USA > Wisconsin > Eau Claire County > History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present; including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county > Part 35
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Among the settlers in the village in 1857 were the Rev. A. Kidder and family, Joseph G. Thorp and family, Peter Wyckoff, the Jackson brothers, John Wilson, George A. Buffington, Dr. F. R. Skinner, W. P. Bartlett and Alex. Meggett. During the winter of 1857-58 many of the villagers had to mutually assist each other, owing to the depressed condition of the money mar- ket and commercial interests. Credit was, temporarily, an un- known quantity.
The lands of the Fox River Improvement Company were in the market to a limited extent in 1859, and the business of dis- posing of some of them was transacted at the land office on Eau Claire street. By the terms of the grant, the lands could not be pre-empted by actual settlers, but could be covered by land warrants, which was issued in great quantities. N. B. Boyden was the receiver at this period. One night near the time the returns were due at Washington, the office was broken into by burglars, the safe blown open and a large sum of money taken. The loss fell upon the government. A stage route was estab- lished in this year between Eau Claire and Wabasha, and the first graded school opened on the west side. The second Metho-
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dist Episcopal Church was organized in 1861, located on the west side. What is now the Eau Claire National Bank was or- ganized by C. C. Spafford in this year.
Reference has already been made to the grant of land by Congress in 1856 for the construction of a railroad from Portage City to the Mississippi at LaCrosse, with a branch from Tomah to the St. Croix river. The scheme collapsed. In March, 1863, several business men of St. Croix, Dnnn, Chippewa, Eau Claire and Jacksou counties, among whom were D. A. Baldwin, Capt. William Wilson, J. G. Thorp, H. S. Allen and W. T. Price, pro- moted a new organization to construct that part of the road from Tomah to the St. Croix. It was incorporated under legislative act at the date named with the title of the Tomah & St. Croix Railway Company. The first meeting was held at Durand on July 9 of that year. At the next session of the legislature, the land grant was conferred upon the company with the right of way and the privilege of locating the line on its present course, except that its terminus was to be at Tomah. Subsequently, the line was changed, leaving the original line at Warrens and run- ning to Camp Douglas on the Milwaukee road. It was deter- mined by the courts that the terminus could not be thus changed, and settlement, however, was finally made by which the change became legalized. The grant was renewed and the land exempted from taxes until 1870. The preliminary expenses in surveying the route, etc., were $20,000. D. A. Baldwin, of Hudson, had sufficient confidence in the success of the undertaking to advance the money. The work was done and the necessary maps prepared in 1864-65. The next step was to find capitalists who would invest the requisite funds to construct and equip the road. Mr. Baldwin was selected by the directors of the company to carry on the negotiations in this direction. After trips had been made to the principal eastern cities, and the Atlantic twice crossed, Mr. Baldwin's efforts were, after the labor of two years, crowned with success. Mr. Jacob Humbird, of Cumberland, Maryland, a prosperous railroad contractor, furnished the entire funds to com- plete the first thirty-two miles of track to Black River Falls, the payment of which, and all other sums for contract work, was secured by first mortgage on the roadbed. Before com- meneing operations, the name of the company had been changed to the West Wisconsin Railway by an act of the legislature. The road was completed to Angusta early in 1870, and in the following August the then welcome sound of the locomotive which connected it with the East was heard in Eau Claire. It
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was made the occasion of such rejoicing as has never been equalled in Eau Claire. A meeting of citizens was held at Mar- ston's IIall on the evening of July 25, 1870, when the subject was discussed, and the following committee appointed with full power to make all necessary arrangements to celebrate the event in a proper manner : Alexander Meggett, H. P. Graham, Daniel Shaw, Martin Daniels, George A. Buffington, John Wordsworth Nel- son, Texas Angel, Orrin H. Ingram, D. E. Brown, Ole Bruden and Matthias Leinenkugel. The reception and entertainment took place in the publie park on the west side. Provisions were made for free entertainment by private hospitality of not less than 300 persons for not less than two days. The amount raised by voluntary subscription was $1,500, and was sufficient to defray the entire expense of the occasion. Not less than 3,000 guests were provided for and dined in a sumptuous manner, ladies pre- siding at the tables.
