USA > Wisconsin > Wisconsin: comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form: > Part 32
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CYCLOPEDIA OF WISCONSIN.
Hise in their order. (See University Chancellors and Presidents.) The general purposes of the university as expressed in its an- nouncements are: (1) to provide amply for higher learning and disciplinary training by a group of college courses each capable of extensive modification by elective studies; (2) to provide thorough technical training in the leading professions; (3) to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and to train students in investiga- tion, and (4) to contribute directly to the higher education of the people. The college year is divided into two semesters or terms. In general the year opens the last Wednesday of September and closes the Thursday preceding the last Wednesday of June. The first semester closes the Friday nearest the middle of the college year, and the second opens the Monday following. The organiza- tion of the university is comprised of the college of letters and science, the college of mechanics and engineering, the college of law, the college of agriculture and the graduate school. The col- lege of letters and science embraces the general courses in liberal arts and special courses which include pre-medical studies, phar- macy, commerce, 'education, music and home economics. The uni- versity is picturesquely situated in Madison, a mile from the capitol building. The grounds comprise 210 acres and extend for a mile along the shore of Lake Mendota. Most of the buildings are placed on the summit and slopes of University Hill, which rises about 100 feet above the lake. The western portion of the grounds is more nearly level and is occupied by the experimental farm connected with the college of agriculture. What is known as the lower cam- pus is a small level tract to the east of the main hill, on a portion of which the state historical library, which houses the university library as well, stands. The athletic field, known as Randall field, contains 42 acres, and in addition to these there is a farm of 160 acres used by the college of agriculture. Sixteen buildings in all are used for instructional purposes-some of them noted for their architectural beauty. Beside these are the large armory and the several buildings of the experimental farm. The university is gov- erned by a board of regents numbering 13-two from the state at
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large and one from each congressional district. The student regis- tration for the year 1905-06 was 3,700.
University of Wisconsin, Chancellors and Presidents of .--- John H. Lathrop, LL. D., 1848-58; Ilenry Barnard, LL. D., 1859- 61; John W. Sterling (vice chancellor) 1861-67; Paul A. Chadbourne, M. D., D. D., LL. D., 1867-70; John HI. I wombly, D. D., 1871-74; John Bascom, D. D., LL. D., 1874-87; Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, Ph. D., LL. D., 1887-92; Charles Kendall Adams, LL. D., 1892-1901; Edward Asahel, Birge, Ph. D., Sc. D. (Acting), 1901-03; Charles Richard Van Hise, LL. D., 1903 -.
Upham, Don Alonzo Joshua, was born May 1, 1809, in New York; was graduated from Union college in 1831; admitted to the bar in 1835 and two years later came to Wisconsin. He was presi- dent of the first constitutional convention of the state in 1846. He died in Milwaukee July 19, 1877.
Upham, William H., governor of Wisconsin for one term, was born in Westminster, Mass., May 3, 1841. He came to Wisconsin in 1853; entered service in the War of Secession in 1861, was wounded and taken prisoner. President Lincoln appointed him a cadet at West Point, when he was released, and he served ten years after graduation in the regular army. In 1894 he was elected governor of the state for one term, declining to be a candidate a second time because of his pressing business interests.
Upson, a post village on the Potato river and the W. C. Ry. in Iron county. Ilurley, the county seat, is 13 miles distant. The village has a population of 200.
Urne, a country postoffice of Buffalo county. Alma, the county. seat, is 16 miles distant.
Urquhart, a country postoffice in Taylor county, 101/2 miles northeast of Medford, the county seat.
Usury .- The Wisconsin statutes declare that any interest charge above ten per cent for the loan of money, or the compounding of interest (except where there is an agreement to pay interest on in- terest) is usury.
Utica, a discontinued postoffice in Dane county.
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Utley .- A postoffice of 10 people on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. In Green Lake county, 111/2 miles southeast of Dartford, the county seat.
Valders, a post town of 100 people on the W. C. Ry. in Manito- woc county, 13 miles west of Manitowoc, the county seat.
Valley, a postoffice of 30 people in Vernon county, on Warner creek, 25 miles northeast of Viroqua, the county seat.
Valley Junction, a post village at the junction of the C., M. & St. P. and the C., St. P., M. & O. Rys. in Monroe county, 25 miles northeast of Sparta, the county seat. It has a population of 300.
Valmy, a discontinued postoffice in Door county.
