USA > Wisconsin > Wisconsin: comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form: > Part 5
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Bright, a postoffice on the Fairchild and Northeastern Ry. in Clark county, 27 miles north of Neillsville, the county seat.
Brighton, a discontinued postoffice in Kenosha county.
Brill, a postoffice with a population of 33 in Barron county on the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry., 22 miles from Barron, the county seat.
Brillion, an incorporated village in Calumet county which was first settled in 1873 and now contains 937 people. It is on the C. & N. W. Ry. 15 miles northeast of Chilton, the county seat, has two banks and a weekly newspaper, the News.
Brinkman, a country postoffice in Vernon county, 18 miles north- west of Viroqua, the county seat.
Bristol, a post village in Kenosha county with 400 inhabitants. It is on the C. & N. W. Ry., 12 miles west of Kenosha, the county seat.
Bristow, a post town in Vernon county on Bad Axe Creek, 9 miles southwest of Viroqua, the county seat, with a population of 50.
British Hollow, a discontinued postoffice in Grant county.
Brockway College .- Sce Ripon College.
Brodhead, an incorporated city in Grant county, with a popula- tion of 1,667, on the Sugar river and a station of the C., M. & St. P.
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Ry. It is 16 miles east of Monroe, the county seat; has two banks and two newspapers, the Independent and the Register.
Broederville, a country postoffice in Taylor county, 35 miles northwest of Medford, the county scat.
Brokaw, a post town of 500 population in Marathon county, 5 miles from Wausau, the judicial seat of the county. It is on the C., M. & St. P. Ry.
Brook, a discontinued postoffice in Clark county.
Brookfield, a post station of the C., M. & St. P. Ry. in Waukesha county, 6 miles northeast of Waukesha, the county scat. Its popu- lation is 100.
Brooklyn, a village of Green county with 286 population on the C. & N. W. Ry. Monroe, the judicial seat of the county, is 30 miles southwest. The village supports a bank and a weekly newspaper, the News.
Brookside, a post town on the Pensaukee river in Oconto county, 12 miles southwest of Oconto, the county seat. The population is 50.
Brown County, at the head of Green bay and on its shore, was named in honor of Gen. Jacob Brown, U. S. A. It was one of the first counties organized in the state, its incorporation dating from 1818. It contains 530 square miles and in 1905 had a population of 52,026. The soil is a red clay. Green Bay is the county seat.
Brown, Jas. S., was born in Hampton, Me., Feb. 1, 1824; removed to Milwaukee in 1844; was attorney general of the state in 1848. lle was a member of the 38th congress as a democrat.
Brown, Webster Everett, was born in Madison county, N. Y., July 16, 1851, and came to Wisconsin six years later; was gradu- ated from the University of Wisconsin in 1874. He was first elected to represent the tenth district in congress in 1900 and has been twice re-elected. His home is in Rhinelander.
Browning, a country postoffice in Marquette county, 13 miles south of Montello, the county scat, formerly called Midland.
Brown Lake, a summer resort one mile from Burlington, Racine county. 5
CYCLOPEDIA OF WISCONSIN.
Brownsville, a post town on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. in Dodge county, with a population of 150, 24 miles northeast of Juneau, the county seat.
Browntown, an incorporated village in Green county with a population of 325. It is on the Pecatonica river and is a station of the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 8 miles from Monroe, the county seat. One bank is supported.
Bruce, an incorporated village in Rusk county, on the M., St. P. & S. Ste. M. Ry., and the Chippewa river, with a population of 612. It is 9 miles west of Ladysmith, the county seat, and supports a bank and a weekly newspaper, the Bruce News Letter.
Brule, a post town in Douglas county, on the Brule river and the C. & N. W. Ry., with a population of 275. It is 26 miles south- east of Superior, the county seat.
Brule River rises in Lake Nebagamin, flows east and then north- west to empty into Lake Superior. It is in Ashland county.
Brunson, Alfred, a pioneer Methodist minister in the territory of Wisconsin, was born in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 9, 1793. He served under Gen. Harrison in the Thames campaign in 1813, and in 1815 entered the Methodist ministry and came to Wisconsin in 1835. He served for some time as missionary to the Indians; was elected to the territorial legislature in 1839; in 1842 was Indian agent at La Pointe. During the War of Secession he served in 1862 as chaplain of a Wisconsin regiment. He died Aug. 3, 1882, at Prairie du Chien.
Brushville, a country postoffice in Waushara county, 23 miles northeast of Wautoma, the county seat.
Brussels, a postoffice of Door county with 180 people. It is 15 miles southwest of Sturgeon Bay, the county seat.
