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 44
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SOME HISTORIC STORMS
In common with all the region about the Great Lakes, Racine County has frequently been visited by storms of the ordinary character, but there are a few that stand out pre-emi- nent above the others. One of these was the great snow storm of March 22, 1881. The City of Racine was then lighted by gas and in many places the snow drifted as high as the top of the lamp posts. On some of the streets the drifts reached above the top of the doorways and merchants had to spend some time shoveling snow before they could open their places of business. Even after the stores were opened there was little or no trade, for the reason that nearly everybody was "snowed in." Rail- roads were blockaded and several days passed before traffic resumed normal conditions. The snow was of that variety that packed easily and the drifts were so solid that they would bear up men of ordinary weight without the least difficulty. Several
Photos furnished by Billings
AFTER THE CYCLONE IN THE EARLY 'SOS, RACINE
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
persons in Racine can recall walking on some of the highest drifts and stepping on the top of the lamp posts as they went along. This was the greatest snow fall recorded in local history.
Another great snow storm was the three days' blizzard of February, 1898. Shortly after noon on Saturday, the 19th, snow began to fall. The wind increased and within a few hours a blizzard was raging throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Street cars were forced to suspend, as the snow fell so rapidly and drifted so that the tracks could not be kept open. A train on the Wisconsin Central Railroad got stuck in a snow drift a few miles north of Milwaukee and remained there for several hours, to the great discomfort of the passengers, before a relief train could get to it. About midnight there was a cessation of the storm for a few hours, but on Sunday morning the blizzard was renewed in all its fury. Trains were abandoned on a number of railroads and no services were held in some of the churches. Telegraph and telephone lines were destroyed, mails were de- laved, and for a time Racine was ent off from the world.
The storm again ceased for a while on Monday afternoon and the street railway company put a large force of men to work clearing the snow from the tracks. A part of the Wisconsin Street line was opened and cars began running. Then came a strong gale from the northwest, bringing more snow, and in a few minutes the work of hours was completely obliterated. Men worked nearly all night in the effort to keep the tracks open and on Tuesday morning cars were running on some of the lines, but the service was far from satisfactory. The electric railway between Racine and Milwaukee ceased running trains soon after the storm commeneed on Saturday. After the storm was over the company advertised in the Racine and Milwaukee papers for men to go out and clear the tracks, and on Wednesday morning a large number went out from Racine to shovel snow. It was several days, however, before the company could rum trains on schedule time.
The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad managed to keep its line open between Chicago and Milwaukee, but on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul no trains were nim from Saturday after- noon to Tuesday morning. Then a train managed to get from Racine to Western Union Junction (now Corliss). A freight
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
train was wrecked at the Junction on Monday and a snow plow collided with the wrecking train that was engaged in clearing away the wreck. The caboose of the wrecking train was driven up on one of the cars in front of it, the stove in the caboose was overturned and the fire destroyed the caboose and wrecking car, and damaged a number of the derailed box ears that could not be removed. In the City of Racine the drifts were so high in places that men could not see each other across the street.
But the storm that did the greatest damage to Racine was the tornado of Friday, May 18, 1883. A little while before seven o'clock in the evening, observers noticed a black cloud northwest of the city, but gave it no particular attention. The storm struck the city near Wolff's Brewery where fourteen houses were either wrecked or badly damaged. Horlick's food factory was the next to feel the force of the tornado. It was badly damaged and several houses in the immediate vicinity were practically demol- ished. From that point the storm shifted its course toward the lake, leveling whole blocks of houses as it went along. Those who saw the tornado strike the lake saw a sight that it is given to but few people to witness. The water was whirled upward in a huge waterspout, presenting a spectacle that was both awful and imposing.
A meeting was hurriedly called at the Opera House to consider ways and means for aiding those who had suffered losses or injuries from the storm. At that meeting it was re- ported that several lives had been lost and a number seriously injured. It was afterward learned that eight people were killed, while the number hunt reached nearly one hundred. A com- mittee, consisting of II. G. Winslow, E. G. Durant, F. W. Klein, Charles Salbreiter, J. I. Case, T. G. Fish and Michael Colbert, was appointed at the Opera House meeting to solicit funds and take charge of the work of relieving the sufferers. On Saturday morning the City Council met in special session and appointed a man in each ward to co-operate with the Opera House com- mittee in the work of relief. A large sum of money was raised and distributed among those who had been injured either in person or property. The tornado of 1883 will long be remem- bered in Racine, especially by those who were so unfortunate as to live in its path.