Valton, a post village of 100 people on a branch of the Little Baraboo river in Sauk county, 30 miles northwest of Baraboo, the county seat.
Van Buskirk, a post town on the C. & N. W. Ry. in Iron county, with a population of 100. Hurley, the county seat, is 6 miles to the northwest.
Vance, a discontinued postoffice in Dunn county.
Vandriessen, a country postoffice of Adams county. Friendship, the county seat, is 25 miles to the south.
Van Dyne, a post village of 100 population on the C. & N. W. and the W. C. Rys. in Fond du Lac county, 8 miles northwest of Fond du Lac, the county seat. It is connected with Oshkosh and Fond du Lac by electric line.
Van Schaick, Isaac W., was born Dec. 7, 1817, at Coxsackie, Greene Co., N. Y .; came to Wisconsin in 1861; was a member of the assembly 1872-74; state senator 1877-78, 1879 -- 80, 1881 -- 82, and was elected to the 19th and 50th congresses as a republican member from Wisconsin. His death occurred Aug. 22, 1901.
Veedum, a post station on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. in Wood county. It has a population of 25 and is 20 miles from Grand Rapids, the county seat.
Veefkind, a postoffice of 40 people in Clark county, on the W. C. Ry., 18 miles northeast of Neillsville, the county seat.
Verinillion River rises in northwest corner of Barron county
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and flows southeast through the county seat to join the Red Cedar river, just south of Chetek.
Vernon, a discontinued postoffice in Waukesha county.
Vernon County is in the southwestern part of the state, deriving its name from Mt. Vernon, the home of General Washington. It was formerly known as Bad Axe county, but was changed by the legislature in 1862, 11 years after its organization. The soil is a sandy loam. The area of the county is an even 800 square miles and its population is 29,161. Viroqua is the county seat.
Vernon, Loss of Steamer .- On Oct. 27, 1887, the steamer Vernon sank in Lake Michigan off Two Rivers during a storm. All on board, but one man, went down with her. Thirty lives were lost.
Verona, a post village of Dane county, on the C. & N. W. Ry., 11 miles southwest of Madison, the county seat. Its population of 350 supports a bank.
Vesper, a post village of 300 people on Hemlock creek in Wood county, 10 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, the county seat. It is also a station on the W. C., the C. & N. W. and the C., M. & St. P. Rys.
Veteran, a country postoffice of Burnett county. Grantsburg, the county seat, is 25 miles to the southwest.
Veterans' Home, Wisconsin .- This home, located on the chain of lakes, Waupaca, was founded by the G. A. R., department of Wis- consin, to care for honorably discharged indigent soldiers, sailors or marines of the War of Secession, who cannot be received into any national home; and for their indigent wives or widows for whom no provision is made in national homes. It is built on the cottage system, cach cottage for a man and his wife. The build- ings for men and wives each have a dining room and kitchen at- tached. Single men who are occupants of cottages and the widows who occupy the widows' dormitory all take their meals in the main dining hall. The home comprises 90 acres of land upon which are 75 buildings all in good condition. It is owned by the state and is controlled by a board of trustees elected by the state department of the G. A. R. It is supported by an appropriation of $3 per week made by the state for each enrolled member, and an additional ap-
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propriation of $100 per year for each male inmate made by the Federal government. It is regularly inspected by the state board of control.
Veterans, Sons of .- The first camp organized in Wisconsin was at Waukesha in 1883. There are now 32 camps in the state with a membership of 927.
Veterinarian, State .- An appointive officer under the governor, whose duty it is to conserve the health of the domestic animals of the state. He is authorized to kill animals found suffering with contagious diseases, and to take all proper means to prevent the importation of diseased animals or the spread of contagion in live stock. He receives a salary of $2,000 and his necessary expenses.
Veto Power .- Up to 1839 the veto power of the territorial gov- ernor of Wisconsin was absolute. That year the power was modi- fied, giving to the legislature, power to carry a measure over the veto of the executive by a two-thirds vote. The modified power was incorporated in the state constitution, and has not since been changed. A two-thirds vote of the members of the legislature present and voting can override the governor's veto.
Victory, a post village on the Mississippi river and the C., B. & Q. Ry. in Vernon county, 25 miles southwest of Viroqua, the county seat. It has a population of 130.
Vieau, Andrew J., a son of Jacques Vieau (q. v.) was born in Green Bay, Jan. 1, 1819. He was a fur trader and lived many years in Milwaukee. He was a brother-in-law of Solomon Juneau, the founder of Milwaukee. Vieau died Oct. 30, 1888.
