CHAPTER VII.
PIERCE COUNTY.
This county, named in honor of President Pierce, was separated from
St. Croix county in 1853, and organized by the same act that created
Polk county, and gave to St. Croix its present limits. It contains
about six hundred square miles of territory, lying east of the
Mississippi river and Lake St. Croix. It is somewhat triangular in
shape, the river and lake forming the hypotenuse, and St. Croix, Dunn
and Pepin bounding it by right lines on the north and east, Pepin also
forming a small part of its southern boundary.
The scenery is picturesque and varied. Along the river and lake is a
series of limestone bluffs, broken at intervals by ravines and
valleys, and leaving the impression upon the mind of the traveler on
the Mississippi of a rough, broken and inhospitable country, than
which nothing could be further from the truth. Beyond these rugged
escarpments of limestone and out of sight of the traveler, the country
stretches away toward the interior as an undulating prairie, with
meadows and rich pasturelands, with occasional forests, the whole
watered and drained by an intricate network of streams tributary to
the lake and river, and the three larger streams, the Kinnikinic,
which empties into the St. Croix and Big rivers, Trimbelle and Rush,
that empty into the Mississippi. Some branches of the Chippewa also
take their rise in this county. These streams uniformly have their
source in springs and their waters are consequently pure, cold and
invigorating, flowing over beds of white sand or pebbles, and in their
downward course forming many ripples, rapids, cascades and some
beautiful waterfalls. Their total descent to the bed of the
Mississippi is about four hundred feet. Pierce county has no inland
lakes within its limits, nor any indications of their previous
existence. The soil is formed chiefly from decomposed rocks or ledges
worn down by the abrading forces of water and wind, of frost and heat.
The rivers in their downward course have excavated broad valleys,
having originally precipitous bluffs on either side, and even bluffs
once islands in the midst of the streams. These, by later agencies,
have been smoothed to gentle slopes and rounded into graceful mounds,
towering sometimes as much as eighty feet above the valley or plains.
In some places mere outlines of sandstone or limestone rock are left,
turret-like, on the summit of a mound, as monuments on which the
geologist may read the record of ages gone. As the character of the
soil of a country depends upon the composition of the rocks underlying
it, and those removed from the surface, reduced to soil and widely
distributed, we give what may be considered as the section of any one
of the mounds near Prescott in the order of the superposition of
strata:
At the base--Lower magnesian limestone 250 feet.
Above the plain--Upper sandstone 50 feet.
On the summit--Trenton, or shell limestone 30 feet.
Over a great part of the county the Trenton and limestone are worn
almost entirely away, and their former existence is attested only by a
few mounds, bluffs and outlines. Drift is not often met with. The soil
may be considered as formed out of drift, now removed from its
original position, and out of the sandstone and limestone. It is,
therefore, soil of the richest quality.
By the same act that created the county of Pierce, passed March 14,
1853, Prescott was declared the county seat. The town board of
Prescott was constituted the county board. The commissioners were
Osborn Strahl, chairman; Silas Wright and Sylvester Moore. At the
first county election, Nov. 15, 1853, one hundred and ten votes were
cast. The following were the officers elected: County judge, W. J.
Copp; sheriff, N. S. Dunbar; treasurer, J. R. Freeman; clerk of court,
S. R. Gunn; clerk of board, Henry Teachout; coroner, J. Olive;
district attorney, P. V. Wise; surveyor, J. True; register of deeds,
J. M. Whipple. Mr. Whipple was authorized to transcribe the records of
St. Croix county up to date of the organization of Pierce.
The first assessment in the county, in 1853, amounted to $24,452. At
the meeting of the supervisors, Jan. 18, 1854, the district attorney
was allowed forty dollars per annum as salary. Courts were held
wherever suitable buildings could be obtained. During this year Judge
Wyram Knowlton, of Prairie du Chien, held the first district court at
Prescott. The first records of the court were kept on sheets of
foolscap paper, and fastened together with wafers. The first case
before the court was that of "The State of Wisconsin, Pierce County,
Wm. Woodruff _vs._ Chas. D. Stevens, August Lochmen, and Chas.
Peschke, in Court of said County. In Equity." On reading and filing
the bill in complaint, in this case, on motion of S. J. R. McMillan
and H. M. Lewis, solicitors for counsel, J. S. Foster, it was ordered
that a writ of injunction be issued in the case, pursuant to the
prayer of said bill, upon said complainant. Some one, in his behalf,
filed with the clerk of said court, a bond for damages and costs in
the sum of $1,700, with surety to be approved by the clerk or judge of
said court. The first document recorded in the county is an agreement
between Philander Prescott and Philip Aldrich, wherein Aldrich agrees
to occupy lands adjoining Prescott's, at the mouth of St. Croix lake
on the west, and David Hone on the east. The second document is a
deed, conveying a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land from
Francis Chevalier to Joseph R. Brown, the land lying near the mouth of
Lake St. Croix, and marked by stakes planted in the ground, and
adjoining Francis Gamelle's claim, dated July 20, 1840.
In 1857 County Treasurer Ayers became a defaulter to the county in the
sum of $2,287.76, and to the Prescott Bank, $4,000. In 1861, by act of
the legislature, the question of changing the county seat from
Prescott to Ellsworth was submitted to the people. The vote as
declared was six hundred for removal and three hundred and
seventy-three against it. Technical objections having been raised as
to the legality of the vote, the subject was submitted to the people a
second time in 1862. The vote for removal was confirmed. In 1863 the
district system was adopted and three districts were established by
legislative enactment, but in 1870 the county returned to the original
system by which the board of supervisors was made to consist of a
chairman from each one of the town boards. A poor farm was established
near Ellsworth in 1869, at a cost of $3,600. The county board also
appropriated $31,000 for county buildings at Ellsworth.
The finances of the county have been admirably managed. In 1885 there
was no indebtedness, and a surplus in the treasury of $5,000. The
educational interests are well cared for. There are over one hundred
school districts in the county, with well conducted schools, and
generally with good substantial buildings. The school lands of St.
Croix, then including Pierce county, were appraised in 1852 by Dr.
Otis Hoyt, ---- Denniston and James Bailey, and the lands at once
offered for sale. Settlers' rights were respected. The county issued
$5,000 in bonds to aid in establishing the normal school at River
Falls.
RAILROADS.
River Falls has direct communication with Hudson by a branch of the
Chicago & St. Paul railroad. In 1885 the Burlington & Northern
railroad route was surveyed and established, entering the county on
the shore of Lake Pepin, and running nearly parallel with lake and
river to Prescott, where it crosses Lake St. Croix near its mouth, on
a bridge, the total length of which is 520.5 feet, with one draw span
367.5 feet in length, and one piled span of 153 feet. This bridge was
completed, and the first train entered Prescott, May 31, 1886. The
grade of this road does not exceed fifteen feet to the mile.
MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS.
The Grand Army of the Republic have posts at the following places:
No. 72, A. W. Howard Post Rock Elm.
No. 117, I. M. Nichols Post River Falls.
No. 118, Ellsworth Post Ellsworth.
No. 189, R. P. Converse Post Prescott.
No. 204, U. S. Grant Post Maiden Rock.
No. 209, Plum City Post Plum City.
The following are the village plats of Pierce county, with date of
survey and location:
Prescott, town of Prescott 1853
Kinnikinic, town of River Falls 1854
Monte Diamond (Diamond Bluff), town of Diamond Bluff 1854
Saratoga, town of Isabelle 1855
River Falls (Greenwood and Fremont), town of River Falls 1856
Maiden Rock, town of Maiden Rock 1856
Warren, town of Maiden Rock 1856
Trimbelle, town of Trimbelle 1856
Franklin, town of Trimbelle 1856
Martell (Rising Sun), town of Martell 1856
Beldenville, town of Trimbelle 1857
Trenton, town of Trenton 1857
Plum City, town of Union 1858
El Paso, town of El Paso 1858
Esdaile, town of Hartland 1870
Rock Elm, town of Rock Elm Centre 1876
Hogan, town of Trenton 1886
Bay City, town of Isabelle 1887
ORGANIZATION OF TOWNS.
