Grant County, Wisconsin - Chapter 4, 1881 (part 2 of 2)

On the evening, about the middle of February in the saloon of Clark & Woods, Latimer "became involved in a discussion on the right of foreigners to vote, and during the discussion he animadverted somewhat severely upon American character and customs, when he was knocked down by Gloster, who was present. Latimer continued his remarks and was again knocked down, he making no show of resistance. Soon after this, having in the meantime indulged in more liquor, Latimer approached Col. White and charged him with being the cause of his having received a black eye. The Colonel was a professional gambler, a Kentuckian by birth, and a man of fine physique and polished manners, who had the reputation of having upon more than one occasion "winged his man." The tone used by Latimer was highly insulting, and the Colonel immediately knocked him down. This was on Saturday night. On the following morning Gloster went to Latimer, begged his pardon, and they parted apparently good friends. On Monday morning, a note was received by Col. White from Latimer asking for the satisfaction usual among gentlemen. The challenge was accepted, and weapons - rifles, at one hundred yards - agreed upon, the time being set for the next morning. Gloster acted as the friend of Col. White, Latimer being also provided with a friend who acted as his second. At 3 o'clock on the morning of the intended meeting, the two principals were arrested and held to bail. This however, only resulted in changing the place of meeting from Wisconsin to Iowa Territory. Promptly to the hour all were on hand, and the principals posted. At this juncture, Samuel Morris, an Acting Constable of the county, James F. Chapman, Justice of the Peace, Maj. John R. Coons, and one or two others appeared upon the scene to assert the majesty of the law and act as peacemakers. Being worthy citizens and men of honor, averse to all such bloody proceedings, they went earnestly to work to stop the combat and succeeded. After much solicitation, both parties agreed to refer the dispute to a committee, who after a review of the case, decided that it was a misunderstanding all around, and no apologies were necessary on either side. The reconciliation having been effected, they returned to town and all might have been well had not malicious busybodies whispered in the besotted ear of Latimer that Gloster had further intentions against his person. Maddened with the fumes of the poisonous liquor, each day added to his frenzy until the erstwhile talented gentleman was reduced to an irresponsible maniac. On the night preceding the fatal encounter, Latimer was again informed that Gloster had used menacing language against him. In the state of delirium which then enveloped him, this was like touching a match to powder, and after passing a sleepless night, Latimer armed himself with a Bowie knife and two horse pistols, one of which, in his deranged condition of mind, he loaded with powder and the other with ball and sallied forth to met his foe. Intercepting Gloster as he was going to breakfast, he fired at him once, but as the pistol was only loaded with powder it simply burned and blackened his'face. Gloster cried that he was unarmed and asked his antagonist not to kill him, and the latter told him to go and arm himself Gloster hastily withdrew, and some time afterward re-appeared armed with a double-barreled shotgun. Latimer had been impatiently awaiting his return, whittling a pine stick with a Bowie knife in the meantime, and as his eye caught sight of the man approaching with the gun in his hand advanced with raised pistol. His gait, however, was unsteady, and his aim uncertain. Gloster cocked his gun and raised it to his shoulder, but retreated step by step until he came to an open culvert where the branch runs near the corner of Lewis' store. Here he stopped and warned Latimer and his friends that if he advancecf^ a step nearer he would fire. The words were unheeded, and a second later, poor Latimer lay weltering in his gore. Samuel Wilson who was his friend and intimate, and who, during the morning had made several unsuccessful attempts to disuade him from his purpose, received him in his arms as he fell and conveyed him to a place near by where he expired. The authorities were strongly censured for not preventing this untimely meeting. Gloster surrendered himself to the officers, and, upon examination, was acquitted on the ground of self-defense. He remained but a short time in Potosi after the commission of the deed; and died a few years later in Chicago. The pistols used upon the occasion ^ere preserved by a citizen of Potosi, and one of them still remains in his possession. The other was donated to a California emigrant and by him lost in the country of gold. They were savage and formidable looking instruments. m

