USA > Wisconsin > Racine County > Racine > Racine, belle city of the lakes, and Racine County, Wisconsin : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 24
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Since this time there have been added many other industrial concerns to Racine's imposing list of manufactures, among them being: The Racine Electric Company, American Mangle & Roller Company, Racine Tool & Machine Company, Racine Trav-
BURNING OF RACINE BOAT COMPANY'S PLANT
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eling Bag Company, Racine Puttyless Window Company, Racine Anto Tire Company, Racine Carriage Company, Racine Hosiery Company, Perfex Radiator Company, Levine Gear Company, Ajax Anta Parts Company, Christensen Silo Company, Common Sense Trunk Company, George Gorton Machine Company, E. R. Harding Company, Hilker Brothers Brick Manufactory, Ironclad Incubator Company. Jorgenson-Clausen-Krogh Company.
OTHER RACINE COUNTY INDUSTRIES
Manufacturing in the Town of Burlington had its inception in 1836, when Moses Smith and Samnel Vanghan erected a saw- mill and attached to it a mill for grinding wheat. This was the start of the later stone mill. A large trade was done early in the career of this mill with Scotland and Germany. A Mr. Perkins erected a woolen mill in 1843 on the bank of Fox River. In the vear 1852 Jacob Muth erected a large brewery. It was a frame building and cost $2,500.00. IIe ran it until 1872, when he tore it down and built a brick and stone malt-house, which he operated until 1877. when he sold out to the People's State Bank. This brewery, with many additions and modern improvements, is now the Finke-Uhen Brewing Company. The old wooden mills are now engaged in the manufacture of horse blankets exclusively. The Wisconsin Condensed Milk Company is a leading factory of Burlington, with B. and Charles R. MeCanna as the officers. Here there are also a brass foundry, a brick and tile works. vending machine factory and several smaller mills.
At the former Town of Western Union, the Brown Corliss Engine Company of Milwaukee erected a large factory in 1901. Julius Wechselberg was president of this company and W. S Whiting, secretary. The name of the town was at that time changed to Corliss. Three days after the survey the plat was filed in the office of the register of deeds. However, for many reasons, the undertaking at Corliss was not a success and a re- currence of reverses caused the company to abandon the plant.
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View from top of Erie Street Hill, showing grain elevator erected in 1867 and destroyed by fire in 1882. RACINE HARBOR IN THE '70s
CHAPTER XIV
TRANSPORTATION
EARLY HIGHWAYS- RAILROADS - RACINE, JANESVILLE & MISSISSIPPI - PASSENGER AND FREIGHT DEPOTS - CIIICAGO & NORTHWESTERN - CHICAGO & MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC RAILWAY - MARINE HISTORY - EARLY LAKE COMMERCE -FIRST DOCKS AND PIERS - RECOLLEC- TIONS OF A. P. DUTTON - MOOT MARINE COURT - LIGHT HOUSES - NEW PIERS AND WAREHOUSES.
In all new settlements in this country the first thing to be done after the pioneer had put up his erude log cabin and planted a patch of ground with a little corn and potatoes, was to mark out and construct a roadway to his neighbor's, if he was Ineky enough to have one, and then, with that neighbor and others, build a temporary road to the nearest market town. For he must have provisions for himself and family and a place to market the pro- ductions of his farm in the new settlement. This may be said to be the beginning of transportation facilities in this great conutry. As has been clearly presented by the late Judge Dyer, all the land within the limits of Racine was left by Nature cov- ered with a dense forest. The lowland just west of the river and bordering it was covered with maple trees in 1837, and converted into a sugar camp. It was the abiding place of deer and prairie wolves. These and other obstacles were but a part of the diffi- eulties overcome by the frontiersman, and amidst them he built his home, cleared and cultivated his farm, built highways and blazed the trail over which thousands of hardy men and women traveled to the new country and made this county and city what they are today, among the richest and most prosperous localities in the State of Wisconsin.
A class of people settled in Racine County that was frugal, industrious and possessed of heaven-born talent for getting somewhere. This people prospered, taking from the rich lands bounteous annual crops. Others applied their time and talents in fashioning the raw material furnished by the husbandman, lumberman, miner, and the like, into various useful articles for the markets, and to get them there the roads, and the rivers and the lake, were utilized. Soon came the railroad to compete with that great natural highway, Lake Michigan, and for a time it
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was a struggle. But eventually the steam horse on his steel-laid road won out.
