USA > Wisconsin > Marathon County > History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens > Part 24
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1893-J. J. Sherman (appointed ), county judge; Henry Miller municipal judge, served till 1904. At this time the jurisdiction of the municipal court was extended, the court raised to a court of record, and Louis Marchetti was elected judge in 1904 and re-elected in 1908 and 1912.
1894-98-Henry Miller. county judge: 1895-96-J. F. Lamont, county superintendent.
1898-1902-Henry Miller. county judge; 1897-98, J. F. Lamont, county superintendent.
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1902-06-Henry Miller, county judge; 1899-1900, J. F. Lamont, county superintendent.
1906-10-Henry Miller, county judge; 1901-02-J. F. Lamont, county superintendent.
1910-14-Clyde L. Warren, county judge ; 1903-04, J. F. Lamont, county superintendent.
1905-06-J. F. Farrell, county superintendent.
1907-08-J. F. Farrell, county superintendent.
1909-10-W. Pivernitz, county superintendent.
19II-12-WV. Pivernitz, county superintendent.
CHAPTER XVII.
The City of Wausau-As It Was as a Village from 1861 to 1872-Its Officers-Historical Events-The Flood of 1866-Fires-W'ausau Fire Company No. I-Music Hall-Dramatic Clubs-The Social Life.
THE CITY OF WAUSAU.
The city of Wausau is practically in the center of Marathon county, as the county is in the center of the state. It covers an area of 612 square miles, being three miles from north to south, two miles from east to west, with an additional half section of land on the southeast side of the paral- lelogram. The Wisconsin river traverses it from north to south, dividing it into two nearly equal parts. From the southeast corner of McIndoe park, the width of the city is exactly one mile east and one mile west. The city is finely located in the valley of the river; there are few, if any, cities which have so nice or picturesque a location. The river banks are high, keeping the stream within its shores, even at high floods. It spreads out for nearly a mile on each side of the river over a plateau, then the gradually rising hills encircle it like a garland on the east and west.
Many elegant residences and buildings are scattered over the hillsides; the eye rests with pleasure on these elevations with their beautiful soft ver- dure in the summer, with swelling fields of golden grain, mixed with green fields of corn in the distance, with the placid sheet of water of Lake Wausau in the center, while the dark green of the needle trees which crown the crest of the hillsides when the ground is covered with snow make it a beautiful landscape in the winter.
To the southwest, only two miles from the city limits, Rib Mountain, covered with dark green foliage during the whole year, rises gradually from the shores of the Rib and Wisconsin rivers to a height of 1,841 feet above the level of the sea, the highest elevation in the state.
Standing on the top of the eastern hills at the end of Franklin or Mc- Intosh street, or on the town line road, or on the end of Callon or Elm street on the west, the landscape presents an admirable view, and in the early
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fall when the leaves begin to turn, the beauty of the scenery must be seen and felt, because the pen fails to do justice to its magnificence.
The dam at the Rothschield paper mill creates a very large reservoir, called Lake Wausau, which when cleaned out of the unsightly flood trash, which will be done in a short time, gives a fine chance for water sports, boat- ing, yachting, and fishing, allowing steam or gasoline boats to run up to and land on the shores of the river at Wausau.
The city is built up in compact form from the center. The original plat as laid out by the founder, WV. D. McIndoe, is still the center in every direc- tion, with the court house as the heart, with fine substantial business blocks fronting it on every side: the banks, Hotel Bellis, McCrossen Block, the Federal Building with the post and United States land offices, the Wisconsin Valley Trust Company, and offices of the gas company. Other substantial and fairly fireproof buildings stretch in every direction, from the court house north to the spacious and elegant quarters of the Young Men's Chris- tian Association building and the Methodist church and the majestic St James church, and south to the city hall, interspersed with the Nicolls, Liv- ingston, Gensman, Kickbusch, Ruder, the Paff, Baumann, and Mueller build- ings, and west to the Widmer College and the McIndoe park and public library, covering almost the entire original plat from Main to Fifth and from Forest to Franklin street, which territory is rightly included in the fire limits of Wausau. In good substantial buildings which have a claim to architec- tural beauty this city compares favorably with any of its size, and many much larger ones.
