The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 59

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1082

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V .- FOND DU LAC COUNTY'S REPRESENTATION IN CONGRESS.

The act of Congress, approved April 20, 1836, organizing the Territory of Wisconsin, con- ferred upon the people the right to be represented in the National Congress by one delegate, to be chosen by the votes of the qualified electors of the Territory. Under this authority, the Territory was represented in Congress by the following delegates :

George W. Jones, elected October 10, 1836; James D. Doty, September 10, 1838 ; James D. Doty, August 5, 1840; Henry Dodge, September 27, 1841 ; Henry Dodge, September 25, 1843 ; Morgan L. Martin, September 22, 1845; John H. Tweedy, September 6, 1847.

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 Second District included, along with other counties, that of Fond du Lac. Under this authority, an election was held May 8, 1848, and Mason C. Darling was elected to represent the Second District. He took his seat June 9 of that year. At the first session of the State Legislature-June 5 to August 21, 1848-the State was divided into three Congressional Dis- tricts. Fond du Lac County fell into the Third District. This apportionment continued unchanged until 1861. The Third District was represented in Congress as follows: Thirty- first Congress, James Duane Doty ; Thirty-second, John B. Macy ; Thirty-third, John B. Macy ; Thirty-fourth, Charles Billinghurst ; Thirty-fifth, Charles Billinghurst ; Thirty-sixth, Charles H. Larrabee ; Thirty-seventh, A. Scott Sloan.

At the fourteenth session of the Legislature of Wisconsin-January 9th to May 27, 1861 -- the State was divided into six Congressional Districts. Under this apportionment, Fond du Lac County fell into the Fourth District. For the next ten years, this District was represented in the National Legislature by-Thirty-eighth Congress, Charles A. Eldredge ; Thirty-ninth. Charles A. Eldredge : Fortieth, Charles A. Eldredge ; Forty-first, Charles A. Eldredge : Forty- second, Charles A. Eldredge.

'The present Congressional apportionment was made at the forty-fifth session of the Legis- lature-January 10, to March 27, 1872-when the State was divided into eight districts. Fond du Lac County was included, by that apportionment, in the Fifth District. From that time to the present, the Representatives from this district have been-Forty-third Congress, Charles

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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY.

A. Eldredge ; Forty-fourth, Samuel D. Burchard ; Forty-fifth, Edward S. Bragg ; Forty-sixth, Edward S. Bragg.

NAVIGATION OF LAKE WINNEBAGO.

The first white man that ever navigated Winnebago Lake was John Nicolet-the first of civilized men to set foot upon any portion of what is now the State of Wisconsin. This was in the year 1634. ITis craft was the bark canoe. Then followed the French trader and the Jesuit missionary in their canoes of the same material. It was not until Green Bay had become an American settlement that Durham boats were used upon Lake Winnebago. These were dis- placed to a great extent by sailing boats and small steamers, not many years subsequent to the first settlement of Fond du Lac County. But few people of the present day know what " Dur- ham " boats are like. They were very substantial scows, and would float from fifteen to fifty tons of freight. The logs from which they were made were elevated on " horses " several feet above the ground, and a pit excavated under them in which, below the logs, " whip-sawyers" stood while sawing or " ripping " them into planks. The boats had walks built near the gun- wale on both sides on which the crew walked while propelling the clumsy craft with poles. Sometimes, when the water became too deep for " poling," a square sail was hoisted, which, how- ever, was a means of but little progress.

The first steamboat that ever ran upon Lake Winnebago was the Manchester, brought by Capt. Stephen Iloughtaling from Buffalo, N. Y., in 1843. The woodwork was overhauled and some of it replaced at Brothertown. The craft was then taken to Taycheedah, where the machinery was repaired and put in order, and where its first trip was made. It was a small, slow boat, with well-worn locomotive machinery, and did not finish its first voyage out of Tay- cheedah, as planned, being obliged to return for further repairs. In the fall of 1843, B. F. Moore ran her up the Wolf River with supplies. She was the first boat to ascend that stream, and the crew were obliged to cut away the lumber rafts and driftwood in its numerons bends before it was possible to proceed. At Shawano, the engine crank was broken, and two men, Charles Westcott and Aaron Ninham, took a portion of the broken piece to Green Bay to secure a new casting. This they soon did, and although weighing 151 pounds actually carried it on their backs through an unbroken forest and over unbridged streams back to the boat, a dis- tance of more than forty miles. During the first few years she ran upon Lake Winnebago, the Manchester was mostly engaged in towing rafts of logs or lumber, transporting supplies and carrying a little freight. On one occasion, she was eleven days making a trip with a raft in tow, between Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, and frequently. in rough weather, she required two days for the same journey with only a small load. In 1847, she was overhauled and made regu- lar trips. Full information as to time, passenger and freight rates, which are of interest now, may be obtained from the following notice and advertisement, copied from the Fond du Lac Whig of May 13, 1847 :

