USA > Wisconsin > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present : including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county [microform] > Part 38
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The Rev. D. J. Mauning acquired his classical education at Toronto, Canada. He took a full course of philosophy at the Grand Seminary, at Montreal, and completed his studies at St. Francis' Seminary, near Milwaukee, where he was ordained to the priesthood in June. 1893. He was appointed to the present charge as rector of St. John the Baptist's on July 25. 1895. The Rev. D. J. Mauning remained pastor of Wilton church until February. 1900.
The Rev. John C. McAteer, the present reetor. was appointed to Wilton and Kendall January, 1900. On his arrival at Wilton. February 24, 1900. he found both church and parsonage in need of repairs. After strenuous efforts he succeeded in renovating both church and parsonage. The Rev. John C. MeAteer was born at Loretto. Cambria county, Pa., March 27. 1858. He studied classies at St. Vincent's College at Beatty, Westmoreland county, Pa. lle completed his theological studies at St. Francis' Semi- nary, in Milwaukee, Wis. He was ordained to the priesthood by the Rt. Rev. Kilian Flasch. D. D., in St. Joseph's Cathedral, at La Crosse. June 29, 1885. On June 29, 1910, he celebrated his sil- ver jubilee as priest at Wilton. Wis.
Lutheran Church. A few Lutherans started the St. Paul's Lutheran church about forty years ago. Rev. A. T. Siegler, of Ridgeville, did the first missionary work at Wilton and vicinity. Services were conducted occasionally by the ministers located at Clifton until the Rev. John Liebell received charge of the two
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congregations at Wilton and in the town of Wellington, in 1890, and was located at Wilton. He attended these congregations for three years and afterwards the Rev. Koehler for two years. The congregation consecrated their own church on the 11th of Decem- ber, 1887, and built a parsonage in 1894. In January, 1905, the Rev. John Hering took charge at Wilton and town of Wellington, attending both congregations until the first of August, 1908, as from that date he took charge of Wilton alone, the congregation at Wellington having its own minister, which is the situation at this writing.
NORWALK.
Nestled in the hills in the southern part of the town of Ridge- ville lies the beautiful little village of Norwalk. Situated in the midst of a very rich farming region and on the Chicago & North- western Railway, its advantages as a mercantile center are very apparent.
The land upon which the village is located was originally owned by S. MeGary and C. G. Hettman, portions of both farms being included in the original plat, Main street being the divid- ing line between the two farms. S. McGary was one of the first settlers in this village, or rather in the place where the vil- lage now stands, coming here from Norwalk, Ohio, in an early day, and when the village was organized he named it Norwalk in honor of his native village back in Ohio.
The real beginning of the growth of the village perhaps dates from the building of the Northwestern Railway in 1873, the first survey having been made that year and the road afterward constructed, building a depot in 1874, though for a time the present warehouse was used for that purpose. The early growth of the little village produced the necessity for educational facili- ties, and in 1875 a school house of moderate dimensions was built, and the first teacher secured was A. F. Brandt, who afterwards became county superintendent of schools, and is now connected with the State Public School for Dependant Children at Sparta. The schools more than kept pace with the growth of the village and in 1905 the high school was organized and a building built to accommodate it. This school has taken high rank among the high schools of the county ; has been well managed; its teachers well selected, and has kept up with the times in educational work, a fact which is taken advantage of by pupils from the surround- ing towns.
Among the first men to engage in business when the settle-
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ment reached any size were D. M. Dolson, general store; John Crook, hardware merchant; Ellis Wood, blacksmith; Charles Ebert, harness maker; W. F. Horstman, furniture dealer; C. G. Hetman, lumber yard; Moul & Darwin, grain buyers; M. Goetz, wagon maker, and others.
In 1893, having arrived at a population and business impor- tanee which demanded it, the village was duly incorporated according to law and a set of village officers chosen, S. McGary being elected the first president; many men of prominence in the community have served upon the village board; its affairs have been well conducted and are in a prosperous condition. To endeavor to ascertain the exact time of the coming of a number of the earlier settlers has been very difficult, but the first physician to minister to the ills of humanity hereabout was Dr. Fischer; the first hotel which could be called such was opened and conducted for a time by John Horning, and called the Norwalk House, and the first drug store to supply the medicines prescribed by Dr. Fischer was conducted by Farner & Seibolt.
