USA > Wisconsin > Portage County > Stevens Point > History of Portage county, Wisconsin read at the centennial celebration, held at the city of Stevens Point, July 4th, 1876 > Part 2
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There are three live newspapers, the Times published at Plover, and the Pinery and the Journal at Stevens Point.
There are 14 practicing attorneys, 11 physi- cians and surgeons settled and in business in the county.
Portage county is an inelined plane, dipping slightly to the sonth, with neither mountain range nor deep valley-not an acre of waste land ; and though 200 feet above the level of Lake Michigan, we are nevertheless, geologi- cally speaking, low down-on the old sand stone ; but little clay, and scaree a particle of lime stone is to be found either in Portage county, or all the "Upper Wisconsin:"-there is a moderate quantity of marsh, but it is by no means waste land-much of it yields ex- cellent grass, both for pasturage and hay; and better than that, cranberry marshes are found here, and with slight improvement, become the best paying lands of all.
Building stone of a superior quality and in great abundance is found along the Wiscon- sin river : and an excellent quality of briek is made from a mixture of clay and sand, 212 miles north of Stevens Point.
The future ot Portage eonnty can scarcely be doubtful ; with her elimate unexcelled in salubrity, excellent soil, pure water, her unsurpassed facilities for safe and speedy com- inunication, her great natural resources, her rapidly developing improvements, both phys- ical, moral and social, her excellent schools, her energetic population, with all the ele- ments of moral excellence, her course, under the blessings of a Benign Providence, must be onward and upward, till she shall stand sec- ond to none other in Wisconsin ; who ever shall take note of her at another centennial ! will find her densely populated with an intel- ligent, virtuous, patriotic people.
The City of Stevens Point,
Is near the center of Portage county, in Sec. 32, Town 24 north, Range Seast, on the east bank of the Wisconsin River ; it is the largest town on the "Upper Wisconsin ;" and some people have wondered how it come so ? In early times-1839 and 1840-head quarters of the "'Wisconsin Pinery" were lower down the river-first at Grand Rapids and then at Plov- er ; the latter having been laid out on specu- lation by Francis Dunn and Moses M. Strong in 1841, and the seat of justice for Portage county soon after located there ; large hotels were built both at Plover and at Grand Rap ids, and other appointments made with a view to business centers of the Pinery ; no one thought of Stevens Point in any sneh connec- tion; accidentaly or otherwise, people were found stopping here: the occupants them- selves had not the remotest idea of founding a town; they were merely pursuing their business ; which was forwarding supplies from the lower country to Big Bull Falls, which was being done by wagons thus far, where the teamsters came to the end of the road ; but they found a good river, and a smooth slack water navigation, for 30 miles up :-- to extract a few words from the Stevens Point Hand Book published in 1857: "No one at the beginning had a suspicion that there was to be a town here; it has come to its present size in the "natural Way," without force or arti- fice of any kind. It is made by its location at the foot of a long slack-water in the Wis- consin from Little Bull, and at the head of the great chain of the Conant Rapids. Some 12 years ago, a lumberman-George Stevens, urging his way up the river with a load of goods for Big Bull Falls, stopped his ox wag- on and load near the slough, at the foot of (what is now) Main street, put his goods un- der a few boards, and went back to Portage City for another load. A day or two after his return, he put his goods into a dug out, and went up the river. This point thus be- came a landing and place for trans-shipment from wagons to boats, and was soon known as Stevens' Point. A ware-house was then found necessary, and the increased resort soon called for a tavern. The raftsmen in their downward
course found it a proper place to make com- plete outfits for entering the great chain of rapids. Provisions, cable, and other articles were required, which soon produced stores of different kinds at the place. Thus matters went on for a year or two, when the owners of the ground were forced to lay off a few lots for building purposes. This decided its fate, and made it a village before either the lot owners or the settlers were aware of the fact."
The lumbermen had occupied Conant Pap- ids and Mill Creek, as early as 1840 ; very lit- tle had been done at Stevens Point, as far as can be learned, sooner than 1844 :- accounts differ very much as to the tirst building put up in the place; some say it was a ware house at the foot of Main street, and built by Chas. Maddy and Henry Mularky; others affirm that in the fall of 1844, Abraham Brawley built a log house on the flat, just above the Shaurette Rapids, which he moved into in December of that year; while still others say that Matthias Mitchell built a tavern house on what is since known as the old Phelps stand; and not to admit the claims of any of these to priority, it is maintained by one who came here as car- ly as 1842, that early in the fall of 1844 Math- ias Mitchell built a shanty near the foot of Main street, positively the very first thing in shape of a house, put up in stevens Point ; after all, the preponderance of testimony seems to be in favor of the house of A. Braw- ley on the flat, as the first one built within the city limits; the ware house followed, and then Mitchell's tavern. The next building put up was a house by Richard Gardner, just west of the store of N. F. Bliss.