" We take pleasure in inviting the attention of the public to the steamboat advertisement which appears in to-day's paper. The Manchester is a beautiful and commodious boat, com- manded by Capt. Houghtaling, and fitted up for convenience or pleasure, and plies between Fond du Lac and the Rapids, three times a week, and returns on alternate days. From the gentle- manly bearing and enterprise of the captain, the accommodation offered by the crew, the con- venience of the boat and the cheapness of the fare and freight, we hesitate not to recommend this as the best route to the rapids or any landing on the lake shores."

The advertisement referred to in the foregoing is as follows :

" 1847. Lake Winnebago Steamboat Arrangement. The Manchester, Houghtaling, Master, will run during the season between Fond du Lac and Neenah, as follows : Departures. Leaves Taycheedah, Mondays, 7 o'clock A. M. Leaves Fond du Lac, Mondays, 8 o'clock A. M., for Oshkosh, touching at Brothertown. Leaves Oshkosh, Tuesdays, 8 o'clock A. M., for Taycheedah and Fond du Lac, touching at Brothertown. Leaves Taycheedah, Wednesdays, 7 o'clock A. M. Leaves Fond du Lac, 8 o'clock A. M., for Neenah (foot of the lake, ) touching at Brothertown and Oshkosh. Leaves Neenah, Thursdays, 7 o'clock A. M., for Taycheedah and

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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY.

Fond du Lac, touching at Oshkosh and Brothertown. Leaves Taycheedah, Fridays, 7 o'clock A. M. Leaves Fond du Lac, Fridays, 8 o'clock A. M. for Oshkosh, touching at Brothertown. Leaves Oshkosh, Saturdays, at 8 o'clock A. M. for Taycheedah and Fond du Lac, touching at Brothertown. Fare : From Taycheedah to Brothertown, 25 cents. From Taychecdah to Osh- kosh, 50 cents. From Taycheedah to Neenah, 75 cents. From Fond du Lac to Brothertown, 25 cents. From Fond du Lac to Oshkosh, 50 cents. From Fond du Lac to Neenah, 75 cents. From Brothertown to Oshkosh, 50 cents. From Neenah to Oshkosh, 50 cents. From Neenah to Taycheedah, 75 cents. From Neenah to Fond du Lac, 75 cents. Meals extra. Freight : Whisky, per barrel, 25 cents; flour, 12 cents ; pork, 25 cents; grain, per bushel, 6 cents ; household furniture, per barrel, bulk. 123 cents. The above charges for freight are from any of the above ports to any other port."

The next steamer after the Manchester was the Peytona, built in 1849 by the Peytona Company at Neenah, for Capt. Estes. She was one of the best boats ever built on the lake. The third steamer was the D. B. Whitaker, built by Capt. James and Mark R. Harrison, at Oshkosh, in 1849, and put to service the following year. In 1851, the Harrison Brothers (Mark R. is the artist, now living in Fond du Lac, and Capt. James is a Mississippi steamboat captain), built the John Mitchell, at Menasha. During the same year, the Ryans built at this same place the Menasha, which was the largest steamboat ever upon Lake Winne- bago. She had two engines, and was elegantly appointed in every way. Soon after, the Jenny Lind was launched, and steamboating became almost a mania. There was very little freight- ing to do, and if all the people on the shores of the lake had patronized the boats regularly, it would hardly have made a paying business. Everybody who put any money into steamboating at that time lost it. In 1852, John Bannister, K. A. Darling and B. F. Moore having pur- chased the Peytona, ran her that season at such a loss that Bannister and Darling declared they would never touch her again. Mr. Moore therefore overhanled the boat, and ran her himself the next season, 1853, and made money enough to pay for her and all running expenses. But the others lost more disastrously than ever. During that fall and the succeeding season of 1854, B. F. Moore, of Fond du Lac, and John Fitzgerald, of Oshkosh, bought all the boats on the lake. They overhauled and ran seven of them, but laid up the balance. Among those in service were the Neenah, Barlow, Eureka, Peytona and William A. Knapp. This combination continued during 1854, 1855 and 1856, with profit to its proprietors. After that, Mr. Moore sold out to Mr. Fitzgerald, and Fond du Lac lost her shipping interests. At that time, the bar at the mouth of the Fond du Lac River prevented the entrance of steamers, and Mr. Moore built a pier out into the lake, which he rented to the Oshkosh Boat Company for several years afterward. In 1854, the Barlow, one of Moore & Fitzgerald's fleet, blew up at Oshkosh, killing two firemen.