De Lasseaux Murder

A few months after the murder of Latimer, namely, in April, 1845, occurred another murder, the murderer and his victim residing at Beetown. The ownership of a certain lot was claimed by two parties - Brewer, a miner, and a companion ; and De Lasseaux, the owner of a smelting furnace in that vicinity, he also being engaged in trade at that point. De Lasseaux had fenced up the lot in question, and the day on which the murder occurred, had started to remove some rails from the ground. This Brewer had forbidden him to do. As De Lasseaux approached the lot. Brewer seized a rifle which he had concealed in the limekiln near which he was standing, and, as he did so, the gun, which was at half cock, went off. De Lasseaux was a large, powerful man, of whom the other stood much in awe, and supposing that this accidental discharge of the gun would be taken as an excuse for an attack, he did not wait to see if his surmise should prove true, but, shifting the gun in his hand, he brought it down on the head of the unfortunate man, knocking him down. Brewer then drew a long knife he had upon his person and stabbed De Lasseaux in a savage manner, from the effects of which he died in a short time.

Brewer was immediately arrested. The court had barely closed its spring session, Judge Dunn not having left Lancaster. The grand jury was summoned to return, a true bill was found, and the trial commenced. The result, under the popular feeling - which, owing to the general lawlessness which had seemed lately to develop, ran high - was a foregone conclusion, and the unfortunate victim to an insane craving for vengeance was sentenced to expiate his crime upon the gallows, and his execution took place a few weeks later. The gallows was erected a little to the northeast of the village, and up to a recent date the posts were still to be seen, but were dug up afterward by future owners of the ground. Brewer's claim that his gun went off accidentally on the fatal day, was not very generally received. Some time after his execution^ the person to whom the gun had been given by him was hunting in the woods, when, on two different occasions, the weapon was discharged at half-cock, showing, when too late, that the unfortunate man spoke the truth.

Jordan Murder

The most diabolically cold-blooded and brutal murder that ever occurred in Grant County was perpetrated June 15, 1868, by William Kidd, of Glenn Haven, who at that date killed Catharine Jordan, of the same place. Kidd and his victim had been brought up together, being children of farmers in the neighborhood, and for some years he had been paying to Miss Jordan considerable attention, and, to all appearances, was deeply in love with the young lady. This affection, however, was not by any means mutual, and Kidd had threatened to take her life if she did not marry him. Nothing more was heard of it until on the evening of the 15th of June, when Kidd drove over from Cassville with a two-horse carriage to the residence of Mr. Samuel Mclvor, where Miss Jordan was stopping. He remained talking with the young lady for an hour and a half, when she was finally induced to get in the carriage and take a ride with him. This was the last that was seen of the girl until the next morning, when her mutilated body was found by a neighbor, looking for his cattle, near the farm of Mr. Mark Scott, of Glen Haven. Her throat was gashed from ear to ear, while the hands and arms were cut and bruised badly, giving evidence of the terrible struggle which must have taken place between the murderer and his victim. It was afterward discovered that Kidd, after committing the dastardly crime, had driven his team to his father's stable, hitched them, saddled a horse of his own and rode to Boscobel, where he left his horse and left for parts unknown.

The news of this horrible event fled like wildfire, and public feeling was lashed into the fiercest waves of excitement, which drowned every feeling but the one for vengeance on the murderer. The citizens of Bloomington and Glen Haven offered a reward of $550 for his arrat, and to this was added |500 by the county and $500 additional by the State, making $1,550. lo this was added $250 offered by the citizens of Fennimore, making $1,800 in all. No t^^^^^ °* the rufiianly fiend were found, until, in October of the same year, he was captured in Nobles

County, Minn., by J. T. Delaware, formerly of Glen Haven, but at the time a resident at Omaha, Neb., and Frank Winship, of Sioux City. During the interval elapsing between the commission of the deed and his capture, Kidd had been rambling around through Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota, where he was engaged with a companion, whose acquaintance he had made, in trapping, when the pursuers closed in on him. He confessed the whole of his crime to one of his captors the first night after his arrest, saying after they left the house he had drove on for some ways, and had stopped his horses near a ravine, and, turning them across the road, had drawn his revolver and asked his companion to shoot him. This she of course refused, at the same time demanding his intentions, saying she was afraid of him. He then took out a knife, and Miss Jordan cried out, " My God! William, are you going to cut my throat?" To this the fiendish wretch replied in the affirmative, and endeavored to accomplish his designs. The girl resisted stoutly, but he finally wrenched the knife from her hand and succeeded in effecting his purpose. This portion of his fiendish story was told with a cold-blooded particularity horrible in its coolness. After being satisfied that life was extinct, Kidd alighted from the carriage, intending to throw the body in some sink hole, but the horses started, and he thought some one was coming, so, leaving the remains in the road, he jumped to the seat and drove hastily away. The reason given by the murderer for his hellish act was that he was in misery for fear she might marry some other person - his excuses being as feeble as his crime was dastardly.

