Buffalo County, Wisconsin - The whole text, 1888 (part 6 of 13)

Christian Wenger

was born in 1815 at Wattenwyl in t Canton of Berne, Switzeiland. He must have emigrated when quite young, and being of an adventurous turn of mind, he roved into Texas and the western territories, where he chased the Buffalo. Afterwards he stayed in Highland, 111., where he was in the service of the Koepfle Bros., Joseph and Solomon. Besides doing his work, he indulged very often in the excitement of chasing the deer, which were at that period quite numerous in that neighborhood. Exactly at what time Wenger left Highland, and began his expedition up the Mississippi, we can not now tell. But he followed his countrymen Baertsch and Liesch from Galena to Holmes' Landing. He did not enlist in the Mexican war, which is somewhat to be wondered at, as he has always been proud of his excellent marksmanship. Up to Holmes' Landing he must have come in 1848, since in July of the following year he bought the land designated as Lot No. 1 of Sec. 17, T. 19, R. 11, the same on which the residence of Hon. A. Finkelnburg and a number of other buildings now stand. In 1854 he was married to Ursula Miller, daughter of John Mueller (Engelhans) of Belvidere and soon after he removed to Alma, which place he helped to found, being one of the proprietors of Probst and Wenger's Addition, consisting of Blocks 23, 24 and 25. On Block 24 there are now Boehme's and Tritch's stores, on Block 24 the Sherman House and other brick buildings. On Block 25 is the Court House, the old school house etc. Soon after the founding of Alma Wenger moved upon, his farm in Section 28, Township 22 Range 12, in which section he owned 360 acres, besides quite a number of forties in adjoining sections. Here he carried on farm- ing, occasionally indulging in his old passion of hunting. He is living. there yet, but is now sick, Hnd feehle with old age. Christian "Wenger, in cominon with most passionate hunters, is gifted with a lively imagination, especially in regard to his favorite sport. He is honest and straight-forward, peaceable and obliging, and much respected by his neighbors. His large family of children are now all grown up and some of them have children of their own.

Victor Probst

From an extract of the register of baptism of the parochial church of Bieberist, Canton of Soleure, Switzerland, I find that the subject of this sketch, Urs Victor Prpbst was born on the 14th day of February 1815, in the place named- An itinerary and passport^ issued in German and French, stillin excellent preservation, as is, also, the above cited certificate of birth, shows that Probst entered upon the life of an itinerant journeyman "cabinet maker on the 9th day of May 1833. Most Americans and the younger generation of Germans have no conception of this itinerary episode of a craftsman or mechanic and as this occasion is one which seems to require the appropriate explanation, I will give it. A mechaiiic of any kind had to serve an apprenticeship of three yeWrs, and after having been duly absolved of this obligation, he became a companion journey-man. If he aspired to the title and the privileges of a master, among which the right to establish himself on his own account in his trade or business was ihe. rhbst important, he had to travel for at least three yea,rs on his trade, wbfking wherever he fotind employment, as long as it Stilted him, or his

1*0 keep a cohtrol over this peregrination ah ititiei-ary was handed to the traveling mechanic, which he was obliged to carry with him wlien traveling, to sliow to .policemen and geiisdarines at their request, and to deposit with the local chief of police, whereve'r he wished to stay or work, or in any considerable place through whicli he passed. He was allowed to chooBe his oWn route, but it being once entered of record in his passbook, he was not allowed to change it, except for good and sufficient reasons, or in case of having worked in an intermediate place on his route. These were the general ideas of the system, the caUse oif this journeying being originally to compel those mechanics who would ;r>ot of their own impulse try to improve their acquirements by working among and learning from strangers, to do so. Guilds and their privileges having been almost everywhere abolished, this traveling is no longer compulsory. But to return to Victor Probst, we find that after traveling a little over a year he returned home, and in 1814, March 15th, passed through Basel on his way to Havre, where he embarked on the 23d of the same month. Of his adventures in America before he settled down at the Twelve Mile Bluffs we know nothing, and I am inclined to think that they were not much to his taste, for it is otherwise scarcely comprehensible, how a man in his best years, a skilful mechanic, and of a clear and liberal mind, could have been content to live in a place so lonesome as the one 'named above must haive been at that time. At exactly what time he settled here is uncertain, but it is certain that his countryman Joseph Berni could not have arrived before 1848 as he was in the Mexican war. In 1853 Victor Probst entered Lots 1 , 2, 3 and 4 of Sect. 2 Tshp. 21 R'ge 13 in the month of October, 14 days after the land had come into market, about the same time when Christian Wenger entered Lot 1, of Sect. 11, Tshp. 21, Rge. 13. These purchases were evidently niade with a view to laying out a townplat, which was done in 1855, when he and W. H. Gates laid out the plat of Alma. Afterward Victor Probst's Addition and Probst and Weriger's Addition were added. In the same year Victor was joined by his brother Franz Martin Probst and his family. In the course of time Victor Probst accumulated considerable real estate including the West Half of the Northwest Quarter of Section 1 of Tshp. 21, Rge. 13 and many pieces of valuable woodland in the islands about Beef Slough, in the sections west of it, , near its confluence with thle IVSssissippi. Mr. Probst was by no means indolent, nor a spendthrift, but being a bachelor, and not specially attached to anybody, he grew in time negligent and indifferent of his money and other possessions, and did not leave much of wordly goods, thougli he never was in real want or indigence. He died on the 2d day of April 1882.

There is one nephew, Ottmar, the son of Martin Probst living in this place, and there are in this county the" children of his' other brother, Urs, who died as a soldier of the 25th Regiment of Wis. Inf. at Madison of sickness.

A characteristic trait of Victor Probst is the preservation of thedocuments above referred to, one of which, his itinerary or passbook, being now 54, the other 46 years old, and still as clean and entire as on the day when they were made out.

Joseph Berni

was, like Victor Probst and his brothers, born in the parish of Biberist in the Canton of Soleure, Switzerland. He learned the trade of a cooper and traveled on it in the manner related in the history of V. Probst. Among the countries he visited on that errand he has often named to me the strip between the Rhine and the Black Forest from Basel northwards to Freiburg (Baden). In that part of the Grand-Duchy the celebrated Markgrafler wine is grown and abundant. Of Berni's adventures and experiences in this country we know nothing until his enlistment in the array at the time of the Mexican war. Of that he often spoke, and according to his statement he was in the city of Mexico. After the disbandment of the army of volunteers he received his honorable discharge and probably his land warrant. He came to the Twelve Mile Bluff in 1849, probably from Galena, where he fell into the company of Victor Probst and possibly of John C. Waecker. They were all three unmarried, and Berni, who was always ready for fun, used to speak about the lonesomeness and other trials of their solitary life in a very amusing manner. After a while he settled on the Southwest Quarter of Section 9, Township 20, Range 12, one of the most desirable locations in the county, about half-ways between Alma and Fountain City, and two miles east of Buffalo City by the road. The purchase was made partly in October 1855 and partly in January 1856. The schoolhouse site situated between the Alma and Fountain City and the Probst Valley Roads was sold to School District No. 1 of the Town of Belvidere in the earlier part of 1866, the whole quarter section being on the 21st of October of said year sold to Henry Klein for the sum of $2600. While on his land, on which he probably lived before entering it, Berni was married, and after the sale of the land he returned to his former habitation at Alma. They tell a story on him relating to his residence in the town of Belvidere. Berni had been elected justice of the peace. A neighbor was owing him some money, and in virtue of the power in him vested by the laws of the State of Wisconsin, as he undert'ioKEJiBg.

stood it, he summoned the negligent debtor before his own courtj passed judgment in his own favor and was only prevented from levying execution by some one, I think it was Jacob Bronnenkant of Fountaia City, expostulating with him on the error of his proceedings.

In Alma Berni built himself a shanty on a hill, both of which have since disappeared, but were close to the present railroad depot. In the lower part of the ravine north of his shanty he bega,n to manufacture brick, which he probably continued for three years, when, his money being gone, he had to quit the busiuess. Afterwards he supported himself and his family by teaming. He died in 1878 and left quite a family, all of whom are now grown up. He was very honest, but also very improvident. In the laying out of Alma and its additions he had no part or interest.

