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 212

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 212

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

731

HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.

by alternating the layers lengthwise and crosswise, un- til from twelve to twenty tiers of boards are laid, when they are securely pinned together. Six of these are placed end to end by coupling planks, and a stick of timber is secured across each end. To this is piv- oted the oar, a stick thirty-six feet long, with a board blade on the water end. By means of a spring pole, the forward end of the raft is turned up to some ex- tent, to facilitate its movements over the various ob- structions. Thus arranged, it was called a "rapid piece." A rope ran from end to end, to enable the raftsmen to hold on, as the piece would become sub- merged on diving over the rapids. Each crib would contain about 3,500 feet. It would take from two to eight men to manage one of these pieces. And what was called a fleet consisted of twenty of these pieces, all under the charge of a pilot with his gang. The Wisconsin River above Point Bas is a succession of rapids and eddies, surging over uneven and rocky bot- toms with a swift current, broken and ever changing, offering serions obstacles to navigation, yet over all these the lumber had to pass. And the guidance of these rafts required courage, skill, practice and the hardest labor, and was attended with extreme peril. The pilots were a remarkable race ; they were indis- pensable in getting the lumber to market, and could make their own terms, at from five to fifteen dollars a day. Getting something ahead, they would contract to take the lumber from the pile, place it in the river, and deliver it in St. Louis or Dubnque at so much a thousand feet. They were energetic, honest and trust- worthy, and imbued with generous impulses.

Large amounts have been expended on the river in putting in improvements, such as slides or sluiceways. But such improvements were mostly short-lived, the ice in the Spring generally sweeping them away.

A raft was worked down in this way: On nearing a fall, a rapid or slide, the whole fleet was tied up in the eddy above, and a single piece, suitably manned, was run over, to be tied up below, when the men would "gig" back, as they called it, for the next piece, and so on until the whole fleet had run the rapids.

Such was the extent of the business before the railroads, that the eddy room was insufficient for the prompt handling of the lumber. Sometimes as many as twenty fleets would be seen at the same eddy. The rafts were generally tied up at night, the raftsman cooking, and sleeping in his blanket on shore or on the raft. Having got below the Grand Rapids, two pieces were coupled side by side to run the Dells.

It may be worthy of remark that the various names of the remarkable objects now seen by so many thou- sand tourists every year, in their visits to the wonder- ful Dells, and which have such a sulphurous odor, were bestowed by the Wisconsin raftsmen, who were familiar with this weird and wonderful scenery long before it became a place of such popular resort.

Several rafts were usually joined together below the Dells, and on reaching the broad Mississippi, the whole fleet was made up into one huge raft, with rude cabins and cook houses. And down that stream the men served watch and watch. The raft was driven by the current, but an exact knowledge of the location of bars, sloughs and islands was required, and the utmost

vigilance was necessary not to miss the right channel ; for the wrong one was destruction and loss, as there was no backing out. Notwithstanding all this expense, the cost of getting the lumber to market in those days was but about five per cent of its value. The time occupied in running a fleet from Wausau to St. Louis might occupy but twenty-four days. But on account of the shoal water in the Lower Wisconsin, weeks were sometimes spent there in a vain endeavor to enter the Mississippi. There is still some lumber rafted down the river, but the amount is small as compared with the early times, when there were no other means of transportation.

About 4,000 feet of logs is a car-load. In 1873, 13,- 000,000 feet of logs were secured on the river, and to transport this amount on the railroad would require 3,250 car-loads.

In the years 1840-41-42, all the advantageous points on the river and its tributaries received accessions, mills having been erected with surprising celerity.

This business of felling the gigantic pine, hauling it to the river, floating it to the mills, and converting it into boards and shingles, and running the rapids with it to market, is no child's play. It involves great outlay of capital and labor, with imminent risk of life, limb and money. But regardless of all these hazard- ous chances, the business was embarked in by thous- ands, and the woods were soon full of them-choppers, loggers and teams-and the rivers were struggling with logs and lumber.

