History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 52

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042

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Another congregation organized and held their meetings in the school- house and were visited by a minister from Colby, and in 1886 this congrega- tion also built a church, small, though big enough for their wants, and in the year 1908, when it had grown to larger numbers, built a church edifice of large dimensions, solid brick and thoroughly well finished. It has a resident minister since the church was built, Reverend Schieman, and the two churches are near each other, and the best of harmony prevails between both congre- gations. 'Like the other congregation, it has its Ladies' Aid Society, choirs and Young Men's Association. About seventy families belong to this congregation.

THE TOWN OF BERGEN.

The town of Bergen was created January 10, 1870, to consist of township 26. north of ranges 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and that part of range 7 lying west of the Wisconsin river. Its first chairman and representative in the county board

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was the pioneer, John Week. There was at that time no other settlement in this town than the saw mill of John Week, which was one of the old estab- lished mills in the county on the Big Eau Plein river, and was a large mill where millions of feet of white pine were annually manufactured.

There were a few settlers in that town in what was known, or became later known as the Campbell settlement, where farming was a negligible quantity. With the building of the Wisconsin Valley Railroad a station was established called Hutchington, now Dancy, on the extreme east of the town. As soon as the station was established, John Week or the town rather, built a good road to that station and lumber was taken from the mill for shipment.

A new saw and planing mill, too, was put up at or near the station, but they were removed in after years when the pine was gone.

The John Week mill was dismantled, and he removed to Stevens Point, where his son is still engaged in the same business.

Farmers have gone into that town in later years and have made a good progress in clearing and cultivating farms.

The lower course of the Little Eau Plein river which flows through the town, is sluggish and forms "Rice Lake," and the land along the river is low and wet, with a rich deposit of alluvial humus and fertile subsoil. In later years much of this land has been drained and makes the best of garden land.

At Dancy there is the general merchandise store of G. G. Knoller, and another one kept by M. Altenburg.

There is a saw mill in the village of "Moon" owned and operated by J. Coerper, who also keeps a general stock of merchandise.

In Moon there is a joint school district with the town of Mosinee, and the fine, good schoolhouse is located in the latter town.

Besides this joint school district there are five schools in this town and three churches. One, a Norwegian Lutheran church, is visited by Rev. O. T. Boe of Wausau; a German Lutheran visited by Reverend Wagner of Junc- tion City, and a Methodist church visited by Reverend Scott of Brokaw, who conduct the religious services.

TOWN OF HULL.

Hull was the first town organized on the "line," having been established on March 3, 1873. It took its name from David B. Hull, the pioneer settler mentioned in an earlier chapter. Its first representative in the county board of Marathon county was D. B. Hull, after whom the town was named. Its territory was limited to township 28, range 2 east; on the same day the county

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board established also the town of Brighton, but the act establishing town of Brighton was repealed in the same session, leaving "Hull" as the only town from the "line."

This town was more rapidly settled by farmers than any of the others; the good government lands which could be taken under the homestead law, within from one to ten miles from a railroad line were very inviting to land- less men, and had much to do with the rapid growth. There is now one saw mill in the town at a place called "Cherokee," a little distance north from Colby. The mill is owned and operated by E. V. Kautzki, of Colby, who buys logs and does custom sawing for farmers. With this exception the population is composed of farmers. The first settlers were, with but few exceptions, native Americans, but there has been a change. Most of the farmers are now naturalized citizens of German and Slavic descent.

The town supplies five cheese factories with milk, giving the farmers a good income from their farms.

There are four school districts, each having a good up-to-date, modern schoolhouse.

There is one Presbyterian and one Methodist congregation, each having a neat frame church, with ministers holding regular services coming from Abbotsford, most of the settlers belonging to some of the congregations in the nearby villages or the city of Colby.

TOWN OF BRIGHTON.

This town was organized in the year 1874. The settlement dates back to the building of the Wisconsin Central, when the first homesteaders went into that town, referred to in chapter on "Early Settlements." As a rule, they were American born, many of them veterans of the Civil war. The German emigration came somewhat later, but in the years 1879 and 1880 there was already a good sprinkling of German farmers in that town. August Bruese- witz, William Martin, and August Luepke being among the first to move in, and they reside upon their splendid farms to this day.

