that is rolling, with some first and good second rate soil. The whole is well timbered with oak, linn, sugar tree and ironwood ; also some butternut and black wal- nut.

Town 10 north, of range 2 west (Akan), was surveyed June, 1843, by W. Barrows, assisted by William Vandover and Edward Fitzpatrick, chainmen, and William P. Easley, marker. The surface of this town is broken and hilly; with one or two exceptions there is not level land enough to make a good farm. There is a ridge of good timber land. The soil generally is good. The timber is mostly sugar tree, linn and white oak. Would make a good sugar camp.

Town 11 north, of range 2 west (Sylvan), was surveyed by W. Barrows, assisted by Wil- liam Vandover and Edward Fitzpatrick, chain- men and William P. Easley, marker, in 1843. Was re-surveyed in 1852, by Charles Phipps, as- sisted byC. Fossitt and Jeremiah Hurley, chain- men, Edwin Steever, ax-man, and E. F. Mathias, flagman.

Town 12 north, of range 2 west (Forest), was surveyed in December, 1845, by A. L. Brown, assisted by Joel M. Higgins and Alexander Anderson, chainmen, and James Anderson, marker. The tops of the ridges in this town, notwithstanding their [great elevation, are gen- erally not too rolling for cultivation. Judging

872

HISTORY OF RICHILAND COUNTY.

from the timber, which is large, very tall and thick, also from the kind, namely : first, sugar maple ; second, linn ; third, elm and ash; fourth, black, white and bur oak, the soil must be very good but not more than one foot deep, with a substratum of yellow clay. The bottoms are generally wet and unfit for cultivation. They are timbered with elm, with an undergrowth of alder.

Acreage of each town and parts of towns in Richland Co., Wis .:

Northern part of town 8 : Range 2 west, 3,433.61 ; 1 west, 161.32 ; 1 east, 238.64 ; 2 east 3,959.40.

Town 9 : Range 2 west, 23,123.29; 1 west, 22,312.73; I east, 22,620.52; 2 east, 22,920.95.

Town 10 : Range 2 west, 23,214.84; 1 west, 22,666.70; 1 east, 23,109.73; 2 east, 22,990.37.

Town 11: Range 2 west, 23,190,88; 1 west, 23,275.60; 1 east, 23,098.76; 2 east, 22,985.48.

Town 12: Range 2 west, 23,304.97; 1 west, 23,233.38; 1 east, 23,246.79; 2 east, 22,938.60.

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

873

CHAPTER XII.

REMINISCENCES OF EARLY DAYS.

In this chapter are given the personal experi- ences of pioneers of Richland county. These articles are written or related by the pioneers, and when written, the compiler has in no ease attempted to change the style of the writer, it being the design to show the peculiarity of the writer, as well as to record the facts narrated. The expressions of an individual in writing show his character and peculiarities as plainly as his features painted upon canvass, or printed from steel or stone.

These sketches relating to personal matters will show the disadvantages under which the hardy pioneers procured the homes which now seem so comfortable. Whatever of romance adhered to the hardy colonist was abundant- ly compensated for by hard work. Contrast the journey of that devoted party through the road- less and bridgeless tract between Chicago and their destination, with a party on a like journey to-day. Instead of weeks of labor and toil, privation and suffering, with cold and hunger, a seat is taken in a palace car in the evening at Chicago; an unexceptional supper is partaken of without leaving the train; the passenger retires upon a downy couch, and in the morning awakens to find himself at his point in south- western Wisconsin, having lost no time by the journey. Those who enjoy these blessings would be less than human if they were not filled with gratitude to these early settlers, who paved the way and actually made the present condition of things possible. At that time the confines of civilization were on the lakes; Chi- cago had not many thousand people; Milwaukee

was just beginning to be a village, and Madison was a mere vidette, and an outpost of civiliza- tion. There was nothing in the now wealthy region of southwestern Wisconsin except the intrinsic merit of the location, to attract people from their more or less comfortable homes in the eastern States, or on the other side of the water, The hope as to the future, which "springs eternal in the human breast," was what lured them on, and, although, those that eame were usually regarded by the friends they left as soldiers of fortune, who, if they ever returned at all, would indeed be fortunate; they were a sturdy race, who realized the in- equality of the struggle in the old States or countries, and resolved to plant themselves where merit would not be suppressed by tra- dition.

