USA > Wisconsin > Waukesha County > The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc > Part 53
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The stair-case that led to the chamber, or garret, more properly speaking, was either rude wooden pins driven in the logs which constituted the side of the house, or a still ruder ladder, made by splitting a sapling and inserting into the two halves, rounds of smaller saplings. The garret aforesaid was frequently only high enough to accommodate a person on his hands and knees, with a floor, perhaps, made of poles, or the sides and bottom of the wagon box, which had to be
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removed every time the wagon was used. It was not unfrequently the case that the women were compelled to mount such a stairway and sleep in such a chamber.
During the first summer, doors and windows were generally mere openings, without frames or glass, blankets or sheets serving to guard the door and at night, to obstruct the glances of the Indians and the entrance of the mosquitoes. The first door was generally hung on long wooden hinges ; opened by a wooden latch and string-the latch-string always hanging on the outside to indicate welcome and hospitality-and fastened by a wooden pin, while more than one window in Waukesha County has had white cloth or greased paper as a substitute for glass.
As to furniture, the variety was as great as the skill which produced it for the different cabins. But what a contrast there would be, were the contents of the most amply furnished house of 1835 or 1836 placed by the side of the contents of the elegant homes of 1880! Not much furniture could be bought at first, and still less was for sale in the earliest days of the settlement of the county. Substitutes for tables and chairs were easily made of split logs-the flat side up-with small saplings for legs ; occasionally, however, the door was taken from its hinges for a table, when the settlers "had company," and re-hung when the meal was finished.
A " prairie bedstead " was made by placing poles on a crotch, and into the opening between the logs. When skillfully made, such a bedstead was by no means uncomfortable, after the thrifty housewife had spread her tick, filled with marsh hay or dried prairie grass, upon it, and added the well-filled, home-made bed of feathers. Sometimes this primitive place of repose, where sleep was as sweet as in the richest chambers of to-day, was hidden by gingham curtains, or by an extra sheet ; but more frequently neither were to be had, and the tallow dip was snuffed out before the household disrobed for the night's rest.
As soon as the cabin was put into such shape as would make it tolerable shelter, it was left to be decorated or cared for by the wife, while the men began to prepare the soil for the produc- tion of the necessaries of life.
The first year's farming consisted mainly of a "truck patch," planted in corn, potatoes, turnips and other vegetables. Generally, the first year's crop fell far short of supplying even the most rigid economy of food. Many of the settlers brought with them small stores of such things as seemed indispensable to frugal living, such as flour, bacon, coffee and tea. But these supplies were not inexhaustible, and once used were not easily replaced.
When food was scarce, the period intervening between one harvest and another was a long one. Wild game, usually caught by rude trap contrivances, or shot when gun and ammunition were at hand, was the principal source of meat, which, with the excellent fish, was better than an unlimited supply of salted meats. Corn produced more abundantly than wheat in the earlier years ; but even when corn was plentiful, the preparation of it was the next difficulty in the way. The mills for grinding it were at such long distances that every other device was resorted to for reducing it to meal. Some grated it on an instrument made by punching small holes through a piece of tin or sheet-iron, and fastening it upon a board in concave shape, with the rough side out. Upon this the ear was rubbed to produce the meal. But grating could not be done when the corn became so dry as to shell off when rubbed. Some used a coffee mill for grinding it ; and a very common substitute for bread was hominy-a palatable and wholesome diet-made by boiling corn in a weak lye till the hull or bran peeled off, after which it was well washed to cleanse it of the lye. It was then boiled again to soften it, when it was ready for use, as occasion required, by frying and seasoning it to the taste. Another mode of preparing hominy was by pestling. A mortar was made by burning a bowl-shaped cavity in the end of an upright block of hard wood, into which, after it was thoroughly cleansed of the charcoal, the shelled corn was placed, and crushed by a heavy club or an iron wedge. But "hulled corn" was oftenest prepared, as lye, for removing the hull or skin, was easily made and the product was really delicious, as it is to-day.