The electors of the county had voted in aid of this road the sum of $60,000 in bonds. By a trick, the wording of the resolution was made to read, "the county may issue bonds" to that amount, instead of "shall." Judge Mead and W. P. Bartlett each claim the credit for this deception. This aid was voted to secure the location of the road at Eau Claire instead of Chippewa Falls. The court decided that under the particular phraseology the county board had an option either to issue or refuse to issue the bonds. The county board, after the road was secured at Eau Claire, refused to issue the bonds, a clear case of repudiation.
The first congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church was organized in 1864, and the Second district school was established this year on Farwell street. It became well known as the Bartlett high school.
A destructive flood occurred in 1866 on the Chippewa river. Jams of ice, logs and driftwood came down in such force that booms, piers and all other obstructions to the irresistible waters were carried away. Many thousand logs were deposited on the islands of the Mississippi.
THE DELLS DAM.
The actual basis of the industries of the whole of Eau Claire was the immense forests of pine above it and tributary to the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers. The only method in those early days of securing the timber was to put it into the streams and float it down to the mills, which were located at Eau Claire and
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below on the Chippewa river. This method was confined to seasons of freshets or high water. In order to secure the supply of logs that had been or were to be floated down the streams it was necessary originally that piers should be constructed in the streams and booms attached thereto, thus making a reservoir from which the logs would be taken into the mill and manu- factured into lumber. In order that those belonging to each concern could be thus secured, they had to be taken from the mass of logs coming down the river and turned into such reser- voirs, permitting those owned by other parties, as well as those bound for a distance below to pass without hindrance. Such method of securing logs was not only expensive and difficult when large quantities were floating in the stream, but a consid- erable portion of those belonging to the mill owner could not be secured and would pass beyond his booms or reservoir down the stream, and be lost, unless they were subsequently picked out and brailed or rafted and disposed of to parties operating on the Mississippi river.
In order, therefore, to successfully operate the mills at Eau Claire, it became imperative that some other means should be provided by which the logs destined for manufacture at Eau Claire could be safely secured and deposited, so that each mill could and would receive what was destined for it. At an early date this was attempted by exeavating a canal from the river, commencing near the mill of Smith and Buffington, into Half Moon lake, a distance of 100 rods or more, such lake forming a natural reservoir for an almost unlimited quantity. This was not a complete suceess for two reasons. First was the fact that the lake was considerably higher than the river, and the river had to be at a flood of twelve or more feet in order to obtain a current through the canal. Second, when the logs were floating in the river in great quantities, the piers and booms constructed in the river for the purpose of turning the logs into the canal were inadequate, and the logs would become jammed, and the pocket thus made become full, and the logs not held therein would pass by and down the stream. It therefore became an imperative necessity to the operation of the mills and the growth and prosperity of Eau Claire, that other means must be provided for securing logs. The Dells, so called, rapids in the Chippewa river, seemed to be a natural place for a safe and secure reser- voir. At that point there were high, rocky banks; the river was narrow, with a rock bed, and hence a dam at that place would create slack water for several miles up the stream. The
BARSTOW STREET, 1860
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construction of a canal or flume from the dam to Half Moon Lake, a distance of nearly a mile, through which the logs des- tined for the mills on the west side could be passed when assorted, would solve the difficult problem of which we have spoken. In order to accomplish this, however, as the Chippewa was a navi- gable stream, not only for saw logs, but, in the extreme high water, for small steamboats, with great effort the consent of the legislature had to be obtained. At that time, though since ex- ploded, it was thought that even the legislature was powerless to grant the right or privilege. That to stop logs destined for points below, even for the limited time required to assort them, was an obstruction to navigation, which, under the ordinance of 1787, providing that the waters of the Mississippi and its tribu- taries should ever remain free, could not be granted.
