USA > Wisconsin > Marathon County > History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens > Part 54
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THE TOWN OF FRANKFORT.
Frankfort was set off from the town of Wien in 1889 and organized as a separate political entity in the year 1890. The first chairman was Edw. Protze. The settlement did not begin until 1877 and was slow, owing to the fact that from the west boundary line it is thirty miles from Wausau
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and twelve miles to Colby, from where settlers had to go into that town. Fred. Michler and Fred Eggebrecht and Boehn became the first settlers ink 1877, locating with their families. They were followed in 1878 by Edw. Protze. John Simpson, and Henry Von Osten. The road from Wausau to the town of Wien was then fairly good, but from Colby there the road was impassable nearly all year around except in the winter. Of course the territory was heavily timbered. There was yet no sale for any other than pine timber, and the great distance to any mill left no profit in logging it and hauling it to market. The hardwood timber had to be burned. There was no market for it nor for many years to come. Nevertheless the new- comers were Germans, who came with an intention to make a farm, and they succeeded admirably : every year came some succor until the town is now well settled, especially in the northern part. The pioneer farmers have become wealthy and independent citizens. There were two saw mills in the town until lately when the saw mill of Eggebrecht & Hamann burned down and was not rebuilt ; the saw mill of Swan is now owned by George Ellen- becker and is running. doing custom sawing.
There are three cheese factories, each having a large output, being sup- plied with milk from the town settlement only.
There are no churches yet in this town. the people attending the churches in the town of Wien, which are within one mile from the boundary line of the town.
The town is divided in six school districts, each with a good school- house. The town is named "Frankfort." after the city of Frankfurt. in Germany. the former home of Edw. Protze.
TOWN OF PLOVER.
This town was established by the county board in June, 1890, and its first representative on the board was Hiram Walker; afterwards William W. Thayer was repeatedly elected and reelected and served also as chair- man of the county board. The town is composed of township 29. range 10 east. This town is still heavily timbered, especially on the north and north- east side, and until lately the largest part of the farmer settlement was in the northern portions.
The population is German, Scandinavian, and lately a goodly number of natives of Holland have settled in the southern portion, but there are also a few native Americans, as for instance William Thayer.
There are no saw mills in this town at this day, but logging camps did
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exist until lately and logs were brought to the logging spur track of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, which runs into the town of Hewitt from the city of Merrill and took the logs to the Wright and Heinemann mills in Merrill and to Barker & Stewart in Wausau.
The town is comparatively new, the farm settlement hardly antedating the organization of the town, but the influx of the German, Scandinavian, and Hollander was purely for farming, while the first settlers, Americans, had been more or less engaged in logging.
The town is divided in four school districts with five schoolhouses, the fourth district being a joint district, part of it lying in the town of Plover and the town of Norrie. The new settlers in that town are making great headway in clearing up land and getting stock. In a few years this town will be as prosperous as any of the older towns.
There is a neat frame church in this town, which was built in 1909, and the congregation incorporated under the laws of Wisconsin in IQII. The church stands one-half a mile east of the Eau Claire bridge on the town line road. It is of the Presbyterian confession, and the service is held in the language of Holland. The ministers are supplied by the classis or the home missionary board. The number of families belonging to the church are twelve, with seventy-five souls.
THE TOWN OF CASSEL.
The town of Cassel was created November 12, 1891, and in the ensuing election John Werner was elected the first chairman and representative of the town in the county board. This town was settled by the Pittsburg set- tlers' club as much as the town of Marathon. The village of Marathon City was laid out on the east boundary line of this town, and when the settlers came, they located south and west of the proposed village. Fully as many of the first settlers located in the present town of Cassel, if not more, than in the town of Marathon. One look at the plat of this town shows the names of Schilling. Lemmer, Heil, Osterbrink, Bluhm, Lang, Burger. Langenhahn, and others, who all belong to the pioneer class. When set off it was a part of the town of Marathon, and numerically as strong as the old town.