The question of supplies was always a serious one, and the expenditure of muscle in bringing a single small load of provisions to the pineries was prodigious, and can hardly be realized in this day of steam. Many who came with lumber in the eye quietly changed their objective view, and transposed their weapons of assault upon the denizen of the forest into agricultural implements. The change into tilling the soil from that of laying low the towering pine which for centuries had its gigantic branches tossed, defying a thousand whirlwinds, was like passing from a state of war to one of peace.

This change, for those who adopted it, was a suc- cess. But still the lumber business, regardless of its perils, kept ahead in the race, and so early as 1857, 3,000 men were bending their energies to the produc- tion of lumber, so that the amount floated down in a season represented $4,128,000. About one-quarter of a million of this money would come to Portage County, or about one-sixth of the whole. Everything went by the river, and detachments were landed at every point from Portage City to St. Louis, and made the erection of all those cities possible. The delay in getting to market, and the uncertainty as to the time when re- turns would arrive, was sometimes most exasperating, and added very materially to the amount of capital re- quired to successfully carry on the business. Now the transportation is largely by railroad, and correct esti- mates can be made as to when the sales will realize for the operators.

A treaty with the Winnebagoes on November 1, 1837, at Washington, secured all their land in Wisconsin, for $55,000 a year, perpetually, and on the 18th of October, 1848, at Pow-aw-hay-kon-nay, the Menom-

732

HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

onees surrendered all their lands in the State, wher- ever found, the consideration being $350,000 to be paid in a specified way.

The public survey soon followed, but the people of Portage County had to go down to Mineral Point to the nearest land office to enter their land. This, of course, was a great hardship, and Gen. A. G. Ellis made a map of the State, dividing it into three land dis- tricts, with headquarters of one of them at Stevens Point, the others at La Crosse and Hudson, inclosing a petition for a land-office here, and sent it to Wash- ington. A very few weeks later it was so ordered, with Gen. Ellis as Receiver and Abraham Brawley as Register, and the amount of land entered and paid for here must have originated the phrase "doing a land of- fice business." The office was opened in 1853. Spec- ulation was rampant and became gigantic in propor- tions. The air was heavy with schemes to amass un- told wealth, and with visions of colossal fortunes, only awaiting the clutching of those who possessed the genius to see them.

In 1856-57 advantage was taken of the flood tide of prosperity and a project to extend the Milwaukee & Horicon Railroad to Portage County was diligently worked. Although not even a preliminary survey had been made and not a dollar expended on the line, the operators carried off, it is estimated, more than a half million dollars worth of deeds, bonds and mortgages in exchange for their worthless stock.

The historic commercial collapse of 1857 was an eye- opener most potent, but the obligations theu entered into, continued returning long afterward, unfortunate- ly, not to plague the inventor, but to annoy and dis- tress the victims of the confidence game.

Years after this, Hon. George Reed, with Colby and Phillips, being honorable business men, secured sub- stantial aid, and, with the assistance of a land grant, built the Wisconsin Central Railroad.

The county seat was first established at Plover, but in 1867 a vote of the people removed it to Stevens Point, the business center of the county.

Railroads .- The history of the Wisconsin Central Railroad, like almost all the others in the State, em- braces changes of ownership as well as name. In 1870 the Milwaukee & Northern Railway Company was or- ganized to build a road from Milwaukee to the Fox River below Winnebago Lake, and thence to Lake Su- perior. In 1873 the road was completed from Mil- waukee to Menasha, with a branch from Hilbert to Green Bay.

Congress had, in 1864, a land grant to the State to assist in the construction of a road from Berlin, Doty's Island, Fond du Lac, or Portage, via Stevens Point to Bayfield. The legislative contest over this grant was not decided until 1866, when provision was made for two companies, one to build to Stevens Point from Portage, and the other from Menasha to Stevens Point. These two roads were the Winnebago & Lake Superior, and the Portage & Superior. Hon. Geo. Reed was president of the Winnebago & Superior Company, and at once began the road from Menasha. In 1871 these roads were consolidated, with the addition of the Man- itowoc & Mississippi road and called the Wisconsin Central. Gardiner Colby was president and Geo.