In 1903 the Norwalk State Bank was incorporated by M. Goetz, Henry Schell, J. P. Andres, C. H. Drier, William Schell, Fred Leutke, John Weibel, Ernest Pingel and H. L. Vieth. The institution has conducted a safe and conservative business under the able management of its president, M. Goetz, and enjoys a large clientage. As a mark of the prosperity and business growth of the village, a second bart was organized in 1907 by H. L. Vieth, Fred Lentke and Frank Wartman, known as the Farmers' State Bank, with a capital of $10,000, which has had a successful career from the start and serves a large number of depositors. The village has the usual number and variety of business enter- prises found in a community of its size, has a population of 502, according to the last census, and is considered one of the solid and substantial business centers of the county.
CHAPTER XLV. BERRY CULTURE.
Among the things which has brought fame and much pros- perity to some parts of Monroe county and a subject which deserves more than passing mention is that of berry culture. From a small beginning in this matter has grown an immense business in several localities, especially in the vicinity of Sparta, where the largest interests are located, and around Tomah.
Perhaps the first man who conceived the idea of making a commercial business out of strawberries and bush berries was William Wells, "Uncle Billy," as he was familiarly known. It seems that his early attempts at growing strawberries for the market met with some success, though his methods were some- what crude as to marketing the product. He secured cheap tin pails in which he shipped the berries, realizing a fair return on his ventures. He grew them extensively enough so that it was necessary for him to employ pickers. Perhaps the pioneer in the business of strawberry raising and shipping as a regularly organized business was Mr. E. W. Babcock, of Angelo. He was undoubtedly the first man to inaugurate the quart box as a con- tainer in which to get his produce to the market.
In the raising of bush berries George Hanchett, of LaFayette. was undoubtedly the pioneer in the western part of the county, and doubtless went into the business of raising blackberries as an industry prior to any one else in the county. Hle purchased of C. H. Hamilton, of Ripon, Wis., a stock of plants of the "Ameri- ean Briton" blackberry and started successfully to grow them for the market. Since then the large fruit farm developed by Mr. Hanchett and his son, William H. Hanchett, has become one of the large, if not the largest, of its kind in this part of the state.
Mr. Hamilton visited Sparta the winter after he sold the stock of blackberry sets to Mr. Hanchett, and lectured on the subject at a farmer's institute, going into the raising of small fruits quite thoroughly. M. A. Thayer, at that time in the banking business, and being previously interested in horticulture, became very much taken up with the subject, and the year following he
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inspected the Hanchett farm and determined to go into the busi- ness. The result was the "Thayer Fruit Farm." which acquired a state-wide reputation, which was the result in a measure of the fact that considerable advertising was done and also to the sys- tem of "Thayer's Berry Bulletin," a series of articles issued by Mr. Thayer while president of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society.
The Thayer fruit farm was started in 1887 with the first year's planting of seventeen acres, including blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. It was demonstrated beyond all doubt that the soil and climate around Sparta and in other parts of the county was right for the conducting of this industry on a large scale. In 1891 the Thayer farm marketed over 5,000 cases of berries of all kinds. for which was received $7,074.44, and including the plants sold and the farm produce marketed brought the income of the farm to $8.846.76. yielding a net profit over all expenses of $4,346.76. But perhaps this farm, and it is referred to here as a sample of what was the result achieved by many others in a greater or less degree, reached its best productiveness in 1905, when there were under cultivation twenty-five acres of straw- berries, twelve acres of raspberries, four and one-half acres of gooseberries, two acres of currants and eighteen acres of black- berries, and in that year over $4,000 worth of plants alone were sold.
As the years went by, this industry became firmly established. thousands of dollars worth of berries were marketed from differ- ent parts of the county. Around Sparta, especially, the industry had grown to such proportions that every year during berry season many commission firms in Chicago. Milwaukee. St. Paul, St. Louis and other points sent their buyers here and at first when this system came into vogue these buyers were on the watch for loads of berry cases. a man with a good sized load was stopped in the street and the buyers bid for the load. the highest offer per case getting it. This system continued for a time until it seemed that the buyers were entering into a combination to control prices, which is of course the same old story, and it occurred to the fruit growers that they might handle their own product. eliminate some of the things that went for expense and get fair prices by finding their own market and conducting the business of selling the crops of the members of an association to greater advantage.