The tide of emigration turned strong to Cassel after 1877. The new- comers were mostly of Polish nationality, and they constitute now at least half, if not more, of the population. Some of the first comers of this later group were the Kordus family, Michlig, Fons, and Pospychalla and others, and they settled on land which had been brought in market through the adver-
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tisement given to the lands by J. M. Smith and the Wisconsin Valley Rail- road. This town is now one of the most populous in the county, and the farms are in a high state of cultivation.
There is one saw mill in the town doing custom sawing only, which is for the farmers' interest; until lately it was owned by A. Bumann, but report has it that it was lately sold, but the new owner will operate the mill as before on the old place.
The town lies between Marathon City on the east, and Edgar on the west, and Fenwood on the southwest, each village with a cheese factory or cream- ery, still there are three cheese factories in this town, running the whole of the season, which shows that there is good stock and plenty of feed for the same in the town, and that farming is profitable.
Seven schoolhouses in as many districts are conclusive evidence that a new generation is growing up, and there is a parochial school besides.
A Polish Catholic congregation has a fine solid brick church edifice built twenty years ago at the cost of $20,000; also a parsonage, and later a parochial schoolhouse with two departments, in charge of two school sisters, built of the same material, well finished inside and outside. Rev. John Miller is the resident priest.
THE TOWN OF HEWITT
Hewitt was set off from the town of Harrison in 1894 and had its first town election in the spring of 1895, which resulted in the election of Henry McLean as chairman.
It was very sparsely settled at the time and little timber cut except the pine. A spur track of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad runs into that town from the city of Merrill, running nearly straight east from Merrill and then south through sections 3. 10, and 15 in this town. The object of this spur track is to haul the hemlock and other timber there in profusion to the mills at Wausau and Merrill.
Although farming is of recent origin, there is a creamery located in this town getting enough of a supply to make butter during the whole season.
One saw mill, owned by August Radant, does a large amount of custom sawing.
There are five schoolhouses in as many districts.
One Evangelical Lutheran church was built seven or eight years ago, the minister in charge of the congregation coming to visit his flock regularly from Aniwa, Langlade county.
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THE TOWN OF RINGLE.
The town of Ringle embraces now township 28, north of range 9 east. It was established January 9, 1901, and organized in the spring of the same year. C. L. Wyatt was elected first chairman of the town, and successively every year since. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad has a station in this town, named "Ringle," at which place there is a little village, and there is considerable freight shipped from this point.
At Ringle is located the brick yards of the Ringle Brick Company, its product being indicated by its name. The capital stock is $30,000. It em- ploys twenty men on an average throughout the year. The payment for labor is $10,000, the value of the product $20,000. The office of the corpora- tion is in Wausau. Its officers are: President. John Ringle: vice president, John Miller; treasurer, Gustav Mueller, and secretary, John Ringle, Jr. A side track of the Chicago & Northwestern runs in the yard to facilitate shipping.
John Lotholz has a saw mill which has been running for many years and manufactured a large amount of lumber annually. At the station Ringle there is a general merchandise store conducted by Herman Lemke, and another - store of the same kind by Ernest Lemke. The settlement is of late date: the settlers are of a nationality not heretofore coming to Marathon county; they are natives of Holland and make excellent farmers.
There are two schoolhouses in this town, and with the ease with which natives of Holland learn the English language, it will be but a short time when this town is altogether American in character.
No churches exist yet in this town, but there are at least two missions, visited by ministers from other towns.
THE TOWN OF FRANZEN.
This town was set off from the town of Eldron in the year 1901. It con- sists of township 26, range 10 east, and elected A. J. Torgerson as its first chairman in the spring of the same year. A large saw mill was operated until the year 1911 when it shut down for want of pine timber supply. The town is divided in three school districts, each with a good school.
