History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Part 48

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1304

USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Wisconsin > Part 48

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As when some vision, beautiful and mild, Dimples the fair face of a sleeping child, A viewless-winged zephyr breaks To wrinkling silver, yonder lakes; Now here, now there, while all between, Those shivered spots of sparkling sheen, Rivers of smoothest glass are seen. II. Yon snowy sail seems lapped in dreamy rest, Immovable upon the lake's calm breast ; So quiet all-without a stir- That one might almost dream it were The work of some painter's mastery- A glimpse of that blue AEgean Sea That lives, golden-hued, in the memory. III. Beyond the shining floods, against the sky, The prairie lifts its smooth, green swells on high, While on yon summit-half-concealed Amid green groves, and half-revealed --- There stands a youthful city, fanned By temperate airs and breezes bland, Fit Capital of this Arcadian land. IV.

Summer is here ; her touch has clothed these hills ; She swoons at noonday by the lapsing rills, Whose moist, cool gurglings charm the wood ; Her presence o'er this scene doth brood; By her the fair earth is bedight ; She weaves its vestments green and bright, And floods its countless vales with light. V. Lakes, forests, prairies, " heaked promontories," Delight the eye, bright in their summer glories, And on yon height, those domes and spires, Up-pointing, glow like altar-fires; Above its groves, and overhead, The bluest heaven of June is spread, The jasper pavement which the immortals tread.

*The poet here refers to the city of Madison.

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY

Charles George Mayers, of Madison, has completed three of a series of " Songs of the Lakes," from one of which the following extract, describing a young Indian hunter's first successful shot upon the banks of the Yahara, is taken. The scene is laid on the upper river, in the town of Westport :

Scarce the east has ta'en the tinting Of the first gray dawn of morning, When he sprang refreshed from slumber, Donned the panther's rude adorning. No more careless was his bearing ; But while listening acutely, Restless flashed his eyes like meteors Trav'ling swiftly, softly, mutely.

Not a chirp of bird, or murmur Of the woods, but well was noted; To the chase the youthful hunter Every energy devoted. Thus he sped until he halted By the winding, broad Yahara.

In the east, the sun arising Threw aloft his red tiara,

As the hunter reached Yahara, Stealing cat-like through the bushes --

To the water's edge advancing, Listening keenly for the breaking Of the forest silence. Ah ! why do the branches quiver

Just beyond the hillock, rising At the sharp bend of the river ? The air can scarcely hear his movements, Though his steps are nearly flying, Till the gentle breath of morning From the spot, tow'rd him is sighing.

Then, still creeping nimbly forward, Nature's stillness is unbroken ; Until, at an easy bow-shot, He perceives, in quiet, feeding,

Three good deer, in careless safety ; His approach, unknown, unheeding.

One brave stag, with branching antlers, Shook his crest and bid defiance To the forest. He the monarch, Stood erect in self-reliance. Then the boy's heart was bounding, Though his nerves were all unshaken,

As to head he drew the arrrow. Twice he tried if sure and steady, He could aim behind the shoulder ; But the intervening brush wood Made him choose a method bolder.

Rose erect, like silent shadow, And before the stag had seen him Sped the fatal shaft like lightning.

Then hy instinct, he embodied The antique, the great Apollo, Form of beauty standing rigid, Sight and soul the arrow follow. Right arm gracefully withdrawing, Still his left the how extending. On the flying arrow's fortune, Every faculty is hending. But a moment stands the statue

Breathless, most intently watching Ere the heart lesps up to manhood, All the hunter's ardor catching. One brave hound the stag attempted,

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

Then stood still, except the shivering Of the death-stroke; for the arrow, Deep-sunk in his flesh, was quivering. Stealing swiftly, like a specter, Fearlessly the hunter hurried ; And before the stag could rally, Fatally the knife was buried.

Then he stood intently watching Where the gasping and the sighing Of the fallen forest monarch Told the noble stag was dying ; And his heart was touched to eadnees By the piteous glance, appealing ;

For an eye of matchless beauty More than instinct seemed revealing.