RAILROADS
The Racine, Janesville & Mississippi was the first railroad in Racine; it was finished to Burlington in 1855, and the settlers in that village organized a celebration of the event and the mayor and other officers of the City of Racine were invited guests on that occasion. George Wustum was Racine's chief executive at that time and he and others made speeches felicitating the citi- zens of Burlington on the completion of the road to that place.
In those days it was the Racine, Janesville & Mississippi Railroad, then the Racine & Mississippi, later the Western Union, and still later the Southwestern Division of the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul System. About the year 1855 the railroad com- pany established at Racine extensive car and machine shops, which were located north of the tracks, between Campbell and Howe Streets. Hundreds of freight cars and dozens of passenger coaches were made there, also some locomotives. It should also be stated that the car and engine repair work for the railroad was done in these shops and a large crew of men was employed. General offices for the road were opened in Racine, in the old MeChuirg Building, now the Secor Block, corner of Main and Third Streets. But when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company purchased the property the general offices were transferred to Milwaukee.
When railroading was in its infancy in Racine the engines all were wood burners, with big, flaring smokestacks, and it re- quired a tremendous lot of wood to supply all the locomotives on the road with fuel. Racine being a terminal point, a large supply of wood was always kept on hand here, and a wood-yard, contain- ing thousands of cords of hardwood of all kinds was located on the south side of the river, on the ground occupied by a warehouse of the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company. The wood piles were invariably eight feet high and the yard was a great stamp- ing ground for the boys of the neighborhood. They learned to select a slippery elm stick by looking at the end and when a good stick was located it was gotten out and stripped of its bark, even if it became necessary to throw the whole pile down to get at it. There were sometimes from fifty to one hundred of these piles of wood, each of which was several hundred feet in length.
PRESENT DAY HARBOR VIEW View taken in May, 1915.
Lake Shore Railroad Trestle buit in
4 to carry the railroad now the C. & N. W. In 1875-6 the trestle was filled in with earth and an iron bridge erected over the river. In 1910 the bridge and fill were double-tracked and the present structure erected.
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Switching in the yards of the railroad company was done by horse power, and it is remembered that John Cary, who after- wards became chief of police, did the switching with his own team, one car at a time. It is not recalled just how long this primitive method of switching cars was employed, but it was for a time adopted. The locomotives in use were not very power- ful, or at least they seem not to have been, as one recalls them and makes a comparison with one of the leviathans of the present day, and they used frequently to get stalled in trying to pull ten or a dozen cars of comparatively small dimensions up the grade to the Junction, in which case they would be obliged to back down, get up a good head of steam, and try it again. Sometimes it was necessary to split the train into small sections in order to negotiate this grade. But, to give the old "bulljines" their due, it is matter for mention that the line between Racine and Corliss - then and until quite recently known as Western Union June- tion - was a rough one on which to ride and when a train was enroute to the Mississippi River it would be compelled to stop a half dozen times to take on wood.
PASSENGER AND FREIGHT DEPOTS
The Racine & Mississippi Railroad depot at the foot of Main Street, long since replaced by another, was built about 1855, and was used for the accommodation of passengers and the receipt of freight. Its site is "made land." likewise all of the land north of Second Street to the river channel.
It was during the year 1854 that the first locomotive for the road was landed at the railroad dock from a lake steamer and transferred to the tracks of the company. This was a small engine, called "The Tiger,' which was joined the same day by another, the "Beloit," which came over the tracks of the North- western. A small round-house, to shelter these monsters (?) of iron and wood, was erected just west of the old station near the dock at the end of Wisconsin Street.
An old tannery, which stood on the east bank of the river. about where the line of State Street now is, was purchased by the railroad company when it got the right of way, and was ntil- ized for some time as a car shop, where several flat cars were built for transporting rails and other railroad materials, which arrived at the railroad dock by way of the lake.
