History of northern Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development, and resources; an extensive sketch of its counties, cities, towns and villages, their improvements, industries, manufactories; biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; views of county seats, etc., Part 129

Author: Western historical co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1052

USA > Wisconsin > History of northern Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development, and resources; an extensive sketch of its counties, cities, towns and villages, their improvements, industries, manufactories; biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; views of county seats, etc. > Part 129

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LINCOLN COUNTY.

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

Lincoln is one of the northern tier of counties, lo- cated near the middle of the northern boundaries of the State, with Michigan between it and Lake Superior, the northwest corner, however, coming within ten miles of the lake at Oranto Bay.

Langlade County is on the east, Marathon on the south, Taylor, Price and Ashland on the west. The county contains about 100 townships of Government survey. The form is rectangular, except the northern, or Michigan boundary, which runs diagonally north of west, striking the Montreal River near the 44th town- ship line, and following the river until the western boundary of the county is reached.

The upper part of the county is studded with lakes several hundred in number, from half a mile or less in diameter to three or four miles. More than one-half the country is so dotted, for they come down on the east side within a dozen miles of the Marathon County line.

About ten towns in the northwest corner of the county, which hang over, as it were, into Ashland

County, have been set apart as a State Park, and the lands withdrawn from the market.

Four townships on the southeast of this park are set off as the Lac de Flambeau Indian Reservation. The Flambeau River, which empties into the Chippewa in that county, rises in the north western part of Lincoln County, and the numerous lakes there early received the name of Lacs de Flambeaux. Many of these lakes have indi- vidual names, such as Trout Lake, Island Lake, Big Lake, Sand Lake, Swamp Lake, Crab Lake, High Lake, Island Lake, Plum Lake, Lake Lourd, Lake Potter, Sugar Cane Lake, Tomahawk Lake, etc.

These lakes constitute the head-waters of the Wis- consin, which flows south, into the Mississippi, of the Menomonee and its branches, going eastward, into Lake Michigan ; and of the Montreal, Presque Isle, On- tonagon, and other rivers, emptying into Lake Superior. From the divide the declivity toward Lake Superior is more abrupt than the other way. The towns are all long and narrow, running from south to north.

Pine is from two to twelve miles wide, and seventy- five long. Ackley is seventy three miles long aud from

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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.

six to nine miles wide. Merrill and Rock Falls are 100 or more miles in length, Corning forty-two, and Scott for- ty-eight. Of course, as the settlement goes up the county and the necessities seem to require these towns will be subdivided. It was organized as a county, October 22, 1874, and contains 2,750,000 acres of land.

The lower range of towns in the county, according to the Government survey, is 31 north, and seven townships wide ; the most northern is 46 north.

The various logging stations and settlements as you go up the county will be here mentioned. Merrill is four and one-half miles from the southern boundary of the county, twenty-five miles from the eastern edge of the county, and seventeen from the western. Five miles to the east is the county poor-house. Pine River Station is in the first tier of towns east of the center, on the county line. Twelve miles west of the center is Corning. In tier 32, the second from the southern county line, there are as yet no stations. In Township 33, north, we have, beginning on the west, Champagne P. O., Grandfather Falls, Grandmother Falls, Inger- sol's Station and Dudley. In 34, there is Kanadas Rapids, on the river. In 35, Somo Lake, Blanchard's Station, Tomahawk Rapids, Whirlpool Rapids, and a part of Big Pelican Lake. In 36, is Rice Lake, Peli- can Rapids and Pelican Station. In 37, Willow Lake. In 38, is McPhail's Camp and Sugar Camp. In 39, is Squirrel Lake. Kawaquesagon Lake, Tomahawk Lake and Curran's Camp. In 40, is a part of the Indian Res- ervation, Crawling Stone Lake, Fence Lake, Arbor Vitæ Lake, St. Germain Lake, Birch Lake, White Lake, and Catfish Lake. In 41, Shoe Lake, the rest of the Indian reservation, Trout Lake, Plum and other lakes. Above this the depressing points are lakes. These lakes begin in the third tier of towns from the south and accumulate in numbers, until above the middle of the county, they stud every township as the stars dot the heavens, and must be a paradise for the lone fisherman, or even for an aggregation of the descendants of Isaac Walton.