The first chairman of the town was J. H. Cook, who removed to Appleton in 1883. The town is well settled now, as appears from the census reports of 1910. There are four school districts, each with one good, modern, up-to-date schoolhouse.

Two small saw mills exist in the town, one owned by the Upham Manu- facturing Company, of Marshfield, and one owned by Anderson Brothers, which are still operating.

There is one cheese factory in the town.

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One German Lutheran church exists, whose history dates back to 1878. The members, being then twelve voting members, undoubtedly included nearly the entire German settlement. The congregation was organized by Rev. W. C. Schilling in October, 1878, and a small frame structure was erected in 1881, which gave way to the present fine, large brick edifice, which was erected in 1910. The congregation consists at preseint of 46 voting members and 180 communicating members. It also supports a parochial school, where the resident minister teaches the children the doctrines of Christianity. The first minister was Rev. W. C. Schilling, who remained with the congregation until 1880, followed by Rev. J. Schuetty, who remained four years and who was succeeded by Rev. F. Siebrandt, who remained until 1893; from 1893 to 1899 Rev. J. Todt had charge, and from 1899 to 1909 Rev. A. F. Imm attended to the spiritual wants of the society. He was succeeded by Rev. K. E. J. Schmidt, who remained three years, and since November 4, 1912, the congregation has been in charge of the present resident minister, Rev. A. F. Ziehlsdorff.

It may seem a little curious that there is neither cheese factory nor cream- ery in this town, but that is easily explained by the fact that the settlement is so near the railroad line and the milk is taken to the factories at the stations along the railroad.

THE TOWN OF HOLETON.

The town of Holeton was established September 16, 1875, and organized with the election of town officers in the spring of 1876; A. G. Stoughton was the first chairman of this town. Its territory was confined to township 29, north of range 2 east. The early settlers of this town were, without hardly an exception, men who took the land under the Homestead Act, as mentioned in earlier chapters. Their hardships as pioneers have been related. and also how the exemption of the lands of the Wisconsin Central Railroad from tax- ation bore hard on them, but the town of Holeton is now as fine a farming town as any in the county. It is particularly distinguished for its good roads.

How did it happen that this town succeeded in getting good roads sooner than most other towns? The answer is that roads were made after a plan and according to a system. First, the road was cut out its full width to let the sun shine on it and dry the ground, and the stumps were removed out of the traveled path. Secondly, the water was drained and kept off the road, which is the most important part in road-building. Thirdly, because the ground is good clay soil, not so much mixed with stones or rocks, which, when left in the traveled part, are apt to cause holes where the wheel slides off a rock,

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which on the first rain fills with water and becomes deeper ; and, lastly, because the roads seemed to receive better care from officers and overseers.

Of the pioneers few are left; time has thinned them out; some have died, some sold out and gone to other parts, and the present old settlers are of the group that came in after 1877. Among those still on the land who came with the building of the railroad are: Charles S. Ouimette, who now is and for thirty years was the town clerk of the town, with hardly an interruption ; he still occupies his original farm with his family. Others of the earliest settlers still on their lands are Charles Brown, Gustav Striebe, Henry Jacoby, and the Kleinmann family.

In this town, consisting of thirty-six sections, and a comparatively new town, too, the farmers supply with milk one creamery and five cheese fac- tories, which bring a good income to them without going to the market.

The town is divided in five school districts with six schoolhouses, district No. 3 having two schoolhouses, and all are modern, up-to-date buildings.

One German Evangelical Lutheran church was organized before 1900, and a minister from some neighboring town or village came to hold service: but nine years ago a church was built and there are now regular services held by the resident minister of the village of Dorchester. Many of the families of this town are members of the congregations in the near villages of Abbotts- ford. Colby, Dorchester and in the town of Johnson, which joins this town on the east.

THE TOWN OF HAMBURG.

