History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 124

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 124
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 124

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).

It is perhaps superfluous to say much of the life we have led in those early days; the hard- ships in a newly settled country are almost alike

in all places; our troubles were not who should sell our produce but where to buy. We bad no grist mill nor stores on this side of the Wis- consin river, neither a postoffice, and our nearest trading point was Franklin, in Iowa county, now Highland, until a store was started in Orion and Jacob Krouskop built his grist mill on Willow creek. This gave us at the same time a bridge abross Pine river near the month of Ash creek, and Mr. Banks, of Sextonville, took a contract from government to run a weekly mail from Sextonville to Prairie du Chien and back, and an office was established at Ash creek and Orion, so that we once more were in communication with the outer world. The clearing of land and chopping and hauling saw logs to the mill, constituted the most work in winter, and bunting deer and other game during the fall, of which most settlers in a new coun- try are fond of, was much practiced and gave a great deal of sport and some profit to the set- tler», who late in fall generally took their deer to Platteville and other places to trade for their winter provisions. There was great harmony among the first settlers and it did not require much to make them feel contented; it seems every one was inclined to be sociable. I re-' member once we had a gathering at my home, when the whole settlement was present, and although we had only a room of 16x18 to dance in, with Jeff Shaver as musician, sitting in one corner on an empty saurkraut barrel, and assist- ing the fiddler with his feet, the smaller chil- dren by the dozens laying up stairs on beds and floors, you can hardly find a jollier set than there was that night in the humble cabin. Among the hunters occurred sometimes laugh- able incidents. On a general election day, in November, a crowd of us went to the village, also a bear which one of our number, a tall and easy going fellow, had shot the day before; the man starting for the woods and leaving his dog, ho was too young to be of any service, at home, ran up all at once to Mr. Bear laying under a fallen tree, he fired at

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

him instantly and retired quickly. The dog who had followed unbeknows to his master hearing the report of the gun, came run- ning towards him, and the man thinking he had missed his game and was pursued by the bear, made long strides towards home, where man and dog arrived at the same time. Not being sure how things really were, he got one of his neighbors to go with him to the spot where the shooting took place and there found bruin dead in his lair, being shot through the brain. The man was rallied a great deal on the way the next day, especially by the fellow who went with him after the bear. In a few days we had a light sprinkling of snow, and both these men being ont with their guns, after having killed a deer, struck the track of a bear, which follow- ing, they found their game in a small cavern. Holding a council of war, they agreed that one should take a pole and rake Mr. Bruin in the ribs, thereby inducing him to come out, when the other standing on the rock above, would shoot him. Following this plan they got the bear to rush out and the man on the rock firing instantly, hit him, breaking his lower jaw. The enraged brute went for the man who had done the poking, who run lustily down hill and find- ing the bear was gaining on him, took to a small ironwood tree, lollooing and screaming all the time for help, until the other, who was the same man who had been bored about his running away from his own dog, came up and shot the brute, thereby releasing the prisoner and having the langh on his own side.

Of physicians, we had only a small supply in 1849, namely the aforementioned Dr. Harts- horn who stayed only a few years and then left, looking for a place where the folks were less hardy. Later the town had some good physi- cians, D. L. Downs, Dr. Howe, .1. 11. Tilly and Jacob Brimmer. Lawyers did not fare very well in the town of Orion. A. P. Thompson settled in the village at an early day, and al- though the adjoining towns kept him more than

Orion, he at last left in disgust and has had no successor.

It was several years before a preacher came among us to show us the way we should go. The first offer we had came from a lawyer residing in an adjoining town, who volunteered to come over every four weeks and preach to us and save us if possible. We held a council, and being a little dubious if the pulpit be the right place for an attorney, coneluded not to accept his kind offer and take our chances. In a few years several churches were established and some worthy preachers came among us. Five buildings were erected and used as places of worship ; one of them is situated near the northern town line for the use of the United Brethren Church, and Jacob Brimer, Durfee Bovce and James Howard are the men who contributed mostly the means necessary. On section 3, near Henry Segrist, the German Methodists have a nice building for worship, their pastor residing on east side of Pine river. Next is the Christian church near Henry Wil- son on Ash creek, whose pastor is Rev. J. Wal- worth, through whose exertions, aided by David Wiker, Hezekiah Jones, Abram Miller and others, the church was built and is flourish- ing. The elder is much respected by his fol- lowers, but we owe it to posterity to record that they accuse him of baptising and catching fish at the same time on a certain Sunday, but if the truth has to be told, the fishing was accidental and only the suckers, which came up the Elder's leg, between pants and lining, is to blame. The German Lutherans have a substantial building near D. Wiker's; their pastor residing at Boaz. The members of the Methodist Church have erected a house of worship on Oak Ridge, near S. S. Blake's, who is one of its leading mem- bers.

