History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, Part 118

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Pierce, Eben Douglas
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago Winona : H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1318

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Across Jackson Street to the west, and on the corner, was the furniture store which had been built by Herman Tracy and was operated by F. J. Tracy and Casper Wohlgenant under the firm name of E. J. Tracy & Co. Further to the westward was the building which housed the postoffice and the Arcadia Leader, N. D. Comstock being the postmaster, and G. A. Hacston the editor of the Leader.

On the south side of Main Street, west of the track, was a vacant space. Then came the feed store of John Maurer. Next west was the general store of Gasal Brothers. Then came the harness shop of Richtman & Mallinger. Further to the west was the saloon of John Kastner. Next was the wagon shop of Joseph Kutz, and on the corner of Jackson Street was the blacksmith and machinery shop of Christ Van Wold. Across Jackson Street to the west, on the other corner was the harness shop of John Hentges. Still further along was the cigar factory of Jacob Schneller. The planing mill of Nic. Mueller was on the east side of Jackson Street, some rods south of Main Street. (Outlined by John C. Gaveney, after examination of the newspaper files and consultation with old settlers.)

Pioneer Schools. School conditions were materially different in the early days from what they are now. The pioneer schoolhouses had home- made desks placed close to the wall. Sometimes as many as twenty pupils had to rise to let the classes pass to and from. recitation. In many schools there were no recitation seats and the classes had to stand. The desks and woodwork were often unpainted, but teacher and pupils were expected to keep all as white as soap and sand would make them. Each teacher, with the help of her pupils, cleaned her own schoolhouse. Long-handled dippers, washbasin, soap, towels, and mirrors came gradually, as did maps, charts and other helps. The three R's, with the addition of grammar and spelling, were the essentials, and pity the teacher who could not do all the "sums."

It may be that undue emphasis was placed upon arithmetic, as nothing was omitted, even though it had no practical value in itself. But for those pupils who had no hope of ever studying the higher mathematics or a foreign language, the mental discipline from their arithmetic was invaluable.

In mental arithmetic drills, and it was mental, the pupil would listen attentively while the teacher read a problem once. He would then stand,

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repeat the problem correctly, give each step in the solution, and the conclu- sion, training along many lines. The pupils of early days did not have the culture that the pupils of later days have, but they learned how to work, they were able to help themselves, and they could spell.

What a frolic was the old-time spelling school! How the children did work over those spelling lessons! Books were taken home and hours were spent preparing for the next spelling school. Often three or more schools met and fought hard, if bloodless, battles for the championship. Yes, it was exciting fun, but it also taught spelling.

The children furnished their own text books, and often there were not enough to go around. Nor were the books always suited to the needs of the child. Four different kinds of readers or arithmetics were often found in one class.

Out of school the teacher was truly a part of the family with which she boarded. She sat with them around the kitchen fire, washed in the family basin, used the common family towel, and shared not only a room, but a bed with one or two children. The food was plain, but plentiful and whole- some, and although the houses were small and often very cold, they were real homes. Every one shared the joys and sorrows of the others .- By Margaret Anderson.

The Galesville Fair. The agricultural fair or "cattle show" was a tradition brought from the Eastern States, from whence most of the settlers came. In 1859 the time seemed ripe for such a venture in Trempealeau County. The rich virgin soil had brought forth abundantly. The pioneers were boasting of vegetables of great size, of experiments made in raising the standard of crops, of excellent results with stock, and of the success in solving the many problems incidental to the creation of a rich agricultural region from the hills and valleys that had only a few years before been an untraversed wilderness. A fair would not only give the widely-scattered settlers a chance to compare experiences and results, but would also demon- strate the resources of the county and attract immigration.

Accordingly a call was issued and the Trempealeau County Agricultural Society duly organized at the Court House on October 1, 1859.

"A. Call .- We, the undersigned, desirous of organizing an Agricultural Society in the County of Trempealeau, do appoint a meeting for that pur- pose, to be held in the Court House at Galesville, on the 1st of October, 1859, at 2 o'clock p. m. It is to be hoped and expected that every town in the county will be fully represented. The cause is one that should engage the attention of everyone. Come, old and young, that we may have two essen- tial qualities-experience and fire .- George H. Smith, A. Cary, Isaac Clark, George Gale, Alex. A. Arnold, Ryland Parker, Samuel F. Harris, William T. Clark, Romanzo Bunn and George Y. Freeman, of Gale, and H. Lake and John B. Duning, of Preston."