The State Park, an humble imitation of the great " National Yellowstone Park," lays up here in its pri- meval simplicity, and if protected as it should be by the fostering care of the State, will preserve for com- ing generations an actual idea of the pineries and the wilderness of Northern Wisconsin, as they first ap- peared when the woodman's ax first reverberated, where solitude had previously pre-empted its undis- puted home. The capacity of Lincoln County to sup- port a teeming population, after the mighty forests are laid low, is now all appreciated, but it does not require a very rampant spirit of prophecy to foresee a thriv- ing population on its soil at no distant day.

POLITICAL.

This county is one of the largest in State, but has at present only six town organizations aside from the Indian reservation : Corning, Scott, Merrill, Pine, Ack- ley and Rock Falls. The Indian reservation, called the Lac du Flambeau, was set aside for that purpose in 1866, on the 27th of June.

Since the organization of the county the following gentlemen have represented, in part, Lincoln County in the Assembly : N. A. Withee, Solomon L. Nason,

Freeman D. Dudley, Bartholomew Ringle, M. H. Mc- Cord.

Thomas B. Scott has been in the Senate nine years. County Judges : F. C. Weed, Judge Donaldson, A. C. Norway.

County Treasurers : Th. P. Matthews, W. H. Swine- hart.

Daniel Kline, Surveyor.

David Flynn, School Superintendent.

J. T. Adams, Deputy Sheriff.

The county at first was connected with Marathon for judicial purposes.

County Supervisors : Charles Sailes, Chairman ; W. H. Keys, George Stowbridge.

These gentlemen served until the regular election in the Spring of 1875, when the following persons were installed into their respective offices :

Sheriff, A. W. Crown ; Attorney, Charles O'Neill ; County Judge, F. C. Ward ; Clerk of the Court, A. D. Gorham.

Officers of the town of Jenny : C. A. Kline, Chair- man ; Ed. Patzer, Treasurer ; Ed. Klutz, Clerk.

County Clerks : Z. Space, Herman Rusch.

District Attorneys : Charles O'Neill, W. H. Canon. Present county officers : William H. Swinehart, County Treasurer ; Herman Rusch, County Clerk ; Van R. Willard, Register of Deeds; W. H. Canon, District Attorney; S. J. Robinson, Clerk of Circuit Court; George R. Sturdevant, County Surveyor; A. C. Norway, County Judge; J. S. Westcott, County Superintendent of Schools ; William Dereg, Sheriff; Jules Pose, Coroner. County Board of Supervisors : P. B. Champagne, Chairman, town of Merrill ; Miles Swope, town of Pine River; Carl Gierhahn, town of Corning ; P. O'Niel, town of Rock Falls; Frank Ken- nedy, town of Ackley ; Jacob Weber, town of Scott.

THE WISCONSIN RIVER.

The Wisconsin is the river of the county, its north- ernmost branch drawing from Lake Desert, on the Michigan border, and from numerous lakes and trib- ntaries on either side. It leaves the county in the cen- ter of its southern boundary a mighty stream, which has already turned a thousand wheels and started the hum of industry which shall follow its course to the sea.

The principal tributaries in the county, on the west, are the Tomahawk, Somo, Spirit, New Wood, Cooper, Donil Creek ; on the east, Noisy Creek, Big Pine Creek, Prairie, Pine and others.

As this river rises in Lincoln County and seems to be a gift to its sister counties, or rather, to the State itself, it being the largest river belonging exclusively to the State, an account of its peculiarities seems to be appropriate right here.

As the river moves down, it receives numerous other accessions. Its general direction is south, until reach- ing Portage City, when it deflects sharply to the right, and finds its way to the Mississippi near Prairie du Chien. At Portage City it is within a mile or so of the Fox River, which runs in an opposite direction and empties into Lake Winnebago, and thence into Green

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HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

Bay. Through a canal at Portage City the waters of the St. Lawrence are connected with those of the Mis- sissippi. Below this point the river is in a sandy bed, with a slope of about seventeen inches per mile, and as it is broad, with sedgy flats, navigation in low stages of water is difficult. The amount of water flowing in the lowest stages is 35,000 cubic feet per second.

Above Kilbourn City are the wonderful dells, the most remarkable scenery of the kind in the world, the river having cut its way through a long succession of rocks leaving the most fantastic forms. At one point it is narrowed up to fifty-two feet in width. At the foot of the dells is the last fall on the river. Above the dells the falls and rapids are numerous. At Co- nant's Rapids, between Plover and Stevens Point, the fall is twenty-four feet. At the latter place, eight feet are utilized for power. There is steamboat navigation between Stevens Point and Mosinee, thirty-six miles. The fall at this point is sixteen feet, through a narrow gorge, formerly considered the ugliest rapids in the river by the raftsmen.