Reed vice-president. The Phillips & Colby Construc- tion Company was incorporated the same year, and contracted with the Central Company to build the road from Menasha to Lake Superior. This road thus went through Portage County, and to secure the land grant the road had to be built from Portage to Stevens Point, which was completed in 1876, the other having ar- rived at the Point in 1871.

The Green Bay & Minnesota Railroad runs from Fort Howard to the Mississippi at Winona ; originally it was the Green Bay & Lake Pepin ; it bisects the country from east to west. It was built between 1870 and 1873.

The Wisconsin Valley Railroad cuts across the north- west corner of the county. It was incorporated in 1871. The construction was commenced in 1872, at Tomah, and reached Centralia in 1873 and Wausau in 1874. It is ninety miles in length. Its junction, with the Wis- consin Central, and with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, which company now runs it, gives Marathon County an outlet most valuable for the development of its interest.

POLITICAL HISTORY.

In 1836, Portage County was set off from Brown, and it comprised what is now Columbia County, and as the celebrated portage between the Wisconsin, and the Fox River was within its limits, that name was given to the new county. In 1841, the county was ex- tended west and north, so as to embrace what is now represented by fourteen counties or more. Columbia County was set off in 1846, and was nearly identical with the original county of Portage. So that the early history of the county blends with that region.

Adams County was clipped off in 1848, Marathon in 1850, and Wood in 1856. leaving Portage with several counties between its original home and its present lo- cation, so that the county has been an apparent, if not a real itinerant.

At first, the county was attached to Dane for judi- cial purposes. A census taken June 1, 1842, shows the whole number of persons in the county as 646, of these, 133 were females.

This census was taken by Andrew Dunn, and its correctness certified to by A. A. Bird, Sheriff of Dane County.

The names of "masters, stewards, overseers, or other principal persons," was given in one column, and were as follows: Peter L. Brown, M. Benjamin, A. Armour, E. Ledbetter, C. Spencer, S. W. Woodward, H. H. Haw. J. Kerr, John Elmore, P. J. Kelley, A. Baker, George Stevens, B. Moon, H. McFarlin, S. Merrill, Thomas Kelsey, J. B. Ramshory. St. John, Andrew Dunn, J. Enspinger, C. M. Young. Charles B. Whitney, Alexander Seaman and William Fitzpatrick. In the list of heads of families, appear the names of Sat. Clark, John Du Bay, and others. This list must em- brace the leading citizens at that time, when the coun- ty was the largest as to territory in its history.

In 1844, the county was fully organized, and on the 18th of April an election was held, and the interesting question decided, as to the location of the county seat. Fort Winnebago and Plover were the contending aspi- rants for the honor. It seems that a settlement up the

733

HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.

river, at what was then called Bull Falls, now Mosi- nee, and in Marathon County, went solid for Plover, and thus established the seat of justice there. In the Fall of 1844, the first regular election for county offi- cers was held with this result: County Commis- sioners, Mathia Mitchell, Benjamin F. Berry, and Luther Houghton ; Sheriff, Nelson Strong, who ap- pointed George W. Mitchell, his deputy; George Wyatt, Clerk of Court, Clerk of County Board, and Register of Deeds ; John Batten, Treasurer.

The first court was opened at Plover, on the first Monday in April, 1845, in a building owned by Keith & Miles ; Judge David Irwin, Jr., was on the bench.

Under the Territorial Government, no Representa- tive from Portage County is noted, until 1842, when it was associated with several other counties. Albert G. Ellis was a Representative, and so continued until the Winter of 1844. In 1846, at the first Constitutional Convention, Henry C. Goodrich was sent from Portage County. In the second Constitutional Convention, William H. Kennedy represented Portage.

After the county was organized, a special election was held on the fourth Monday in March, 1842.