Vieau, Jacques .- This early Indian trader in the Wisconsin coun- try was born in Montreal, Canada, May 5, 1757. He was engaged in the Indian trade where Milwaukee now stands as early as 1795, re- maining there until 1836; that year he moved to Green Bay, where he remained until his death in 1852. Ilis trading post was on the hill above the Menominee Valley, which now forms a part of Mit- chell Park in Milwaukee.
Vienna, a post town of 50 people in Walworth county, 13 miles northeast of Elkhorn, the county seat.
Vignes, a discontinued postoffice in Door county.
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Viking, a discontinued postoffice in Pierce county.
Vilas, a discontinued postoffice in Dane county.
Vilas County is in the northeast portion of the state, named in honor of the llon. Wm. F. Vilas; was organized in 1893 when Mr. Vilas was serving as U. S. senator from this state. Its soil is sandy with large tracts of swamp lands. Its area is 936 square miles and its population in 1905 was 5,436. Eagle River is the judicial seat.
Vilas, William Freeman, was born July 9, 1840, in Chelsea, Orange county, Vermont. He came to Madison in 1841; was graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1858 and from the Albany, New York, law school in 1860. Served three years in the War of Secession, as captain, major, lieutenant and colonel. In 1866 he was married to Miss Annie M. Fox. In 1884 he was elected a member of the state legislature but resigned to accept the post of postmaster-general under President Cleveland. During Cleve- land's second term he was secretary of the interior. In 1890 he was elected U. S. senator by a democratic legislature and served one term. He resides in Madison.
Viola, an incorporated village of 372 people in Richland county, on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. and the Kickapoo river, 23 miles north- west of Richland Center, the county seat. The village contains a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Intelligencer.
Viroqua,-This is a city of 2,032 people, settled in 1851 and in- corporated in 1885, and is the county seat of Vernon county. The C., M. & St. P. Ry. and the La Crosse & E. Ry. furnish transporta- tion facilities. There are three weekly newspapers, the Vernon County Censor, the Vernon County Leader and the Republican, and two banks.
Visiting Committee, Legislative .- The legislature of 1868 enacted a measure directing the governor to appoint annually before the first of the year, a committee from the members-elect and hold-over legislators to he known as the visiting committee to visit the state reformatory, charitable and penal institutions, and to report to the legislature the needs and conditions of those institutions. The committee as constituted each year has two assemblymen and one senator.
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Volga, a discontinued postoffice in Polk county.
Voree, an early Mormon settlement near Lake Geneva in Wal- worth county. (See Mormonism.)
Voseville, a discontinued postoffice in Door county.
Wabeno, a post village on the C. & N. W. Ry. in Forest county, 25 miles southeast of Crandon, the county seat. The population of 500 supports a weekly newspaper, the Northern Wisconsin Ad- vertiser.
Wages, Payment of .- The law of 1899 makes it obligatory upon employers of labor in the state who use time checks to make them payable in the county where the work is done. A law enacted in 1901 compels employers of labor,-with certain exceptions,-to pay their employes in cash, weekly or bi-weekly, unless there is a written contract to the contrary. Where the regular pay day is not observed, as in the case of lumbermen, workmen are to be given certificates or evidences of indebtedness that are negotiable.
Wagner, a post village of Marinette county, on the W. & M. Ry., 20 miles northwest of Marinette, the judicial seat of the county. It has a population of 300.
Waino, a country postoffice of Douglas county. Superior, the county seat, is 30 miles to the west.
Waldo, a post village on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. and the Onion river in Sheboygan county, 15 miles southwest of Sheboygan, the county seat. The population of Waldo is 250.
Waldwick, a post town of 100 people in Iowa county, 16 miles southeast of Dodgeville. the county seat.
Wales, a post town of 100 people in Waukesha county and a sta- tion on the C. & N. W. Ry., 8 miles west of Waukesha, the county seat.
Walhain, a country postoffice of Kawaunee county. Kewaunee, the county seat, is 15 miles to the southeast.
Walker, Isaac P., was one of the first two U. S. senators from Wisconsin. He was elected in 1848 and drew the short term, Gen. Henry Dodge, his colleague, drawing the long term. He was elected for the full term in 1819. Walker was asked by the legisla-
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ture in 1849, to resign as senator, because, against the instructions of his state, he voted in favor of the establishment of a government in California and New Mexico without the slavery-restriction clause. Walker died in Milwaukee, April 1, 1872.