Bryant, a post town on the C. & N. W. Ry., in Langlade county, whose population is 200. It is 10 miles northeast of Antigo, the county seat.
Buckman, a country postoffice in Brown county, 16 miles from Green Bay, the county seat.
Budsin, a post town of 15 people in Marquette county, 12 miles north of Montello, the county scat.
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Buffalo, a discontinued postoffice in Buffalo county.
Buffalo County lies in the western part of the state on the Mississippi river, was named after Ke-che-wush-ke (Buffalo), a noted chief of the Chippewa Indians. It was organized in 1853, has an area of 657 square miles and a population of 16,523. Its soil is a dark loam with sand and clay in some parts. Alma is the county seat.
Buffalo Lake is in Marquette county. Packwaukee and Montello are both on its shores.
. Buffalo River rises in Jackson county, flows west across the northern end of Trempealeau county inte Buffalo and then south- west to join the Misisssippi at Alma.
Building and Loan Associations .- The laws of Wisconsin define these as "corporations organized for the purpose of raising money to be loaned among its members" and places all such companies under the supervision of the commissioner of banking.
Bull Falls, Big .- See Big Bull Falls.
Bull Falls, Little .- See Little Bull Falls.
Bull, Ole, a distinguished Norwegian violinist, who made Wisconsin his home for a time. He was born in Bergen, Norway, February 5, 1810. In 1870, while visiting in this country he mar- ried a daughter of Hon. J. G. Thorp of Madison, and resided for a time in what is now the executive residence. Bull became deeply interested in the department of Scandinavian languages and litera- ture in the University of Wisconsin. He died in his native city August 16, 1880.
Bundy, a post town in Lincoln county on the C. & N. W. Ry., with a population of 275. It was formerly called Jeffris, and is 38 iniles northicast of Merrill, the county seat.
Bunyan, a postoffice in Polk county, 6 miles northeast of Balsam Lake, the county seat.
Burke, a country postoffice on the C., M. & St. P. Ry. in Dane county, 61/2 miles northeast of Madison, the county seat.
Burkhardt, a postoffice with 110 people in St. Croix county, on the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry., $12 miles northeast of Hudson, the county seat.
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Burlington, an incorporated city in Racine county on the W. C. and the C., M. & St. P. Rys. with a poplation of 2,625. It is at the confluence of the Fox and White rivers which afford abundant water power for the manufacturing industries of the city. Racine, the county seat, is 27 miles to the east. There are two banks and two weekly papers, the Free Press and the Standard Democrat.
Burnett County is in the northwest section of the state, on the St. Croix river, and was named after a pioneer legislator, Thos. P. Burnett. Its organization was completed in 1856. The soil is sandy with rather large tracts of swamp. The county contains 891 square miles and the 1905 census gave it a population of 9,261. Grantsburg is the county seat.
Burnett Junction, a post town at the junction of the C. & N. W. and the C., M. & St. P. Ry. in Dodge county, 7 miles north of Junean, the county seat. The population is 225.
Burnett River is in Sawyer county. It flows southwest into Chippewa river below Wallace.
Burnett Station .- See Burnett Junction.
Burr, a country postoffice in Vernon county, 35 miles northeast of Viroqua, the county seat.
Burr Oak, a country postoffice in La Crosse county, 26 miles northeast of La Crosse, the county seat.
Bushman .- See Milan.
Bushnell, Allen Ralph, was born in Hartford, Trumbull county, Ohio, July 18, 1833; came to Wisconsin in 1854. He was a mem- ber of the legislature in 1872; United States district attorney for the western district of Wisconsin 1886-90. As a democrat was elected to the house of representatives of the 52d congress. His present home is Lancaster.
Busseyville .- See Sumner.
Butler, James Davie, was one of the foremost travelers and edu- cators of the state. He was born in Rutland, Vt., March 15, 1815, was graduated from Middlebury college in 1836 and Andover in 1840. He received degree of LL. D. at Middlebury in 1862, and came to the University of Wisconsin as professor of Greek in 1858. In 1867 he started on his second tour of the world, writing of his
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travels for many magazines and periodicals. He was known as Madison's "grand old man." Up to the last month of his life, though over 90 years old, he kept up his interest in public affairs, especially in educational matters, and could be daily seen at the Historical Library pursuing his studies. He died in Madison No- vember 20, 1905.
Butte des Morts (Hill of the Dead), a post town in Winnebago county on the Fox river, 9 miles northwest of Oshkosh, the county seat. See Little Butte des Morts.
