USA > Wisconsin > Wisconsin: comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form: > Part 26
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Prospect, a discontinued postoffice in Waukesha county.
Public Instruction, State Superintendent of .- The constitution provides that the supervision of public instruction shall be vested in a state superintendent and such other officers as the legislature shall direct. A change in the constitution which went into effect
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in 1904 changed the term of office of the superintendent from two to four years, and the time of electing him from the fall to the time of the judicial election in the spring, and gave the legislature power to fix the salary. Prior to that change the salary was but $1,200; now it is $5,000.
Public Lands, Commissioners of .- The constitution provides that the secretary of state, state treasurer and the attorney general shall constitute a board of commissioners for the sale of university and school lands and for the investment of the funds arising therefrom. The work thus directed is carried on largely through. the state land office in charge of a chief clerk and assistants. The chief clerk and his force are appointed by the commissioners.
Public Printing, Commissioners of .- The governor, secretary of state and attorney general are the commissioners of public print- ing. Every two years they receive and pass upon bids for the state printing,-which includes the reports of all the departments of state government,-and the reports of all state institutions.
Public Property, Superintendent of .- The statutes of 1849 made the governor ex-officio superintendent of property to have charge and control of the state library and other portable property ; the public grounds, the capitol building, etc., but providing that the legislature would have the right to set apart rooms in the build- ing for its use. A few years later the state law librarian acted as superintendent of public property. Still later the legislature created the office of superintendent of public property separate from the others and the incumbent is nominated by the governor every two years. The salary is $2,000.
Public Schools .- See Common Schools.
Public Works, Board of .- See Fox & Wisconsin River Improve- ment Company.
Puckaway, Lake, really a widening of the Fox river, lies in Green Lake county. Montello is the nearest railroad station.
Pulaski, a post village of 200 in Brown county. Green Bay, the county seat, is 19 miles to the southeast.
Pulcifer, a post village of 180 people on the Oconto river in Sha- wano county, 18 miles northeast of Shawano, the county seat.
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Quarles, Joseph Very, was born in Southport (now Kenosha), Wis., Dec. 16, 1843. Ile entered the University of Michigan in 1862 but in 1861 left to enlist in the 39th Wis. Inf., in which he served as first lieutenant of Co. C. At the close of the war he re- entered the university and was graduated in 1835, and then took the university law course. Ile practiced law in Kenosha and later in Racine and Milwaukee with great success. In 1880-81 he served as state senator from the Kenosha district. In 1899 he was elected U. S. senator. Soon after the end of his term in 1905 he was ap- pointed U. S. judge for the eastern district of Wisconsin.
Quarry, a postoffice of 100 people on the W. C. Ry. in Manitowoc county. Manitowoc, the county seat, is 16 miles distant
Quartermaster General, The .- See National Guard.
Quebec Act .- The act passed in 1274 by which and with which England assumed dominion over the country that is now Wisconsin and the adjoining territory, is known as the Quebec act.
Quincy, a country postoffice of Adams county, on the Wiscon- sin river, 12 miles southwest of Friendship, the county seat.
Racine .- This city is the county seat of the county of the same name, and is situated on the shore of Lake Michigan between Mil- waukee and Chicago. It is one of the oldest cities of the state, having been incorporated in 1848, after settlement of 14 years. It has a population of 32,290, built up by the many manufacturing industries, of which Racine has more in proportion to its size than any city of the country. It is at the mouth of the Root river. The C. & N. W. and the C., M. & St. P. Rys., and the Goodrich and Barry Steamship Cos. offer fine transportation facilities. There are three banks, and the press is represented by the Times (daily and semi-weekly). the Journal ( daily and semi-weekly), the News (daily), the Correspondent (German monthly), the Slavie (Bo- hemian weekly) and the Weekly Wisconsin Agriculturist.
Racine County is in the southeastern part of the state, touching Lake Michigan, the name being the French name for the Root river within it. It is a territorial county, having been organized in 1836. The soil is a rich black loam with a sub-pil of marl clay.
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The 1905 census gave it a population of 50,228 and it has an area of 340 square miles. The city of Racine is the county seat.
Radisson, a post town of 150 people in Sawyer county, and a sta- tion on the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry. Hayward, the county seat is 15 miles distant.
Radisson, Sieur, a French voyageur, who as early as 1658, with a companion, Groseilliers (q. v.), accompanied a party of Huron Indians westward and visited Green Bay, and the southern shore of Lake Superior. According to their own record, from the western end of Chequamegon bay they penetrated to the Mississippi river and later they went as far north as Hudson's bay.