It would seem that the project would not have met with opposition from any source, other than such as was engaged in navigation. Not so, however. About ten miles above was the village of Chippewa Falls. Its citizens would not be affected by the proposed improvement which meant so much for Eau Claire. A large sawmill was located there, operated by the firm of Pound & Halbert, who had constructed a dam completely across the river with only a slide therein upon which lumber manufactured at points above, at Yellow River and Jims Falls, could pass. They also had piers and booms in the river by which logs destined for points below were detained until they were assorted from the mass and placed in their storage booms what was their own.
It was proposed by the interests at Eau Claire, to not only put in a slide for the passage of lumber in the dam, but also a lock through which boats, if any should want to ascend the river. could be passed through, and with this proposition they sought a grant or license from the legislature at its session in 1866, to construct such a dam, flume and necessary piers as has been stated.
It should be stated that there existed a rivalry between the two localities, Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, and that rivalry was so extreme on the part of the citizens of Chippewa Falls that it prompted them, at the instigation largely of Thad. C. Pound, to oppose the construction of such improvement at the Dells, not on the ground of any injury to them or their village, but solely on the ground that it would be the means of the building up of a large business center of Eau Claire, and make it the leading point for the manufacture of lumber in the north-
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western part of the state. It would thus outstrip its rival in this respect. The opposition to the improvement, as stated, was one of jealousy, pure and simple.
The legislature, after the most stubborn opposition on the part of Mr. Pound and his followers, defeated the measure. The measure was defeated again in 1870. In 1871 the franchise was granted by the legislature, but was promptly vetoed by Governor Fairchild. It should be stated here that Mr. Pound was not only a lumberman but a very prominent republican politician, a genial fellow and of considerable influence with his party. At the next session of the legislature the franchise was granted and the bill signed by the governor.
The separate villages of Eau Claire, Eau Claire City and North Eau Claire, the latter not incorporated, were incorporated as a city in March, 1872. The effort at this time was in the name of the city, ostensibly for the purpose of creating a waterworks system for the eity. Incidentally for the booming, assorting and storing of logs, as well as the improvement of the navigation of the river. This bill was attacked in the Supreme Court by the opposition, and by the court declared invalid on the ground that the primary purpose of the bill, as appeared from its text, was the booming and storage of logs, and the matter of water- works was secondary. At the next session this defeet in the bill was remedied, the waterworks being made the primary purpose, and the lumber interests the incidental purpose. To remove all question as to the validity of the latter measure and to forestall any further effort on the part of the Chippewa Falls people, the writer obtained the consent of the attorney general and in behalf of Ely and Vail, non-resident owners of land in Eau Claire, applied to the supreme court for an injunction to prevent the building of the dam by the city on the ground that the aet was void, using all the arguments of the Chippewa Falls people in prior contests, and succeeded in being defeated (a paradox), the court uphold- ing the validity of the act.
