The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc, Part 63

Author: Western Historical Co
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 774

USA > Wisconsin > Dodge County > The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc > Part 63

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

Hodgman, lived with his father, Asa Hodgman, on the lot now occupied by the new schoohouse in the First Ward, and both worked at coopering in the shop where Mr. R. N. Banks now pursues the same calling. Mr. Ager kept the Exchange Hotel, a marvel of elegance and comfort at that time, and by far the most aristocratic and noted public house within a radius of many miles. William Fisher, who is now a resident of the town of Burnett, and Mr. Brobriant were partners in the blacksmithing business, in a shop which stood where Rowell's foundry and agricultural implement works stand now. L. H. Marvin and E. W. Goodnow established a cabinet-shop near the present site of Hoyt's Mill, and lived in a house adjoining. The shop is still used by Mr. Marvin for the same purpose, but now stands near the north end of Beaver street bridge. Amos Grattan lived in the house with Dr. Kimball, and was a partner of Weed in the blacksmithing business. The tailoring business was represented by Stephen Horn, who kept a shop about where the Clark House stands now. John Thomas worked in the shop with him at times. Truman Parker kept a grocery in the building now occupied by Mr. Weimer as a glove-factory. His stock consisted of crackers and cheese, a few herring, a small stock of sugar, a few pounds of tea, pepper, salt, salaratus, soap, candles, some fly-specked candy, pipes and tobacco. He also manufactured a beverage known as "burr-oak cider," a base imitation of apple-juice. It is related of this individual, that a customer one day called at his store and asked for a pound of cheese, but was informed by the astonished Parker that he only sold cheese at retail.

"In the spring of 1846, Abner Thompson commenced to build what isknown as the Sewell Haskell House on Front street. Dr. Noyes at the same time was boarding at the Exchange, and building the house now owned and occupied by Mr. S. T. Carroll.

"In the same spring, the community was gratified by the arrival in their midst of Mr. William Gowdey and his family. Mr. G. at once purchased a site and proceeded to build a house near where Dr. Hoyt resides at present. Mrs. Gowdey entered with zeal upon the church work of the Baptist society, and it was mainly through her efforts that the society, whose quarter- centennial anniversary you now celebrate, was organized. We are not informed as to the em- ployment of the youthful David at this time. It is probable, however, that he was then explor- ing the brooks of knowledge, in search of some small pebbles with which to slay the Republican giant, whose shadow, coming before, was even then seen in the land.

" The record of the first settlers would be incomplete without a brief notice of 'Big John ' Hooper. Six feet four inches in height, and well proportioned, he possessed the strength of two ordinary men. He, too, was a blacksmith, and many are the tales of his wonderful strength, of iron bars broken and twisted as reeds in his hands, of restive horses held firmly as in a vise in his heavy arms; and yet, with all his strength, his disposition was gentle as a child's. His voice was a marvel of depth and power, and, in ordinary conversation, was the terror of timid strangers, so loud and coarse, and when his boisterous laughter echoed through the valley, it brought back to the memory of his neighbors recollections of the labored puffs of the strained steam engines in the villages they had left in the East. He built a portion of the Stevens House, soon after the time of which I write. There was at this time but one church in the place, a small building which stood immediately south of Mr. Alfred Loomis' house. It was built by the Presbyterian society, but occasional services were held in it by Rev. Mr. Pillsbury, Baptist. At other times, the Baptists held meetings in private houses. Meetings were held regularly each Sabbath and the entire community attended, women bringing their children, even to the babe at the breast. No groups of idlers were seen lounging on the streets upon the Sabbath, no shouts of drunken men, no sound of revelry. The foot of civilization seems to have slipped here and gone backward.

"The present site of the city was at this time embraced in School District No. 3, of the town of Beaver Dam. The schoolhouse was situated near the present site of Mr. J. C. Hall's residence upon an acre of ground which had been donated to the district for that purpose by Mr. J. P. Brower. The schoolhouse was a small building about 20x26 feet, one story high, and was built in 1844, being used as a schoolhouse until 1852, when, the district having failed to com- ply with certain conditions necessary to secure a perfect title, the property reverted to Mr.

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

Brower. The building now stands on Mill street. Twenty-five years ago, the only school in Beaver Dam was taught by Mr. G. W. Green, of whom mention has been previously made. He is said to have been eminently well fitted for the position, and always felt a deep interest in the education of youth. Mails were received once each week, via Watertown, and were generally brought on horseback.

