USA > Wisconsin > Vernon County > History of Vernon County, Wisconsin, together with sketches of its towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 43
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W. F. Linderman is the wide-awake merchant of the place, and is doing a fine business in dry- goods, groceries, etc.
I. K. Buck is the principal hardware mer- chant, and has an extensive trade in stoves, tin- ware, etc.
E. Wise, the principal grocer of the place keeps a large assortment of confectioneries and Yankee notions.
John Dawson, the main boot and shoe man, is carrying on quite an extensive manufactory. C. C. Brown is the dealer in furniture and cabinet ware.
Dr. Ely, surgeon dentist, is a man of science, and understands his profession, and withal possessing a fair amount of good nature, and has an extensive practice.
S. C. Lincoln is the worthy P. M., which ac- cording to Nasby, means postmaster; and as some have hinted has a faint resemblance of the original.
The Sherman House, H. W. Haskell, pro- prietor is kept in good style, and is well pat- ronized.
John R. Casson, the gentlemanly clerk of the board of supervisors, and George W. Griffin, the county recorder, are among the leading men of the town.
One of the oldest mercantile houses in the village, is that of M. Nichols, dealer in dry goods, groceries, drugs and medicines.
Several years ago a terrible hurricane swept through the village and destroyed a great por- tion of it. Although many new buildings have since been erected, still traces are to be seen of the devastation and desolation occurring at that eventful period.
Many things we would like to mention in these few jottings, but time and space will not permit, and we shall pass on to Liberty Pole, five miles in a southwesterly direction from Viroqua. It is a small post village located on Round Prairie, one of the most fertile gardens of Vernon county.
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
The agricultural resources of the surrounding country are probably unsurpassed in the State. There is a broad belt of excellent timber skirt- ing the prairie on the south and east. Good stone for building purposes is abundant. The general surface of the country is gently undn- lating, with no lands either too hilly or too level for farming. The soil is a sandy loam, and is well adapted to the different cereals, grapes, etc. What was but a few years ago an unbroken wilderness, now presents to the eye of the beholder pleasant thoroughfares, well- fenced and highly cultivated farms, nice, com- fortable dwellings, and a busy and industrious class of people.
At the "Pole," stores, machine-shops and artisans of different kinds are open for busi- ness; and a lively trade is carried on at this point throughout the year.
Williams & Rogers, dealers in dry goods, groceries, crockery, boots, shoes, etc., are doing a good business, and have a fine stock and well selected for the present wants of the commun- ity. Courteous, attentive and wide-awake, they are bound to succeed.
H. A.Owens, dealer in dry goods, groceries, has also a fine stock, and is doing a good business. lle also keeps a good hotel, is active and attentive, and makes everything pleasant and agreeable for his guests.
William Crume is the principal blacksmith and Peter Jacobson cabinet maker. Dr. De Lap, a young man of talent and ability, has re- cently located here. Andrew Henry, stage pro- prietor, runs a line of stages to De Soto once a week, arriving on Wednesdays and leaving the same day. Passengers are conveyed to all points in the country.
One mile south, on the road leading to Prairie du Chien, is a natural curiosity known as "Monument Rock." This huge mass of grey limestone rising above the level of the prairie to a height of sixty or seventy feet, it is im- possible to pass within sight of without being attracted by its singular appearance. From the
base to the top its seems gradually crumbling away under the influence of various causes, and this unequal decomposing gives rise to a great variety of interesting forms, and presents a singularly picturesque character, having the appearance of some lofty watch-tower, or a castellated form like the half ruined wall of some ancient fortified city. This lofty pile has withstood the storms of centuries; and from its weather-beaten crest, one would imagine ages have rolled over it, and still it stands a silent monument of the past to guide travelers, and a land-mark to the inhabitants in all the region round about.
The people have all the comforts and busi- ness common to an older and more densely set- tled country. They are intelligent, enterprising and hospitable, just such communities as our western domain needs to be populated with.
V .- LUTE A. TAYLOR, IN THE LA CROSSE LEADER,
JULY, 1870.
This portion of the west is popularly supposed to be a prairie country, but the visitor from the east who should land here (La Crosse), and ride from this city to Viroqua by the way of Morman Cooley and Coon valley, expecting to find a prairie country, would think he had mistaken his location and by some legerdemain had been transported to the Adirondack region of New York, or to the Green Mountains of Vermont. But he would be easily reconciled to the disap- pointment, for the beauty of the scenery excels that possible in any prairie country.
