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 73
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the time of Dr. Winter, have been V. Tolliver, Peter Sellers, Michael Esser, John Mott (who brought " Ripon Boy" from York State), J. D. Flack, F. J. Gens, and C. W. Farnham and D. D. Smith. The two latter gentlemen purchased the property in May, 1879. Mr. Smith withdrew in June of the same year, leaving Mr. Farnham in possession of the Winter House until the first of the present year, when the property passed into the hands of the Scottish Loan Company, of Chicago. The house has been overhauled and refitted throughout. Capt. A. P. Lyon, who has been in the hotel business for the past twenty-five years, is the manager of the Winter House, and the owner of the conventional diamond breastpin.
CONFLAGRATIONS.
Horicon, in common with other cities and villages, has not escaped the terrors of the "fire- fiend." The first notable " blaze " of which there is any recollection was that which destroyed the grist-mill of Messrs. Sullivan & Yale, in the spring of 1857.
Two years later, the hum of many a wheel was hushed by a second visitation of the destroy- ing element. The sash and blind factory, the saw-mill, the rake-factory, the turner and joiner shops, the chair-factory, and, indeed, almost all the manufacturing interests in the place, were swept away.
In 1863. the principal business portion of the village met a similar fate. The Ribble Block (where the Odd Fellows' Hall now stands), Butler's hardware store, the Argus printing- office and the Masonie Lodge-rooms were all destroyed within a few hours.
The next fire of importance occurred in 1873, on the north side of Main street, burning Straw & Stillman's general merchandise store and Dahl's furniture and Griswold's jewelry stores ; also Chase's restaurant and notion store, and J. P. Barne's agricultural warehouse.
In May, 1875, soon after the charter election (one of the issues of which was the question of whether or not measures should be taken for the proper protection of the village from the ravages of fire), the south side of Main street was again visited by the devouring element. The fire originated in Henry Bossman's barn, communicated to Fisher's barn, dwelling and meat market, and then to Otto's barber-shop and Carl Guetchow's harness-shop and dwelling, all being destroyed.
In the mean time, the scene of the fire of 1863 had been built up with brick buildings, only to be destroyed in 1877. This time the flames started in Herker's barn, spread to his saloon and dwelling, thence to Hanf's hardware store and a building occupied as a storehouse, and then to Bossman's building, in which was located the dry-goods establishment of Schoenmann & Co. The work of devastation was complete. Upon the ruins have been reared handsome and sub- stantial bricks.
The Fire Department of Horicon, what there is of it, is of good material, as was shown on the occasion of the last conflagration, when a daring fireman stood upon the top of a totter- ing wall with his hose to prevent the flames from spreading, while his comrades played a stream upon him from below to prevent his suffocation. The citizens did not fail to testify their grati- tude to this brave man.
DISASTERS ON HORICON LAKE.
While Horicon Lake was a navigable body of water, two appalling calamities occurred upon it, recollections of which will ever remain fresh in the minds of the people of Dodge County. The first of these took place about four or five miles from the village of Horicon in July, 1857, a scow, containing a crew of seventeen men engaged in rafting logs from Chester bridge, being struck by lightning during a terrible hurricane. Two men, whose names are not remembered, were killed outright, while thirteen others were more or less injured. Among the latter number was William Chisholm, now residing at Fond du Lac. His recovery was almost a miracle, his body being literally roasted.
The second disaster occurred about two years afterward, and was caused by the explosion of a boiler in the steamer M. Winter. Lawrence Gates, the engineer, was killed, and a young K
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man named Lake so fatally injured that he died in terrible agony a few hours after the explo- sion. Michael Winter was badly stunned and knocked overboard, but was rescued. The M. Winter was a new steamer, and it is supposed the accident was the result of carelessness. A new boiler was soon afterward put into the vessel, which continued to be used by Mr. Winter until about 1867, when G. H. Beers purchased the boiler for use in his planing-mill. The hull was bought by G. W. Van Brunt & Co., and used as a sailboat to convey lumber from the head of the lake to this point. The boiler and engine did service until recently in the seeder factory of Van Brunt & Davis Company.
