History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, Part 37

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

USA > Wisconsin > Trempealeau County > History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin > Part 37

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HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY

be used after the Valley line was in operation. The line was built up the valley in 1906 and put in operation at once, Independence and Whitehall securing service in the winter and Blair in the spring. Then the line to Trempealeau was completed.

In 1900 an exchange was opened at Whitehall, and the same year the lines were extended up Elk Creek and up Pigeon Valley. In 1901 the Gales- ville line was purchased, giving connection with the Galesville and Ettrick region, connections were made at Osseo giving access to the Beef River country, and an exchange was opened at Independence. An exchange was opened at Blair in the spring of 1902.

In the meantime many farms were connected with the various lines, and to make the company a truly community endeavor it was decided to reorganize with the stock distributed among the farmers.

The Western Wisconsin Telephone Company, a reorganization of the Arcadia Telephone Company, was incorporated May 19, 1902, with thirty- seven stockholders. An exchange was at once established at Centerville. In March, 1903, the lines of the Trempealeau & Buffalo County Telephone Company and its line to Mondovi were purchased. Soon afterward the Winona Telephone Company turned over to the Western Wisconsin Tele- phone Company all its holdings in western Wisconsin, and in 1904 the exchange at Pigeon Falls was established. Later this exchange was aban- doned. The company covers the greater part of the county, and the southeastern part of Buffalo County, and crossing the Black River at Hunter's Ridge covers a considerable territory in the northern part of La Crosse County. It has adequate connections at La Crosse and Winona. Besides operating extensive rural lines it has exchanges at Arcadia, Cen- terville, Galesville, Trempealeau, Blair, Whitehall, Independence and Ettrick, and makes connection not only with the local exchange of the Osseo Telephone Company at Osseo, but also with the farmers' local exchanges at Ettrick, Galesville and Blair.

The officers are: President, John C. Gaveney; vice-president, G. N. Hidershide; treasurer, G. A. Schneller; secretary, Emil Maurer; general manager, J. I. Dewey ; superintendent, Thomas Cummings ; directors, Frank A. Kellman, Galesville ; O. B. Borsheim, Blair ; Frank C. Richmond, Arcadia; George Bohrnstedt, Arcadia; Emil Maurer, Arcadia; K. K. Hagestad, Ettrick; David Wood, Whitehall; John Sprecher, Independence; Geo. A. Schneller, Arcadia; G. N. Hidershide, Arcadia; John C. Gaveney, Arcadia.

Underground wires are maintained at Arcadia, Galesville and Indepen- dence, and conduits for that purpose have been laid at Whitehall.

The Osseo Telephone Company was organized May 3, 1900, and incor- porated May 15, 1900, by J. L. Linderman, Dr. E. A. Olson, Charles F. Trager and F. M. Smith. The first officers were: F. A. Smith, president ; C. F. Trager, vice-president, and H. L. Smith, secretary and treasurer. The capital stock at beginning was $4,500, which was subsequently increased to $10,000 and later to $25,000. The present officers are: A. G. Cox, presi- dent ; C. I. Fields, vice-president ; D. L. Remington, secretary and manager; F. M. Smith, assistant manager ; T. J. Thompson, treasurer. The exchange at Osseo was opened in July, 1900, the one at Eleva in June, 1901. The

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exchange at Mondovi was purchased the same year and in 1904 was sold to the Mondovi business men. In 1901 a line was built to Eau Claire from Eleva and later was sold to Chas. Sequni of Shaw. The Eleva exchange was sold to the Eleva Farmers' Telephone Company of Eleva in February, 1913. At the present time the Osseo exchange furnishes service to nearly 500 subscribers.

The first farmers' companies in Trempealeau County were at Whitehall and Blair. The dates of organization of the various farmers' 'phones are as follows :

The Lincoln Telephone Company (with local exchange at Whitehall), organized April 4, 1905.

The Preston Telephone Company (with local exchange at Blair), organ- ized July 25, 1905.

The Tamarack Telephone Company (in which is included the New- comb Valley Telephone Company, organized April 4, 1906), organized March 14, 1906.

The Ettrick Telephone Company (with local exchanges at Galesville and Ettrick), organized Jan. 8, 1906.

The Beef River Valley Telephone Company (with a short line east of Osseo), organized Sept. 16, 1906.

The Strum Telephone Company, organized Sept. 13, 1907.

The Pigeon Valley Farmers' Telephone Company, organized March 31, 1908.

The Independence Telephone Company (with local exchange at Inde- pendence), organized June 18, 1908.