The men who came were, as a rule, enter- prising, open-hearted and sympathizing; they were good neighbors, and so good neighbor- hoods were created, and they illustrated the idea of the brotherhood of man more by ex- ample than by quoting creeds With a bravery that never blanched in the presence of the most appalling danger, they were neverthless ten- der, kind and considerate in the presence of misfortune, and their deficiency in outward man- ifestations of piety was more than compensated by their love and regard for humanity. And if their meed of praise is justly due to the men, and it certainly is, what shall be said of the heroic women who braved the vicissitudes of frontier life, endured the absence of home, friends and old associations, whose tender ties

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

must have wrung all hearts as they were sever- ed. The devotion which would lead to such a breaking away, to follow a father, a husband or a son into the trackless waste, west of the great lakes, where gloomy apprehensions must have arisen in the. mind, is above all praise. The value of the part taken by the noble wo- men who first came to this uninhabited region, cannot be over-estimated. Although by nature liberal, they practiced the most rigid economy, and often at critical times, preserved order, re- claiming the men from despair during gloomy periods; and their example of industry constant- ly admonished him to renewed exertions; while the instincts of womanhood, constantly encouraged integrity and manhood.

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF ORION.

[By Levi Houts.]

Richland county was held by Iowa county until organized as a county. Was sub-divided by lowa county into two towns: 1st, Richmond, which includes all the territory from the Wis- consin river north on the congressional line, range 1 east, of the 4th principal meridian, to the north line of the county ; thence west along said line to the northwest corner of township 12, 2 west; thence south from said corner on the congressional line to the Wisconsin river ; thence east along said river to the place of beginning, including now, Orion, Richland, Rockbridge, Henrietta, Bloom, Marshall, Day- ton, Eagle, Richwoood, Akan, Sylvan and For- est. 2d, Buena Vista, which included all the territory from the Wisconsin river, commencing at the congressional line on said river, range 1 east, of the 4th principal meridian ; running thence east along said river to where the con- gressional line, range 2 east crosses said river ; thence north along said line to the northeast corner of township 12, range 2 east ; thence west along said line to the northeast corner of town- ship 12, range 2 east; thence west along said line to the congressional line, range 1 east of the 4th principal meridian, thence south on said line to the place of begining, including what

is now Buena Vista, Ithaca, Willow and West- ford.

The first election held for town officers in the town of Richmond, was on the first Tuesday in April, 1849. The said election was held at the house of Matthew Alexander, on section 33, town 6, range 1 west, now in the town of Eagle. The house (a log one, or double log) was situ- ated on the bank of the Wisconsin river near the place where the Pilling's saw-mill later was situated. The officers who conducted said election were John R. Smith, Myron Whitcomb and Reason J. Darnell, as inspectors of said election; George C. White and Nathaniel Green, clerks. The following were the town officers elected at said election : John R. Smith, chair- man; Adam Byrd and William Kincannon, super- visors; Joha Nipple, town clerk; Stephen Finnel, collector or town treasurer; Walter B. Gage, assessor ; Marion White, superintendent of schools; William Thompson, E. H. Dyer, B. B. Sutton and Matthew Alexander, justices of the peace ; Nathaniel Green, William White and Daniel H. Boyle, constables ; L. B. Palmer and William White, overseers of highway. The per- sons elected were all qualified as such officers. John Nipple, town clerk, died before the expi- ration of his office, and A. B. Slaughter was appointed in his place. Also Mr. Slaughter resigned and Levi Houts was appointed to fill the unexpired term of said office and made out the first tax list for said town.

The record of the first county officers elected, you have in the county clerk's office, therefore will not give their names here. After their election they had to go to Mineral Point in Iowa county to qualify. Your unfortunate sub- scriber hired a team and took the said officials to Mineral Point to be qualified, and it is need- less to say that they, the said officers, had to stop at IHighland over night on going, in order to view the beauties of the place, inspect the whisky and buck the faro bank. On the next day we got to Mineral Point and it took them two days to qualify and inspect that village, etc.,

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

therefore I was four days making the trip, and $3 out of pocket. I had agreed to take them for a fixed price. John J. Matthews was the sheriff and he collected the tax on the list I made ont.