There are no churches in that town as yet, the population worshipping in the churches of the neighboring town, at Bevant and in Eldron, in the town of Pine Lake mainly. It is only a few years that this town has been opened to settlement by the building of roads, and in a few more years it will become as largely settled as any other town. It is very sparsely settled now, the
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land being thickly covered with timber owned by outside parties. The set- tlers in this town are mostly Scandinavians.
THE TOWN OF BERN
This town was set off from the town of Halsey in 1902 and organized as a separate town in the spring of 1903, electing John C. Searing as its first chairman.
The town consists of township 30, range 3 east, excepting the east one- half of east one-half of section 36, which remained attached to the village of Athens. The population in this town is purely a farming community.
One cheese factory has been built and is in operation, conducted on the co-operative plan. The majority of the farmers are of the German national- ity, at least of German descent.
There are three school districts with a new modern schoolhouse in each district. No church exists yet in this town, as the bulk of the population are inhabiting the eastern part of the town and have joined the congregations in the nearby village of Athens.
THE TOWN OF FLIETH.
This town was set off from the town of Weston as a separate town Jan- uary 6, 1905, to consist of all of township 28, north of range 6 east, lying west of the Wisconsin river. The town when set off by the county board on that date was given the name of "Erickson," from George Erickson, who was afterwards elected as the first chairman of said town. This act of the county board was ratified and confirmed by the Legislature in the session of 1905, but the name of the town was changed to "Flieth."
The town is bounded on the east by the Wisconsin river. and Rib river flows near its north boundary line and empties in the Wisconsin at the foot of Rib Hill. There are several quartz quarries which furnish the material for the Wausau sandpaper factory and the Wausau quartz mill.
There are two school districts each with a good schoolhouse in that dis- trict, and one German Evangelical Lutheran church, which is a mission to the Evangelical Lutheran church of Wausau, Reverend Schroedel of the Zion's congregation holding religious service. The church was originally a schoolhouse, but was purchased by the small congregation for their church about twelve years ago.
The town claims to have a larger number of registered cattle than any town in Marathon county, considering the population. In 1902 J. J. Bean
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introduced the first registered stock in the town of Flieth, and at this date there are five registered herds of Guernsey, two of Holstein, and one of Jer- sey in that town. It is the plan of the farmers of that town to make it famous in the county for its registered stock.
SUMMARY OF THE BUSINESS OF MARATHON COUNTY.
In the foregoing chapters all manufacturing industries in Marathon county have been mentioned ; the manufacture of lumber is no longer the only indus- try which gives employment to men. Lumber is slowly but surely taking second place in importance, relinquishing to paper and iron the first place so long occupied.
But farm products play an equally strong part with manufactures. It is a fact established by official figures that some of the creamery and cheese factories have paid out annually to farmers for milk the sum of $65,000. Not all of them have done as much business, but many have not fallen far below these figures, and there are ninety-three creameries and cheese fac- tories in this county, and the income from these products, it is conservative to estimate from two to three million dollars, which goes directly to the farmers of Marathon county, to say nothing about other farm products like grain, root crops, and stock.
It is needless to review again the advantages of Marathon county. but the farmer who owns his land ( and 99 per cent of the Marathon county farm- ers do) can look confidently in the future enjoying his independence and increasing wealth.
Another item to which attention is called is the capital of the banks in Marathon county. The combined capital of the banks in Marathon county in round numbers is nearly $1,300,000. The deposits in these banks are $5,895,643.89. These figures are more convincing than any glowing argu- ment that this county stands in the front ranks of counties in the state in wealth, as it stands in the front ranks by reason of the intelligent, industrious, and economic population which inhabits its borders.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Distinguished Public Men-Past and Present.
TEMPUS FUGIT.
The ancient politics of Marathon county had their lights and shadows, their aspects of tragedy and comedy. It is difficult to determine why the passage of time adds a glamour to past events, or why it softens and mellows remembrance of ancient feuds and animosities. Looking from the sophisticated Present back to the unsophisticated Past makes the central figures of long ago heroic in some lights, and childlike in others.