GOVERNMENT.
Prior to 1855, Horicon was under town government, but on the 29th of March, of that year, a village charter was granted by the Legislature, and on the 2d of August following, an election for village officers was held, at which 99 votes were cast, as follows :
For President-Peter Winter received 58 votes ; Harvey Rice, 41 votes. For Trustees- Harvey Rice, 54; D. F. Winter, 56; S. T. Harshaw, 57; E. V. White, 59; H. Cook, 59; W. H. Butterfield, 46 ; Martin Rich, 38; H. B. Marsh, 39; R. Barnes. 40; D. W. Hall, 30. Assessor-J. F. Randolph, 55; William Hunter, 43. Treasurer-A. E. Hart, 54; Julius Allrand, 41. Police Justice, William E. Croft, 84. Police Constable-Thomas Baum, 51; G. A. Buffington, 42. Village Clerk, H. B. Marsh.
1856-Election held May 6. Officers elected : President, W. H. Butterfield ; Treasurer, C. D. Davis ; Assessor, J. F. Randolph ; Clerk, H. B. Marsh; Police Justice, Franklin Smi- ley ; Constable, G. A. Buffington. Trustees-J. W. Stillman, H. E. Connit, Martin Rich, B. F. Jacobs and M. Winter.
1857-President, Joel Rich ; Clerk, C. D. Davis ; Assessor, C. L. Reed ; Constable, John Hanff; Treasurer, A. E. Hart; Justice of the Peace, John B. Ribble. Trustees-H. H. Rich, E. Benedict, Peter Winter and W. M. Jones.
1858-President, William Decker; Clerk, H. M. Todd; Treasurer, M. M. (Brick) Pom- eroy ; Assessor, Peter Velie ; Constable, M. Winter. Trustees-Edward Cowen, H. E. Connit, D. E. Jacobs and G. S. Barnes.
1859-President, William Decker; Clerk, J. B. Butler ; Treasurer, H. M. Todd ; Asses- sor, W. H. Sheldon ; Justice of the Peace, John B. Ribble; Constable, Austin Cole. Trustees -Thomas Barron, John Hanff, E. M. Benedict and Sat. Clark.
1860-President, Amos J. Rising ; Clerk, Albert T, Rice ; Treasurer, Henry M. Todd ; Constable, Thomas McNeil. Trustees-Michael Winter, Samuel G. Goss, J. W. Clark and G. S. Barnes.
1861-President, William Decker ; Clerk, A. T. Rice ; Treasurer, H. M. Todd ; Justice, J. B. Ribble ; Constable, Harry Croft. Trustees-D. C. Conkey, C. L. Reed, Edward Schu- bel and Alexander Gilbert.
1862-President, James H. Conkey ; Clerk, A. T. Rice; Treasurer, Henry M. Todd ; Constable, S. J. Loomis ; Justice, W. E. Croft. Trustees-M. Winter, D. W. Hall, Frederick Steidten, J. B. Birge.
1863-President, William Decker ; Clerk, W. H. Sheldon ; Treasurer, David E. Jacobs ; Justice, J. B. Ribble ; Constable, Julius Kastanyan. Trustees-Alexander Harper, J. P. Har- low, M. Winter and Henry Otto.
1864-President, A. J. Rising; Clerk, A. K. Delaney ; Treasurer, John Rich ; Justice, J. B. Ribble ; Constable, Henry Otto. Trustees-J. H. Conkey, A. E. Hart, John Grosskopf and Alexander Harper.
1865-President, A. J. Rising ; Clerk, A. K. Delaney ; Treasurer, H. H. Rich ; Justice, Hiram Lake; Constable, Henry Otto. Trustees-A. E. Hart, J. Kastanyan, M. Winter and Ed. Cowen.
1866-President, A. J. Rising ; Clerk, A. K. Delaney ; Treasurer, H. H. Rich ; Justice, James Pierce ; Constable, Michael Wild. Trustees-A. E. Hart, L. D. Moffatt, Julius Kastan- yan and A. T. Rice.