The schools in the early days of Richland county and under the system then in vogue, did not give the scholars the advantages they now enjoy. The few children were scattered over a large territory, roads often bad and the means

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

of the settlers limited. Then the method of giving the examination of teachers to the chair- man of the town board did not work well in many instances, and was often light on the teachers and hard on the chairman. The method of requiring the teacher to "board round," as it was called, was also often annoying to both parties. I know of one instance where the teacher had to sleep with five of his scholars in one bed, the mother claiming that this would greatly assist the young ones to acquire knowl- edge, and the teacher could not convince her of her error.

Of industrial establishments, the town has only the woolen factory of Jacob Brimmer, on Ash creek, which is a great accommodation to wool-growers and of benefit to the whole com- munity. W. H. Stewart is one of the best me- chanics and has a widespread reputation, is also very successful as a raiser and keeper of bees. Thomas Mathews and Levi Honts have expended much time and labor digging for lead mineral, and although they had some success, the quan- tity found was too small to make it a paying job and so abandoned it. In the mercantile busi- ness were engaged in the village of Orion, Downs & Ripley, Rodolf & Graham, Berry Fer- ries, Clements & Wait, Miller & Edwards, St. Randall, Dan Clinginsmith, Jacob Dosch, and at the present day, A. Crosby and W. H. Dawson. Orion had at one time a lively trade, but the building of the M. & P. C. railroad, and the erection of the bridge across the Wisconsin river, took the largest part away and left her struggling in the sand. She also had the mis- fortune to lose the court house, and was only lucky in declining the proposal of Mr. Moore to make a donation of several thousand dollars, towards erecting the bridge.

It speaks well for the town of Orion that in a space of thirty years no serious crimes are to be recorded. The only instance of an aggravated nature, was the burning of the dwelling house of C. G. Rodolf, by a deluded German, whereby the family of Mr. Rodolf, he himself was at the !

time a member of the Assembly in Madison, was brought in great danger, and the German was sent to Wanpun for seven years. Of the men who watched over the interests of the town as supervisors thereof, I name D. L. Downs, Jacob Brimmer, J. H. Tilly, David Wiker, W. II. Stewart, Dan Clinginsmith, but for the faith- ful service rendered the town, Levi Houts stands at the head, who for the last thirty years, almost without interruption, has served as town clerk, and who at the present day, would give a more comprehensive history of the town than any other man.

I have tried to give a brief sketch of Orion's history, and as I write from memory only, omission of many things of interest are natural, and I hope will be excused and errors corrected. REMINISCENCE OF EARLY DAYS IN ROCKBRIDGE. [By A. Haseltine.]

About the year 1840, a company from Mineral Point penetrated the forest up Pine river for the purpose of lumbering, a small pinery having been discovered there, from which the river takes its name. They located and built a saw- mill on the northwest quarter of section 10, in town 11 north, of range 1 east, about twenty- two miles from the mouth of said river, with the intention of rafting their lumber on the Pine to the Wisconsin river. They were unfortunate both in damming the stream at the mill and in keeping it clear for rafting below, so that their enterprise nearly proved a failure. In 1850 the mill property was purchased by Orrin and I. S. ITaseltine who immediately thereafter, moved in from Black Earth, cutting their road on the east side of the river from Sextonville. At that time it was all government land, except the quarter section on which the mill stood. The llasel- tines immediately commenced entering lands chiefly for the timber, and constituted them- selves emigrant agents to encourage settlers to take up and improve farming lands.