The first rapid piece of lumber over Shau- rette rapids, was run from Wausan, by Hiram Stowe, in 1842.
In 1845, Richard Johnson built a log house just aboye Shanrette Rapids on the east side, and commenced daming the Wisconsin River on the rapids, preparatory to building a saw mill; the dam was not completed till 1846-7.
Kingsbury built a tavern house on the south side of Main street in the winter of 1845-6; it was burnt soon after.
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
The place now became a general resort; two or three tavern houses were up and ocenpied -one on the south side of Man street, near where the old Doet. Morrison store now stands; the granting of a license to Mr. King's- bury by the County Board, is the first notice of Stevens Point in the records of that body.
Places to sell goods followed; the first stock that we hear of was by Robert Bloomer; an- other by the two Mr. Campbells ; and being the resort of the river men, saloons became a matter of first necessity; two were soon ran- ning-the Starand the Ocean Wave. By this time-1846-7-there were some 20 building's of all sorts, and Stevens Point was a village. Frontiers men with their wives and children their stakes here. Now cane the appoint- ments of society and civilization; Miss Aman- dina Hale, now Mrs. N. F Bliss, kept a pri vate school-the first in Stevens Point, in a board shanty on the ground now occupied by the Mansion House. A preacher ap- peared about this time-one of the Methodist persuasion-a Mr. Hurlburt.
A highly respectable physician and surgeon, Doctor Bristol, arrived; he rode from Point Bas to Bull Falls; he died in 1848; and was buried in the cemetery out of town ; that is to say, on a swell of ground since graded down, just in front of Claflin's jewelry store; a wor- thy man passed away in Dr. Bristol; a "lear to his memory;" would that we could say "peace to his ashes;" but alas! the "the march of im- provement"-inexorable necessities of a city, removed them from their resting place in the cemetery, and where they now are, who ean tell? that grave yard has disappeared; in its place are a graded street, side walks, honses, stores, and other improvements too numer- ons to mention.
With the doctors and the preachers, eame also the lawyers; the people had been peace- able enough so far, but who could think of a town without something to get folks by the cars? Thomas Mormon, John Delaney and Win. L De Witt were the first disciples of Coke aud Littlejohn. Mr. Mormon represent this district in the Legislature in 1846-7. *
Growing apace, as all great towns always do, it became one of commerce, and must have its money lender ; it had one, John Wel- land was its first banker and broker ; he lived where Mr. John Walker's stone block now stands. E. G. Bean assumed to act, (by what authority is not apparent) as a magistrate; his first official act was to unite in the bands of matrimony Mr. J. R. Mitchell with Miss Fannie Luther-these parties of Plover ; Mr.
Abraham Brawley, also assuming the magis- terial robes, celebrated his first official act in our city by marrying Mr. Henry Blanchere to Mrs. Bowe, a widow lady.
out this Esquire Brawley had other matters in hand, than tying knots bymenial or dis- pensing justice; he was indeed our first repre- sentative to the Legislature, as well as im- mersed head and heels in the lumber trade ; but in the midst of all, he found time, as he had occasion, to attend to agriculture; true, he lived on the bottoms that overflowed twice at least a year-a poor place we would say for farming; but stepping back a few paces to higher ground, he fenced, ploughed aud plant ed a fine field where now stands our stone I better corn or potatoes and garden stuff gen erally ever burthened the earth than Mr. Brawley raised there in 1845 and 6.
Stevens Point was thought by some at this day as rather a rough place; the people at Plover were accustomed to stigmatize it as "up in the Pinery;" out of the pale of civiliz- ation, while they were among people of cul- ture and taste, at the county seat. Well, the denizens of the Point accepted the situation without demnr ; they were in the Pinery, and must submit to their fortunes.