The Four Lakes and the river which drains them, were surveyed in 1839, by Capt. T. J. Cram, under authority of the General Government. In his report, Capt. Cram says :

" The Fourth Lake, which is the summit lake, has a periphery of 19} miles, and covers an area of 15,65 square miles. Its longest diameter bears due east and west, and is 6 miles in length ; and the transverse diameter, perpendicular thereto, is 4 miles long. The water in this lake is cold and pure, and of depth sufficient for all purposes of navigation by small steamers. The land bordering upon it is hilly, undulating, and in many places broken. On the north side it is well timbered, chiefly with hard wood, and lime and siliceous stone are found in abun- dance; the quality thereof, however, has not been sufficiently tested to enable one to form a just estimate of its value for building purposes.

" From information derived from His Excellency, Gov. Dodge, it is inferred that a canal, hav- ing the Fourth Lake for its summit reservoir, might be easily constructed between this lake and the Wisconsin River. The Indians are said to have made the passage through, with their canoes, in time of high water. It would be well to examine the ground along this route, with a view to test the feasibility of opening a suitable canal ; and, if found practicable, plans and estimates of the cost of construction should be made.

" The channel between the Fourth and Third Lakes is 1 mile in extent, and varies in width from 60 to 100 feet ; immediately at the outlet, the width, however, is but 35 feet ; and the cur- rent is proportionately strong, the depth not exceeding two feet. This shoal extends 1,000 feet into the lake, and about 500 feet down the channel, before giving a depth of 3 feet. The total fall in this one mile of channel is approximately estimated at 22 inches. At the entrance to the Third Lake, a shoal occurs of a similar character to the one just described.

"The method of improving this channel would be to deepen it, and clear out the sunken timber and brush found in it, and to construct a lock of suitable lift at the entrance of the Third Lake, in a manner, however, not to produce stagnant water in the channel above.

"The Third Lake is 123 miles in circumference and covers 51, square miles. Its longest diameter is 3} miles in extent, and bears north 41º east, and the diameter perpendicular thereto is 1,8,75 miles long. The water is pellucid, and has a depth along the usual boat track of more than 10 feet. The shores are hilly and undulating, bearing a scattered growth of burr and white oak.

" The channel through which this lake is discharged, has a depth of 9 feet immediately at the outlet, with a muddy and sandy bottom ; but the depth soon decreases to 4 and finally down to 2 feet, where the bottom becomes gravelly, with numerous sand and lime rocks for an extent of ¿ of a mile; these rocks, however, can be easily removed.

"The water is sometimes so low that the rocks are seen projecting above its surface, when the depth cannot exceed 12 inches. After leaving this bed of rocks, the channel carries from 3 to 6 feet depth to the entrance of the Second Lake; at this entrance there occurs a bar of 150 feet width, having from 3 to 3} feet of water over its summit ; after passing the summit, how- ever, the water attains a depth of 1 fathom in a distance of 150 feet. The length of the channel,

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

between the Third and Second Lakes, is 76 of a mile, and its breadth averages not less than 350 feet, and its current is quite gentle. The method for improving its navigation is so obvious that description is not necessary.

" The Second Lake has a periphery of 975 miles, and a surface of 473% square miles ; its greatest diameter bears north 17º east, and is 32 miles long. The diameter transverse and perpendicular thereto is 1-625 miles long. The water in this lake is likewise pure and carries a depth along the boat track of one and a half fathoms. On the north and east the shore is marshy, with a low, gravelly bank intervening between the marsh and the water's edge; on the southern and western shores the land is elevated, undulating, presenting high knobs and bluffs. " The length of the channel between the Second and First Lakes is 32 miles ; at the outlet of the Second there are many rocks in the bed of the stream, which, however, can be removed without blasting. At a short distance below the outlet, a rapid occurs, having a total fall of 912% of a foot, in a distance of 800 feet, where there is but eighteen inches depth of water; below this rapid the depth soon increases to three feet, and the bottom becomes sandy. About one mile lower down a second rapid occurs for an extent of 560 feet, in which the total fall is 231% of a foot, and depth from 22 to 30 inches ; after which the depth increases to three and four feet. At a point about 1,200 feet further down, the stream expands into a breadth of four-tenths of a mile, and has a depth which varies between the limits of three and six feet; after attaining the last limit, the depth suddenly decreases to two feet, where a third rapid com- mences, whose total fall in 1,200 feet is 10 0 6 644 of a foot. In this rapid the depth is but 12 inches, and several large rocks appear above the surface of the water, where an old Indian fish-dam crosses the stream. Immediately below the third rapid, the stream has a depth varying from 20 to 30 inches, and farther down from two and a half to three feet, with numerous rocks in its bed. Succeeding this, the stream is reduced to two feet in depth ; then attains to three and a half feet, and holds this last depth to the entrance of the First Lake, excepting where two bars occur, over which the depth is but two feet.