Railroad Train, The First .- The first railroad train run in Wis- consin was between Milwaukee and Waukesha in February, 1851.
Railroads, Mileage of .- The mileage within the state of the rail- roads operating in Wisconsin is: C. & N. W., 1,758.91; C., M. & St. P., 1,001.39; W. C., 841.29; C., St. P., M. & O., 738.26; M., St. P. & Ste. M., 336.81; G. B. & W., 225; C., B. & Q., 222.57; N. P., 150; D. S. S. & A., 112.28; I. C., 91.31; W. W., 51.68; W. & M., 44.80; G. N., 37.79 ; S. M. & P., 41; A. & N. (Marathon county), 15.16; A. & W. (Kewaunee county), 34; Ashland & Siskowit ( Bay- field), 48; Big Falls (Waupaca), 21; Bayfield Transfer (Bayfield), 9.86; Chicago & Lake Superior (Dane), 3; Chippewa River & Northern (Rusk), 24; Dunbar & Wausaukee ( Marinette), 13.50; Drummond & Southwestern (Bayfield), 25.14; Fairchild & North- eastern (Clark), 33; Hawthorn, Nebagamon & Superior (Doug- las), 33.50; Holmes & Son ( Marinette), 24; Hazelhurst & South- eastern (Oneida), 11; Iola & Northern (Waupaca), 4.70; Glen- wood & Northeastern (St. Croix), 14; Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western (Brown), 36.70; Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer (Douglas), 16.33; Lake Shore & Eastern, ( Price), 19; Mattoon (Shawano), 29.36; Milwaukee, Bay View & Chicago ( Milwaukee), 17.33; Marinette, Tomahawk & Western (Lincoln), 39.40; Min- neapolis, St. Paul & Ashland ( Bayfield), 45.50; Northwestern Coal (Douglas), 8; Oshkosh Transportation ( Winnebago), 428; West Range (Ashland), 7: Winona Bridge (Bulldo), 1.54; Whitcomb & Morris (Shawano), 6; Bayfield Harbor & Great Western
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(Bayfield), 12; Chippewa Valley & Northern (Rusk), 9.67; Rob- hins Logging Ry. (Oneida), 21; Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern (Milwaukee), 18.12; Union Center & Hillsboro (Vernon and Ju- neau), 4.60. The total mileage of single track railway in the state is 6,962.78.
Railway Charter, The First .- The first charter for a railway granted in Wisconsin was in 1836 for the construction of a rail- road from Belmont, Iowa county, to the nearest and most eligible point on the Mississippi river, with power to extend the road from Belmont to Mineral Point and thence to Dodgeville.
Railways, Taxation of .- The legislature of 1854 established the license fee system of taxing railroads ; i. e., the state collected from the roads a certain percentage of their gross earnings within the state. For the purpose the roads were divided into classes accord- ing to their gross earnings per mile, the highest earning roads to pay the highest percentage. This system was in force for 50 years, the only change in it being an increase in the percentage from time to time, until the highest class roads were paying annually 4 per centum of their gross earnings into the state treasury. The pay- ments were made twice a year, in August and in February, and the earnings of the preceding year were used as the basis of calcula- tion. The legislature of 1903 changed the license-fee method to the ad valorem method of taxing railroads, it being the duty of the tax commission (q. v.) to ascertain the value of each road within the state and levy upon that the average rate of taxation. This average rate is ascertained by dividing the total tax collected the preceding year by the total assessment of the state for that year. The railroad companies have refused to submit to the new system on the ground that their property is assessed much higher relatively than any other property. The matter is now in the courts.
Ramona, a country postoffice in Green county and a station on the I. C. and the C., M. & St. P. Rys., 8 miles west of Monroe, the county seat.
Randall, a post station on the N. P. Ry. in Burnett county, 10 miles southwest of Grantsburg, the county seat.
Randall, Alex. W., governor of Wisconsin, and member of the
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president's cabinet. was born in New York in 1819. He came to Wisconsin in 1840, settling in Waukesha county. He was post- master in Waukesha, a member of the lower house of the legisla- ture and in 1856 was judge of the second district; in 1857 he was elected governor of the state; was United States minister to Italy 1862-65 ; assistant postmaster general 1865-66, and post- master general 1866-69. He died at Elmira, N. Y., July 25, 1822.
Randall, Camp .- See Camp Randall; also University of Wis- consin. (Randall Field.)
Randolph, an incorporated village of Dodge and Columbia coun- ties, on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 25 miles northwest of Juneau, the county seat of Dodge county. Its population of 818 supports a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Advance.