The County Commissioners met on the 20th of April. There were two Commissioners, Henry Jones, chairman, and Andrew Dunn. C. Abbott was ap- pointed Clerk, and S. Clark, Treasurer. At this meet- ing, the county was divided into three road districts, which were also made election precincts. Elections were to be held in Winnebago Portage, at the house of Capt. G. Law ; in Mill Creek, at Dunn's Mill; in Big Bull Falls, at the house of George Stevens ; in Grand Rapids, at Stewart's Mill ; in Dekorry, at the house of La Fayette Hill ; in Columbus, at Shrand & Dickin- son's Mill.

The Assessors were Gordon Merrill, Clark Whitney and Joshua Rhodes.

At a meeting of the Board on the 28th of April, 1842, Thomas C. Nelson appeared and took his seat as a member. It was voted that but two tavern licenses be granted in Winnebago Portage. Gideon Lane and Henry Carpenter were duly licensed, for $15 each. James Mason and La Fayette Hill were licensed for Dekorry. Pat. Casy and John Cruden also took tavern licenses. A grocery license was granted to Richard T. Vehder, for $100 worth of good lumber. Tavern-keep- ers had to give bonds in the penal sum of $250, and grocers, for $600. Peddlers' licenses were fixed at $10. An election precinct was fixed at Little Bull Falls. Merrill and Rhodes resigned as Assessors, and W. W. Hoskins and Andrew Dunn were substituted.

June 13, 1842, the Board again convened. G. W. Merrill gave bonds as auctioneer, in the sum of $500. The bond of S. Clark, Treasurer, was accepted for $20,000, and Z. H. Bird's, Collector, for $15,000. The County Clerk was ordered to prosecute all violation of the license law.

January 12, 1843, Andrew Dunn, W. Roods and R. T. Veeder constituted the Board, C. Abbott, Clerk. Several roads were projected.

The Territorial tax in 1843, was, for Portage Coun- ty, $624.44.

In 1844, Benjamin T. Berry and Luther Houghton were on the Board, and the tavern licences were graded from $15, in Winnebago, to $5 in other parts of the coun-

ty. C. Abbott having resigned, Charles Temple was chosen Clerk and also Register of Deeds. George Wyatt was Clerk part of this year, with Alex. Lawson, as Deputy.

In 1845, Matthias Mitchell was Chairman, and Thomas Western and Joseph S. Walworth, the other members, with C. P. Rice as Clerk.

In 1846, the Board consisted of Thomas Weston, Chairman, M. Mitchell, Hiram Piersen, John W. Perry, J. M. Campbell, Clerk; John Wyatt, Deputy.

In 1847, the Board was Thomas Weston, Chairman, William V. Fleming, Th. H. McDill.

In 1848, E. S. Miner, Chairman, Th. H. McDill and William V. Fleming. John S. Kingsbury, Clerk.

In 1849, the county government was changed from Commissioners to Supervisors, in accordance with the constitution.

The first Board of Supervisors consisted of G. Mitch- ell, Chairman ; S. R. Merrill, B. W. Finch, William V. Fleming, I. T. Kingston, Clerk ; J. S. Allan was Treas- urer. In 1850, Abraham Brawley was Chairman and J. D. Rogers, Clerk. The taxable property in the county, as returned this year, was as follows : Stevens Point, $81,398 ; Plover, $42,308 ; Grand Rapids, $31,- 262.91; total, $154,968.91.

In the first Constitutional Convention, which con- vened in Madison on Monday, October 5, 1846, Hon. H. C. Goodrich represented Portage County. His res- idence was in Plover, the post-office address of which was Plover Portage. He was a lumberman and a miner, and soon afterward left the State.

The second Constitutional Convention, which assem- bled in Madison on the fifteenth day of December, 1847. was represented by William H. Kennedy, also of Plover.