The following is the chronological order in which the towns of Pierce
county were organized:
Prescott[B]. 1853
Greenwood (now River Falls) 1854
Martell 1854
Isabelle 1855
Trimbelle 1855
Diamond Bluff 1855
Clifton 1855
Oak Grove 1856
Perry (Ellsworth) 1856
Spring Valley (Maiden Rock) 1857
Trenton 1857
El Paso 1858
Hartland 1859
Union 1861
Salem 1862
Rock Elm 1862
Deerfield (Gilman) 1868
Spring Lake 1868
CLIFTON,
Situated in the northwestern part of the county, contains a little
over thirty full sections of land, those on the St. Croix having a
somewhat irregular boundary. The surface is somewhat broken where
traversed by the Kinnikinic and its tributaries. It includes
twenty-four sections on the west side of township 27, range 19, and
fractional township 27, range 20. It was established in 1855. Its
first board of officers were: Supervisors--Geo. W. McMurphy, chairman;
Osborne Strahl and G. W. Teachout. C. B. Cox was the first postmaster,
in 1852, at a place called Clifton Mills, from which the town
afterward derived its name. This post town is situated on the
Kinnikinic, in section 18, township 27, range 18 west. It has one
grist mill and two saw mills, belonging to Cox, King & Goodsall. No
intoxicants are sold here. The Glenwood saw mills, having a capacity
of 3,000,000 feet, are located on the lake shore. In 1868 a limestone
quarry was opened on the lake shore, by Oakley & Nichols. In 1881 the
firm became Oakley & Hall. They have a patent kiln and good machinery,
and some seasons have manufactured as much as 5,000 barrels of lime.
GEORGE W. MCMURPHY was born at Newcastle, Delaware, in 1821. In 1845
he came to St. Croix Falls, and in 1848 to Clifton, where he
pre-empted the beautiful homestead which he still holds, and where he
has successfully followed the business of farming. He has been
repeatedly elected to town and county offices. In 1848 he was married
to Maria A. Rice. Their children are Augustus (resident of St. Paul),
George (a physician living in Ortonville, Minnesota), James A.,
Robert, Albert and Edward, and two married daughters. Mr. McMurphy is
a member of the Congregational church.
OSBORNE STRAHL was born in Belmont county, Ohio, in 1818; came to
Galena, Illinois, in 1838, in 1845 to Mauston and Stevens Point,
Wisconsin, and to Chippewa Falls in 1847. During these years he
followed lumbering. In 1850 he came to the town of Elisabeth, St.
Croix county, which on subsequent division of towns and counties left
Mr. Strahl in Clifton, where he has been engaged in farming. He was
married in 1860 to Rebecca McDonald. They have two sons, Wm. Day,
living in Dakota, Howard P., in River Falls; three daughters, Mabel,
wife of Joseph M. Smith, banker at River Falls, and two daughters
unmarried. Mr. Strahl filled various town and county offices.
CHARLES B. COX was born June 25, 1810, in Chenango county, New York.
He learned the trade of a miller, lived in Ohio seventeen years and
came to Clifton in 1849. He built at Clifton the first saw and grist
mill in the Kinnikinic valley, in 1850. He changed his residence to
River Falls in 1854, where he lived till 1874, when he removed to
California. During the year 1851 he ground three hundred bushels of
wheat, the sole product of the valley.
EPHRAIM HARNSBERGER was born in Kentucky, Nov. 21, 1824, moved with
his parents to Illinois in 1832, and to Prescott in 1847, where he
pre-empted a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. He was married
at Alton, Illinois, in 1858, to Lizzie Johnson. Their children are
Charles, Sarah Etta, and Jennie.
DIAMOND BLUFF
Is a triangular shaped town, the hypotenuse being formed by the
Mississippi river. It contains ten sections and three fractional
sections in town 25, range 18, and five sections and five fractional
sections in town 25, range 19. It is traversed in the eastern part by
Trimbelle river. The town was established in 1857, and the first town
meeting was held that year at the home of David Comstock. The town
board consisted of: Supervisors--James Akers, chairman; Wilson Thing
and C. F. Hoyt; justice, S. Hunter. Susan Rogers taught the first
school. This town has the honor of claiming the first white settler,
aside from traders, in the Upper Mississippi valley. He came to the
site of the present village of Diamond Bluff in 1800, and named it
Monte Diamond. We give elsewhere a somewhat extended account of this
ancient pioneer, with some speculations concerning him and his
descendants that are plausible enough to warrant their insertion. In
historic times a post office was established here in 1854, called at
the time, Hoytstown, from C.F. Hoyt, the first postmaster.
On the organization of the town the name was changed to Diamond Bluff.
Quite a village has since grown up around it. The first frame house
was built in 1855, by Enoch Quinby. The first sermon was preached by
Rev. J. W. Hancock, a Presbyterian minister, for some years a
missionary among the Indians. The first birth was that of Mary Day, in
1851, and the first death that of Daniel Crappers, in 1854.
CAPT. JOHN PAINE.--Jack Paine, as he is familiarly called, was born in
England, and for the greater part of his life has been a seafaring
man. For the past thirty years he has been a steamboat man on the
Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers. He has been married three
times: first in Rhode Island, second to Mrs. La Blond, of St. Louis,
and last to Miss Ressue, of Diamond Bluff. He came to Diamond Bluff in
1848, with four children of his first wife, his second wife having
died childless. He is now living with his third wife in La Crosse.
They have three children.
JOHN DAY was born in Martinsburg, Virginia. In 1850 he and his wife
and three children, with Allen B. Wilson and his wife, came to Diamond
Bluff. Mr. Day is well known as a fearless and enthusiastic hunter. In
1852 he had a close encounter with a large black bear, which, after a
desperate struggle, he killed with an axe. The Indians considered Mr.
Day as "waukon," supernatural, averring that their bravest warriors
would not have attacked singly so large an animal.
SARAH A. VANCE, the wife of Mr. Day, was born in Kentucky. The Vance
family were famous pioneers, and some of them were noted Methodist
preachers. Miss Vance's first marriage was to John R. Shores, by whom
she had two children, one of whom, Isabella, became the wife of A. R.
Wilson.
ALLEN R. WILSON.--Mr. Wilson was born in Kentucky; spent his early
boyhood in Shawneetown, Illinois; was married to Miss Shores at
Potosi, Wisconsin, April 16, 1848, and in 1850 came to Diamond Bluff.
Mr. Wilson took great interest in politics, was an ardent Republican,
and was among the first to volunteer his services for the suppression
of the Rebellion in 1861. He enlisted in Company B, Sixth Regiment,
Wisconsin Volunteers, and fell in battle, Sept. 14, 1862, at South
Mountain. Mr. Wilson was well informed, a close observer of political
events at home and abroad, and was a brave and efficient soldier. He
left five children.
E. S. COULTER.--Mr. Coulter is a Virginian by birth. In early manhood
he traveled extensively as a book agent, and finally settled at
Diamond Bluff, where he successfully engaged in farming and dealing in
wheat and merchandise.
JAMES BAMBER, ex-musician in the British and United States armies.
JACOB MEAD, ex-shoemaker, ex-soldier and miner, a man of superior
natural and acquired talent.
CHARLES WALBRIDGE came to Diamond Bluff in 1852.
JACOB MEAD died in 1884, leaving a large property.
CHARLES F. HOYT, with his wife and one child, came to Diamond Bluff
from Illinois, in 1853.
ENOCH QUINBY was born at Sandwich, New Hampshire; was married to
Matilda Leighton, originally from Athens, Maine. Mr. Quinby and his
wife came from Pittsfield, Illinois, to Diamond Bluff in 1854.
THE FIRST SETTLER.
There is a pretty well grounded tradition that the first white man who
found his way to Diamond Bluff was a French Vendean loyalist of the
army of Jacques Cathelineau; that he fled from France in 1793 or 1794,
landed at Quebec, and was traced by his enemies to Mackinaw and
Chicago, where they lost his trail. He came to Diamond Bluff in 1800,
and named it "Monte Diamond." He had for his housekeeper the daughter
of an Indian chief. He died here about 1824. After his death the
Indians always called the place the "Old White Man's Prairie." E.
Quinby, of Diamond Bluff, to whom we are indebted for this account,
adds: "All the additional evidence I can give in regard to this
pioneer is that prior to 1793 his wife died, leaving him one daughter,
who was deformed. A former friend of his had a beautiful daughter of
about the same age of his own. After the uprising and defeat of the
Vendeans, they became enemies, and he, to save his life, took his
former friend's daughter, instead of his own, and fled to this
country. The father pursued them as far as Chicago, where he saw his
daughter in company with some Indian girls, and having on her person
some ornaments once worn by her mother. He at once seized her and
carried her back with him to France, and the old Frenchman found his
way to Diamond Bluff." Faribault's son,[C] now living somewhere in
Minnesota, wrote me a few years since, inquiring about the old
Frenchman, saying that his grandmother claimed that her husband was a
French nobleman, and that he lived near Lake Pepin. He believed the
old Frenchman was his grandfather. The above statements were
communicated to the late Capt. Orin Smith, of Galena, Illinois, Allen
B. Wilson and myself, in 1854, or in 1855, by an old Frenchman then
residing at Potosi, Wisconsin, who claimed to have seen and gathered
these facts from the old man himself. Capt. Smith was well acquainted
with the Frenchman at Potosi, and gave the fullest credence to his
account.