The road from this city (La Crosse) to Mor- man Cooley, four miles, is as uninteresting as a sandy prairie can be; but the moment you tuin from the river bottoms and enter the broad bluff-bordered cooley, the scene changes to one of absorbing interest and enchanting beauty. The comfortable dwellings, the finely cultivated farms, lying in the valley and stretching far up the hillsides, the frequent groves of woodland, and the stream bordered with an abundant growth of vegetation, all combine to form a
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
charming picture of country comfort and rural life.
Six or eight miles up the valley and you climb, on an excellent road, to the far summit of the bluff, and after a few miles of mingled woodland and clearing, descend into Coon valley, where a similar beautiful landscape meets the eye. The ascent and descent, slow but not difficult, abound in the most picturesque situations; and for beauty and sublimity com- bined, can fairly rank with many of the much admired mountain views in the cast. This ex- perience is repeated, until, at Springville, three miles this side of Viroqua, you strike the border of the rich, rolling prairies, which form a large portion of the surface of Vernon county.
Viroqua, the county seat of Vernon county, sits on the crest of one of the undulating swells of the prairie, and is pleasant with the abund- ant shade of natural trees. It suffers from the lack of running water, but, being the county seat of so large and productive a country, its prosperous future is assured, either with or without railroad facilities.
VI .- BY G. W. NUZUM AND JOHN R. CASSON, 1875. (From Tuthill's History of Wisconsin.)
Vernon county is situated in the western part of the State, between the forty-third and forty- fourth degrees of latitude ; its western border of twenty-two miles being watered by the Mississippi river. The soil is good and covered with a heavy growth of hard-wood timber, such as is usually found in timbered countries. The product of small grain is equal, per acre, to any part of the State ; and in vegetables it excels the prairie. The surface of the country is rolling, and in some places hilly, but all valua- ble for timber on such portions as cannot be cultivated. It is well watered by springs and brooks, and well adapted for grazing purposes, for which it will soon become noted. Like all timbered land, it is natural for grass ; and, having abundance of water, it will soon become the dairying portion of the State. With an abundance of water-power furnished by the
Baraboo and Kickapoo rivers, and a superior quality of timber that could be used for the manufacture of furniture and agricultural im- plements, this part of Vernon county offers inducements equal to any part of the State.
The county contains 534,040 acres of land, one-third under cultivation. Of the balance, about one-half is capable of being worked.
The raising of stock has become a prominent feature with the husbandman, producing the best quality of grass-fed stock that finds its way to Milwaukee or Chicago markets. The first attempt to raise fruit was attended with little success. Many were disheartened and gave up, others persevered, and have met with success. We have a few "iron-clad " varieties of pears that do well. The first is the Haas; next, Tetofsby and Duchess of Oldenburg. Some others have proved valuable. Of grapes, the Concord and Delaware have done nobly.
The principal kinds of timber are maple, oak, basswood and elm. Plenty of game and fish are found in the forests and streams.
Among the principal settlements is Viroqua, a thriving village and the county seat. It has three churches, and one union school with three departments, which is well supported, both as regards attendance and the interest mani- fested by the inhabitants. De Soto, Victory, and Geneva, on the Mississippi river, are the principal markets for the western portion of the county, and are also well supplied with schools and churches.
There are about 120 school houses in the county, mostly of wood, but some are built of stone or brick which are very fine structures. The one at Viroqua cost $14,000. The average wages paid to male teachers, is $35, and female teachers $25 per month.
The population is about one-third Norwegian, one-half American and the balance German, The county is increasing fast in wealth and population. It is estimated that 2,000,000
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
bushels of wheat were raised in the county, in 1873.
VII-BY W. F. TERHUNE, 1878.
( From the Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wisconsin.)