Three bridges span the river, the so-called Leahy and Beebe bridge, in the north, the Falls bridge in the center, and Stroller's bridge on the south, so called presumably because of the picturesque walk to and from the same, which invites promenading in the cool river breeze after a hot summer day.
The growth of Wausau has been slow, very slow, indeed, comparing it with the mushroom-like growth of some railroad towns, but unlike many others, it has been permanent.
It owes its growth not to railroads, nor to the speculative spirit of for- eign capitalists, but to its natural advantages and its pioneers, foremost of all to Walter D. McIndoe, who better than anyone else foresaw its great future, but whose life was cut short by fate, before his high, but reasonable, expectations could be realized.
This city and county is only 200 miles from Milwaukee and less than 300 miles from Chicago, soon the center of the population of the United States : the next generation will see the whole county occupied by prosperous
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farmers and hear the hum of industry throughout the River valley with electricity as the motive power, and who can fail to foresee a still greater future for Wausau? The city is easily accessible from all parts of the coun- ty, with its 40,000 people who live outside of its borders now, on thou- sands of profitable farms and in industrial villages, and who all have more or less business to transact at the county seat.
It has large, comfortable hotels and a hospitable people, who take pride in entertaining visitors and visiting societies, and Wausau has become the convention city of this state next to Milwaukee.
From the time that the first railroad struck Wausau in 1874, the city has entertained guests by the hundreds, and as early as 1887, the state turn "fest" was held here, where over 1,000 visitors were cared for for three days. The next year brought here the grand lodge of the I. O. O. F., and since that time not a year has passed but what some association or society held the annual session of its grand body or annual picnic in this place. Mercan- tile travelers make it a point to so regulate their trips as to spend the Sunday at Wausau in preference to any other place except home, because of hotel accommodations and sociability.
The business men of Wausau, its manufacturers and merchants, live here, which makes them equally interested in the welfare of the city with the workingmen. By far the largest majority of our laboring men own their homes ; many of their residences are models of family dwellings, combining comfort with sanitation, having water service, electric or gas light and bath room. A reasonably low street car service brings them to the mill or factory. giving quick and restful transportation from and to their homes where the distance is too far to be traveled comfortably afoot.
With good schools, play grounds, with parks and a good water supply and lighting system, with street cars to places of amusements, Wausau has all the advantages of a modern city without the drawbacks of a congested population in overcrowded tenement houses and districts. A modern hos- pital, excellently conducted by the Sisters of the Divine Savior, with a staff of eminent physicians and surgeons and carefully trained and educated nurses, provides home treatment at low rates for the unfortunate sick. The men who conduct large business enterprises in Wausau have learned the lesson that there is virtue in co-operation. in working together for each other. The large capital invested in mills and undertakings is nearly all furnished by people who live here, not by any one man or by a few men, but by the association of many, which brings not only the means together for con- ducting the enterprise, but also the business capacity, the mental energy, and
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the combined wisdom flowing from the experience of them all, which leads to success, divides the gain among many, and distributes the losses to lighten the burden. Business men in Wausau have ceased to quarrel, have ceased to look upon a rival as an enemy, and have adopted as their motto: "In union there is strength." Only on that hypothesis can be explained the erec- tion of the Brokaw, the Rothschield, and the Mosinee paper mills, the growth of other industrial concerns which started with a small capital a few years ago, the alteration of the immense water power of the fall at Wausau, much of which passed down stream unused, into an immense volume of an electric current which furnishes power and light to factories and the household.