Not the least among the pioneer's tribulations, during the first few years of the settlement, was going to mill. The slow mode of travel by ox teams was made still slower by the almost
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total absence of roads and bridges, while such a thing as a ferry was hardly ever dreamed of. In dry weather, common sloughs and creeks offered but little impediment to teamsters; but during floods, and the breaking-up of winter, they proved exceedingly troublesome and dangerous. To get stuck in a slough, and thus be delayed for many hours, was no uncommon occurrence, and that, too, when time was an item of grave import to the comfort and sometimes even to the lives of the settlers' families.' Often a swollen stream would blockade the way, seeming to threaten destruction to whoever would attempt to ford it.
With regard to roads, there was nothing of the kind worthy of the name. Indian trails were common, but they were unfit to travel on with vehicles. They were mere paths about two feet wide-all that was required to accommodate the single-file manner of Indian traveling.
Only a few settlers ever attempted to go beyond Bigelow's mill, at Eagle, for grists, flour costing higher, after paying the exorbitant tolls and other necessary expenses, than it did by the barrel from Green Bay or Milwaukee. Bigelow's grist-mill was the first one erected in the county, or in a section of country extending many miles in all directions ; it therefore had plenty of business. The stones were hardly as large as an ordinary pail ; were made by Mr. Bigelow himself, and ground very slowly ; but Mr. Bigelow had a son, and sometimes other help, and kept the mill running night and day. This plan by no means kept the miller ahead of his customers, and it was nothing for them to wait three, or even six or more days for a grist. After the settler had made his toilsome journey with an ox team, and was rejoicing that he would soon be on his way home with a supply of the wherewith for bread, it was a disheartening shock indeed to be told that his turn would come in a week from that, or the next day. He must either remain at the mill or return home, thus making four journeys over the bridgeless roads-alternatives in which it was difficult to choose for the best. Thus, milling trips were attended with an' expense, in one way or another, that rendered the cost of breadstuffs extremely high. If made in the winter, when more or less grain-feed was required for the team, the load would be found to be so considerably reduced on reaching home that the cost of what was left, adding other expenses, would make their grain reach the high cash figure of from $3 to $5 per bushel. Sometimes half of the grist was' taken for toll; nearly one-half of the balance eaten by the team, and the settler would return with his purse nearly or quite emptied of its scanty contents, in hiring the miller's son, who for some years was not supposed to be more than an ordinary hired man, to run the mill over night. The Territorial statutes fixed the amount of toll millers might take for grinding, in Milwaukee County, of which Wau- kesha formed a part, and this was the miller's trick to secure three or four times as much as the law allowed-any amonnt, from one to three dollars, according to the size of the poor settler's purse, being charged for allowing the son to run the mill by night.
After all this trouble and expense, the good housewife did not always have white, clean flour returned to her. Owing to the lack of proper means for thrashing and cleaning wheat, it was more or less mixed with foreign substances, such as smut, dirt and oats. As the time will come when the settler's methods of thrashing and cleaning may be forgotten, it may be well to pre- serve a brief account of them here. The plan was to clean off a space of ground of sufficient size, and, if the earth was dry, to dampen it and beat it to render it somewhat compact. The sheaves were unbound and spread in a circle, so that the heads would be uppermost, leaving room in the center for the person whose business it was to turn and stir the straw in the process of thrashing. Then, as many horses or oxen were brought as could conveniently swing around the circle, and these were kept moving until the wheat was well trodden out. After several "floorings " or layers were thrashed, the straw was carefully raked off and the wheat shoveled into a heap to be cleaned. This cleaning, before the days of fanning-mills, was done by " win- nowing "-ponring the grain from a measure, or "pan " made for the purpose, while standing on a stump or block, thus allowing the wind to blow the chaff from the falling stream. This process was not equal to that in vogue at present, as it failed to separate from the grain any cockle, dirt or heavy seeds, and the bread was not only occasionally dark-colored, but tasted pretty strong of seeds not considered palatable. How would some of the snug and comfortable
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Wankesha County farmers of to-day appear thrashing and winnowing a thousand bushels of wheat by the process in vogue forty years ago ?
