The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing its early settlement, growth an extensive and minute sketch of its cities war record, biographical sketches, Part 64

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 776

USA > Wisconsin > Dodge County > The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing its early settlement, growth an extensive and minute sketch of its cities war record, biographical sketches > Part 64

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WHERE THEY LIVED.

" It is not my purpose to moralize on this occasion, but to give some of the personal inci- dents of those early times. My first coming to Beaver Dam was October 8, 1842, thirty-two years ago last October. There were here, at the time of my coming. Mr. Thomas Mackie, wife and danghter : Mr. Henry Goetschius and wife, daughter of Mr. Mackie, who lived near the spring that forms Spring Brook, that runs through your city. Mr. Abraham Ackerman, who' lived near what is known as the Ackerman Spring, together with his wife and five children. Mr. Henry Stultz, who lived near where Mr. F. Hempel now lives, his wife and three children. Mr. Jacob P. Brower, who lived on the ground now occupied by the Williams Block, in your city, wife, and, I think, seven children; his father and mother, I think, also lived with him. Mr. David Drake and his wife, who lived nearly opposite Hoyt's mill, or where the old store now used for a blacksmith shop. Mr. Madison Howe, who lived on the northeast side of the river, about twenty-five rods above the dam, his wife and three children. Mr. Morris Furmin, who lived near where Mr. Trask lives, together with his wife and two children. These consti- tuted all the people in what is now the city of Beaver Dam. Mr. Israel Root, wife and nine children, lived about one mile northeast of the depot, on the place now owned by Mr. Rose. Mr. David Snyder lived on the farm owned by Mr. Reuben Dexter, together with his wife and one child. Mr. Eldridge Smith came in the fall and settled on the land now owned by Mr. J. C. Hunt ; he had a wife and one child. Mr. Amasa Hyland, the first settler in Dodge County, lived about four miles east of your city, on the farm now owned by his nephew, George Hyland, and Stanton on the place owned by the late Thomas Marshal. Hyland and Stanton lived together and kept bachelors' hall. William Griffin had a claim on the south end of the prairie,

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IHISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

now owned by Mr. Phillips ; Mr. Isaac Noyes lived on the farm now owned by Mr. Burgit, and Maj. Pratt at Oak Grove. Mr. James and Timothy Williams came in the fall and settled on what is now known as H. B. Sherman's Spring Brook Farm. These, with their families, con- stituted all the inhabitants of Dodge County at the time of my coming, except a casual stopper, among whom I remember Mr. D. Blauvelt."

PRIVATIONS.

" Communication with the outside world was expensive and inconvenient. The only post office in Dodge County was at Fox Lake, and the postage on a letter was 25 cents. There was a sub post office at Beaver Dam, and the inhabitants took turns in going after the mail once a week. I well remember when my turn came; it was one of those cold days in January, and you know we have some cold days in Wisconsin. Well, on one of those cold days, with the snow a foot deep or more, and no track, I went, through the woods, or openings, near where the 'openings road' now runs to Fox Lake, and back again and brought the mail-not a house, but only now and then a friendly blazed tree to guide me.

" In the early winter came a company from Waukesha, or Prairieville, as it was then called, for the purpose of forming a colony and establishing a college school. During the winter, the population was much increased, but, passing that, I will confine my remarks to the general inci- dents and events of that first winter and spring. The fall of 1842 was one of those remarkable Indian summer, smoky times, so common in Wisconsin in the fall, until near the middle of November, when about six inches of snow fell and continued with increasing quantity till Janu- ary, when there was a thaw, and the ground was nearly bare for ten days, when it snowed again, and the snow continued on the ground until the middle of April, making the most remarkable winter in the history of Wisconsin, equaled only by the past, but very much more severely felt, because the inhabitants were so poorly prepared for such weather, either in their dwellings or feed and shelter for their stock. So terribly cold and long-continued was the winter that, by the middle of March, everything eatable for stock was consumed, and, as the only means to keep their stock alive, the inhabitants clubbed together and hired a man (Mr. Harrison Root), to go down into the woods, south of the lower woolen-factory, and so along the river for a mile on the east side, and chop down basswood trees for the cattle to browse, and continued it for fully five weeks, when the cattle could pick a scanty living on the marsh with only one browsing a day.