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1867-President, A. E. Hart ; Clerk, A. K. Delaney; Treasurer, W. H. Sheldon ; Con- stable, J. J. White. Trustees-Ed. Schubel, M. Winter, George Carr and Ferd. Steinke.
1868-President, James B. Ilays ; Clerk. A. K. Delaney ; Treasurer, W. H. Sheldon ; Justice, J. McFarlin ; Constable, Ernst Perleck. Trustees-Edward Schubel, Ferd. Steinke, Henry Gessner and Samuel C. Brown.
1869-President. J. B. Ilays; Clerk, Edward Schubel ; Treasurer, Fred Engel; Justice of the Peace, J. F. Randolph ; Marshal, Job D. Francis ; Trustees-Lorenz Wolfrom, A. E. Hart, Paul Deierlein and Ferdinand Steinke. This was the first election held under the present charter.
1870-President, A. J. Rising ; Clerk, Edward Schubel ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Justice of the Peace, James Pierce ; Marshal, J. D. Francis ; County Supervisor, A. J. Rising. Trustees-Andrew Inglis, Philander White, Charles Deninger and Marshall T. White.
1871-President, A. J. Rising ; Clerk, Edward Schubel ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Justice of the Peace, Edward Sehubel ; Marshal, Egbert McLees; County Supervisor, A. J. Rising ; Trustees-A. E. Hart, George Carr, August Zedler and Lorenz Wolfrom.
1872-President, Charles Allen ; Clerk, James Pierce ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Jus- tiees of the Peace, James Pierce and C. W. Rchfeld ; Marshal, J. J. White; County Super- visor, Sat. Clark. Trustees-A. E. Hart, Henry Bowers, C. W. Rehfeld and Lorenz Wolfrom. 1873-President, Amos E. Hart; Clerk, James Pierce; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Marshal, E. F. Hale ; Justice of the Peace, Julius Hagan ; County Supervisor, Sat. Clark. Trustees-John Fisher, J. D. Francis, Julius Hagan and A. E. Chase.
1874-President, A. E. Hart; Clerk, W. H. Butterfield ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Marshal, E. F. Hale; Justices of the Peace, Frederick Engle and Henry Otto; County Super-
visor, Carl Hanf.
Trustees-Bernard Beck, S. E. Davis, A. W. Hall and F. Steinke.
1875-President, D. C. Van Brunt ; Clerk, Hiram Lake; Treasurer, Frederick Engle; Marshal, E. F. Ilale ; Justices of the Peace, Henry Otto and Carl Dowe ; County Supervisor, Carl Hanf. Trustees-B. Beek, A. W. Hall, Carl Dowe and Frederick Hanff.
1876-President, D. C. Van Brunt ; Clerk, Charles Allen ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Marshal, E. F. Hale; Justice of the Peace, J. B. Ribble ; County Supervisor, Carl Ilanf. Trustees-Frank Fisher, A. W. Hall, J. R. Freeman and J. D. Francis.
1877-President, R. Dow ; Clerk, Charles Allen ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Marshal, A. E. Hfart ; Justices of the Peace, HI. Bowers and Hiram Lake; County Supervisor, Sat. Clark. Trustees-Charles Miller, Miles Pluck, August Saecker and Carl Dowe.
1878-President, W. A. Van Brunt ; Clerk. Charles Allen ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle ; Marshal, A. E. Hart; Justice of the Peace, Hiram Lake; County Supervisor, Sat. Clark. Trustees-Frank Fisher, B. Beck, John Dimon and Charles Miller.
1879-President, D. D. French ; Clerk, Charles Allen ; Treasurer, Frederick Engle : Marshal, A. E. Hart ; Justice of the Peace, E. M. Griswold; Supervisor, Sat. Clark. Trus- tees-G. F. Randall, Charles Miller, H. B. Marsh and B. Beck. At this election there were 195 votes east.
CHAPTER IX.
WAUPUN.