As soon as the ice left in the spring, or even before, the "suckers" began to ruof up ; I need not stop here to tell who or what the suekers were: they were bipeds; and though able to swim on occasion (as when they got knocked off a raft) yet their scales and finny adornments were more imaginary than real; they ran up however every spring in immense shoals, filling all space, and making no little ยท noise, and sometimes creating excitement; they were on the whole a rather harmless, and eminently useful race; their number was any- thing, from hundreds to legions, according to times and circumstances; while the rafts were running, they were running also, and gener- ally on the water. But let the river go down and the rafts stop, which they did of course every summer; when instantly the suckers, from above, from below, from all quarters, made a "straight shoot" for Stevens Point; there they were counted (no they could not be counted) but they appeared in huge shoals, overwhelming all places and persons; the on- ly wonder is that they were not the fearful roughs the people of refined Plover would have the world believe; they were in fact, gen- erally, under the circumstances, a merry- hearted, generous and well behaved set of Boy , as ever ran a river, or pulled an oar; all honor to the suckers; their day is nearly past; the locomotive has come and their occupation is about gone.
While on the matter of the rivermen, there are two characters, pre-eminently such of Stevens Point, which we shall be pardoned for noting: the one is the Raftsman-the otli- er the Pilot: mention is made of the first in the 13th number of the 1st volume of the Pin- ery news paper, published here in April, 1853; speaking of the river and the rivermen that paper had the following:
"OLD WISCONSE .- For the last 8 months this old
*This Mr. De Witt, a son of the venerable Surveyor General De Witt of the State of New York, was an accomplished Civil Engineer, as well as an Attorney, and by direction of the state authorities, in 1850 made a careful sur- vey and reeonnoisance of the Wisconsin Riv- er, from Point Bas to Big Bull Falls: His re- port, accompanied with the necessary profiles, and plattings, was published in pamphlet in 1851.
.
had braved the forest, the climate, and driven : court house; his labors were well repaid ; no
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
"fellow has been so quiet as seareely | the rafts, the disbursement of large amount- "to remind us of his existence ;- even the lit. " of the proceed- to hands, and the rendition of final accounts to the owners."
"tle children mounted his back and played "with his mane with impunity ;- he seemed a follen hero, and so destitute of life that some "even doubt his ability to rise again. Bat the "I ng sunny days of March and April have "thawed him out, quickened his sluggish "nerves and restored his wasted strength. "Like a giant refreshed with a long sleep, he "has awaked and shaken himself, and as if "conscious of i long delinquency in business. "he seems in haste to be off towards the Fath- "er of Waters. He trembles in every limb, and "his voice like the lion's roar, is heard among "the rocks: to the uninitiated he seems a ter- ror, but not so to l'ie Raftsman; - accustomed "to his modes, be treats his roaring and foam- "ing as so much swagger, and mounts his back "with as little concern as a jockey would an "old hack. Nor is it for mere sport alore that "the man of Pines essays such a noble steed; "he harnesses him to his chain of a dozen or "twenty rafts, and compels him to drag lor- "ward in his course to the Mississippi a train "that would put to shame that of any rail- "road in Christendom. Well, the thing is "going on here now; and all you down yonder "that are fond of "grand sport, " should come "and see our Raftsmen drive old Wisconse."
Such was the view taken by the newspaper man of the Raftsman in 1-5%. All those en- gaged in running ont the lumber were Rafts- men; but the other e ass spoken of-the Pilots -were few; only those of long experience- skill in managing the whole operation of tak- ing lumber from the mills and delivering it safely at the point of destination-it might be Dubuque or St. Louis-and only those who had character and reputation, were entitled to the more honorable distinction of Pilots; they were but few at the day we speak of-twenty at most. The Stevens Point Hand Book speaks of the Pilots : s follows :-
"The piloting of rafts over these intermina- ble falls, from Jenny Bull, to and below the Dells, requires great skill, practice, conrage, and extreme peril and hard labor .- This branch of the business has produced a class of men known as PILors, who have become masters, both of the rapids, and the capitalists in the lumber trade; as nothing can be done without them; at least in getting the product to market after it is ent out at the mills. When engaging by the day, they make their own terms at from five to fifteen dollars. Those of the better character, with a little means ahead, are accustomed to job the busi- ness, entering into contract with the producer to take the boards in pile at the mill-, and furnishing all necessary men and outlays at their own cost and charges, to deliver the Inm- ber at Dubuque or St. Louis, at a stipulated price per thousand feet. Partaking somewhat of the rigorous, wild character of the river and its whirlpools, they are nevertheless for the most part, men of generous impulses, en- ergetie, honest and trustworthy; being fre- quently entrusted not only with the custody of a year's earnings .of a large establishment, in its transit to market, but with the sale of
As with the Rafteren so with the pilots; their occupation too is being abridged in a good degree by the locomotive: many of them have not braved the peril- of the deep fr nongh; they have made their business & sie- ross, and are quietly enjoying the fruit of their toil.