"In' the fall, pork was very cheap, from the wild hogs that had been allowed to run wild and breed in the woods, and living on acorns. I well remember seeing a man buy some very good dressed pork for $1.75 per hundred. But oh ! such poor, starved creatures as they became in the winter, so very hungry as to devour each other, and, although hogs were plenty in the fall, I think they have not been so scarce since as they were the next spring, literally starved to death, or killed to keep them from starving. The great effort of the inhabitants was to procure fencing to secure the crops the coming season, and every available man and team was brought into requisition, and although labor was in great demand money was searce, not only in Wisconsin but in the United States. It will be remembered it was during the great financial crisis of 1836 to 1844 of the ' wild-cat ' bank speculation."

SPLITTING RAILS.

" Provisions were scarce and high, as well as money, as a few incidents will show. I well remember Mr. John Putnam taking a job of Mr. Abraham Ackerman to cut and split for him 10,000 rails, at 50 cents per hundred, and he did it, too; he cut the timber on the ground now occupied as Oak Wood Cemetery, and further south on the same ridge. He boarded with Mr. David Snyder, and paid $1.50 per week for board. (I also boarded at the same place most of the time that winter. ) He received $50 in gold for the job. In April, the Root boys and myself took a job of Unele Seymour Wilcox, at Waupun, to split for him 5,000 rails and 10,000 stakes, at 31 cents per hundred for the rails and 20 cents per hundred for the stakes, and took our pay in potatoes, at $1 per bushel, he furnishing us board. The timber was cut and drawn out on

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

the ground where the city of Waupun now stands. After the potatoes were carned the next thing was to get them. Mr. Root had two teams of horses, but they were so very poor they could hardly draw an empty wagon, and nothing to feed them on excepting browse, so, in an emergency like this, something must be done. Mrs. Root took the marsh hay from the bed on which the family had slept all winter, to make feed for the team, so they could go and get the potatoes. While gone, Mr. Root traded the poor creatures to Mr. Wilcox for a pair of old oxen and a pair of three-year-old steers, and managed with both pair of cattle to get home with the load of potatoes."

MAKING A LAKE.

"The pond-well, that was the absorbing subject of conversation during that winter. The people wanted lumber, and they could get none until the mill started, and the mill could not start until the pond would fill. So the history of the pond will be in order. The water was stopped in July, and the pond did not fill to run over until June, or nearly one year, and to Eastern chaps brought up among the mountains, where a mill-pond would fill in one night, and generally in an hour or two, it was incomprehensible. All sorts of conjectures were indulged in, some believed it filled so as to run into Lost Lake, others still believed it set back into Fox Lake, others that there was some subterranean passage where the water went off. So, to satisfy the curiosity and anxiety of the people, they employed Mr. J. P. Brower, who was a surveyor, to make an examination and report, which he did: that there was no other outlet, but the pond was going to cover more surface than first supposed, as it would set back almost to Fox Lake, but he owned a water-power at Fox Lake, and it had not affected that yet, so we waited for the pond to fill. But to make the matter more certain, Madison How set a gauge in the water and watched it for a month, and at last reported the water had raised an inch, thus settling our doubts."

THE FIRST DEATII.

"The first death occurring in Beaver Dam, or the first one buried, as my recollection serves me, was a stranger by the name of Soddy, who died in my shanty on the farm where I now live. Ile came along traveling, and was taken sick with colic, and before a doctor could be obtained he died, or was so far gone as to be impossible to help him. The next was my own brother, Edwin C. Allen, who died on the 27th of August, 1845. That was a terribly sickly fall, and many persons died. Among the number were Mrs. Henry Goetschius, Mr. Jacob P. Brower, and others, all with the same fever.

"Another incident in which I was an interested party. Mr. Thomas Mackie and myself (I was working for Mr. Mackie), went one of those cold days, about two miles on the Columbus road, to cut saw-logs ; after cutting until noon, we stopped to eat our dinner, which was frozen as hard as stone, almost. While standing, my feet became terribly cold, as I only had on boots and Mr. Mackie had on moccasins. It seemed certain that I must freeze my feet, and told him so. Says he, Pull off your boots and stick your feet in the snow. It seemed a poor rem- edy for freezing fect, but something must be done; so off with my boots and took a run of twenty or thirty rods, came and sat down, and Mr. Mackie helped rub my feet for a short time, when I pulled on my boots and went to work, and in a short time my feet were burning hot and continued so through the day. I mention this that others may be benefited in a like emergency."

ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS IN THE COUNTY.

"A few of the personal characteristics of those pioneers : And to commence, we take Amasa Hyland, the first settler of Dodge County. He was a character in his way-possessed an iron constitution, and a will that knew no such word as fail. Hyland was just the man for a pioneer. I might tell you of his conveying the mail from Green Bay to Fort Winnebago, for one year, traveling the whole time on foot, with no settlement oftener than twenty to thirty miles. My recollections of him were as I knew him on his place on Hyland Prairie. He was a man of kind and generous nature, and no man applied to him for assistance if he was needy,

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

and was turned away. He would take work or any way to accommodate. But woe betide the wretch who tried to play off on Amasa Hyland. He would take him by the nape of the neck, and set him up in the boot and leather business and command him to leave, and he would go, too, for he had the power to enforce obedience. Another incident as characteristic of the man : After they had started the mill in Beaver Dam-among the proprietors were ministers, merchants, lawyers, but none of them remarkably good teamsters-it was necessary to have some heavy timber removed, so they got three yoke of oxen and hitched them on to draw the timber. Well, they squalled and squalled and whipped, trying to make the oxen pull ; one would pull and then another, and so for some time. Ilyland happened to be there looking on, he stood it as long as he could, so going to the man trying to drive the team, he said, I can make thein draw it. Well, they did not believe anybody could do it, but he might try. Well, he said he would go and cut him a whip, so going down a little toward where Rowell's shop stands, he cut an iron- wood stalk, and putting on a lash he had in his pocket, he would crack the whip and it could be heard two miles. Coming up to the cattle, he indulged in some not very complimentary language toward them ; after swinging the whip a few times over the backs of the oxen, and giving them some earnest denunciations, and telling them of the wrath to come, he told them to go, and away they went as if their lives depended on the effort, and timber too; so after snak- ing the log all around the street and yard, he laid down the whip and said, You are too pious here in Grubville to drive.

" Here a matter personal to myself. I had made a claim on the land now occupied by the Gould Nursery, and where Mr. Noyes now lives, but turned it over to this company for a mere nominal consideration, as they were desirous of getting all the land within a certain distance. Afterward, I made a claim on the land owned by Mr. Reesman, better known as the Stewart farm ; and here may be mentioned the discouragements of the early settlers. There were four wells dug on the prairie, trying to find water, but, of course, coming to the rock in every instance. There was nothing known of a drilling-machine in those days, so we tried to blast, and we knew as little about that, almost, as a cow would know about loading a gun. Of course, our efforts were failures, and our ambition became very much demoralized, working upon land where we could get no water ; so I sold my claim to Mr. Reuben Dexter, and went where I now live."

ORIGINAL FARMS.

In March, 1866, the following sketches from the pen of the Rev. J. J. Miter were pub- lished in the Citizen :

" It may be interesting to the citizens of Beaver Dam, who came here at a much later date, to know the location of the original farms which were owned by these first settlers. I shall not attempt to draw the lines with the exact precision of the Government surveys. A general out- line will be sufficient to fix their location in the mind of the intelligent reader. I shall make the southwest terminus of Railroad avenue our standpoint. It was near this point where the four original farins of Messrs. Ackerman, Brower, Mackie and Goetschius cornered. It should also be stated that it is at this point where the line passes which runs east and west, dividing Town 11 from Town 12. If we extend this town line west from the corner of Division street and Railroad avenue, it will pass through the house of Mr. Loomis, on Spring street. If, from the same point, we extend it east, it will pass along the rear of the lots which front on Third street. This is the line which forms the north boundary of the Ackerman and Brower farms, and the south boundary of the Mackie and Goetschius farms. If we now extend Division street north till it unites with De Clark street, it will form the west boundary of the Ackerman and Goetschius farms, and the east boundary of the Brower and Mackie farms. These are the lines which separated these four farms.