" The method that appears to be suitable for the improvement of the channel (between the Second and First Lakes) is to erect a dam at the foot of the third rapid, to produce slack water between it and the Second Lake, of sufficient depth to cover all the intervening obstructions, which, in all probability, might be done without overflowing much valuable land ; and to deepen the channel between the foot of said rapid to the entrance of First Lake, so as to give sufficient depth quite over the bar into this lake.

" The First Lake has a circumference of 9} miles, and contains 5 square miles of surface; its longest diameter points due cast and west, and is 3} miles in extent; and the north-and- south diameter is 2 miles long. The water is as pellucid as that of the other lakes, and carries a depth along the boat track varying from 7 to 10 feet, excepting near the outlet, where, as usual, there is a bar over which the water is but 2 feet deep. The shores, with few exceptions, are good ; in some places they are rolling and uneven, being broken by bluffs and interspersed occasionally with small.marshes. The timber is scanty and of inferior quality.

" From the outlet of the First Lake to the head of the Dunkirk Falls, the distance, by the river (called the Catfish), is 9 miles. The average breadth of the stream is about 130 feet, being occasionally reduced to 60 feet at the short bends, where the depth is usually at least 5 feet ; at other places it was found not less than 22 feet, and generally from 22 to 5 feet. The fall in these 9 miles is so uniform, and the current so gentle, that dams are deemed to he unnecessary ; and all that would be required for the improvement would be to deepen the channel in a few places, and, perhaps, dredge off a point of ground occasionally, where an elbow occurs. " From the head of Dunkirk Falls to the entrance into Rock River is 123 miles. There is a continued succession of short rapids, with intervening pools, wherein the current is gentle.

" The banks of the river are high and generally bordered by hills, varying in altitude from 30 to 40 feet. They are generally favorable for the erection of dams."

Besides the Four Lakes, there are numerous others of smaller size in Dane County, the principal one being Lake Wingra, in the town of Madison. The following are noted on the

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

County maps : Fish Lake, Crystal Lake, two Mud Lakes, Goose Lake, Lake Koshkonong (only a small part), Bass Lake, Island Lake, Hook Lake, Rice Lake, Crane Lake, Indian Lake, Har- riett Lake and Turtle Lake.

NATURAL MOUNDS AND SINK-HOLES.

In South west Wisconsin there are no mountains, and the nearest approach to them are the natural mounds-the Sinsinawa Mound, in Grant County ; the Platte Mounds, in La Fayette County ; and the Blue Mounds, in Iowa and Dane Counties. The Sinsinawa Mound is a very conspicuous object in the southern part of Grant County, near the village of Fairplay. It is composed for the most part of the Cincinnati group, capped with a small amount of Niagara limestone. The Platte Mounds are three in number, about a mile apart, the middle one being very small in comparison with the other two. The large ones, the east and west mounds, are about the same elevation, and are capped with a very hard Niagara limestone, to which they doubtless owe their preservation in the general washing away of the surrounding country. The ground slopes away from them so gently, and blends so gradually with the surrounding highlands, that it is impossible to define exactly where the mounds begin. The Blue Mounds are two in number ; one, the West Blue Mound, being in Iowa County, and the other, the East Blue Mound, being in Dane County. The top of the West Mound (which is the higher of the two) consists of a hundred feet of very hard flint, or chert rock, somewhat resembling quartzite; below this is the Niagara limestone. This cap of chert seems to have been removed from the East Mound, the top of which is a flat table-land under cultivation. These mounds are very conspicuous, and can be seen from any moderately high land for many miles around. The East Blue Mound is mostly in the town of Blue Mounds, in Sections 5 and 6, in Township 6, of Range 6 east.