" I have thus, as briefly as possible, located the residence of every resident of Beaver Dam twenty-five years ago. They were few in number, as compared with the present population, but there were no drones in the hive. All worked harmoniously and energetically, with a unity of purpose that gave their efforts the force of greater numbers. The lust of political ambition and the greed of gain had not covered their hearts with the thick rust of selfishness, and hid the bright jewels of their better nature. There was little need of courts or lawyers. Moses Rowley, who lived on the farm now owned by Mr. William Parker, near Mr. Parker's present residence, was the first, and for a long time the only Justice of the Peace in the community. He dis- pensed justice, much as physicians now do medicine, carrying his docket-books and papers under his arm, and holding his court as near the scene of the difficulty to be adjudicated as possible. In his decisions of points of law and settlement of difficulties, he was as impartial as a man of his strong prejudices could be, and his long continuance in office is strong evidence of the fav- orable estimation in which he was held by his neighbors.

" The appearance of the village at this time may be imagined from the following summary : The population did not exceed one hundred and twenty souls. On the territory now embraced by the First Ward of this city there were but twenty-one buildings of all kinds; in the Second Ward four; in the Third Ward three, and in the Fourth Ward ten, making in all thirty-eight buildings, including private residences, stores, shops. hotels and mills. A small cluster of houses on Madison, and a few on Front street, was all of Beaver Dam that could then be seen at one view. All of what is now the First Ward, except that portion lying along Madison street, and perhaps one-fourth of an acre where Rowells' factory now stands, was covered with heavy timber. The Second Ward was entirely covered with timber, except a small space where Mr. J. C. Hall now resides, which had been partially cleared to make room for a schoolhouse, and the clearing made by Messrs. Stultz and Ackerman, east of the Ackerman Spring. The road ran over the hill diagonally across Mr. S. M. Stevens' lot and the Union Schoolhouse grounds, past Mr. Ackerman's, and an Indian trail followed down the river. near the edge of the pond. As late as the fall of 1848, my informant saw three wild deer quietly lying in the bushes near Edgerton's livery stable. In Lewis' mill-pond, the original timber was still stand- ing, dead and unsightly. This entire block and the one on which the Presbyterian Church stands was a pasture, with no improvements upon it except a small clearing made in the spring of 1846, by Mr. Gowdey, where Mr. Hoyt nov lives, the Mackie farm and a narrow strip along Front street. The Fourth Ward was entirely covered with heavy timber. There was little or no underbrush, except upon the low ground, where an impenetrable thicket was formed by wild plums, grape vines, prickly ash and all the varieties of small timber which are still seen in the timber south of the city.

"There was little or no underbrush or small timber to obstruct the view or prevent the settlers from driving their wagons where the ground seemed most favorable. In these old oaks and in these first settlers we trace a sad and striking similarity. One by one, the old oaks have disappeared by gradual decay or the lust of men, and in their stead is seen in unmolested spots a thick growth of young and vigorous timber. Here and there may still be seen within the city limits one of the same old monarchs which nodded a welcome to the pioneer as he passed beneath its shade, but most of them have disappeared, and the existence of the remainder will be brief.

" So with the men who made the first entry in this book of Nature, where since then so many pages of beauty have been written. One by one, they too have passed away to other scenes of earthly usefulness, or been hurried on by death to that undiscovered country whence they may never return. But few remain, and who can say how many will be left at the close of another decade ?