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
A RACINE MUSE
The following poem, taken from an old scrap book, was written by some resident of Racine along in the '40s, but the authorship is unknown:
WISCONSIN
"Hail, empire of the West, thy shores no more Are stained with blood; the Indian race has gone ; The strife, the feud, the hellish trade of war Is past forever, and its turmoil done.
Lo, o'er thy streams where once the frail canoe The red man steered 'mid hills and valleys green,
The giant steamer plows in grandeur through, And laden barks add beauty to the scene; While o'er thy lakes, magnificent and wide, Hundreds of craft in glorious triumph ride.
"The savage yell no more alarms the ear, Nor e'er shall echo in these woods again; The husbandman alone shall triumph here,
With hills of corn and waving fields of grain ; And busy Commerce soon shall send its hum, Not through the forests, but the city's throng, And from all climes how many hearts shall come To speed this empire of the West along.
Till thou shalt stand - the glory of the free,
And man shall own there is no land like thee."
L
LIFE SAVING STATION, RACINE
STATE STREET, RACINE
CHAPTER XXV STATISTICAL REVIEW
STATISTICS RELATING TO POPULATION AND WEALTH - OFFICIAL ROSTER - MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE - CHRONOLOGY - SUMMARY OF EVENTS - POSTSCRIPT.
Four score and two years have passed since Capt. Gilbert Knapp and his three employees came to the mouth of the Root River, staked out a claim and built a rude shanty for shelter through the winter - the first white man's domicile within the confines of what is now Raeine County. "Westward Ho!" was then the slogan of hundreds of hardy, courageous men seeking homes in the broad public domain in the Mississippi Valley and about the Great Lakes, and so rapid was the settlement of Southeastern Wisconsin that two years after Captain Knapp established his claim the County of Racine was organized. De- cember 7. 1916, marks the eightieth anniversary of the passage of the act creating the county. And what have those eighty years brought forth ?
POPULATION AND WEALTH
Statistics are void of romance or poetry and, as a rule, figures are dry and iminteresting, but they often tell the story of a community's progress better than it can be told in any other way. Adopting that method, then, for the purpose of showing Racine County's development during the eighty years of its corporate existence, the first thing that comes up for con- sideration is the growth in population, as shown by the United States census reports since 1840 - the first official census taken after the country was organized:
1840
3,475
1850
14,973
1860
21,360
1870
26,740
1880
30,922
1890
36,268
1900
45,644
1910.
. 57,424
From this table it will be seen that the increase has been steady from the time the first settlements were made. It will
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
also be noticed that the greatest proportionate increase was between the years 1840 and 1850, when it was over 300 per cent. While four of the nine townships - Dover, Norway, Raymond and Waterford - show a slight decrease during the decade from 1900 to 1910, the increase in the county as a whole was over 25 per cent. For the purpose of comparison, the following table, giving the population by townships since 1890, is presented:
Township
1890
1900
1910
Burlington.
3,140
3,578
4,341
Caledonia .
2.732
2,805
3,073
Dover
924
853
820
Mount Pleasant.
23,206
32,013
42,746
Norway
841
913
888
Raymond
1,784
1,601
1,512
Rochester ..
699
750
766
Waterford
1,551
1,564
1,516
Yorkville.
1,391
1,567
1,762
Total
36,268
45,644
57,424
In this table the cities of Burlington and Racine, and the incorporated Villages of Corliss, Rochester, Union Grove and Waterford are included in the townships in which they are situated.
The increase in wealth has kept pace with the growth of population. In the absence of reliable records, the value of property in 1840 can only be estimated. The taxes levied for the year 1839 in Raeine County, which then included for tax purposes the Counties of Rock and Walworth, amounted to $4,151.78. Unless the tax rate was imusually high, the property could not have been assessed at more than $150,000, of which probably at least one-half was in Rock and Walworth Counties. In 1915 the sun total of the taxes levied against the property of Racine County was $325,191.49, and the valuation of property was then as follows:
Burlington Township $ 2,871,143
Caledonia Township. 5,409,081
Dover Township ..
