The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc., Part 57

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 899

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By the Constitution, adopted when the Territory became a State in 1848, two Representa- tives in Congress were provided for by dividing the State into two Congressional Districts, the First District being composed of the counties of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Racine, Wal- worth, Rock and Green. Under this authority, an election was held May 8, 1848, and William Pitt Lynde was elected Member of Congress for the First District.

At the first session of the State Legislature, June 5 to August 21, 1848, the State was divided into three Congressional Districts, the Second being composed of the counties of Rock, Green, La Fayette, Grant, Dane, Iowa, Sauk, Richland, Crawford, Adams, Portage, Chippewa, La Pointe and St. Croix, which apportionment continued unchanged until 1861. This district was represented in Congress as follows:

Thirty-first Congress, Orsamus Cole; Thirty-second Congress, Ben C. Eastman ; Thirty- third Congress, Ben C. Eastman ; Thirty-fourth Congress, C. C. Washburn ; Thirty-fifth Con- gress, C. C. Washburn; Thirty-sixth Congress, C. C. Washburn ; Thirty-seventh Congress, Luther Hanchett ; t Thirty-seventh, Walter McIndoe.

At the Fourteenth Session of the Legislature, January 9 to May 27, 1861, the State was divided into six Congressional Districts, the Second District being composed of the counties of Rock, Jefferson, Dane and Columbia. For the next ten years, this district was represented in the National Legislature by :

Thirty-eighth Congress, Ithamar C. Sloan ; Thirty-ninth Congress, Ithamar C. Sloan; Fortieth, Benjamin F. Hopkins ; Forty-first Congress, Benjamin F. Hopkins #; Forty-first Congress, David Atwood ; Forty-second Congress, Gerry W. Hazelton.

The present Congressional apportionment was made at the Twenty-fifth Session of the Legis- lature, January 10 to March 27, 1872, when the State was divided into eight districts, and Rock County included in the First, which was composed of the counties of Racine, Rock, Kenosha, Walworth and Waukesha. From the last apportionment to the present time the repre- sentatives from the First District have been :

Forty-third Congress, Charles G. Williams; Forty-fourth Congress, Charles G. Williams ; Forty-fifth Congress, Charles G. Williams; Forty-sixth Congress, Charles G. Williams.

RAILROADS.

It is true that, though the influx of seekers of new homes in Rock County was at an early day exceptionally large and was steadily maintained, the generous soil yielded so abundantly that in a short time the new settlers were confronted with the intensely practical difficulty and embarrassment-a supply of agricultural products far in excess of the demand. Nor was this excess confined only to the results of the farmer's labors. Energy, industry and enterprise speedily made the water power of Rock River subservient to the ingenuity and skill of the set- tlers, and various manufactured products were the result. The question then arose as to the best means to dispose of this surplus. The customary markets, Chicago and Milwaukee, were both "a long way off," if dependence was to be placed only on the primitive ox or horse team, and the time consumed in travel added greatly to the cost of production, but not one farthing to the market price. The old problem was to be solved once more; the producer and consumer were to be brought nearer together, in time if not in distance; and the plain, rugged, com- mon sense of the prudent and thrifty class which had built up the prosperous settlements in

* Appointed Governor of the Territory by President Tyler September 13, 1841, and resigned his seat as delegate.

t Died November 24, 1862, and Walter McIndoe elected to fill vacancy December 30, 1862.

: Died January 1, 1870, and Daniel Atwood elected to fill vacancy February 15, 1870.

Any att Shuth

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

ock County in a comparatively brief period, saw that the railroad presented the only means solution. With characteristic energy, they addressed themselves to the task. Meetings were Id in various portions of the State. Addresses were made, calling the attention of capitalists the great prospective gains which must almost inevitably follow the construction of a railroad rough so fertile and prosperous a country, particularly as the comparatively level surface of e Rock River Valley presented but the slightest possible engineering difficulties and rendered certain that the cost of construction could be anything but heavy as contrasted with the bene- 3 to be immediately derived. By these and all other available mediums of influencing public inion and promoting the success of enterprises, so indispensable to the rapid development and e permanent prosperity of the country, the undertaking was forced upon public attention.