Social amenities are not neglected, intellectual life is fostered, recrea- tion is furnished for the mind as well as for the body. For more than a score of years, the Ladies' Literary Society has provided a winter lecture course entertaining as well as instructive. The university extension lecture courses on American history, on popular astronomy, and on literature have been heard, and the excellent travelogues of Colonel Sanford; two of the fore- most women of America, Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, have ap- peared on the rostrum, and lectures by Will Carlton, Theo. Tilton, Colonel Watterson, Rev. Nugent, and William J. Bryan (the last one under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association) were provided for our people. The best of music has been brought here to entrance our music lov- ing population. The first opera house, a jewel of its kind, unfortunately destroyed by fire, was opened by the Enima Abbott Company with two even- ing performances and a matinee, and in the same house was heard Camilla Urso, the unparalleled mistress of the violin of her time and the great mas- ters of the bow, Remeniy and Jacob Reuter. Lulu Jane Abercrombie, the renowned American prima donna, sang here often in the high school quar- tet and her first operatic role as Arline in the "Bohemian Girl." which opened the way to her to the operatic stage, upon which she has a triumphant career, and F. W. Kickbusch winning laurels as the national American baritone. The German singing societies, notably the "Liederkranz," has brought here twice the "Sängerfest" of the northern district of Wisconsin with its choir of hundreds of male voices and Gust. Mueller of Wausau acting as con- ductor of the combined choirs. Christoph Bach, the master conductor and composer of the West, has been heard here with his symphony orchestra.
It was always the pride of Wausau to have good schools ; its temples of learning are supplied with proper apparatus and improved furniture; its staff of teachers is competent, and Supt. Silas B. Tobey and his predecessor. Carl Mathie, a Wausau man born and bred, have worked in season and out
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of season to raise the standard of education, and in this labor were supported by the board of education, which in its personnel is with no other change in the last ten years except such as death has brought, and which has aided super- intendent, teachers, pupils and parents to the best of their ability.
The different men's clubs and societies, the Merchant Association, the Ladies' Literary Club, Tuesday Musical Club and Singing Societies, notably the "Liederkranz," not to forget two orchestras and brass bands, all com- bine to make Wausau a city of commercial importance where the indus- trious man can make a living, and where it can be made attractive and pleas- ant, removing as much as possible the dullness caused by a life of labor without intellectual refreshment and recreation.
A great number of edifices with lofty spires pointing to the sky, some grand in appearance, are evidence that the people here believe in the doctrines of Christianity and endeavor to practice its teachings.
But it was not always thus. The present appearance of Wausau is the growth of over sixty years, counting only from the organization of Mara- thon county as a political entity in 1850, remembering, however, that the pinery here was invaded in 1839 and saw mills existed and had their begin- ning in 1840. The slowness of the growth of Wausau in the first twenty years from 1840 to 1860 is apparent from the vote cast for president in the last year mentioned, which was only 247 in the whole town of Wausau, which included the village, the Little Rib mill settlement, and the farmers in the present town of Wausau.
From the time of the organization as a village in 1861 up to 1867, there was some growth, of course, but the old original buildings were then still standing, only a few new ones, mainly little houses or shanties, were added.
The whole population was still depending on work for the four mills, the cutting, hauling, and driving of logs to the mills, running the lumber to market, and the few workers in the original trades, the blacksmiths, wagon and sleigh makers and shoemakers, without which business could not exist.
The following is a fairly accurate pen picture of Wausau in 1867, as it appeared to an observer:
On Clarke's Island was situated J. C. Clarke's saw mill and boarding house, a very primitive building, occupied also by Clarke's family; on the north side of the road coming up the hill from the slough bridge, was the blacksmith shop and residence of Charles Klein, one of the original Pitts- burg settlers ; he sold his shop to Otto Schochow in the fall of that year, and moved back to Marathon City; next to him was the house and shoemaker shop of Charles Wiskow, next a grocery and saloon kept by a Braun; fur-
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ther north lived the widow of Gottlieb Gritzmacher with her family, and still further north was the farmers' boarding house and stable, kept by Christlieb Berwald, an excellent stopping place, where farmers could eat their lunch and get a cup of coffee for five cents, paying ten cents for stable money. A very light cheap bridge connected Clarke's Island with McIndoe Island. At the end of the dam was the flour mill of Thayer & Corey and on the little island above the dam was the residence of N. Thayer; this house was broken up and washed away by the flood of 1881 with all the top ground, leaving the bare rock exposed, on which stands now the cooper shop of the McEachron Mill Company. At the road (it was not a street) from Main street to the slough bridge, which was down a very steep hill, there was on the north side of the road the blacksmith shop of Frank Mathie, next the wagon shop of August Lemke, then the blacksmith shop of John Schneider. On the south side of the road was a barn and stable owned by W. D. Mc- Indoe and the wagon shop of Louis Storch. On the east side of Shingle street were two houses, both owned by John Schneider, one occupied by him, and one by a Norwegian by the name of Andrew Iverson, and on the west side of the street were the three houses occupied by Louis Storch, William Berwald, and Fred Berwald.