Random Lake, a post village of Sheboygan county, settled in 1875, and a station on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 22 miles southwest of Sheboygan, the county seat.
Range, a postoffice of 15 people in Polk county, 12 miles south- east of Balsam Lake, the county seat.
Rangeline, a discontinued postoffice in Manitowoc county.
Rankin, Joseph, was born in Passaic, N. J., Sept. 25, 1833. He served three years in the Union army ; and for 11 years was a mem- ber of the Wisconsin legislature. He was elected as a democratic member of the house of representatives from Wisconsin in the 48th and 49th congresses. He died Jan. 24, 1886, before the expiration of his term. His home was in Manitowoc.
Ranney, a postoffice of 75 people on the C., M. & St. P. and the C. & N. W. Rys., in Kenosha county, 41/2 miles southwest of Ke- nosha, the county seat.
Rapids, a discontinued postoffice in Manitowoc county.
Rapp, a postoffice of 20 people on the C. & N. W. Ry. in Monroe county, 10 miles southwest of Sparta, the county scat.
Rate Commission, Railway .- Ch. 362, laws of 1905, is the new railway commission law which assumes strict control over the management and rate-making power of railroads in the state, and which provides for a commission of three members. The commis- sion has offices in the capitol building at Madison and the members
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receive $5,000 salary and necessary expenses and are furnished with clerks and such expert assistants as may be required.
Rat Lake is in Forest county. Cedar is the nearest railroad point.
Rat River .- The headwaters of Rat river are Rat lake in Forest county. It flows southeast into Marinette county where it joins the Peshtigo river.
Raudin, Sieur, a French explorer and trader, who was engaged in trading with the Sioux on Chequamegon bay in 1673, three years after Pere Marquette was compelled to leave there.
Readfield, a post town of 109 people of Waupaca county, 24 miles southeast of Waupaca, the county scat.
Readstown, an incorporated village on the Kickapoo river in Vernon county, and on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 11 miles southeast of Viroqua, the county seat. The population of 516 supports a weekly newspaper, the Herald, and a bank.
Reams, a discontinued postoffice in Waupaca county.
Red Bird .- A Winnebago chief named Red Bird created in 1827 a widespread Indian scare in the Wisconsin country, chiefly in the lead regions, and from there north to the Fox-Wisconsin portage, by the murder of a white family near Prairie du Chien, and an at- tack upon a supply boat on the Mississippi river. Red Bird and his accomplice were surrendered by the Wiunchagoes at Fort Winnebago a few weeks after and were tried and sentenced to be hanged. Red Bird died in prison and the other chief was dis- charged.
Red Cedar, a country postoffice in Dunn county, and a station on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 17 miles from Menomonie, the county seat.
Red Cedar Lake is in Barron county. It is the headwaters of the Red Cedar river. Haugen is the nearest railroad point.
Red Cedar River finds its headwaters in Red Cedar lake in Bar- ron county ; it flows south across Barron and Dunn counties, join- ing the Chippewa river at Red Cedar postoffice.
Redcliff, an Indian town of 200 people on the reservation in Bay- field county, 1512 miles north of Washburn, the county seat.
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Red Granite, a post town of 100 people in Waushara county, on the C. & N. W. Ry. Wautoma, the county seat, is 12 miles distant.
Red Mound, a discontinued postoffice in Vernon county.
Red River has its rise within the Menomonee Indian reservation ; flows southeast to join the Wolf river just north of Shawano.
Red Rock, a discontinued postoffice in La Fayette county.
Red Springs, a country postoffice in Shawano county. Shawano, the county seat, is 16 miles southeast.
Reed, a discontinued postoffice in Crawford county.
Reedsburg, an incorporated city or the Baraboo river in Sauk county, and on the C. & N. W. Ry., 15 miles northwest of Baraboo, the county seat. Though incorporated in 1868, its population at present is 2,515, which supports two weekly newspapers, the Times and the Free Press, and three banks.
Reedsville, an incorporated village of Manitowoc county, on the C. & N. W. Ry., 16 miles northwest of Manitowoc, the county seat. It has a population of 515.
Reeseville, an incorporated village of 397 people in Dodge county, on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 12 miles southeast of Juneau, the county seat. The village contains a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Review, and was first settled in 1845.
Reeve, a country postoffice of Barron county. Barron, the county seat, is 25 miles to the northeast.