The officers chosen were: President, George H. Smith ; vice-presidents, Isaac Noyes, Alex. A. Arnold and John B. Duning; secretary, George Y. Freeman; treasurer, Isaac Clark; general committee, John C. French, of Gale; Cyrus E. Turner, of Trempealeau; Henry Lake, of Preston; Jacob T. Holmes, of Caledonia ; David Bishop, of Arcadia, and Willard H. Thomas,

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of Sumner. W. A. Johnson, a few days later, was appointed general super- intendent.

Preparations were at once made for the first fair. Seventy-five men contributed $1.00 each, and the people of Galesville turned out with axes and grubhoes and cleared the brush from the lower table about where the Public Square is now located and surrounded it with a race track, a track rough and uneven, but nevertheless one which answered its purpose. The fair was duly held October 21 and 22. The entries numbered 168 and the competition was keen. All the cash awards were returned by the prize winners. On the second day an address was delivered by Prof. Samuel Fal- lows. At the 1860 fair the exhibits were increased in number and quality. The third fair was held at Trempealeau in 1861, the only fair of the society that has been held outside of Galesville. Preparations were being made for the Civil War, and a feature of the gathering was a military parade by the Galesville Greys and the Trempealeau Guards.

In the fall of 1862 fair grounds were purchased from Isaac Clark, and the fair of that year held at the new location.

The annual fairs were held on these grounds until 1892, when the present grounds were purchased and put in use that fall for the Thirty-third Annual Fair. Improvements which were at once inaugurated have con- tinued until the grounds and equipment are numbered among the best in the State.

Some 20 years later interest in the fairs seemed to wane. From the first the maintenance of the fair had been a financial burden to the people of Galesville, and vicinity, and had frequently necessitated contributions of considerable size. The unpaid $1,000 due for the property was a constant. menace to the existence of the organization.

New life was infused in 1907 when the citizens organized the Galesville Park, Fair & Improvement Company and by soliciting subscriptions paid the outstanding indebtedness on the property and took over the land which it leases to the Agricultural Society free. Since then the fairs have in- creased in importance and success, until the year 1916, when rumor of an infantile paralysis scourge reduced both the attractions and the attendance.

The present officers are: President, Carl McKeeth; vice-president, Emil Francar; secretary, Ben W. Davis; treasurer, J. A. Kellerman. The executive committee consists of the officers and of all the living ex-presi- dents, of whom there are now two, Capt. D. D. Chappell and N. H. Carhart.

The Trempealeau Valley Poultry Association, incorporated Feb. 21. 1913, was organized as the Trempealeau County Poultry & Breeders' Associ- ation in October, 1912, by M. F. Risinger, John A. Markham, Walter E. Sprecher, L. C. Larson, H. J. Hacker, C. A. Sherwood, C. C. Kremer and Bert Thompson. In 1914 Mr. Markham succeeded Mr. Risinger as president. Shows have been held as follows: 1912, Whitehall; 1913, Independence ; 1914, Blair ; 1915, Alma Center ; 1916, Arcadia. The 1917 show is scheduled to be held at Independence, but probably will not be held on account of war conditions.

Agricultural Development. Agriculture in Trempealeau County had its beginning on Decorah Prairie, when the squaws of Decorah's band planted a

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HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY

small corn field. Later Wabasha's band had a small corn field near Trem- pealeau.

The agriculture of the white man originated in this county in 1836, when the Rev. Daniel Gavin, the Swiss missionary, and his helper, Louis Stram, broke some land near a clear spring, east of Mountain Lake and some three miles northwest of the present village, and endeavored to teach the Indians farming. The attempt was not a success. John Doville, who arrived in 1838, started a garden on the land broken by Stram. Oats and peas were the principal crop. The oats were threshed in a primitive way with horses driven in a circle. Doville also broke a tract of land in the upper part of the present village. In those days the pigeons were a serious drawback.

The history of agriculture in Trempealeau County is the history of very many newly settled regions. The early settlers found a land rich in the natural resources of a silt loam soil. A land, which, with a minimum of labor and the use of the crudest of agricultural implements, yielded large crops of wheat, oats and corn.

For a few years after a piece of land was broken the yields were amaz- ing, 45 to 50 bushels of wheat per acre not being unusual. Their machinery at that time consisted of a breaking plow, crossing plow, V-shaped drag and a scythe, cradle and flail.

