History of Waupaca County, Wisconsin

In settling a new country the pioneer has much that is unpleasant and discouraging to contend with. Unbroken forests must be cleared away, or the tough sods of the prairie turned under, and the fields fenced and fitted for cultivation. Crops must be planted, and time given for them to come up, grow and mature.

In the meantime the old settler must live. His family can not be carried safely through without food and clothing, coarse and scant, perhaps, but sufficient to sustain nature. How to procure them is often a difficult question with him. It is quite common to see the "hungry wolf at the door," literally as well as metaphorically. His is a constant struggle with want, aye, even hunger and cold; but he must live, and he struggles on, often disappointed, but ever hopeful, for the blackest cloud may, and generally does have a "silver lining."

Is it any wonder that so many faint by the way, that so many get discouraged and return to their old homes, perhaps in the far East? Many more would move back if they could, but the new settler's stock of money is nearly expended in the purchase of his land, and in his first few temporary improvements. So his only chance is to remain, and there is where the blessing comes in; being compelled to stay, he is obliged to "work or starve." At length his enforced industry is rewarded, and many a formerly disheartened settler has lived to bless a poverty which has eventually made him rich in spite of himself.

In after years what pleasure the pioneer takes in listening to or relating incidents connected with his pioneer life! He looks back with a sort of mournful pleasure to those days and years of care, of disappointment, and often of actual want, and feels a real pride in the thought that his nerve and muscle, his mental and physical endurance, have wrought the great change that has taken place in his worldly affairs within so small a portion of one brief human life; and his is a justifiable pride.

The title of "pioneer" is an honest title, and designates the highest order of American nobility. One object of the present work is to collect statistics of the early settlement of our county, and to gather and preserve incidents and interesting reminiscences connected with that early settlement. Our children may value them when our lips are unable to repeat them, and the only way to learn them will be to avail themselves of the labors of the historian. One by one our old settlers are leaving us. Every year performs its work. Soon the last pioneer will be reverently laid away in his final resting place, and there will be none to repeat to the coming generation the noble sacrifices and heroic labors of the past.

 

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 5

CHAPTER I.
Waupaca County — The Indians — Here were Their Hunting Grounds — Their Degeneracy — Their Inhumanity Compared with that of the Whites 13

CHAPTER II.
A Tragic Affair — Killing of an Indian by James, near Mukwa - Statement of Dr. Linde — Captain Powell 16

CHAPTER III.
A Bloodless Affray Between Indian Chiefs at Algoma, Winnebago County — Pow-wa-ga-nien and Kish-ke-ne-kat 22

CHAPTER IV.
Our County - Its Boundaries — Soil — Natural Products — Cultivated Crops — Population — Climate — Lakes and Rivers 28

CHAPTER V.
Surrender of the Indian Title — Government Survey — Preliminary Survey by William H. Mumbrue — Settlers' League — Incidents — Primitive Justice— Illustration — A Dutch Justice 40

CHAPTER VI.
First Meeting of the County Board — First Election of County Officers— Organization of the Towns of Weyauwega, Mukwa, Waupaca, Embarrass, Centerville, and Dayton 49

CHAPTER VII.
Meeting of the County Board at Waupaca — County Officers Required to Hold Offices at Waupaca — Scandinavia and Farmington Organized — Judicial Election — County Seat Vote — Prohibition - Royalton and Caledonia Organized — Court to be Held at Mukwa — Judge Cate Elected 55

CHAPTER VIII.
Meeting of the County Board at Wupaca — Members from Belmont and Amherst Admitted — Town of Lanark Organized — Building Committee Chosen — Vote on County Seat 62

CHAPTER IX.
Charges Against Mellen Chamberlain — Vote on County Seat — First Meeting of the County Board at Weyauwega — Resolutions of the County Board on the County Seat Question 65

CHAPTER X.
The Board for Peace — Summons to Mellen Chamberlain — lola and Union Organized — Township Poor System Abolished 71

CHAPTER XI.
Town of Matteson — Helvetia — County Divided into Three Commissioner Districts — Board Adjourned to Waupaca — The County Jail — Committee on Poor House — Insane 74

CHAPTER XII.
Town of Mukwa — First Settlement— Village of Mukwa - Village of Northport — Smiley's Anecdotes — City of New London — The First School 81