The citizens of Janesville were the first to take steps toward the construction of a railroad; d, as early as January, 1838, the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of isconsin authorized the construction of a railroad line from Racine to Janesville. The incor- rators of this scheme were Lorenzo Janes, Bushnell B. Cary, Elias Smith, Consider Heath, igene Gillespie, H. D. Wood and Charles Leet, of Racine County ; Samuel F. Phoenix, of alworth County, and Henry F. Janes, of Rock County. The capital stock was $500,000, rided into shares of $100 each. A partial survey of the route was made, but the project was andoned after unsuccessful efforts to accumulate funds for the necessary expenses.

In 1844, another effort was made to construct a line. this time from Lake Michigan to the ssissippi River. It was the design of the projectors that the towns along the lake shore, as Il as those on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, should compete for terminal privileges. It s intended the road should pass through Janesville, no matter what the result at either end ght be. Though nothing was done toward actual work upon the road, this scheme proved to a sort of entering wedge to the almost interminable railway strife which followed.

By an act approved August 19, 1848, passed by the first Legislature under the State vernment, a charter was granted the Madison & Beloit Railroad Company for the purpose of ilding a road up the Rock River Valley from Beloit to Janesville; thence to the mouth of : Catfish, and up that valley to Madison.

The incorporators of the Madison & Beloit road were George H. Slaughter, Thomas W. Suth- and, Thomas T. Whittlesey, Nathaniel W. Dean, Daniel B. Sneden; David L. Mills, Joseph Doe, A. Hyatt Smith, Edward V. Whiton, W. H. H. Bailey, Timothy Jackman, David oggle, Alfred Field and John Hackett. After the charter was granted, the company was ganized by the election of the following officers : President, A. Hyatt Smith, of Janesville ; cretary, W. A. Lawrence, Janesville ; Tre surer and Assistant Secretary, Joseph W. Cur- r, New York ; Directors, A. Hyatt Smith, Timothy Jackman, William F. Tompkins, Ira Itimore, G. F. A. Atherton, Charles Stevens, W. A. Lawrence, J. B. Doe, B. F. Pixley.

An act of the Legislature was procured, approved February 4, 1850, authorizing the Com- y to terminate their road at any point on the State line between Illinois and Wisconsin, and Connect with any other road, and also to extend the road from Madison to the Wisconsin er. An act was also procured authorizing the Company to extend its road from Janesville, Dway of Ft. Atkinson, Jefferson and Watertown, to Lake Winnebago, and the name of the mpany was changed to the Rock River Valley Union Railroad. A charter was obtained from Illinois Legislature for the Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad Company to build a road running Chicago northwesterly to the point where the Company's road would intersect the State - The Beloit & Madison line was resumed at a later day by a different company, and Lme the Madison Division of the present Chicago & North-Western Railway.

Subsequently, Stevens, Miltimore and Tompkins withdrew from the Directory, and were seeded by John B. Macy, of Fond du Lac, Robert J. Walker, of Washington, and William Ld of New York. Further legislation followed, authorizing the Company to extend its line St. Croix Falls. In July, 1851, work was begun on the line at the city limits of Chicago, during the following three years, a large amount of excavation was completed at the heavy south of Janesville, and between Janesville and Watertown, along the entire route. The

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

management remained without change until 1854, when a re organization was effected. A. Hyatt Smith resigned as President and was succeeded by Charles Butler, of New York, and Joseph W. Currier succeeded W. A. Lawrence as Secretary. The mortgages were foreclosed, and the property was purchased by Robert J. Walker, as Trustee for the bondholders. Up to 1855, there had been built thirty-eight and a half miles of the road in Illinois. By acts of the Legislatures of the two States, the two roads were authorized to consolidate, which they did under the name of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Company. The new regime was as follows : President, William B. Ogden, of Chicago; Vice Presidents, James W. Hickok, of Boston, and Nelson K. Whalen, of New York; Secretary, J. W. Currier, New York ; Trene- urer, Charles Butler, New York ; Superintendent, S. F. Johnson.

During the first year of the new management, the road in Illinois was completed to the State line, and in 1856, Janesville was connected with Chicago. The Northern Division of the road was also finished to Minnesota Junction, where its connection with the La Crosse & Mil- waukee road was established. Running arrangements were made with the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Company, then complete to Prairie du Chien, by which through trains were run from Chicago to that point without change of cars, via Janesville and Milton Junction. The corporation is now known as the Chicago & North-Western Railway Company.