FIRST SETTLEMENT-MEANING OF THE WORD WAUPUN-FIRST EVENTS-GROWTH OF WAUPUN- VILLAGE AND CITY OFFICERS, 1857-1879-A REMINISCENCE-CHURCHES-WAUPUN A QUAR- TER OF A CENTURY AGO-SECRET SOCIETIES-WAUPUN PIONEERS-MANUFACTORIES- BANKS-OLD SETTLERS' CLUB-WAUPUN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION-WISCONSIN STATE PRISON -WAUPIN A DOZEN YEARS AGO-WAUPUN FIRE COMPANY, NO. 1-DODGE COUNTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY-A CONTRAST-WAUPUN SCHOOLS-THE POST OFFICE-WAUPUN AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL ASSOCIATION-CEMETERIES-PUBLIC HALLS-HOTELS- FUN IN THE OLDEN TIME.
FIRST SETTLEMENT.
In the early fall of 1838, Seymour Wilcox, then engaged on the Government works near Green Bay, came to what is now the city of Waupun to locate land for a home. He did so at the suggestion of John Bannister, who had surveyed in the vicinity, and who described the Rock River Valley as the most beautiful and fertile he had ever seen. He determined to make himself a home where he afterward settled and resided, about twenty rods east of what is now Marhle & Harris' flouring-mill, on Rock River. Therefore, in February, 1839, with John N. Ackerman, Hiram Walker (and another man who remained but a few days), he arrived at the spot previously visited, driving from Green Bay a yoke of oxen laden with a few boards and some provisions. Four burr-oaks were found, to which the boards were nailed for shelter. In this small shanty they lived, or stayed, until a log house was nearly finished, when Mr. Wilcox returned to Green Bay for his family. Ackerman and Walker finished the house, which was occupied by Mr. Wilcox and his family for the first time on the 20th of March, 1839. Acker- man and Walker were single men, and boarded with Mr. Wilcox, helping him to break land and raise a few oats, some corn and potatoes and a little " garden truck," but no wheat. Pork and flour came from Green Bay, and, occasionally, $20 was paid for a barrel of the latter, which was so hard and sour that it would stand alone after the hoops and staves had been removed.
From this time up to 1841, no other persons were added to the settlement. Living in that rude hut, the days came and went without registering any very strange event. They heard no startling news to disturb their serenity ; no rise or fall of stocks broke in upon their equanimity ; there was no crash in business, no downfall of dynasties, no new fashions to attract their atten-
tion. The gray of each morning was heralded by an old, pompous-looking rooster that had been imported, who blew his clarion trumpet at 4 in the morning, one blast following another with great rapidity. Around Mr. Wilcox's home were beautiful openings; beyond these were blooming prairics, extending he hardly knew where. These natural meadows were interlaced with silver rivulets that danced to their own music. Amid these openings-nature's mighty parks-roamed the noble deer; and over those prairies, which were like so many gorgeous pearls in richest settings, the soft wind played.
The first day of that pioneer family can well be pictured. It was in the season of the year when frosty nights were succeeded by sunny days; when the crows crept into the woods, as if they felt approaching May. The kittens ran round the cabin, and chased each other up the trees; and the dog wandered along the river-side, for reasons best known to himself. The woodpecker tapped his drowsy music on the decayed trunks; the turkey peered from behind the roots of the upturned trees, where she had been waiting so long to hail the blessed warmth, and inquired, " What business have you here ?" The squirrel pushed his nose out of the door of his castle, and, after looking cautiously upon the intruders, threw his tail over his back, and,
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with an angry chirrup, trotted to the nearest stump; and then. as the sunbeams pierced through the tangled woods, the bluebird broke forth into a note of song, tuned the strings of her harp for the coming summer, and inquired when gentle May was coming, with her music and her flowers.
In after years, the daughters ot Mr. Wilcox would tell how they learned to get breakfast and wash dishes; how, one night, they heard a wolf howl in the woods; and how a dirty old Indian poked his head in at the door, and asked for fire-water. They would tell how they used to thrust their little bare feet into the faces of the violets, with a dainty sauciness; how they went down to the river, of a morning, to wash, and arranged their locks with a wooden comb ; how, when they milked the cows for the first time, the white current went fizz into their eyes, and shot over into a cluster of wild roses that were blushing at the performance.