Growing out of this movement came the organization of the Sparta Fruit Growers' Association, a pioneer organization of its
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kind. On May 15, 1896, the articles of incorporation were per- fected ; as appears in them the organizers were C. E. Tobey, E. A. Richardson, Jesse D. Searles, E. W. Babcock, W. H. Hanchett, Alexander Mclntyre, L. S. Fisher, C. G. Hettman and W. M. Bowler; the officers provided for in the articles were L. S. Fisher, president ; W. H. Hanchett, vice president ; W. M. Bowler, secretary, and C. G. Hettman, treasurer. The capital stock of the association was 150 shares at $2 each. Afterwards the articles were amended twice in this particular ; in April, 1906, the capital stock was increased to 1,000 shares of $2 each. and again in Feb- ruary, 1907, to 3,000 shares of $2 each, making the capital stock $6,000. The advantage in membership to the fruit grower is the handling of his erop by the association without his being eom- pelled to look after the selling, his product being delivered to the association and in due time his remittance reaches him. The association first commenced business in a wooden building which stood upon the site of the present building and had been used theretofore principally as an office for a lumber yard. The asso- ciation acquired title to this property and the demands of the business increasing to such an extent it became necessary to build a building suitable for the purposes of the corporation, 1909 saw the completion of the fine building now owned and occupied by the association, built of solid briek on the plan of what is known as "slow fire" construction, with ample offices, store rooms and a basement with concrete floor under the entire building, making a very complete plant for the purposes of the business carried on. The association now does business the year around, handling vegetables, apples and small fruits in their season at wholesale.
The Sparta Fruit Growers' Association has attracted a large amount of attention from people interested in the fruit business and it has become a power in the business world in its line. The wise administration of its affairs in the past under such men as L. S. Fisher, its first president; W. H. Hanchett, the present pre- siding officer; J. W. Leverich, one of its directors, and E. A. Richardson, its most efficient secretary and general manager, has steadily increased the influence of the association and aided won- derfully in the development of the business of small fruit raising here and elsewhere. The volume of business transacted is very large; it seeks the best markets, successfully competes with the products of other parts of the country, and is a striking example of the benefits of co-operation when rightly conducted with busi- ness aeumen and foresight.
CHIAPTER XLVI. THE SPANISHI-AMERICAN WAR.
The history of the two companies in this county belonging to the Third Regiment, Wisconsin National Guard, is, of course, the history of the Third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish War. While at intervals either Company L or Company K may have been on detached service for a short time, upon the whole the companies were with the regiment and participated with it in the campaign in Porto Rico. When the news was flashed over the wires that war had been declared by the United States against Spain, patriotic feeling was kindled all over the country and the excitement attending these times was very great in every town in which a military company was located. The call by the President for volunteers required three regiments of infantry from the state of Wisconsin and orders were at once wired to the three regiments then organized to prepare for war. It was necessary, of course, under the law, as it then stood, that each company and each individual in each company should volunteer, and when the call came to the companies of the Third Regiment about the 26th day of April, 1898, the companies, L and K. almost to a man volunteered and were ready to go to the front. On the night of the 27th and 28th of April orders were issued by telegraph by the governor ordering the Third Regiment to mobolize at Mil- wankee on the following day, and the 28th of April found the Third Regiment complete and assigned to camp at the state fair grounds in Milwaukee, the various companies being quartered in the horse barns, which were very comfortable for this purpose. "('amp Harvey." as it was known, has many memories in the minds of those who were there; the anxious days preceding the physical examination, to know whether one would be accepted or rejected, the drills and parades, and the thousands upon thou- sands of people who came to see the soldier boys. all combined to make the two weeks of this camp one long to be remembered. On the 11th day of May. 1898, Capt. William L. Buck, of the United States Army, mustered into the service the Third Wiscon- sin Infantry and from that time forth it became the Third Wis- consin Volunteer Infantry, and it was the first regiment to be
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mustered into the service of the United States from Wisconsin. Orders were received soon after to proceed to Chickamauga Park, near Chattanooga, Tenn., and on the morning of May 14th the first section of the special train containing the third battalion, headquarters, and staff left Camp Harvey, passing through the Soldiers' HIome, where the old veterans were lined up on the lawn on each side of the track, truly a pathetic sight and one which affected every man who saw it. Down through Chicago into the state of Indiana, passing through historic battlefields in Tennes- see, arriving at Chickamauga on the morning of the 16th of May, detrained Lytle. Georgia, the railroad station at the park, the regiment was assigned to camp ground on the Kelly Field and went into camp. The regiment was assigned to the First Bri- gade, First Division, First Army Corps, under the command of Brigadier General Andrew Burt; afterwards General Burt was sent South and Brigade General O. HI. Ernest was assigned to the command of the brigade, which was later made up of the Second and Third Wisconsin and the Sixteenth Pennsylvania, although the brigade was first composed of the Third Wisconsin, Fifth Illinois and First Kentucky.