The old County Board (records p. 89) on the 6th of January, 1847, erected f' 22 N., B. 6 E., into a school district, to be numbered one and to be known as the Grand Rapids District.
Out the 6th April, 1547, They erected T. 24 N., R. 6 E., (which is our city of Steven- Point) into a school district, to be known as the Stevens Poret Distric; and numbered two.
The first election was directed to be held at the house of 1. h. Bancraft. We are unable to find any organization of this Stevens Point Di-triet at that time, by electio i of District Officers.
Under date of May 24, 1847, the Board erected T. 23 N., R. S E., into a school dis- triet to be numbered three, and known as the Plover District.
All this time, the County of Portage had never been divided into towns, and was prac- tically under the government of the three County Commissioners.
On the 9th of January, 149. the Commis- sioners being B. W. Finch, S. R. Merrill and Wm. V. Flemming, the county was divided into towns as follows :-
"All that part of Portage county south of a line running east and west, one mile south of the north line of Town 23 N., Range SE .. shall be named the town of Plover; the first clection of town officers to be at the house of Geo. Neeves, Grand Rapids.
All that part of the county lying north of the north line of Plover, and south of the north line of Town 27, shall be called and known by the name of Middletown; and the first election shall be at the house of Freeman Keeler, Dubay's trading post :-
All that part of Portage county north of Town 27 shall constitute one town and be known by the name of Bull Falls; the first election to be at the house of Thomas Hin- ton. We have no data to describe the elec- tion and organization of this town of Middle- town, which included Stevens Point; tho' it is said A. Brawley was a Justice of Peace, and Samuel W. Rollins, Cozstable.
On the 1st of March, 1850, we find the Con- ty Board further dealing with the matter of the boundaries of townships; the only impor- tant change made in our affairs, was to re- move the seat of government from Middle- town to Stevens Point, and ordering elections to be held at the house of Hinton & Phelps.
The town of Stevens Point now fairly set up for itself with regular township govern- ment, N. F. Bliss was elected Justice of the Peace, Abraham Brawley, Orrin Maybee, and Supervisors, Brawley chair- man; JJas, S. Young Town Clerk, Ira Vaughan Assessor and Collector, and a Mr. lolden Superintendent of Schools. A. H. Baneraft
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
was Sheriff of the county, W'm. Griffin was . market as carly as 1840 :- the land office then the first Post Master; had to go to Plover for the mails, there being no post route to Ster- ons Point.
About this time School District No. 1, Stev- ens Point, was organized; Di
rector. Treasurer, and N. F. Bliss District (Jerk; according to the Clerk's report for september, 1-50, the school had been taught seven months, by Miss B. Mc- Laughlin, who was paid $2) per month; the number of children in attendance was 66 :- 30 girls and 36 boys. A new school house bad been erected the year before, valued at $600.
The population at that date (sept., 1850,) was estimated at some 200. Our town was now some five years old :- it was acknow- ledged the place of transhipment from wagons to boats, (canoes); no practical wagon road having yet been made trom this to Big Bull ; tho' that place was growing apae ; mills hav- ing been built there, and a other points above, all which required large amounts of supplies, which found their way from Stevens Point by river in boats. As a central point of business for the pinery, o ir town had (in 1850) three hotels, four stores, two rousing saloons, black- smith shops, carpenters, mill wrights, wagon ers, traders-especially dealers in lumber and shingles; one of the residents of that day hands in the following memorandu n: he says "we had two hotels; JJoseph Phelps kept the Mitchell Honse; Bro vn & Grover kept the City Hotel; the Star saloon was kept by Wal ton & Walsworth: the Ocean Waye by Sailor Jack and a Mr. Watts :- Matt Campbell and John Campbell. successors to Robert Bloom- er, kept store, where Krembs' hardware store now is ;-- John Strong had a store near Sloth- ower's old store ;- the principal traders and business men were, Matthias Mitchell, lumber dealer and owner of the town site; Yonng & Maybee, lumber dealers; Thos. Hinton, Im- ber dealer; A. Brawley, mill owner and lum ber dealer; Campbell & Brothers, merchants and lumber dealers ; B. Finch, humber deal er; Valentine Brown, Horace Judd, Azro Mann and Angus MeCauley, river pilots; Jas. Cran- dall, boarding house keeper; Seneca Harris, boot and shoe maker and dealer; Anson Rood, builder and merchant: Francis Lamere, board- ing house; O, Wiswald and J Young, hotel keepers; John Welland, money lender and banker "
Some enterprising parties, J. L. Prentice surveyor, had explored easterly as far as the branches of Wolf river for a road, hence called the Green Bay road :-- it served the pur- poses of selecting and lo ating farms, and ex- tending settlements in that direction as far as To-morrow river. and a little beyond. To this time, Gills Landing on the wolf river, wasjust being heard of; but scarcely a wagon track from there here was known :- there was a road traveled somewhat, from Strong's landing on The Fox river, (near Berlin) through to Plover: -but practically nearly all the supplies came up the great wagon road from Galena.