The Pleasant Valley Telephone Company, organized March 26, 1909. The Eleva Farmers' Telephone Company, organized April 13, 1909. The Elk Creek Telephone Company, organized Dec. 22, 1910.

CHAPTER XIV

PLACE NAMES

Trempealeau County is rich in place names. Some are picturesque and original, others are commonplace and duplicates of those found in other localities. Some are the names of national heroes, some perpetuate historic incidents, some are fanciful and poetic, some are descriptive, and hundreds bear the names of early settlers. Some were chosen deliberately, and some are the result of natural growth. Some are very old, dating back to the explorers and fur traders, while others are very recent, and have not yet become entirely fixed. For the most part the origin of the names is known, though there is yet much research to be done to determine who applied the names, and when and under what circumstances they were first applied. The following list is a brief summary of the subject, its purpose being to form a basis for future study and investigation :

Townships

Albion is the ancient name for England, still applied in poetry.

Arcadia is the name given to the township by Mrs. David Bishop, who was afterward Mrs. Sarah Mercer. It was suggested by Noah Com- stock from the real or fancied resemblance of the valley to the state of Arcadia in ancient Greece, a beautiful locality, the inhabitants of which, according to the ancient poets, enjoyed a peaceful and happy life.

Burnside was named after Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (born 1824, died 1881), for a short time commander of the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War.

Chimney Rock is named from a conspicuous landmark within its boundaries.

Caledonia is the Latin name for Scotland. It was applied to the present township by Alex. and Donald McGilvray, and other early Scotch settlers.

Dodge was named from William E. Dodge, philanthropist ; a prominent financier for many years in New York. He was associated with John I. Blair, Moses Taylor, Joseph H. Scranton, E. F. Hatfield and others in the construction of the Green Bay & Western Railroad and was also connected with many philanthropic institutions and at one time was the treasurer of the Protestant Syrian College at Constantinople, Turkey.

Ettrick was named from Ettrick Forest in Scotland, as described in Scott's Marmion. It was given by John Cance.

Gale and Galesville took their names from Judge George Gale, who also gave his name to Gale College.

Hale is named from George Hale, its first settler. He was born in Glastenbury, Conn., and came to Trempealeau County in 1858, settling about nine miles above what is now Independence.

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HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY

Lincoln is named from the martyred president.

Pigeon Township and Pigeon Falls took their name from Pigeon Creek.

Preston was named from Susan H. Reynolds, the wife of Edmond M. Reynolds, one of the earliest settlers of Preston Township. Mrs. Reynolds came of the old New England family of Prestons, and at the first town meetings Mr. Reynolds proposed that the town be named in her honor.

Sumner Township was named after the distinguished American senator and statesman, Charles Sumner (born in 1811, died 1874), who was one of the leaders of the abolition party and a confidential advisor to President Lincoln during the Civil War.

Trempealeau is a corrupted form of the French phrase, La Montagne Qui Trempe Dans L'Eau, meaning the Mountain that is Steeped in Water. This name was applied as early as 1731 and possibly earlier. It was the French translation of the Winnebago word, Hay-nee-ah-chah, the Soaking Mountain. The Sioux name was Pah-hah-dah, the Moved Mountain.

Unity. When this township was organized Dennis Lawler felt that he was entitled to the honor of having it named after him, but P. B. Williams, another early settler, wished to call it Unity, which was the name of the town in Maine from which he had come. Upon the suggestion of Noah Comstock the matter was decided by lot, and Mr. Williams drawing the longest "cut" named the town Unit.

Incorporated Villages

Galesville and Arcadia are names of the same origin as those of the townships in which they are located.

Blair was named from John Insley Blair of Blairstown, N. J., a stockholder in the Green Bay & Western. During the Civil War he advanced the Federal government over $1,000,000. He presented $6,000 to endow an academy in his home town; he assisted in the building of Grin- nell College, Grinnell, Iowa, and he was a large contributor to Princeton University and Lafayette College. He also built more than a hundred churches throughout the western states. Mr. Blair died at his home in 1899 at the age of 97 years. The village of Blair was originally platted as Por- terville.

Eleva was named by R. P. Goddard of Mondovi, Wis., on the sugges- tion of Mr. Gates, who formerly lived there. The origin of the name is unknown to Mr. Goddard, but he thinks that Mr. Gates found a place of that name in France.

Independence was so named because it was platted during the year of the Centennial celebration of American Independence. It is thought that Giles Cripps first suggested the name.