CHAPTER XIII.
Town of Lind — First Settlers — Organization — First Officers - Fourth of July Celebration on Lone Pine Hill — A Temperance Lesson 92

CHAPTER XIV.
Town of Dayton — Its History as Written by J. Holman in 1876 — farfrey's "Pepper Mill" — A Bear Story 96

CHAPTER XV.
Town of Farmington — Historical Sketch by C.L. Green - List of Early Settlers — An Old Railroad Project 108

CHAPTER XVI.
Town of Royalton — First Settlement in 1848 by Hicks Leuthold, and Gill — A Good Farming and Stock Raising Town 112

CHAPTER XVII.
Town of Caledonia — First Settlement in 1849, by James McHugh — Organized in 1853 115

CHAPTER XVIII.
Town of Fremont — First Settlement by D. Gorden in 1849 — Organized in 1855 — Springer's Point — Village of Fremont Organized in 1888— Killing of Wau-ke-john 117

CHAPTER XIX.
Town of Union — First Settlement by Isaac Ames in 1855 — Organized in 1858 — Experiences of Nathan Johnson — Sixteen Persons Sleeping on the Floor of a 16x20 - Foot Shanty 127

CHAPTER XX.
Town of Dupont — First Settlement by O.A. Quinby in 1857— Organized in 1864 — Village of Marion 133

CHAPTER XXI.
Town of St. Lawrence — First Settlement in 1852 — Organized in 1855 — Its Part in the "County Seat War" — A Correspondent's Account of the Great Indian Scare of 1862 136

CHAPTER XXII.
Town of Larrabee — First Settlement by Norman Clinton in March, 1855 — The City of Clintonville — Norman C. Clinton — Chet. Bennett 143

CHAPTER XXIII.
Town of Weyauwega — Settled in 1848 — Organized in 1852 — Gills Landing Plank Road — An Indian Murder — A Sucker Story — Village of Weyauwega 156

CHAPTER XXIV.
Town of Bear Creek — First Settlement by Welcome Hyde, in 1854 — First Officers Elected in 1856 — One of the Best Farming Towns 164

CHAPTER XXV.
Town of lola — Settled in 1853— First Election of Officers in 1855 — Village of lola — Town of Harrison Created in 1890 166

CHAPTER XXVI.
Town of Helvetia — Settled in 1853 — First Town Meeting in 1861 — Town of Wyoming Formed out of Helvetia in 1890 168

CHAPTER XXVII.
Town of Matteson — First Settlement in 1855, by Roswell Matteson, in Honor of Whom the Town was Named 170

CHAPTER XXVIII.
A Chapter of Most Interesting Recollections by George W. Taggart, of Weyanwega — His Account of the Election of 1851 172

CHAPTER XXIX.
Town of Little Wolf — Settled in 1848 by William Goldberg — The Town was First Called "Centerville" — First Election of Officers in 1852 183

CHAPTER XXX.
Town of Waupaca — Settled in 1819 — Organized in 1852 — Village of Waupaca Incorporated in 1857 — The City Incorporated in 1875 185

CHAPTER XXXI.
Town of Scandinavia — First Settlement in 1851 — First Election of Officers in 1853 — Village of Scandinavia 190

CHAPTER XXXII.
Early Reminiscences of Waupaca County, Read at the Old Settlers' Meeting at New London, February 19, 1874, by W.F. Waterhouse, Historian 192

CHAPTER XXXIII.
The Old Settler's Society — Its Organization in 1872 — List of Old Settlers — A Summary of Their Proceedings 203

CHAPTER XXXIV.
List of County Officers Since the Organization, Compiled From the Records 215

CHAPTER XXXV.
List of Postoffices in Waupaca County, with Their Location 218

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Strange Indian History — Indian Prophet "Walking Iron" at New London Two Centuries Ago — The Great Indian Village — The Prophet's Harem 219

 

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The territory embraced in the present limits of Waupaca County was but recently the home of the red man. Here were his favorite hunting grounds. Here, on every side, were found the bear, the wolf, the elk, the deer, and other valued game. The numerous lakes, the ponds, the rivers, and smaller streams were stocked with almost every variety of fish; and no white men were here to rob him of his heritage, or to circumscribe the limits of his hunting grounds. He was happy — happy in his innocence — happy in his ignorance of the many wants which render the man of civilization discontented and miserable. He may have had his vices, but they were virtues in comparison with those taught him by the civilized whites.