Butte des Morts Lake, Big .- See Big Butte des Morts Lake.
Butte des Morts Lake, Little .- See Little Butte des Morts Lake.
Buttermakers' Association .- This organization, made up chiefly of manufacturers of butter, meets once a year to discuss subjects tending to promote the dairy interests. The state appropriates $500 a year to the association to enable it to publish and circulate a re- port of its proceedings.
Butternut, a post town of Ashland county, originally settled in 1875, with a present population of 707. it is on the W. C. Ry., 54 miles south of Ashland, the county seat. One bank is located here, and there is one weekly newspaper, the Eagle.
Byrd's Creek, a post town in Richland county whose population is 60. It is 18 miles southwest of Richland Center, the county seat.
Byron, a postoffice on the W. C. Ry. in Fond du Lac county, 87/2 miles south of Fond du Lac, the county seat. The railroad name is Hamilton Station.
Cabinet, Members of .- Five citizens of Wisconsin have become members of the president's cabinet: Alexander W. Randall, post- master general under President Johnson ; Timothy O. Howe, post master general under President Arthur; William Freeman Vilas, postmaster general, and later secretary of the interior, under Presi- dent Cleveland; Jeremiah M. Rusk, secretary of agriculture under President Harrison ; Henry C. Payne, postmaster general under President Roosevelt.
Cable, a post town of 250 inhabitants on the C., St. P., M. & O.
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Ry. in Bayfield county. It is 47 miles southwest of Washburn, the county seat.
Cadott, a village on the Yellow river in Chippewa county, which was settled in 1879 and now has a population of 750. It is on the W. C. Ry., 12 miles east of Chippewa Falls, the county seat, and supports two banks and a weekly newspaper, The Cadott Blade.
Cainville, a postoffice of 40 people in Rock county on the C. & N. W. Ry., 13 miles west of Janesville, the county seat. The railroad name is Magnolia Station.
Calamine, a post town of La Fayette county on the Pecatonica river and the C., M. & St. P. Ry. It is 6 miles northwest of Darling- ton, the county seat, and has a population of 125.
Caldwell, a discontinued postoffice in Racine county.
Caledonia, a postoffice of 75 people in Racine county, on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., 10 miles northwest of Racine, the county seat.
Calhoun, a postoffice on the C. & N. W. Ry. in Waukesha county. It is 51/2 miles east of Waukesha, the county seat, and has a popula- tion of 75.
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Calumet County, in the eastern part of the state, takes its name from an Indian word meaning "pipe of peace." It is a territorial county, having been organized in 1836. The soil is a heavy red clay with tracts of swamp soil. Its area is 340 square miles and its population (1905 census) 16,889. Chilton is the county seat.
Calumet Harbor, a discontinued postoffice in Fond du Lac county.
Calumetville, a postoffice of Fond du Lac county on the shore of Lake Winnebago. It has a population of 200 and it is 14 miles northwest of Fond du Lac, the county seat.
Calvary, a postoffice in Fond du Lac county, on the C. & N. W. Ry., 12 miles northeast of Fond du Lac, the county seat. Its population is 100.
Cambria, an incorporated village on the C., M. & St. P. Ry., in Columbia county, with a population of 678. It is 18 miles east of Portage, the county seat, has a bank and a weekly newspaper, the News.
Cambridge, a post village in Dane county on the Chicago and Lake Superior Ry. It was settled in 1838 and today has a popula-
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tion of 573. Madison, the county seat, is 22 miles distant. The village supports two banks and a weekly newspaper, the News. Lake Ripley, half a mile away, is a well known summer resort.
Cameron, an incorporated village at the junction of the C., St. P., M. & O. Ry. and the C., M. & St. P. Ry., in Barron county. Bar- ron, the judicial seat of the county, is 6 miles distant. The popula- tion is 540.
Cameron, Angus, was born July 4, 1826, at Caledonia, N. Y. He came to La Crosse in 1857, and there began the practice of law. He was elected to the state senate, later appointed a regent of the university and in 1875, in the memorable senatorial contest of that year, was elected United States senator. Within a month after his first term expired and he had been succeeded by Philetus Sawyer, the death of Senator Matthew H. Carpenter left a vacancy to which he was elected. He filled out Carpenter's unexpired term. He died at La Crosse, March 30, 1897.
Campbellsport, an incorporated village with a population of 714 originally settled in 1873, is in Fond du Lac county. It is on the line of the C. & N. W. Ry., has a bank and a weekly newspaper, the News. It is 16 miles southeast of Fond du Lac, the county seat.