The territory of this county was set off from Crawford and christened Bad Ax county, com- prising all that part of the present territory of Vernon, lying north of Crawford. On the same day, March 1, 1851, an amendatory act was passed assigning the county all that part of its present territory lying north of Richland connty. Since that time there have been no territorial changes. In 1862 many of the inhabitants, imagining that its name was calcu- lated to give a wrong impression outside, both as to its territory and people, tending to hinder immigration, petitioned the Legislature for a change of name. This was granted, and the county has since been known as Vernon. It lies on the east bank of the Mississippi, having the counties of La Crosse and Monroe on the north, parts of Richland, Sauk and Juneau on the east, and Crawford and a part of Richland on the south. Its area embraces about 820 square miles, or about twenty-three congres- sional townships, at present comprised in twenty-one civil towns. The population in 1860 numbered 11,007, which had increased to 21,- 524 in the year 1875. The Baraboo and Kieka- poo rivers, emptying into the Wisconsin, drain the eastern portion of. the county. The Mis- sissippi and Bad Ax and Coon rivers, emptying into it, water and drain the western part. Abundant water-powers are numerous on all these streams, waiting for the arrival of enter- prise and capital to be utilized and thus ren- dered available and profitable.
GENERAL FEATURES.
The surface of the county is broken and bluffy along the water courses ; elsewhere, undulating and favorable for tillage. Three beautiful prairies, named, respectively, Coon, Round and West Prairie, early attracted the attention of the pioneer and emigrant, and invited occupaney and cultivation in the first
general settlement of western Wisconsin. The eastern portion of the county, from and includ- ing the valley of the Kickapoo and its tributa- ries, is heavily timbered with red and white oak, pine, soft and sugar maple, and the elm ; also with other less numerous varieties. The western portions of the county have the same varieties of timber, but in much less abundance, except along the Mississippi river, and upon some of its islands, where timber is found in larger quantity. The prairies above named, and extensive oak openings, interspersed with grass and thickets, mostly occupy the surface of the western portion.
The surface formation is a deep, rich vegeta- ble mold, forming a soil especially valuable on the prairies and in the valleys, resting upon a clay sub-soil of varied thickness, frequently very deep ; a formation in itself rich in the elements of vegetable life, and favorably con- stituted for the production of all the cereals and grasses adapted to this climate. This sub- formation is frequently intermixed with sand. The underlying rock is chiefly the strata of the lower magnesian limestone. Underneath this the bluff ranges display the Potsdam sandstone, especially along the Mississippi and the Kicka- poo, where it forms the principal portion of the elevation, capped by the magnesian. The prin- cipal water courses have eroded their channels through the limestone, and in many places, deep into the sandstone, which readily yields to their action. The county is regarded as one of the best agricultural districts in the western part of the State. The acreage of its principal productions in 1876 was : wheat, 49,080 ; oats, 22,463 ; corn, 17,045 ; barley, 3,370.
The great hindrance to a more rapid develop- ment of this county has been, and is, the want of railroad facilities ; but these will doubtless be afforded in time. The present mode of com- munieation with the outer world is by stage lines, which center at Viroqua and, diverging thence, traverse almost every part of the county. There are two lines of stages to La
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
Crosse, which, running alternate days from Viroqua, make a daily connection with that city. Stages three times a week to Sparta, De Soto, Prairie du Chien and Richland Center. A narrow-guage railroad is contemplated from La Crosse to Viroqua, which will doubtless be pushed through within a few years. Another is talked of up the valley of the Kickapoo, which, when completed, will open a market for the valuable timber and the great surplus of agricultural products of the county. With its abundant water-power, its forests and rich and luxurious soil, Vernon county may justly antici- pate a bright future.
EARLY HISTORY.
Upon the approach of civilization this region was in possession of the Winnebago Indians. Their title was extinguished by treaty of No- vember, 1837, by which they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi, and most of them were removed to Iowa prior to 1846. Before its settlement, the county was frequently traversed along an inland route called the Black river road, from Prairie du Chien to the pineries on Black river, along the dividing ridge upon which Viroqua is situated, by men upon lumbering expeditions. Traders' cabins had been erected at Winneshiek, where De Soto now is; also on the sites of Victory and Genoa villages at a very early date.
In 1844 John McCullough and the brothers, Samuel and Hiram Rice, made the first claims and erected the first cabins, within what are now the limits of the county, near Liberty Pole, in the present town of Franklin. These were soon followed by Henry Sifert and Anson G. Tainter, who settled near them. West Prairie was first settled by the brothers, Levi and Lee Grant Sterling, in 1845, who were not long after followed by Alexander Latshaw, James H. Bailey, A. Vance, Widow Clark and family, George Nichols and William S. Purdy. These' formed the nucleus for the settlement of the town of Wheatland.
