Clark County, Wisconsin - Chapter 14: Transportation, 1918

The earliest settlers used the waterways as routes of travel, bringing their supplies from Mississippi River points or from Black River Falls in scows. Later trails of the crudest kind were cut through the woods. The first regularly established road into the county was one from Stevens Point to Weston's Rapids, authorized by the provisions of Chapter 50, Private and Local Laws for the year 1853. The road was duly surveyed and platted by Aelic Martin, a surveyor, and the survey and plat deposited with the secretary of state. It appears that there was some informality in the papers, and by Chapter 293, of the Private and Local Laws of 1857, the survey and plat previously filed, was declared by the legislature to be the legal and lawful survey of the state road.

It was quite common in the early days to obtain the legislative authority to survey and locate state roads; thus, in 1857, James O'Neill, Sr., Robert Nelson and G. S. McCormick were appointed commissioners to establish a state road from Neillsville, by way of Sumner postoffice in Trempealeau County to Abner in Buffalo County ; and the same year Harris Searls, Garwood Green, and Melvin Ferris were appointed commissioners to lay out a state road from Weston's Rapids, westerly through the counties of Clark, Jackson, Eau Claire, Trempealeau and Buffalo to Alma on the Mississippi River.

Efforts to obtain mail facilities are noticeable. In 1857, among twenty-three different memorials to congress passed by the legislature that year, the first, or No. 1, was a memorial representing ''that the interests and convenience of a large number of inhabitants of the northern and eastern part of the State of Wisconsin require the establishment of a mail route by land from Steven's Point in Portage County via Weston's Rapids in Clark County to St. Paul on the Mississippi River. Minnesota had not yet become a state. Until the postoffices were established at Weston's Rapids and Neillsville the residents of the county generally obtained their mail from the postoffice at Black River Falls in Jackson County.

During the Civil War there were no roads worthy of the name in Clark County, and the "Tote" roads leading to the lumber camps were usually in better condition than the public roads. People usually went afoot through the woods, and oxen were still the principal beasts of burden.

A few crude bridges were built across the rivers and creeks, but at some of the principal crossings the only way of getting across was on the rafts and booms. County bridge building was started in 1857, when a bridge was built across the Black River at Weston's Rapids, and the county board appropriated $1,000 for bridges across Cawley's Creek, Rock Creek and Popple River. Various appropriations for small bridges were made in the succeeding years. July 4, 1864, the county board authorized Millet J. Smith to maintain a ferry across the Black River in Section 25, Township 23, Range 3 West. The next bridge built across Black River was constructed in 1866, about six miles south of Neillsville, $3,000 in tax certificates being contributed for the purpose. In the same year $667 was appropriated for a bridge across Wedge's Creek in the town of Levis,

Even as late as 1868 there were no good roads in the county. State roads, it is true, had been surveyed from Weston's Rapids to Steven's Point, from Neillsville to Buffalo County by two different routes, and a few towns had improved turnpike roads here and there, mostly through the medium of citizens working out their taxes, but the result of such crude work was that often after a rainfall the surveyed turnpikes were in worse condition than the virgin soil.

But, in 1868, James O'Neill, Sr., then a member of the assembly, secured the passage of Chapter 483, Local Laws of 1868, through which the good roads movement in the county received its initial impetus. This act empowered the county board to levy a tax to the amount of $30,000, to be expended on the main Black River, running north and south through the county. An excellent procedure was provided for, by which the route was to be considered in two-mile sections. On May 25, 1868, the board, under this act, levied a tax of $7,000, and appointed Benjamin F, French, James Hewett and Jones Tompkins as commissioners to carry out its provisions. Within three years the entire $30,000 had been expended.

In 1871 a similar act was passed through the efforts of George W. King, for the construction of a road from Neillsville to Humbird, the amount authorized being $5,000. Mr. King then had a sawmill at King's Mills, five miles east of Humbird, and desired a good road to his place, connecting with the Black River road. Much of the money for this highway was expended in building a corduroy road between Hewettville and Humbird, the character of the soil making this necessary.

For four decades thereafter the roads continued in a deplorable condition. The county was settling up, thoroughfares were being extended here and there through the county, and money was being spent for their construction and maintenance, but there was no general system, there was no comprehensive study of the problems involved, and each spring found the roads between the villages absolutely impassable.