"Let us next look at the extent of territory which they covered. Mr. Ackerman's farm embraced all that part of the city which lies south of the town line, east of Division street, and north of South street, together with forty acres, which embrace all the ground on both sides of the river, which lies west of Division street, north of a line extended west from the corner of

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

Division and South streets, east of Center street, and south of a line which would run through the middle of that tier of blocks which lie between Washington and Henry streets. From this, it will be seen that this west forty of Mr. Ackerman's original purchase embraced all the valuable water-power owned by the proprietors of the Empire Mills and Beaver Dam Woolen Factory.

"The Brower farm covered all that part of the city which lies west of Division street, south of the town line, east of West street, and north of a line running west from Division street, through the tier of lots lying between Washington and Henry streets. This was the original Brower estate. But, in addition to it, Mr. Paul Brower, the father of Jacob P. Brower, owned a forty, lying west of West street, and extending to the pond. It is on a part of this land that Judge Rose located his tastefully arranged and ornamental grounds, and where his cottage still stands.

" The original farm of Mr. Mackie extended over that part of the city which lies north of the town line, west of a line running north from Division to De Clark street, south of Burnett street, and east of West street; and Mr. Goetschius' embraced that part of the city which lies north of the town line, west of .College street, south of Burnett street, and east of a line running north from the foot of Railroad avenue.

"The Stultz farm joined Mr. Ackerman's on the south. The former residence of George H. Stewart, just south of St. Peter's Church, stands near its north line. This line extends west till it crosses the river south of the Empire Mills, and takes in a few acres on the west bank : or, if Center street were extended south till it crossed the river, it would form the west line of Mr. Stultz's original purchase. His south line was the north line of Mr. Robert Johnson's farm. This farm originally embraced a few feet of the valuable water-power now belonging to the Empire Mill Company.

" In the spring of 1842, Mr. David Drake purchased the forty acres which embrace the present water-power of Messrs. Smith & Lander. This forty extended south a little beyond the present residence of Moses Ordway. The forty lying still west of this was taken up by Mr. James Conner. It is over these two forties that Madison street now passes diagonally to the southwest. Mr. Drake built the dam and put up a saw-mill in the summer of 1842. In the following November, he sold the forty acres, which took in the water-power, to Rev. M. Ordway. Mr. Conner also sold the other forty to a company of Germans, and thus Madison street has passed almost exclusively into their possession.

"The eighty acres which lie north of the town line west of College street and south of Burnett street, embracing the cemetery, was originally entered by Mr. Tunis T. Blauvelt. He erected a cabin on .the site now occupied by the homestead of the Widow Ide. and cleared ten acres. He soon after sold the whole eighty to Rev. M. Ordway. In turn, Mr. Ordway, not long after, sold the south forty to Henry W. Finch, and the north forty to Rufus Lounsbury. Mr. Finch took possession of the original Blauvelt cabin, and thus nicely domiciled, he lived for several years in true patriarchal style. Mr. Blauvelt also entered the three forties, embrac- ing the heavily timbered bottom lands, lying between Madison street and the river. This land he subsequently sold to Mr. Ordway.

"From the foregoing outline it will be seen that our beautiful city stands on portions of all the lands which were originally taken up by these seven first settlers, Messrs. Goetschius, Mackie, Brower, Ackerman, Stultz, Blauvelt, Drake and Conner. It does not appear that Mr. Morris Furmin did anything more than to build a cabin and make a claim which he never entered.

" The Brower estate, then, has given to us the business street and all the fine building lots which lie on Front, Middle and Third streets, between Division and West streets. The Ackerman estate has given to the city all that undulating and romantic part of it which lies east of Division street, and extending north to the west end of Railroad avenue, south to St. Peter's Church, and taking in Wayland University on the east. Out of the Mackie farm have been carved all those commanding sites which embrace that large group of beautiful residences

John Wal avis

FOX LAKE

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

on Observatory Hill. Railroad avenue, with its long line of tasty residences, is a part of the valuable contribution made by the Goetschius farm. Madison street. with its invaluable water- power, comes from the original entries of Messrs, Drake and Conner. While the southeast part of the city, together with a part of the Ackerman water-power, and that sightly building ground where the old residence of G. H. Stewart stands, south of St. Peter's, belonged to the farm of Mr. Stultz. And if this worthy and enterprising first settler has not the satisfaction of seeing the finest part of the city located on his old estate, to him belongs the honor of grappling with the tough old oaks, with an arm as strong and a will as resolute as the bravest of all his peers.