Among other things calculated to annoy and distress the pioneer, was the prevalence of wild beasts of prey, the most numerous and troublesome of which was the wolf. While it was frequently true, in a figurative sense, that it required the utmost care and exertion to "keep the wolf from the door," it was almost always as true in a literal sense. There were two species of these animals-the large black timber wolf, and the small gray wolf that usually inhabited the prairie. At first, it was almost impossible for a settler to keep small stock of any kind that would serve as a prey to these ravenous beasts. Sheep were not deemed safe property until years after, when their enemies were supposed to be nearly exterminated. Large numbers of wolves were destroyed during the early years of settlement. When they were hungry, which was by no means an uncommon condition with them, particularly during the winter, they were too indiscreet for their own safety, and would often approach within easy shot of the settlers' dwellings. At certain seasons, their wild, plaintive yelp or bark could be heard in all directions at all hours of the night, creating intense excitement among the dogs, whose howling would add to the dismal melody. Attempts were often made to capture the wolf with the common cur, but this animal, as a rule, proved himself wholly unreliable for such service. So long as the wolf would run, the cur would follow ; but the wolf, being apparently acquainted with the character of his pursner, would either turn and place himself in a combative attitude, or else act upon the principle that " discretion is the better part of valor," and throw himself upon his back in token of surrender. This strategic performance would make instant peace between these two scions of the same house ; and not infrequently dogs and wolves have been seen playing together like puppies. But the hound was never known to recognize a flag of truce; his baying seemed to signify "no quarter; " or, at least, so the terrified wolf understood it.
Wolf stories-all true-might be related in extenso. In 1836, Isaac B. Judson, while on his way from Milwaukee to Prairieville, alone and in the night, was set upon by a pack of wolves of unusual fierceness. Fortunately, he had a large cloak for protection against cold, which, when the wolves became uncomfortably close, he would shake vigorously. This fright- ened them, and, during their momentary confusion, he would again take to his legs and thus gain a considerable distance. This programme was continued by Mr. Jndson until he reached McMillan's hotel, where he fell exhausted. A warm fire and a bowl of warmer punch restored his well-exhausted strength.
Once, while on his way from Milwaukee to Prairieville on foot, in the night, E. S. Purple had a portion of the leg of a new pair of boots eaten away by wolves. No man who saved his own legs from the wolves, complained if he did lose the legs of his boots.
On one occasion, as late as 1841, a family in the town of Pewaukee left the log house alone during two days while on a visit, and, on returning after dark, found an old wolf and her whelps in possession. She had entered through an open door in the rear and had devoured a quantity of food, besides tearing into shreds for a nest several articles of clothing.
Smaller animals, such as panthers, lynxes, wildcats, catamounts and polecats, were suffi- ciently numerous to be troublesome; but some of them were also "game," and the settlers would not have had them all exterminated at one sweep, if that had been possible.
But pioneer life was not without its sunshine and pleasure. Those who could appreciate the beauties of nature were surrounded by such landscapes, verdure, lakes, streams, forests and blossoming prairies as no spot in the West could excel ; those who loved fishing and hunting had ample opportunities for gratifying their passion, and, at the same time, of furnishing the table with delicious meats ; the air was pure, fragrant and healthful, and there were none of the restraints of conventionality to circumscribe the actions or warp the social intercourse of the few unassuming settlers who were laying the foundations of future homes, prosperity and aristocracy. There is hardly an old settler living who does not say that, notwithstanding all the hardships and privations of the first years of his residence in the wilderness, he took more comfort then than now. There was no aristocracy then ; no stiff-neckedness. One person was
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considered as good as another, if he behaved as well, and nothing was known at first of neighbor- hood scandals and demoralizing social corruption. All were friendly, social, obliging and desirous of contributing to the mutual comfort, happiness and prosperity of each other. Exclaimed a pioneer of 1837 to the historian of 1880: "The days seemed longer, the sun shone brighter, sleep was sweeter, religious profession more earnest, dress more simple, the grass was greener, food tasted better, there was less elbowing, less kicking each other down, less gossip, less scandal, less idleness, less ill-health, fewer divorces, less codfish aristocrary, more virtue, more honesty, more good feeling and more unadulterated enjoyment forty years ago than now, and I do wish old times could be revived, if only for a month.'