EL PASO
Occupies township 26, range 16. It is drained chiefly by Rush river
and its tributary, Lost creek, on the west. The two post villages in
this town are, El Paso, located in section 5, and Lost Creek, in
section 3. George P. Walker was the first settler. He built the first
house and raised the first crop; Thomas T. Magee came in 1855. In 1860
the town was organized, Thomas Hurley and Geo. P. Walker being
supervisors. In 1862 Mr. Magee built a saw and flour mill in section
5, and platted the village of El Paso. In 1875 he removed to Clear
Lake, Polk county, of which town he was the first settler. Clara
Green taught the first school in El Paso, in 1861. There is one
Catholic and one Lutheran church in the village. The name El Paso
signifying a crossing, is of somewhat obscure derivation.
ELLSWORTH
Was organized under the name of Perry, March 3, 1857, but in 1862 it
received its present name. It occupies a central position in the
county and includes township 26, range 17. This is a rich farming
town, originally timbered with hardwood. The surface is elevated and
gently undulating. It is drained on the east by the tributaries of
Rush river, but has no large or important streams. The first
supervisors were: P. M. Simons, chairman; Caleb Bruce and Wilson
Kinnie. The first settler was Anthony Huddleston, who came April 23,
1856, and pre-empted the southeast quarter of section 20. On November
26th, of the same year, came Caleb, Elihu W. and Eli T. Bruce, who
pre-empted farms on sections 18 and 19. During the same year Wilson
and Norris Kinnie and David Klingensmith pre-empted farms in sections
18 and 19. Lilly, Miscen, Russ, and Campbell came also in 1855. The
first log house in the town was built by Anthony Huddleston in 1855.
Norris Kinnie built the first in what was afterward the village of
Ellsworth. The first school house, a log building, built was in 1857,
and Mary Filkins, now Mrs. G. H. Sargeant, of Minnesota, taught the
first school. The first marriage was that of Charles Stannard and Mary
Leonard, in 1855. The first birth, that of the twin children of
Wilson. Both died. The first death of an adult was that of Mrs. Jacob
Youngman in the winter of 1855. The post office was opened in 1860,
with Seely Strickland as postmaster.
ELLSWORTH VILLAGE.
The original owners of the southern half of section 18, and the
northern half of 19, Norris Kinnie, Eli T. Bruce, Henry P. Ames, and
Wm. Crippin laid out and platted the village of Ellsworth in 1862. Wm.
Crippin, built a frame hotel there in 1860. C. S. Dunbar opened a
store in 1861. The prospect of Ellsworth becoming the county seat gave
a great impetus to business enterprises. This was decided by a popular
vote in 1861, but owing to some technical defects was resubmitted to
the people of the county in 1862, and then definitely decided. In the
year 1862 the citizens of Ellsworth built a log house in which the
first terms of court were held; meanwhile the county officers had
their offices in the basement of Crippin's hotel. The permanent county
buildings were not erected until 1869. They are built of stone and
cost $60,000. In 1863 a frame schoolhouse took the place of the old
log structure, and in 1874 a commodious brick building was erected, at
a cost of $5,000.
The Methodists, Lutherans and Catholics have church buildings. There
is one newspaper, the _Pierce County Herald_, edited by E. F. Case and
E. S. Doolittle. The Barnes saw mill built in 1867, burned down and
rebuilt, has a capacity of about 5,000 feet per day. A branch
railroad, built from Hudson to River Falls, was extended to Ellsworth
in 1885. The depot is one mile from the village. The Pierce County
Central fair grounds, containing seventeen acres, are located near the
village. The grounds are inclosed and are covered with a fine maple
grove, in the midst of which is a large flowing spring. D. W.
Woodworth was first president of the fair association. Ellsworth has
two handsome cemeteries, Maplewood and the Catholic.
The village itself is beautifully situated on an elevated plateau
originally covered with hardwood timber. The streets are tastefully
adorned with maple trees.
ANTHONY HUDDLESTON.--Mr. Huddleston is of Irish descent. He was born
in West Virginia in 1804; had but limited educational privileges;
lived for a part of his life in Ohio and Indiana, and settled in
Ellsworth in 1855, being the first settler in the town. He was a house
carpenter for over sixty years. He was a member of the Dunkard church
sixty-two years. He was married in 1826, in Ripley, Indiana, to
Susannah Whetstone. They have three sons and six daughters living.
PERRY D. PIERCE was born in Harpersfield, Delaware county, New York.
He traces his lineage to ancestors who came across in the Mayflower
and landed at Plymouth Rock. He received an academic education,
studied law with A. Reckor, Oswego, New York, and was admitted to
practice at Cooperstown in 1843, practiced in Albany three years, and
in 1854 came to the St. Croix valley, locating first at Prescott,
where he served as district attorney for four years, and county judge
eight years. He was married in 1860, to Lua E. Searsdall. He is now a
resident of Ellsworth.
[Illustration: _Very Respectfully Hans B. Warner_]
HANS B. WARNER, of Ellsworth, Pierce county, was born at
Gulbrandsdalen, Norway, July 12, 1844; received a common school
education; is by occupation a farmer; emigrated and settled in Dodge
county, Wisconsin, in 1853, and thence removed to Pierce county in
1855, where he has since resided. He enlisted in March, 1864, as a
private, in Company G, Thirty-seventh Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry; was wounded and captured in front of Petersburg, Virginia,
July 30, 1864, and was held a prisoner of war in Danville and Libby
prisons until paroled, September, 1864; was discharged from service on
account of wounds received in battle July 18, 1865. He has held
various local offices, and the position of county clerk of Pierce
county from January, 1869, to Dec. 21, 1877, when he resigned, to
assume the duties of secretary of state, to which office he was
elected in 1877, and was re-elected in 1879, serving in all four
years. He was elected to the state senate in 1882 and served until
1886. His home business is farming and real estate. He was married in
1866, to Julia E. Hudson.
GILMAN.
The town of Gilman includes township 27, range 16. The postal villages
are Gilman, section 10, and Olivet, section 36. Gilman was organized
as the town of Deerfield, in 1868, but in 1869 the name was changed to
Gilman. The first supervisors were Oliver Purdy, Caleb Coon, Bardon
Jensen. The first school was taught in 1870, by M. L. Maxgood. A
Norwegian Lutheran church was built in 1883, at a cost of $1,500.
There are six school houses with an aggregate cost of $2,000. The
first marriage was that of Caleb Coon and Cenith Preston, in 1867. The
first birth was a child of this married couple. The first death was
that of Mrs. Rufus Preston. The first post office was at Gilman, U. F.
Hals, postmaster. The first settlers were B. F. Gilman, in 1859, still
a resident; N. B. Lawrence, soon after, now removed; Rufus Preston and
family; Joseph and Caleb Coon and families, in 1865, still resident.
J. R. Maxgood, B. Jensen and son, E. B. Jensen, the Matthieson
brothers, Z. Sigursen, H. Bredahl, S. J. Goodell, Nels Gulikson, M. O.
Grinde, Albert Martin, P. Vanosse, and T. B. Forgenbakke are among the
oldest citizens.
HARTLAND.
Hartland occupies township 25, range 17. It has one post village,
Esdaile. It has one saw mill and a factory for the manufacture of hubs
and bent wood work, operated by Charles Betcher, of Red Wing,
Minnesota, which gives employment to seventy-five men and ten teams
the year round. The village of Esdaile has also two general
merchandise stores and a hotel. Hartland was organized in 1859. The
first supervisors were A. Harris, chairman; Joseph Sleeper and R. M.
Sproul. Amongst the first settlers were Augustus E. Hodgman, section
24, 1854; James Buckingham, section 28, 1854; Lewis Buckmaster,
section 1, 1853. The first school was taught in 1858, by Mary Ann
Stonio. The first post office was at Esdaile, Hiram Patch, postmaster.
There are three church organizations, Presbyterian, Methodist and
Lutheran (Norwegian), with buildings valued at from $700 to $1,000.
There are nine school houses, ranging in cost from $500 to $1,400. The
Good Templars have an organization.
ISABELLE.
Isabelle consists of the two upper tiers of section 7, township 24,
range 17, the lower tier being much broken in outline by Lake Pepin on
the south. It contains also fractions of sections in the third tier.