" The first quarter of a century closes this spring since David Drake, with his stout heart, commenced the improvement of the water-power which has made Beaver Dam the commercial center of Dodge County. That enterprise he finally transferred to Rev. Moses Ordway, in the fall of 1842. This sagacious and resolute pioneer finally set in motion the great water-wheel which for a quarter of a century has been contributing so largely to the growth, the wealth and the well-earned fame of the city. Let us hold in remembrance the names of the men whose early toils and privations have eventuated in results for which our citizens feel a just pride."

GROWTH OF BEAVER DAM.

The results of the praiseworthy efforts of the citizens of Beaver Dam to preserve the records of the early history of the place having been given, it devolves upon us to furnish the interesting sequel by sketching the varied phases of development belonging to its later and more mature existence. During the first fifteen years, or prior to the panic of 1857, the growth of Beaver Dam was very rapid ; speculation was rife; in the language of a local writer, "Speculators abounded in troops. Property more than doubled in value as the railroad was fast approaching the place." In 1854, there were quite as many mercantile institutions as now. There were eight physicians and six lawyers, the other professions and trades being equally represented. At the November election of 1855, there were 540 votes cast in the city and town. The first train of cars reached the place April 24, 1856, and the Fourth of July following was the occa- sion of the grandest and largest celebration ever held in the county, the citizens combining the observation of an important local event with the national anniversary. It is said that specula- tion, in those days, was apparent in politics, as well as business, "sweeping reverse following rapid success."

After the panic the " speculative growth " ceased, and then commenced what may be termed the permanent growth, which has steadily maintained the supremacy ever since. In 1860, the population was 2,770; in 1865, 2,930: in 1870, 3,265. By the census of the latter year, the population is thus distributed among the wards : First Ward, 537-native, 292; foreign, 245. Second Ward, 836-native, 570 : foreign, 266. Third Ward, 993-native 831 ; foreign, 162. Fourth Ward, 899-native, 690; foreign, 209.

MANUFACTORIES,

The early history of the first mill and mill-dam appears in the proceedings of the Old Settlers' Club, given in the first part of this chapter. About 1846, another and larger mill was built upon or near the original site, and this continued in operation until, in 1870, it was destroyed by fire, at a loss to its owner. Dr. E. R. Iloyt, of $28,000. Mr. Hoyt at once set abont the work of rebuilding, and soon a large and improved structure stood in its place, erected at a cost of $30.000. Its six runs of stones have ever since been kept constantly in operation, turning out superior brands of flour.

Empire Flouring- Mill .- Built in 1853 at the west end of and in conjunction with the second dam, by S. P. K. Lewis and Abram Ackerman. This mill has been improved and enlarged until its capacity has reached 15,000 barrels per annum. There have been three changes in the management, as follows : Lewis & Bogert, Lewis & Bro., and Lewis & Son. The amount

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

of business transacted the past season is given at $60,000. Shipments are made to all parts of the United States and Great Britain. The Messrs. Lewis are also interested in a flouring-mill two and a half miles south of the city. It was built by Marvin & Goodnow about 1855, and has four runs of stones.

Situated a short distance below is another grist-mill, built in 1853, by J. L. Grant. It is still the property of the Grant estate ; four runs of stones.

Harris & Christian are the owners of a mill still further south on the stream. It was built in 1856 by William llow, and has four runs of stones.

The Beaver Dam Agricultural Works .- Established in 1855, by John S. Rowell, upon a capital of about $1,500, for the purpose of manufacturing seeders and other agricultural imple- ments. In 1861, Mr. Rowell built what he supposed to be a perfect seeder, but, upon testing its merits upon the farm of G. C. Gunn, it was discovered that, while every part of the imple- ment worked like a charm, there was lacking the pliable or flexible tooth. This deficiency was supplied by the invention of what is known as the "slip tooth," which was patented October 14, 1862, and has ever since been in successful use. The patentce receives a royalty upon the "slip tooth " from the Van Brunt Seeder Manufactory at Horicon; also from the establishments located at Winona, Minn., Fond du Lac, Appleton, and other places.

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The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing its early settlement, growth an extensive and minute sketch of its cities war record, biographical sketches, Part 64

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 776

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 776