The town of Hamburg was set off from the town of Berlin February 10, 1876, to consist of township 30, ranges 3, 4 and 5. The first chairman and member of the county board was Carl Kleinschmidt. Hamburg was settled simultaneously with Berlin and Maine, but the settlers remained few and their number grew slowly. They were all German emigrants for a good many years, coming from Pomerania, in Germany, the same province from where nearly the whole German emigrants hailed.

When the farmers of the present town of Hamburg made application to the county board for a separate town organization, township 30, range 5, was well settled, but only two families were in range 4, township 30. Range 6, the present town of Berlin, was as well settled as it is today, but the farms were smaller, of course, although farms with sixty acres clearing were many.

Fred. Sellin had been for many years town clerk of the old town of Berlin, and the suit against the Wisconsin Central Railroad to stop the issuing of the bonds to that road, was carried on in his name. Politically he was the 34

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most prominent man in the town for many years, and lived in the territory organized as the town of Hamburg and became the town clerk and the organ- izer of the new town.

The splendid white pine stood all through the hardwood forest of that town and furnished the logs which kept several mills running in this town for years, and there is a good supply of white pine standing in this township yet, although at this time the whole township is settled and big farms are on every section. The pioneers have nearly all gone to the long rest, but their children occupy and own the lands and fine farms which they helped to make.

The saw mills existing in this town, built after 1880, have all quit opera- tions and have been removed; still much timber from this town is supplied to keep the Sellin mill in operation, which lies in the town of Berlin at the bound- ary line between the two towns.

At Ziegler Postoffice, which is also on the same boundary line in the town of Berlin, being range line between ranges 6 and 5, there is in the town of Hamburg a cheese box factory, a feed mill, a lath and planing mill which is owned and operated by William Krinke; a tavern kept by Henry Huehner- fuss; a store by Bean; and a blacksmith and wagonmaker shop kept by Albert J. Bothner.

A good old road runs along the range line from the north county line as far south as the town of Emmett; at Ziegler's it is crossed by the Wausau and Athens road and quite a country business place has sprung up at the cross- ing of the road, being known in popular parlance as "Little Chicago."

In the town of Berlin, at Little Chicago, there is the store of William Beilke carrying a large stock of general merchandise, and a shoemaker and harness shop conducted by Leo Brandt. A cheese factory is three-fourths of a mile east from Little Chicago in the town of Berlin, and another one mile west on the same road, where there is another store carried on by E. Helke. All together there are one creamery and four cheese factories in the town of Hamburg, and much cream is collected by the creamery in Athens.

Four school districts each with one well ventilated modern schoolhouse take care of the education of a crop of healthy children.

Four German Evangelical Lutheran churches, each with a substantial good church edifice, testify to the Christian character of the community. At least two of these congregations, and probably three, trace their beginning back to the Rev. J. J. Hoffman, who was the first resident pastor in the town of Berlin-which included Hamburg at that time-and to his successor Rev. William Hudtloff.

The St. Peter's congregation built their present large church in 1887.

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The trustees of this congregation are A. Hoff, A. Mueller, F. Zastrow, and Frank Marth. The present pastor of this congregation, Rev. A. Koepp, resides in the first parsonage built in the town of Berlin for Rev. J. J. Hoff- man. He has several missions besides the St. Peter's congregation.

The German Evangelical Lutheran St. John's congregation built its pres- ent church in the year 1893: forty-three families belong to this congregation.

The German Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul's congregation built their present edifice in 1895. The number of families which hold membership is twenty-six.

The German Evangelical Lutheran Salem's congregation built their church in 1896 and has thirty-eight members to constitute its membership.

The last three mentioned congregations have been for the last ten years under the spiritual care of Rev. J. Fraund, who resides in the parsonage adjacent to the St. John's (Johannis') church. All these congregations have joint or separate parochial schools.

TOWN OF SPENCER.