The towns were divided into road districts, each district with a pathmaster appointed by the town board, and the result was a patchwork System, depending for its results almost entirely on the ability of the individual pathmaster.

Under the laws of 1907 the county board, that fall, prepared a prospective system of county highways. This system was amended in the fall of 1911, and was adopted as organizing the county into a prospective State Aid Highway System, under the laws of that year. W. C. Thoma was, on Nov. 18, 1911, appointed county highway commissioner, and has since continued to serve. In 1912 and 1913 only grading and surfacing, and the building of culverts was undertaken, the surfacing work being started in 1915. But there was as yet no comprehensive plan of procedure. Much of the work was done in little parcels, here and there, unconnected with any other strip of improved road, and for the most part benefiting primarily those who had enough influence to get the work located where it would improve their own property.

But in the fall of 1916 there came another change when the county board adopted a County Trunk Line system, for 150 miles of the County System of Prospective State Highways, as follows:

"Trunk Line No. 1, known as the Neillsville-Withee road, beginning at the county line on south, thence north through Neillsville to the north county line, containing forty-seven miles. Trunk Line No. 2, known as the Stanley-Abbotsford road, beginning at west county line, thence east and south to Unity, and beginning one mile west of Abbotsford, north to county line, containing forty-one miles. Trunk Line No. 3, known as the Greenwood-Spencer, beginning one and one-half miles south of the southern boundary, city of Greenwood, running due east five miles, north half mile, thence east to Spencer, containing fourteen and one-half miles. Trunk Lone No. 4, known as the Humbird-Marshfield road, beginning at western boundary line of county, thence east and north to Marshfield, containing thirty-four and one-half miles. Trunk Line No. 5, known as the Neillsville- Pittsville road, beginning at Neillsville, thence south and east to Pittsville, containing eighteen miles."

The board also provided that all the new work undertaken must be along the main routes until all the villages in the county shall be connected with each other.

Forty-two miles of the trunk line system are already completed in Clark County. From Neillsville east the Ridge road is macadamized with eight miles of granite. From Neillsville south the road is macadamized with the same material for four miles. From Neillsville north there are seven miles of macadam, three of granite, and four of granite and gravel. From the north end of this macadam is an interval of two miles which will be macadamized this summer, and then comes six miles of granite macadam to Greenwood. From Greenwood the road east, toward Loyal, has been macadamized two miles with gravel, while north from Greenwood there are two miles and a half of gravel macadam. There is then an interval to the north of seven miles, which will be done soon, and then comes a six-mile stretch of gravel macadam, extending north and south through Withee. For four miles east of Withee, toward Abbotsford, there is a four-mile stretch of macadam, three miles being of gravel, and one mile, through Owen, being of gravel. Between Thorp and Stanley there is a two and a half-mile strip of gravel macadam. There are also quite a few miles of gravel macadam, built under the old system, running off from the main trunk line. In addition to this the villages have done some good work in macadamizing, and with the extensions that are planned the village streets will be fully in keeping with the county system.

and extend eastwardly, passing through Neillsville and Granton, on the way to Marshfield. The other will enter the county east of Stanley, and cross in a due easterly direction to Abbotsford, there turning south for seven miles,

There are no high ridges to be crossed in Clark County, and there are no great engineering difficulties in the constructing roads. Unlike many counties, Clark County has found no necessity of relocating any roads to establish the trunk line system. The greatest difficulties consist of the springy condition of the soil, the presence in some places, especially in the southwestern part of the county, of sand, quicksand and gravel, and the absence in some parts of the county of road material. The red granite at Neillsville is the best road material in the state, river gravel abounds, and gravel pits are also found in various parts of the county. In the northeastern part of the county, however, the material has to be shipped in from outside,

Clark County is the first to adopt the patrol plan of road care on county trunk lines. This plan is being inaugurated the present summer, and eighty-one miles of state aid roads and eighty-seven miles of county trunk line roads will be cared for. Under this system the state aid roads will be divided into eleven sections of from six to eight miles each, and the county trunk line roads into sections of from seven to sixteen miles each. Rach section will be kept in repair by a patrolman, who will receive $130 a month. This patrolman will devote all his time to his section, and will not only keep his section in the best of condition by constant care, but will also assist travelers in every way in his power, by giving directions and rendering aid in case of accident or mishap.