Several weeks were occupied at the camp waiting for the mobolization of other troops before proceeding to the front and the time was taken up with drills of all kinds. parades and reviews, in all of which the regiment received high praise from the corps commander, General Brooke, for its soldierly appear- ance and the personnel of the men. Orders came July 4th for the regiment to march to Ringgold, Ga., there to entrain and pro- ceed South. On July 5th the march was taken up. the regiment arriving at Ringgold on the evening of that day, in connection with the Second Wisconsin, and was taken by three special trains to Charleston, S. C., and there quartered in large cotton ware- houses on the sea front.
The Third Wisconsin held a dress parade soon after its arrival on Marion square, in front of the statue of Calhoun, and it was the first dress parade of Northern troops ever held in the city of Charleston. The people of Charleston evidently had become thoroughly reconciled to the results of the War of the Rebellion, for the troops everywhere met a hearty reception and it was an inspiring sight indeed when the regiment, dressed in its best, swung into the street leading to Marion square headed by Dana's magnificent Third Regiment Band playing "Dixie," to see the stars and stripes waving everywhere, out of the win- dows, and to hear the cheers of the people as the regiment swung
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by. While at Charleston practice marches were ordered by Gen- eral Wilson, the division commander, which wrought much harm to the health of the men. The hot nights in these large ware- houses, with no air stirring, was not a good condition for sleeping and the men became jaded and were ordered upon these marches as some sort of a test, which both resulted disastrously; many men in all of the companies were overcome by the heat and fell by the roadside and afterward required considerable treatment and in some cases health was entirely shattered. Bad food, bad quarters and the hot days undoubtedly all combined to help pro- duce this result, but it was a cruel thing to order such a march and one which was severely condemned, not only by the civil but by the military authorities. The editor cannot refrain from com- menting. as a result of his experience. upon the inefficiency of the quartermaster's department in this campaign ; often by political appointment some senator's son, who didn't know a side of pork from a can of beans, was appointed chief quartermaster com- missary and spent his time swelling around in a new uniform while the men starved; for it is a fact, that right in the city of Charleston, during the ten days this regiment spent there, there were times when the men. in the midst of plenty. didn't have enough to eat.
Orders came at last to go to the front and reinforce General Shafter in Cuba. The "Obdam" steamed into port. Orders were issued to load the entire regiment with their horses in this boat, which was followed by the "Duchess." having on board the Second Wisconsin. The orders were changed, however, to go to Porto Rico and reinforce General Miles, instead of Cuba. The trip South cannot be called a delightful one, for here, more so than ever, was the inefficiency of the commissary department notable, for the men actually suffered for the want of food on the voyage.
On the morning of July 26th the "Columbia," one of Unele Sam's warships, came racing around the high land of Porto Rico with the information that General Miles had landed at Guanico on the previous day and was waiting for the regiment. Grim and business like. indeed, was this warship, with its gray paint. and showing the marks received at the battle of Santiago. The next morning the "Obdam" arrived at Guanico, a most beautiful little harbor, which looked for all the world like a piece of stage setting with its luxuriant foliage rising out of the still waters of the bay. Orders were issued to capture the city of Ponce, farther
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up the coast, the next morning, so that the regiment did not disembark.