The foregoing is a statement of the facts connected with the successful building through Rock County of what is now the North-Western Railway. There is no allusion to the deep interest felt by the people, the trials and troubles of the early management, or the sharp contests and shrewd intrigues which generally attend the growth of all railway enterprises. It is the duty of the historian to go beneath the surface and bring forth the material facts which lead to results. History is a review of the past, not a prediction of the future. We must go back to the earliest inception of the North-Western Railway scheme, and record a few, at least, of the early incidents which belong to its history.

The Beloit Journal, of August 10, 1848, under the caption of "The Rock River Rail- road," contained the following :

The last Watertown Chronicle devotes a column to this subject. It says that there is a strong and constantly increasing interest manifested in favor of the road, to connect at this place with the branch of the Chicago & Galeme road, and continue north to Fond du Lac. It says, also, that, according to Capt. Cram's survey. the descent from Lake Winnebago to Beloit is only about two hundred feet, something less than two feet per mile. Timber is abund- ant along the route, no excavations of any magnitude would be required, and it is believed by the friends of the project that the General Government would grant a liberal appropriation of its unsold lands toward its construction. It has a donation of 800,000 acres to the Chicago & Galena road.

In the issue of the 13th of the same month, there appears the exultant statement : "The Beloit and Fond du Lac Railroad Bill has passed the Senate, and is now a law," and in another column of the same issue we find the following :

A writer in the Milwaukee Sentinel and Gazette remarks, among other things, "That the proposed road from Fond du Lac to Beloit will be constructed, there cannot be a doubt, for the same spirit which has already put in pre- gress the Chicago road will prevail along the Rock River Valley. The Chicago road has been regarded by the farmers. in our sister State as a work upon which the whole prosperity of the country depends. Every one has contributed to the utmost of his ability, and so great has been the zeal manifested. that many have declared that they had better sell half their farms than to do without the railroad. The grading is now nearly completed for twenty-dix miles ; the timber is in readiness, and 550 tons of railroad iron have been received in Chicago. There cannot be s doubt but that the whole road will be in operation to Elgin (forty miles from Chicago) in the course of next summer. It will not stop there, however. Another season will bring it to Rock River, and, as the line approaches within ten miles of Beloit, the connection with the Rock River road will take place simultaneously.

"On the Boston & Albany Railroad, the cost per mile of running a train is 52 cents, and, in one instance, it way averaged as low as 40 cents. The grades from Beloit to Chicago are far easier than those of any Eastera mail- road, and between Fond du Lac and the former place, the splendid levels on Rock River Valley are unrivalled."

This much having been done, the people were not disposed to waste time in the matter, as is evident from the following from the Beloit Journal of September 28, 1848:

A meeting of the Directors of the Beloit & Fond du Lac Railroad will be held soon at Watertown, to take the preliminary steps toward the construction of this road. We should judge from what we can learn of the feeling north that there was a full determination and confidence that the road should be speedily built. We had the pless- ure, a few days since. of meeting Mr. Morgan, an engineer late in the employ of the Chicago & Galena Company. who has since then passed over the route to Fond du Lac. We find in the Watertown Chronicle of last week a louer

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

"som him concerning the matter. He speaks most favorably of the. feasibility of the construction, and, in conclusion, Omarks : "You may soon accumulate strength to complete the whole at a much earlier period than is now antici- Dasted. A short railroad from a great market seldom pays because it does not collect sufficient business, but yours will Possess all the advantages that are necessary, because however small a section you may commence with, it will be the Extension of a great line. Your profits, therefore, will be realized from the first, and capitalists, having proofs of tlae success of the undertaking, will be ready to assist to any extent that may be required "

But the citizens of Rock County were not disposed to trust entirely to others the pushing- forward of a work so vitally important to themselves. The Beloit Journal, in its issue of December 6, 1848, commenting upon "a meeting of the Commissioners to take into considera- tion the expediency of the construction of the Beloit & Fond du Lac Railroad," to be held at Watertown on the 20th of that month, thus points out the duty of Beloit in connection with the proposed enterprise:

We wish our citizens would take some measure to testify their interest in the matter und attend the convention in considerable strength. It is not enough for us to feel satisfied that these mere advantages of our position will insure the convergence at this point of such channels of trade. We are not to remain idle and let others perform the work in which we are mutually interested, but none to a greater extent than the citizens of this town and neighborhogd.

This urgency was not without its effect, as a meeting was promptly called, to be held at Janesville, an account of the proceedings of which appears in the Gazette of December 29, 1848.

