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 249

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 249

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The mounds visible at nearly every point of the compass produce a pleasing effect upon the landscape and where they have been excavated, prehistorie remains were thrown out. In 1860, one of the groups of mounds on Judge Gale's place, near Galesville, was excavated in the center to the surface of the surrounding prairie, when bone dust mixed with earth, and a small quantity of hair were found. At the same time Dr. Young excavated a small hole in one of the group and was rewarded by the discovery of a human skull. The excavation was enlarged, and upon digging deeper a skeleton was found which had evidently been bur- ied in a kneeling position.

These mounds are uniform in size and appearance, being from thirty to forty feet in diameter, three or four feet high. circular in plan and dome-like in elevation. In one of these groups there were four effigies discovered, three of ani- mals and one of the human form. The animals were about sixty feet long, almost exactly alike in size and form, and laid with their heads to the east. That of the human form lay in a recumbent position with arms outspread, and was thirty- two feet in length. Another group a few yards distant con- tained five figures of the animal above mentioned and a tur- tle. On the grounds of Galesville University was a figure probably intended to represent a bear thirty-five feet long, and about forty rods north of this another figure resembling a horse seventy feet in length.

The general prevalence in Wisconsin of the existence of these mounds have excited no inconsiderable interest in the minds of scientists since their discovery was first made. Nearly every county has these interesting vestiges of a nu- merous people long since gone to rest, about whose history there pends a veil-an impenetrable mystery-of whom the later Indian tribes possessed neither knowledge, myth or tradition. Those in Trempealeau County are as numerous as elsewhere, and when opened have been found to contain spear and arrow heads, human bones and sometimes pot- tery. They are so common it might be said as to excite little interest among those who have resided in the county for any length of time, and are driven over and plowed up as if but a rise in the ground, not all that remains of the history of a past race.

To this country then did emigrants direct their wander- ings at a day now almost fifty years gone by, to establish that which protects all and oppresses none-a home ; that sanc- tuary of the human family which contains all of purity, all of government and all of religion in this world-a well ordered, God blessed home.

SETTLEMENT.

The first settlement of the present county of Trempea- leau is to some extent shrouded in doubt. That traders visited this section at a period anterior to that upon which the first settlement alleged to have been perfected was un- dertaken, no one can dispute. But that any came in to lo-

1034

HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

cate permanently and devote their energies to the building- up of the county is still an open question.

Tradition relates that as early as 1836 an adventurous but educated gentleman came hither on a prospecting tour, and so well pleased was he with the the appearance of the country and its surroundings that he determined to locate and did locate on Trempealeau Lake. This, however, is not confirmed by evidence that can be termed irresistible. Two years later, it is claimed, Jean Baptiste Bouville located near the present village of Trempealeau. If these statements are founded upon fact, Gavin and Bouville pre- ceded by two years what is universally received as the first settlement made in the county.

In 1840, according to the best evidence of which the claim is susceptible, James Reed landed from his pirogue, in which he had floated down the Mississippi, and having made fast the majestic boat, began an exploration of the region immediately contiguous to the subsequent village of Trempealeau.

He was a Kentuckian, it is said, and prompted at an early age by that spirit of adventure inherited time out of mind by the natives of that historic commonwealth, fretted under the restraints imposed in the older settled regions, and fled to the wilderness of the West. After a continued residence among the Indians, trading and trapping, the desire to locate, to settle down as it were, seemed to have possessed him utterly, and while moved by these admoni- tions he floated down the Father of Waters in quest of a locality where he would be able to realize his modest ambi- tion. Under such circumstances, as the story goes, Mr. Reed, in the full flush of health and strength, though past the meridian of life, a man of indomitable will, wonder- ful nerve, and of a quality of courage indigenous, it would seem, to those who excelled in the early history of the West, found himself opposite the present village in the spring of 1840.

A canvass of the surroundings confirmed his inclination to remain, and accordingly he set his stakes and prepared to build a house, which was in time completed. It stood on the present site of Krebs' hardware store, and after service as the residence of its builder, and subsequently as the Washington Hotel, was taken down and its timbers applied to other uses. Mr. Reed, in his old age, removed to his farm further east from the river, where he died, having sur- vived to witness the success which followed his efforts, and to see the wilderness blossom as the rose. There were no other arrivals during 1840, so far as can be ascertained. Indeed. during the decade beginning with that year, the arrivals were less numerous than can now be witnessed in a single month. Those who came confined their observations to the site of the future village of Trempealeau, and if one can, the efforts they made toward the development of the country by the reports which have been handed down in that behalf, there was little accomplished.