John Conead Wabckee

Of this one of the early pioneers I know more than of most of the others. I. did not know him in the old country, although by accident I might have seen him when we were boys. John C. Waecker was born in UnterhallaUj Canton of Schaffhau,sen, Switzerland. He was left an orpha,n or otherwise unprotected, and was educated at an institute under the control of some missionary society at the village of Buch, less then two English miles from the birthplace of the author of this book. The education he received at that place was probably limited to conamon elementary branches, and not much enlarged by his subsequent transfer to another of similar character at Beuggen near Basel. His experience from that place to the Twelve Mile Bluff we do not know, but it appears that he had parted from the missionaries and their labors, and learned to think and live like other mortals. He was somewhat eccentric and unreliable. His land he selected in Sections 19 and 30, of Township 21, Range 12, about 4 miles below Alma, between the bluffs and the slough and erected upon it a claim shanty, over which in course of tirqe the government surveyors ran a section line. He built his house near the line again, hut entirely north of it, In 1853 he married Sabina Kellpr. This was one of the earliest marriages consumma,ted in Belvidere. Wrecker lived on his first farm until 1872, whe^ he bought the property of Henry l^eukpnim, about one mile nearer to Alma. He remained upon that until 1879, when he reniov«d to Ada, Norman

Caspar Wild

He was born at Gossau, Cantoil of Zurich, Switzerland, ipthe year 1815. He is therefore now 72 years of ^ge. Of his life before he settled in. th,is country, we know b,ijt little. He eplisted in the yolunteer army fpr the war with Mexico, and after the disbandment of that army came ta Galenaj ai^d soon after to Holmes' Landing, where he arrived on the 7th of November 1848. He found in that place Henry Goekrke, Adam Web^r, Andrew Baertsch and Claus Liesch, the two last named being his countrymen. He rer^m.oved from the settleipent about three miles to the southeast locating nej^r his present place of residence, the well-known Stone House, at the angle of the river, where it turns for about three miles straight towards Winona. Here he maintained hiri(iself and re?i,i;ed his family by dint of hard work. During last spring Ije made application for and received bis pension as a. veteran of the Mexican war. He was undoubtedly the first settler in the preseijt town of Buffalo, although he did not enter any land previous to 1854, at which time, and soon after, he enteijed land, in Sections 23, 26, 27, a^d35ofTowns,hip 19, Ranige 11. ,

Madison Wright

The foregoing were the most genei;ally known of the pipneers of Buffalo Coijnty, being for the most part connected with the two central points of settlement, Holmes' Landing, now Fftuntain City, i^n.d Twelve Mile Bluff, now Alma. Of pioneers located in the upper part of the county before it attained political existence I remember but one, Madison Wright of Mi^ouri, who located in 1848, as a squatter upon the land that was afterwards owned by A,ndrew Wright, his brother, ^ho did not, however, reside upon it. Tl^e situation of it is in Section 11, Township 22, Range 14, opposite Wabasha, a short distance above the ferry landing. The land was entered in 1858. In 1868 when I surveyed the land of Mr. Wright, he wa? an old gentleman, living in aloghouse in primitive wood-caii^p style, nor do I think l^e ever departed from this until his death on the 19th of August, 1879. The place of his residence bfing somewhat, separated fropa, though situated in the town of Nelson, litadison Wright never rneddled much in the politics of b.ia tOTn or the county, being more attached to Wabasha. He lived aad died a bachelor. It is a remarkable fact that after his death an account for burial expenses, coffin etc., was presented to the county of Buffalo by the firm of Lueger Bros, of Wabasha which account was rejected as a piece of impudence, since it was well known, that,, if Madison Wright had really died in poverty, it was because he had spent all of his means at Wabasha, or had been done out of them by boon-companions or others of that place. General Remarks on Pioneers. The name of pioneex is mostly synonym with first permanent settlers, though occasionly persons who merely make a temporary stay for some purpose in an unsettled country are called by the same name. In the latter sense we might claim the early French as pionpers, though they never intended to be such. Indeed they did little or no pioneer work, and all theii attempted settlements or actual trading posts have disappeared from this neighborhood, although traces of them remain in some names, as for instance: Prairie du Chien, La Crosse, Trempe-a-l'-eau, Eau Claire, Pepin, Frontenac, St. Croix, St. Paul and a whole number of others too tedious to mention. The French were adventurers, which is not to be wondered at, as the country itself had passed out of the possession of their nation 130 years ago, and they could not hope to build up a French community, colony or state. It was similar with Englishmen or Scotchmen after 1783. Entirely different.it was with Americans of every description Yankees, Southerners or from the Middle States. And it is true that Americans after a while were very efficient pioneers. At first, however, they assimilated themselves much with Frenchmen, English "and Scotch adventurers, and even Thomas A. Holmes, considered as the pioneer of this county, was rather an adventurer, who left after the situation ceased to answer his purpose. The real pioneers of our county those, who stayed and opened roads, built bridges, cultivated lands, founded homesteads for themselves and induced others to come and do the same, were Germans or Swiss of German nationality. I do not mention this because they were of the same nationality with myself, but simply as a matter of fact. Neither do I wish to say they were the pioneers of every town of the county, since some of the towns were settled much later than the county as a whole.

so much length, I have endeavored to find the most reliable sources of information, of which gossip or tradition is none, although this also must be consulted. A few of the pioneers are yet alive, and others I had known for many years previous to their death, and so the chances were not entirely unfavorable, although the compilation of the present chapter was slow and tedious work.

Of others, such as came a few years later, perhaps invited or attracted by pioneers or their friends, I propose to say a few words in the separate historical sketch of every town, and names of all the early settlers who reported, or of whom I had the necessary information by other means, will be found in the list, at the end of this history.

Of arrivals during the year 1850 I could obtain no connected intelligence. In 1851 the town of Belvidere, then, of course including the City of Buffalo, seeras to have been the most favored region for settlement. As the banks of the river began to fill up with population, the newcomers began to penetrate farther into the interior, and after the organization of the county towns began to form rapidly, all of which will be found in the chapter on "Organization." The annexed table will give a summary of the formation of towns, which to a certain extent and especially in earlier times is indicative of the progress of settlement:

Lincoln, at the Annual Meeting of the County Board. Alterations of towns. or boundairy lines after that date had no connection witfi settlements.

Whether there was any political organization connected with-t the supposed civilization of the Mound BuilderSj and iwihat that organization -was- or seems to have been,i can not now be told. with any certainty.- As we have i no authenticali monument of theic. presence within this county, it does not appear.neeesaary to mention them in this connection. The discovery o£'Amarica,-aGcomplished ; as it was under the Spanish flag seems -to- have, ,accoir.ding to cus- - torn and tradition, made all of it- a part of the Kingdom; of Spafaoyi at least nominaily.' But iftthe ^country at tbatitime-ljad beeutlost to the Spaaiards, and- d-iscoV'ered'by souje.othermation,. it would, have been very di-fficult for the former to prov« property, or evear possession, for they could hardly have given any description of it,, by which it could be- known and recognized.- We find, tberseforei othei maritime powers follow; not io. the wake of the Spaaish ships, but their example and discover parts of a new -world, to the whole of. which Spain, might have laid claim- by right of priority^ ; -But) as early as five years after the first landing of Cqlumbus; in the; West Indies^ Cabot discovered, under the Englishvflagj^the coast of North;; America. Cortereal under Portuguese -flag discovered and. explored anotherconsiderai^le partof-the eastern coast of the samecontinent. - He was followed by the Verrazanis under the French ., flag as early as 1523, though 4he French seem to claim that'their fishermen visited the bank* of Newfoundland as early as 1&04j Jn the mean time the Spaniards, being in possession of the West India Islands began to explore the neighboring continent. The first seems to have -been Grijalva 1510, but more important was the discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1512, for on this Spain founded its subsequent claim to the whole continent. His own attempt and that of Narvaez to take possession of and hold in subjection that country, as well as the attempt of Ayllou to subdue £!hicc>ra (South Carolina"), though abortive still proved this Claimt

This was strengthened by the expedition of Hermando de Soto in 1538, the principal result of which was the discovery of the Mississippi River in 1541, and the subsequent navigation of his surviving followers to the mouth of this river. After the failure of his expedition we find that for twenty four years nothing of consequence was attempted in Florida or or any of its dependencies, but 1565 San Augustin was founded by Melendez.

But in the mean time the French had sent over Cartier in 1534. He sailed up the St. Lawrence, spent the winter in Canada and discovered and named Montreal island.

Six years later De la Roque and Cartier tried with but little success to plant colonies of French on the St. Jjawrence. Further attempts are not on record until 1598, but no success attended the different enterprises of the French, whether supported by the crown or the Huguenotts, uiitil Samuel Champlain came to Canada in 1603, though the first colony of the French was not made by him nor on the St. Lawrence but by De Mouts, first at St, Croix Island at the mouth of St. Croix River, afterwards at Port Royal, now Annapolis, the spot being selected by Poutrincourt, who served under him.

In 1608 Champlain came in the employ of an association of private persons, incorporated by the government, and began to occupy and improve the present site of Quebec.

We find therefore, that Spain had made the first permanent settlement on what was properly considered the North American Continent. The English, whose marine was even then rivalling the marines of France and Spain, had not been entirely idle. After the discoveries of Cabot an attempt was made to find the Northwest Passage by Martin Frobisher, 1576, in which he discovered on the coast of Labrador what was supposed to be gold, which occasioned another expedition 1577, and still another with the intention of planting a colony for the purpose of working the supposed gold mines. In the mean time Sir Francis Drake had explored the Western coast of the continent up to Lat. 43° North in 1579.

In 1579 Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a stepbrother of Sir Walter Raleigh, made the first, and 1583 they both sent out a second expedition with the intention of colonization. This expedition took possession-of Newfoundland for the Queen of England, and on its return Sir Humphrey Gilbert was shiipwrecked. Tiie next attempt was made, after the_exploration of the coast of Carolina and Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds in 1584 by Ralph Lane under the authority of Raleigh, to plant a colony at Roanoke Island, but in 1586 the colonists, being in danger of extermination by the Natives returned with Sir Francis Drake to England. The renewal of the attempt in the following year ended in the destruction of the colonists. During the next twenty years no serious attempt at colonization had been made, though the voyages of Gosnold 1603 and Pring 1603 and 1606 were undertaken during that period, resulting in a direct seaway to the North American coast, the discovery of Massachusetts Bay and a considerable part of the neighboring coast. Weymouth in 1605 discovered and entered the Penobscot River, Though the claims and discoveries of the three most important maritime nations overlapped, each other accidentally, it began to appear that: the Spaniards would demand the South, the French would insist upon the possession of the North, and the English would stake off their claims and posts of occupation between them. The following period of general settlement verified or justified previous expectations. Though the Spanish settlement dates as early as 1565, and the French had one in 1605, when the English had as yet none, the number and development of their settlements soon exceeded those of other nations both in extent, "and prosperity.