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

" The first child born in the community was Mr. George Stultz, our young townsman, and the settlers were first reminded that Death too was here, by the removal of a little child of Mr. .Goetschius, and a grandchild of Mr. Mackie. The first wedding was attended by most of the community ; a Mr. Charles Smith, who lived on Ackerman's farm, was the victim. A noted wedding took place soon after at the neighboring settlement of Waupun, which many of our peo- ple attended. A sister of Mr. Smith was to be married, and at her request Mr. Abraham Ack- erman went to Waupun, where the parties resided, to perform the ceremony. Many of the peo- ple from here accompanied him. Upon their arrival at Waupun, they found an arbor prepared, sufficient to shelter a large party, and an ample collation spread. All were in readiness, and the happy couple presented themselves for obligation, when an unforeseen difficulty presented itself. The parties to be united, and the good cheer spread were in Fond du Lac County, and Judge Ackerman was only authorized to perform the ceremony in Dodge. The difficulty was speedily removed by the blooming bride, who led her future lord and guests about eighty rods, within the limits of Dodge County, and the twain were made one beyond any legal doubt. There are those present who remember the pleasant gathering at this wedding. It is almost painful to hear these incidents recounted by the old settlers, and listen to their evidence with reference to their early days. All agree that these were the halcyon days of Beaver Dam, and in their peaceful flow the poetical idea of Arcadian happiness was almost realized: There were burdens grievous and heavy to be borne, and, shared by all, they were light to each. If there was, joy in one household, smiles wreathed the face of the entire settlement ; if there was grief, tender and sympathetic counsel and words of cheer robbed sorrow of its gloom. A grief thus shared is lighter to the stricken heart. Those were truly happy days, and to them the eyes of more than one of the early set- tlers of Beaver Dam still turn with longing, even as the eyes of an exiled angel turn toward the heaven which he has forfeited. Between the twilight and the candles, when memory with all of us takes its widest range, even yet the tear of regret for those good old times will steal down the furrows in cheeks that then were smooth, and the long-drawn breath and sigh attest that memory is at work on the old man's heart. With a community of interest, an entire unselfishness, a freedom from restraints and formalities which society imposes, in the fierce struggle with Nature, man turned aside for awhile from battling with himself, and joined in the common purpose of utilizing the gifts of God. But in the comparison of then and now, who shall regret the change ? These men saw only the good which the gods did then provide, and did not then, nor do they now, see the evil which did then exist. Mankind are seldom optimists, and seldom invest with romance scenes as they pass, but looking back as they go down the hill, they see the years tinged with the radiance of the sun setting before them, and do not see the shadows which lie beneath its sheen. In the struggle of conflicting interests, in the tumult and confusion and cares of business, the worst side of man's nature is oftener uppermost. But I am not willing to believe that man was by nature or education better then than now. There may be more base metal in circulation now, bearing the image of the great model, than then, but there is also more of pure gold ; there may be more weeds, but there is also more golden grain ; there may be more vice and immorality, more wicked, base designing men, but there is also a mightier host of great- hearted, noble men and women to counteract and check these evils.

" Of the Beaver Dam of to-day you all know. Many of you have known it in every stage of its progress. You have seen the little one-run grist-mill, barely sufficient to supply the wants of the little community of 1846, give place to a larger one, whose revolving shafts and rumbling machinery are capable of grinding flour for an army, and other mills have been added, until fourteen runs of stone within a radius of two miles and their production tell the story of their work in all the principal markets of the Union. The little blacksmith-shop of Brobriant & Fisher has modestly stepped aside, and instead of the merry ring of Brobriant's hammer, as it struck the anvil in the morning, you now hear the steam-whistle calling a hundred men to labor in Rowell's factory. The modest retailing establishments of Snow & Van Eps and Manahan, not forgetting our friend Truman Parker, have disappeared, and in their stead we have stores as ele- gant and spacious as any that Milwaukee can boast.

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

" The Eagle Tavern outlived its usefulness as a hotel. The Exchange has been destroyed by fire. The Empire has been removed. But their places have been filled by others, of which we may well be proud. Where, twenty-five years ago, but one small house was dedicated to the worship of the Most High God, now eight noble churches lift their spires to Heaven, like finger- board's upon the highway of life, to show the traveler the route he ought to travel. The little district schoolhouse has given place to five elegant and capacious school buildings, and still the need is deemed unsatisfied. A noble University, supplied with professors and teachers who would do no discredit to the most eminent institution in the land, opens wide its doors and bids the youth of Wisconsin welcome within its walls. The stream which, twenty-five years ago, ran and leaped so blithely and idly past the doors of our pioneer settlers, as though in haste to join its comrades in their march to the sea, has been harnessed to the chariot of labor in almost every step of its progress, and the busy hum of machinery is heard where then only the wild duck answered to the call of its mate. Factories and foundries, instead of spinning-wheels and manual labor ; churches and schoolhouses, railroads and telegraphs, instead of stage-coaches and weekly mails, a population of 3,500 souls, a people prosperous, useful and happy-these are the changes which twenty-five years have wrought. Looking back, we have abundant room for thankfulness. Looking forward, a broader field of development and usefulness presents itself, a richer promise meets our eyes. The men of whom I have spoken laid broad and deep the foundations for a noble social structure. Others have builded well and wisely thereon. No city in the State of equal population can boast of better public buildings, of more successful and honorable business men, of more tasty private residences, of a more industrious or con- tented people. Shade trees ornament our streets ; the wealth and taste of our citizens have adorned and made attractive their private grounds ; choice varieties of all the fruits grown in this latitude repay abundantly their foresight and fostering care.