ORGANIZATION OF WAUKESHA COUNTY.
Although not as large as Milwaukee, Prairieville had become of nearly as great importance, politically, in 1845, and had become dissatisfied with "paying tribute and playing second fiddle to that mudhole on the lake," as one of the prominent citizens, who subsequently became Governor, put it, and action was taken to secure the erection of a new county, with the capital at Prairieville.
It is probable that Alexander F. Pratt first conceived the idea of forming a new county, though Andrew E. Elmore, of Mukwonago (now a resident of Green Bay), William A. Barstow and Alexander W. Randall, of Waukesha, were early advocates and agitators with him, of that scheme. There appeared some opposition in store for the plan of separation from the mother county, on the score of expense ; but the following bill was prepared for the Legislature of 1846, by these men, which was submitted among the earliest of the session :
Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Wisconsin :
SECTION 1. That it shall be the duty of the several chairmen of the several Boards of Supervisors, in the several towns in the county of Milwaukee, lying west of Range 21, in. said county, to provide a separate box at the spring town elections of 1846, to be holden in said county, for the reception of votes for or against the division of said county of Milwaukee, and every elector qualified by law to vote for town officers in each of their respective towns shall have the right to vote for or against such division.
SEC. 2. All ballots or votes so received and counted shall have legibly written or printed thereon the words "for division," or "against division ; " and all votes so received shall be counted, and returns thereof made to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors for the county of Milwaukee, in the same manner and time as is now provided by law in relation to election returns for county officers.
SEC. 3. The votes so returned shall be canvassed by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Milwaukee, and the result of such canvass shall be certified to by said Clerk, and published, within two days after said returns are made, in one or more newspapers printed in said county.
SEc. 4. If a majority of the votes so returned shall be in favor of division, then, and in that case, from and after the time the result aforesaid should be published, all the district of country lying and being within the present limits of the county of Milwaukee, and lying west of a line running north and south between Ranges 20 and 21, in said county, be and the same is hereby erected, established and organized into a distinct county, by the name and style of Wankesha County. That it be organized for judicial purposes, and shall enjoy all the privileges of other counties in this Territory. It shall form a part of the Third Judicial District, and the courts therem shall be held by the Judge of said district, commencing on the third Monday of February, and third Monday of August.
SEC. 5. All process, appeals, recognizances or other proceedings commenced in the District Court of Milwaukee County, prior to the first day of January next, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution thereon, in the same manner they might or could have been, had not this act passed; and executions on any judgments heretofore rendered in said county, shall have the like force and effect, and may be executed and returned by the Sheriff of Mil- waukee County, anything in this act to the contrary notwithstanding.
SEC. 6. That said county of Wankesha is by this act erected, established and organized into a distinct election district, and at the time now fixed by law for holding general elections in this Territory, the qualified electors of said county of Waukesha, at and from that time, shall be entitled to elect such members of the Legislative Assembly as a new apportionment may authorize, and, in case no new apportionment be made previous to the next general election, then and in that case said county shall at said general election elect one member of the Council and two members of the House of Representatives, who shall represent said county in the next Legislature of this Territory. The electors of said county of Waukesha shall at the next general election elect such county officers as other counties under the same government are authorized to elect, whose respective terms of service shall commence on the 1st day of January next, and continue in office for the term now prescribed by law for such officers in this Territory.
SEC 7. In case the vote before mentioned determines a division of the county of Milwaukee, then and in that case, the several County Supervisors elected at the next April town election, within the limits of said county of Wau- kesha, shall meet at what is known as Vail's Hotel, in the town of Prairieville, on the second Monday of June next, at 12 o'clock M., and proceed to organize a Board of County Supervisors for the county of Waukesha. They shall elect. a clerk of their board, and such other officers as may be necessary for carrying into effect the organization of the county ; which officers so elected shall serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified according to
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law. Said Board of Supervisors shall at said meeting, or at some subsequent adjourned meeting, procure for the use of said county suitable and convenient grounds for the location of the seat of justice, and provide for the erection of all necessary county buildings.