The Blue Mounds, like the others mentioned, owe their origin to erosion, and not elevation. They are the outlines of an ancient world, landmarks of ages too remote to be computed by years-boundaries which remain to prove the existence of a former surface over all Southern Wisconsin, of which in the lapse of epochs more than six hundred feet have been dissolved and carried away by the action of the elements. The Blue Mounds, being the highest, dominate all the others. Sharp-cut valleys and ravines radiate from their hoary sides in nearly every direc- tion ; springs break out along the margins of the successive layers, and streams run to the four points of the compass. The West Blue Mound rises to a height of 1,151 feet above Lake Michi- gan, and 1,729 feet above the ocean, and is the most elevated point in Southern Wisconsin. There are other natural mounds in Dane County, serving as striking features of the locality where they exist; but they are small in comparison with the East Blue Mound.

Very remarkable features in the vicinity of the Blue Mounds are the numerous sink-holes found near their base, and frequently quite far up their sides. These sinks are usually in groups of three or four, and invariably in nearly an east-and-west line. One group is near the former residence of Ebenezer Brigham, at the foot of the East Blue Mound, in the town of Blue Mounds, in the southwest quarter of Section 5, in Township 6, of Range, 6 east. There are about a dozen of them, nearly round, varying in diameter from ten to twenty feet, and about five feet deep, all in a line, bearing about 10º north of west. It is probable that the water, perco- lating through the earth into crevices beneath, has in the course of time carried so much of the soil with it as to cause a falling in of the surface, leaving the sinks as the result. Sinks do not appear to be confined to the Galena limestone, but seem to be quite as frequent at the Blue Mounds, in the Niagara formation. They have been observed in many other localities in the lead region.

THE VERONA CAVE.

"On the northeast part of Section 5, in the town of Verona, is the ' Great Cave of Dane County.' About eleven miles distant, and a little southwest of Madison, near the crest of the dividing ridge which separates the lake region from the valley of Sugar River, there exists the basin of an ancient pond or lake, covering about four thousand acres, whose waters have long

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

since departed, and whose drainage is directly into the face of a bluff. This inlet, a quarter of a century ago, was penetrated nearly two thousand feet, and yet has never been fully explored or its mysterious depths examined by mortal eye. It is about five hundred feet above the level of the four lakes, and the openings apparently tend to the west. Sugar River is about one and a half miles distant, but no evidence has ever been discovered to warrant the belief that these waters anywhere enter or make a part of that stream. All indications, indeed, point to the cer- tainty that it is an entrance to that vast subterranean river system known to permeate the lead region at a great depth, and whose unknown outlet may be hundreds of miles away. Early explorers always halted from fatigue or lack of adequate preparation to proceed, and not because the way was not open ; and nothing like an end has ever been reached.

" The deposit in which this immense grotto exists, is the cliff or Upper Magnesian lime- stone, which at this point is known to be underlaid by a sandstone formation, whose thickness is probably forty or fifty feet. That the channel has been cut down to this more friable material, at some point of its course, is not doubted, and hence it is naturally concluded that, if fol- lowed to the line of junction, the dimensions of the cave would swell to colossal proportions. As it exists at present, there are four narrow entrances, badly choked by the debris fallen at the month, or material carried in by currents. The two most southern openings unite at the distance of some fifty or sixty feet, whence cavern succeeds cavern, so far as known, for thousands of feet. Once within this rocky chamber, there was formerly no serious obstacle to progress ; but the present difficulty of entrance has kept thousands from the spot. It has also had the effect of keeping the walls of the interior openings in a much damper condition than they otherwise would be, by preventing the draft of outer air, which passes steadily through the whole known extent of the cavern. The far inner rooms have all the usual characteristics of the most noted caves in the country. Pendant stalactite has its corresponding stalagmite, at present much dis- colored by the newly added sediment. The walls are worn into strange and fantastic shapes, and everywhere exhibit the erosive power of rushing water. Long corridors and halls, whose smooth, rocky sides would seem to bid defiance to any power, connect the numerous vestibules and chambers, some of which are from twenty to thirty feet in height and of great and almost unknown depth.