Ancient political battles seem to us like the strifes and contentions of children. We cannot understand the heat and the fervor, the hatreds and loves of the earlier time. We remember as a part of history, and only as a part of history, how we fought and contended, and can laugh over events that once aroused in us the deepest concern.
You remember how forty years ago, when you were in full exuberance and passion of youth, you spent a whole day hunting the streets for Smith, who had accused you of packing a caucus, your heart filled with deadly hatred of Smith, intending, if you met up with Smith, to eliminate him from the face of the earth.
Or, you remember how half a century ago Tompkins was hunting for you with lethal intent, because he heard that you had reflected upon his ancestry, by making a slanderous statement to the effect that his grandfather had been convicted of stealing sheep, and mutual friends were keeping you apart.
You remember the time, fifty years ago, when Jones defeated you for justice of the peace, or county clerk; the emoluments of which offices did not exceed one dollar a day, and of how the whole world seemed black and hopeless to you, when the votes were counted, and you found that Tompkins was more popular than you were. Such days were cold and bitter for you: now they seem warm and pleasant, and you can laugh and jest with Smith and Jones and Tompkins, and all the other brutal figures who disturbed your peace and happiness.
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And as you review events, you come to know that the things you lost had their compensations, and that if you had been allowed to hold office and become a municipal hired man, you would never have efficiently exercised whatever little talent God gave to you. You find also that age has sweetened and broadened your judgment of men and things, and that you and your early antagonists in politics have been brought together, so that in your age you look on them as good fellows, and can laugh with them over all those bitter and sanguinary youthful descensions. Instead of shaking your fist at Tompkins, as you used to do, when you met him, you shake his hand, for time heals all wounds, and has given both you and Tompkins the wisdom of experience.
There is a charm to every one in the days of long ago. You find you have forgotten the hardships and privations, the sorrows and griefs that once seemed like unsupportable afflictions. The once bitter disappointments have left no bitterness. The political revolt, which you helped to arouse against the candidate of your party, because you thought he was unfit, or because you thought unfair methods had secured his nomination, seems to you now puerile and inconsequential. You have learned, perhaps, that he was the better man, and that many of these political contentions were merely new applications of the fable of the slanderous pot, and the equally slan -. derous kettle, and that the one was as black as the other.
Such are the changes which three score, or three score and ten, bring to a man. Your day of Homeric conflict has gone, and you are content to spend your age in peace and contentment.
NEAL BROWN.
Is there a man who has taken part in the political upheavals which disturb the tranquility of the country and of society from time to time, who after reaching the age of sixty years or over, will question the truths expressed in the foregoing essay? Having arrived at this age, and taken some part in the political contentions in this county in former years, the writer of these leaves bears testimony to the truths contained in those lines, even in a larger sense, believing that not only were the personal interests of candidates in the result of the elections over-magnified, but that the so-called "principles" about which there seemed to be so much at stake in the opinion of enthu- siastic advocates were, after all, no principles at all, but only questions of policy, which might be tried, adopted and if found to work harm rather than give relief for some real or imaginary evil, could be changed again in the next election or session of the legislative body, without society suffering
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any great harm. But it is too much to expect that youth in its exuberance can look at things with the calm reflection of age, and it takes the softening influence of time to convince us how little the differences were, which in political contests blur the vision of men and sometimes break friendships which had stood the test of years.
There were many exciting political contests in Marathon county, more so probably than in most counties in the state, and the truth that factional political ruptures are more fierce and relentless and leave severer heartache than contentions with old opponents, was irrefragably proven in Marathon county in the contest with the Greenback party from 1877 to 1880, again in the presidential contest of 1896 and in the recent contest for political suprem- acy between the factions in the Republican party. It is not the purpose of these leaves, though they bear the proud title of a "History" to write of the factional or personal political quarrels which occurred in the past, as they in no way affected Marathon county as a whole, much less the state, nor to revive old forgotten animosities by recounting them. In the candid opinion of the writer all parties and men who took a leading part were animated by an honest desire to advance the interest of the county and country, and if they differed in their opinion it was only in the means to accomplish the same result. It is the purpose of this book to give impartial credit to men who by reason of character and strong intellectuality or mentality have become more conspicuous than others in public service in the course of years. and some of their lives are collected in this chapter.