Osseo was started in 1856, and was named by Robert C. Field, one legend says from the Spanish word oso, meaning bear, while another says it came from an Indian word ossi, meaning stone or stony place or stone on stone or having relation to river and stone. The name is used by Long- fellow in his Song of Hiawatha. He called Osseo the Son of the Evening Star, and has him, when apparently a very old man, turned into a very handsome and attractive young man. Where Longfellow got the name is

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not now known. A fanciful explanation given by some of the early settlers is that an Indian, seeing the improvements made by the white men, exclaimed, Oh! See! Oh! thus giving the name Osseo.

Trempealeau Village is named from Trempealeau Mountain. James A. Reed settled here in 1840 and opened his cabin as a tavern. The name Reed's Town or Reed's Landing came to be applied to the place. When the village was platted in 1852 it was called Montoville, the significance being Mountain Ville.

Whitehall was probably named by Benjamin F. Wing, who platted Old Whitehall. Probably it was named from Whitehall in New York, though it may have been named from a hall painted white. It is possible, also, that the name was given by Ole Knudtson, or by Georges, co-partner with Mr. Wing in the townsite.

Platted Villages

The names of Caledonia, Dodge, Ettrick and Pigeon Falls have the same origin as those of the townships in which they are located.

Coral City was at one time a flourishing hamlet located in section 18, Pigeon Township. The construction of the Green Bay & Western Rail- road in 1873 blasted its hopes of future greatness. At one time Coral City had its Main street, State street, Public square and prospects of a pros- perous future. It had several general stores, shops, hotels, saloons, a good mill; in brief, all the equipments for a lively, busy country village. But later its business was absorbed by the railroad towns. The Wright brothers, Phineas and Benjamin, may be credited with beginning the town. They built a flouring mill in the summer of 1863, and other places of business soon followed. Egbert Carpenter, C. E. Scott, Andrew Olson, Ryland Parker, Dr. Shelden and Seneca Johnson are well remembered names of some of its business men. Granville McFarland, one of the men employed in building the dam for the mill, is probably more responsible for the name given to this place than anyone else. While digging dirt on the north side of the creek for the dam some queer-looking rock was found. McFar- land, it appears, made Pheaneas Wright, who headed the enterprise for building the mill, believe that the rock was coral. Mr. Wright, who was one of the best and most straightforward men in the country, not know- ing he had been imposed upon by a practical joker, platted the village and called it "Coral City." The village was noted in the early days for its law suits, which served not only to settle disputes, but also afforded highly seasoned amusement. Some of the trials in the justice court there lasted for over a week. The noted flood in March, 1876, entirely destroyed the mill built by the Wrights, but the following summer another mill took its place. This mill and some sightly houses are now all that remains of a once flourishing settlement.

Montoville was the name under which Trempealeau Village was orig- inally platted. It means the Mountain ville.

Porterville, the name under which Blair was originally platted, was named for Richard Porter, who settled on land now occupied in part by the village, June, 1855, and died July 26, of the same year, as the result of an

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encounter with a band of wolves near Galesville. His son, Duke Porter, platted the village in 1873, and gave it the name of Porterville. But when the railroad established a station near his plat, they gave it the name of Blair.

Strum was named by Congressman William T. Price for his friend, Louis Strum, of Eau Claire, Wis. Under the first Cleveland administration the hamlet was called Tilden, for Samuel J. Tilden, the statesman, but on Jan. 1, 1890, was again changed to Strum.

Trading Centers

Tamarack, Elk Creek and Pine Creek take their names from the streams on which they are located.

Centerville is named from its geographical location on Trempealeau Prairie. It was originally called Martin's Corners from an early settler.

Dooney's Siding was named from James B. Dooney, present general agent of the Green Bay. It has a wood yard, a stock yard, and a railroad platform and switch. It is an important shipping point for wood and stock, and considerable lime and the like is shipped in.

Dewey's Corners was the name applied to Old Arcadia, from the family of that name prominently identified with its early history. J. I. Dewey, son and nephew of the original Deweys, is still a resident there.

Frenchville takes its name from its location on French Creek.

Glasgow was named by reason of the numerous hardy Scots who made their new home there.

Hegg is in the upper Beaver Creek country, which was naturally settled later than the lower valley. As late as 1871 a postoffice was established in K. K. Hallanger's residence, and Mr. Hallanger was appointed postmaster. The name chosen for the postoffice was Hegg, in honor of Colonel Hegg, commander of the Fifteenth Wisconsin Norwegian Regiment in the Civil War. A short time after this a general merchandise store was opened at Hegg, which is still doing a thriving business.