Clark County is well supplied with railroad transportation facilities. The Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, commonly called the "Soo," has four lines, and the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha has two, while the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Fairchild and Northwestern, the Green Bay & Western, the Stanley, Merrill & Phillips, and the Abbotsford & Northeastern each have one. At various times temporary logging roads have been laid which are no longer in existence.

The year of 1868 found Clark County without a mile of railroad within its borders. Wild cat lines had been projected and surveys made, but not a rod of grading for a railroad had yet been done. But in 1868 the legislature, by Chapter 210 of the Private and Local Laws for that year, incorporated the La Crosse, Black River Falls & Neillsville Railroad Company, with a capital of $100,000, with authority to increase it to $1,000,000. The route of the road was from La Crosse, up the valley of the Black River, via Black River Falls,to Neillsville, and from there to a point on Lake Superior, as the company might elect. The incorporators living in the county were Chauncey Blakeslee, James O'Neill, Sr., James Hewett, O. S. Woods and George W. King. Those residing in Jackson County were Dudley J. Spaulding, William T. Price, W. B. Porter, J. B. G. Baxter, E. L. Brockway and J. N. Wells. The La Crosse incorporators were G. C. Hixon, C. C. Washburn, W. W. Crosby, S. L. Nevins, John Servis, Ruel Weston, Ole MacMillan, Abner Gile, G. Van Stenwyck, Theodore Rodolf, 5S. 5. Burton and T. B. Edwards.

Again, in 1870, by Charter 505 of the Private and Local Laws of that year, the Winona, Trempealeau Valley, Black River Falls & Neillsville Railroad Company was incorporated. Chauncey Blakeslee, Benjamin F. French, L. R. Stafford and John S. Dore represented Clark County among the incorporators, and Mark Bump, D. J. Spaulding, J. B. Carter, Gunder Anderson, Birclard Oleson, Henry Lake, S. A. Sheldon, James Gaveny and Noah D. Comstock were the incorporators from Jackson and Trempealeau counties. The line of the proposed road was to begin at some convenient point on the Minnesota line at or near Winona, in Minnesota, thence easterly through Arcadia, and Town 21, Range 7, in Trempealeau County, thence along the Trempealeau River, through Town 21, Range 6, in Jackson County to Black River Falls, thence to Neillsville.

In 1871, by Chapter 331 of the Laws of 1871, the Neillsville & Humbird Railroad Company was incorporated to build a line entirely in Clark County from Neillsville to Humbird.

The incorporators and moving spirits in this enterprise were George W. King, Daniel Gates, James Hewett, James O'Neill, Sr., E. D. Carter, Richard Dewhurst, George O. Adams, 0.8. Woods and Chauncey Blakeslee,

All of these proposed railroads were simply paper railroads. No suryeys were made on either of the lines, and no attempt was ever made to make them "going" concerns.

The West Wisconsin Railway Company built the first line of railway in Clark County, through a portion of the town of Mentor, in the year 1869. This name was afterwards changed to the Chicago, St. Paul & Minneapolis Railway Company, and still later to the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Company, which it still bears, The old West Wisconsin Railway was originally incorporated as the Tomah & Lake St. Croix Railroad, the name being afterwards changed to the West Wisconsin Railway Company. Its southern and eastern terminus, when first constructed, was at Tomah, in Monroe County. The length of road constructed by the West Wisconsin Railway Company through Clark County in 1869 was only about three miles, all running through the southwest corner of the town of Mentor. This was the first railroad in operation in the county, and the station at Humbird was the first railway station. It was named for Jacob Humbird, who, with D, A. Baldwin, financed and built the West Wisconsin road. Their line of road was built in 1869 from Black River Falls to Augusta; from Augusta to Menomonie Junction, in 1870, and from Menomonie Junction to St. Paul ,in 1871. The station at Humbird was opened for business Jan. 1, 1870, and the first station agent there, as well as the first agent in the county, was Fred W. Whitcomb. Mr. Whitcomb remained in the employment of the West Wisconsin road and its successors for about thirty-eight years, serving as agent at various stations, among others, Cumberland, Ashland and Neillsville.