" The associations connected with this growth and development are dear to you, and will be doubly dear to those who shall come after you. Your predecessors saw their duty clearly defined ; yours is equally plain. To preserve the landmarks which they established; to perfect what their hands failed to accomplish ; to elevate the social status of the community by encour- aging churches and schools and every agency which tends to make men wiser and better."

THE OLD SETTLERS' CLUB.

In March, 1875, the prominent citizens of Beaver Dam, with commendable taste and fore- sight, worthy of their intelligence, organized an Old Settler's Club, and elected the following officers : L. H. Marvin, President ; J. H. Ward, J. W. McNitt and H. W. Lander, Vice Pres- idents ; D. C. Gowdey and Thomas Hughes, Secretaries ; R. H. Ellis, Treasurer ; J. Bowes, Marshal. It was decided to hold the first annual meeting on the evening of May 20, arrange- ments having been made with the Rev. J. J. Miter to deliver the first annual address ; but on the 5th of May, this very highly respected citizen was claimed as a victim of Death, and the meeting was postponed till the 17th of June, the Hon. H. W. Lander, one of the Vice Presi- dents of the Club, being chosen as the orator of the occasion. At the appointed time, a large and interesting audience assembled at Concert Hall, and, after music by the Beaver Dam Cornet Band, prayer by the Rev. E. P. Beecher, and a song (" Give Me My Own Native Isle ") by the Germain sisters, President Marvin made a few introductory remarks, during which he said :

* There always has been implanted in the hearts of mankind a universal desire for immortality, and this is a most laudable desire, and has been manifested in different ways. Some have, by means of their wealth and influence, gathered vast armies of their fellow- men, and, in their course to grasp at universal empire, have left destruction, famine, disease and death in their track. Others, who have been blessed with more gentle natures, have spent their lives and influence in important discoveries and in ameliorating the condition of the suffer- ing and oppressed. Others have spent vast sums of money in erecting costly monuments, on which they have inscribed their names and deeds, to be handed down and gazed upon by future generations of men. Every man and woman, and every town, city and locality, has a history

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

peculiar to itself; some peculiarity, some circumstances connected with their lives or the settle- ment of the place, which distinguishes them from every other. Some men are possessed of a resolute and determined spirit, that surmounts difficulties and overcomes opposing obstacles. Such were the distinguished characteristics of the pioneers of this Western civilization. They possessed more energy and manifested more true heroism than any other set of men, except, perhaps, the first settlers of the American colonies and the heroes of American Independence. The men who, in the earlier days, bid adieu to parents, friends and neighbors, and the comforts · of a more advanced civilization which were then enjoyed in the Eastern States, to make new homes in this Western wilderness and lay the foundation of a great State, were benefactors of man- kind. These men are worthy of the adulation of all succeeding generations. We feel that the few remaining pioneers have a right to rejoice over their great triumphs in the march of civil- ization and improvement. We feel that the present and future generations may accede to them the same right to rejoice over the extraordinary growth of the West that is granted the old soldiers who fought the battles of their country and established a triumphant peace. The pioneers should have a place in the records of time, upon which after generations may gaze with wonder and delight. * In other countries and in older States of this country, the development of a State was not greater in a century than this State in a little over a generation. The success that has attended the settlement of this country in less than one short generation is alike attributable to the indomitable courage and enterprise of the American people, and to the industrious and thrifty European immigrant. And, in conclusion, let me say that I have been very much disappointed in not seeing more of our European friends join- ing us in this Club. All nationalities should be dropped, and we should shake hands as citizens of one common country, whose interests are alike mutual.

" ' Men, and Women, too : The young and old Of every name and every mold, Of every clime and every nation, Of every rank and every station,

" ' Of every mind and every passion, Of every freak and every fashion, With tastes and characters as various As best of fortunes are precarious.