' HON. WALTER D. M'INDOE.
Among the pioneers of Marathon county who deserve to be held in grate- ful remembrance, Hon. Walter D. McIndoe holds easily first rank. Others like George Stevens and James L. Moore had come a few years earlier, but with no intention to stay; they were lured to the county by the sight of the pine, from which in their estimation, they would gather a fortune, after which they would seek a more congenial climate and country. Their work was only temporary and left no impression and was not intended to leave an impression on the future growth of the country.
It was different with Walter D. McIndoe. He looked to the future and came here with the intention to make Wausau his permanent home. He was married but a short time when he came to Wausau in 1847, and brought with him his young wife and established her in a household and home which
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she graced during his long and busy life and where she closed his eyes on the 22d day of August, 1872.
WV. D. McIndoe was born in Scotland on the 30th day of March, 1819; he received a good common school education, came to the United States when only fifteen years old, engaging as a clerk in a mercantile house in the city of New York, later in Charleston, S. C., and lastly in St. Louis, Mo., where he eventually commenced business on his own account. Hon. John C. Clark mentioned a loan made to James L. Moore of $500 in 1845 as the cause of his first visit to Wausau in 1846 and how he accepted lumber in payment, which was his first venture in the lumber business. But there were others too who had advanced money and took lumber in pay without giving a thought to the possibilities of the new country, which only needed the means of communication with the outside world to make it grow and become a manufacturing and agricultural region, making homes for thou- sands of men. The absence of all reasonable comforts at the time, the hard- ships unavoidable with pioneer life in the pine forests had no terror for the soul of W. D. McIndoe, but with reliance in his own strength and making the best use of his intellectual endowments, he undertook the great work of laying the foundation for the future growth and prosperity of the city and county. He had hardly started in the manufacture of lumber in the small way in which it was then carried on, when the question of the adoption of the state constitution agitated the people. and he at once threw himself as a leader, life and soul on the side in favor of statehood. The constitution having been adopted and Wisconsin admitted as a state, he offered himself as a candidate for member of assembly for Portage county, knowing that there was work for him cut out in the Legislature, without which this terri- tory would continue to languish and its future growth be retarded an indefinite time.
He was a Whig and the majority of voters in Portage county adhered to the Democratic party: but that was not the worst handicap in the contest. The assembly district included Portage City, Grand Rapids, Plover, then the county seat of Portage county, and Stevens Point, all the numerous mills south of the present territory of Marathon county, with all the influence of local pride and jealousy against him. In this unequal contest, his own splendid personality was his strongest support. Physically he was a man who would attract favorable attention anywhere. Nearly six feet tall, broad- shouldered and well-proportioned, with a massive head covered with bushy brown hair and wide forehead, clear and sparkling eyes and kindly face, he was the very picture of strong rugged health and manhood. He would be
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easily selected out of a hundred or more, as a leader of men. He was elected and although a Whig in the minority party in he assembly, his general sound views, his practical information as to the needs of the new state, his tact and natural courtesy made him a prominent member. He knew that there was no hope for better prospect or improvements for his home people, so long as they were attached politically to Portage county, and he therefore urged the creation of a new county called Marathon, to the end that the interest of the up-river settlements could be united in one county where no conflicting interest hampered their progress. He was suc- cessful, and by this act gave the people of Marathon county the opportunity of working out their own salvation. Having named Wausau as the county seat, he, with his partner, Charles Shuter, planned and platted the village of Wausau, and helped to organize the county and town government. He was then already carrying on a large business and although a member of the assembly and business man, he did not think it below his dignity to help out the officers wherever he could with advice, and by accepting the office of deputy town and county clerk at a mere nominal compensation.
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