Iduna. This was the name of the post office established in French Creek Valley in 1899 and which flourished for a short time under the management of John Hovre as postmaster, but ceased to exist when rural routes were established in the vicinity. As Mr. Hovre is still conducting a general mer- cantile business where the postoffice was located, it is quite probable the name will continue to live, notwithstanding Uncle Sam has shut up shop at that particular place. The tendency to invent a fictitious origin where the true origin is unknown, is well illustrated by a current legend which by some has been accepted as truth. The legend is this: That after the petition for the establishment of a postoffice had been granted, the Postoffice Department sent Mr. Hovre a blank asking him to suggest three names for the postoffice to be established. Hovre, being short on inventing names, and likewise on grammar and spelling, decided to let the government select the name, and wrote across the blank, "I-dono," and sent the paper back to Washington. Whether the department officials misread the final vowels or for the sake of euphony changed them, the legend does not state, but

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it informs us that the government practically adopted Mr. Hovre's negative reply as the name of the postoffice. Legends properly embalmed by time and firmly established in the affections of mankind, unless harmful, ought not to be ruthlessly destroyed. But this particular legend is of too modern birth to have acquired any special sanctity and as the writer is familiar with the true origin of the name, he feels in duty bound to dispel the romantic illusions created by it. When the government blank, already mentioned, was received by Mr. Hovre, it was sent to A. H. Anderson, who had assisted in getting the government's consent to the proposed postoffice. Knowing that this is a big country, with an almost unlimited use for new names, the writer at once turned to his Norse Mythology, and selected three names and sent them to the Postoffice Department. Among these was the name "Iduna." According to our Northern Mythology. Iduna was the custodian of the apples of immortality which the gods tasted from time to time to perpetuate their youth. Loki, the spirit of evil, once stole the golden apples, which caused great grief in Valhalla. Iduna's husband was Bragi, the divine bard.

Martin's Corners was the original name of Centerville.

Pleasantville is named from its location in Pleasant Valley. Who gave the name of Pleasant Valley to the valley of Elk Creek is not known.

Russell was named from William Russell, who came to the county in 1864 and located in Burnside. When the postoffice was opened in Burnside Township there was considerable controversy over the name. About 20 years ago the office was moved to Chimney Rock Township, where mail was received three times a week until the office was discontinued by reason of the establishment of the rural delivery system. The school district is still known as the Russell district.

Rhodes Station, in Caledonia Township, was named from Joshua Rhodes, who settled in that locality in 1853.

Scotia was a postoffice which flourished for a while in section 7, Caledonia. The name indicates the nationality of the early settlers of that neighborhood.

Skillins' Corners. In 1860 Moses Skillins settled about five miles above Arcadia. In 1862 came his brother, Hiram Skillins, a Baptist clergyman. The creek flowing through his farm was called Skillins' Creek and the vicinity came to be called Skillins' Corners. When the postoffice was established the name was changed to Williamsburg.

Williamsburg was a name given when a postoffice was established at Skillins' Corners in 1866 with William B. Arnold as postmaster. Mr. Arnold suggested the name for the fact that three Williams, himself, William Eastman and William Boorman, all lived in the vicinity.

Wright's Corners was named from Hollister M. Wright, who settled there in 1853.

Principal Streams

The Beef or Buffalo River in the days of the French explorers took the name that Hennepin in 1680 applied to the Chippewa River. "Beef" is a corruption of "Beeuf," the designation applied by the early French explorers

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to the American buffalo. The R. de Beeufs appears on the earliest maps, though in some of them it is evident that the Chippewa River is meant.

The Black River was called R. Noire, by Hennepin in 1680, and has since borne the English translation of that word. Hennepin says that the Sioux called the river, Cha-be-de-ba or Cha-ba-on-de-ba. The modern Sioux, however, called it Wat-pah-zappa or Minne-sap-pah, meaning Black Water or Black River.

Beaver Creek. Tradition says that two Frenchmen (probably the same Joseph Rocque and companion from whom French Creek was named) win- tered on Beaver Creek above Galesville in the days of the trappers, and there caught a large number of beavers. Willard B. Bunnell and James Reed also caught many beavers there and gave the creek its name.

Cedar Creek was named by Willard B. Bunnell and James Reed. In the early days it was the haunt of many deer. The creek was named because of the abundance of dry red cedar used by Mr. Bunnell and Mr. Reed in "fire hunting."

Elk Creek was named in 1842 by Willard B. Bunnell and William Smothers while on a hunting expedition. The valley of Elk Creek is usually called Pleasant Valley.