Bay City, on the shore of the lake, is the postal town. It was
organized in 1855. In 1869 it was annexed to Hartland, but in 1871 it
was re-established. The first chairman of supervisors was John
Buckingham. The election was held at the house of Abner Brown. Charles
R. Tyler and Lorenzo D. Philips settled here in 1854, and built a saw
mill where now stands the thriving village of Bay City. Saratoga plat
was laid out upon this ground in 1856, by A. C. Morton. A. J. Dexter
was the original claimant of the land. Mr. Morton purchased the land
which covered a part of Bay City from the government. A surveyor named
Markle was employed by Morton to run the lines, which Mr. Dexter
considered an intrusion upon his rights, and he shot Markle. Dexter
was tried before Judge S. S. N. Fuller, in 1855, was convicted, and
sentenced to prison for life. After a few years he was pardoned by
Gov. Barstow.
MAIDEN ROCK.
Maiden Rock occupies the four upper tiers of sections of township 24,
ranges 15 and 16, except such portions on the southwestern corner as
are cut off by Lake Pepin. It contains about forty sections. The town
was organized under the name of Spring Valley, in 1857. Its postal
villages are Maiden Rock, on the lake shore, section 15, range 15, and
Warren, also on the lake shore, section 7, range 15. The site of
Maiden Rock village was purchased from the government in 1853, by
Albert Harris and J. D. Trumbull. In 1855 they erected the first
house, and in 1856 built a saw and shingle mill. J. D. Trumbull
platted the village in 1857, and christened it Maiden Rock, from the
celebrated rock of that name a few miles further down the lake. Among
the first settlers in the village were J. H. Steel, J. D. Brown, John
Foster, and Joseph B. Hull.
The first hotel was run by G. R. Barton, in a house built by J. D.
Trumbull. This hotel has since been enlarged and is now the Lake View
House. The first marriage was that of A. J. Smith and Corinda
Eatinger, in 1857; the first birth was that of Ida Trumbull, in 1858,
and the first death that of William Trumbull, in 1858. The first
school was taught by Lottie Isabel, of Batavia, Illinois. The first
sermon was preached by Rev. James Gurley, a Methodist preacher from
North Pepin.
A post office was established in 1856, of which J. D. Trumbull was
postmaster. The receipts the first year were eleven dollars, the
expenses, fifty dollars, paid by the postmaster. The town of Maiden
Rock has six school houses, one saw and one grist mill.
CHRISTOPHER L. TAYLOR was born in Oneida county, New York, in 1829;
came to Chicago at an early day, and to Maiden Rock in 1868, where he
engaged in manufacturing. He served as county supervisor for eight
years, and as member of the Wisconsin legislature in 1876. He removed
to St. Paul in 1880, where he still resides. He is a dealer in real
estate.
MARTELL.
Martell occupies township 27, range 17. Joseph Martell, John Dee,
Louis Lepau and Xerxes Jock, Frenchmen, were the first settlers. They
located here in 1847, and remained till 1860, when they moved further
west, allured by the attractions of frontier life. Martell was
organized in 1854, with the following supervisors: Amos Bonesteel,
chairman; M. Statten and R.J. Thompson. The first school was taught in
1857, by W. Bewel. Martell is the postal village. The first postmaster
was O. Rasmunson. There are two evangelical Lutheran churches in the
town, built at a cost of $3,500 and $5,000. There is also a good town
hall, valued at $600. The Martell Mutual Insurance Company is in
successful operation.
OAK GROVE.
Oak Grove includes township 26, range 19 (with the exception of
section 31 and parts of 30 and 32), and six sections of range 20, in
all about forty sections. It is drained by Big river. It was set off
from Clifton in 1856. Hart Broughton was the first chairman of
supervisors. It contains a flouring mill on Big river; Catholic,
Lutheran, and Methodist church buildings; that of the Catholic cost
$4,000, and has a school attached. There are seven school houses. Big
River is the postal village. John Berry was first postmaster. The
first settlers were (1848) the Thing brothers, the Harnsberger
brothers, the Cornelius brothers, Rice, Schaser, McMurphy, Rissue, and
the Miner brothers.
LEWIS M. HARNSBERGER was born in Kentucky, April 18, 1822, and moved
with his parents to Illinois, where he lived nine years. He came to
Prescott in 1846, and pre-empted a farm in Oak Grove, where he has
since continuously resided. He has filled many public positions
creditably. He was married to Annie Jeffreys, of Illinois, in 1860.
Their sons are Ephraim, Lewis and John.
PRESCOTT CITY
Is beautifully located at the junction of the St. Croix and
Mississippi rivers. The business portion of the city is on a terrace
at the base of the bluff, and between it and the river and lake. The
public buildings, churches, school house and residences are chiefly on
the upper terrace, or bluff, and command an extensive view of the
valley of the two rivers, the whole forming a landscape of unrivaled
beauty. The advantages of the position are by no means limited to its
picturesque surroundings. Prescott, from its position at the junction
of the two rivers, was early recognized as an important point for the
reshipping of freight and re-embarkation of passengers. The St.
Croix, which comes in from the north, rises within a few miles of Lake
Superior, and after running a course of two hundred miles, empties its
waters into Lake St. Croix, twenty-four miles above its outlet. The
lake is navigable at all times to Stillwater and to Taylor's Falls at
the Dalles. The Mississippi comes in from the northwest, and is
navigable to St. Paul, a distance of thirty miles. The two channels at
the junction are each about 1,000 feet wide, with an average depth of
fifteen feet, and the banks slope to the water's edge, or stand in
some places in vertical ledges, thus forming a natural quay along the
entire front of the city. The quay, or landing, is semicircular in
shape, the upper terrace, or bench, about one hundred feet in height,
is likewise semicircular, the convexity being toward the river and
lake. The crest of the terrace is worn down by the rains into ravines,
leaving rounded points, or promontories, on the summit of which the
ancient mound builders have left traces of their peculiar art. The
first settlement of Prescott was made by Philander Prescott, Col.
Thompson, Dr. Emerson, and Capt. Scott, the three last named being
army officers at Fort Snelling. Mr. Prescott, acting as agent for the
others, made the claim in 1836, remaining three years to hold it, when
it was left in the care of Joseph Mosier until 1851.
In 1837 seven acres were broken and fenced, constituting the entire
landed improvements within the present bounds of Pierce county. In
1849 one hundred and fifty acres were improved. Geo. Schaser and H.
Doe were the first resident farmers. From 1838 to 1849 a trading post
for Indian supplies was kept by persons holding the claim. W. S.
Lockwood opened a store in 1842, and other improvements were made. As
the army officers were called to other fields of labor, Mr. Prescott
soon found himself in sole possession of the original claim, he
purchasing their interests, and in 1849, when the lands had been
surveyed by the government, he entered sixty-one acres. In 1853 Dr. O.
T. Maxon and W. J. Copp purchased a greater part of the town site and
surveyed and platted it as the city of Prescott. A charter was
obtained in 1857. A post office had been established here in 1840,
called the "Mouth of St. Croix," but it was removed across the lake
and named Point Douglas. The post office was re-established at
Prescott in 1852. Dr. O. T. Maxon was first postmaster. The number of
persons who came that year to Prescott is estimated at about one
hundred and fifty.[D] Mr. Schaser platted an addition to the city of
sixty-one acres in 1855. When the city received its charter the
following officers were elected: Mayor, J. R. Freeman; aldermen, First
ward, N. S. Dunbar, Thomas Dickerson and Seth Ticknor; Second ward,
Hilton Doe, George W. Oakley, N. A. Miller; president of the council,
Seth Ticknor; justices of the peace, I. T. Foster, O. Edwards; city
attorney, P. V. Wise; city surveyor, Wm. Howes; superintendent of
schools, Thomas Dickerson.
Wm. Schaser built the first frame house, and Mrs. Wm. Schaser was the
first white woman. Their daughter Eliza was the first white child born
in the new settlement. The first marriage was that of G. W. McMurphy
to a daughter of Mr. Rice, April 24, 1848. The first death was that of
W. S. Lockwood, in 1847.
When the county of Pierce was organized Prescott was designated as the
county seat, and so remained until 1862, when, by popular election,
Ellsworth was chosen.
In 1856 Messrs. Silverthorn & Dudley started a saw mill, which they
operated until 1861, when Mr. Dudley purchased his partner's interest,
and erected a flouring and saw mill.
A wagon and carriage manufactory was established by F. Menicke, in
1862, the Prescott brewery in 1866, by N. P. Husting, and the Prescott
machine shops in 1876, by H. B. Failing. The City Bank of Prescott was
organized in 1858, Charles Miller, president; W. P. Westfall, cashier;
capital stock, $50,000. It closed in 1862. The National Bank was
established in 1877, by W. S. Miller. The first school in Pierce
county was taught by a missionary named Denton, at Prescott, in 1843.
In 1851 Miss Oliver taught a private school. In 1853 the first
district school was established. The school board were: Directors, M.