Several important tributaries join the river in Mara- thon County, some of them with valuable water power.

The next fall above Mosinee or Little Bull Falls, is the Big Bull Falls, at Wausau. These falls are formed by a ledge of granite across the river, some thirty feet high, which has worn down to a fall of fifteen feet in one fourth of a mile. Next to the last fall to be noticed as we go up the river, is the first on the river as it comes down, and the highest. Here the water has cut through the trap rock, a depth of 100 feet, and there is left a fall of eighty-seven feet, and is called the Grandfather Bull Falls.

The water power here is unrivaled anywhere on the river. Above this is Grandmother Falls. This won- derful river from its origin, in the Thousand Lake dis- trict and which flows with a sluggish current for about ninety miles through the Lac Vieux Desert, as it is called, but which at no distant day will drop the last word in the designation, is a series of surprises in its accessions, its falls, dells, rice fields and sand bars to its junction with the Father of Waters.

According to the census of 1880, the population of Lincoln County was as follows : Ackley Town, 184 ; Corning Town, 112: Jenny Town, 454; Merrill, 882; Pine River Town, 278; Black Falls, 101; total, 2,011. The population of the county in 1875 was 895. The next census will show a marked increase, as the county is rapidly filling up, and the village of Merrill has nearly if not quite doubled its population in a year.

MERRILL.

This young, enterprising and growing village is the county seat of Lincoln County, and its court-house, which is a model in its way, entirely unlike in its external appearance, the conventional court-house, so familiar to the travelled eye.

The place as yet, has no city or even village pretentions, in a governmental way, the town organization, meeting all the requirements in this respect.

It was formerly a backwoods clearing, satisfied with the name of "Jenny Bull Fall," but finally dropping the last two thirds of its name, it became simple "Jenny," a dashing

young candidate for outside attention and favor. The suitors for the lily white hand of Jenny are numerous, and finally, to cut short quite a romantic story, an act of the Legislature, in 1881, enabled S. S. Merrill, the general manager of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, to bestow his name upon this blushing bride of the Upper Wis- consin pineries. And so it is Jenny no more, except as a remembrance of its rollicking youth.

At this important epoch in its history, touched by the magic wand of capital, it began to exhibit a remarkable de- velopment into commercial and manufacturing importance. For more than twenty years the "Jenny Bull" had been a sort of supplementary stopping place for the lumbermen and log drivers on the rivers, and to piece out the outfits obtained below by the logging camps. The place kept up a healthy and quiet growth until after the railroad arrived, in the Winter of 1881, when S. S. Merrill, Alexander Mitch- ell, J. W. Carey, T. B. Scott, C. K. Pier and M. H. McCord, well known business men, obtained a charter for a boom, which was to be on a comprehensive scale, under the name of the Merrill Boom Company.

From that time, new life was inspired into the place, and in addition to the mills now running, and which will be men- tioned under the appropriate head, at least five new estab- lishments are projected, and their erection assured the com- ing season, to be ready for next year's business.

The town is very pleasantly located on an undulating slope, gradually rising from the river, which here runs only a little south of east. It is on the left bank of the river, with the falls opposite the upper part of the present site of the settlement, which, however, will rapidly extend up the river with the growth of the place.

It is regularly laid out, with an elbow in the streets up and down the river, to conform to the contour of the river-bank, and this brings the upper part of the town on a "bias," as the dressmakers say, with the cardinal points of the compass.

The streets are a little wider than usual, and there is plenty of material to make good roadways, and there are good plank sidewalks. The business portion is on the street next to the river, and there are already some good business blocks, notably, the bank building, which is of cream-col- ored brick, and has modern architectural pretensions, built in 1881. The court-house cost $8,000, and the school- house, which has a whole large square for a yard, is large, and, it is said, cost a like amount.

There are two good large hotels, with several boarding- houses and restaurants, nine, or more, general stores, car- rying enormous stocks of goods for the mill and logging trade, three hardware houses, three drug stores, two jewelry stores, with bakeries, butcher shops, and other requisites for a village of 1,600 inhabitants, as it now has according to a careful estimate. Since the United States census, was taken, nearly 200 buildings have been erected.

There are two church edifices, the Methodist and Luther- an, and other denominations will soon build. Two print- ing offices print two papers and do good job work. The

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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.

hum of the saws of the mill at the dam is heard night and day during the season. It is, indeed, a busy place, although except for brief seasons-Spring and Fall-there is an ab- sence of that standing around on the corners it is so agree- able to notice.