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
The depot built by this company at the foot of Wisconsin Street in 1854 was used for general purposes for some time. The site on which it stands is also "made land." At the time of the first settlement of Racine, the hill that follows the bank of the river, from the end of Park Avenue northward, was well covered with a growth of timber, mostly cedar, and maintained its height of about thirty feet all the way to Second Street and swung around at about that point to the lake shore, to the east side of Chatham Street, and continued south.
THE CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN
One of the greatest systems of railroads in this or any other country is the Chicago & Northwestern, which by one name and another came into possession of roads building in the early '50s and, in 1855, adopted its present corporate title. In 1853 the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad Company was char- tered to build a road from Milwaukee to the state line of Illinois, to connect with a road from Chicago, called the Chicago & Mil- wankee Road. Both lines were completed in 1855 and run in connection until 1863, when they were consolidated under the name of the "Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad Company." To prevent its falling into the hands of the Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Chicago & Northwestern secured it by perpetual lease, May 2, 1866, and it is now operated as its Chicago Division. So that it was but a short time after the Racine & Mississippi Road was run- ning its trains in and out of Racine until the Chicago & North- western was doing likewise. The road enters the county on Section 1, Caledonia Township, and running along the lake leaves it at Section thirty-one, Mount Pleasant Township. The passen- ger and freight traffic on this road is immense and to go into details would be confusing-and interesting to but a few. Suffice it to mention that about twenty trains for passengers alone go each way in and out of Racine daily, and the service, both through and local, cannot be surpassed. A handsome and modern depot stands on West State Street and extends to the next street on the south.
The Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railway, which has been in existence a munber of years, runs eighteen passenger trains from Racine to Evanston daily, there connecting with the Chi- Pago trains on the elevated railroad, and the same service is given
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CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE AND ST. PAUL DEPOT, RACINE
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CHICAGO AND NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY STATION, RACINE
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from Racine to Milwaukee. The Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha Electric Road runs passenger trains from Racine to Milwaukee every hour and from Racine to Kenosha there are twenty trains a day. Many trains on the Milwaukee enter and depart from Racine daily, for points in almost every direction, and in all the passenger trains leaving Racine daily total about one hundred and forty.
MARINE HISTORY
Before the days of railroads and the natural thoroughfares were in the making, Root River and its outlet - Lake Michigan - were of vastly more importance to the industrial and commer- rial interests of this community than the present generation can realize. When the pioneers came, Root River looked good to them and its possibilities were a great inducement for them to remain. A fine stream with an entrance to the lake that made for a desirable harbor, it presented to the future builders of this splendid manufacturing city all that Nature could do in giving to mankind a roadway to the markets of the world.
Vessels plying on Lake Michigan touched at this port as soon as the settlement was established and a few houses were in evidence, Mrs. D. HI. Flett, in her very valuable monograph on "Land-marks and Early History" of Racine states: "A. G. Knight came to Racine in 1836, walking all the way from Chi- cago. His family came later in a sailing vessel. On account of the sailors' fear of the Indians, they refused to bring their yawls to the shore and when wading distance was reached Mr. Knight's mother and wife were carried ashore on the shoulders of the men." This erude method of "delivery" was the only one for some time after the town had commenced to grow; but the infer- once is not to be drawn that all persons coming by way of the lake were carried to the land. Most of the cargoes were loaded and unloaded, however, by such primitive means and the need of a harbor soon made itself felt.
According to the late Judge Charles E. Dyer, as early as the year 1836 a survey of the harbor had been made, for which the citizens paid $100. "Subsequently the mouth of the river was dug out on a straight eut and the people of Racine assessed their property 15% to build piers and to keep the harbor open, so that lighters could come in. The assessment was made at a public court-house meeting, and Levi Blake is remembered to have said
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
at that meeting: "It'll only cost us another lot; let us have a harbor."