In the spring of 1851, towns 11 and 12, one east and one west, were organized as a town and named Rockbridge, from the natural bridge over

PETER KINDER (DECEASED)

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

the west branch of Pine river near the mill. Fourteen votes were cast at the first town meet- ing. Orren Haseltine was elected chairman and Alonzo Decker, town clerk. No party feeling marred the harmony of the meeting. They un- doubtedly elected their best men, for nearly every one had an office. Several cabins were built and settlements commenced this year. Amasa Hoskins, Seth Butler, John Pool, Jacob and William Dairy, on section 22; Augustus Hoskins and Orion Satterlee, on section 18; Reuben Hancock and German Tadder, on sec- tion 17; Hiram Tadder on section 20, of town 11, I east; Joseph Marshall and A. P. Hide, on section 13, town 11, 1 west. In 1852, town 10, 1 east was annexed to and made part of the town of Rockbridge. Orren Haseltine was elected chairman and Robert Hawkins, town clerk. Number of votes cast sixteen. Roads were laid this year from Pine river mill to Amasa Hos- kins' and thence to Cass & Pound's (now Bow- en's) mill; also from A. Iloskin's up Fancy creek across section 30 and 19 to town line; also from Richland Centre to Willow creek.

In 1853, town 10, 1 east, was set off and of ganized as the town of Richland, leaving Rock bridge its original limits of four townships. O. Ilaseltine was elected chairman, and F. M. Stewart, town clerk. The following is the poli list at the general election in November of this year: Hiram Tadder, O. Satterlee, R. M. De- Lap, Harvey Gillingham, John Marshall, Alden Haseltine, Joseph Marshall, F. M. Stewart, Moses Laws, A. Aikin, O. Ilaseltine, Augustus Hoskins, G. Tadder, A. G. Decker, Seth Butler, Daniel Hoskins. Sixteen general settlements were commenced this year in town 12, 1 east. The first of whom were W. W. Garfield, on Soles creek; A. Sires on the West branch and W. H. Joslin on the east branch of Pine river. Settlements were also commenced in town 12, 1 west, by Isaac McMahn and others, near where Spring Valley now stands. At the spring elec- tion 1854, forty-two votes were east. Alden Haseltine was elected chairman and F. M. Stew-

art, clerk. Roads were surveyed and laid out this year, up Fancy creek, up both branches of Pine river, and across from both branches to Fancy creek, in the whole about forty miles.

In April 1855, towns 11 and 12, 1 west, having been set off from Rockbride, were organized by the name of Marshall, leaving Rockbridge to consist of towns 11 and 12, 1 east. The number of votes cast at the spring election was thirty- three. Alden Haseltine was elected chairman and J. W. Chinch, clerk. In April 1856, town 12, 1 west, was organized by the name of Hen- rietta, leaving to Rockbridge its present limits, town 11, 1 east. J. S. Scott was elected chairman and Hiram Freeraan clerk; number of votes polled thirty-eight. The first school district was or- ganized in 1853 by Abner Aikin, town superin- tendent. The settlement of this town has not been rapid but steady. We have now 1,200 in- habitants; 515 children of school age and about 240 voters and settlers on every section. (Writ- ten in 1879.)

EARLY HISTORY OF FOREST.

[By Salma Rogers. ]

In the years 1854 and 1855, the town of For- est was comprised of the towns 11 and 12, range 2 west, now known as Sylvan and Forest. The first town meeting of the joint towns was held at the house of William Ogden, in Sylvan, April 3 1855; fifteen votes polled at that meet- ing: was duly organized by the election of the following officers of the meeting: Elijah Ans- tin, chairman; Silas Benjamin, William Wood, associates; E. B. Tenny, Asahel Savage, clerks. At the same meeting the following officers were duly elected for the ensuing year: E B. Tenny, chairman; R. J. Darnell, William Wood, asso- ciates; Levi C. Gochenaur, clerk; William Og- den treasurer and Asahel Savage, assessor.

In the year 1855, the town was divided; the geographical town 12 retained her political name of Forest, and town 11 assumed the political name of Sylvan. The first town meeting held in the town after the division was made, was held at the house of John W. Ambrose, on the

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

first day of April, 1856. R. J. Darnell, presided as chairman; Salma Rogers and Cyrus D. Turner, as associate supervisors; Levi C. Gochenaur, clerk. At said election the following officers were duly elected for the ensuing year: Jesse Harness, chairman; William Mathews and J. V. Bennett, associate supervisors; Hartwell L. Turner, clerk; Levi Kanable, assessor; Andrew Carpenter, treasurer; Harvey C. Goodrich, Jeremiah D. Black, Salma Rogers, justices of the peace; William Clift, Emanuel P. Bender and George Pitsenborgner, constables.