The fact of the matter is, that about this time La C'rosse was coming to the front, and no one was permitted to leave there who would listen to the persuasive eloquence of J. M. Levy or Scoots Miller. Some few of them slipped through, however, in spite of the periods of these silvery-tongued orators, but a majority went to Black River and began to conrt fortune in the lumber and logging camps. As a result, during the period above indicated. i. e., from 1850 until 1851. the arrivals embraced A. Chevevert. Paul Grig- non, William Bunnell and Charles Perkins-a solitary

quartette-who located at Trempealeau Village and began the struggle for life in that then frontier town. It might here be observed that this struggle for life meant not only to provide means for the procurement of meat and drink, but also to estop the attacks of rattlesnakes of which there were an unaccountable number hidden in the weeds through which paths leading from the bluffs to the river were beaten -waiting for victims.

From 1848 until 1851, the population of the county was not visibly increased. Occasionally a solitary trapper ran the gamnut of its limits, and it is barely possible that some came in and entered, or rather possessed themselves of, lands in northern or western Trempealeau. But the record of permanent settlements during this interim is defi- cient. Indeed the settlement of any portion of the county was comparatively slow, and it was not until 1870 that the last township in the county was defined by metes and bounds.

In the latter year, the initial movement which culminated in the building-up of the county was begun with the arrival of B. F. Heuston, who settled in the present village of Trempealeau, and with Ira S. Hammond erected the first frame warehouse, it is believed, built in the county. It still stands on Front street opposite the river bank, though in a dilapidated condition, a ruined wreck, if such term can be to it applied, of days that were pregnant with promise as compared with days that since have come of the future and departed into the past. That winter, others came in, and among them was Mrs. A A. Angell, the first white woman to become part of the population of the county.

Throughout the summer, the accessions to the number of inhabitants were far from numerous, and all who came set- tled at Trempealeau and in the vicinity. In the fall, James Reed, who was a Justice of the Peace, married Paul Grig- non, his step-son, to Madeline, his own daughter. This was the first marriage in the county it is believed, as no one can be found who is familiar with another ceremony of a similar character either personally or by report.

The following spring some arrivals were noted, though they were few and far between, and, settling about Trem- pealeau, their names and the date of their arrivals will be found in the history of that village. In the summer of 1852, the monotony of the season was varied by the celebra- tion of the national anniversary of American Independ- ence, which took place at Trempealeau in the garret of HIeuston & Hammond's warehouse, which was attended by the citizens of the county, who as already stated, re- sided almost exclusively in the village. The ceremonies were of a character appropriate to the occasion, unattended by those dissipations which in subsequent years became prominent features of the day. This year the village of Trempealeau was formally laid out into lots in the belief that purchasers would arrive during the years immediately ensuing, and command ready sale at prices that should com- pensate those who had been instrumental in proenring the survey. This year two came, Miss Catharine Davidson, the second young lady to visit the county, a young lady by the name of Mary Huff having preceded her a few weeks ; also the Rev. Mr. Watts, the first minister of the Gospel. HIe was assigned to this district by the Methodist Confer- ence of Wisconsin, but if reports concerning his labors are to be taken as evidence of his value. Mr. Watts was neither as persuasive as his illustrious namesake, nor as successful a disciple of Wesley as that distinguished divine could have

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HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY.

wished. He is said to have scarcely undertaken the work set before him, though the harvest was ready, but employed his time in visiting portions of his circuit where the hard- ships were comparatively light, and the needs of spiritual service comparatively limited.

In the fall of 1852 a son was born to Isaac Noyes and wife, in the second story of Ileuston & Ilammond's ware- house on Front street. The event is worthy of notice, inas- much as the claim is made that the first birth in the county was Gilbert O. MeGiloray, a son of Alexander McGiloray. The subject was referred to at a meeting of old settlers convened a year or more since, and the verdict was rendered that the claim of Mr. MeGil- vroy, Jr., to this distinguished honor was well founded. Further investigation, however, made by Mr. Heuston, serves to dissipate this conclusion and award the prize to the son of Mr. Noyes, born as above stated in the fall of 1852.