2,377,787
Mount Pleasant Township 7,479,335
Norway Township.
1,987,372
Raymond Township. 2,422,827
Rochester Township 1,115,393
Waterford Township. 1,922,772
Yorkville Township. 2,542,260
Burlington (City)
4,230,848
VIEW OF RACINE FROM THE TOP OF THE COURTHOUSE IN 1900
VIEW OF RACINE, LOOKING NORTH
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
Racine (City) .
$55.770.026
Corliss (Village) .
683,630
Rochester (Village)
181,992
Union Grove (Village)
621,762
Waterford (Village)
717,910
Total
$90,334,138
In every community there always have been, and doubtless always will be, some persons who possess a greater amount of property than others. Racine County has its share of wealthy individuals, but the property valuation is fairly well distributed among the various lines of business and the different forms in which wealth can be invested, to wit:
Real estate and improvements
$70,285,787
Live stock
1,670,172
Manufacturing industries
5,962,591
Merchandise stocks
1,658,450
Bank stocks
1,080,410
Corporation franchises
1,060,750
Automobiles.
481,697
Steam and other vessels.
11,370
Miscellaneous personal property, etc.
8,122,911
Total
$90,334,138
The last item in the table ineludes farm implements, wagons and carriages, household goods, etc. As the assessed valuation is a little less than two-thirds of the actual value, the latter is about $140,000.000. If the actual wealth of the county could be distributed per capita, on the basis of population shown by the census of 1910, each man, woman and child in the county would have nearly twenty-five hundred dollars. Few counties ean show a better average. There are very few of the so called "idle rich" in Racine County, and there are but few panpers. The diversified industries offer employment to every able-bodied man and the great majority of the citizens belong to that numer- ous middle class, of whom Abraham Lincoln once said: "The Lord must love the common people, or He would not have made so many of them."
OFFICIAL ROSTER
Following is a list of the principal county officers - those who have been charged with the conduet of public business - since the county was organized in 1836. as compiled from the records:
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
Sheriffs - Edgar R. Inguin. 1836; Michael Myers, 1843; Edgar R. Hugunin, 1844; William Strong, Jr., 1846; Robert G. MeClellan. 1848; John A. Carswell, 1850; Timothy D. Morris, 1852; James O. Bartlett, 1854; Timothy D. Morris, 1856; William G. Everit, 1858; Horatio T. Taylor, 1860; Aaron French, 1862; Frank Schneider, 1864; James O. Bartlett, 1866; Frank Schnei- der, 1868; F. P. Lawrence, 1870; J. W. Johnson, 1872; Lewis Dickinson, 1874; Louis Konst, 1876; James Fielding, 1878; George Bremner, 1880; John Donald, 1884; A. Schneider, 1886; Charles Ball, 1888; John Rowan, 1890; William Beatty, 1892; John C. Wagner, 1896: Edward A. Rein, 1898; William Ban- mann, 1900; Robert Mutter, 1902; A. E. Emmett, 1904; D. E. Roberts, 1906; Gustave Derricks, 1908; Robert Wherry, 1910; George B. Wherry, 1912; Sammel Hollick, 1914.
County Clerks - Walter Cooley, 1837: Frederick S. Lovell, 1838; Lorenzo Janes, 1839; John Ramsdell, 1841; Thomas E. Parmelee, 1844; Ira Pierce, 1848; John Ramsdell, 1851; Patrick (. Cheves, 1856: Samuel Ritchie, 1858; Daniel P. Wooster, 1860; Patrick G. Cheves, 1862; James Gipson, 1866; E. F. Gottschall, 1870; E. C. Peck, 1874; E. C. Peek, 1876; W. C. Palmer, 1886; Philip R. Frey, 1890; John Dixon, 1892; Charles Bull, 1898; Wil- liam Bell, 1900; James L. English, 1908; C. E. Nelson, 1910; William JJ. Hay, 1912; Joseph J. Patrick, 1914.