Reformatory, Charitable and Penal Institutions .- Wisconsin has a very comprehensive and effective system of reformatory, charit- able and penal institutions, consisting of the Wisconsin hospital for the insane, near Madison ; the northern hospital for the insane, near Oshkosh; the institution for the education of the blind at Janesville ; the industrial school for boys at Waukesha; the in- stitution for the education of the deaf at Delavan; the state school for dependent children at Sparta; the home for the feeble minded at Chippewa Falls; the state reformatory for first offenders at Green Bay, and the state penitentiary at Waupun. Besides there are 30 county asylums for the chronic insane and the industrial school for girls at Milwaukee, the latter being supported by the state, but under control of a self-perpetuating board. The Wis-
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consin method of caring for the insane has received commendation from students of the subject and humanitarians in all sections of the country. The state hospitals are what their names imply, a place for effectively treating the curable insane, while the county asylums are used chiefly for the chronic insane. In both cases the patients are given the widest liberty and freedom compatible with their own welfare and the public safety. For the year ending Sept. 3, 1904, 5,519 insane were under state care in Wisconsin of which number 1,566 were in the hospitals and 3,953 in the county asylums. The total cost for maintaining the 9 distinctly state institutions for the year ending June 30 1901, was $639,149.36. The workshop for the blind in Milwaukee, established by authority of the legisla- ture of 1903, is for the adult blind, where, by teaching the latter trades and assisting them in the purchase of material and in the sale of their output, they are helped to become self-supporting. The industrial school for girls at Milwaukee is employed by the state for the custody, guardianship and discipline of unruly and viciously inclined girls.
Reformatory for First Offenders, State .- See Reformatory, Charitable and Penal Institutions.
Reform School, State .- Original name of the industrial school for boys at Waukesha .- See Reformatory, Charitable and Penal Institutions.
Referendum, The First .- When the first constitution, that of 1846, was submitted to the people, there was also submitted on a separate ballot, the question, whether the ballot should be given to the negro. The clause submitted was defeated but later (1849) the franchise was given to the negro. (See Negro Suffrage.)
Regina, a country postoffice of Shawano county. Shawano, the county seat, is 30 miles to the southeast.
Register of Deeds, a county official authorized by the constitu- tion, elected every two years. Ilis duty is to be custodian of the real estate records of the county, to record transfers, releases, deeds and mortgages, in short all papers, duly executed, affecting the title of real estate.
Regli, a discontinued postoffice in Buffalo county.
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CYCLOPEDIA OF WISCONSIN.
Reif, a discontinued postoffice in Manitowoc county.
Relief Commission, Soldiers' .- By a law passed in 1887, county boards are authorized to levy a tax for the support of indigent ex- soldiers or their widows or minor children. In many counties a relief commission is appointed by the county board which attends to the distribution of the money thus raised.
Relief Corps, The Woman's, an auxiliary of the G. A. R., was or- ganized in La Crosse June 26, 1884. There are now 153 corps in Wisconsin with a membership of 6,640.
Religious Denominations, Statistics of .- It was possible in the case of some of the religious denominations of the state referred to below to secure recent data, but for the most part the only religious data available was that of the United States census of 1890. There are a total of 3,732 church organizations in Wisconsin owning or using 3,286 church edifices with a seating capacity of 815,208 and 482 balls with a seating capacity of 44,959. The total value of church property in the state is $14,521,341. About 33 per cent of the total population of the state (2,228,000) are church communi- cants. The Catholic church outnumbers any other, the Lutheran comes second, the Methodist third and the Baptist fourth. In alphabetical order the membership and the value of church property in the state are as follows: Adventists, 2,541 members, value of church property, $40,375; Baptists, 16,913, $960,070; Catholics, 249,164, $4,873,270; Christians, 579, $5,955; Christian Scientists. 4,741, $2,025 (this denomination has had a higher percentage of growth in the past 15 years than any of the others and these figures do not fairly represent its present status) ; Congregationalists, 15,841, $1,089,250; Disciples, 1,317, $30,300; Evangelical Associa- tion, 12,553, $355,100; Friends, 154, $1,100; German Evangelical, 11,410, $182,700; Jewish, 1,231, $112,000; Latter Day Saints, 341, $1,200; Lutheran, 160,919, $2,328,138; Methodist Episcopal, 41,360, $1,791,900; other Methodists, 2,324, $100,000; Moravians, 1,477, $27,900; Presbyterian, 14,154, $1.004,355; Protestant Episcopal, 10,457, $1,035,978; Reformed Episcopal, 7,265, $191,950; Spiritual- ists, 354, $27,000; United Brethern, 1,750, $39,225; Unitarians, 391, $238,520; Universalists, 541, $85,200. Beside these are the Church of New Jerusalem, the Dunkards, the Salvation Army and the Theo-
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sophical Society with an aggregate membership of 750 and no church property. The first Methodist mission was established in Green Bay in 1829. The first Methodist Episcopal organization was at Platteville in 1833, four members constituting it. The Primitive Methodists, an organization imported from England, or- ganized a church at Platteville in 1843. A Protestant Episcopal mission was established at Green Bay in 1823. The first Presby- terian church organized in Wisconsin was at Burnett in Dodge county in 1846; it was known as the "Old School." The "New School" Presbyterian church organized in the state in 1851; and the United Presbyterian church was first organized in the state at Union Grove in 1845. The Plymouth Brethren organized first in Milwaukee in 1863. The first Unitarian church organized in the state was at Milwaukee in 1845.