It may be of interest to here refer to the circumstances attend- ing its passage and showing by what a narrow margin it escaped defeat. Mr. Ponnd had succeeded in postponing final action upon the bill in the Senate until the evening of the last day of the session, the bill having passed the Assembly early in the ses- sion by a large majority. In the Senate the friends of the meas- ure lacked one vote of the necessary two-thirds to suspend the rules, and hence it appeared almost hopeless in the evening before the session to make any attempt to pass the bill. To say that its
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friends were discouraged is putting it very mild, indeed. The writer alone insisted upon continuing the fight to the last ditch, but with only the slight hope that some accident or unforeseen event might oceur to our advantage. Senator Rice, of Waukesha. had charge of the bill, and the writer was to assist him in the parliamentary fight. Mr. Pound's tacties was to talk the bill to its death, and the senator from Columbus was selected to obtain the floor and talk and not sit down until both hands of the cloek was at the hour of twelve. He obtained the floor, commenced his harangue, when it was noticed one of their supporters, Sen- ator Barny, was not in his seat. The sergeant-at-arms was dis- patehed in haste to bring in the delinquent senator. Ile was finally corralled and brought to his seat, the senator from Colum- bus in the meantime still holding the floor. As Senator Barny reached his seat he immediately began addressing the chair. The senator from Columbus, knowing he was friendly, slowly dropped into his seat, the chair recognizing Senator Barny. As Barny concluded, quick as a flash, and before the senator from Columbus could rise, the writer prompted Senator Rice to rise and obtain recognition from the chair (the late Judge Barron occupying it), which he did, and moved a suspension of the rules. This created a flurry in the enemy's camp, L. C. Stanley, of Chip- pewa Falls, immediately springing to the side of Senator Quimby. from Sauk county, and engaged his attention. In the meantime the eall of the roll proceeded and the clerk announced that the rules were suspended. It appeared that Senator Quimby was so engaged with Mr. Stanley that when his name was called he did not pay attention to it and did not vote. After the vote was announced Quimby claimed the right to vote. The ehair ruled that he had no authority to grant him that right after the result had been declared, but he would leave it to the Senate whether he should at that stage be permitted to vote. This, of course, required a majority vote, and hence not having a majority, the majority, disgusted at the method of filibustering to defeat the bill, voted against the motion. Senator Rice stood in his position to the end, the rules were suspended and the measure passed in regular order in quick time.
We all thought that danger of defeat was passed. The friends of the measure, after an elaborate banquet, departed for their homes, except the writer and one other, the duty of having the bill properly signed and placed in the office of the Secretary of State being imposed upon the writer. Eau Claire was all ablaze with joy and enthusiasm. The most elaborate preparations were
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being made for a monster celebration. It was complete and the people in mass assembled on the day the word was expected that the bill had been signed.
However, there was not only delay, but danger. Taylor was Governor. H. S. Palmer was the leading democrat in the state. John C. Spooner was a leading republican. They appeared before the Governor and made a plea for a veto. They had the ear of the Governor. The writer was there alone to oppose. Palmer and Spooner argued that the bill was unconstitutional. The writer not only argued the contrary, but tried to impress upon the Governor that the able lawyers in both branches of the legis- lature on the judiciary committee had determined the bill was valid, and it would seem highly injudicious for him, not being a lawyer, to disagree with them. The Governor hesitated. I knew the influence against us was strong. We were all democrats but Spooner. I urged him not to weaken our party. After we had left the executive chamber, I returned. I felt the Governor would veto the bill, and I asked him if there was any lawyer in the state whose opinion he would respect, and eliminate what Palmer, Spooner and myself had urged. He finally said there was one man, and that was Judge Miller, of the United States Court, in Milwaukee. He consented to wait until his opinion could be obtained. I immediately went to Milwaukee, saw Judge Miller. He kindly consented to come to Madison. He eame that night, and I received word late that night to meet the Governor at eight o'clock in the morning and he would sign the bill. I was there promptly and the Governor signed it and handed it to me, and I personally carried it into the office of the Seeretary of State.