In the year 1852, in the month of April, the first piece of land was entered, it being the southeast quarter of section 33, town 12 north, range 2 west, by Alexander Barclay, now owned by Charles Marshall. On July 2, following, Mr. Barclay was drowned in the Wisconsin river at Orion. The first settlers in the town were Dan- iel and William Bender. Daniel Bender en- tered his land, it being the northwest quarter of section 38, town 12 north, range 2 west, in the month of April, 1854, and built his house, the first that was built in the town, on the 12th day of May, the same year, and moved with his family into the house on the 15th, and buried his wife on the 24th day of May, 1854, this being the first death that occurred in the town. Ten persons were present at the burial and only two of that number were resident of the town. The fall of 1854 the town was settled very rapidly.

On Sept. 20, 1854, H. L. Turner, William Turner, Cyrus D. Turner, Salma Rogers and J. Lyman Jackson, settled at Viola, in the Kick- apoo valley; Laal and William Clift came to the Kickapoo valley, June 8, 1854, where Laal Clift now resides. Cyrus D. Turner laid out and platted the village of Viola. In October, 1854, Levi Kanable and David Johns settled in the southwestern part of the town, and in the same month, John W Ambrose, Jacob K. Ambrose, Levi C. Gochenaur, Jacob P. Neher and R. J. Darnell, settled in the southeast part of the town.

The first marriage in town, was that of George Chroninger and Nancy Smith, solemn- ized by Oliver Guess, justice of the peace, Aug. 27, 1856.

The first sermon was preached by Edwin Buck, on the second Sunday in April, 1856, at the house of R. J. Darnell. The text was, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The first school superintendent was R. J. Darnell, and the first school teacher examined for a certificate was Helen Jackson, who taught the first school in the town of Viola, in the sum- mer of 1855.

The first saw-mill built in the town, was that of Adam Shambaugh's, built by Salma Rogers in the year 1857, on the south branch of Bear creek.

The first merchandise was sold by Cyrus D. Turner, at Viola, in October, 1854.

In July, 1851, the first road was laid through the town; it was a country road running from R. J. Darnell's in a westerly direction across the town to the county line on the west. R. J. Dar- nell, Adam Bird, John Price, commissioners, aud James Appleby, surveyor. On June 7, 1855, the first town road laid through the town, was from Viola through the valley of Camp creek to R. J. Darnell's by E. B. Tenny, chairman, R. J. Darnell and William Wood associate supervisors and L. B. Palmer, county surveyor.

The estimated number of votes at this date is some over 200. The town has thrived and prospered by dint of hard labor;her forests have fallen before the hardy sons, large fields have been opened and her soil yields her golden har- vest and makes glad the hearts of the husband- man.

HISTORICAL JOTTINGS OF SYLVAN. (By George II. Babb.)

The town of Sylvan (congressional town 11, range 2 west of fourth principal meridian) is situated in the western part of Richland county.

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IIISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

It is bounded on the east by the town of Mar- shall; on the south by the town of Aken; on the west by the town of Clayton in Crawford county, and town of Kickapoo in Vernon county; on the south by the town of Forest, in Richland county, of which it was an integral part until April, 1856, when it was separated from the town of Forest, and organized into a separate town, by the election of officers on April 1, 1856. First election was held at what was then known as Ogden school house. E. B. Tenny, William Wood and Horace Cook were elected first town board of supervisors; Lyman Mat- thews, clerk; and William Ogden, treasurer.

The first settlement was made in 1853, E. B. Tenny and William Ogden being the first permanent settlers. The immigration steadily but slowly increased for a year or two, owing to the difheulty of procuring provisions, having to haul them over rough roads from Orion, on the Wisconsin river, a distance of about twenty miles. But when the town was organized, in 1856, there were thirty-two votes polled, and in November, there were forty-nine votes polled. From that time the population rapidly in- creased.

The town of Sylvan is pleasantly situated, bo- ing alternated by ridges and valleys, which are very productive. It is also well watered, a creek called Eagle creek (Mill creek) runs along its eastern border, and the West branch of Eagle creek runs along its southern side. A long stream called Elk creek rises near the center of the town and runs to the northwest into the Kickapoo river; together with numer- ous rivulets and springs, some of which are very large; it is thickly set with timber of the following varieties: White oak, bur oak, red oak, basswood, ash, hard and soft maples, but- ternut and some other varieties. At the time it was organized it was almost an unbroken wilderness; since then the improvements have kept apace with population. In 1855 Mr. O. Guess built a saw-mill on Eagle creek and run it by what is called a flutter wheel, which supplied

the immigrants with lumber to a great extent. Since then it has been rebuilt, and the flutter ' wheel replaced by an overshot and the sash saw by a rotary saw.