All steamboats in the early days came to anchor and landed passengers and freight on seows, that would take out a load of wood for the vessel. At times the mouth of the river became too shallow to permit the scows drawing two and a half feet of water to pass out, and then men and teams with scrapers would go at it and make a sufficient channel. This was a ernde way of doing things, indeed, but effectual. And how vessels were loaded is best described by C. L. Fellows, who some years ago wrote this of his early experiences: "The lightering of grain was done on wood seows. There were large hoppers built on the doeks oppo- site the warehouse with spouts in them, with a bag nailed over each spout. A boy standing on the dock held a bag on the spont, which when filled would be taken away onto the scow; a smart boy could 'hold spout' for at least eight men offbearing the grain. The bags were not generally laid, but set on end and as soon as the scow was loaded she was taken out to the vessel at the pier end or at anchor in the lake and another scow was put under the hopper. When a large quantity of grain was to be lightered there were three or four scows in use, so there was one at the vessel and one at the hopper all the time. My father was largely en- gaged in the wood business and had several scows, and he was always called on for some of them when there was any wheat loading to be done; and I generally got the job of 'holding spout'."
The first effort in the way of building piers commenced in the year 1840 and continued in a slipshod manner until 1844, up to which time the citizens had spent about $6,000. The work was all of a temporary nature, owing to the studied neglect of Congress to consider the needs of the port. The town was stead- ily growing and shipping was on the increase. A good and per- manent harbor was an imperative necessity. Finally, on the 16th of March, 1844, a meeting was held at the court-house, when a subscription of $10,000 was raised to build a dock that would be of some real use and permaneney. On the 17th the first piles were driven for the improvement with a hand machine. This was the actual beginning. The people issued bonds for 25,000 dollars to carry on the harbor work and then, when the General Government awakened to the fact that Racine intended having her wants supplied even if they were paid for out of her citizens'
BOAT LANDING AT THE RAPIDS, RACINE
SOUTH BEACH, RACINE
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
private purses, the munificent sum of $12,500 was appropriated for work on its own water way; not, however, until the patience of Racine had been fully tested. In the years following Congress has been more alive to the importance of this port and more liberal in its allowance for its improvement. Hundreds of thou- sands of dollars have been appropriated and today Racine's lake and river fronts show what has been done for them by the hand of man. In the heyday of her maritime prosperity railroad traffic was in its infancy, and in fair competition could not meet lake rates. Fifty years ago freight transportation by way of the Great Lakes was a tremendous business, most of which was done in sail vessels, although there were many side-wheel and propeller steamers. At present the only bulky freight coming into Racine by water is coal, which is brought in barges of capacity of from one thousand to five thousand tons. The total number of sail craft that have been owned in Racine is more than three hundred. Not a single one hails from this port now, the last vessel - the J. B. Newland - having been sold in the summer of 1914 by her owner, Captain C. Nahed.
RECOLLECTIONS OF A. P. DUTTON
One of the men prominent in shipping circles in and about Racine in the haleyon days was the late A. P. Dutton, who often wrote for publication of his experiences and remembrances of the times when Racine was a very busy and important inland seaport, some of his communications to the press having been appended for the edification of many interested in the subject. Writing in 1897, he said:
"From Chicago north there was no village at all until you reached Waukegan, and that was a mere 'dot and go.' Then, fifteen miles further, you would come to Southport, quite a smart little village, where one could get a good dinner, after which you went north ten miles and stood upon the spot of all others on the west shore of the most beautiful lake that man's eyes ever discovered. Here was a small band of brothers, banded together in pioneer love that seemed to be inspired. The members of a Methodist Church could show no more brotherly love for each other. Here could be found Captain Knapp, the master of the revenue entter, when the Whig Party was in power, but he had to walk the plank and give up the compass to Captain Dobbing.
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Then a Democrat took the chair. Doctor Cary, the standing applicant for the postoffice, was the best posted man in the North- west as to the polities of our country and state. He went to every steamer that landed and inquired of every man that got off the boat where he came from and whether he was or was not a Demo- «rat. If the man was a Democrat nothing was too good for him, but if he were a Whig or Abolitionist all conversation was at an end. It was Democrats he was looking for."
At another time Mr. Dutton embellished the pages of Ra- vine's history with this bit of maritime gossip, which is quite pat for this purpose: "The report of 1840 shows the imports to have been $599.44 and the exports $5,750. I think this was wrong bookkeeping and that the imports should be changed to exports, for I find importations in 1842: 175 tons of merchandise, 2,000 barrels of salt, 2,423,000 feet of lumber, 1,405 bundles of shingles, 850 tons household furniture, 350 tons of machinery and farm- ing tools.