At a meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Madison & Beloit Railroad Company. held pursuant to public notice at Janesville on the 20th of December, 1848, on motion of A. Hyatt Smith, Mr. Thomas T. Whittelsey was appointed President and Thomas W. Sutherland Secretary.

The act of incorporation was read by Mr. Smith.

On motion of Mr. Mills, the following resolution was adopted :

Resolved, That the books for receiving subscriptions to the capital stock of the Madison & Beloit Company be opened on the second Monday in February next, in the villages of Janesville, Beloit and Fulton, in Rock County, and at Madison, in Dane County, and that notice thereof be given in the newspapers published in Beloit, Janesville and Madison, and that said books be kept open thirty days.

On motion of Mr. Smith, the Secretary was authorized to procure books for the subscription of the capital stock, and that the annexed form of subscription be prescribed :

We, the subscribers hereto, each for himself and not one for the other. hereby agree to take and pay for the number of shares subscribed by us respectively of the capital stock of the Madison & Beloit Railroad Company. according to the terms and conditions of the act of incorporation of said company, approved August 19, 1848.

On motion of David Noggle, Timothy Jackman was authorized to receive the moneys paid in to the several Com- missioners on opening of the books.

On motion of Mr. Field, it was ordered that the proceedings of this meeting be published in the several news- papers printed in Madison, Janesville and Beloit.

On motion, the Board adjourned to meet in Janesville, at the office of Smith, Parker & Jordan, on Wednesday, the 14th of March next, at 2 P. M. THOMAS T. WHITTELSEY, President.

THOMAS W. SUTHERLAND, Secretary.

The Beloit & Madison Railroad being thus auspiciously started, with the most flattering prospects of being carried forward to a speedy completion, the people began to reflect that if it were desirable and practicable to construct a railroad to Madison, it would be still more bene- ficial and but little more difficult to extend their road still further to the north, as a means of securing, if not of creating, a market for their surplus at each end of the line. This idea once started must have been energetically followed up, for, before the end of 1849, the Beloit Journal contained the following account of another railroad meeting held at Watertown :

At a meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Beloit & Taycheedah Railroad, convened at the Planters' Hotel, in the village of Watertown, on Thursday, the 1st day of November, 1849. in pursuance of the following notice, to wit : " A meeting of the Commissioners of the Beloit & Taycheedah Railroad Company will be held at the Planters' Hotel, at Watertown, on Thursday, the 1st day of November, 1849, at 12 o'clock M., for the purpose of organization. The attendance of the Commissioners generally is requested-ten being necessary to constitute a quo- rum. October 22, 1849. L. A. Cole, William Sanborn, Alvin Foster. Dwight Foster, Milo Jones, Alonzo Wing." The following Commissioners were present, to wit : A. Hyatt Smith, Timothy Jackman, Milo Jones, Dwight Foster. John Van Eps, Hiram Barber, Alonzo Wing, William Sanborn, Luther A. Cole and Alvin Foster.

A quorum being present, the Board was organized by the appointment of the Hon. A. Hyatt Smith, of the county of Rock, as President, and W. M. Dennis, of the county of Dodge, was appointed Secretary.

The following letter from the Hon. Mason C. Darling, one of the Commissioners, was read, and ordered to be entered on the minutes of the Board, to wit :

" FOND DU LAC, October 31, 1849.

"GENTS: Until to-day I had anticipated the pleasure of meeting your Board at their meeting to-morrow, on the subject of the railroad ; and now nothing short of an almost impossibility prevents me from being with you. 1 look upon the project as one of the utmost importance to all of our interests. In my opinion, no part of the United

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

States is more feasible for a good railroad ; and certainly when we take into consideration the beauty and fertility of country, and the number of flourishing villages on the route, soon destined to be important towns. no part of the United States offers a fairer prospect of business operations than the Rock River Valley. Anything, gentlemen, that you shall consider best for the promotion of this object will meet my hearty co-operation. Please, if consistent, receive Judge Macy as my substitute in the matter. Yours very respectfully, M. C. DARLING.

"To the Board of Commissioners of Beloit & Taycheedah R. R."

Also the following letter from (). S. Wright, Esq., a Commissioner, which was ordered to be entered on the minutes, to wit :

" FOND DU LAC, October 31, 1849.