In support of this conclusion the following statement of births in the first years of the county has been prepared by Mr. Heuston, and is submitted :

A son to Isaac Noyes and wife, born in the fall of 1852, and now deceased.

A son to Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, also of Trempealeau, born in the spring of 1853, also deceased.

A girl to Mr. and Mrs. Alva Wood in the fall of 1853, about which time Gilbert P. MeGilvroy was born, as also during the same fall were born Ella Heuston and a child to Mr. Culhety, both residing near Galesville, and Lizzie, a daughter to Jacob Holmes, of Trempealeau. The latter resides in California. Miss Heuston is deceased, and the others, it is believed, " still live."

From this it will be seen that the claim made for MeGil- vroy is not entirely predicated upon premises altogether cor- rect.

The winter of 1852-53 was passed without the happen- ing of any event worthy of mention as affecting ultimate results, or of speculation as to what might have been had the case been different. The population of the entire coun- ty was less than three quarters of a hundred with the dawn of New Year's Day. 1853, and throughout that year the situation as it existed on New Year's Day was not material- ly changed. In February, B. F. Heuston and Catharine Davidson were married ; the first ceremony of the kind to take place among the white residents of the county. In the fall of the same year they removed to a cabin near the present village of Galesville, and were among the first, if not the first to settle permanently in the town afterward laid out and known as the town of Gale. This year also Judge Gale laid off the village of Galesville.

In this connection it may be stated that the first ball ever known to have been given in the county occurred in the winter of 1853. Dr. Young, who was interested in procuring the location of the county seat at Galesville, was abroad on the prairie between the latter point and Trem- pealean, obtaining signatures to a petition for that purpose. The night was intensely disagreeable, and the cold blasts, laden with particles of sleet, beat fiercely in his face. Blind- ed and bewildered by the fury of the storm, the Doctor lost his reckoning and for a brief period wandered aimlessly about the prairie. At this juncture his sense of hearing was greeted by notes of music borne on the wintry winds, which proceeded from the direction of Trempealeau. He turned him about at once, and upon traeing them to their

source ascertained that they came from a "fiddle" execra- bly manipulated by a settler who with bow in hand was keeping time to the steps of dancers in a log cabin on the old road to Trempealeau. The name of the host cannot be recalled, but the company assembled embraced the major portion of the population of the county, whites and half- breeds, who danced until daylight, and the doctor, for the time being forgetting his business in hand, became one of the merry-inakers.

ORGANIZATION.

In 1853, Marvin James and Wesley Pierce, who were at Montoville, now Trempealeau, in 1852, established them- selves at Waumandee, and at the extra session of the Leg- islature in July, procured an act setting off Buffalo County from the west part of Jackson County.

The citizens of Buffalo were in high glee at this ma- neuver, arguing that Buffalo County was set off in such a manner as left no chance for the formation of a new county between it and La Crosse. But Judge Gale visited Madi- son and perfected plans by which these conclusions were thoroughly overturned. The constitution provides that the Legislature shall not divide a county comprising less than nine hundred square miles. Buffalo was within that limit and stood directly in the way of the occomplishment of that scheme. To avoid this, Judge Gale, at the regular session of 1854, had a portion of Chippewa County on the north annexed to Buffalo, thus enlarging the latter to the desira- ble area ; he then appropriated its two eastern tiers of town- ships, took one tier from Jackson and divesting La Crosse of its trans-Black River northwest corner, made the pres- ent county of Trempealeau. The bill providing for its ere- ation was adopted by the Legislature without delay, and in 1854 Trempealeau became a county de facto as also de jure.

On March 11, of the same year, the town board of the town of Montoville convened with Horace E. Owen as chair- man, Isaac Noyes and William Nicholls as Supervisors and Charles Cameron, Clerk. At this meeting the town of Gale was set off with the proviso that the first town meeting be held at the house of B. F. Heuston, on April first following ; it was also declared that all territory not of Gale be attached to the town of Montoville.