At the special election to see if the people would ratify the constitution, held on Tuesday the 6th of April, 1847, the county of Portage voted 164 for and 209 against its ratification. At the election held on Monday, the 13th of March, 1848, in relation to the second constitution, Portage County voted 208 for and fifty-eight against its ratification-the county, on both occasions, voting with the majority in the State.

The county now has one city and seventeen towns. The following is a list of the towns and villages, with the population according to the census of 1880 :

Albion 210

Almond

872

Amherst

1,375

Belmont

535

Buena Vista

830

§ Carson

426

? Junction Village

239

Eau Plaine

598

Grant.

309

§ Hull.

1,044

? Jordan Village

Lanark

663

Linwood

406

Pine Grove

339

Plover

1,220

Plover Village.

412

Stockton

1,346

Sharon

1,639

Stevens Point

569

Stevens Point City

4.449

Amherst Village

298

Amherst Junction 49

Nelsonville

Total

10,588

New Hope

734

HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

In 1880, there were 167 marriages, 146 births, and 35 deaths, a very remarkably small mortality.

The population of the county, at the several periods of taking the census, was as follows: 1840, 1,623; 1842, 646 ; 1846, 936 ; 1847, 1,503 ; 1850, 1,230 ; 1855, 5,151 ; 1860, 7,507 ; 1865, 8,181; 1870, 10,660 ; 1875, 14,856; 1880, 17,801.

The assessment for the county in 1853 was $1,432 ; the valuation of the county, 1880, $2,741,202, the total State tax being $7,390.58; the total taxes in the county for all purposes, $77,260.80. Indebtedness of the county, railroad aid, $42,500. Total of every de- scription. $81,746.98.

The Post-offices in the county are : Stevens Point, Alban, Almond, Amherst Junction, Badger, Bancroft, Blaine, Buena Vista, Custer, Ellis, Keene, Junction, McDill, Modely, Meeham, New Hope, Polonia, Run- kels Mills, Sherman, Surrey, Stockton.

The present county officers are : Gilbert L. Park, Circuit Judge ; J. R. Kingsbury, County Judge ; Mi- chael Roseau, Sheriff ; John R. McDonald, County Clerk ; S. H. Sawyer, Treasurer ; A. F. Wyatt, Clerk of Circuit Court ; John A. Murat, Register of Deeds ; W. H. Packard, District Attorney ; Henry Curran, County Surveyor ; R. A. Williams, Deputy Surveyor. Schools .- The common school system of the State is in thorough operation in the county. There is a good average attendance of scholars, and competent teachers are employed at liberal salaries.

The present County Superintendent is Andrew P. Een. There are eighty-six school districts. In Am- herst, Plover and Almond, the schools are graded. In the Summer, as a rule, the teachers are women, and their wages, on a rough estimate, are $25 per month. In the Winter, perhaps, one-fourth of the teachers are young men.

THE WAR PERIOD.

Of course the headquarters of the excitement inci- dent to the commencement of hostilities and of re- cruiting was Stevens Point.

On the 4th of May, 1861, the first meeting was held to raise a company of volunteers, J. B. Robb coming in from Amherst as a drummer to arouse the citi- zens.

On the 15th of May, the Hon. Luther Hanchett, the member of Congress from the district, addressed a rousing meeting, on the issues of the hour. Captain Warren Perkins received his commission on the 5th of June. By this time the Stanton company was nearly full.

Early in June, 1861, the Home Guard was formed, Samuel Stevens, captain ; M. J. McRaith, first lieuten- ant ; Homer Drake, second lieutenant.

On the 4th of June, Hon. Moses M. Strong deliv- ered a stirring speech on the war question.

The Pinery Rifles, Captain Raymond, started on the 7th of July, to join the Seventh Regiment ; and Cap- tain Howell, of Grand Rapids, came up to the Point and was stationed here for drill.

A company called the " Pinery Boys " was organ- ized in October.

The Grand Rapids company which completed its re- cruiting here, was called the " Evergreens." The offi-

cers were : Daniel Howell, captain ; Charles M. Wells, first lieutenant ; W. W. Botkin, second lieutenant.