Our purpose cannot be to enter into particulars of the history of the English colonies, but we may remark, that from that of Jamestown, Virginia, 1607 to which that at Plymouth followed 1620, that of Boston and other places in Massachusetts soon after, until, in 1664 the settlement of the Dutch having been surrendered to them, to the settlement of Georgia by Oglethorpe in 1732, the English occupied in numerous strong settlements all the land along the Atlantic from the river St. Johns between Florida and Georgia as the southern and. the river of the same name, between Maine and New Brunswick, a distance to which that occupied at that time by either the French or the Spanish is hardly worth comparing. All the P]uglish settlements were chartered by the government and in most, if not all, of the original charters were the utmost western limits of the colonies extended to the Pacific ocean, The claim of the Spanish government was limited by the

ocean and ntilitnited'towards thehorthi. In a similar manhe'i?' the'Pftench'Cohaidei'ed that, de jure, the possession of the St. Lawrence River 'and its basin 'and dependencies extended the same distance'. The territory noW forming' the' State of Wisconsin was involved iU al'l of these conflicting claims'. Its western half belongs Undeniably to th6 valley or basin of the Mississippi, to "Which Spain lai'd claim by virtde of the discovery of that river in the authorized expedition of De Soto and the possession of the adjacfiht'coOntries of Texas atid Florida'. The'same part of countlfylies entirely between' the latitudes of 42° 30' and about 47°, or the latitude of the present states, at that time colonies, of Massachiisetty," New York,'Vermont; -New Hampshire, 'and' Maine, and 'henbfe/ withitt'thc! charter limits Of them 'or'some one 'Or the other. Finally, its eastern and northern' part -bdoriged' to the basin 'of the Grea:t Lake(s,'the unquestionable dependencies of the St: Lawrence System of draihage, to 'which the- Freneh ha'd' established their claim by di'Scovery, ^xp'loration; settlement 'and' military possession. This was the' position df affairs at the 'time of the earliest settlferiients bn thfe' Atlatttic 'doast.

We find that the first'perma;nent'ocCU^£ltioT^ 'of the Sti' Lawrence valley by the' Frfench happened One year after the English settlement at JamestoWn, Virginia.' From and after that time they secured and exterided their power, at first undter' perpetual opposition of the Indians, of which the Iroquois;' (Min'go'es or five Nations) Wei-e the most ''formidable.' The' company 6f ' Fl'ehchmen, o'f whdm Chain plaift' was the" representative and principal' agent, soon surrendered theii' charter'to the King'and a royal government was 'instituted'. ' The governors extended thte' dominion of' France gr'adually and vVe' find that ag '6arly as 1665 there was' a post at Mackinaw 'and soOn afte'T there was one' at Green Bay in this State. In the yea'r'ie'80 the discoveries of Marquette, Joliet, La Salle' and Hehhepih extended the knowledge, if nbt' thS' 'actual pOssegsions, of the-Pffen-ch tb thfe Mississippi and its^eadtetri tributaries.* La Salle' Weht doWn the riVer tb its mouth, and- although he finally return'ed'to Green Bay, Mackinaw and Quebec, he the first voyage from PranCfe'totheMissiBSippi; Though this expedition was a failure; arid- disastrous to himself, 'it- must- nevertheless becoilSldered as 'a legal acknowledgment of his actiOh in 'Claiming the Mississippi' Counti-y for the Crown of France and naming it

JLouisiana. ' The' latter was soon afteit settled b^ Bienvi'lleat Bi>loxi and afterwards at New Orleans, and other places and the claim of France to Louisiana, which at that time included the whole basin of the Mississippi, remained thereafter undisputed according to the law of nations. As far as Wisconsin was cRneerned the claim appears thus to have become a double one.' We shall find more of the above named men arid their achievements- under the head of early explorations.

The attempt of the French' government to fconnect New France, as Canada was then called, with Louisiana by' a continuous chain of fortified posts led to the French and Indian war, the old French war of revolutionary titoes.- The special events .of' this war, although otherwise very interesting, can not expect any place in this narrative. The final result of the war, however was most .important for the country now within the limits of Wisconsin. This result was nothing less than a total surrender of New France including Canada, and the country around the Lakes as well as all the eastern paft of the Mississippi Valley with the exception of a small tract near the mouth of the river, to England. At that time, that is in 1763, the French posts or settlements in Wisconsin were limited to two, at Green Bay and Prairie du Chieh, though other temporary posts had probably existed and been abandoned. The English took possession of Green Bay in 1769. Whether they took formal possession of Prairie du Chien is not of record. The war of the Revolution, which terminated with the peace of Paris on the 30th of November, 1783, secured not only the independence of the United States, but also the surrender to them by England all the claims, rights and titles the latter had to any lands, or territories in the Mississippi Valley. The United States did not, however, assume actual possession of posts established there until 1796, after the ratification of Jay's treaty. By the ordinance of 1787, w!hich may be considered the Magna Charta of this western country, the several colonies relinquished the claims, which they had to this part of the newly acquired territory in favor of the United States or the general government. This important document not only provided fundamental' laws for the land north of ordinance will turn up at the time of organizing the state of Michigan, and, as a consequence thereof the separate territory b( Wisconsin. As it was, the country north of, and bordering on the Ohio was organized into the Northwest Territory embracing the present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, besides that part of Minnesota situated on the east side of the Mississippi River, to which the limits of the territory unquestiotli ably extended.

The first governor of this vast, but very imperfectly known territory, was Gen. Arthur St. Clair, appointed 1787 and the first delegate to Copgress from the same was Gen Wm. H. Harrison (old Tippecanoe) and afterward President of the United States.

Gen. Harrison was appointed 1798 secretary and ex-ofBcio lieU'j tenant governor of the territory, in place of Winthrop Sargeant, an^ held that position until 1802, when, Ohio having-been admitted ai: a state, and the remainder of the Northwest territory having been organized as the Territory of Indiana, he was appointed the first governor of the latter. In 1805 Indiana Territory was divided and the Territory of Michigan formed, which embraced also Wis*^ consin, designated at that time as the part west of Lake Michigan. In 1809 Illinois Territory was organized in that part of the Territory of Indiana lying west of the Wabash River and Lake Michigan and from the Ohio northwards to the boundary line between the United States and Canada. Indiana and Illinois having; been admitted as states in 1817 and 1819 respectively, Wisconsin was again united with Michigan into one territory and remained; in that dependence until July 4th 1836, when it was organized as a separate territory. Its first governor was Henry Dodge. The Territory embraced at that time all the land north of the line of the state of Missouri between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, hence all of Iowa and Minnesota with some parts of Dakota as well as the part now enclosed by the limits of the state- As a summary of the political history I shall give the condension of mach.^ more than I intended to give from the History of Wisconsin Territory by Moses M. Strong page 214 and 215. '

1. From 1512 until 1627 claimed by Spain as a part of Flo-; rida, which was discovered by Ponce de Leon. This claim even allowing its validity, was never more than ideal, as far as Wisconi

4. From 1783 (second treaty of Paris) the legal ownership of the Northwest Territory must be conceded to the different states which had their colonial limits extended over it by their charters. The rights of these states were formally surrendered to the United Stat^ by the compact contained in the ordinance of 1787- As the English held possession of most, if not all the fortified places until 1796 this claim was more or less dormant.

5. From 1787 the United States were the nominal owner of the land and became the actual one at the evacuation of the posts held by the British.

The above, beginning with a condens-d history of discoveries, settlements, wars and treaties, and transfers from one hand to another is much longer than might have been thought necessary for a history of so small a spot as one county, yet it may be considered laudable curiosity to inquire into the circumstances by which finally the establishment of the county came to be a legal and well authorized act. It is true, the place, or the people inhabiting it, did not have any action and influence in all these matters, but the developments related above, various and intricate, had a controling influende over the destinies of the state of which the county is now and has been since its organization a recognized and dis- tinct^art. An essential .part of political life and history is tbe administration of laws, but laws suppose nthe existence. and pres-v^ ence pf civilized persons acknowledging, them. It is not necessary nor is it sometirnes possible, to ask .the > consent,- but; it is always important, ito demand, and compel, if need be, the submission to the laws. tiConfiningourselyes now to the. history of the precise spot,i of which, we intemd to speak, we may . dismiss, the -period of the supposed Spanish possessions. with the remark that therei were no laws, nor anypersone; to whom, and by ~whom, they could be administered. : Whatever may have been. the legal or actual period => of the possession aforementioned, there isnotiace left of any roan- - ifestatioiB of poweiiior authority having i been exercised -in this country by the Spanish with .the exception of the settlement at* St. Augustin) Long, nearly half a century, afterwards, the French j)ower -was established- permanently in Canada,, and began . to extend itself like a thread, along the waterways and we find inil634 the fi.Bst civilized anan penetrating into a locality which now is in.- cluded with'inwur state; During the 26 years which elapsed be- . tween .the ipierroanent (settlement by Cham.plain at Quebec .and the visit of Jean Nicolet to Green Bay an intermediate post had been established at. MackinaWi thougih . not on any other point in the chain of lakes and rivers of which the St. Lawrence forms estuary.- .