The town of Spencer was organized in 1877, to consist of township 26, range 2 east. Its first chairman was John K. Hayward. The Wisconsin Central Railroad enters the township on the southeast corner and runs prac- tically exactly diagonally through the township. It seems that the first home- stead entered in all the territory along the Wisconsin Central line was made in this town. The earliest settlers in this as in other towns along the line of the Wisconsin Central were native Americans, many of them veterans of the Civil war. The German emigration set in afterwards, and a great major- ity of the town of Spencer belongs to that nationality. Some of the earliest farm settlers in that town who made fine profitable farms were: Charles Rienow who died about six years ago (but his family occupies the farm) and Gottfried Riendfleisch, Aug. Griepentrog, and Charles Cramer, who have excellent farms, although the clearing and getting out the stumps was unusu- ally hard in that town because of the very large pine stumps which were on the land. There is a little saw mill in that town owned by the Consolidated Farm Company, which is doing some custom sawing for farmers. There are two cheese factories located in this town. The town is divided into three school districts, each having a good modern schoolhouse. The largest part of the settlement .is on the east and north side of the town.

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in the western portion of Marathon county settled through the efforts of Fred. Rietbrock, of Milwaukee, and the town was justly given his name. The first settlers were of Polish nationality, in their majority workmen from Milwaukee who bought their land on favorable terms from Rietbrock. Most of them succeeded by hard work, industry, and economy in becoming well to do farmers and able to give their children a fair start in life, which they would hardly have been able to do in the congested district where they came from. Some of the newcomers returned to Milwaukee after a short stay, being unable to accustom themselves to the lonesome work in the woods, but the majority remained, and with the influx of more settlers, Germans among them, the burdens of the new settlement were more easily borne.

In a few years the growing village of Athens furnished a market for logs, there being the saw mill of Fred. Rietbrock and a grist mill at Rib Falls was already in existence not to exceed from three to ten miles from the settlement.

A postoffice named "Poniatowski" was established where Joseph Ches- sak kept a store and took the farm produce in exchange for goods and helped the farm settlement along to the best of his ability.

There is now one creamery and one cheese factory established in this town, and there is a good market for all sorts of logs and cordwood at Athens.

The first settlers were Peter Theusz and Milkowski among the Polish people, and John Berg among the German.

The town is divided into four school districts, with as many good school- houses. It is an undisputable fact that the crop of children in Marathon county, especially among the farming population, is above the average.

At Poniatowski there are two Catholic churches, both fine, large brick buildings, and a similar parsonage. all in close proximity. The popu- lation is largely of that faith, but being of Polish and German national- ity, the desire to have the sermon preached in their mother tongue, · in the language which they best understand, was the determining factor in the erection of the two churches. Rev. Florian Kuppke is the resident rector of both churches. He speaks not only the Polish and German lan- guages, but is just as proficient in the English tongue, and there is complete harmony between both congregations.

The Holy Family Polish Church was founded in the year 1882. The first priest was Reverend Maczynski, and after him came Rev. A. Gara, under whose patronage the first church was built in 1888, and who remained

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with the congregation until 1898. He was succeeded by several priests until the present rector, Rev. Florian Kuppka, arrived in July, 1908. The membership of this congregation is ninety-five families.

The German Holy Trinity Mission Church was built in 1888 and has a membership of thirty-four families.

THE TOWN OF DAY.

The town of Day was created June 10, 1881, and elected Andrew Daul as its first chairman at the ensuing next spring election. There were a few settlers in a part of this territory, which moved into the same from Week's mill on the Big Eau Pleine river, which settlement was known as the "Camp- bell" settlement, to which reference has already been made. These first settlers made not much headway as farmers, and the country was substan- tially new when the Wisconsin Railroad ran its line north of Stevens Point and on the west line of Marathon county. Many of the new settlers that came after the railroad ran to Marshfield were farmers from the southern part of the state-from Dodge, Jefferson, Washington, and Ozaukee coun- ties. Being conversant with clearing of new lands and having some means, it was but a few years when this town showed big farms finely cultivated. It was in this town and in the neighboring town of McMillan that corn was first raised in large quantities and the fact established that corn can be grown profitably in this county. This town consists of only one township, but supplies one creamery and three cheese factories with milk, although it must be classed among the younger towns, that is, later settled.