In 1846, Moses Decker, T. J. DeFrees and John Graham from Mineral Point, located- Decker on the site of Viroqua, DeFrees at the head of the DeFrees branch, on the Black river road, and Mr. Graham, at Springvile, where he commenced the erection of the first grist-mill. James Foster also came at the same time and located on Round prairie. These were soon followed by other settlers, among whom were Thomas Gillett, with his sons, William, Rufus, Jerome, Ransom P. and Abram ; also, Nicholas Vought, James Cook, George Dawson and J. Shields, all of whom took up claims near the site of Viroqua ; and by the brothers, William C., Samuel and Robert S. McMichael, Charles and Henry Waters, who settled at or near Springville.
About this time (1846) Ira Stevens located at Victory. Willard Spaulding built the first dwelling where the village of Genoa now stands, and Daniel Reed erected the first saw- mill at Readstown, in the present town of Kickapoo, about the year 1849. Albert Field was one of the first settlers in the town of Hillsborough, in the year 1850 or 1851. A Mr. Gill first located ou Coon Prairie. He was soon followed by a few enterprising Norwe- gians, among whom were Even Olson, Torsten Olson, Gabriel Nelson, P. Peterson and Peter Oleson Brye, who were the pioneers of a class of citizens whose industry and perse- verance have done much to develope the re- sources of the county.
The early settlers were subject to all the inconveniences and privations attending the establishment of new communities in remote sections of the country. They had at first to go to Prairie du Chien for provisions and sup- plies, and were obliged to perform a journey of 100 miles for that purpose.
The state of society then, though not cul- tured or fashionable, was far from being rude or unpleasant. A cordial feeling pervaded the little settlements. The settlers were always ready to assist each other, and always extended
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
the hand of "welcome" to new arrivals. The "latch-string" was always outside the cabin door, and hospitality wasa characteristic of all. These early settlers were not without their amusements, and social intercourse was not re- strained by fashion or organization divided by distinctions.
The act which created Bad Ax county pro- vided also for its organization, to take effect on the third Monday in May, 1851. An election was authorized to be held on the first Tuesday in April of that year, for town and county officers. The entire county was erected into one town, to remain such until the board of supervisors should see fit to divide it into three or more towns, and the persons who should be elected supervisors, clerk, and treasu- rer for the town thus established were directed to act as county officers in a corresponding capacity. The first county officers chosen in accordance with these provisions were : Thomas J. DeFrees, county judge ; Orrin Wisel, clerk of the court and county board of supervisors ; John Longly, county treasurer ; Jacob Higgins, register of deeds; Samuel MeMichael, surveyor.
The first term of circuit court was held in a log school house at Viroqua, by Judge Wiram Knowlton, commencing on the third Monday of May, 1851, before whom the county officers elect were duly qualified, thus perfecting the organization.
COUNTY SEAT.
The act of 1851 provided that the county seat should be at such place as the board of supervisors should designate, until permanently located by vote of the people. Viroqua was thus designated, and became the permanent county seat, by vote of the people at an election held May 25, 1852, in pursuance of the laws of that year. A voting precinct was established at Round Prairie in 1847, by the commissioners of Crawford county, which was the only civil organization within its limits previous to 1851.
The first lawyer who established himself in this county was William F. Terhune. He |
came to Viroqua in August, 1851, where he re- ceived the appointment of Orrin Wisel's deputy, and kept the records of the clerk of the circuit court and county clerk's offices. Soon after him came Dr. 11. G. Weeden, the first physician who located within its limits. Drs. Houghton and Osgood, from Boston, Mass., settled in De Soto in 1854, where they found three French traders, by the name of Godfrey. James Lawrence came about the same time, from England, and settled at Liberty Pole. Dr. Osgood built, in the fall of 1855, the first frame house in De Soto. Dr. Houghton opened a store there, and in the fall of 1855 Whiting & Valentine built and opened another. The first school in this section of the county was kept by Dr. Osgood's daughter, Ruth, now Mrs. Wait, of Viroqua. The largest immigration into the county took place in 1854 and 1855, the majority of the settlers being from Ohio. In 1845 a delegation of Mormons, looking for a future home, passed through the county, and cut out what is known as the Black river road, extending into La Crosse county, to what is known as Mormon coulee (ravine), where they settled for a short time. In 1849 Judge Purdy blazed a road to Port Andrew, on the Wiscon- sin river, having started with a companion from the Kickapoo river. The land was occupied in those early days under the "squatter sovereignty law."