The French as well as the Hurons and other Indians < went from Quebec by way of the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing and Lake Huron and thence to Sault St. Marie and Mackinaw. During all these times of French supremacy but little if any, law was . observed by the traders in transactions with the Indians, but in their dealings among themselves and with their dependents they were generally considered as amenable to the "Coutume de Paris/' that is, the common law of Paris or of France.

By the Quebec Act of 1774 the criminal law of England was introduced into the newly acquired possessions, in civil matters, however, the law of Canada was to prevail. The constitution and the laws of. the United States may be considered to have been in force from and after the organization : of the Northwest Territory, . and such special laws as may. have been enacted from time to time by the legislatures of the territories, to which Wisconsin belonged in succession as related above. .

to the time when Wisconsin, under that name and title, was established as the " Territory of Wisconsin " we must bring in a synopsis of the history of that territory, containing the names of the two representative officers of it, that is of the governors and secretaries, and the time during which each of them held his position. Governors and secretaries of territories are appointed by the President of the United States, and the secretary was the acting governor in the absence of the governor, or his disability to perform the duties of his office. He was not in the sense of the state constitution lieutenant governor, since he was not ex-officio president of the Council. The latter was elected by districts according to an apportionment of the territory by the governor.

The number of its members was regulated by the number of members of the Assembly. This also was an elective body of about twice the n«mber of members of the council, similar to the proportion which has been adopted into the constitution of the state. The legislative sessions of the territorial times Were sometimes rather stormy on account of disagreements with governors and secretaries acting as such. They were, also, occasionly agitated or excited on account of disagreements with Congress, who had the supreme jurisdiction in all matters, and not only annulled laws passed by the territorial legislature, but also sometimes neglected to provide for the necessary expenditures to carry on the territorial government. Nevertheless it seems to have been a prejudice of the population of the territory, that it was better to be dependent upon the general government, than to depend upon themselves. The growth of the population was not so very rapid as in territories organized at some later times, and its spread was, even after the adoption of the state constitution, very slow in the western parts lying north of the Wisconsin river, or its lower course.

The first of these governors was a Missourian by birth, and had distinguished himself by his services both at the time of the Winnebago outbreak, and in the Black Hawk war. He was the representative mappf the Mining Region, which, at the time of his appointment, was probably the most populous part of the territory. Governor Doty was also an officer in the Black Hawk war, but having been severely wounded by an accidental shot fired by one of the volunteers, he had to return home before any decisive battle had been fought. Before his appointment as governor he had been twice, 1838 and 1840, elected as the delegate of the territory to Congress.

Governor Tallmadge was less than one year in office, and was succeeded by Henry Dodge, who had been delegate to Congress sirice the appointment of Gov. Doty.

All of our territorial governors were Democrats, the democratic party being then in the ascendancy. Gov. Doty, appointed by President Tyler was the only governor, who had aa}' serious trouble with the legislature. , Secretaries of Wisconsin Territory:

Of the above named gentlemen John S. Horner, a Virginian, was before the organization of the territory of Wisconsin acting governor of Michigan territory, of which Wisconsin then was a part. There was some disagreement between him and the legislature on account of his proclamation for convoking the latter. The result of this was a resolution to request the President to revoke Horner's commission, which, however, did not produce the desire^ removal.

The following table shows the sessions of the Territorial Assembly from year to year until the State Organization went into effect. The Council represents the Senate, the Representatives or House as it is commonly ©ailed answering to the Assembly of the state constitution,

Session

It cannot be expected that in this book an extended history of territorial legislation should be given, but so much of it as relates to the part of the state in which our county is situated may be very interesting and acceptable.

As a preliminary we must remark that all the western part of the territory north of the Wisconsin River was still the county of Crawford, reaching up to Lake Superior, west to the Mississippi and east to the Wisconsin in its general southern course. The county as then constituted was in itself large enough for a respectable state, but the bulk of the population was near Prairie du Chien. These limits had been established by the government of Michigan Territory.

The first division took place in 1840 when the northern part of Crawford county was organized as the county of St. Croix. The division line was north of the Chippewa River and the present county of Pierce was the southern part of the new county, while all south of it was still Crawford county. Crawford county had been an assembly district with two members in the assembly, but

The legislature of 1845 set off the upper part of Crawford county, and organized Chippewa county with the Buffalo or Beef River as the boundary line between them. In the same session the northern part of St. Crcix countj' was set off under the name of La Pointe County. The four counties into which the original county of Crawford had been divided still formed one assembly district, now (1846) entitled to one member of the Council and one of the Assembly. This apportionment prevailed:

Members Op Council

The above list together with preceding remarks will give a clear idea of the representation of the northwestern portion of the territory. The loss of a member of representatives depended on the much larger increase of the population in the eastern and southern parts during the time between the first and some later apportionment. The denial of a member of council in the first legislative assembly created quite a hubbub at Prairie du Chien, an indignation meeting was held, and Thomas P. Burnett chosen as a member of the council. ' But his petition to the legislature fpr a seat in that body, could not be granted, since the governor had only exercised his right and performed his duty in the apportionment

Among the representatives from this district was one remarkable man, whose career seems to deserve particular notice. This man was Joseph R. Brown. He ca,me to the notice of the people and the territorial.legislature of Wisconsin in the year 1840 when he and his wife applied for a divorce, as mentioned in Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory in the following words:

"A very anomalous divorce act was passed at this session, which recited that Joseph R. Brown and Margaret Brown a halfbreed Chippewa woman, were legally married and were mutually desirous of dissolving the marriage contract in consequence of the danger they both incur of the destruction of their lives and property by continuing to live together, at the place where they now reside, on account of the hostile incursions of the 8ioux Indians."

That it should be lawful for them by a written article of separation, under their hands and seals, to dissolve the marriage contaact existing between them, provided that the articles of separation contain a provision for her of one-third of all his property. Whether the separation actually took place, I do not know, but as Mr. Brown still continued to reside in the same place, it may be presumed that it did. The following is a short summation of the biographical sketches that appeared in St. Paul newspapers at the time of his rather unexpected demise:

"Joseph Renshaw Brown was born on the 5th of January 1806, in Hartford county, Maryland, where his father was a local preacher of the Meth. Episcopal church. His mother died in his infancy, and his father removed to Pennsylvania, where Joseph was brought up on a farm. In his 14th year he was appenticed to a printer, from whose harsh and unjust treatment he ran away, enlisting in the U. S. service as a drummer boy. With his company he came 1819 to Fort Snelling, Minn., where he served out his capitulation and was probably in 1825, discharged. He now set up for an Indian trader, acquired a perfect knowledge of the Dakpta, tongue, and established himself at Gray Cloud, about 12 miles below St. Paul,, where he was commissioned as, a Justice of the Peace by Gov. Dodge of Wisconsin, to which territory , all on the east-side of the Mississippi now included, in Minnesota did at that time belong. He was granted the aboye divorce in 1840. At that time he must have been located at Stillwater, as most of his claim there is now included in the city, and as he agreed to provide the necessary buildings for the newly created county of St. Croix. In 1841 and '42 he was a member of the house of Representatives of Wisconsin Territory, whose sessions he attended faithfully. When at the admission of Wisconsin as a state the St. Croix River had been established as the western boundary of that new state, Mr. Brown with others, endeavored to induce Congress to grant territorial organization to Minnesota, for which purpose the so-called Stillwater Convention in August .1848 was held. He remained a citizen of Minnesota until the time of his death, was Secretary of the territorial council in 1849 and 185 1 , clerk of the house 1853, territorial printer in 1853 to '54, member of the constitutional convention of 1857, where he led the democratic party, and was appointed one of the commissioners to canvass the vote taken on the adoption of the constitution and the election of the first state officers under the same. He had much influence in the matter of legislation both during territorial and subsequent times, and dictated the policy of his party of whose conventions he always was a prominent member. He also was a Journalist and proprietor of the St. Paul Pioneer from 1852 to 1854, and of the Henderson Democrat, established by himself, from 1857 to 1860 or 61. About that time he must have been government agent to the Lower Bands of the Sioux, from which position he was reinoved in 1862 for party consideration. We find nothing on record of him during the outbreak of 1862, during which time he must have been at his establishment on Big Stone Lake, the last one he ever set up. The Indians being removed his trading with them was at an end. Like most men of his class he made and lost more than one fortune, but bore his losses with great equanimity, being always good humored, cheerful and social. His last venture, or as we might term it, his pet hobby, was the building of a steam traction engine, a wagon, that could be propelled by steam alone over the hard roads of the prairies. This wagon was in the course of construction in New York when he was called away from the dreams and speculations of this world, with which inventors of every class are so largely endowed, and to which they but too often sacrifice everything they possess. Mr. Brown had also expended large sums in experiments and in the construction of his steam wagon, which goes far to account for his leaving but a small estate when he died. As drummer boy, soldier, Indian trader, lumberman, pioneer, speculator, founder of cities, legislator, politician, editor, inventor, his career has been a very remarkable and characteristic one, not so much for what he achieved, as for the extraordinary versatility and capacity which he displayed in every new situation. So say those who knew him well. He died in New York on the 6th day of November 1870. He may be considered as the pioneer of the two neighboring states and might have remained in Wisconsin if Wisconsin would have received all the territory to which it was entitjed. I related so much of his history because his character struck me as that of a model pioneer, just restless enough to be ready at any moment for a new enterprise, always hoping for success, but undismayed by reverses.