Ilenry Orr, a Scotchman, who was clerk of the Peytona, is now a millionaire, and residing in Scotland. Capt. Houghtaling. the first steamboat captain on Lake Winnebago, and who has three sons in Fond du Lac, died at Detroit of a broken blood-vessel, while returning from Pittsburgh with a boat for Lake Winnebago traffic.

Since Mr. Moore sold his boats, the shipping interests have all remained at Oshkosh, until August, 1877, when the " Fond du Lac Steamboat Company," composed of the leading business men of the city of Fond du Lac, purchased the L. P. Sheldon for $2,000. It was overhauled and christened the Commodore Benton. It was run during 1877 by Capt. Sam. Houghtaling. and during 1878 by Capt. George Lindsley. For some unaccountable reason, the enterprise dia not pay, although it resulted in reducing freight on the railways between Green Bay and Fond du Lac, from 25 to 40 per cent. The Oshkosh boatmen, jealous of the Commodore Ben- ton's success in securing excursion parties, raised the cry that she was an old boat, liable to explode her boilers at any moment, and that killed her passenger traffic. She was sold in the fall of 1878 to John S. McDonald for $800, who sent her to Oconto to engage in towing rafts. Fond du Lac is now neither the proprietor of any boats save lumber tugs. nor in the enjoyment

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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY.

of regular trips from boats owned elsewhere, although very large quantities of wood, logs and lumber are brought each season by the Oshkosh steamers.

THE WISCONSIN PHALANX.

In the year 1843, the country was agitated to a certain extent by the discussion of Fourier's principles of association, and by the zeal with which the New York' Tribune, and some other papers of recognized standing, defended " the science of new social relations," and the re-organiza- tion of society. The glowing accounts received by some of the citizens of Southport (now Kenosha), Wis., concerning the prospects of several societies already commenced, was the means of bringing this subject of " the union of labor and capital," before the Franklin Lyceum of that little village, in the fall and winter of the year just named. In the discussion which fol- lowed many members took part. "Its vast economies, its equitable distributions, its harmony of groups and series, its attractive industry, its advantages for schools, meetings, parties and social festivities," were all brought forth and dilated upon.

On the 13th of November, 1843. the question came up for the first time before the Lyceum in the following words : " Does the system of Fourier present a practicable plan for such a re-or- ganization of society, as will guard against our present social evils ?" It was discussed, on the 21st of the month, by Michael Frank, T. Newell, S. Fish and E. W. Hadley, in the affirmative ; by E. M. Kinney, C. Durkee and L. P. Harvey, in the negative. On the same evening this question was proposed : " Does the system of Fourier present a practicable plan of social reform ?" It was discussed by a number of the members on the evening of the 28th. At the same time, a third question was proposed bearing on the same subject : " Are mankind naturally so depraved, and is society composed of such discordant material, as to render the adoption of Fourier's system impracticable ?" It was ably discussed on the evening of the 5th of Decem- ber, 1843. On that evening, the subject came up a fourth time in the shape of this question : " Would the system of Fourier, if adopted, tend to diminish the evils of society ?" This was thoroughly discussed at the next meeting-December 12, 1843-and was the last one concerning "the union of capital and labor," brought before the Lyceum.

The result of these discussions was that an organization was formed in Southport, in the spring of 1844, with a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, to see if the plan of Fourier could be carried into practical effect. Articles of Agreement were drawn up and signed- the association taking the name of THE WISCONSIN PHALANX. Several hundred dollars were raised by the sale of stock at $25 a share.