Wallace, a post settlement of Sawyer county, 45 miles southeast of Hayward, the county seat.
Walsh, a post village on the Menominee river and the W. & M. Ry. in Marinette county, 12 miles northwest of Marinette, the county seat. It has a population of 350.
Walworth, an incorporated village of 647 people in the county of the same name and a station on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 12 miles south of Elkhorn, the county seat. It is also on the Chicago, Har- vard & Geneva Lake Electric Ry. There is a bank, and a weekly newspaper, the Times.
Walworth County is in the southeastern part of the state, being named after a distinguished jurist of New York, Chancellor Wal- worth. It is one of the territorial counties, having been organized in 1836. The soil is a clay and a black loam. Walworth county covers an area of 570 square miles and has a population (1905 cen- sus) of 30,557. Elkhorn is the county seat.
War of Secession, Wisconsin in .- On Jan. 9, 1861, before war was declared, the Madison Guard wrote to Governor Randall tendering its services "in case they were required to preserve the union." Before the war was over Wisconsin had sent 91,379 men to the front,-one of every five of the male population,-and had raised $12,000,000 for war purposes.
Warden, Fish and Game .- See Protection of Fish and Game.
Warrens, a post village of 300 people on the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry. in Monroe county, 28 miles northeast of Sparta, the county, seat. It was formerly called Warrens Mills and has a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Index.
Wascott, a country postoffice on the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry. in Douglas county, 45 miles southeast of Superior, the county seat.
Washburn .- This city of 4,924 population is the county seat of Bayfield county. It is on Chequamegon bay, of Lake Superior, and the W. & N. W., the N. P., and the C., St. P., M. & O. Rys.
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There are two banks and three weekly newspapers, the Times, the News and Itemizer, and the Bayfield County Gazette.
Washburn, Cadwallader C., governor of Wisconsin in 1872 and 1873, was born in Livermore, Me., April 22, 1818. Ile came to Wis- consin in 1839. He served during the War of Secession, advancing to the rank of major general; served five terms in congress, and was elected governor in 1871. He was for a time president of the state historical society. Governor Washburn built and equipped the Washburn astronomical observatory for the University of Wis- consin and gave his home on Lake Wingra ("Edgewood") to the Catholic church for a school for girls. His death occurred May 14, 1882.
Washburn County is in the northwestern part of the state. It has an area of 864 square miles and a population, by the census of 1905, of 7,483. It was organized in 1883 and named after ex-Gov. C. C. Washburn. Shell Lake is the county seat.
Washington County is in the eastern part of the state; it was named in honor of George Washington, and organized in 1836, making it one of the territorial counties. The soil is a clay mixed with a sand loam. Its population in 1905 was 43,476 and it covers an area of 430 square miles. West Bend is the county seat.
Washington Harbor, a post village on Washington Island, in Green bay, Door county, 60 miles northeast of Sturgeon Bay, the county seat. It has a population of 1,000 people.
Washington Island, a large island to the northeast of the upper end of the peninsula which formis Door county, under whose juris- diction it is. Detroit Harbor is a postoffice on it.
Waterford, a post village of 1,000 people on the Fox river in Ra cine county, 22 miles west of Racine, the county seat. There is a weekly newspaper, the Post, and a bank.
Waterloo, an incorporated village on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. and the Waterloo creek, in Jefferson county, 18 miles northwest of Jefferson, the county seat. Its population of 1,106 supports a bank and two weekly newspapers, the Journal and the Democrat.
Watertown .- This incorporated city is on the dividing line be- tween Dodge and Jefferson counties, seven of its wards belonging
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to Jefferson county and two to Dodge. It is 14 miles north of Jefferson, the county seat of Jefferson county, and 15 south of Juneau, the county seat of Dodge county. The Rock river fur- nishes water power for its industries and the C. & N. W. and the C., M. & St. P. Rys., offer transportation facilities. There are three banks, one daily newspaper, the Times, two English weeklies, the Gazette and the Republican, and two German weeklies, the Brueder Bottschafter and the Weltbuerger. It has a population of 8,622.
Waubesa, Lake, is in Dane county. It is the third in size of the group of four lakes. McFarland is the nearest rail approach. The name was given it by Lyman C. Draper in 1855 and on Feb. 14, that year, a law was enacted making that the official name. It had for- merly been known as Second lake.