As to the first settlers in the then town of Richmond, it will be hard to determine; I would refer your honorable committee to John Comb and Myron Whitcomb. I believe that they come as near giving that point of information as any person. I came into the county Sept. 10, 1849. I must say like the man fiddling told the Arkansaw traveler: "These hills were here when I came and so were men, women and children, situated here and there in the forest in log houses, and seemed happy and contented." Their meat they had in abundance by killing the bear, the deer and moose, and for sweet they had the bees and had all the honey by cut- ting the trees; corn they raised for meal and homony; potatoes and garden vegetables they raised. The flour they used was generally bought at Galena, in Illinois, and hauled here. One of these pioneers would start to Galena with an ox team loaded with honey, bear and deer, trade his load for flour and groceries, and that would supply a number of families for a time. There was a sociability between those pioneers that is now gone among the things that are past. There was no lawing one against the other. The people held as a sac- red law to themselves to follow the golden rule one toward the other. Now and then a little bad whisky helped a fight and that settled the mat- ter. I would like to here give the name of some of those pioneers; some are dead and some are still living, who, in the pioneer settle- ment of this county, were men whose charac- ters were not blemished, and we still have some of them living with us, and the golden light of justice and right between their fellow men is still shining. But I suppose when they let their minds wander back to the early settle- ment of this county, and think of the times then in the wilds of nature and then pass on year

after year, change after change to the present time, they will express-the wilderness is blooming and turned as by magic into beautiful fields and costly houses instead of the log houses, and the great strife now is to get money -honest or dishonest. Ile says in his mind, where is the sociability we had in the early days? Then if a man killed a deer or bear, and if his neighbor was out of meat, he would di- vide and in turn it was paid back without laws. But now it is law and confusion, compared to what it was in the early pioneer days. The man who has a few more dollars than his neighbor looks on him as a poor a scamp, and that sociabil- ity existing in early days without regard to wealth is gone. Methinks you will behold a deep sigh heave in the breast of that pioneer. For fear of making this a personal matter, I forbear giving names.

As to the history of the first roads and mills, at now Rodolf's mills, Rockbridge mills and a corn cracker at now Brimer's woolen factory, I will not give in this. The first school house in the then town of Richmond, was located in now Richwood, not far from M. Whitcomb's I leave them to Combs or Whitcomb to report that and their first teacher. The next was in the now village of Orion (all log houses). The first teacher in the school house in the village of Orion was Mary Malanthy (now Mrs. Joseph Elliott, of Port Andrew). In the sum- mer of 1846, and in the fall and winter of 1849, your writer taught three months' school in the same house and enrolled eighteen scholars, a few of them over twenty years of age.

As I have already written considerable mat- ter, such as it is, I will stop, hoping others will furnish more and better information than I have given. Should I endeavor to make a personal matter of all the pioneers at a certain time, and then go on to describe the continued changes of persons coming into the county so far as my knowledge would permit, and their usefulness in building up the county, I might leave some out and then they would be offended;

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

or if the locating and building up of villages in the county and their now delapidation, canse, etc. I do not expect to be able to attend your meetings. It matters but little to me in the future if I am permitted to live in seclusion among the hills of Richland county the remain- ing days of my life.

MORE ABOUT ORION. [By William Wulfing.]

Before the town of Orion was organized and adorned with its present name, it was, at the time I came to Wisconsin, May, 1849, a part of the town of Richmond, and after the adjoining towns in the east, and Eagle in the west, had taken considerable, and not the poorest part of the territory that should by right belong to her, left it, as it is at the present day, one of the smallest and poorest towns in the county. Probably to compensate for the wrong done to the new town, the name of one of Heaven's brightest constellations was adopted. Its his- tory to the present day would likely be one of troubles and difficulties, occasioned by the many miles of roads and numerous bridges, but the energies of some of her earliest settlers has conquered the same, and the town has never, to my knowledge, been involved in lawsuits on account of the condition of her roads and bridges.

The ferry across the Wisconsin near Avoca, was at that time run by a Mr. Gage who, with his family and one Dr. Hartshorn, resided on the bank of the river in this county, near the place where James Laws, a few years after, set- tled, and who succeeded Gage as ferryman; it was from this place that I struck out for Ash creek, and found there a small settlement, and tired of travel, bought a piece of land and made one of the number of early settlers. I found then here about twenty residing in the town; now, about ten have gone to their resting places and the balance taken Greeley's advice.

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History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 123

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