The next step was the selection of a location and the entry and pre-emption of a few hundred acres of land belonging to the General Government, where the owners of the stock were to assemble and enter at once upon a new life, socially and financially. Ebenezer Childs, a well- known citizen of Green Bay, Wis., who was familiar with many parts of the Territory, was employed by the association to hunt a proper location for trial of the experiment determined upon by its members. Childs took with him three men, and after about twelve days' search upon the Government domain in Central Wisconsin, came to a tract of land in Township 16, north of Range 14 east, in the county of Fond du Lac. The men who went with Childs were good judges of land, and were empowered to accept or reject such location as he should point out to them. The spot was in a beautiful valley, on a small stream that tumbled over cliffs of lime rock, and after a course of three miles, emptied its clear waters into Green Lake. Childs recommended this site as the most favorable, all things considered, of any they had yet visited, and as one eminently fitted for the location of the Wisconsin Phalanx. His companions accepted his views, and it was determined by them that the tract on which they stood should be the spot where the association would test its theories concerning the union of capital and labor.

The next step to be taken was the purchase of a few hundred acres of land from the Gen- eral Government at the place fixed upon ; and for that purpose money was collected-about

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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY.

eight hundred dollars-and put into the hands of Warren Chase, the leading spirit of the move- ment. He sent the funds to Green Bay, where the land office for the Green Bay Land District was located, where several quarter-sections which had been selected were entered in the name of Michael Frank, " a quiet citizen of the village of Southport, of irreproachable character and far too honest to defraud any person, and one in whom everybody had confidence, who knew him." While these transactions were going forward, the members of the Phalanx had collected teams, cows, tools, provisions and tents, and started-nineteen men and one boy-with three horse-teams and several ox-teams to the land of promise, by way of Watertown, in Jefferson County, Wis. They left home on Monday, and after "marching and camping and camp- ing and marching," reached their destination on Sunday, May 27, 1844. They camped the night before on the north bank of Silver Creek, near where the stone mill was afterward erected, in what is now the city of Ripon ; "and on the morning of May 27-to them ever memorable-they repaired to the valley below, on the beautiful plain surrounded by hills, like an amphitheater, and one of the most beautiful spots nature has formed in Wisconsin, and there, on their own lands, pitched their tents."

" They were as good material, probably, as was ever got together for a like experiment. They did not belong, even in part, to the class of ' the unappreciated, the played-out, the idle, and the good for nothing generally;' on the contrary, they were persons whose industry and general shrewdness had already been coined into a good equipment of live stock, farm materials, implements, and other necessaries for fitting out a new enterprise. What was better, they had all, as pioneers, undergone that training in hard work and privation which fortified them against discontent and homesickness. They were rather religious than irreligious, and among them were two who had studied as preachers in evangelical denominations ; but there was nothing like religious bigotry visible in the Phalanx ; on the contrary, every body was liberal."

The members of this association who had thus struck boldly into an uninhabited region for, as they believed, a principle, were Alexander Todd, Jerome C. Cobb, Warren Chase, Jacob Beckwith, Nathan Hunter, John Limbert, T. V. Newell, H. Gordon Martin, William E. Hol- brook, Uriah Gould, Lester Rounds, Laban Stilwell, James Stuart, William Dunham, Joseph S. Tracy, Carlton Lane, George II. Stebbins, Seth R. Kellogg, Chester Adkins; nineteen in all. A boy also came along, but he soon after left.

On the morning of Monday, May 28, 1844, preparations began for the building of three frame houses ; the first ground was broken on that day in plowing up the sod where the cellars were to be dug ; breaking for crops was also commenced on the same day. The working force- besides the nineteen men and boy-was eight yoke of oxen and thirty-four horses. The Phalanx had, in all, fifty-four head of cattle. Their first care besides the erection of the neces- sary buildings to shelter their soon-expected families, was of course to get in their crops as soon as possible, the season being already far advanced. Twenty acres of potatoes, buckwheat, turnips, and other vegetables, were put in, but a white frost on the morning of June 10 destroyed most of the corn, beans and vines. The long days were filled with toil by these hardy pioneers, and the short nights were devoted to sleep on the ground, under the tents, of which there were three. A Scotch sailor cooked for them in the open air ; and they ate their meals on rough boards under the shade of a bower, when it did not rain ; and when it did, they ate standing, to avoid an excess of water on the body, and because they could shed the rain better in that position. The dwellings were twenty by thirty feet each, one and one-half stories high. and thirty feet apart. They were completed from oak trees which furnished, without saw-mill, the frames, the clapboards, the shingles and the floors. Lumber for the stairs and upper floor was brought from a distance. These buildings stood on what is now Lot 2 in Block 4, and were the first houses of any kind built within the present limits of the city of Ripon. In coming to their new homes, the members of the association left their families behind them. Before the three houses were inclosed some of their wives and children arrived, brought by horse teams, which were kept constantly going from and to the old and new homes.