On the morning of the 27th the "Obdam" steamed into the harbor of Ponce, having been preceded, however, by the Massa- chusetts battleship and the cruisers Gloucester and Dixie; and orders were issued to disembark, with the Third regiment lead- ing the way, and capture the city. The harbor and surrounding territory was shelled by the gunboats, and the Third Wisconsin landed in lighters, without resistance. Detachments were dis- patched here and there to hold strategie points, and the regi- ment took up its march to the city of Ponce, up the paved road, through the magnificent tropical scenery of this beautiful little island. Reaching the city they marched through paved streets, the city having water works and electric lights, much to the astonishment of the boys. They had not expected to see a mod- ern city in this island. Arriving at the plaza amid the noisy acclaims of the inhabitants, who everywhere were frantic with joy, waving flags, embracing each other with many "viva Ameri cano." After a short halt the regiment marehed out into a field west of the city and eamped upon ground belonging, before that time, to the little King of Spain, and its first night on the for- eign soil was spent sleeping under the blue sky for a camp.
The editor secured that day a copy of a native paper, pub- lished principally in the Spanish language, but having in one or two columns an account printed in quaint English of the land- ing of the American troops, which is herewith quoted.
An extract from the La Nueva Era, published at Ponce, Porto Rico, July 30, 1898, is as follows:
"On the 27th inst., at 2 p. m., a fleet approaching the port was signalled from the signal hill, and truly from all the roofs and points of vantage of the city could be seen three ships near- ing our harbor at great speed, of which two were apparently transports and the other a tug. It did not take them long to come into port and anchor. After a while a boat was seen to leave the side of one of the ships bearing a white flag reached the shore shortly afterwards with an officer, who on landing bent his steps to the captain of the port's office in search of the mili- tary commander of the town for whom he had a despatch.
"The captain of the port answered him that he had no mili- tary jurisdiction and sent for the military commander, residing up town here, to take delivery of the despatch brought by said officer. At about this time a small volunteer force got into posi-
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tion near the custom house and the two companies of the regu- lars, which on the first alarm of the approach of the American fleet had been ordered to the port. were stationed on the road leading from here to the harbor. With the latter forces came the late military commander of this district. Colonel Sammartin.
"On the latter being informed that there was an American officer bearing. under flag of truce, a despatch for him. he replied . that withont direct authority from the governor general he could not receive it. On getting this reply the American officer informed the captain of the port that he would give half an hour's grace for the military commander to come and take delivery of the despatch.
"In the meantime Sanmartin had come np town and had a conference with the governor general by wire, laying before him the state of affairs. But as the hour fixed by the American officer was drawing to its close, and he threatened to return on board with the despatch undelivered. two members of the coun- sular body-Messrs. F. M. Toro. British vice consul, and P. J. Rosaly, vice consul of the Netherlands-went down to the port together with our mayor-Mr. R. U. Colom-and one of our eiti- zens-Mr. P. J. Fournier -- with the object of requesting an exten- sion of the time fixed by the officer to await the reply of the governor general.
"It seems that the latter's answer to the military commander was that he should do his duty : by which. we suppose. he implied that resistance should be made. in spite of the immense superior- ity of the invading forces and of the fleet, which, by this time. had increased by the arrival of several vessels more. As the American commander grew impatient at the non-return of the first boat sent ashore. they sent another, bringing two officers and a squad of soldiers, who bore with them the American flag and two rockets for sigalling, we presume. in case of need. Said officers with the squad and flag advanced as far as the very door of captain of the port's office: but the British vice consul re- «nested that the soldiers should withdraw to the sea shore, the officer with Old Glory, ete .. remaining, however. at the door of the building. The consular and other officers entered the building. They were there received by the captain of the port, who. by the way, was dressed in a soiled white drill suit without any insignia to denote his rank. The German viee consul-Mr. H. C. Fritze- joined his colleagues of England and the Netherlands in their good offices in the matter, together with the American merchant. Mr. Lucas Valliviese.
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