Clerks of the Court-II. F. Cox, Jr., 1837; A. G. Knight, 1846; Isaiah G. Parker, 1848; S. G. Knight, 1852; La Fayette Parker, 1854: J. S. Crane, 1860; La Fayette Parker, 1862; F. L. Graham, 1864; A. HI. Adams, 1868; C. S. Chipman, 1870; Fred- erick W. Bruce, 1872: James McLaren, 1886; Otto E. Ahrens, 1892: John R. Hulbert, 1900; Lemuel F. Owen, 1906; John W. Trumbull, 1910; John C. Hood, 1914.
Treasurers - Engene Gillespie, 1837; Hemy F. Cox, Jr., 1838: Seth F. Parsons, 1839; El R. Cooley, 1840; James M. Sprague, 1841; Bushnell B. Cary, 1842; Levi Blake, 1844: Uneins S. Blake, 1845; Seneca Raymond, 1846; Joseph P. Hulbert, 1848; O. A. Stafford, 1849; Duncan Sinclair, 1851; William Beswiek, 1852; William W. Vanghan, 1854; James Tinker, 1856; John R. JJones, 1860; William V. Moore, 1864; L. D. Coombs, 1868: Julius Imecke. 1874; John R. Jones, 1876; Jacob Anderson, 1884; H. J. Herzog, 1886; G. A. Riekeman, 1888; W. L. Shumway, 1890; Peter Myers, 1896: William J. Hay, 1898; HI. P. Nelson. 1902:
CA.I.
R
1
Photo furnished by Billings
CITY OFFICIALS OF RACINE FOR THE CENTENNIAL YEAR, 1876
503
HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
William J. Hay, 1906; Joseph JJ. Patrick. 1910; Martin Christen- sen. 1914.
Registers of Deeds - William H. Waterman, 1837; Joseph C. Knapp, 1839; Albert G. Knight, 1841; William H. Waterman, 1842; Ludlow F. Lewis, 1843; Albert G. Knight, 1844; Hiram Sherman, 1845; Chester M. Mann, 1846; David Wells, 1847; John W. Trowbridge, 1848; John Wilson, 1850; C. Il. Parsons, 1852; Sidney S. Diekinson. 1854; William M. Shepherd, 1856; Andrew Cooper, 1860: W. J. Shepherd, 1862; William White, 1866; John Bowen, 1868; William G. Hyde, 1872; John Bowen, 1878; George A. West. 1880; J. G. Teall, 1886; Frank M. Roberts, 1892; George H. Herzog, 1898: John E. Rowlands, 1904: James Bolton, 1906: John P. Barry, 1914.
Surveyors - A. W. Doolittle, 1837; Jason Lathrop, 1839; Moses Vilas, 1844; A. W. Doolittle, 1847; O. A. Perkins, 1848; A. W. Doolittle, 1849; Moses Vilas, 1850; Ira N. Sumner, 1852: Thomas Bones, Jr., 1859: E. Burchard, 1862: S. G. Knight, 1868; D. M. Montgomery, 1870; John Knight, 1872; D. M. Mont- gomery, 1874; Sayrs G. Knight, 1884; Frank F. Foote, 1888; Sayrs G. Knight, 1892; T. H. Knight, 1904 (still in office in June, 1916).
Coroners - Alvin Raymond. 1837; Charles Leet, 1839; Chauncey Kellogg, 1842; Grove U. Willis, 1845; John Fancher, 1846: Daniel Stevens, 1847: William Van Dooser, 1848; Joseph Lennon, 1850; Levi Blake, 1854; Owen Roberts, 1856: Abner Rouse, 1858; J. Loomis, 1870: Owen Roberts, 1872; Jeremiah Slater, 1874: Henry Sandford. 1876; B. F. Pierce, 1878; D. Wor- rall, 1880; Peter B. Thomas, 1886; William Phillips, 1888; Julius Luceke. 1890; J. S. Larsen, 1892; Christian Stipple, 1896; Jonas Hoyle. 1902; William Kisow, 1914.
(In the above list, the year following the name indicates when the official was elected, and each served until his succes- sor was elected and qualified. Most of the terms of office have been for two years. Where a greater period than that is shown by the dates, the officer served more than one term. For ox- ample: Frederick Bruce served as County Clerk from 1872 to 1886, or seven successive terms.)