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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY.

The next arrival at the " domain," after those who reached the valley May 28, was Ebenezer Childs. He came June 4, but only remained until the 24th of September following. On the 4th of July, a liberty pole was raised, and the stars and stripes floated proudly in the breeze.

The most important improvement needed, it was now seen, was the building of a saw-mill and the erection of a dam across Silver Creek. It was late in winter before the saw-mill was in run- ning order, and then the creek was too much frozen for use. The consequence was that the Phalanx had to go withont many boards to protect man and beast from the inclemency of the weather, during all the cold months ; but the hay, which was abundant, supplied largely the place of boards for shelter for their animals, and was used for beds for the families, There was " broken up " and sowed to winter wheat one hundred acres of prairie the first year.

When the families (about twenty, who all ate at a common table in the basement of one of the houses, where all the cooking was done) were all packed for winter quarters, and " the boys" were hunting fence timber and saw-logs on the Government land, Warren Chase started for Madison to secure a charter, or act of incorporation, for the society. The act had been care- fully drawn up by him, and submitted to the members and approved, and he was authorized to secure its passage with as few amendments as possible. After much labor in lobbying, he was successful, his bill having passed the Assembly and Council, the two honses of the Territorial Legislature. It was approved by N. P. Tallmadge, on the 6th day of February, 1845, the Governor remarking, interrogatively, to Chase as he signed the act, " It will not compromise my Democracy to sign it, will it?" The charter was in these words :

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE WISCONSIN PHALANX.

Be at enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Hisconsin :

SECTION 1. That Warren Chase. Uriel Farmin, Lester Rounds, Jacob Beckwith, Laban Stilwell and William Dunham, and all others who shall become associated with them as members, shall be, and they are hereby declared to be, a body corporate, or politic, to be known and designated as the Wisconsin Phalanx, and as such corporation are hereby declared capable of sning and being sued, answering and being answered unto, pleading and being impleaded, defending and being defended, in all courts and places in all suits, actions, matters and causes whatever. And the said corporation shall have a continned and perpetual succession, and shall have power to make a common seal and change the same at pleasure.

SEC. 2. The said corporation shall have power to own and bold real estate and personal property in joint stock, to purchase and transfer property, real or personal, at pleasure, using the common seal and signature of the corporation. But in no case shall said corporation sell and couvey real estate without the consent of all the stock- holders, or a special law of the Legislature of this Territory for that purpose. The evidence of stock in this cor- poration shall be kept in a book denominated a stock-book, which book shall at all times be a sufficient evidence to any person or persons title to stock or interest in said corporation, and shall be a public record of the same.

.. SEC. 3. The property real and personal of said corporation shall be held in stock, numbered in shares of $25 each, and transferable at the will of the holder; but no transfer shall be effectual until recorded on the books of the corporation by the recording officer of the Phalanx.

SEC. 4. Tbe said corporation shall be located in the town of Ceresco. in the county of Fond du Lac, to which town the business operations of the Corporation shall at all times be restricted. Provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to prohibit the corporation from owning and occupying timbered or meadow lands in any other town, and provided further that the quantity of land held by said corporation shall never exceed forty acres to cach person belonging thereto.

SEC. 5. The corporation, or the officers thereof, shall have no power to contract any debt in their incorporate name or by virtue of this act, to issue any notes or scrips, or evidences of debt whatever ; and it said corporation, or its Board of Managers, shall contract or assume to contract any debt in the name of said corporation, each indi- vidual member thereof shall be personally liable to pay such debt.

SEC. 6. Warren Chase, Lester Rounds and Uriel Farmin, are hereby authorized and empowered to open books and receive subscriptions for stock in said corporation, on the third Monday in February, A. D. 1845, at the house of Lester Rounds, in the town of Ceresco in the county of Fond du Lac, W. T., and to continue open said books at such times and places as they shall deem proper, until the Council hereinafter mentioned shall be elected ; immedi- ately after which they shall deliver said books and subscriptions to said Council. No subscriptions for stock shall be entered upon the books without the consent of all persons authorized to open said books while the same are in their possession. All subscriptions for stock not paid on or before the time designated for the payment of the same shall be forfeited.

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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 59

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 1082

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1082