Craig, George W. McMurphy; treasurer, N. S. Dunbar; clerk, Dr. O. T.
Maxon; teacher, Miss Matthews. The first school house was built in
1854. A building for a graded school was erected in 1859. A high
school building was erected in 1847, at a cost of $20,000.
The first religious society was that of the Methodists, organized in
1853, under the labors of Rev. Norris Hobart. Their first building
was erected in 1856. Its dimensions were 20 × 32 feet, ground plan. In
1868 they erected a building 40 × 70 feet, ground plan, at a cost of
$4,000.
In 1854 the Baptist church was organized by Rev. E. W. Cressy.
In 1854 the Congregationalists organized, with Rev. P. Hall as pastor,
and in 1855 built a brick church, 40 × 50 feet, ground plan.
In 1855 the Presbyterians organized, and in 1866 built a church.
The Lutheran church was organized in 1865, by Rev. C. Thayer.
Under the preaching of Rev. M. Guild the Episcopal church was
organized in 1872. Previous to this date Revs. Breck, Wilcoxson and
Peabody had labored from time to time. The Catholic church was
organized by Rev. Father Vervais in 1860. In 1868 a church edifice was
built.
The following social and benevolent orders have organizations in
Prescott:
Northwestern Lodge, A. F. and A. M organized 1856
Prescott Lodge, I. O. O. F " 1868
Lodge No. 319, I. O. G. T " 1876
Prescott Juvenile Temple, No. 108 " 1877
Prescott Temple of Honor " 1878
Converse Post, G. A. R. " 1884
Pierce County Agricultural Society, O. T. Maxon, president " 1859
The Agricultural Society has fair grounds just east of the city, well
arranged, with a half mile race track, and buildings in good
condition. Fairs are held annually. Pine Glen cemetery is situated on
the bluff half a mile below the city. It was established in 1856.
Nature has done much for the site. The view of the Mississippi valley
is unobstructed for a distance of from twelve to twenty miles on the
south, and to the bend of the river bluffs above Hastings. The grounds
are handsomely laid out and adorned with shrubbery.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRES.
Prescott has suffered severely from fires. The following is a partial
list of losses:
Lowry & Co., saw mill loss $3,500
Todd & Horton's mill " 2,000
Stevens, Lechner & Co. (1854) " 3,000
Fire on Main street (1871) loss $22,000
Fire on Main street (1872) " 12,000
Fire on Main street (1874) " 12,000
Redman, Cross & Co., flour mills (1877) " 40,000
The latter was insured for $20,000. Total loss, nearly $75,000.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
PHILANDER PRESCOTT was born in 1801, at Phelpstown, Ontario county,
New York. Late in the year 1819 he came to Fort Snelling and remained
there, or in the vicinity, the greater part of his life. From his
constant association with the Indians, especially with the Sioux, he
learned to speak their language. He was also related to them by his
marriage with a Sioux woman. This fact, added to his influence among
them, and being a man not only of a high character for integrity, but
well educated and intelligent, he was able to render the officers of
the Fort much service. He made a translation into the Sioux dialect of
a number of English and French hymns for the use of the mission
schools near Prescott. He gave his children an English education. In
1835, while acting as Indian interpreter, he came to the present site
of Prescott, and in conjunction with several officers of the Fort, he
acting as their agent, laid claim to considerable territory, and made
some improvements in the shape of log buildings. When the army
officers were sent to other posts, Mr. Prescott purchased their
interests and held the claim. In 1849, after the government survey, he
pre-empted sixty-one acres and laid out what he called the city of
Prescott. He resided here and at the Fort alternately until his death,
which occurred in 1862. He had been sent by the government on a peace
mission to the Indians in rebellion, met them at a point near Mankato,
and was cruelly assassinated by those to whom he had ever proven a
true friend, and whom he had every reason to suppose friendly to him.
GEORGE SCHASER is a native of Austria, and came to the mouth of the
St. Croix in 1841. In 1842 he returned to St. Louis and married
Christine Bucher. Mrs. Schaser was the first white woman resident in
Prescott. Mr. Schaser built the first frame house in the settlement,
in 1844. This house was regarded for many years as the finest house
between Prairie du Chien and St. Paul. In 1855 Mr. Schaser surveyed an
addition to Prescott on land he had pre-empted in 1849. In 1858 he
built the brick hotel known as the St. Nicholas. Mr. Schaser died May
3, 1884, leaving a widow, three sons and one daughter. His sons are
Henry, Edward and George A. His daughter Emma was married to Capt.
John E. Ball (deceased 1881). An older daughter, Eliza, the first
child born in Pierce county, was married to E. W. Haviland, and died
in 1880, near New Orleans.
WILLIAM S. LOCKWOOD, a native of New York State, came to Prairie du
Chien in 1833, and to Prescott in 1842. The year following his family
followed. Mr. Lockwood died in 1847. His widow, Georgiana Barton, was
married to Orange B. Walker, of Marine Mills, and died at Marine, Oct.
9, 1885.
JAMES MONROE BAILEY was born in 1824, in Sullivan county, New York,
where his youthful days were passed. He came to Prescott in 1849,
where he has since been engaged in farming, mercantile and real estate
business. He was married in 1856, in Prescott, to Nettie Crippin. They
have one son, Victor, and two daughters, Myrtle, wife of E. L.
Meacham, of Prescott, and Jessamine. Mr. Bailey has a very pleasant
home in Prescott. He has filled various offices, among them that of
treasurer and clerk of St. Croix county, prior to the organization of
Pierce.
ADOLPH WERKMAN was born in Germany in 1826; came to America in 1847,
and to Prescott in 1848. He was married at Prescott in 1856.
JOSEPH MANESE (alias Joseph Abear) was of French extraction and a
native of Lower Canada. While yet a youth he came into the Lake
Superior region, where he was employed most of his time in hunting and
trapping by the fur companies. His history, if written in full, would
abound in stirring incidents and adventures. He was a man of unusual
strength and activity, and in disposition light hearted, vivacious and
gay even to hilarity. He died in Prescott in 1884.
HILTON DOE was a native of New York State, and came to Red Wing, as
Indian farmer, about 1840. He settled in Prescott in 1844, in sections
9 and 10, pre-emptions subsequently surveyed into town lots. Mr. Doe
married Miss Daily, in Illinois, in 1844. Mrs. Doe died in 1860, Mr.
Doe in 1884.
LUTE A. TAYLOR, a young man of decided talent, a good classical
scholar, a brilliant writer and humorist, came to River Falls in 1856,
and in 1857, with his brother Horace, established the River Falls
_Journal_, which they continued to publish jointly for three years,
when Horace removed to Hudson and established the _Times_. Lute A.
removed to Prescott, taking with him the material of the _Journal_
office, and established the Prescott _Journal_, which he edited and
published until 1869, when he removed to La Crosse and published the
La Crosse _Leader_ until his death, which occurred in 1872.
Mr. Taylor was a correspondent of various papers and an entertaining
lecturer. As a conversationalist and wit, he was without a rival. A
slight impediment in his speech, if anything, added to the humorous
effect of his pithy sayings. He is well remembered in the valley of
the St. Croix. A volume containing his biography and some
characteristic sketches has been published since his death.
JOHN HUITT, a Canadian, came to Prescott in 1847, and erected the
first blacksmith shop in the village. He was married in Prescott to a
daughter of Joseph Mosier, and subsequently pre-empted a quarter
section of land on Prescott prairie. He built a saw and planing mill
on Trimbelle river. He died at Trimbelle in 1873.
JOHN M. RICE was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, in 1805; was married
in 1828, in Massachusetts, to Mary A. Goodenough; came in 1837 to
Marine, Illinois, and in 1847 to Prescott. Mr. Rice was a house
carpenter, but followed also the business of farming. He was an
upright man and a member of the Congregational church. He died in
1878, leaving one son, David O., living in Prescott; a daughter, Maria
A., wife of G. W. McMurphy, of Prescott, and a daughter in Illinois.
AN INDIAN BATTLE.