Constitutional Conventions

First Convention. The first Constitutional Convention assembled at Madison on the 5th day of October, 1846, and adjourned on the 15th day of December, 1846, having framed a Constitution, which was submitted to a vote of the people on the first Tuesday in April, 1847, and the same was rejected.

Second Convention. This Convention assembled at Madison on the 15th day of December, 1847, and adjourned on the 1st day of February, 1848, having framed a Constitution which was submitted to a vote of the people on the second Monday in March following, and the same was adopted.

President - Morgan L. Martin of Brown. Secretary - Thomas McHugh. The firsit of these conventions consisted of 124 delegates, most of the counties then organized having at least one representative. This number was entirely too large for the purpose, and led to never ending debates on every trifle. Chippewa County, bounded on the south by Beef River, was represented along with Crawford County by Peter A. R. Brace. But why it should not have been entitled to a separate representative as well as La Crosse County I can not understand.

The second session did not labor under the same disadvantage. Perhaps that accounts to a certain extent for the fnct that the first constitution was rejected, while the second was adopted. In the second convention Chippewa and Crawford counties were repre- ,Sented by Daniel G-. Fenton.

State Organization

First Session - The first session of the State Legislature was held at the Capital at Madison, on Monday, the 5th day of June, A. D. 1848, pursuant to the constitution, which had been adopted by a large majority of the people. The apportionment of Senators and Representatives was under constitutional provisions, until otherwise declared by law. It convened June 5, 1848, and ' adjourned August 21, 1848, seventy-eight days. There were eighty -five members- Second Session - Convened on the 10th of January, 1849, and adjourned April 2, 1849, eighty-three days, eighty-five members.

Sixth Session - This Legislature convened on the 12th of January, 1853, and adjourned on the 4th day of April, 1853, until thfe 6th day of June, following, for the purpose that the Senate might sit as a Court of Impeachment, and the Assejnbly be present to prosecute the trial of Levi Hubbell, Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit, against whom Articles of Impeachment had bSen exhibited, charging him with acts of corrupt conduct and malfeasance in office. For this purpose the Legislature again convened on the 6th day of June, and adjourned finally on the 13th of July, 1853. The legislative session amounted to one hundred and twenty-one days, with one hundred and seven members.

Ninth Session^ - Convened. J anviary d, 1856, and took a recess from March 31 , 1856, to September 3, 1856, and adjourned October 14, 1856, one hundred and twerlty-five days, one hundred and seven members.

Fourteenth Session - Convened January 9 and adjourned April 17, 1861. Reconvened May 15^ and adjourned May 27, 1861, a total of one hundred and twelve days, one hundred and twentyseven members.

fifteenth Sesdon - Convened January 8, 1862, and adjourned April 7, 1862. Reconvened June 3, 1862, and adjourned June 17, 1862. Met in extra session Septei.aber 10, 1862 and adjourned September 26, 1862, a total of one hundred and twenty-two days, one hundred and thirty-three members.

Twenty-fourth Session - Convened January 11, 1871, aiid adjourned March 25, 1871, seventy-four days, one hundred and thirtythree members. - .

Thirty-first Session - Convened January 9, 1878, and adjourned March 21, 1878. Met in extra session June 4, 1878, for the purpose of completing the revision of statutes, and adjourned June 7, 1878. Officers same as at regular session. Seventy-six days, one hundred and thirty-three members.

Redistricting for members of either house i? done after the census taken every ten years by the United States, and every five years after that by the State of Wisconsin. As the sessions of the legislature are now biennial and fall upon the odd numbered years, redistricting will be performed in the first and the seventh year of every decade.

Senate

1864 32d District Carl C. Pope of Black River Falls. Carl C. Pope of do. J. G; Thorp of Eau Claire. J. G. Thorp of do. A. W. Newman of Trempealeau. A. W. Newman of do. Wm. T. Price of Black River Falls. Wm. T. Price of do. Orlando Brown of Modena. Orlando Brown of do. R. C. Field of OsSeo. R. C. Field of do. Mark Douglas of' Mfelrose. Mark Douglas of do. Wm. T. Price of Black River Falls.

N. D. Comstock of Arcadia. N. D. Comstock of do. John W. DeGroff of Alma. Senators wore formerly elected for two years, but are now elected for four years or two sessions.

The assembly district consists again of the whole ^ounty of Buffalo since 1882 ; the towns of , Maxville, Canton and Mondovi (now Naples and Mondovi) belonged for some years' to the Pepinl County Assembly district. According to the apportionmenf or redistrietion perfornied by the labt legislature Buffalo County remains a separate assembly district and forms the' 29th senatorial district in conjunction with Pepin and Trempealeau, according to the .'

"The county of Buffalo shall constitute an assembly district." Which settles the present position of our county as to elections for the state legislature. must be struck by the continual changes of the district. Much of Ihis is however only apparent, depending upon the organization of new counties from territory formerly included in the large old counties.

To the State Organization belong not only. Senate and Assembly but also, the whole state government. Considering that our county, like every other one, is an organic part of the state, I thought proper to introduce a list of all such. state offices as are now recognized, and in fact were created, by the constitution, giving names . of incumbents and their time . of service. Offices created by subsequent legislation, and. by the same abolished, were

This concludes the roll of State officers. Though the others follow after these two, .the force of what has been said above will by this accident not be diminished.

State Superintendents

Among the powers necessary in every well regulated state, and hence provided for in the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, is the Judiciar}', co-ordinate to the Legislature and the Execujtive. It consists, as far as the state is concerned, in the Supreme

Court and the different Circuit Courts, the number of the latter being changed according to'the respective increase in the population of the different districts.

Judge Orton has been reelected last spring. (1887.) The Supreme Court was organized as a separate court in 1853, until which time the Judges of the Circuit Courts were ex-officio Justices; of the Supreme Court.

Our Circuit at present is the " Eighth " consisting of the counties of Buffalo, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce and St. Croix. The State Institutions of Wisconsin are the following:

Educational Institutions Charitable, Reformatory And Penal Institutions

State Hospital for the Insane at Mendota. Northern Hospital for the Insane at Winnebago. State Public School at Sparta. School for the Deaf at Delavan. School for the Blind at Janesville. Industrial School for Boys at Waukesha. State Prison at Waupun. After enumerating these state institutionSj we come to the representation of the state itself, and our district in particular, in the National Legislature commonly called Congress. The state as such is represented in the Senate, each district in the House of Representatives.

Names. When Elected

ford, 'then to Crawford and Chippewa, then to La Crosse and Chippewa, but it belonged during that time alwaj'S to the second Congressional District,

Beyond this enumeration of our Senators and Representatives much else does not seem to belong to a local history except the division of our state into United States District Courts. There are two such courts in the state, one for the Eastern and one for the Western District. Buffalo County belonging to the latter, I will give its present organization :

Deputy Marshal - T. Scott Ansley, Mineral Point. Terms of Court: At Madison - First Monday in June. At La Crosse - Third Tuesday in September. Special Term : At Madison - First Tuesday in December.

I think it would be rather tedious to enumerate the Presidents of the United States in order of succession, especially as the average schoolma'm has had the habit, for the last fifty years, to make the urchins repeat the table ad infinitum, considering this " teaching elementary history." But we may, nevertheless, give a synopsis of the present government.

The Cabinet

Secretary of War - Wm. C Endicott, of Massachusetts. " " Navy - Wm. C. Whitney of New York. " " Interior - Lucius Q. C. Lamar of Mississippi.

Having now recited all of the important political events, arrangements and organizations with which our county was or is now connected as a part of the country at large, of Wisconsin Territory and of the State of Wisconsin, it will be proper to say something of the history of politics. I have in the foregoing refrained from mentioning anything; relating to the internal administration, government and judiciary organization of the county, considering, that such matters are more properly related under the head of " Organization," under which they will be fully discussed.

The county of Buffalo was ushered into political existence at a time when party ties were extremely loosej and a complete revolution was effected, in which one old party; the Whigs, was left without a name, the other, the Democrats, very much diminished in numbers and influence, especially in the northern states, and a new party, the Republican; was formed, and marshalled its forces for the first time in the presidential contest of 1856, in which Wisconsin gave Fremont, Republican, 66,090 votes against 62,843 for Buchanan, thus, for the first time in its history declaring its opposition to the party which had become notorious for favoring the extension of the institution of slavery over all the- remaining territories of the United States, making it legal in all thfe future states.