A strip of land three miles in width on each side of the Wisconsin had been brought into
. being at Stineral Point :- the Indian title to the Upper Wisconsin country generally, was extinguished in 1848, and the lands were sur- veyed and in market soon after. In August, 1852, Congress passed an act creating two new land districts-one at La Crosse, and one at. Stevens Point : the latter was opened the sum- mer of 1853 ;- Abraham Brawley having been appointed Register, and Albert G. Ellis Re- ceiver. It was thought sales would hardly pay expense: !
flow different the result ? The rush was imprecedented; the offices were thronged night and day; the Register and Receiver were soon compelled to double their clerical force, to keep up current business: the thorough- lares were crowded-new stage lines had to be established for the road, and new hotels for the travelers :- the money was coin-all gold in those days: many thousand dollars went. into the Receiver's office daily: two, three and even four clerks were kept on the road carry- ing off the funds to depositaries, at Dubuque and Chicago.
Stevens Point felt the impulse; population began to increase-new buildings went up in every direction: the Pointers thought the Millenium bad come sure.
Our citizens began to think they could n? longer exist without a railroad; and specula- tors in that line at Milwaukee were of the same opinion ;- in 1557, agents of the Milwau- kee & Horicon railroad appeared here solicit . ing bonds and mortgages, and deeds of con- veyance in exchange for their stock, promis- ing to have the cars here from Berlin within a twelve month :- our people responded- bled freely :-- not less than 400,000 dollars worth of securities were handed over to these agents; we are charitable enough to believe that they intended to build a road! Alas for human hopes! A money crisis, succeeded the good times, and the Horieon raitroad scheme vanished.
Next came the hard times-credit was at an end; everybody suspended, and our flourishing little city colapsed with all the rest of the world. Prices of lots went down :- buildings in the outskirts were without occupants: we had a great fire in 1858, which swept half the business part of the town; these vacant building's in the outskirts were found of use; they were moved in to replace those destroyed by the fire: this process has been repeated- for we have endured two destructive confla- grations within the last decade.
In the midst of all this, some ambitious minds could no longer endure township gov- ernment :- application was made to the Leg- islature; and in 1858, that body granted us a city charter. The city of Stevens Point by that charter, was nearly 215 miles square, embracing within it abont 4,200 acres.
The charter was accepted by the people; the first election held on the 26th day of June, 1858.
Wm. Scholfield was chosen Mayor.
A, JJ. Aldrich, Marshal.
(. B. Jackson, Police Justice.
II
HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
HI. B. Martin, Treasurer. T. J. Cone, Assessor.
C. B. Curtis, City Clerk. W. B. Agnew, Surveyor.
The Aldermen were: A. G. Hamacker and Valentine Brown, 1st Ward. II. Furgason and Martin Perkins, 2d Ward. Anson Rood and S. W. Homsted, 3d Ward.
For the next ten years. matters progressed with few changes: the shock occasioned by the lute money er cis gradually wore off': the energy of our people restored business ; es- pecially that of the lumber trade; it was con- tinnally on the increase ;- in 1865, the product of our Stevens Point operators in the trade, either as producers or jobbers, could not have b en less than 50 million feet of boards; re- sides lath, pickets and shingles. Ah this time onr communication with the world below was by wagons; no cars nearer than 60 or 70 miles.
In 1869, we had a new excitement about railroads; Hon. George Reed of Menasha, (or Manitowoc, ) suddenly dropped down upon us, proposing to talk railroad to our people; no one would listen: the blessings of the old Hori- con fraud had not yet healed, it was long be tore he could be heard :- at last an audience was given, and it was perceived that he was in earnest, and had the wherewith :- that isto say. charters from the Legislature controlling The application of the large land grant made by Congress in 1864, to aid in building railroads : from Berlin, Fond du Lac or Mena-ha, and Within the last few days, a new railroad move Portage City, to Lake Superior; and Congress ; is on fort-to-wit, an extension of the Green having made our city a point in the proposed railroad, we could not well be given the go-bv, ! provided one should ever be built at all, on ! the grant.
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