Reports, The Wisconsin .- The volumes of the state supreme court decisions which are published at the expense of the state and sold. They now have reached the 126th volume.
Republican Party, Organization of .- Wisconsin claims the honor of having given the name republican to the great anti-slavery party, though the Michigan state convention of the same name was held a week earlier. The first republican convention was held in Madi- son, July 13, 1854, the same date as similar meetings held in several other states. But for months prior to this meetings were held in Ripon, Wis., for the avowed purpose of organizing a new party and the name republican was then urged as suitable, and had in effect been adopted at the Ripon meetings months before the Madi- son convention,
Reservations, Indian .- See Treaties, Indian; also, Lac Court Oreilles, Lac du Flambeau, Menomonee, Odanah, Oneida and Stock- bridge Indian Reservations.
Reservation, Military .- See Camp Douglas.
Reserve, a village on the Indian reservation and Lac Court Oreilles, and a station on the M., St. P. & S. Ste. M. Ry. in Sawyer county, 14 miles southeast of Hayward, the county seat. It has a population of 200.
Rest, a discontinued postoffice in Vernon county.
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CYCLOPEDIA OF WISCONSIN.
Retreat, a postoffice of 70 people in Vernon county, 17 miles southwest of Viroqua, the county seat.
Rewey, a post village of Iowa county on the C. & N. W. Ry., 22 miles southwest of Dodgeville, the county seat. Its population of 350 supports a bank.
Rhine, a discontinued postoffice in Sheboygan county.
Rhinelander, an incorporated city on the C. & N. W. and the M., St. P. & S. Ste. M. Rys., in Oneida county, of which it is the county seat. It is noted for the manufacture of lumber, the Wisconsin river supplying the needed power. Although not set- tled until 1882 its present population is 5,435. There are two banks and three weekly newspapers, the Vindicator and the New North, both republican, and the Rhinelander Herold, (democratic).
Rib Falls, a post town of 150 people in Marathon county, on the Big Rib river, 15 miles west of Wausau, the county seat.
Rib Lake, an incorporated village on a lake of the same name, in Taylor county, and on the W. C. Ry., 18 miles northeast of Med- ford, the county seat. It was first settled in 1881, and today has a population of 1,122, which supports two banks and a weekly news- paper, the Herald.
Rice Lake, an incorporated city of Barron county, located on the Cedar river and Rice lake. It is on the M., St. P. & S. Ste. M. and the C., St. P., M. & O. Rys., and is 12 miles northeast of Barron, the county seat. The population of 3,410 supports three banks and three weekly newspapers, the Chronotype, the Times and the Leader.
Rice's Island is the most northerly of the Apostle group in Lake Superior. It is a part of Ashland county.
Richardson, a postoffice of 50 people in Polk county and a sta- tion on the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry., 18 miles southwest of Balsam Lake, the county seat.
Richfield, a post village of 200 people in Washington county, and a station on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 121/2 miles south of West Bend, the county scat.
Richford, a country postoffice on the Mecan river in Waushara county. Wautoma, the county seat, is 10 miles to the northeast.
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CYCLOPEDIA OF WISCONSIN.
Richland Center, an incorporated city on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. and the Pine river in Richland county, of which it is the judicial swat. The population of 2,635 supports two banks and three weekly, newspapers, the Rustic, the Richland Democrat, and the Republi- can-Observer.
Richland City .- See Gotham.
Richland County is in the southern part of the state, receiving its name from the richness of its soil, which, near the Wisconsin river, is a light loam and the remainder a heavy black loam. The county was organized in 1846, making it one of the territorial coun- ties. The population, according to the 1905 census, is 19,345, and the area of the county is 570 square miles. Richland Center is the county seat.
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