In 1855 there was a small grocery store stationed at what is known as Sylvan Corners. by a Mr. Nixon; since then it has passed through several hands and each time enlarged. At this time it is owned by Mr. William Hen- thorn and is enlarged into a respectable dry goods store, the only establishment in the town of this kind.

Whilst the citizens were subdning the forest they were not neglectful of their mental culture, and as soon as districts could be formed, they began to build school houses; though rude, they answered the purpose for which they were in- tended. The first school taught in the town was taught by Miss Olive Matthews. When we look back upon the crudeness of the com- mon school system under the town superinten- dency and compare it with the present advan- cod state of the schools we are astonished that men could not see these things before. One instance of an examination under the town superintendeney: A young lady went to be ex- amined. The examination in arithmatic was: Add $ } 4 & 2 together, which was done very quickly, that was all the examination there was on that branch. The superintendent remarked to the writer that "she is pretty sharp;" this is only a specimen of examinations of those days.

It would perhaps not be inappropriate here to notice some of the natural scenery. There are in some localities bold rocks cropping out from the points of hills that have pillars of rocks on them that rise to the height of twelve or fifteen feet above the level of the hill; upon which if you take your stand, gives you a view of the surrounding country which is delightful and picturesque. There is a locality known as the Big Rocks on section 16 which is very singular in appearance. The ground rises gradually from the north for about thirty rods, when it abruptly breaks and forms a perpendicular

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

wall of about 100 feet in height, then runs to the south in a gentle slope, forming quite a valley. There are in the south part of the town three caves of considerable size, one of which has been explored to a distance of one- fourth or one-third of a mile, and as far as ex- plored consists of three rooms, each one of which is 50x150 feet. They are all hung with stalactites, and have stalagmites rising from the bottom, of various sizes and shapes, which give it truly a grand appearance.

REMEMBRANCES OF EARLY DAYS. [By A. L. Hatch].

The welcome a settler now receives is very different from that we received as actual settlers upwards of twenty-five years ago. Those who came before the terrible winter of 1856-7 were welcomed with mild and fruitful seasons, abun- dance of wild game in the woods, and we sup- posed that much of it run about all roasted, ready to eat! Leastwise some such stories were afloat in the east when we came here, and as we didn't find any, we presume it must have been here before we came. Then those fellows had choice of all the land ; provided they were as smart as other speculators who eagerly gobbled up the whole batch that was of any great valne.

After a time these old chaps got pretty well started, and then they turned around in this welcoming business and welcomed every green- horn who brought plenty of cash and bought slices of their land at five times its first cost.

But woe ! woe ! to the poor devil who came here in the fall of 1856, and especially if he had a family and was obliged to pass through that terrible winter with its rains and snows, when the merenry congealed at times with the intense cold, and the four feet of snow had its four crusts of ice. There was hardship, suffering and privation that winter among the poor, and few were wealthy here in those times. This winter was the collapse of the land speculation, after which many men from the burden of their taxes were actually land poor. Added to this there was the financial crisis of 1857, that sent

the wild cat banks into space and dissolved much of our currency into thin air.

Thus we see that many of us had to make our homes here under these discouraging circum- stances. I have seen the time when a sack of bran was valned as much for food as a sack of Parfrey & Pease's best, patent, fancy, super- extra flour would be to-day; when it was very common for families to subsist a week or a mouth on two or three articles of diet, and happy was the man who could have pork and potatoes at the same meal. Everything that would do for food was utilized that terrible winter. Even the poor deer, worried and bleeding from the pitiless ice crusts of the snow, starved and frozen were mercilessly slaughtered. Those who came to Wisconsin from the east usually brought with them two things: one was a lively remembrance of the plenty they left, the other a big appetite. lo was wonderful what a great amount of food we found necessary to acelima- tize us. low hungry we were. Father bought a hog that winter, that was actually so poor it would hardly fry itself, yet it was the sweetest pork I ever tasted.

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History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 124

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