"The people had commenced to build a permanent harbor, and up to this time they had already expended in its construc- tion $43,352. Congress had appropriated $12,500, making a total for harbor purposes $55,852, and yet no outside bridge. The pier was the stopping place for all of the lake steamers and all steam- ors then called at Racine. The river was adapted for a first- class harbor. A good channel could be made up to Cedar Bend, nearly two miles, and as the business should require the channel would be dredged. The river banks did not wash down much, if any, and the trouble about filling up was at the mouth of the river.
"Yon will often hear people talk about the river running into the lake at Sixth Street, near where the light house was those days. But that is all wrong. The natural mouth of Root River always was near where it is now, or a little south of the present month. At that time, when a heavy blow from the northwest came up, the month of the river would bar up so that the writer often crossed on the bar withont wetting his feet. The water inside the bar would rise until it broke out and a rush of current would often out a channel six or eight feet deep.
"As the harbor piers were put in they formed a enrrent running south, which carried away the beach that had accumu- lated. When the first plat was made, by Moses Vilas, I think, the map showed Michigan Street as far north as Second Street,
ROOT RIVER LIGHT HOUSE
Established in 1839. Located on lake bank, twenty feet south of the south line of Seventh Street.
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and a tier of lots outside of Michigan Street. These lots and the street disappeared year by year as the harbor piers were ex- tended. At this time in several places the sand beach seems to be coming back, and the question will arise as to who owns the property. The great washing of the banks in front of Raeine was on the north. Early in the '40s the lake came up quite near to the Lathrop brickyard and whenever a northeaster came, the seas would roll west clear to North Main Street. As soon as the north pier was put in a sand beach began to appear and from year to year the beach has increased to several acres.
"At the time the Ward Line of steamers, the 'Pacific' and Sam Ward,' ran between New Buffalo and Chicago via Milwau- kee and Racine. Captain Cooper was master of the 'Pacific.' On one occasion, when the steamer was loaded to the guards and having on board an immense crowd of passengers, she encoun- tered a terribly heavy sea and the rudder chains parted. The steamer fell into the trough of the sea and it seemed as if she was doomed. Captain Cooper called his crew together and asked which one would volunteer to be lowered over the stern and make an effort to mend the chain. No one said a word. Captain Cooper then adjusted a rope around his body and, taking several turns around the deck rail, gave the mate orders how to lower him into the boiling sea, with the result that when he was again hoisted on deck the chain was mended. Hle then mounted the pilot house, nnconcerned, brought the bow of the boat to the sea, and went on to the port of destination, without any loss save that of time. Captain Cooper was lionized from one end of the lake to the other for this brave and fearless chance taken to save his passengers and boat.
"Capt. John Printerville was the first man to pilot a sailing vessel into the harbor, which at that time had scarcely any piers. Our people were so delighted to see a vessel in port that they gave the captain a great ovation, while some one made him the present of a city lot on the North Side. In after years, however, the captain could not find anything on record to show that he was ever a real estate owner in Racine. Captain Printerville . became known far and wide on the whole chain of lakes and always was a great friend of Racine.
"Solon Cather piloted the first steamer that ever entered Root River. It was the Chesapeake, Captain Kelsey, master.
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At the time, which was July 14, 1844, the vessel had for passen- gers bound for Racine, William H. Lathrop and wife and Chaun- cey Lathrop. The Chesapeake was the first steamboat to enter this or any other artificial harbor within the limits of the State of Wisconsin. Captain Kelsey had written ahead that if the weather was fair when he arrived he would bring the steamer into port, and everybody consequently was on the lookout for the boat. She did not heave in sight until Sunday morning, just as people had gone to church. The first notice given was the booming of cannon on the lake front at Sixth Street, and ten minutes later no one was left in the church except the preacher. Everybody went down to see the steamer Chesapeake and for the whole day all forgot that it was the Sabbath, and many for- got where to find their homes. The steward of the boat had settled as to what kind of people were building up Racine, and so he had closed the regular bar and opened up one in a wash tub, that he had filled full of something that made a fellow's head crack in a very short time. Some of the boys did not get over the celebration for several days. The Chesapeake was a fine boat and she and her master were great favorites in Racine."
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