French Creek, according to Winnebago tradition, was so called from the fact that Joseph Rocque, the father of Augustine Rocque, once maintained his wintering ground in that vicinity while hunting and trapping in the Beaver Creek Valley.

Hardie's Creek was named from James Hardie, an early settler and sturdy Scotchman.

Pigeon Creek was named by Willard B. Bunnell and William Smothers while on a hunting trip. Bunnell then lived at Reed's Town (Trempealeau) and Smothers at Holmes' Landing (Fountain City). Of the great flocks of pigeons that frequented this vicinity in the early days L. H. Bunnell says : "I was returning in a canoe from a trip up the river (in 1842) and as I came in sight of the oak timber then growing on the Wisconsin side below the site of the lower bridge, I saw clouds of pigeons settling to roost, when crash, would fall an oak limb, and then a noise would follow like the letting off of steam. It did not occur to me at first, what it was that made the latter noise, but as I approached nearer, and saw limb after limb fall, some of them very large size, and then heard the increased noise, I saw, and heard, that it was numberless pigeons breaking down the limbs and chattering in glee at their having overloaded and broken them down. Some of the young Sioux were watching the 'roost,' to see if any had commenced laying, for some were already building nests, and when I told James Reed of the Indians being there and not a shot fired at the pigeons, he told me that the Indians never disturbed pigeons or ducks by shooting at them when nesting, and that the life of a man doing so would not be safe among the Sioux, as the whole tribe would feast upon the squabs as soon as big enough. The pigeon roost extended for 25 miles below La Crosse, as reported to us by up-coming steamboats, and where there was heavy timber, the same scenes were repeated that I had witnessed-the whole length of the roost being about

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45 miles. Pigeons are easily disturbed and driven away when they com- mence nesting, but when they begin to set, they are not so easily scared."

Pine Creek was named after the towering scattered pines which grew in abundance in that vicinity, some of which stand today, one being utilized by a farmer as a tower for his windmill, a little south of the Pine Creek church, the central building in Pine Creek village.

The Big and Little Tamarack creeks were named from the abundance of tamarack timber grown along their banks and in the bottom lands and adjoining. Al and Abe Holcomb, two early settlers, built a sawmill on the prairie near their homes to manufacture this timber into lumber for building and fence purposes. The old mill was doing business in 1870 and remained many years later to serve a very useful purpose, when its site and building were put to use as a grist mill by Squire A. Pickett, later purchased by John Bonum and Stephen Richmond, and Bonum's interest conveyed to Blackhawk Johnson, who in 1878 purchased the whole property and con- tinued the milling business a number of years. The mill and power are in recent years nearly unknown.

Trempealeau River received its name from Trempealeau Mountain and Bay. It was called by the Winnebagoes Ne-chann-ne-shan-ah-ga, or over- flowing stream, and by the Sioux Wat-pah-dah, the moving stream.

Trout Creek or Trout River was named by Willard B. Bunnell. As the Sioux seldom fished, but confined their activities in this line to spearing large fish with a spear, the spring creeks were filled with trout of good size. In the early '40s Mr. Bunnell once caught six dozen trout in Trout Creek in a few hours. The larger trout were caught in the main stream, but they did most of their spawning in Little Trout Creek.

Lakes

There are no natural lakes in Trempealeau County, but the streams are dammed in many places, forming artificial lakes. Trempealeau Lake, so called, is merely a portion of the Mississippi River.

Marinuka Lake is an artificial body of water formed by the mill dam at Galesville. Charles E. Freeman (letter to Stephen Richmond, Jan. 21, 1912, now in the possession of the Trempealeau County Historical Society) says: "At the head of the lake at Galesville, on the property known as the Arctic Springs, is the headstone that marks the resting place of Marie Nounka, a granddaughter of One-Eyed Decorah. She died in 1884, and in the old Galesville Independent for the week beginning Oct. 5, 1884, there appeared the following notice: 'Death of an Indian Princess-The Princess Marie Nunka, granddaughter of the great chief Decorah, died on the morning of Oct. 4, 1884, at the Arctic Springs, and was buried at midnight of the same day on a point of land belonging to the springs property. An impressive ceremony was performed with only the light of the moon to shadow forth the dusky figures of the red men and the few spectators present. Wallace Parker, John Sheely and Charles E. Freeman prepared the grave, as the relatives are not allowed to help in this part of the ceremony. G. Y. Freeman wishes to state that any desecration of the grave will be resented by him to the full extent of the law.' A good head-

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History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, Part 37

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