There are threads of beauty that pervade every household, wherever it may be, and what- ever may be its lot. There are always pleasant thoughts, kind words and happy remembrances flying to and fro. How must the hearts of this family have rejoiced when, as the long shadows of evening were stretching over the landscape, some traveler, in his Kentucky-jeans coat and stoga boots, alighted from his shaggy old horse, and asked entertainment for the night. They looked upon it as a sort of angel-visit : each one strived to outstrip others in acts of hospitahty ; and though they could not offer him the luxuries of life, he soon felt that he was welcome to anything they had. The old fireplace, if it was winter, was soon piled with logs up to the very throat, and shook its shadows around the room in defiance of the winds that roared without. If the traveler happened to have a paper a month old, their joy was at its height, and the younger members of the family ransacked its columns with the greatest delight.
This little band had, as it were, severed all connection between themselves and the past. True to their purpose, they went to work in their new home as if they were going to tear down the whole forest and pile it into boards. Amid wind and storm and suffering and privation, they helped to lay the foundation of Wisconsin's greatness. Morn's early dawn, and evening's gentle hush, bore witness to their industry : and the happiness now enjoyed by the citizens of the city of Waupun is, in a degree, the product of their labor. They were firm to their pur- pose as flints, and the sparks struck from them are transfigured into images of beauty and romance. Their memory will ever be necessary to the loveliness of the city.
The family of Mr. Wilcox was relieved from the monotony of such complete isolation, in 1841. In that year, the settlement received an accession in the persons of C. Carrington, Mr. Town and others, who heroically entered upon the hardships of a pioneer life, in a section of country where everything was new. But to work they went, girdling the trees, fencing the land, raising log houses, and making the old "openings" echo with the din of their industry. From morn till night, they toiled in their new homes, and sent the breaking-plow, drawn by vokes of sturdy oxen, through the native sod. Then came the green grass, the corn and the wheat, some bearing sixty-fold and some an hundred-fold. There were no arbitrary lines drawn amongst them; no memorable fictions in the way of their progress; society, habit and custom hung no dead-weight on their ambitious minds. It was thus the first settlement began, in what is now the city of Waupun.
MEANING OF THE WORD WAUPUN.
The Indian word Waubun (meaning " the early day," or, perhaps, strictly speaking, " the early light or dawn"), which was intended to have been given to the town organized in 1842, in the western portion of Fond du Lac County, was, upon its first use by the early settlers, written incorrectly ; and its orthography was not fully settled until some years after, when " Waupun" came into general use. The town in Fond du Lac County being called " Waupun," the name was also given to the village, although the latter was located both in Fond du Lac and Dodge Counties ; and, of course, when the place grew into a city, and was incorporated, it was still called " Waupun." which name has the merit, at least, of being unlike any other in the United States. Although the place was first called Madrid, after the native place of Seymour Wilcox,
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yet, when the commission of the first Postmaster arrived, it was found that the name had been changed to Waupun ; this was done by James Duane Doty, who was then a delegate in Con- gress ; so that to Doty belongs the honor of the name.
FIRST EVENTS.
The first store in Waupun was opened by Thomas C. Snow, in John N. Ackerman's house, in Upper Town, in 1845. He kept a limited stock of dry goods, groceries, crockery and a few medicines.
The first Postmaster was Seymour Wilcox, commissioned in the winter of 1840 and 1841. The first sermon was by Rev. S. Smith, a Methodist, who then lived at Calumet, in the little schoolhouse erected near where the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway crosses Main street, in 1844. He had presided at informal prayer or class meetings, at the house of Seymour Wilcox, as early as 1840.
At the first election held at the house of Seymour Wilcox, in the spring of 1842, eleven votes were cast.
The first hotel was the log residence of Seymour Wilcox, who entertained travelers as soon as he moved into it, in 1839. The next hotel was J. N. Ackerman's, opened in 1845.
The first grist-mill was built by Forest & Smith in 1846, where Markle & Harris' stone mill now stands. The same firm built a saw-mill a few rods distant a year earlier.
The first newspaper was the Times, in 1857, by J. H. Brinkerhoff.
The first school was opened in 1844, by Charles Cleveland, in a small frame building situ- ated near where the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway crosses Washington or Main streets.