Camp Douglas, an incorporated village in Juneau county, at the intersection of the C., M. & St. P. and the C., St. P., M. & O. Rys., with a population of 435. Mauston, the county seat, is 14 miles southeast. The site of the state military reservation is here. Each regiment and separate organization of the W. N. G. (q. v.) is given a week of camp life and drill at Camp Douglas. Occasionally a battalion of Federal troops go into camp there with the state militia.
Campia, a post town on the M., St. P. & S. Ste. M. Ry. in Barron county, with a population of 50. Barron, the county seat, is 14 miles distant.
Camp Lake, a post town and summer resort in Kenosha county with 120 inhabitants. It is situated on a lake of the same name and the W. C. Ry. Kenosha, the county seat of the county, is 18 miles northeast.
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Camp Randall .- During the civil war a military camp was es- tablished near Madison, called Camp Randall. It was used in 1862 for the confinement of several hundred Confederate prisoners. It is now, in part, the athletic grounds for the University of Wisconsin.
Canal, Milwaukee & Rock River .- The first session of the terri- torial legislature at Belmont in 1836 incorporated the Milwaukee & Rock River Canal company, which had for its purpose the construc- tion of a canal connecting Lake Michigan by way of the Waukesha lakes with the Rock river, and thus establishing a waterway to the Mississippi river. Congress made a land grant for the purpose, surveys and estimates were made and during the twelve years pre- ceding the admission of the state to the Union repeated efforts had been made to carry out the enterprise. A careful estimate made in detail by Increase A. Lapham placed the entire cost of constructing the canal, including locks, at about $725,000. During the twelve years from 1836 to 1848, when the prospect was abandoned, the only actual work done besides making surveys was the construction of a dam across the Milwaukee river at Milwaukee. Bonds which had bcen negotiated in 1841 to raise money for the enterprise were icpudiated by the territorial legislature in 1846, but prior to the ad- mission of the state these repudiation resolutions were rescinded. The enterprise contemplated as well the deepening of the Catfish (Yahara) river from the Rock river up through the Four Lakes, and a canal from the head of Lake Mendota to the Wisconsin river, near Arena. The advent of railroad building was the chief influence in bringing about an abandonment of the canal project.
Canton, a post town on the M., St. P. & S. Ste. M. Ry. in Barron county, 12 miles northeast of Barron, the county seat. Its popula- tion is 150.
Canvassers, Board of State .- The secretary of state, the attorney general and the state treasurer constitute the board of canvassers to canvass the returns in a general election. If one of the board should be a candidate a substitute for him shall be appointed upon request of the opposing candidate.
Capital, Attempted Removal of .- Many times since the estab- lishment of the capital at Madison there has been talk of removing
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it to some other city, but only three really serious efforts have been made toward removal. The first was in 1858 during Gov. Randall's administration. The bill failed of passage in the assembly by one vote. The next was in 1870. A new court house had just been erected in Milwaukee and the city and the county offered the new building for use as a capitol until a new one could be built, if the re- moval were determined upon. A bill was introduced in the assem- bly and the Milwaukee people made a spirited canvass. For a time it looked as if it would carry, but when the vote was taken it stood 30 for removal and 56 against. The other attempt was in 1905. Several matters had arisen that gave encouragement to representatives of other cities. A year previously the capitol building was more than half destroyed by fire, and money was re- quired to rebuild. Then there was feeling engendered by the failure of the city to improve the streets around the capitol park. A resolution passed both houses to submit the question of removal to a vote of the people. This alarmed the citizens of Madison and of the southeastern part of the state, and by the most active efforts they had the resolution reconsidered and then voted down. Later the legislature appropriated $600,000 to rebuild a portion of the building .- See Capitol Building.
Capital City .- On November 23, 1836, during the first session of the territorial legislature at Belmont, Iowa county, a law was enacted establishing the capital of the territory at Madison. The law contained the provision that the sessions of the legislature should be held in Burlington, Des Moines county (now in the state of Iowa), until March 4, 1839, or until the public buildings at Madison should be completed.