On Plumer's Island were the two mills owned by B. G. Plumer, one supplied by water power from the mill pond by a conductor, which mill was operated by Brown & Fellows until 1869: the other mill was operated by B. G. Plumer until his death in 1886. Each mill had its boarding house for the mill hands, and the Plumer boarding house was in charge of Mrs. Aug. Gotchy, a kind, good soul, whose culinary skill was high above par, who set a table for the men unexcelled even at the Forest House. The property line between the Plumer and McIndoe was marked by a tight board fence; close to the fence and in close proximity to the Plumer boarding house was the boarding house for the McIndoe mill hands, in charge of Augustus Gotchy, with a gate between them.
The fence extended down to the river and was used as a backing to the rafting shanties of the two mills, which were of the simplest kind, where rivermen slept while rafting the lumber. Of course, people having homes at Wausau slept at home.
On Plumer's Island sloping down from the boarding house to the river, was a vegetable garden in fine cultivation with two shanties, one occupied by John Miller, the other by Fred Schultz, both for years employees in Plumer's mill. A little to the north where now the St. Paul railroad track strikes Plumer's Island, was a log house with a little space of ground surrounding
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it and fenced with slabs, the home of the widow Philbrick, mother of W. B. Philbrick. This house was unceremoniously torn down in 1874 when the big high rock which blocked the track was blasted out of the way to make room for the railroad track.
Main street was then the principal street and remained so for several years more ; it was called the Jenny road, being at that time the only road leading out from Wausau to the north and the supply road for Jenny and the camps above. On the south end was the McIndoe mill, still in operation by the Heineman Lumber Company now, and a road from there down to the flat where there were two houses, one occupied by J. Meuret and his family, and the other by the parents of August Kickbusch and their daughter Caroline, dec. Radant. North from the mill was the large store building of W. D. McIndoe. The road was four rods wide and as high on the west as on the east, the biggest part of it used as a piling ground for oar stems, spring poles, and grubs.
Crossing Washington street (or road rather), there was the Lake Supe- rior House (John Le Messurier ), the biggest hotel at that time in town, then came the residences of W. D. McIndoe, and Hugh McIndoe. On the next corner was the B. Whitacre house, and further up on the same side lived John Peters, William Gowan, August Hett, and then a house owned by Judge Ringle and one by C. A. Single. Beginning on the other side south, there was the Riverside Hotel, the Jolly saloon across the street on the corner (office building now), next was the saloon building then owned by William Ziemer and his half brother Ziebell, who were also loggers, next was the R. E. Parcher store, next the little hardware store and ware- house of Kickbusch Brothers, the upper story being occupied by F. W. Kickbusch and family; next was the store building of Aug. Kickbusch. All these buildings from Riverside Hotel up were in existence for some years and are still standing, and with the mills in close proximity the prin- cipal shops and stores on this, the only road north to the camps, it is easy to see that the business was concentrated on Main street between Washington and Jackson streets.
The corner of Main and Washington streets opposite the Kickbusch store was unoccupied, but north towards Jefferson street were two little houses still standing owned by the Stackhouse estate, one occupied by the heirs and one by Charles Clarke, and a house on the corner, occupied by H. L. Wheeler; across Jefferson street was the home of M. Stafford, next the house of Dr. George E. Clark, then a vacant space, and on the further corner of Scott street was the house of Fred Tyler on the lots now occupied by the
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Anderes Hotel and other buildings. Further north lived the widow of Thomas Single, then two other small houses, one of the occupied by Alex- ander Stewart and wife beyond Mcclellan street; then a house owned by Dan. Sullivan, next the house of Fred Neu and across from him the house of Dr. Wylie; still further north a house or shanty occupied by William Homrig. That was as far north as Franklin street, and there were no more buildings on either side; the road then slanted down to Stiensfield creek. crossed it and ran to Merrill, Grandfather, and incidentally as far as Eagle river.