In the memorable struggle of 1860, which was foUoweid by the War of the Rebellion, the stand of Wisconsin was still more decided as it cast 86,1 10 votes for Lincoln against 65,021 for Douglas.' The split in the Democratic party did not manifest itself greatly in this state, Breckinridge receiving only 888' votes, while that last shadow of the Whig-Knownbthing-Union pretense, John Bell, received only 161. The vote, then, was a vigbrous protest against Proslavery preponderance, as well as that vacillating policy, which at any moment might take a summersault in the same direction. We must injustice to the Democratic party, as it manifested itself in this state, assert, that the great majority of them were subsequently war-democrats, and setting aside minor distinctions between themselves and the Republicans, supported the government as counsellors and as soldiers. Of this we will have occasion to speak afterwards. The election of 1864 giving Lincoln 83,458 against McClellan 65,884 showed some reaction in favor of democracy, based, no doubt, on the mistaken notion, that " the war was a failure." Nevertheless Wisconsin was Hot willing to "swap horses in the middle of the stream." The strength of the Republican party was displayed in 1868 in the first election of Gen. Grant to the presidency, he receiving 108,587 votes, against 84,710 for Horatio Seymour. Nor was his majority very much diminished in the second election, in spite of the opposition of the Literal Republicans who voted for Greeley. The vote stood 104,992 for Grant against 86,477 for Greeley. Th6 increased democratic vote, however, otrght to go to the credit of the Democrats inasmuch as it shows; that they were liberal enough to support a man, who had fought the party in former times with all his force and power. - The contest between JIayes and Tilden was very much closer, and stood Hayes 130,068, Tilden 123,927. The scales weye, however, turned the other way in 1880, when Garfield received 144,^97, against Hancock; 114,634. At the same election. Weaver, the Greenback candidate, received 7980 votes. The last election showed a considerable falling off in the Republican majority, Blaine receiving 161,157, and Cleveland 146,477 votes, besides St! John, Prohibition candidate, 7>656, and Butler, People's Candidate 4,598. Of thC' votes cast outside of the regular parties we .may asorib'fe the votes of Butler to a general dissatisfactian with the Republican nomination, to which, also, a considerable portion of the increase of the Pemofiratic, vote may be ascribed, Party: feelings ran high in this county, as . elsewhere, in some of the presidential elections, but we can not remember that they ever led to any .serious excesses. i ;

From this most important, and also most exciting phase of our elections we turn to the gubernatorial contests, which sometimes, also, waxed rather hot. The list of Governors of this state shows a succession of Republicans, only once interrupted by the election of William,,R. Taylor in 1873, from the election of Coles Bashford in 1855 to the present incumbent Gen. Rusk.

The Gongressiopal District in which our county is situated, has been represented by a Republican at least since the 3lst Congress, and will be so in the 50th- Most of the State Senators from this district we];e Republicans, with the exception of the first few, who were probably Democrats. The Members of the Assembly during the time, when Buffalo County formed an Assembly District in conjunction with other counties were also Republicans, but since Buffalo County became in 1867, either as a whole, or in part, an Assembly District for itself there were quite a huinber of the members Democrats. This shows that party li he's iri local contests were riot always rigidly observed, and that personal preferences very frequently overruled fhcm entirely. The policy of making nbminatidns for offices hfeld in the county or for the coianty, dependent on party fidelity, or, as it is often the case, on obedience or submission to the dictates of party leaders, has been tried, and some times successfully, in this county as well as in almost every otheB pJs-pe in Ibe Union^ ]^ut it can. not be relied on at present.

Of course, during war times political feelings were hot, ^and the battles fought down south found their microscopic counterparts in every corner of the land. The missile weapons were words, and some bitter denunciations from either side were bombshells ; the itinerant stump-speaker was on a raid, local committees were on skirmish lines, and it was impossible to prevent the irregular ; forces from discharging their pop-guns. But the people of this county were unquestionably patriotic, and in an overwhelming majority RepublicanSi during that time, so that there was little chance for any serious encounters. Before the war some skirmishing was done on account of county -matters, the hifetory of which will be given under the head of County Organization, as it would be a euphonistic exaggeration to call it politics, when the horizon of our perception of right and justice is limited by the view we take from our own threshold. This also applies to the little irritations caused by the contact of different nationalities, which, like every other contact, can not always be accomplished without more or less friction. These frictions were sometimes felt in the earlier years of our intercourse with each other, but have disappeared very largely, especially since the children of different nationa,lities have for years attended the same schools. We may now be inclined to look upon the manifestations of patriotism, of the party stripe, or of a local description, or of the nature of national prejudice, as upon something foolish or unjustifiable, yet it must be admitted that it was never considered as a reproach, and if sincere has its origin in generosity towards those, with whom nearer ties, accidental though they may be, have connected us from the time when impulses were stronger than reason, and we sometimes still use the reasoning faculty more for a weapon, than for a moderator. If, however, I admit, that prejudices of that kind haye largely disappeared among our fellow-citizens, I am nevertheless aware of the fact, that they are occasionally stirred up by unprincipled politicians for their own selfish objects. Political education, though it has made great progress amongst us, is certainly not yet perfect, nor will it ever be.

It would have been easy enough to bring up entertaining reminiscences of ebullitions belonging into this category, and allusions, especially to some local animosities can not be entirely sup-

Perhaps it would be well to apply this proverb to ai review of the present status and future prospeets ofthe existii^ political parties. These parties are : Republicans, Democrats, P-rohibitionists, Socialists, who divide into Labor UnioDMen^ Land'Reformers and Anarchists. The Republicans and Denkoorats are well organized, have their acknowledged leaders, and also th«ir reliable followers. They are, howevfcr, languighingffor wantpf4ive issues. The Democrats accuse the RepiiibUoaffla^.tbe.lea&t allusion to the " late onpleasantness " and- its. still, exisiting ooosequence, of swinging the "bloody shirt." The Eepiildi^ns retaliate by allusions to the '^Rebel Yell." For the balance, -both paities w^aot to be in office, which is not very likely to happen, 'iaiid 'Will .aot last very longy if it should come to pass. . So far <the,gr»ft< body Of voters in this county has been toarebaled 4n these two ©ai»^ by the force of habit rather than by. any de<jid^ -pasttaaawbifUftitbw way. There is among > our fellow citizens no :great ambition to fight over fossil issues. Tariff: refpiip :Bei@{iiked to .bie<3opie -a l^^ading topic, coming out in the shape of.a,freei-,trade,plank of-a iP<^- OGi^tic platform, but the party was afraid to stand upomthat plank, just as the Republicans were aftaid of announcing themselves decided protectionists. Whi^e thus thera issome ^pftthy ; in the old ranks, a new party has devieljoped.a c(Hi8ider^blesti;«Bgtb. It must be confessfid that its avowed priadplear are old, enough to be good, if age would work on them asitisaaid to work on wiiae. This party is the Prohibitionists. The^um totfilof-theit plfltfwm and principles is: " Thou sh alt not eat' of the .forbjd4^'i fewit-" I think there is something lik« that' in the fiirst;few cbapl^is of the book of " Genesis." TJiere is ailsD the punishment. for disobf^^ijg, and the result of the first prohibition. Pra^tJeayjy, hosnever, ^i^d the Prohibitionists are in their waymot .entirsely iu^Bftctififtl, 'their principle is: "Thou shalt not do what I can .ps^vent." They ought to call thenaselves Preventionists. We are aiQqi*a,inted'with their arguments, which are about the same- that we -had to Ifeten to in the nursery. It is not good for you to do this,.and you .will get sick, if you eat that, and I must keep scissors and knives out of your reach, because you will hurt youi8elf,,sure. vWe have a right to do so, because we are your guar^j^ep and refipopsibl© for your welfare,' both temporal and . eternal. . Therefore- we want to prohibit the manufacture, use and sale of liquors of all kinds, and , in. order to make sure of. the 'effectiveness of the law, we want to keep a spy upon your tracks, we want to have a right and warrant to entet your premises, your private dwellings, to put our noses intdthe'mosf secret recesses of your cellars, and to conyict you of a crime,=the awfuLcrime of' having done as you chose. This party is rabt' yet very strong in our county. There are people who practice temperaiicej or total abstinence, as it is sometimes called, and some of them would be inclined toward - prohibition, :but many of them say, - that every person ought to bn able to. govern his own

-appetite; and none else liable to' prosecution but those who' do actual wrong. .Stragglers froth either of the old parties coquet with the Prohibitionists- in' order to get their political support.

'This makes the: party vain, and one day it maycome out and challenge the old parties,' and its imaginary balance of power will become invisible evetJ^tothe eyes of faith.