The feud between the Sioux and Chippewas originated in prehistoric
times and from causes not now known. It has been a tribal vendetta,
continuous and relentless, with the advantages in favor of the
Chippewas, who, in the course of time, have steadily forced the Sioux
westward from the Sault Ste. Marie to the Mississippi at Prescott. We
give the following account of one of their battles, being an Indian
version, translated and written out by Philander Prescott. This fight
occurred in 1711, on the site of the city of Prescott. As the Indians
had been supplied by the French with firearms as early as 1700, there
is nothing improbable in their alleged use on this occasion. But for
the story:
"The Chippewas, a thousand strong, attacked a camp of
eighteen Sioux lodges by night and killed most of the
warriors. The women and children fled to the canoes, and,
jumping in, pushed from the shore, but, in their hurry,
without paddles. A large eddy in the river carried the
canoes round and round, and, as they swept near the shore,
the Chippewas seized them, pulled them to the shore and
butchered the women and children. A few Sioux warriors had
fled up the bank of the lake, where they hid in crevices and
caves of the rocks. The Chippewas discovered their hiding
places and killed all but one, who rushed from his retreat,
and, diving again and again in the lake, swam for the
opposite shore. As often as his head appeared above the
water the Chippewas fired a volley of bullets, which fell
around like hail, but harmlessly. The bold swimmer finally
reached the opposite shore unharmed, when he gave a whoop of
joy and disappeared in the thicket. The Chippewas, filled
with admiration at his daring exploit, returned his farewell
whoop with interest."
RIVER FALLS
Occupies township 27, range 18, and a tier of two sections from range
19. Trimbelle river drains the eastern portion and the Kinnikinic the
northwest. Its early history is identified with the history of River
Falls city, its first settlement. It was organized in 1854, as
Greenwood, but in 1858 the name was changed to River Falls. As River
Falls city was not incorporated until 1885, we shall give its early
history in connection with that of the town.
The first settler was Joel Foster, in the fall of 1848. In 1849, came
D. McGregor, James and Walter Mapes; in 1850, Messrs. Hayes, Tozer,
Penn and Parks, and not long after the Powells and Clark Green. These
early settlers chose locations at, or near, the present site of River
Falls city, and along the banks of the Kinnikinic, which here, owing
to its numerous waterfalls, offered unusual facilities for milling and
manufacturing. The first crop was raised by Joel Foster, in 1849. The
first saw mill was built in 1851 by the brothers N. N. and O. S.
Powell, just below the site of the present Greenwood mill. This was
burned in 1876. In 1854 the Powell brothers platted the village of
River Falls, called at first, Kinnikinic, setting apart for that
purpose two hundred acres of land. This plat included the upper
waterfalls within the present city limits. The largest water power
they donated to C. B. Cox as a mill site, to encourage settlement in
the village. The brothers co-operated in building up the village,
amongst other things building a frame store and stocking it with
goods. This was the first store in the Kinnikinic valley. They dealt
also in real estate and lumber. The name of River Falls, as applied to
the village, dates from the establishment of the first post office, in
1854. Charles Hutchinson was the first postmaster, and the office was
held in this pioneer store. J. S. Rounce, in 1870, built the first
foundry in Pierce county.
The water powers of River Falls have been extensively utilized, many
saw and flouring mills having been erected at various times on the
Kinnikinic. Of these, in 1886, the more notable are, the Junction
mills, owned by Freeman, Rhyder & Co., with a capacity of 400 barrels
daily, and a barrel manufactory attached, which gives employment to 40
men and turns off from 300 to 400 barrels daily. The Greenwood mills,
owned by Geo. Fortune & Co., capacity 50 barrels; the Cascade mills,
owned by the Baker estate, capacity 50 barrels; the Prairie mill,
built by C. B. Cox in 1858, and now owned by J. D. Putnam, capacity
150 barrels.
In educational matters River Falls has taken and maintained an
advanced position. The first school house was built in 1854, by seven
men, at a cost of five hundred dollars. Helen Flint taught the first
school. In 1856 a joint stock association was incorporated as "The
River Falls Academy." A building was erected, 36 × 66 feet, ground
plan, and two stories in height. Prof. Wilcox was the first principal.
This school was maintained as an academy until 1860, at which time it
was superseded by the free schools. In the fall of 1879 the building
was destroyed by fire. Subsequently a commodious brick structure was
erected in its place at a cost of $15,000. Excellent private schools
were maintained by Hinckley, Cody and Baker, for five years during the
'60s. The State Normal School, of which a more extended account is
given elsewhere, was established here, and a building erected in 1874,
at a cost of about $65,000, the people of River Falls and other towns
contributing to this fund $25,000, with private subscriptions to the
amount of $12,000, and a donation of ten acres of land. Of the $25,000
River Falls gave $10,000, Troy $4,000, Clifton $3,000, while Pierce
county contributed $5,000, and Kinnikinic, St. Croix county, gave
$3,000. The building, a handsome brick, four stories high, including
the basement, stands on an elevated plat of ground in the southeastern
part of the city. The first board of instruction consisted of W. D.
Parker, president, with the following assistants: J. B. Thayer,
conductor of teachers' institute; A. Earthman, history, geography,
music; Lucy E. Foot, English literature, reading, spelling; Julia A.
McFarlan, mathematics; Margaret Hosford, Latin and English literature.
Model department, Ellen C. Jones, teacher, grammar grade; Mary A.
Kelley, teacher, intermediate grade; Lizzie J. Curtis, teacher,
primary grade.
The following are the churches of River Falls, with date of
establishment and name of first pastor when known: Congregational,
1855, Rev. James Stirratt; Baptist, 1857, Rev. A. Gibson; Methodist,
1858; Episcopal, 1871, Rev. Chas. Thorpe; Catholic, 1875, Rev. Father
Connelly; Seventh Day Adventist, 1881.
With the exception of the last named, these church organizations have
good buildings. The Congregational church building erected in 1857 was
superseded by a building in 1867 that cost $10,000. This was destroyed
by a tornado in 1868, but has since been rebuilt at the cost of the
building destroyed, and a parsonage has been added at a cost of
$2,000.
A Sunday-school was established in River Falls in 1853, and the first
sermon was preached, in 1850 or 1851, by Rev. Julius S. Webber, a
Baptist missionary. Rev. John Wilcoxson, an Episcopalian, held
occasional services as early as 1859.
ASSOCIATIONS.
The following are the social and benevolent associations of River
Falls, with dates of organization: Masonic Lodge, June, 1859; I. O. O.
F., 1872; I. O. G. T., March 15, 1877; Juvenile Temple of Honor, March
15, 1877; Temple of Honor, March 31, 1878; A. O. U. W., 1878. The
hall, fixtures and charter of the Odd Fellows Lodge was destroyed in
the fire of 1876, but the lodge was rechartered the same year.
THE BANK OF RIVER FALLS
Was organized Jan. 1, 1874. ---- Bartlett, president; Joseph M. Smith,
cashier. Capital, $15,000. It was reorganized in 1883, under state
law, R. S. Burhyte, president; W. D. Parker, vice president; J. M.
Smith, cashier. Capital stock, $35,000. Total business in 1885,
$5,770,733.98.
HUDSON & RIVER FALLS RAILROAD.
This road was built in 1878, the people of River Falls contributing
$60,000 to its construction. The road is ten miles in length. In 1885
it was extended to Ellsworth, a distance of twelve miles.
RIVER FALLS BOARD OF TRADE
Was established in 1884. A. D. Andrews, president; C. H. Keys,
secretary.
FIRES.
In 1875 the Metropolitan Hotel, costing $15,000, and other buildings
were burned; loss $30,000. The insurance was light. In 1876 a large
portion of the town was destroyed by fire.
RIVER FALLS CITY.
River Falls was incorporated as a city in 1885. At the first election
for city officers, held April 7th, three hundred and nineteen votes
were cast, and the following persons were declared duly elected to the
positions named: Mayor, A. A. Andrews; treasurer, G. E. Pratt;
assessor, E. H. Daniel; aldermen, First ward, W. W. Wadsworth; Second
ward, L. M. Rosenquist; Third ward, R. N. Jenson; Fourth ward, L.
Styles; marshal, R. N. Bevens; city clerk, Allen H. Weld. The license
for the sale of intoxicants was fixed at $200. The population of River
Falls in 1886 was 1,700. It is a lively, prosperous city, planned on a
liberal scale, with wide streets, well shaded with ornamental trees.
The mills have reservations by which they are separated from the
business part of the city. The beauty of the original waterfalls is
somewhat marred by the mills and their debris. Originally they were
very beautiful and picturesque, and were widely celebrated, and much
visited by the lovers of Nature. Of these falls there are four, two on
the south branch, one on the north branch, and one some rods below
the junction of the two streams. The falls were not noted for their
grandeur, but rather for their quiet beauty, the water falling over
ledges but a few feet in height, and so broken in two of them as to
present the general appearance of a succession of stairs, or steps, of
unequal elevation, over which the water falls. An interesting feature
at the junction of the two rivers is the cave in which the pioneer
settler, Judge Joel Foster, with his negro boy, spent the winter of
1848-49. From his cave cabin he had full view of the falls on the two
streams, no less beautiful in their winter dress of gleaming icicles,
with the frost-whitened boughs of the willow and alder drooping over
them, than in their summer brightness. The judge has told me that he
loved, almost worshiped, this spot. The cave cabin stood about one
hundred feet from the sparkling stream. There, in the early morning,
he could cast his line, and have for his regal breakfast the speckled
trout. Above him towered a precipice crowned with evergreen trees, and
around him, on the borders of the streams, were the elm and maple, and
an undergrowth of alder and birch. There certainly could have been no
fairer scene in the West. To-day no traces remain of the old cave
cabin. The Junction mills have effaced the more beautiful and poetic
features of the scene. The judge has passed away, and found a grave on
an elevation overlooking his old home and the scenes he loved so well.