County Commissioners - When Racine County was first organized the public affairs were administered by a board of three commissioners. Those who served in that capacity while
504
HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
the system was in force were: Samuel Hale, Jr., Nathaniel Bell and Hammond Marsh, 1838: John Bullen, Michael Bates and Sammel Hale, Jr., 1839; John Bullen, Peter Martin and Michael Bates, 1840 (JJ. G. Northway succeeded Mr. Bates in Jume, and in October Tristam C. Hoyt succeeded Mr. North- way); Peter Martin, Tristam C. Hoyt and John Bullen, 1841; Peter Martin, Tristam G. Hoyt and Daniel Slanson, 1842.
By an act of the Legislature, approved on February 18, 1841, the board of commissioners was abolished and a board of county supervisors established in its place. The first board was elected in the fall of that year and was composed of Tristam C. Hoyt, Daniel Slauson, Canfield Marsh, Jolm Dexter, J. D. Bene- diet, Peter Van Vliet, Walter Seeor, Robert Bell, Haines French, E. D. Hall, A. W. Benham and John T. Trowbridge. The first meeting of this board was held on July 5, 1842. The board of supervisors now consists of thirty-three members-one from each township, one from each incorporated village, and one from each ward in the cities of Racine and Burlington.
MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE
In the Territorial Legislature the two branches were known as the "conneil" and the "house of representatives." When the first Legislature met on October 25, 1836, the present County of Racine was then a part of Milwaukee County, which was represented in the council by Gilbert Knapp and Alanson Sweet; and in the house by Madison W. Cornwall, Charles Durkee and W. B. Sheldon. After the organization of Racine County it was represented in the Territorial Legislature as follows:
Couneilmen - William Bullen and Marshall M. Strong, 1838; William Bullen and Lorenzo Janes, 1839; Consider Heath and Peter D. Huguin, 1841: Michael Frank and Marshall M. Strong, 1843; Frederick S. Lovell and Marshall M. Strong, 1847: Frederick S. Lovell and Philo White, last session of 1847 and session of February, 1848.
Representatives - Zadock Newman, Tristam C. Hoyt and Orrin R. Stevens, 1838; Thomas E. Parmelee, Reuben HI. Deming and George Batchelder, 1840; Peter Van Vliet, Philander Jud- son and John T. Trowbridge, 1842; Levi Grant, John T. Trow- bridge and Ezra Birchard, 1843; Robert MeClellan, Orson Shel- don and Albert G. Northway, 1845; Andrew B. Jackson, Orson
505
HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
Sheldon and Julius Wooster, 1846; Uriah Wood and Elisha Raymond, 1847; George F. Newell and Dudley Cass, last session of 1847 and session of February, 1848.
In the constitution adopted in 1848, the two branches of the State Legislature were designated as the "senate" and the "assembly." The first session of the State Legislature began on June 5, 1848. Since that time Racine County has been rep- resented by the following:
Senators-C. Latham Sholes and Philo White, 1848; C. Latham Sholes and Victor M. Willard, 1849; Stephen O. Ben- nett, 1851; John W. Cary, 1853; Charles Clement, 1855; Cham- pion S. Chase, 1857; Nicholas D. Fratt, 1859; William L. Utley. 1861: T. D. Morris, 1863; T. D. Morris and Anthony Van Wyck, 1864; Jerome I. Case and Anthony Van Wyek, 1865; Jerome I. Case, 1866: C. C. Sholes (Kenosha), 1867: Ileury Stevens, 1868; Philo Belden, 1870; Robert II. Baker, 1872; Charles Herrick, 1874: Robert II. Baker, 1875; Thomas A. Bones, 1877: William E. Chipman, 1879; Albert L. Phillips, 1880; Charles Jonas, 1882; Henry A. Cooper, 1886: Adam Apple, 1890; John F. Reynolds, 1898; Otis W. Johnson, 1902; Isaac T. Bishop, 1906; Charles II. Everett, 1914.