There seems to be no necessity for any jealousy between the towns on the Upper Wisconsin-there is room for them all; and, as the land is brought under cultivation, these lit- tle cities will become compact and be well supported. Mer- rill is now the upper town on the Wisconsin River, but who shall say how soon another will spring up at the junction of the Somo and Tomahawk with the Wisconsin? to be fol- lowed by another at Pelican Station ? and then still further up the river, as the county is opened up or new resources dis- covered.

The new mills are to be built at the upper end of the

pointing with pride to the past, although in this regard it has nothing of which to be ashamed. But it confidently looks to the near future for a vindication of the confidence which has been reposed in its growth and permanent pros- perity. And it is quite certain that in the coming years a retrospective view of the town, as here presented, will be contemplated with great satisfaction, and that the contrast will be sufficiently striking for the most progressive and en- thusiastic.

An account of the early settlement of Lincoln County is co-incident with the history of Merrill, or Jenny Bull Falls, as it was first called. in deference to the lady love of one of the early adventurers who retained the surname first bestowed, but which was finally dropped for simple, artless " Jenny," who did not even spell her name with the usual affectionate terminal letters " ie."

MERRILL.

town, about where Prairie River joins the Wisconsin as it comes down from the north, and opposite Devil Creek, from the south of west.

The streets of Merrill are named, beginning at the river, Main, First, Second, etc., to Ninth street. The streets at right angles with the river, are, beginning at the east, Ger- man, Prairie, Corning, Park, Court House, Cedar, Pine and Poplar. Near the depot, in the east part of the town, there are two streets below Main. Other streets, but partially oc- cupied, east and west, are yet unnamed. In the river, op- posite the upper and lower part of the city, are some islands, the upper one called Hay Island, and the lower one, Potato Island.

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad track skirts the river, and extends to the mills in the upper part of the town, and will go up indefinitely as business offers.

Merrill, not without reason, is in an expectant attitude. Contemplating its brief history, its greatest glory is not in

The first permanent settlement made, was in September, 1847, by Andrew Warren, Jr. Mr. Warren was an energetic and persevering man, who began operations by throwing a very substantial dam across the river, which was five hun- dred feet across, and nine feet high. By this means most of the rapids were obliterated, and the water thrown into a single fall, which gave a most valuable water-power, which was utilized by the erection of one of the most extensive lumbering establishments at that time on the river. Mr. Warren made other extensive improvements, and he must be regarded as the father of the town.

The site was selected with great judgment, for aside from its obvious advantages of water-power, it must become the center of a farming and industrial community.

It was originally a logging station, the heavy growth of pine was consigned to the river here, for the mills below. The settlers here at first, were the mill hands employed by Mr. Warren.

442

HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

During the Winter, however, it became an active logging camp, and in the Winter of 1855, there were seventeen board shanties here, filled with hardy backwoodsmen. In the Spring, after the river opened, they were put on lumber rafts and floated down below, to be used at the various mills while sawing up the logs.

Those who came at first were loggers and lumbermen, and it was only after several seasons that most of the early settlers concluded to remain.

As to the mill in 1855, O. B. Smith and Benjamin Cooper owned one-half, and Mr. Warren the other half.

George Trowbridge was one of the first to locate, which he did, below where the depot now is. Orson Russell was an early logger. George Goodrich located his claim three miles north, and Henry Goodrich, seven miles north, at Hay Meadow.

Capt. Space and his wife, who was Margaret A. Shankle, came at the same time, to keep the boarding-house for Cooper & Smith. They afterward kept a hotel, which has only just been discontinued.

H. Streeter belongs to the list of early settlers, as does T. P. Mathews, and others still here.

In the time of the fur companies, M. Bollier had a trad- ing-post about one and a half miles below Jenny, on the west side of the river. It was a huge log cabin, the chim- ney and cellar remained long afterward.

A. C. Norway, Henry Goodrich, Orville Jones, O. B. Smith, George Strowbridge, Joseph Newcomb and William Averill and family were here as early as 1851.

The place up to that time, and for several years after- ward, was little more than a mill and its boarding-house.

The advent of the railroad, and the organization of the Boom Company, mark the era of commencing prosperity and growth of Merrill. There were those who, locating in Jenny, had an abiding faith in its future, and from present appearances their faith will be rewarded by the works now building.