The murderer cheated the law by taking a dose of poison while on the cars on his way to Grant County. His body was brought to Lancaster and identified, after which it was buried, and the crime passed into the dim region of remembrances.

Harney Mtjrdbe

The southern portion of the county was the scene of an atrocious murder in 1865, which stirred the social strata of that section to its very depths. On Monday, September 25, of that year, Dr. Harney, an old resident of Fair Play, in a fit of passion shot and trampled to death his step- daughter, besides inflicting serious injuries upon his wife, the murdered woman's mother. His victim was the daughter of Mrs. Harney by a former marriage, and had been brought up in the family. Several years previous to the tragedy, she had been married to Joseph Hunsaker, who, at the time of the fatal affair, was in Idaho. Some few months previous, Mrs. Hunsaker had expressed a desire to keep house by herself, and accordingly had moved into a house opposite the Harney residence. This move had been strenuously opposed by Dr. Harney, who upon finding that remonstrances were of no avail, and that the move had been made, forbade any of the family associating or having any communication with Mrs. Hunsaker. This command was not heeded by Mrs. Harney, except to choose such time for visiting ber daughter as when the doctor was not about the premises. It was claimed by the friends of Dr. Harney that his naturally choleric temper had been augmented for some time previous to the fatal day by troubles with his head, and that arrangements had been made for his starting on a tour of travel, accompanied by some one of the members of his family. Be this as it may, on the day of the tragedy, while Mrs. Harney was out making calls with a lady boarding at Mrs. Hunsaker's, the doctor acted in a most unaccountable manner in following them from place to place, finally waiting for his wife on her return, and following her into the house, where he instantly knocked the unsuspecting woman down with the butt of a revolver he earned. Mrs. Harney screamed for help, and Ellen Harney, her step-daughter, hurried upon the scene, and seizing the infuriated man compelled him to desist from his work.

Upon the first outcry, Mrs. Hunsaker, who had been sitting on the steps of her house with er tnend, started to run over, expressing herself as fearful that the doctor was attacking her mother. She stopped suddenly, afraid that he would kill her if she appeared before him, but .^^ rf"*^ thought otherwise, and Mrs. Hunsaker rushed on and into the house where she round her mother lying on the floor. Hardly had she sank by her side before the now doubly- "> uriated man threw her to the floor and stamped and trampled on the unresisting woman, frac- turing her skull in several places, and ending his diabolical work by sending a ball through her brain, killing her instantly. During this terrible scene his daughter Ellen had been trying with the terror of despair to prevent the consummation of his murderous intents. As the murderer attacked the daughter, Mrs. Harney struggled to her feet and ran into the street crying for help. The doctor tore himself away from his daughter and started in pursuit, and fired two shots at the fleeing woman, happily without effect. He had just caught up with her, and was about to again begin an attack with the butt of his revolver, when it was wrenched from him by his son Harrison, who took his mother to the house. The murderer passed through the room where the lifeless body of his victim lay, making some bitter remark, and, securing a lancet attempted to cut his own throat. In this, however, he was not successful, and although when afterward confined in jail at Lancaster, he tore the bandages off in order to bleed to death, his wounds finally healed, and he was tried, convicted and sentenced to State Prison for life. Mrs. Harney also recovered from her injuries, leaving only one victim to the insane fury of the murderer. The excitement created in the immediate neighborhood of the place where the crime was committed knew no bounds. During the summer of 1880, a petition was circulated for the pardon of the doctor, but the result of the petition is as yet unknown.