Capitol Building, The State .- The site of the present capitol building was selected by the Hon. James D. Doty, October 27, 1836, and was deeded to the territory of Wisconsin by Stevens T. Mason, Julia G. Mason and Kintzing Pritchett of Detroit, through their at- torney, Moses M. Strong. The deed is dated Mineral Point, Jann- ary 16, 1839, and describes sections 13, 14, 23, and 24 in township ", range 9 east ; the consideration is $100. The territorial legisla- ture in session in Belmont (Iowa county ) established the state capi-
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tol at Madison in December, 1836, and commissioners were ap- pointed to begin the construction of a capitol building and work was begun in June, 1837. The first structure cost $60,000. The state legislature of 1857 provided for the enlarging of the building. Ten sections of land granted early by congress to aid in the erection of public buildings were sold, the city of Madison gave $50,000 and the legislature appropriated $30,000, and with these combined sums the work was carried on until 1869 when the dome was completed. In 1882 the legislature appropriated $200,000 for the erection of the north and south wings. Up to 1904 there had been expended on the capitol building and the improvement of the capitol park a total of $900,000. Early in 1904 fire partially destroyed the east and west projections containing the legislative chambers, and ma- terially damaged the remainder of the building. Repairs sufficient to accommodate the state departments and boards and house the legislature were made during 1904. The legislature of 1905 made an appropriation of $650,000 (conditioned upon certain street im- provements being made by the city of Madison) to rebuild and en- large the west wing. The legislature of 1903 had authorized the appointment of a commission to consider the question of erecting a separate building for the supreme court and the law library, but the work of that commission was merged in the work of rebuilding the partially destroyed structure.
Cardinal, The, the official daily paper of the University of Wis- cousin published daily during the college year, the editorial work being done by students. A faculty advisory committee supervises its management.
Cardinelle, Jean Marie .- Traditions of Prairie du Chien credit this Frenchman and his wife with having reached that section of Wisconsin as early as 1726. Cardinelle's wife survived him and was afterward several times remarried. Local historians of Prairie du Chien doubt the accuracy of the traditional date and say that Cardinelle probably reached there in 1767. His widow died at the reputed age of 130 years.
Carnot, a country postoffice of Door county 12 miles south of Sturgeon Bay, the county seat.
CYCLOPEDIA OF WISCONSIN. : 75
Caroline, a post town on the Embarrass river in Shawano county, 20 miles southwest of Shawano, the county seat. Its inhabitants number 170.
Carpenter, Matthew Hale .- A brilliant lawyer twice elected United States senator from Wisconsin. Ile was born in Moretown, Vt., December 22, 1824, and came to Wisconsin in 1848. In 1869 he was elected United States senator to succeed Senator Doolittle. He failed of re-election in 1875, but four years later was re-elected. lle died in Washington February 24, 1881, while serving his second term. His home was formerly in Janesville, but the latter years of his life were spent in Milwaukee, where his surviving family still live.
Carroll College, located at Waukesha, is named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It was chartered in Prairieville (now Waukesha) in February, 1811. Through various vicissitudes it has passed, under Presbyterian control, until the present time. For a time it offered a regular college course, but later attempted only academic work, which it is now successfully carrying or. See Colleges and Seminaries.
Carter, a post of 200 inhabitants in Forest county. It is a station on the C. & N. W. Ry. and is 30 miles from Crandon, the county seat.
Carver Grant, The .- The heirs of Jonathan Carver claimed that in 1767 while the distinguished traveler was sojourning with the Indians near St. Anthony's Falls, he was given, by the Indians, a tract of land comprising about 14,000 square miles and including a portion of the present state of Minnesota and what now com- prises the whole of Pepin, Pierce, St. Croix, Barron, Dunn, Eau Claire, Clark, Chippewa, Washburn, Sawyer, Price and Taylor counties, with parts of Buffalo, Trempealeau, Jackson, Wood; Mara- thon, Lincoln, Burnett, Polk and Ashland counties in Wisconsin. A petition to congress by the heirs of Carver in 1806 was made to establish the validity of the claim; again in 1823, and again in 1825, but a thorough investigation showed the unsoundness of the claim.
Carver, Jonathan .- A soldier and traveler who visited the Wis- consin country in 1766 and afterward wrote describing what he had
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seen. He reached the site of Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi river ; says it contained 90 houses constructed of hewn slabs; tells of seeing the Blue Mounds which abound in lead ore, and that he saw quantities of ore in the Indian city on the Wisconsin river. Carver was a British soldier, a native of Connecticut, and was noted in his day as the greatest traveler and exployer. He reached Prairie du Chien from Green Bay going up the Fox to Portage, thence down the Wisconsin river. He was the first to make known to the people of Europe the existence of Indian mounds. He had stupend- ous colonization schemes which were not carried out. His record of his travels, published in England, reached 23 editions and was translated into Dutch and French. Carver's descendants made claim to an enormous tract of land in the western portion of Wis- consin and extending across the Mississippi river, comprising 14,000 square miles, based upon an alleged gift to Carver by the Indians. The claim was investigated by congress and declared to have no just basis.
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