At a meeting of the County Board, held in May, at which George Batchelder presided, William M. Young was appointed Clerk, and Charles Utter, Treasurer, the same to serve until the regular election, which was directed to be holden, in November following. Charles Utter was also appointed a Commissioner, to act with the Commissioner from Jackson County, in laying out roads from Montoville to Black River Falls, via Beaver Creek, and one to Doug- lass' Mills, now North Bend.

Thus was the towns of the county organized. In Sep- tember, 1854, B. F. Heuston was elected County Judge, and in November, the following county officers were elected : Charles F'tter, District Attorney ; Ira E. Moore, Sheriff; George II. Smith, Clerk of the Court ; Charles Utter, Clerk of the Board; A. W. Armstrong, Register: Hollister Wright, Treasurer ; George J. Turton, Surveyor; and William Adams, Coroner. There were forty-four votes cast. thirty-six in Montoville, and eight in Gale. George II. Smith appointed Dr. William M. Young Deputy Clerk, and Ilollister Wright made John Nicholls his clerk. to perform the duties of County Treasurer.

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HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

Thus was the county organized.

The appropriations made by the County Board at its first annual meeting, in November, 1854, aggregated $1,- 124.15, of which $500 were for bridges. The following year, 82,352.24 were appropriated for county expenses, in addition to a school tax of $69.21, and the valuation of property assessed at $71,038, was equalized by the State Board at 8149,093.

For fully one year, the towns of Montoville and Gale comprehended the entire county, but on November 24, 1855, the town of Preston was laid off, the subsequent town apportionments being as follows : Arcadia, November 21. 1856; Caledonia, November 11, 1857; also the town of Sumner ; Chase set off from the town of Sumner No- vember, 1860 ; also the town of Lincoln ; Ettrick, December, 1862; Burnside, December, 1863 ; Hale, in February, and Chase, 1864; the latter, however, being subsequently vacated, and restored to Sumner ; Albion, June 20, 1870; Dodge and Pigeon, January 5, 1875, and Unity, November 20. 1877.

The events of 1855, included the organization of a Board of Trustees for the building and government of Gale University, and settlements throughout various portions of the county, principally about Arcadia, Ettriek, Lincoln, etc. Improvements were completed as rapidly as lumber and service could be procured, and considerable progress, considering the length of time the county had been inhab- ited, was being made in farming. In October of this year occurred what is believed to have been the first death in the county-an infant daughter of B. F. and Catharine Heuston, who were then residing near Galesville. During the winter of 1855-56, there were no arrivals nor changes in the condition of affairs as they had existed previously. In April, of the latter year, an election for Circuit Judge took place, at which 138 ballots were east in Trempealeau County. On the 29th of the same month and year, the first term of the Circuit Court was held at Galesville, Wiram Knowlton presiding, with A. M. Brandenburg, Sheriff, and G. H. Smith, Clerk. The court sat one day and the pro- ceedings were limited to the admission to practice of Ro- manzo Bunn, the first attorney in the county. The session was held in the lower part of the court house, then in proc- ess of building, by Isaac Noyes and Amasa Webb. The premises were completed and accepted on July 23, of this year, and were first occupied for judicial purposes, on Octo- ber 28 following, when Judge Knowlton began the October term of court. The docket contained two cases, one of which was non-suited. and the other continued. At the same session, John F. Brewin and Christian Schmitz were admitted citizens of the United States. The arrivals were numerous, particularly at Trempealeau, where a company from Pittsburgh located and began the building of a planing- mill on a scale which would compare favorably with those that have since been built in the lumber regions of Northern Wisconsin. Settlements were also made about Independ- enee, Osseo, and at other points, while those already estab- lished were prospering in a manner that must have been gratifying to the residents.

This year the ubiquitous Mormon attempted a settle- ment in Traverse Valley. The delegation included Dr. Traverse, the high priest, with John Raymond, Theodore Hutchins. Elder Post. Elder Hickey, Nathan Daniels and Jesse and Lovell Kidder, saints. They are said to have practiced secretly what the seet now argue as indispensable