There is a small saw mill in this town operated by John Nicoley.

Four public schools, each in one district, give attention to the education of children.

The Catholic Church-This congregation organized as early as 1880 and built its first church edifice in 1881. After a few years it became neces- sary to enlarge it. When the first church was built there were only twenty- eight families to worship in it. The edifice was enlarged by building a sanc- tuarium 16 feet by 16 feet. It was at that time a mission of the parish at Marathon City, Rev. J. Reiser holding regular religious services; later it was attached to Marshfield, which was much nearer in point of distance. In 1892 a parsonage was built, and in 1893 Rev. A. Schauenberg became the first resident priest at Rozelville. Soon after his arrival, the present fine large church was built, and in 1904 an elegant two-story parochial school- house with full basement was erected. The schoolhouse has three depart-

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ments and a chapel. The cost of the building was $18,000, but it could not be replaced for the same amount now. Church, school and parsonage are heated with furnace and water plant. The parochial school was erected under the pastorage of Rev. P. Trierweiler. The congregation has now 105 members, meaning by that heads of families. The growth of this congre- gation is also the growth of the town. There are three school sisters to attend to the teaching, and one sister attends to the house work. The present rector of the parish is Rev. Math. Wernerus.

The Evangelical Lutheran congregation has a neat frame church on section 4, where regular service is held by Reverend Thom, the resident pas- tor in Marshfield.

THE TOWN OF JOHNSON.

This town was created November 15, 1883, to consist of township 30, ranges 4 and 3 east, and in the following spring John Junke was elected its first chairman. At that time is was very sparsely settled, but the fine hardwood lands attracted settlers and Fred Rietbrock doing his best to advertise his lands and bring newcomers into the country. The town of Johnson is now well settled with many good cultivated farms and has good substantial buildings. The farmers supply one creamery and one cheese fac- tory with sufficient milk to run the whole season.

The Abbotsford-Eastern Railroad, now owned by the Sault St. Marie & M. R. R. runs through the town from Athens to Abbotsford and has two stations ; the first one out from Athens is called Corinth, and there is a gen- eral merchandise store kept by Stallmann Brothers. There is also a landing- place for loading logs hauled east to Athens and west to other stations.

The next station is called Milan, from "Milano," where there is a saw and planing mill owned and operated by Martin Ellingson, and a store con- ducted by his firm. Also a hardware store kept by George Blank, a black- smith shop by H. Otterlein, a meat market by Mr. Leonhard with some other houses, making quite a village.

Five school districts each with a new modern schoolhouse provide ample room and opportunity for the instruction of the numerous children in that community.

There are two German Evangelical Lutheran congregations having churches in the village, but no resident pastor. In one of the churches the resident minister from Athens holds divine service, and in the other a min- ister from Colby comes for that purpose.

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At another little village in the southern part of the town called "Wuertz- burg," there was a Catholic congregation organized in the year 1905 and a church built by the same in 1906. This was first a mission of the Catholic church of Edgar, but since the church was finished in 1906, this parish was assigned to Rev. Anthony E. Muehlenkamp, the rector of the St. Mary's Catholic church in Athens. The membership consists now of thirty-five families, living in the towns of Johnson, Wien, and Frankfort. The fore- most promoters of this congregation were Joseph Kremsreiter, Joseph Hil- ger, Joseph Reis, Ludwig Kremsreiter, Martin Rodlinger, Anton Schmirler, and Jacob Mollig. The congregation is in a flourishing condition and so rapidly increasing that an addition is already contemplated.

THE TOWN OF HALSEY.

The town of Halsey covers township 30, range 4 east, and was set off from the town of Hamburg November 15, 1883. At the ensuing spring election William Rietz was duly elected the first chairman of the town. As indicated by its name, the town was largely settled through the efforts of Fred. Rietbrock of the law firm of Johnson, Rietbrock & Halsey. Carl Fiebke operates a saw mill on the line of the logging railroad running from Athens nearly straight north to the county line and then into Lincoln county. There is a large crop of logs taken out by this road every year.

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History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 52

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1042

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042