By far the most horrible crime ever committed in the limits of Grant County was the murder of the Haggerty family, near Lancaster, in December, 1868, by Andrew Thompson, a paramour of the woman. The first acquaintance of the parties dated back to ten years previous to the date of the murder. At that time, John Haggerty kept a saloon at Bull's Head, some six and a half miles west of McGregor. At the breaking-out of the war, Haggerty enlisted, and Thompson continued his visits to the place, finally becoming criminally intimate with the woman. Upon the return of the husband from the war, he was not long in finding out the exact status of affairs, and he soon after left for California, leaving his family to shift for themselves. A child was the result of this intimacy, which was killed by the mother, Thompson being accessory to the murder. The saloon was then sold out, and the woman with her children moved into a little house on Thompson's farm, but did not remain here long before they again were moved to McGregor, where they remained until December, 1868, when, yielding to the importunities of the woman, Thompson took her and the children in a covered sleigh, and started on the journey which was to end in a crime the like of which is hardly surpassed in all tbe criminal annals of the country. Crossing the river at McGregor, they came down through Grant County, passing down through Bridgeport, Patch Grove, Bloomington, North Andover, Cassville, Beetown and Lancaster. At the latter place, the family, consisting of Mrs. Haggerty, her daughter and two sons, were last seen alive. In a confession made after his conviction and sentence, Thompson referred to the motive of the trip as being a desire to find some place where he and the woman could live together without disturbance, Isut as he himself acknowledged having previously tried to get rid of her, it is extremely probable that the trip was undertaken with the intention of ridding himself once and for all of this encumbrance by fair means or foul. This belief is strengthened by numerous incidents and circumstances observed by persons in the places through which he passed.

After a week's absence, Thompson returned to his family in Clayton County, Iowa, but gave no explanation of his absence or where he had been. May 29, of the following year, trunks and other articles were discovered by some fishermen in a slough near Prairie du Chien, and a few days later the corpses of Mrs. Haggerty, her daughter and the two boys were discovered in the river near Cassville. On the 2d day of June, a warrant was issued for Thompson 9 arrest, but upon the approach of the Sheriff, his " man " escaped to the woods near his farmhouse, and eluded for a short time the officer of the law. But not for long, as the woods were soon alive with infuriated men armed w ith guns, and who were only too ready to use them, ihis brought the fiend to a realizing sense of his danger, and he came out of his hiding-place and gave himself up to the Sherifi". After some debate as to jurisdiction, his trial took place in Iowa, resulting in his conviction. He was sentenced to be hung September 9, 1869, but the execution was postponed, pending a settlement of some question of jurisdiction by the Supreme Court, and his sentence was afterward changed to life imprisonment in the Penitentiary. During this interval, Thompson wrote out and published a confession, in which he claimed that the girl Anna had been sick when they started from McGregor, and at Lancaster he wished to remain all night and save the girl from the exposure of camping out, as they had heretofore done since leaving McGregor. To this Mrs. Haggerty objected, charging him with being desirous of delay so that his family might overtake them, and give him an excuse for deserting her and returning home. They accordingly made a start, but had not gone more than about a mile beyond Lancaster on the road to Platteville, and were just on the brow of the hill south of Pigeon Creek, when the boys cried out that Anna had fainted. Her mother threw snow in her face and chafed her hands, and thus brought her to. Thompson again urged a return to Lancaster, but the woman would hear none of it, and they proceeded on toward Platteville, until they reached the timber, about four miles from Lancaster, when they turned off the road, and drove into the woods, intending to encamp for the night. They had hardly stopped before Mrs. Haggerty informed him that the girl was dead, and upon examination he found it to be so. The woman then insisted that they must dig a grave and bury the body, but to this Thompson objected, saying they must go back to Lancaster, as, if the body was found buried there without a cofBn they would be arrested for murder. The woman said that if they returned they would be detained, and have to give an account of themselves, when Thompson's people would hear of it and follow him. The discussion ended by the latter announcing his intention of going back, when his paramour seized a hammer, and saying, " I'll have your life first," struck him on the neck and shoulder. This enraged him, and he snatched the hammer from her, and in turn struck her several blows on the head. Realizing, however, what he had done, he endeavored to apologize for his harshness, but although the woman stopped her cries for the time, 'she motioned him away. Just then sleighs were heard approaching from the direction of Platteville, and voices of their occupants were heard chatting and laughing. It being a still night, the sleighs were not so near as was at first supposed, but as they approached, the woman re-doubled her cries, which he begged her to stop but to no purpose. The suspicious light in which he would be placpd should his position there be discovered, with a dead girl in the sleigh, and the woman and two boys screaming as if in mortal terror, Thompson claims at once crossed his mind, and he picked up a feather bed that lay at his feet, and threw it over them. The woman struggled and threw it off, screaming louder than ever, so that if the sleighing party had not been so boisterous themselves they must have heard them. He then seized the bed and put it over them again, and held it down until the struggles ceased. As soon as the sleighs, which traveled leisurely, had passed, he pulled it off, but no one spoke or made any noise. He lighted the lantern and looked at them, shook them, and then the truth dawned upon his mind - they were dead. He sat down stupefied by the crime he had committed, and remained uncertain what to do for some time. Then the thought that he must conceal what he had done seized him, and he started for Beetown, near which he had observed some mineral holes, in which he thought 'he might hide the bodies. He drove back through Lancaster, lost his way, and stopped to procure directions, and having driven for hours with his ghastly freight, came to the mineral holes, but found them tOD shallow for his purpose. He then determined to go on to Cassville, and hide the evidences of his crime in the river. Again he had some difficulty in finding the road, and it was not until Jiearly daylight that he passed through Cassville. Making his way to the river, he threw the bodies in, and then, driving a short distance further, he burned his sleigh cover to destroy the identity of his outfit. He then drove rapidly toward Prairie du Chien, and near that place put the baggage of the murdered family into the river, and then made his way home. How much ot truth there is in Thompson's narrative is hard to decide. Whether the murders were committed as he relates, or whether, as many believed, they were taken to the river and then mur- *ered while under the influence of opiates, will never be known. The terrible experiences of hat awful night will remain a sealed book. But justice was not to be thwarted, and Andrew now undergoes the punishment inflicted for his horrible crime.