The most critical period in the history of Eau Claire was the spring of 1867. During the previous winter parties represented by one Bacon and Davis had put into the upper waters of the Chippewa a considerable quantity of saw logs for the purpose of driving. them down the Chippewa past Eau Claire and turning them into Beef Slough, through which considerable of the water flowed, the slough leaving the main stream a few miles above its mouth and entered into the Mississippi a short distance from Alma, the slough forming a natural reservoir for logs where at its mouth the logs could be rafted and floated to mills on the Mississippi. It was the purpose, and such would be its effect, to make a log-driving stream of the Chippewa and destroy the manufacturing industries along the Chippewa river. It would not necessarily have this effect if there were facilities along the river
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at manufacturing points lawfully exereised to hold logs a suffi- cient time to allow them to be assorted, passing those destined for points below. But the purpose was, as stated, to make the stream, as had been done with Black river, exclusively a log- driving stream where logs could be driven throughout its length without any hindranee or delay. In the spring of 1867 Bacon and Davis started their drive. The first obstruction they met was at the mill of French & Giddings located at Jim's Falls, sev- eral miles above Chippewa Falls. They had employed a large foree of drivers, and without any ceremony cut the booms of French & Giddings, thus releasing all their logs as well as those of their own. They came down the river doing the same with all the booms as far as the Eau Claire county line, intending to do the same with all booms in Eau Claire and below, of which there were a large number. The result was that the river at Eau Claire was one mass of floating logs extending from bank to bank, which made it impossible to any great extent to utilize the Half Moon lake eanal. The owners of mills on the Chippewa realized that unless something was done to stay the operations of this lawless band that finaneial ruin was the inevitable result; that their mills were worthless; that manufacturing lumber on the river was at an end. It was pitiful as we stood upon the dam at the inlet of Half Moon lake eanal on that Sunday morning to see, among others, Daniel Shaw, C. A. Bullen, O. H. Ingram, Donald Kennedy, George A. Buffington and Stephen Marston, each with pike pole in hand, attempting to push a few of their logs through the canal into Half Moon lake. The writer had never seen logs floated, assorted or seeured before. He had but recently come to Eau Claire. As he stood upon the dam in wonder and surprise why sneh operations were permitted which caused so mueh de- struetion and such ruin, he asked why it was permitted to be done, and received the reply that advice had been taken and they were powerless to prevent it. Ile replied that was strange. If there was no law in Wisconsin to prevent such lawlessness it was no place for him. He was asked if he could stop it, to which he replied he could or would move out of the state. To be brief, arrangement was made to meet him at his office at a later hour. In the meantime he had satisfied himself there was a remedy under Wiseonsin laws of which he did not have much douht at any time. At that meeting the parties were told that in view of the situation not only prompt but severe measures must be re- sorted to. He outlined his plan. To issue warrants for the arrest of Bacon and Davis and put them under bonds to keep the peace.
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To have the sheriff call out a posse commitatus, arm them and be present at the first boom in Eau Claire county, which was that of L. W. Farwell, and as the lawless band of drivers reached that boom to arrest them all as being engaged in a riot which the stat- utes clearly defined. Bacon and Davis were arrested at two o'clock Monday morning as they came to the Eau Claire House from the scene of their operations above. The crew of drivers had not reached the Farwell boom at this time. The sheriff had called out more than 250 men, and every man was armed with a rifle or shotgun. Not one shirked. The remaining booms in Eau Claire were to be protected at all hazards. Bacon and Davis were early in the morning brought before R. H. Copeland, a jus- tice of the peace, who fixed their bonds at $20,000. They saw the temper of the people, the 200 or more armed men parading the street ; they realized there was not only danger to their crew but possibly to themselves. Dr. W. T. Galloway, a personal friend of Davis, became their bondsman. Finally they agreed, if their men would not be molested and their personal safety guaranteed, to withdraw their men and resume their drive only at the south- ern extremity of the county.
The end, however, was not yet. The next year they threat- ened to drive the Menomonie river, but learning that Knapp, Stout & Co. had secured a stand of arms from the state, and real- izing that any such attempt would be met by force, they aban- doned it. However, they threatened the Chippewa again, and this time to cut the booms of the Union Lumber Company at Chippewa Falls. The writer was called in and in a stormy inter- view with Mr. Bacon the latter was told that Chippewa Falls was prepared with arms that had been sent to Menomonie, and that the temper of the people at Chippewa was the same as that of Eau Claire, which he had seen. The result was that all at- tempts thereafter to cut booms and make a log-driving stream, except a little threat made by one Alonzo Shrinker, who was president of the Beef Slough Company or Mississippi Lumber Company, were abandoned.
Referring again to the Dells dam, in order to comply with the decision of the Supreme Court, it was thought to be neces- sary that the city be clothed with all the rights and property, not only such as were essential to the construction and operation of waterworks, but also the booming and assorting of logs. To this end the Half Moon Lake Canal Company conveyed its rights to the city. The millowners had spent a large amount of money, in the aggregate at least $75,000, in the several attempts to obtain
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