Waucousta, a post village of 100 people in Fond du Lac county, 15 miles southeast of Fond du Lac, the county seat.
Waukau, a post village in Winnebago county on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 12 miles southwest of Oshkosh, the county seat. It has a population of 300.
Waukesha .- This city of 6,949 population is the county seat of the county of the same name. It is reached by three railroads, the W. C., the C. & N. W. and the C., M. & St. P., and the Fox river furnishes water power for manufacturing. Waukesha is famous for its mineral waters and is sometimes called the "Saratoga of the West." Carroll college is located here, as is the state industrial school for boys. There are two banks and three weekly newspa- pers, the Press, the Freeman, and the Dispatch. An interurban electric line connects Waukesha with Pewaukee lake and also with the city of Milwaukee.
Waukesha County is in the southeastern part of the state. The name has a Pottawatomie Indian derivation, meaning "little fox." There are 576 square miles in the county and the 1905 census gives it a population of 35,822. The city of Waukesha is the judicial seat. The organization occurred in 1816.
Waumandee, a post town of Buffalo county, on a river of the same name, 16 miles southeast of Alma, the county scat. It has a population of 100.
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Waunakee, an incorporated post village of Dane county and a station on the C. & N. W. Ry., 10 miles northwest of Madison, the county seat. It has a population of 465 which supports a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Post.
Waupaca .- This is a city of 2,873 population, the county seat of the county of the same name. The Waupaca river flows through the city and the W. C. Ry. offers an opportunity to reach other points. There are two banks and three weekly newspapers, the Record, the Republican and the Post. Five miles from the city on the Waupaca "Chain o' Lakes" is the Wisconsin veterans' home, reached by an electric railway.
Waupaca County is in the south central portion of the state. The census of 1905 gives it a population of 33,467, and its area is 756 square miles. Waupaca is an Indian word meaning "tomorrow river" or "pale water." The county was organized in 1851.
Waupun .- This incorporated city is on the dividing line be- tween Dodge and Fond du Lac counties, but accredited to the lat- ter by the U. S. postal authorities. It is on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. and but three miles from Chester Station on the C. & N. W. Ry. The state penitentiary is located here. There is a population of 3,111 which supports two banks and two weekly newspapers, the Democrat and the Leader.
Wausau .- This city with a population of 14,458 is the county seat of Marathon county. It is on the Wisconsin river, which fur- nishes power for the manufacturing of lumber, and is reached by the C. & N. W. and the C., M. & St. P. Rys. There is one daily newspaper, the Record; one semi-weekly, the Deutsche Pioneer; and five weeklies, the Herald, the Pilot, the Central Wisconsin, the Record and the Wochenblatt. There are also three banks.
Wausaukee, a city of Marinette county on the Big Wausaukee river and the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 36 miles northwest of Marinette, the county seat. It has a population of 1,729 and was formerly called Big Wansankce. There are two weekly newspapers, the Index and the Independent, and a bank.
Wausaukee River rises and is wholly within Marinette county ;
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flows southeast and joins the Menomonee river east of Wausaukee village.
Waushara County is in the south central portion of the state. The name is of Indian derivation, but no definite interpretation has ever been made of it. The county covers 645 square miles and had a population in 1905 of 17,643. Wautoma is the county seat. The county was organized in 1851.
Wautoma .- This village of 850 people is the county seat of Waushara county and is located on the C. & N. W. Ry. and the White river, a water-power stream. There are two banks and a weekly newspaper, the Waushara Argus.
Wauwatosa, an incorporated city of Milwaukee county on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. and the Milwaukee & Wauwatosa Electric Ry. Milwaukee, the county seat, is 5 miles distant. There is a popula- tion of 2,913 which supports two weekly papers, the News and the Independent.
Wauzeka, an incorporated village of Crawford county on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., the Kickapoo river and the W. W. Ry., 18 miles northwest of Prairie du Chien, the county seat. The Kick- apoo Chief, a weekly newspaper, is published here and one bank is maintained. Its population is 449.
Waverly, a discontinued postoffice in Pierce county.
Wayland Academy, located at Beaver Dam, was chartered as a university but never attempted any courses beyond the preparatory. It was connected with the old Chicago university and later became a preparatory school for the present University of Chicago.
Wayne, a post town of 100 people in Washington county, 12 miles southwest of West Bend, the county seat.
Wayside, a post village of 400 population in Brown county, 23 miles south of Green Bay, the county seat.
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