The Green Bay & Lake Pepin Railroad, now the Green Bay and Western, was built from Merrillan westward, in 1873, crossing a corner of Clark County. The county had voted a bonus of $100,000, providing this road was built within five miles of Neillsville, but the conditions were not complied with, and the bonus was never paid. Only two or three miles of this road are in Clark County, and there has never been a station here, Merrillan being only a short distance over the line.

In 1872-73, the Wisconsin Central built its line along the eastern edge of Clark County and western edge of Marathon County, northward from Marshfield. In 1880 the same road, under the name of the Wisconsin & Minnesota, extended its lines from Abbotsford westward, across the northern part of the county to Chippewa Falls, the first pasenger and freight train being run over the line Noy. 23, 1880. In 1890-91 the line from Marshfield to Loyal and Greenwood was constructed. In 1908 the line from Owen, via Ladysmith to Duluth, Minn., was opened. In the year 1909 all of the Wisconsin Central Railway lines were leased for the term of ninety-one years to the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Company, more briefly and familiarly known as the "Soo" line, a part of the Canadian Pacific system.

In the eighties, George Hiles organized what was known as the Milwaukee, Dexterville & Northern Railroad, extending from Dexterville, via Newton and Lindsay, to Lynn. The entire length of that line was 22.42 miles, of which 5.43 miles is in Clark County. This road was sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company on June 1, 1890. Since acquiring it the Milwaukee company have extended the line through the towns of Lynn and York to Romadka, a distance of 5.21 miles. The extension of this line and that of the Omaha line was made the same year, and the rush to reach the crossing point in Fremont Township was one of the thrilling incidents in Clark County history. It is told in this work under the head of Romadka and Lynn.

The Fairchild & Northeastern Railroad Company began building its line of road through Clark County in the year 1882. The main line of railway extends from Fairchild in Eau Claire County, via Tioga, Greenwood and Bright to Owen on the "Soo" line. The work of constructing the line was done in various years, the last link to Owen being completed in 1907. In 1909 the new town of Willard was established on the road at the northeast corner of the northeast of the southeast of Section 15, Town 26, Range 3 West. This road has thirty-five miles of road in Clark County, and although its officers and offices are elsewhere, it is practically a Clark County railway. It runs through a fine farming country, through the western, central and northern parts of the county. The credit for building it is justly due to N. C. Foster, of Fairchild, Wis., who, through his energy and public spirit, financed and constructed it, without a dollar of public aid, and without an acre of land grant.

In the year 1878 the Black River Railroad Company was organized to build a line of railway from Merrillan in Jackson County to Neillsville. The incorporators were Daniel Gates, James Hewett, N. H. Withee, J. L. Gates, F. D. Lindsay and others. The road was surveyed and staked out by Charles Reed, a surveyor, then residing in Clark County, The incorporators put in considerable of the private means in this enterprise, and the towns of Pine Valley and Hewett issued their corporate bonds in aid of the road, the former town bonding itself for $10,000, and the latter for $1,000. The towns of Grant and Weston also voted bonds in aid of the road, but these last named bonds were never earned by the railroad company, nor issued by the towns of Grant and Weston.

In 1880 the Black River Railroad Company entered into a contract with the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Company, by the terms of which the Black River company was to grade and tie the line and furnish the right-of-way, and the Omaha company was to furnish the rails, iron the road and perpetually operate it. In other words, the Black River company gave their road to the Omaha company for the purpose of obtaining railway facilities for Neillsville. The agreement was carried out, and on July 4, 1881, the road was formally opened for business, from Merrillan to a point on the west side of Black River, about one mile from Neillsville.