"GENTS: Anything that you shall conclude best for the promotion of this object will meet my hearty co-opera- tion. Please, if consistent, receive T. L. Gillett as my substitute in the matter. Yours very respectfully, "To the Board of Commissioners of Beloit & Taycheedah R. R.

O. S. WRIGHT."

The President addressed the Board in a few appropriate remarks, touching the object of the Convention, and concluded by introducing John B. Macy, Esq., of Fond du Lac, who addressed the Convention in a very interesting manner upon the prospect of obtaining the necessary subscription to the capital stock of this Company.

On motion of Hiram Barber, of the county of Dodge, the following resolutions were adopted, to wit :

Resolved, That books for receiving subscriptions to the capital stock of the Beloit & Taycheedah Railroad Company be opened on the second Monday of February next, at 12 o'clock at noon, at the following places. to wit : At the office of Mason C. Darling, in the village of Fond du Lac, under the direction and superintendence of Mason C. Darling: at Phelps' Hotel, in the village of Mayville, under the direction and superintendence of Alvin Foster: at the store of John Van Eps, in the village of Beaver Dam, under the direction and superintendence of John Van Eps ; at the Jefferson House, in the village of Jefferson, under the direction and superintendence of William San- born ; at the Planters' Hotel, in the village of Watertown, under the direction and superintendence of Luther A. Cole ; at the Green Mountain House, in the village of Ft. Atkinson, under the direction and superintendence of Milo Jones; and at the office of A. Hyatt Smith, in the village of Janesville, under the direction and superintendence of A. Hyatt Smith.

Resolved, That the foregoing resolution be published in all the newspapers printed in Janesville, Watertown and Fond du Lac.

Resolved, That the following form be adopted in receiving subscriptions to the capital stock of this Company. to wit : We, the subscribers hereto, each for himself, and not one for the other, in consideration of $1 to each of us in hand paid, do hereby bind to take and procure the number of shares of stock of the Beloit & Taycheedah Railroad Company by us respectively subscribed hereto, and to pay for the same in such manner and in such installments as shall be agreed by the Directors of the said Company, in pursuance of the charter thereof.

Resolved, That John B. Macy, Esq., be fully authorized as the agent of the Commissioners of this railroad company to solicit and receive subscriptions to the capital stock thereof, in New York and the Eastern States.

Resolved, That the next meeting of this Board be held at the Planters' Hotel, in the village of Watertown, on the 16th day of February next, at 12 o'clock at noon of that day.

Resolved, That the Secretary of this Board be directed to furnish the Commissioners with the necessary forms and blanks for subscriptions to the capital stock, and also to procure the publication of the proceedings of this meeting.

It was ordered by the Board that 400 copies of the charter of' this Company be printed in pamphlet form. under the direction of Luther A. Cole.

On motion of Alvin Foster, the Board adjourned. A. HYATT SMITH, President.

WILLIAM M. DENNIS, Secretary:

But important enterprises move slowly, be their projectors and promoters ever so enthusi- astic and energetic. As the undertaking comes to be weighed and examined in all its bearings. new and unforeseen difficulties arise, which are to be overcome or modified only after thorough examination and frequently protracted negotiation. And this would appear to have been the fate of the Beloit & Madison Railroad ; for, notwithstanding the very decided steps taken at Janesville on the 20th of December, 1848, no actual progress appears to have been made for nearly twelve months ; as we find in the Beloit Journal of December 13, 1849, a congratulatory article prompted by a feeling of satisfaction that a serious difficulty had been surmounted, mingled with hope that it would prove the last which should impede the prosecution of the important under- taking. The Journal says :

The great necessity to this vicinity of railroad communication, at an early day, is duly felt by our citizens. Nothing has, however, yet been done toward that end. The reason for this has been that it was uncertain where effort could expended to the greatest advantage. If the railroads north, or either of them, come down to ns, we must have an outlet, or they will be useless. If our capitalists put their means into them. and it should prove neces- sary for them, afterward. to form the connection with the Chicago road, they might find themselves unable to do so: consequently, they concluded to wait until they could see themselves clear. Now all embarrassment has been removed. At an informal meeting of the Directors of the Chicago & Galena road, held at Chicago last week, the Board passed a resolution, giving assurance that they would form a connection, by lateral rond, with the Madison & Beloit road, as soon as that was completed. The regular meeting soon to be held, will doubtless confirm the new- lution. Let us, then, take up this matter in earnest. There is no possible doubt but that it might be in running

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The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc., Part 57

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 899

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 899