" ' And then the future ; yes, the future West ! Its growth, its riches, power, who can foresee ? Its grand extent, from mountain crest to crest, From lake to gulf: What is its destiny ?

" ' The central range of one vast continent, It holds the balance firm of all the rest ; From teeming soil that never can be spent, We feed the world as if it were a guest.

" ' Here strangers swarm, a happy home to seek, The waves rush on like ocean's swelling tide ; A few decades, and here shall millions speak The law that shall a mighty empire guide.' "

THE ORATION.

Letters of regret were read from E. P. Smith and D. S. Ordway, after which Mr. Lander was introduced. He said :

" It is the misfortune of many nations of the world, that their early history is lost in the night and darkness of time. Excepting the record preserved in Holy Writ, nothing is known of the first settlement of mankind ; all else beyond a period not far remote is veiled in obscurity. Recourse is often had to fabulous tradition, made up of fabled heroes and demigods in great profusion; the offspring of vanity, ignorance and superstition. The student and lover or history will devote years of time and study over the misty pages of the past, in his endeavors to obtain knowledge of the first settlement of Jerusalem, the Romans, Northmen and the location

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

of the Holy Sepulcher, and the result of their researches afford but little light, and is in fact but little more than tradition. Our country, with its freshness and recent discovery, is more fortunate ; its earliest settlements are well defined, and the student has only to devote himself to a few days of study to become acquainted with our early history as a nation. And it is now only as the star of empire wends its way to the Western world, and new settlements, new towns and new cities are, as if by magic, springing into existence, thrift and importance, that the his- tory of such new locations becomes interesting. And to-night the Old Settlers' Club of Beaver Dam meet for the first time, as has been said, 'for the purpose of reviving old acquaintance, renewing the ties of former years,' and to look about for the men and women who marched forth to the attack upon the forest ; cleared, improved and cultivated the land, and planted themselves as free American citizens in this Western world ; reared their log cabins, bridged the streams, drained the swamps and founded a system of education and free thought. And as time speeds on, those who succeed in the footsteps of the early pioneer and whose lot .has - been cast in pleasant places, will for centuries to come look back with kindly heart and tender memories of those who struggled with hardships, doubt and want, and who paved the way for their comfort and prosperity.

" It is a matter of great sorrow to me and misfortune to you, that he who had been chosen to address you to-night is now numbered among the dead. He had spent days and weeks in gathering together, from time to time, facts and reminiscences connected with the early settle- ment of this city and the surrounding country. He was, beyond all question, with his eminent abilities, more capable of interesting you than any one in our midst; and for many of the facts and data which I shall present to you this evening, I am indebted to the late Rev. John J. Miter, and in many instances copy literally from his manuscript."

THE FIRST SETTLEMENT.

" Prior to 1841, no white man had made his home here; the Indians alone occupied the ground and were the lords of the forest and the prairie. ~ { The first white man who made it his home here was Joseph Goestchius, which was in the spring of 1841, when he put up a shanty by the side of the Mackie Spring. 'Mrs. Goetschius, now Mrs. William Holt, was the first white woman who found a shelter and a home in Beaver Dam. When Mr. Goetschius had completed his shanty, he left his wife alone while he made a trip to Fox Lake. Mrs. Goetschius becom- ing alarmed by the presence of many Indians around the house, locked the door, put out the fire and thus spent a weary and lonely day awaiting the return of her husband. The same spring, and second in order, came Thomas Mackie and wife, and built a log cabin, which still stands near the spring. It will thus be seen that Joseph Goetschius and Thomas Mackie were the first brave and sturdy pioneers who performed the part of resolute ax-men, to fell the tree and prepare the way for the founding of our city. The third settler was Morris Furmin. He built his cabin near where the barn of William Ash now stands, on Railroad avenue. The fourth was Jacob P. Brower, who moved his family here in the fall of 1841, and built his cabin on the north side of Front street, where the bank building now stands. On the 22d day of February, 1842, Abram Ackerman located in this place, and in April following came Henry Stultz and family ; Mr. Ackerman being the fifth and Mr. Stultz the sixth original settler of Beaver Dam. "

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The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc, Part 63

Author: Western Historical Co Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 774

Author: Western Historical Co
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 774