At Stienfield creek vacated Indian tepees were quite numerous. There were also two Indian graves, marked by poles indicating that Wausau was a sort of regular camping ground for the Chippewa tribe.
On the south side of Forest srteet, beginning at the west end were the houses of James Single, E. B. Stoddard, and Thomas Youles, the city hall ground was vacant, then the house of Mrs. Lyman Thayer on corner of Fourth street; across Fourth street was the house of Cyrus Strobridge (owned by Schuetz estate now), who was in business at that time in Mer- rill; next was the house occupied by Mrs. Gross, a midwife, then were three shanties, one of them occupied by Dahlmann and one by Charles Cramer ; the road then turned diagonally through the last block and connected with Grand avenue more than one block further south than at present. On corner of Grand avenue was the house of Mich. Lemere, and on the next lot east, lived Peter Crochier, a river man and pilot.
There were two small buildings on the alley running south of Forest street from Second 'up to Fourth street; on the end of Fourth street lived Carl Hoeflinger, and across from him was the house of D. W. Fellows, still standing. Fourth street was not open further than to the alley just men- tioned.
On the end of Fifth street was the little building put up in the same spring by C. H. Mueller and next to him in the alley another little one owned and occupied by Julius Quade.
On the north side of Forest street beginning on the west was a black- smith shop of Hinton, then crossing Second street, there was the home now occupied by Charles Wagner. This house is one of the oldest with the exception of the Stackhouse buildings, probably the oldest now standing in Wausau, and was quite pretensious at the time it was built, about 1852. It was erected by Kraft & Wilson for Taylor, the brother of Mrs. W. D. McIndoe, but it seems he did not occupy it, at least, but a very short time if he did. Going east passing the Forest House there was vacant ground,
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until one came to the home of Conrad Bernhard on corner of Fourth, next the little house of Heppner, then the Seim boarding house, then the houses of Mrs. Haase and Levy Gennett, on corner of Fifth; on the other corner were the houses of F. H. Morman, next that of Tuttle and a house occupied by J. W. Chubbuck; further east were some small buildings, one of them occupied by old man Ziebell who had abandoned his farm in township 30, range 4 east, after making quite an improvement thereon. On the south side of Jackson street was the house of Mrs. Thomas Hinton, the Mich. Duffy grocery store, the Winkley House and Forest Hall, then across the street was the little tinner's shop of John Egeler, then the residence and hall of Judge Ringle (now occupied by O. C. Callies), further east the house of A. Lee; and some shanties further east towards the edge of the marsh. In Fifth street, nearly opposite the Northern Hotel, was the cabinet shop of Joseph Hildensperger.
On the north side of Jackson street beginning on the west, was the saloon of Joseph Noiseaux, on the next block the house and barber shop of Ch. Poor, next the Winkley House barn, next the house and store of Jacob Paff on corner of Third and Jackson; on the next block was the Althen store, the butcher shop of John Merklein, next the Henry Dern saloon, next the B. William saloon on corner of Fourth; on the next block east was the house of Aug. Lemke, and next the house of Mrs. Adam and her son John Adam, which was the last one on this side.
On south side of Washington street was the barn of August Kickbusch, on corner of Second the one-story store of William Barteld, next the Frank Wartman building, next one of John Dern, next Charles Woessner's cloth- ing store and tailor shop, and on the corner the office building of George WV. Casterline, fronting Third street. Across on the corner was a one- story store occupied by August Engel as a watch repair and gunsmith shop, and on the other corner was the house of Gerry Judson, part of it now attached to the Washington Hotel. Further east were some shanties, but Christian Osswald commenced the erection of his bakery shop the following year.
On the north side of Washington street was the barn of the Lake Supe- rior house, on the corner of Second was the house of John Cramer, next the residence and shop of Ernst Felling, next the little toy store and house of Jacob Kolter and parents, and on the two lots up to Third street stood the house of Frank Mathie. Across from him was the house of Dr. Smith, now on Fourth street, and the rest of the block on this street was vacant, and so was the next block, until near Fifth street, where there was the
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