" That the cave consists of several stories, is evident from numerous indications, both exterior and interior. It is proved by the sound of voices when large parties are exploring the numerous ramifications ; by variations in level ; and more particularly by a whirlpool in seasons of flood, outside the entrance, which proves that the ancient channel has been choked by fallen rocks, and underlies the whole cavern thus far examined. It is still further proved by the clean-cut bank of the outside water-course, whose bottom is several feet below the present entrance-an impossible achievement if they were the natural inlet. Still further, no pond or water ever remains in front of the cave, in the basin below the existing entrance level, which would be impossible if it did not have a subterranean escape. Once cleared of accumulated debris, and instead of one or more, there would probably be found a cave of several stories, the lower of which would amply suffice to drain the region, leaving the others ordinarily dry and intact. Until this is done, the full extent and beauty of this mighty freak of nature will never be fully known or appreciated. * Parties living close at hand give wonderful accounts of the phenomena witnessed after great and sudden floods, when the waters, dammed back by the choked entrance, rise ten or fifteen feet against the face of the cavern, compressing the inner air, which escapes through small fissures, to the crest of the hill, with a hiss and a roar somewhat akin to the shriek of a steam whistle. At one spot, indeed, the conversation of parties deep in the cave can be heard directly overhead, showing that if extra ventilation were ever needed it could be easily provided for. Anything like floods, in this elevated basin, however, are extremely rare, and could only occur after long- continued rains, or the sudden melting of great and heavy bodies of snow. No rain-fall from May to November has ever been known large enough to send any water into the opening, nor does any enter during the months of winter.

May Roseline Peck THE FIRST WHITE WOMAN IN BARABOO VALLEY.

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

" It is greatly to be regretted that drift-wood and other material have been allowed access, and to accumulate in such quantities as to preclude thorough explorations. Fossil remains of the mastodon, the mammoth and the elephant, as well as of other extinct species, have been found in deep fissures in various parts of the lead region ; and there is every reason to suspect their existence here. These cavities originated from a common cause, and have a natural relation to each other. Science had much to anticipate from the revelations of this vast subter- ranean tunnel. Its buried chambers, of curious form and magnificent proportions, would have been the delight of future generations, if rendered accessible. Possibly the entrance rubbish of the lowest cavity may yet be removed, and by that means the upper chambers be cleansed and restored. In any event, the spot will be visited by the curious, as it is unlike any other cavern in the country, and the only one whose entrance is at its source, and not the mouth. The darkness that hides its interior secrets covers a great mystery."*

"A mystery hangs around the cave which has, perhaps, been intensified by the recollection of an adventure that occurred to two citizens of the town of Verona when in it, and, though it might have proved fatal, it could not possibly have occurred had a little more care been taken in providing enough lights to carry with them. The mouth of the cave is under a ledge of rocks that hangs over a small valley, of which it is the terminus. Before the rains had washed so much debris as now exists around its entrance, there was a large enough opening for any person to pass in and out conveniently.

"James Waddell and a Mr. Goodrich started one morning on horseback to examine the cave. Providing themselves with candles, they entered the cave and proceeded to investigate the interior, previously tying their horses outside. The fascination of desiring to continue their search farther than they had provided lights for, led them so far that their last candle was nearly exhausted before they thought it prudent to return. Unable to retrace their steps, however, before it gave out entirely, one of them, taking off his shirt, tore it into strips, and, lighting them, made some progress in the direction from which they had come. The cotton strips becoming exhausted, they were left in the solitude of the unknown cave, and, sitting down, felt themselves worse than lost-buried alive.

" Meanwhile, one of the animals that had been tied to the trees broke loose, and, going home, created considerable anxiety to the wife and brothers of Mr. Waddell. The two brothers, John and Walter, knowing that James had gone to the cave, immediately supplied themselves with a rope and candle, and proceeded in search of him, dreading that some choke-damp had destroyed his life. Arriving at the cave, they cautiously entered, and, lighting their candle, one stood near the mouth and held the rope, while the other took one end of it, and, with the light, started farther in, calling his brother by name. Repeated shouting brought no answer, until mental anxiety getting the better of both, they dispensed with the rope, and proceeded together farther in, repeatedly calling as they went. At length a faint response was heard in a distant part of the cave, and, as each hurried to the other, the sounds grew more distinct, and finally brought the two lost men to their side, overjoyed at their fortunate escape from a living tomb.

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History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Part 48

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1304

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1304