A few years before the Civil War broke out a threshing machine run by a tread-power was introduced. This was little besides a cylinder, concave and fan. It had no straw stacker and one man stood at the rear with a fork and threw the straw back. In a short time a machine run by horse-power and tumbling rod, and equipped with a straw-carrier and measuring device was invented; and the settlers would have thought they were pretty well fixed, except that every bushel of grain in Trempealeau County had to be hauled either to Trempealeau or Fountain City, a round trip of 50 miles or more over roads that were barely passable.

Some little improvement was made on farm machinery during this time, but not much. And the threshers were not greatly changed for many years. Not long after the war, reapers began to be used; great heavy, clumsy machines, very apt to clog in heavy grain and requiring two men to operate them. One drove and the other was strapped to a post set in the center of the platform and removed the grain with a rake as it was cut.

Their haying was all done with a scythe, hand-rake and pitchfork. They kept only such cows as were needed to supply the family with milk and butter, and raised a few hogs for their own use, and sometimes hauled some dressed pork to the lumber camps and exchanged for lumber.

But this method of farming could not continue forever. Grain crops gradually dwindled until the yield of wheat was very small. Chinch bugs and weeds helped to crowd it out. Wheat was about their only money crop and when that failed they were at a loss how to live. At this time many, through a ruinous system of usury practised by money lenders who profited by the farmers' misfortune, were compelled to gather up their personal belongings and journey on toward the West, there to repeat the sad experi- ment of trying to take from the land continually without putting anything

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HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY

back. But others, strong in the faith which every true farmer must have in his "spadeful of earth," hung to their homesteads, and soon after they saw a great light, for Gov. W. D. Hoard came preaching the gospel of corn, clover, cows and creameries.

The land had by this time become so robbed of humus, nitrogen and phosphorus that only meager and unprofitable crops could be raised. But with the advent of clover and cows, agriculture received a stimulus which has had a healthy and prosperous effect upon the county's farming industry ever since.

Farmers, pretty generally, started rotating their crops, keeping cows and hogs, thus adding to the fertility of the soil, and also giving them a steady income instead of the uncertain one afforded by grain raising.

About this time better machinery began to come into use and many farmers found their labors lightened by the use of combined reapers and mowers. These machines were usually drawn by three horses, two abreast and one on the lead ridden by a small boy. This was done to avoid injury to the unbound gavals which would result from driving three horses abreast.

The next evolution was in the nature of a harvesting machine which required three men to operate it. One drove and the other two bound the grain as it was elevated to them. This was followed by the self-binder.

The old horse-power threshers were gradually improved until we now have the modern steam thresher with wing feeders, automatic elevators and weighers, and wind stackers. Nearly every farmer now uses a cream sepa- rator in place of the old gravity system of separating cream. Harrows, disks, cultivators, drills and seeders have come into universal use, and the land has been brought back to its original fertility.

Silos and leguminous crops have insured the farmer a summer ration for his stock all the year round. And Trempealeau County has in this year 1917 the proud distinction of raising 156,000 bushels of wheat and of being the banner winter wheat county of Wisconsin .- By W. E. Bishop.

The Orchard and Its Advancements. The apple stands at the head of the list of all fruits and thrives in more localities than any fruit grown. In the early settling of Trempealeau County, along in the '50s, very few trees were set, and what were, were an experiment. The first apples in Trempea- leau County were harvested in 1858 by George Batchelder. In about 1860 Messrs. Gray and Sparks started a nursery southeast of the village of Trem- pealeau, and induced the farmers to set trees. Then came E. Wilcox in 1862 and at the close of the war bought out Gray and Sparks and started to run a nursery on a larger scale. In an article written by E. Wilcox in March, 1870, to the Record, he stated that those who had orchards doing well were E. Barnard, J. Nichols, Amos Whiting, L. D. Ladd. Mr. Burns, D. W. Gilfillan, A. Grover, C. Perkins, J. Rhodes, Mr. Bomun, Mr. Cary, Mr. Wilbur, S. S. Luce, George Markham, Henry Lake and others. E. Wilcox was a strong believer in the idea that apples would succeed in Trempealeau County, and had set out an orchard of 1,500 trees. J. Nichols had three orchards of considerable size. These trees were coming into bearing nicely when the severe winter of 1872 destroyed most of them, as well as

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the nursery stock of 60,000 trees. Those that withstood the winter were Dutchess, Transcendent and a few other crabs.