Members of the Assembly - Samuel E. Chapman, Julius L. Gilbert, David Me Donald, Henry B. Roberts and Elias Wood- worth, Jr., 1848: Otis Colwell, Manrice L. Avers, Marshall M. Strong. Herman S. Thorp and James D. Reymert, 1849; Caleb P. Barnes, Stephen O. Bennett. Horace M. Chapman, Samuel Hale and George M. Robinson, 1850; James Tinker, William L. Utley and Peter Van Vliet, 1851; James Catton, Abram Gordon and William L. Utley, 1852; Philo Belden, William H. Roc, Horace T. Saunders and Thomas West, 1853: Nelson R. Norton, John Smith, Thomas West and Charles S. Wright, 1854; Eb- enezer Adams, Caleb P. Barnes, Thomas Falvey and Alanson Filer, 1855: Patrick G. Cheves, Eliphalet Cram, Thomas Falvey and John T. Palmer, 1856: James Catton, Llewellyn JJ. Evans, Peter C. Entkin and Joseph Nelson, 1857: Samuel Collins, Ed- ward G. Dyer, George W. Seldon and Herman Warner, 1858: William Ballack, Franklin E. Hoyt, William P. Lyon (Speaker) and Leonard S. Van Vliet, 1859; Lewis L. Baldwin, Kund Lang- land. William P. Lyon and Frederick A. Weage, 1860; Simeon S. Bradford, Samuel E. Chapman, Gilbert Knapp and Orlando
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
C. Munroe, 1861; Thomas Butler, James Catton and Calvin Il. Upham, 1862; Iliram L. Gilmore, Orlando C. Munroe and Iloratio T. Taylor, 1863; Philo Belden, George C. Northrop and Henry Stevens, 1864; Elijah C. Salisbury, John Vaughan and Frederick A. Weage, 1865; James O. Bartlett, Philo Belden and George Q. Erskine, 1866; Charles E. Dyer and Hiram D. Morse, 1867; Hiram L. Gilmore and Charles E. Dyer, 1868: Hiram L. Gilmore and Albert L. Phillips, 1869; Albert L. Phillips and Ira A. Rice, 1870; Lucius S. Blake and George Bremner, 1871; Richard B. Bates and William V. Moore, 1872; John Elkins and Richard Richards, 1873: Charles F. Bliss and Elias N. White, 1874-75; Norton J. Field and Elias N. White, 1876; Norton J. Field and John F. Rice, 1877; Patrick G. Cheves and Charles Jonas, 1878; Kmid Adland and Norton JJ. Field, 1879; John Bosustow and William P. Packard, 1880; Norton J. Field and Sidney A. Sage, 1881 (since 1882 members of the assembly have been elected biennially in the even numbered years and the ses- sion begins in January following the election) ; Adam Apple and William P. Packard, 1882; Adam Apple and Edward A. Egery, 1886; Alfred L. Buchan, 1888; JJoshua E. Dodge, 1890 (Racine County was then divided into two assembly districts); Peter Nelson and Francis Reuschlein, 1892; George H. Blake and C. M. Hambright, 1894; William T. Lewis and Thomas HI. Mosher. 1896; George Ela and John C. Wagner, 1898; George Ela and John W. Owen, 1900; John Dixon and John H. Kamper, 1902; William H. Bell and John O. Thomas, 1904, both re-elected in 1906; Wallace Ingalls and John II. Kamper, 1908; William II. Bell and John H. Kamper, 1910; Charles H. Everett and Joseph (. Hamata, 1912; John Dixon and Hemy J. Herzog, 1914.
CHRONOLOGY
In the foregoing chapters a conscientious effort has been made to show the progress of Racine Comty along industrial, rivie, educational, professional and religious lines, from the earliest settlement to the present time, and to record her part in the military and political affairs of the state and nation. As a fitting conclusion to this work, the following summary of events leading up to the settlement and organization of the county, or events that stand out with prominence in its more recent history, has been compiled for ready reference.
..
MAIN STREET LOOKING SOUTH, RACINE
THE LUCIUS APARTMENTS, RACINE
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HISTORY OF RACINE COUNTY
Every civilized country on the globe, as well as each of its political subdivisions, is the product of a series of events, each one of which wielded an influence in shaping its destiny. At first glance, some of the events in the list appended may appear to have no direct connection with the story of Racine County, but a closer analysis will make it apparent that each one is a link in the great chain of evolution. For example: The char- tering of the Hudson's Bay Company on May 2, 1670, may seem irrelevant to a history of the county. But without the support of this company the English trappers and traders might not have become active and aggressive competitors of the French for the fur trade about the Great Lakes, the French and Indian War might have been averted, and the French remained in un- disputed possession of the country. In that case the history of the region now comprising the State of Wisconsin can only be conjectured.
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