The first marriage in Waupun was that of William G. McElroy to Miss Lucinda Collis, in 1841, at Seymour Wilcox's house, by Mason C. Darling, of Fond du Lac. An enthusiastic pioneer, writing in 1857. thus describes the wedding :
" The wedding day came; the woods were a frozen poem written by invisible fingers. The earth was wrapt in its winding-sheet of snow, but in our little cabin the light flickered gro- tesquely from the fireplace on the unhewn rafters. There was no useless array among the bridal party, no satin dresses dotted with stars, no jewels spangled in the bosom of the bride, no bracelets encircled her arm, nor did any veil fall from the back of her head to hide the simple evergreen that shone in her hair. There were no dandified, white-gloved, scented, feline-look- ing, empty-headed scions of codfish aristocracy present ; no fashionable birds with beautiful plumage and sickly looks; no pale pets of the parlor who had vegetated in unhealthy shades until their complexions had assumed a greenish color like a potato in a dark cellar. The cere- mony throughout was characterized by Quaker-like simplicity. The building was humble. The ceremony over, I can see the white cloth placed on the table, and on it a plate or two of biscuits almost as white. Then I see a big gobbler, fattened for the occasion, and almost smell the sage with which the stuffing was sprinkled. Then came a bowl of pickled cabbage, a dish of baked beans, a plate of boiled beets fantastically decorated with cloves, and after that the crown- ing dish of all-a glorious jelly-cake, well seasoned with ginger and molasses plentifully spread between the layers for jelly. The day following the wedding the bridal party proposed a journey to Lake Emily, where the bride's parents resided, and which lay twelve miles distant through roadless woods and prairies. And what was their chariot ? a mag- nificent sled. By what was it drawn ? a magnificent yoke of oxen. With what was it enshrined ? a magnificent bundle of clean straw, and on this the beautiful bride and her attend- ant sat as dignified as did Cleopatra when surrounded with all that wealth could purchase."
The second marriage ceremony, performed October 11, 1842, although not performed in Waupun, snatched from single blessedness one of its earliest settlers, John N. Ackerman. Mr. Ackerman, with two small Indian ponies, went to Fond du Lac and secured the services of Alonzo Raymond, a Justice of the Peace, and the two proceeded by Indian trail to Oshkosh, where the bride, Miss Hannah A. Ford, was stopping. After the ceremony, the young couple
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mounted the ponies and made the journey to Waupun. The trail was exceedingly rough in many places, making it impossible for the riders to stick to their ponics unless they sat astride, which tbey occasionally did. Just imagine a modern belle making her bridal tour astride of a shaggy little Indian pony !
The first birth was that of a son, Ira, to Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Wilcox, April 17, 1841. The second was that of J. N. Ackerman's daughter, Marian A., in October, 1843.
The first death was that of a boy named Town, which occurred at his father's house. At Mr. Town's " barn-raising " a pail of whisky was set out for the men, and the boy, unnoticed, drank so freely of it that he soon after died.
The first frame building was a barn built by John N. Ackerman in 1843. The next two were Mr. Ackerman's residence and a building erected by Seymour Wilcox, where the Exchange Hotel stands.
The first railroad train reached Waupun February 15, 1856.
The first church building was erected by the Baptists in 1849.
GROWTH OF WAUPUN.
The first settlement in what is now the city of Waupun was made, as we have seen, in 1839, at which time Seymour Wilcox, perceiving that here was a water-power on the west branch of Rock River-then a stream of considerable size-combined with other natural advantages, determined to locate at this point, and, in that year, removed with his family from Green Bay and became the first settler and founder of what has since become a beautiful and flourishing young city. At the same time, Hiram Walker and John N. Ackerman, attracted by the reports brought to Green Bay by Mr. Wilcox, were induced to accompany him and settle at this place, where Mr. Ackerman still resides on the farm originally entered by him, having lived to see the silence of the prairie where he had chosen to build his home give place to a community of happy settlers, again changing to a thriving village, and, again touched by the wand of progress, trans- formed into a busy and ambitious little city, of which he had the honor of becoming the first Mayor.
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