SEC. 8. That an act entitled " An act to provide for the removal of the seat of justice of the county of Milwau- kee from the town of Milwaukee to Prairieville," approved February 24, 1845, be and the same is hereby repealed.
Approved January 31, 1846.
- The original of the above bill was said to have been written by Alexander F. Pratt, some slight changes being made in the phraseology before it became a law, which was not accom- plished without a struggle. The city of Milwaukee was building bridges, and wanted several more. The whole county, in those days, was taxed for the bridges at Milwaukee, a fact not relished by the western towns, but one which made the Milwaukeeans exceedingly anxious that the territory contributing to the improvement of their city should not be reduced in extent.
In the Legislature, from what is now Waukesha County, were J. H. Kimball, of Prairie- ville, and Curtis Reed, of Summit, in the Council ; and Samuel H. Barstow, of Prairieville, Luther Parker, of Muskego, and W. H. Thomas, of Lisbon, in the Assembly. Of these, Curtis Reed and W. H. Thomas joined the Milwaukee delegation and opposed the division, while the others labored strenuously for it. The bill finally passed the Legislature only to meet with wider and fiercer opposition at the polls. The two factions organized for the fight as soon as the act was approved, and it is difficult to say who labored the most persistently or resorted to the most extraordinary electioneering measures-those who favored or those who opposed the proposed divorce. From the office of the American Freeman, at Prairieville, was issued a paper called the Advocate, favoring the division ; while from the Sentinel office, at Milwaukee, was issued a no less able and vigorous sheet called the Unionist, opposing it. Both were widely circulated and eagerly perused, as they were what the people called "red hot." The Advocate was edited by Alexander F. Pratt, A. W. Randall, W. A. Barstow, and perhaps it had other writers. The other paper had such a shrewd manager as A. D. Smith, who opposed the division of Milwaukee County. When argument was exhausted, of which there was a goodly supply in favor of a division, personal abuse of the leaders of the respective factions was the main feature of these two publications. Prairieville was the headquarters for those who thought Milwaukee County should be divided ; and Summit, strange to record, although in the district proposed to be set off from Milwaukee, became the headquarters of the opposition. The campaign was one of extreme excitement and acrimoniousness. Finally, after about one-half of the residents of the county had become enemies to the other half, the day for voting arrived, when the excite- ment reached fever heat. Every known means was resorted to in the frantic attempt to secure votes. A wagon-load of roughs from Milwaukee arrived at Prairieville a little before noon, and offered to sell their votes-ten of them-for ten dollars, to those favoring a division. The managers would not pay that price, or any other ; but said they would pay for ten dinners and horse- feed at the hotel. This offer was accepted, and ten Milwaukee roughs voted for a division of the county. They then hastened to Summit, where they offered to sell ten votes for the oppo- sition for ten dollars and ten suppers. The offer was accepted, and ten Milwaukee roughs voted at Summit against a division of the county, so the general result was not affected by these twenty fraudulent votes. Strangers and minors voted ad libitum, and that election was for years referred to as the one in which universal suffrage was tolerated. The polls were kept open two or three days at Summit, where it was declared afterward that any new-comer was allowed to slip in a vote against division for a week after the day set for the election. This statement has never been sworn to. However, there was a majority in favor of a division, and Waukesha County, as it now is, came into existence.
Agreeably to the act previously quoted, the Supervisors elected in April for the sixteen towns comprising the new county met at Vail's Hotel, in Prairieville, on the second Monday of June, 1846, and organized for the transaction of county business, soon after adjourning to the Congregational Church, where the balance of the session was held. Curtis Reed, now of Win- nebago County, was elected Chairman, and Harrison Phillips, Clerk. The Board then appointed county officers to serve until the regular election in August, as follows : T. F. Ban- croft, Register of Deeds; W. P. Sloan, County Treasurer; John Blane, Sheriff; J. W.
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