Railroad .- The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- road, formerly the Wisconsin Valley road, has its present terminus here, and the track is extending, and a bridge building above the town, to accommodate the new saw and other mills going up there. At present, the service is once a day each way, both for passengers and freight. The sta- tion agent is F. A. Hanover. The receipts are : For pas- sengers, 8500 a month; in-freight, $2,000; out-freight, $5,876.88, and rapidly increasing.

Churches .- There was only occasional and scattering services by the Methodists up to February 15, 1875, when the Presiding Elder, Rev. George Fellows, organized a church here. Rev. T. (. Patridge was the pastor. The trustees were : Th. C. Patridge, Ole Gilbert, F. M. An- drews, Payson Patridge, John McInnis, Van R. Willard and J. P. Haben.

After this, Rev. W. C. Waldron, Rev. Mr. Nelson and Rev. Mr. Royce were here.

In May, 1881, Rev. F. L. Wharton was stationed here, and he began the erection of a nice little church, which cost

upwards of $3,000, and will seat 300 people, and is ar- ranged for a vestry. The society had service in the school- house until the church was completed, in the Fall of 1881. The Church seems to be entering upon a career of pros- perity.

After various vicissitudes, attending a few efforts of the struggling members of the Presbyterian sect, in 1879, on October 19, an organization was effected. Rev. J. S. Weston, who is now County Superintendent of Schools, was the first pastor, having been here before. In July, 1881, Rev. Howard S. Talbot came here from New York City.

A pastor's residence has just been built near the court- house, and the money raised to build a church, on the plans presented by a leading New York architect. The design is unlike any thing seen in the West; will cost $3,500, and its construction will be an abrupt stepping aside from the con- ventional path so uniformly trod by our church builders. It is quaint, unique and well adapted to its purpose.

St. Johannes Gemeinde was organized on the 24th of . April, 1874. In 188r, a church edifice was commenced, to be completed before Winter. The church will cost $1,500, or more. Rev. Mr. Rehwinkel has been the only pastor.

Notwithstanding there has been no distinctive place of worship in Merrill until the Fall of 1881, the audiences as- sembled whenever preaching has been announced have been large, and always orderly.

Societies .- Merrill is as yet not very extensively indu- rated with fraternal societies.

On the 15th of October, 1881, a lodge of the I. O. O. F. was instituted. The following, in part, are the officers : Herman Barsch, N. G .; A. Millspaugh, V. G .; Ed. Kluetz, R. S .; Ed. Patzer, treasurer. The institution starts out well.

Good Templars, North Star Lodge, instituted January 25, 1875. J. P. Haben, W. C. T .; Mrs. H. A. Ancott, W. V. T .; W. H. Swineheart, W. S.

Merrill Cemetery Association .- The property of the association has been deeded to the Town Board - so that the cemetery is public property.

Early in the history of Jenny, a dramatic club was formed and the efforts of the company were highly appre- ciated, and Winter after Winter the tedium of the long evenings was varied with the pleasing performances of a like company, which has been from time to time re-organized. The members for the Winter of 1881-2 are: Harry Howe, J. E. West, C. F. Hanson, C. E. Hill, - Norway, By- ron Dorn, G. Young, Frank Smith, Sadie Dorn, Mrs. C. F. Hanson, Lizzie Young, S. J. Robinson, and others.

Schools .- The education of the children here has from the first been carefully attended to. Prof. J. P. Haben was one of the early Superintendents and teachers; Mr. F. Ste- vens, Clarence IIamilton and E. B. Smith were afterward in charge of the schools. There are five schools in three buildings, one of them belonging to the city, with three good rooms, supplied with all the modern appliances. M. C. Porter is the present principal and School Superintendent of the town. There are in town 360 children of school age,

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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.

78 males and 182 females, with an actual attendance of 225. The schools are graded into primary, intermediate and grammar. The other teachers are : Miss Alice Clear, Miss Alice Dee, Miss Josie O'Neill, Miss Kate Smith. The schools are well managed and well up, in an education- al view.

The post-office is centrally located, and is well arranged, with a prompt distribution and delivery of the mail. The sales of stamps during the last quarter of 1880 were $228 .- 29 ; the third quarter in 1881 disposed of $477 43, more than double in nine months, which ought to reveal the real growth of the place. Charles J. Osborne is Postmaster and Mrs. Nellie Osborne, assistant.

The Lumber Business .- Like every place on the Wiscon- sin River, the pine lumber was, as it still is here, the inspi- ration. Without the pine, this whole region, for aught we know, would still be the howling wilderness the hardy pio- neer penetrated forty years ago.

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Author: Western historical co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 1052

Author: Western historical co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1052