The closing engagement of the Black llawk war of 1831, known as the battle of Bad Ax, took place within the limits of Vernon county, a short distance below the mouth of Bad Ax river, on the banks of the Mississippi, where there empties into it a small stream, since known as Battle creek.
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHIES.
The district schools of this county, under the charge of (). B. Wyman, county superintend- ent, are in a very flourishing condition. There are 145 school houses, valued at 845,000, and nearly all good, substantial buildings-each of the 145 districts of the county having one.
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
There are two high schools in the county, one at Hillsborough, at present under the man- agement of Mr. Setzenfand ; the other at Viro- ยท qua, Rev. William Houghton, principal. These schools have been only recently opened ; but they are already doing a good educational work in the county.
There are Congregational churches at De- Soto, Mt. Sterling, Bishop's corners and Viro- qua ; Methodist, at De Soto, Red Mound, West Prairie, Liberty Pole, Mt. Sterling, Viroqua and Hillsborough ; Baptist, at De Soto, Har- mony and Hillsborough ; Catholic, at Rising Sun ; Advent, at Liberty Pole ; Disciples, at Viroqua ; United Brethren, at Harmony ; and two Lutheran-(1.) the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, on Coon Prairie, town of Viroqua, and (2.) the Northern Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, on Coon Prairie, town of Christiana. The first has about 250 families, and church property valued at $25,000. The second has about 70 families, and church property valued $3,000.
VILLAGES.
Viroqua, the county seat, is situated on the "divide" between the waters of the Kickapoo and the Mississippi,on sections 31 and 32, town- ship 12 range 4 west. It is distant from Sparta, thirty miles ; from LaCrosse, thirty-five miles, and from Prairie du Chien forty-eight miles, and has about 600 inhabitants. It was incorpo- rated by act of the Legislature approved March 31, 1866. The village was laid out in 1850, by Moses Decker, proprietor, and Samuel Me- Michael, surveyor. Here was built the first frame dwelling in the county, by Messrs. Ter- hune and Ballard and here was opened the first school taught in the county, by Mrs. Margaret Terhune .* The school was started by subscrip- tion at a certain price per pupil, there being then no school-district organization. The village was visited in 1865 by a terrible tornado, which entirely swept away the lower portion of the
town, and in which a large number of lives were lost. It has now two hotels, three churches, a high school and graded district school, six stores, three wagon and blacksmith shops and one furniture manufactory. Its growth has been slow, but substantial, and its progress has scarcely equalled that of the surrounding country. The other villages in the county are Chaseburg, Hillsborough, DeSoto, Springville and Victory, all of which have made moderate but substantial progress.
VIII .- FROM THE DE SOTO REPUBLICAN, 1870.
The village of De Soto has the honor of being situated in portions of two counties, namely : the southwest corner of Vernon and the north- west corner of Crawford counties. Whether or not the boundaries were thus extended with the expectation that at some future day the village would expand to such immense magnitude that one county alone could not contain it, we are not informed.
At a remote period, when steamboats were looked upon by the dirty-faced ignoramuses of the forest as an evil spirit from the dark regions of the other world, which came forth to walk upon the water, and with its thundering voice awake the echoes of the valley, and disturb the slumbers of the little ignoramuses, commonly caled papooses, the place was called "Winne- shiek Landing." This name, we presume, was bestowed in order to the better perpetuation of the memory of an antiquated Indian chief, who had undoubtedly, displayed much of the bravery so characteristic of his race, by murdering hundreds of white men and women,and knocking the bark off the trees with the heads of little innocent children as an after-dinner amusement. The bones of this prond and haughty copper- colored individual are, we are happy to an- nounce, mouldering to dust on the summit of an adjacent bluff, and the name of the village was long since changed to De Soto, in honor of the the renowned voyager who first discovered the mighty Mississippi river.
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