The opening of the road to a point near Neillsville in 1881 was the occasion of great rejoicing by the Neillsville people and surrounding country. The first train to come over the road was a special train of nine coaches, in charge of Perry Sharpe, conductor, carrying 324 invited guests from all parts of the state, including Milwaukee, Madison, La Crosse, Sparta, Black River Falls and many other points. With the guests was a military company from La Crosse, called the La Crosse Light Guards, and also their band. On the arrival of the train the invited guests were met by the citizens of Neillsville, with their military company, known as the Sherman Guards, under command of Capt. J. W. Ferguson. A speech of welcome was made by Capt. George A. Austin, on behalf of the citizens of Neillsville, which was responded to by Judge J. M. Morrow, of Sparta, on behalf of the visitors. The procession was then formed, the two military companies leading the way, the visitors in carriages, and proceeded to the grounds in Neillsville, where the regular exercises were had. The main address of the day was made by Prof. John M. Olin, of Madison. It was only two days before that President Garfield had been assassinated by Charles Guiteau, and Professor Olin, who was a personal friend of President Garfield, alluded to it in a very touching manner, and voiced the hope of all the people that the President would recover from his wounds. He quoted the famous dispatch penned by Garfield sixteen years before, on learning of the death of President Lincoln - ''God reigns, and the Government at Washington still lives." The feature of the occasion was the dinner given in the open air, in a field on Fifth Street. East of the residence of James Hewett temporary dining tables, twenty in number, were erected, shaded with boughs, and each presided over by one of the ladies of Neillsville. A magnificent dinner was served to nearly a thousand people. Toasts were given and responses were made by Judge Robert M. Bashford, afterward justice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, by John M. Olin and George B. Buroughs, of Madison, Ira B. Bradford, speaker of the assembly; E. L. Brockway, of Black River Falls; Judge L. A. Doolittle, of Eau Claire; Isaac L. Usher and Judge Cyrus K. Lord, of La

Letters of congratulation were received and read from United States Senator Angus Cameron, of La Crosse; Judge Romanzo Bunn, United States Judge, and Hon. E. W. Keyes, of Madison; Hans B. Warner, Secretary of State; Judge A. W. Newman, of Trempealeau, and from a score of others. Among the letters was a characteristic one from George W. Peck, who afterwards twice became Governor of Wisconsin. The letter deserves publication and permanent preservation. It was addressed to the chairman of the committee on arrangements, and is given here entire:

"Milwaukee, July 1, 1881. Dear Sir: Your invitation to be present at the opening of your railroad from the outside world to your beautiful little Neillsville is received, and I regret that a previous engagement will prevent my being present. I regret my absence as much on your account as on my own, because all railroads I have helped to open have been successful, and have made money, while some that have been opened without giving me an invitation to be present and break a bottle of pop over the cow-catcher, have been miserable failures, and have never paid dividends of over 50 per cent. But I have taken a bloody oath, and railroad builders might as well know it now as ever, not to open any railroads on the Fourth of July, so you fellows will have to stub around there at home and get it open the best way you can. Railroads are an excellent thing for the country, and we cannot have too many of them, but they have nearly been the ruination of me. Years ago, when I| got a pass on a railroad I managed to ride enough to get even, but old age and the cares of business have made me stay at home so much that passes are souring on my hands, and I have to change the brine on them every little while. I tried to keep up with the C., M. & St. P, and the Northwestern by riding on their lines nights and Sundays, but the last two years they have added hundreds of miles to their lines without my knowledge or consent, so now I have given up the unequal task, and content myself, when they have a meeting of directors here, with presenting my unused passes, and demanding that they pay me a dividend on them, which they are glad to do if I will keep away. Well, Mac, I will congratulate the citizens of Neillsville, and of Clark County, in having at last secured railroad connection, and will express the hope that manufactories will grow up around you, by which you can utilize your hardwood timber, as well as your pine, and that you may all become even richer than you now are, and if I get to heaven first, I will reserve a whole section of seats, and mark them 'taken by Clark County delegation,' and I will stand over them with a club till you fellows come along on your hand car. Yours truly, Geo. W. Peck."

As is generally the case, the women bore the brunt of the hard work necessary to be performed in order to make such a celebration a success. It is due to them to here give the names of the twenty ladies, each of whom had charge of one of the large dining tables: Mrs. Chauncey Blakeslee, Mrs. George J. Hart, Mrs. David Mason, Mrs. R. J. MacBride, Mrs. O. P. Wells, Mrs. S. C. Boardman, Mrs. Dewhurst, Mrs. F. A. Lee, Mrs. D. R. Brown, Mrs. W. S. Colburn, Mrs. J. W. Tolford, Mrs. James Hewett, Mrs.

In 1887 the Omaha company built the railroad bridge across the Black River and extended the line to the city of Neillsville. In 1890-91 the same company extended its line from Neillsville to Marshfield, a distance of twenty-three miles.

The Abbotsford & Northeastern from Abbotsford to Athens, in Marathon County, has but a trifle of mileage in Clark County, and the Stanley, Merrill & Phillips has a few miles extending northeastwardly in the northeastern corner of Thorp, with a short stub branching off toward Otter Creek.