The judge, although a friend to progress, and active in advancing the
material interests of the locality in which he lived, was unalterably
opposed to the movement to incorporate River Falls, and did all he
could to defeat the measure. When the incorporative act had been
passed, he moved outside of the city limits, declaring that he would
neither live nor die within them; but having been fatally injured by
an accident, he was brought back to his old home, and died within the
city.
THE FOURTH STATE NORMAL SCHOOL AT RIVER FALLS--HISTORY.
The constitution of the State, adopted in 1848, provides "that the
revenue of the school fund shall be exclusively applied to the
following objects:
"_First_--To the support and maintenance of common schools
in each school district, and the purchase of suitable
libraries and appurtenances therefor.
"_Second_--That the residue of the income of the school fund
shall be appropriated to the support of academies and normal
schools, and suitable libraries and appurtenances therefor."
No effort was made to take advantage of this provision of the
constitution for the endowment of normal schools until 1857, when an
act was passed providing "that the income of twenty-five per cent of
the proceeds arising from the sale of swamp and overflowed lands
should be appropriated to normal institutes and academies, under the
supervision and direction of a 'board of regents of normal schools,'"
who were to be appointed in pursuance of the provisions of that act.
Under this law, the income placed at the disposal of the regents was
distributed for several years to such colleges, academies and high
schools as maintained a normal class, and in proportion to the number
of pupils in the class who passed satisfactory examinations, conducted
by an agent of the board.
The law under which these schools are organized provides that "the
exclusive purpose of each normal school shall be the instruction and
training of persons, both male and female, in the theory and art of
teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a good
common school education, and in all subjects needful to qualify for
teaching in the public schools; also to give instruction in the
fundamental laws of the United States and of this State, and in what
regards the rights and duties of citizens."
REGULATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Tuition is free to all students who are admitted to these normal
schools under the following regulations of the board of regents:
_First_--Each assembly district in the State shall be
entitled to eight representatives in the normal schools, and
in case vacancies exist in the representation to which any
assembly district is entitled, such vacancies may be filled
by the president and secretary of the board of regents.
_Second_--Candidates for admission shall be nominated by the
superintendent of the county (or if the county
superintendent has not jurisdiction, then the nomination
shall be made by the city superintendent) in which such
candidate may reside, and shall be at least sixteen years of
age, of sound bodily health and good moral character. Each
person so nominated shall receive a certificate setting
forth his name, age, health and character.
_Third_--Upon the presentation of such certificate to the
president of a normal school, the candidate shall be
examined, under the direction of said president, in the
branches required by law for a third grade certificate,
except history, theory and practice of teaching, and if
found qualified to enter the normal school in respect to
learning, he may be admitted after furnishing such evidence
as the president may require of good health and good moral
character, and after subscribing to the following
declaration:
I, ---- ----, do hereby declare that my purpose in entering
this State Normal School is to fit myself for the profession
of teaching, and that it is my intention to engage in
teaching in the schools of the State.
_Fourth_--No person shall be entitled to a diploma who has
not been a member of the school in which such diploma is
granted, at least one year, nor who is less than nineteen
years of age; a certificate of attendance may be granted by
the president of a normal school to any person who shall
have been a member of such school for one term; provided,
that in his judgment such certificate is deserved.
As an addition to the work of the normal schools, the board of regents
are authorized to expend a sum not exceeding $5,000 annually, to
sustain teachers' institutes, and may employ an agent for that
purpose. Institutes are regarded as important auxiliaries and feeders
to the normal schools. At present one professor from each normal
school is employed conducting institutes every spring and fall.
The normal school fund now amounts to over $1,250,000, and yields an
annual income of about $100,000. It will be increased by the further
sale of swamp lands, and will prove ample for the objects for which it
is set apart.
In 1865 the legislature divided the swamp lands and swamp land fund
into two equal parts, one for drainage purposes, the other to
constitute a normal school fund. The income of the latter was to be
applied to establishing, supporting and maintaining normal schools,
under the direction and management of the board of regents of normal
schools, with a proviso that one-fourth of such income should be
transferred to the common school fund, until the annual income of that
fund should reach $200,000. During the same year, proposals were
invited for extending aid in establishment of a normal school, and
propositions were received from various places.
In 1866 the board of regents was incorporated by the legislature.
JOEL FOSTER.--Judge Foster was born at Meriden, Connecticut, Dec. 15,
1814. He was liberally educated. He came to Edwardsville, Illinois, in
1830, and to Hudson, then known as Buena Vista, in 1848. After a
careful exploration of the country he made choice of the valley of the
Kinnikinic, and made him a home in the fall of 1848, at the junction
of the two branches of that stream, and within sound of its beautiful
cascades. He was the pioneer settler of the River Falls of to-day. He
built the first dwelling house, raised the first crops, and ever
proved himself a worthy citizen, first in every good work and
enterprise. He was a man of far more than ordinary intelligence and
moral worth, was temperate, industrious, public spirited, sagacious
and independent. He has filled many positions of responsibility,
amongst them that of judge of St. Croix county. During the Mexican War
he served as a quartermaster in Col. Bissell's Second Illinois
Regiment. Judge Foster was married at Chicago in 1856 to Charlotte
Porch. He died at his home in River Falls, Aug. 9, 1885.
JESSE B. THAYER was born Oct. 11, 1845, in Janesville, Wisconsin; was
educated at Milton College in 1870, and is by profession a teacher.
During the Rebellion he served in the Fortieth and Forty-ninth
Wisconsin Volunteers as a private. He served five years as principal
of the public schools in Menomonie, and since 1875 has been connected
with the State Normal School at River Falls as conductor of
institutes. In 1885 he was elected to represent Pierce county in the
state assembly.
A. D. ANDREWS.--Dr. A. D. ANDREWS was born in Lowell, Maine, Sept. 21,
1830. He graduated at the Chicago Medical College in 1860, and in 1861
was commissioned assistant surgeon of the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry, of
the famous Iron Brigade, with which he served up to the battle of
Gettysburg. After retiring from the army he came to River Falls and
engaged in milling, in which business he successfully continued until
1880, when he retired. He was elected state senator in 1878. He was
appointed a regent of the Fourth State Normal School in 1877. He died
at his home an River Falls, after a short illness, July 23, 1885. He
was mayor of the city at the time of his death.
JOSEPH A. SHORT.--Mr. Short was born in Madison county, New York,
April 16, 1806. He learned the trade of a millwright. He visited the
East and West Indies. He came to Milwaukee in 1842. In 1849 he went to
California, but returned in 1854, and settled in River Falls, where he
built a saw and planing mill, laid out an addition to the village and
in various ways promoted the interests of the settlement. Mr. Short
was a member of the Methodist church sixty years, and of the Masonic
fraternity fifty years. He was married Aug. 25, 1831, in New York, to
Olive Prossen. He died at his home, May 6, 1886, aged eighty years,
leaving a son and three daughters.
ALLEN H. WELD.--Prof. A. H. Weld, widely known as a pioneer educator,
and as the author of an excellent grammar, was born in Vermont in
1810. He graduated at Yale College. He came to River Falls in 1858 and
taught the first graded school in the village. For two years he was
principal of the high school at Hudson, and for six years was
superintendent of schools in St. Croix county. He was a member of the
state board of regents nine years, and was prime mover in securing the
location of the State Normal School at River Falls. The excellent
character of the schools in St. Croix county, and the high educational
position of River Falls, are due to his untiring effort and wise
direction. Mr. Weld was a member of the Congregational church and a
consistent Christian as well as a progressive, public spirited man. He
died in 1882, at his home in River Falls, leaving a widow and one son,
Allen P.
ALLEN P. WELD was born in North Yarmouth, Maine, in 1839. In 1859 he
graduated at Dartmouth College. He studied law and was admitted to
practice in 1867, at Albany, New York. He taught school at Albany
three years, and came to River Falls in 1859, where he is a dealer in
real estate. He was married in 1872 to Alice Powell, daughter of Lyman
Powell.