The next company organized was " Lyons' Pinery Battery."

Captain Stephen J. Carpenter opened his recruiting office on the 9th of October, 1861, for this battery, which was to be a flying artillery. By the 7th of De- cember, it was so far recruited that it was duly organ- ized under the authority of the State, S. J. Carpenter was unanimously chosen captain, G. E. Armstrong, of Wausau, first lieutenant ; H. E. Stiles, second lieuten- ant, and J. D. McLean, third lieutenant. In the even- ing the officers elect gave an oyster supper to the com- mand, at the Avery House.

It was superb in all its appointments, and an enjoyable time was had by all, and will be long re- membered.

In March, 1862, Sergeant E. R. Parks, of the Thir- teenth Regular United States Infantry, was stationed at the Avery House, on recruiting service.

The call for 300,000 men, in July, 1862, caused the newspapers to print earnest appeals to men to enlist.

In August, 1862, the quota of Portage County un- der previous calls was set down as 412, and as 373 had already enlisted there were but 39 to raise.

August 21, 1862, a war meeting was held in Jordan at which Wilson Muzzy presided and made a war speech. George Buffam and Mr. Pool were among the speakers.

In August, 1862, John Robb, of the Third Wiscon- sin, came home on recruiting service.

Another company, " The Pinery Stars" was raised about this time to go into the Twenty-seventh Wiscon- sin, and it started to go into camp with fifty men, in December, 1862.

A Soldiers' Aid Society was flourishing under the inspiring influence of the best women in the city.

H. H. Wheeler, of the Eighth Wisconsin Battery was home on a recruiting tour in December, 1862.

At the battle of Murfreesboro, Capt. Carpenter was killed, and also quite a number of others. Lieut. Stiles was then promoted to be captain of the company.

Capt. J. N. Stout, of Company H, Third Wiscon- sin Cavalry, died at Fort Leavenworth, January 27, 1863, aged fifty-five years. He was a journalist, and when he went to the front was publisher of the State's rights newspaper at Stevens Point.

Daniel Mc Auliff. of Company G, Seventh Regiment, died, August 18, 1863, of disease, after two years serv- ice.

About the middle of November, 1863, a draft took place at La Crosse, the headquarters of this district. The following names were drawn for Portage County :

Stevens Point-George A. Stewart, William Wells, J. B. Hawley, Henry Miller, Timothy Sullivan, Nich- olas Schonmeiller, John Singleton, Jolin Richie, An- drew Anderson, John Hearn, Patrick Sullivan, HI. J. Moe, N. P. Clements, A. Belcher, James Gardiner, Edward Dunnigan, Hobart Bush, Edward C. Bost- wick, John Pickert, H. Welch, John Purdy, Jacob Nogt, D. E. Catlin, H. Halverson, Daniel Nauthic, Alexander Krembs and John Patrick.

Town of Stevens Point-Andrew Merrett.

735

HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.

Sharon-A. G. Warren, Michael Clark, John Yanki and James Smarlock.

Eau Plaine-James Hall, D. McGregor, Edward Creed and O. W. Owen.

Hull-M. Sweeney, Elijah Smart, Jr., George Ross, John Banker and Frank Chamberlain.

Plover-John Aplin, William Packard, James Aikens and William Glover.

The official quota for the next draft was put down as 102.

In December, 1863, Capt. J. W. Van Myers started to raise another company for the war, the required num- ber being, to fill the quota, 23. The whole number liable to be drafted at that time, was 147 of the first class, and 95 of the second. Vigorous efforts were made to avoid the draft, the most honorable, and cer- tain in the individual case, being to enlist. Veterans, for re-enlisting received $402, raw recruits received $302, and a vote of the city added $100 to this amount. Capt. Van Myers left the first week in January, 1864, with twenty-five men. Ou the 17th of March, 1864, a special election was held to see if a special bounty of $150 should be paid to fifteen volunteers still required.

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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