In the fall of 1871 W. A. Jackson, of Galesville, bought 500 trees of Wilcox and buried them in the ground over winter. They thus escaped the severe winter and were set out the following spring. A few other farmers did likewise, only on a smaller scale. These trees did well. Those who were not discouraged replaced their orchards with hardier varieties, and in the fall of 1882 or 1883 A. J. Scarseth, of Galesville, packed 500 barrels of apples. The empty barrels were procured from the cooper shop of Wilson Davis, conducted in connection with the flour mill. These apples were sold to E. White, of Winona, with the exception of a few barrels which were shipped farther west. There were some fine specimens of Snow, Perry Russet, Golden Russet, Utter, Seeknofurther, Pound Sweet, Talman Sweet, St. Lawrence, Ben Davis and many other varieties.

We boys, who were then in our teens, never will forget how these apples swelled our stomachs; and also the taste of those apple dumplings and the boxes of apples stored for winter. I also remember helping father load about 500 pounds of hay on the rack, and in the center of the load, on top, were placed 20 sacks containing one bushel each, and taking them to Winona, selling them for from $1 to $1.25 a bushel. The apples were free from worms' or other defects.

Then came another winter when it seemed that the mercury would never stop going down. This was in 1884, the low temperature killing nearly all varieties but the Dutchess of Oldenburg, Transcendent and a few top-worked varieties on the Transcendent. Those Dutchess and Tran- scendents bore well, but there was no market for them. Twenty-five cents a bushel was considered a good price for these varieties. Almost everybody had a few trees.

William Kass was another lucky man who had 160 trees buried in the ground. The winter of hard frost last mentioned (1884) froze mostly Utter's Large. This variety comes into bearing in from five to seven years after planting. Mr. Kass was known as "The Apple Man from the Little Tamarack," and had everything his own way for 10 years.

In the spring of 1891 I set out 500 trees. It was a favorable season and I did not lose half a dozen. Some of the neighbors laughed at the folly of trying to raise apples in Trempealeau County, but I thought I knew my own business. Their ridicule served to aggravate me, like when one tries to drive a hog bound to go the other way. So the following spring I set out 1,000 more trees and later added 300 to that. Then N. Perkins planted out 500 trees. Mr. Kass, S. D. Grover, M. S. Grover, John Perkins, William Trim and J. Nicholls planted 100 trees each. Many others tried smaller lots.

In 1895 I planted out in nursery rows 10,000 root grafts. In three or four years these trees were sold to the neighbors, George Trim buying the largest amount at any one time, something like 650, and Ed Grover was another heavy buyer. The tree agents from outside the State got busy and sold one-acre orchards. These amounted practically to nothing. The first fruit these orchards bore were sold to the grocerymen of Winona. Each year these orchards were more productive. In 1902 we began to ship in

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barrels to Minneapolis and St. Paul. The output of the crops at this time was about 3,500 bushels. Mr. Ward, of Winona, came over and bought five carloads of late fall and winter apples. These were delivered in bushel crates at his cold storage. That same fall two dealers came along from Milwaukee. We sold them a car of No. 2 apples, which was shipped to the iron mines of Northern Wisconsin. The years 1908 and 1909 were two more banner years, with an estimate of 10,000 bushels each year. W. H. Craig, of Winona, was a heavy buyer and shipping was general. In 1910 the spring opened up early and the trees were in full bloom by the 20th of April, one month ahead of time. A snow storm and a heavy freeze settled the apple crop for that year. This freeze set all of the older trees bearing every other year. Then 1911, 1913 and 1915 were our fruit years. There are a few exceptions with the younger trees. There has been about 20,000 bushels raised each fruit year since 1910, and they have been distributed as far north as Duluth, Winnipeg, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Illinois. There are many varieties being planted that will not withstand our severe winters. When one comes along they will die out. In the southern part of Trempealeau County there are about 225 acres planted to apples, about half of which are bearing fruit. (By John Grover.)

First Meeting in Sumner. "At the first town meeting held in the town of Sumner, April 6, 1858, the following number of votes were cast for town officers: William Harman received 13 votes for chairman supervisor ; James T. King, 13 for supervisor ; Jay H. Chase, 13 for supervisor ; Alvin H. Daniels, 13 for town clerk; Austin Ayrs, 13 for treasurer; Henry C. Blanchard, 12 for superintendent of schools ; Alva H. Daniels, 13 for justice of the peace ; George Silkworth, 12 for justice of the peace ; David R. Chase, 13 for justice of the peace; James Chase, 13 for justice of the peace; Austin Ayers, 13 for assessor ; John Spalding, 13 for constable ; H. C. Blanchard, 13 for constable ; Russel Bowers, 13 for constable; Albert Taylor, 11 for town sealer. Whole number of votes cast, 13. William Harman, James T. King, Jay H. Chase, inspectors ; Alva H. Daniels, clerk.