to a complete communion with the deity of the Mormon Church, but in time began quarreling among themselves, and after burning their property disappeared. The year was without notable events, the good times continuing until 1857, when the financial stringeney experienced in that year was sensibly felt in Trempealeau County. Pro- visions rose in price beyond the reach of any but the more independent, and during the winter, in some portions, the inhabitants preferred game, which included bear, deer, elk, ete., to paying the extravagant prices asked for pork, bacon and other edibles which are classified under the head of " provisions." This year also the mill at Galesville was fully in operation, and the settlers who had previously obtained their flour at La Crosse, Prairie du Chien and else- where, were able to secure accommodations nearer home. During 1858 and 1859, some progress was made in the de- velopment of the internal resources of the county. Roads were built, farms opened, improvements completed, etc. Business became more general in the villages, and Trem- pealeau became the shipping-point for wheat from this sec- tion of the State. In the former year, the Trempealeau Times, the first paper to be published in the county, was established, a college building was commenced at Galesville, and the preparatory department opened in the spring of 1859. In the same year, the Trempealeau Agricultural Society was organized, and at the annual exhibition held in 1859, the Rev. Samuel Fallows, since elevated to the Bish- oprie of the Methodist Church, delivered the address.

The war came, producing an effect similar to that to be observed in other portions of the country. Trempealeau County was prompt and liberal in responding to the calls made by the National Executive for men and money, but the material advancement of the county was retarded in conse- quenee. This, aggravated by the New Ulm massacre and consequent fright to settlers, particularly in the townships bordering upon the Mississippi, did much to prevent the rapid growth which was obtained in the past ten years. Many settlers in the town of Hale were obliged to seek safety in flight from their homes, and took refuge in the houses of the Markhams, Cripps, and others at points distant from the apprehended danger. The Winnebago Indians, it is believed. took part in this bloody emeute, for they left Trempealeau a short time prior to its happening, and upon their return were laden with powder, calicos, household utensils, etc. Soon after, they were removed, and though there are still representatives of the tribe residing in the county, the greater portion of them have since been re- moved beyond the Mississippi.

During the past ten years the growth and enrichment of the county has been gradual but substantial. The material interests of the county are carefully cultivated, agriculture has reached a degree of perfection commensurate with the labors and diligence employed in that behalf, the causes of religion and education are in a high state of advancement, and all things seem to combine to promote the growth of the county as also the independence of its inhabitants.

The county seat remained at Galesville until 1876, when it was removed to Galesville, thenee to Whitehall in 1877, where it still remains. The county buildings, which are really limited to a court house improvised out of the town hall, is regarded simply as a temporary resort ; should the permanence of the location at that point be established at a future election, buildings adequate to the purpose and of imposing appearance will be erected.

1037

HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY.

The County Agricultural Society, which was organized in 1858, is a leading association of the county, owning commodious exhibition grounds near Galesville, and holding fairs annually. The present officers are : Joshua Rhodes, President: II. L. Bunn, Secretary, and A. Kribs, Treasurer.

THE PRESS.

The first paper published in the county, it is claimed by Charles Utter, of Trempealeau. was the Trempealeau Times, issued in 1858 by F. A. and Charles Utter, for the purpose of publishing the Buffalo County tax list. This being accomplished, the Times suspended. and its material was disposed of to be used in the publication of the Trem- pealeau Pioneer, established in 1859. The same year, the Trempealeau Representative, edited and published by Hast- ings & Newland, was also started at Trempealeau, and dis- puted with the Pioneer for precedence, until the spring of 1860. At that period, the Utters, who held a mortgage on the material of the latter sheet, foreclosed and sold the same out, a portion being purchased and taken to Neillsville, the remainder being taken to Galesville by G. S. Luce, with which he set up and prepared for publication. the first paper issued in that village, the Galesville Transcript, on Friday morning, March 16, 1860. The Transcript was a quarto of thirty-two columns, ably edited, and containing with each number the choicest literary selections. It continued in Galesville until October, 1867, when Charles A. Leith and A. F. Booth purchased the same and caused its re- moval to Trempealeau, where, as a successor to the Repre- sentative which expired in 1861, it was published under the name of the Record. In 1869, Mr. Leith sold his interest in the paper to his partner, Mr. Booth, and for a short time the Record was run with Newman & Booth, editors. The former withdrew, however, after a brief apprenticeship, and T. D. Stone purchased a half-interest, which he managed until the fall of 1872, when the good will of the paper was disposed of by Stone & Booth to George S. Luce, who had established the Galesville Journal at Galesville, in 1870, the materials being taken to Madison, to print the Wiscon- sin Good Templar.

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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