This next party to be looked at would bfe the Socialists. The teriii has become somethingof a reproach, on oneside because of the unwarranted atJtiohs 'of 'Some persons who profess to belong;to -the party or pdlitlcal Beet, oil the dthet side becausfe of a misapprehension of the nime. Theoretically a Socialist is no more than a person'who wishes to impr6Ve the socinl condition of mankind in general, a'tid of those classes of it in particular, who feel the necessity-of sucK'irriprovement more keenly than some other classes, and' whb-'maintiains the right of every one to -Work his o.wn salvation in this "particular point, either by his 'own private exertion, or' by combining with others for the saine purpose. Solneiof the most 'effective m'eaiis for this"- purpose; thoiigh not under that name, Irave already been admittedanto practice, arid, indeed, every

'public improvement is socialistic, in the true nieaning of the word, as far as everybody is compelled, in one way or another, to contribute his share, sometitnies much against his will and consent. A's I do not, however, mean to write an exposition or a panegyric of this-' idea, or of the party which pretends to represent the modern phase of it, I will turn to the divisions under which the said party appears in politics atad in social life. The most important division is the one;'Wt!(i<ih manifests itself in the combinations of they consider their particular rights. This idea is the basis of such organizations as the Knights of Labor, Labor Unions in: general, Trades Unions and associations of a similar name and nature. ; The fact that capital combines for its own advantage, and some- ' times disadvantage of everybody else, is so potent that it is not surprising that labor, finding itself in danger, real or imaginary, should do the same. Whether capital and labor represents two distinctly opposite interests is another question. So is who is a laborer? But, all having, at least theoretically, the same rights, we can not deny that laborers may associate, and work for what they consider their own or particular interests. I am not aware of any lodges or other combinations of the kind existing at present in this county. We come now to the Land Reformers. In our days and generation the phenomenon of concentration of land in a few hands, be it for use, be it for speculation, or for some other purpose, is conspicuous. That in a country where large estates are in the hands of some few, there is a possibility, even probability, of many having no land at all, nor, eventually the means of procuring any, no one will deny. To prevent this is the object of Land Reform. We have nothing to do with the means by which this reform is to be brought about, for there we may be of many opinions. Of this particular branch of Socialists there are no' recognizable organizations among us, though there may be some individual enthusiasts of this species. Anarchists would find but a cold reception among us. Not that everybody is contented, nor that there are none, who claim that law and government are good for nothing, if not worse. But all of them, in second sober thought, would or do practically admit, that it might be worse, if everybody would attempt to do what nobody wanted him to. The Anarchists, who charge all the ills of life to laws and governments, are the counterpart of other fools, who expect that laws and governments should, or could make everything perfect according to everybody's notion,

I almost forgot, that we have among us some Greenbackers, some advocates of fiat-money, and of unlimited silver-coinage. They are, however, scarce, and not one of the latter would refuse one hundred cents on the dollar, if they could get them, instead of eighty or eighty-five which they do get.

sp«calat*. Tt would be atout as wise as prophesying the weather for any day. next year, and about as useless, and besides, there are people eitotlgh, who consider, themselves better qualified for that business than I do consider. myself.

Organization

The political otganization of this county has a history in which a humcirous feature should not be suppressed'. In the first half of the year 1853 there resided at MonteviUe, now the village of Trempealeau, the three brothers, Wesley, Marvin and James Pierce, without any premonition, that soon they would be called upon to play quite a role, each in his peculiar vocation or capacity, in a new county, of which one of them, in a political sense, was destined to become iather. Passing through MonteviUe, John Buehler, on his way to his former home in Grant County happened to make their acquaintance, expressing the desire of the people of Holmes' Landing and neighborhood, , to receive the blessing of civilization by being set oflf as an independent body politic called a county. His idea was that his new home belonged still to La Crosse County, which, indpeed, at that time, as far as he and his neighbors knew, was bounded at the north by Buffalo or Beef River. But by an a.ct of the legislature approved February 11, 1853, all that portion of county, north of the township line between Townships 18 and 19 extending from Adams County to the state line in the Mississippi River, was set off into a separate county, to be called and known as the county of Jackson. At all events his sug^esition was worked upon, and Marvin Pierce went up to Holmes' Landing, and there was furnished with pecuniary means for carrying out the scheme. The legislature had been called to an extra session and we find in the session laws of 1853, page 98, the following:

Chapter 100. Session Laws Of 1853

'' An Act, To divide the county of Jackson and create the counties of Buffalo and Clarice. The people of the State of Wisconsin represented in Senate and Assembly do enact as follows: seven and eight, (7 and 8) west of the fourth princi pal meridian, be and the same hereby is organized into a separate county, to be called and known by the name of "Buffalo;" and all that portion of the said county of Jackson lying north of the township line between township twenty-two and twenty-three (22 and 23) and east of the range line, between ranges three and four (3 and 4) west of the said fourth principal meridian, be and the same hereby .is organized into a separate county, to be called and known by the name of " Clarke."

Sec. 2. On the first Monday in September next the ielectors of the said counties of *' Buffalo" and " Clarke," shall each elect a county judge, and the said counties from and after the first day of January, 1854, shall be organized for judicial purposes.

'"""ofB°e'r.'^°°°'' falo and Clarke, shall at the general election in November next, elect all county officers necessary for a complete coUnty orgahization in each county, and it shall be the duty of the county treasurers and clerks of the board of supervisors thus elected in each of said counties, at least four weeks previous to the spring election in 1854, to divide their respective counties up into as many towns as they shall deem expedient for the convenience of the inhabitants; and until the said division be made, the county of Boflalo shall remain as one town, and the county of Clarke shall also remain as one town.

Election, hsid. thc elcctions provided for in this act shall be opened in Buffalo county at Holmes' Landing, and in Clarke county at O'Neil's Mill; and the returns of said election shall be left with the inspectors of said elections, and the said inspectors shall within ten days from the holding of any election, issue certificates of election to the persons elected to the respective ofiices.

Sec. 7. The circuit court, shall be held in the coopu. gg^j^ counties of BufEalo and Clarke, at such times as shall be appointed by the circuit judge. ' Apiproved, July 6, 1853.

- As will be seen the county of Buffalo extended across Trempealeau River two ranges, or twelve miles east of its present limits in that direction, and included not only the village of. Mbnteville, but a;lso the situation of Gal^ville. After the publication of the law there was dissatisfaction in different quarters. The ' people of Holmes' Landing were scandalized by the fact, that the countyseat of Buffalo County was located upon the Sand Prairie, insteasl of in their village. Judge George Gale, the founder of Galesville, who possibly had an eye on a countyseat himself, but was by the -act euchered out of that chance, did what was to 'be done in the matter. Buffalo Cfeunty being, according to the description in the act'Betting it off, too small to be divided, that is less than 900 square miles, we find in the session laws of 1854 the following: '

Section 1. All that part of 'the county of Chippewa situated south of the township line between townships twenty-'four and twenty-five north, and between the main channel of Chippewa River and the range line between ranges nine and ten west, is hereby set off from the said county of Chippewa and attached to the county of Buffalo, and shall hereafter constitute a part of the said county of Buffalo.

Section 1. All thatportion of country embraced in the following boundaries, is hereby set off into a separate county, to be called and known as the countyiof Trempe-aJ.Veau, to wit: Beginning at the point -on the Mississippi River, where the line between townships 17 and 18 north strikes said river;, thence: running east on said line to the main channel of Black River; thence up the main channql of Black River to the, line between townships 18 and 19 north; thence east on said line to- the range line between ranges 6 and'7 west; thence north on isaid range line to the line between townships 24 and 25 north; thence west, on said line and to the line between ranges 9 and 10 west; thence' south on said range line toTrempe-a-lVeau River;, thence down the main channel of Trempe-a-l'-eau River to the Mississippi' River; thence down the main channel of the Mississippi River i to the place of beginning.

This still left all of township 18 ranges 10 and 11 lying west of Trempealeau River a part of La Crosse County, an oversight which was remedied in Section 1 of Chapter 35 Session Laws of 1854 entitled:

"Section 1. All that portion of the county of La Crosse situated and lying west of the main channel of the Trempealeau River is hereby set off and attached to, and hereafter shall constitute and be a part of the county of Buffalo."

This was the very land always supposed by the settlers of that time to have belonged to Buffalo County by the first act of organization. They knew the situation, but the legislature and their lobb.-ist,, Mr Pierce, were ignorant of it, the latter probably

This fixed the boundary lines between the two counties as they have ever since remained. The seat of justice or the countyseat, as it is generally called, for Trempealeau County was fixed in the Northwestern quarter of section 33, township 19 north, range 8 west, not, indeed the site of the present village of Galesville, but opposite to it on Beaver River or creek, where the millnow stands. The two organizers of the two counties resemble each other in trying to get personal advantage out of the' legislative acts, by having the county seats located where they'respfectively owned real estate. But though the county seat does not hbw' ifemain at the place, where Judge Gale had located it, it must still be confessed that the location, especially at thM date atid for a number of years after it, was a central and acceptable ' jylaCe fdr the population of Trempealeau County, while that 'selected by Marvin Pierce was neither central, nor otherwise fit for 'the purpose and his action must be set down as a barefaced speitulation. That ultimately he did not realize anything from this audacious scheme can not be set down to his credit, as he certainly hM the good will to make it pay, nor was his disappointment a^dtlsf&ctory expiation for the unnecessary or useless expenses ihcurred, arid the bad feelings aroused among the pfe'bple of the neighborhood. The Pierces, or any of them, never resided upon the place Selected for the county seat, but gaining control of almost the whole of what is, with more truth than imagination called the Sand Prairie, they laid out the town of Upper Fountain City, which, hoVPever, was never settled and long sinbe vacated. If in after times' the corner of Sandy Hook afforded any livelihood to different parties in succession, it was, because travel from arid to ' Waiimaudee, Belvidere and Alma took that direction across the mill-dam of which we will have occasion to speak afterwards. The proceedi'ngB of the county board of supervisors will afford instances enough for that purpose. Part of the organization, as will be seen by reference to the act creating the county, was an electicto to beheld at Holmes' Landing ^hich was appoirited and held at that place, on Sept. 1, 1853, of a county judge, and, afthe general election in November of the same year, of the necessary county officers. It was also by the organig &ct ma.de the duty of the county treasurer arid the clerk of the county board of supervisors to divide the county into townships suitable to the convenience of the inhabitants for the purpose of establishing town governments, in default of any action on the part of said oflScers the county to remain one township. The township was by common consent rather than any explicit proceedings called by the same name as the county i. e. Buffalo. By an appeal to that veteran of politicians John Buehler, Sen., I was enabled to procure a list of those who voted at the first election, required by the act creating the county. They are:

Among the strange occurrences at this election may well be put down, that Charles Bipes, or Pipes, was elected clerk of the county board of supervisors without having himself voted, he at that time living in what is yet called Piper's or Pipes' valley. The small number of votes does not indicate that there were not any more inhabitants in the county as then organized or set off, but it indicates, that for want of roads and bridges, and other facilities of travel, those not in the immediate neighborhood of Holmes' Landing did not participate in the election, So for instance, it would have required about 24 miles of travel by skiff, for those living at Twelve Mile Bluff (now Alma) and return by the same route, to appear at that election. No wonder they did not come to it.