"We, the undersigned inspectors of election, after comparing all the votes, find that the following persons were elected to the following town offices in and for the town of Sumner, composed of township No. 24, range 7,8 and 9:

"William Hartman, chairman of supervisors; Jay H. Chase and James T. King, supervisors; Alva H. Daniels, town clerk; Austin Ayrs, treasurer ; A. C. Blanchard, superintendent of schools; Alva H. Daniels, George Silk- worth, David H. Chase and James Chase, justices of the peace; Austin Ayers, assessor ; John Spalding, H. C. Blanchard and Russel Bowers, con- stables ; Albert Taylor, town sealer of weights and measures.

"We further certify the above to be the result of the first town election for town officers held at Blanchard Tavern on Beef River Station on April 6, 1858, and that the above report is true and correct. Dated at the town of Sumner, this 6th day of April, 1858. William Harman, Jay H. Chase, James T. King, Inspectors of Election.

"I certify the above to be true and correct report of said town election. Alva H. Daniels, Clerk of Election."-(Copy of the Records.)

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Trempealeau Municipal Improvements. Trempealeau Village was incorporated in the pioneer days. All records were lost in the fire of 1888.

The village was reincorporated March 10, 1900, and A. H. Hoberton elected president and F. L. Fields, W. Stauge and Thomas Bohen as trustees. W. A. Bright is the present president, and C. S. Ford, Ed. Davis, Alfred Kutchera and W. A. Graves as trustees.

The village owns the village hall, which is used for general village pur- poses, and the electric light plant. The hall was purchased from the W. C. T. U. and had previously been used as a reading room. The electric light service, which is secured by tapping the lines between the Hatfield Dam and Winona, was installed July 4, 1915. Before this the streets were lighted with kerosene lamps on corner posts.

The village part was platted for its present purpose when the sur- rounding lots were laid out. The band stand therein was erected about 1888 through the efforts of Dr. C. H. Cutter, and the members of the band here at that time .- (By A. A. Gibbs.)

Independence Municipal Improvements. The waterworks system in Independence dates from June 14, 1886, when M. Mulligan, the village president, volunteered to ascertain the cost of the waterworks at Galesville and report at the next meeting. June 22 of the same year J. C. Taylor, Henry Hanson and L. E. Danuser were appointed a committee to ascertain the cost of pumps to put out fires. Sept. 13, 1886, President M. Mulligan was instructed to make arrangements with the Mill Company, and to draw up a contract with Goulds & Austin for pumps, pipe and the like. There was actually built and constructed that fall, three blocks, about 1,000 linear feet, extending from the Mill on Railroad Street and Washington Street, to what is now known as Lyga's Corner. This main was laid so shallow that the entire system froze up solid during the following winter. In the follow- ing spring and summer the main was lowered. Sept. 7, 1887. a 200-pound bell was purchased for the village hall. Feb.27,1888, firemen's caps and belts were purchased. Aug. 6, 1894, J. Zimmers, A. Garthus and C. H. Short were appointed to investigate the waterworks of other places. On petition of 23 voters, a special election was called for Aug. 25, 1894, to vote on the question of issuing bonds of $2,500 for a waterworks system, but owing to certain technicalities which were not observed, a second election was called May 30, 1895, and at this meeting it was decided by a vote of 102 to 2 to issue bonds of $3,000 payable in three, four and five years. A. J. Bautch, O. P. Huff and C. H. Short were appointed on the committee to consult with an engineer. Plans and specifications were accepted May 6, 1895, and a contract was let to J. F. Zilla to build an artesian well, 500 feet deep, on the village lot. A lease was secured from Albert J. Bautch for the site for a reservoir on the hill just west of the village limits. June 20, 1895, the contract was let to install the waterworks for $5,244.34. Aug. 20, 1895, the well was completed and Mr. Zilla paid $722.06. That summer the pumphouse and reservoir were completed. Sept. 25, 1895, a contract was made with John Dagan to lower the old water mains from Third Street to the Mill. Dec. 9, 1896, trouble had developed at the pump by reason of sand. The trouble con- tinued. By a resolution passed Oct. 11, 1897, a large and shallow well was

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History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, Part 118

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Pierce, Eben Douglas Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Chicago Winona : H.C. Cooper Number of Pages: 1318

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Pierce, Eben Douglas
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago Winona : H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1318