GEORGE W. NICHOLS was born in 1795, at Braintree, Vermont. His father
was a soldier in the Revolution. At the age of seventeen he enlisted
and served in the war of 1812. He lived in Vermont fifty years, in
Massachusetts ten years, and in 1855 came to River Falls, where he
engaged in farming until he was eighty years of age. He was married in
Vermont to Deborah Hobart, who died in 1874. His sons George H. and
William H. reside in River Falls. They were soldiers during the war of
the Rebellion. His son Isaac N. was a member of Capt. Samuels'
company, and was killed at Perrysville, Kentucky. The Grand Army of
the Republic post at River Falls has his name. He died in 1887.
W. D. PARKER--Prof. Parker was born in Bradford, Orange county,
Vermont, in 1839. He received a common school and academic education.
At the age of sixteen years he entered the Janesville High School, and
four years later graduated. He taught two years in Janesville, four
years at Delavan, and one year in Monroe, Green county, Wisconsin. In
1867 he visited Europe, after which he taught two years at Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin. He was superintendent of schools five years at
Janesville. In 1875 he was elected to the presidency of the Fourth
State Normal School at River Falls. In 1886 he was elected state
superintendent of public instruction. Prof. Parker was married to
Justine B. Hewes, of Chicago, in 1869.
THE POWELL FAMILY.--William Powell, the father, came to River Falls in
1849, where he lived with his sons until his death, Nov. 30, 1865. His
second wife was the widow of ---- Taylor, and the mother of Horace and
Lute Taylor, the well known journalists. Mrs. Powell died in July,
1884.
LYMAN POWELL came to River Falls with his family in 1855. He was
married to Lucinda Taylor, sister of Horace and Lute Taylor. Mr.
Powell died at River Falls, Nov. 9, 1872, leaving a wife, two sons and
five daughters.
NATHANIEL N. POWELL, the second son, born May 11, 1827, in St.
Lawrence county, New York, came to River Falls in 1849, and pre-empted
the northeast quarter of section 1, now a part of the site of River
Falls city. He was married to Martha Ann Hart, Sept. 28, 1842, at
Hudson. He died at River Falls, Sept. 28, 1862, leaving one son and
one daughter.
OLIVER S. POWELL, the youngest son, was born June 19, 1831, and came
to Hancock county, Illinois, in 1843, where he lived eight years. He
had no great opportunities for gaining an education. He came to
Stillwater in 1849, bringing with him the first threshing machine
north of Prairie du Chien. He threshed the first grain threshed in the
county in the fall of that year, for Fiske, on a farm three miles
below Stillwater. In November, 1849, he located in River Falls,
pre-empting the south half of the southeast quarter of section 36,
town 28, range 19, lands lying just north of those claimed by his
brother, and which afterward became a part of River Falls. Mr. Powell
was a representative in the state assembly in 1870-71-72, and was a
county commissioner many years. He was married in 1860 to Elmira
Nichols. They have three sons, Harvey C., Newell N. and Lyman T., and
four daughters, Lucy M., Sarah H., Amy E., and Miriam.
NILS P. HAUGEN was born in Norway in 1849; came to America in 1853 and
to River Falls in 1854. He graduated in the law department of Michigan
State University in 1874. Mr. Haugen was phonographic reporter of the
Eighth and Eleventh Judicial circuits for several years, and a member
of the assembly from Pierce county in 1879 and 80. He was elected
railroad commissioner for Wisconsin in 1881, and re-elected in 1884.
In 1886 he was elected representative to Congress.
H. L. WADSWORTH was born July 10, 1821, in Erie county, New York. He
learned the trade of a shoemaker, came West in 1846, and settled at
River Falls some time in the '50s, and engaged in farming. He has
filled many positions of trust in the St. Croix valley, and in 1867
represented St. Croix county in the assembly. In 1841 he was married
to Miss A. R. Baldwin. Eight children have been born to them.
ROCK ELM
Includes township 26, range 15. It was organized as a town Nov. 16,
1866. The first town meeting was held at the house of J. Prickett. The
first commissioner was Sylvester Fox, chairman. The post offices are
at Rock Elm, on the western line of the town, section 19, and Rock Elm
Centre, sections 16 and 17. At the latter place is located Rock Elm
Institute, a school of high grade, founded in 1880. Harrison Lowater
is the principal. The town is well supplied with schools, there being
as many as nine within its limits. Among its first settlers were
Loomis Kellogg, Charles A. Hawn and Sylvester Fox.
SALEM.
Salem occupies township 25, range 16. It is drained by Rush river. It
was organized as a town Jan. 13, 1862. First board of supervisors, C.
C. Carpenter, Eben White and J. H. Shults. The first school was taught
in 1857, by Thompson McCleary. The first marriage was that of Harvey
Seeley and Kate McKinstry. The first child born was Sarah Fuller. The
first death was that of John McCleary, Sept. 2, 1863. The first post
office was established at Rush River, May 1860, Joseph Seeley,
postmaster. The first settlers were Jeremiah Fuller, from Ohio, and W.
Wells, 1846; Harvey Seeley, 1848; Thomas Boyle and James White, 1854;
John F. Davis from Ireland, 1856 (town clerk twenty years); John H.
Brasington, from Pennsylvania (town treasurer fifteen years); Eben
White, James Walsingham, John Strong, H. M. Hicks, from Pennsylvania,
1858; John Foley and brothers, from Ireland, 1856; James H. Shults,
Joseph Seeley, H. C. Brown, John McClure, from Ireland; C. C. and Ira
W. Carpenter, from Connecticut, 1858.
Mrs. Fuller, the wife of the pioneer, was here over six months, during
which time she did not see a white woman.
SPRING LAKE
Is the extreme northeastern town of the county, occupying township 27,
range 15. The post offices are Oak Ridge and Spring Valley. The town
was organized Nov. 10, 1868. The first town meeting was held at the
house of A. M. Wilcox. The first supervisors were: W. D. Akers,
chairman; Jonas Nebb; Levi Hess, clerk. The first school was taught in
1866, by Agnes Harriman. The Methodist and Baptist churches have
organizations, and the Methodists have a building worth five hundred
dollars. The first marriage was that of H. M. Wilcox to Mrs. Kate
Rice, of Lake City, by W. D. Akers, justice of the peace. The first
child born was a daughter of Ole P. Gardner. The first death was that
of Leota Wilcox, in 1864. The first postmaster was B. H. Preston,
1871. The first settlers in the order of their coming were James
Gilmore, O. P. Gardner, George Wilcox, John Francisco and W. D. Akers.
TRENTON.
Trenton contains about twenty-eight sections, those on the Mississippi
having very irregular boundaries. Twenty-four whole sections lie in
township 25, range 18, and the remainder in township 24, range 18.
Trenton, in section 33, township 25, is its post village. Trenton was
organized in 1857; James Akers, chairman of supervisors. Wilson
Thing, the pioneer settler, came in 1848.
TRIMBELLE.
Trimbelle includes township 26, range 18. Its post villages are
Trimbelle and Beldenville. It was organized March 2, 1855. Its
supervisors were F. Otis, chairman, and Aaron Cornelison. Among its
earliest settlers were the Cornelisons, F. Otis and M. B. Williams. It
has four saw mills and one flouring mill, five school houses and one
church (Methodist).
MARTIN B. WILLIAMS was born in New York in 1812. He received a common
school education, and at the age of sixteen years was thrown upon his
own resources. He learned the trade of blacksmith. He was married in
New York, and has four sons, Clark M., Frank T., G. Glen and A. Judd.
Mr. Williams is one of the pioneer settlers of Trimbelle, and has held
many public town and county positions. He served as treasurer of
Pierce county four years. He has been a local preacher in the
Methodist Episcopal church for over thirty years.
UNION.
Union consists of township 25, range 15. It is drained by Plum creek.
It has two post offices, Plum Creek, in section 24, and Ono, section
6. It was organized Aug. 15, 1863. Among its first settlers were
Eleazer Holt, Hiram N. Wood, and Capt. Horst, who made their homes
here in the early '50s.
FOOTNOTES:
[B] In 1849 the town of Elisabeth was organized by St. Croix county,
and included what is now Pierce county. The first board of supervisors
were William Thing, chairman; Aaron Cornelius, and L. M. Harnsberger;
clerk, Hilton Doe; treasurer, Geo. W. McMurphy. In 1851, by
legislative enactment, the name Elisabeth was changed to Prescott.
[C] A member of the well known Faribault family, after whom the town
of Faribault has been named.
[D] NOTE.--When I touched at Prescott in 1845, it was generally known
as the "Mouth of St. Croix," though by some called "Prescott's
Landing." The residents were Hilton Doe, a farmer; Geo. Schaser,
boarding house keeper; W. S. Lockwood, merchant; Joseph Mosier, an
Indian trader or storekeeper. The principal trade was with Indians.