After the elections required by the act of organization had been duly held, the oflBcera qualified in due form of law, and every thing was ready for the beginning, the county entered upon political and administrative life on the first Monday, being the second day of January 1854. Political life is related under the head of " Political History." Under the head of " Organization " I propose to relate all the events that are connected with the administration of the county as such, the meetings of the County Board of Supervisors and such of their proceedings as were not mere routine work, and also the result of such elections held in the county as related to the County Judges, and those officers which were from the beginning, and are at present required by law for the administion or execution of such affairs, as may come under the jurisdiction of each of these officers.

The County Board of Supervisors in this as in any other county of Wisconsin consists of the Chairmen of Supervisors of the different towns, and a stated number of delegates from the incorporated cities and villages, and the Clerk of the County Board usually denominated the County Clerk, who, however has no vote, though he, or his deputy, is an integral part of the board. This was the original plan, but was changed by Chapter 129 Session Laws 1861, so that from Jan. 1862 there were three commissioners, especially elected for the purposes and functions of the county board and called by that name. The commissioners were elected by districts, and supposed to represent them, and the number of districts was afterwards changed to five. Soon after this change the Supreme Court of the state decided that the institution of a board of commissioners instead of representatives of each of the towns, was unconstitutional. Then, of course, the original county board was re-established and continues up to present time. Its annual and only regular meeting begins on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November in e.very year. Special meetings may or must be called by the Chairman of the board at the request of a specified number of the members. As the members are town-ofiicers, who are elected in spring it may happen, that a majority of the old members, and even the chair- - man of the county board are not re-elected. In case of a special meeting, there would then have to be a new organization. Each board organizes by elpfiting a chairman for.. the 3' ear, who usually appoints the necessary committees, which might be called the working organization. As the work assigned to these committees is really the work of the cqUnty board, I will introduce it in thajt way.

This committee is really a board of equalization for the whole county, balancing the work of the assessors of all the towns ancj corporations, which has been separately subjected to the correction of the local boards, into some harmony among the whple number. Some consider this the most important committee, as the state and county taxes are levied upon each "town by the scale thus made up. As most private citizens appear as poor as possible, when the assessor comes round, so every town tries to be poor in comparison with others before this- committee. There are never less than five members to it.

There are always a number of accounts against a county whiph must be examined before they can be allo\ved. This exanjina.tion is the work of the committee on claims, which is sometimes subdivided or assisted by a separate committee for examining the accounts of Justices of the Peace for criminal prosecutions, or inquests of dead. The district attorney, who is, ex-pfficio, the legq,l advisor of the county board in all such matters, ismore often called to the assistance of this committee than to that of any other. This, however, does not indicate that there are very many claims against the county, which are dubious, in fact, or should be.rejected on general principles, but. that some prescribed form in making such claims are very often overlooked. 8. Committee on Finance.

The business of this conmmittee is the investigation of accounts of all officers, who receive and disburse the money collected by the county for taxes, fees and interest on tax certificates. The work is always done by the: officers beforehand and the committee has seldom much more to do than to test the accuracy of it, as it appears on the face of the different reports. This committee draws up a financial statement for the basis of levying of taxes. 4. Committee on Ways and Means.

appropriations for one or the other towns usually for the purpose of assisting in the building, improvement or repair of some road running through, several towns and used by all of them, or some bridge situated in such a road.

5. Committee, on JRoa^s and Bridge^. There are some roads which may legally come under the, consideration of the county board, whether they should be, built or not, whether or not any subvention should be granted for them, and what, in general, should be done about them. The same applies to some bridges. These matters foxm the material for consideration in this committee.

6. Committee on Towns and Boundaries. At first, about thirty years ago, when towns began to be laid out, they were constructed according to township and range lines, from the maps, and but little, if any, regard was had to the future accommodations of the inhabitants for travel and intercourse. That other errors casually crept in and needed correction, was to be expected, and was quite excusable. After a while the necessity became apparent for divisions, and such divisions were often brought before the county board unexpectedly, and as this body could not be expected to be informed of every situation or locality, alterations were usually made upon the recommendation of the chairman requesting them. The more the country filled up, the more became it important that land should be included in such town as could afford the best accommodation or facility in regard to roads and schools, joint school districts being rather an annoyance for the administration of towns, which each sought to avoid, or set aside, if opportunity was oifered. So it is not to be wondered at the fact that but few regular sessions of the board were held without some petition being presented or motion made for the alteration of town boundaries. These are now first considered and investigated by the committee. The towns being now so far divided and arranged that almost every one has a chance for the necessary roads being, laid out by the town in which he happens to reside, and most of the land being now settled, this committee has of late had " easy times," and may eventually become superfluous, unless some change in the laws should permit the organization of smaller towns.

7. Special Committees for Special Purposes. Sometimes matters are brought before the board, which are within its jurisdictiction, but are of such a nature, as to require special investigation, or may be made the subject of such, for some legal doubts, or want of precise information as to facts. In such cases a motion for appointing a »pecial committee is usually made and prevails. The work of committees, however, is only preparatory; the board in its full assembly decides upon the propositions made by the comittees. It allows claims, grants petitions, confirms the equalizations, accepts or adopts reports of officers, levies taxes, that is the state, county and county school tax, changes the boundaries of towns, and performs sundry other functions, among which is the selection of a jury list from the qualified persons, residents of the county. The decisions of the board are made by taking a vote on every question, after the same has been duly considered or debated. Common parliamentary rules govern discussions and other proceedings of the board. The clerk has to keep a record of the same, called the Journal of the Proceedings, which must be entered into a book especially provided for that purpose. Claims that have been allowed against the county are paid on the presentation of an order made out by the county clerk and signed by himself and the chairman of the county board.

It is with committees very much as with individuals;. they have their youth, the time of taking the first steps and beginning to gather wisdom from experience, So it was with our county There being at first but one town and for a while only a few' towns, there were but few members in the board, and frequently all new ones, and instead of there being less business than now there were, on the contrary always numerous questions, which are now settled, and not very likely to create disturbances. But when they first turned up, they created excitement and opposition. Such events as were of the latter kind will be mentioned in the recapitulation of the meetings of the county board as they occurred. It will strike every reader as somewhat singular, that there were at first so many special meetings of the board, but in the chaos of a first beginning things do not only appear, but are really more urgent than in later times, when order and system have been introduced and maintained, and sources of information multiplied. It would be extremely tedious to relate all the proceedings, in- eluding routine work, of every session, and if in the subsequent I shall simply say " routine work," the reader will understand, that thereby I mean such work as has been pointed out in speaking of the work of the different committees on the functions of the board in general. The

First Meeting of the County Board, of which there is any record, was held at Fountain City or rather Holmes' Landing, on the 2d day of March, 1854. There were three members, Marvin Pierce, John P. Stein, Andrew Baertsch. The former was county judge, having been elected in September 1853, the two others must have been appointed in some way, since the meeting was before the annual town election, and, there being only one town, only one chairman could have been elected. The principal business was to designate the places for holding court, and the office^ of the newly installed officers, which was decided as follows:

The house of Henry Goerke on Lat. 6, Sect. 8, Township 19, Range 11 is designated as the court house, and the dwelling house of each officer as his legal office. A list of grand jurors was made out:

The same clerk officiated. Jacob Bronnenkant, then a Justice of the Peace, acted in place of supervisor Flietch. The work could not have been of much importance, since the treasurer had not yet had any chance to collect taxes, nor, probably, any other money. It is noted, that the state tax was $122.50 and the county tax $52.68, probably the amount allowed for last years expenses.

The purpose of this meeting was to commission some person to confer with the county board of Trempealeau County on the subject of building a bridge across the Trempealeau River, at some place near the present station of Hope. Mr. Teckenburg was commissioned for the purpose and a compensation of $3.00 per day allowed him for his work.

In this meeting the town of Belvidere was set off, to consist of Townships 20 and 21 of Range 12. The election of town officers was to be held on the third day of April, 1856, at John Linse's place, in Sec. 16, T. 20, R. 12.

A motion was made and subsequently withdrawn for a bridge to be built acrosse Waumandee Creek near the saw mill belonging to H. Goerke and F. Binder. It was resolved to lay out a county road to Alma and Waumandee via Sawmill, Sandprairieand Langdon's farm. 8229.63 were appropriated or allowed for books, seals and such things for the county-officers.

November 13th, 1855, Marvin Pierce and John P. Schnug were the only members. On the first day of the meeting Mr. Teckenburg resigned his office as clerk of the board, and Thomas G. Hake, who had been elected to the office in the general election previous to the meeting, was appointed to fill the short vacancy, The remainder of the proceedings, is routine work.