Killing Of Milas K. Young

One of the most inhuman of the many diabolical crimes that has marked the pages of Grant County history was the murder of the Hon. Milas K. Young, by his son, in May, 1875, near Glen Haven. The causes leading to the commission of the crime dated back some time previous to that date. Albert Young, the murderer, had been engaged in business at Glen Haven, and through various causes, was unsuccessful. Mr. Young indorsed his notes for some time, but then refused to do so any longer. Albert then resorted to extensive forgeries in order to keep himself above water. These forgeries included the names of friends as well as his father. He also obtained control of the title to the homestead, and was endeavoring to raise |2,600 by a mortgage on the place. In the meantime, he attempted to drive his father off from the farm. In this quarrel the young man had the sympathy of his mother, between whom and her husband there had existed a coolness for years, there being at the time a lawsuit pending between them in regard to the title to the farm. In a collision between father and son, the former was injured by an ax in the hands of his offspring, but this wound was claimed by the latter to be accidental, and by many, cognizant of the facts, so accepted. At length, Mr. Young learned of the forgeries and sent word to his attorneys to have the forger arrested. Previous to this he had expressed to some of his neighbors the fear that his life was in danger, but these fears were regarded as groundless, and Mr. Young continued to remain at the homestead. By some means, Albert Young learned of the danger in which he stood, and Friday, May 14, early in the forenoon, he came into the yard surrounding the house and sat down on a cart, occupying his time with whittling, evidently waiting for his father to come out. The latter was in his room lying down, with the door locked. After waiting in this manner for some time, the young fiend, it would seem, could no longer control his desire for revenge, and he entered the house and inquired of a servant where his father was. and upon receiving the reply that he was asleep in his room, Albert went to the door and threw himself against it with a view of forcibly entering the room. This he partly succeeded in doing, when the noise awoke his parent, who jumped from the bed and ran out of a door leading from his bedroom on the east side of the house. His pursuer then turned and hastened to the front door and met Mr. Young as he came around the house, drawing a revolver as he did so. He commenced firing and discharged four shots, two of which took effect upon his victim. The latter also drew a revolver and fired once at his unnatural son, the bullet grazing his abdomen and inflicting a painful, but no wise dangerous wound. But determined that his victim should not escape, the young ruflBan seized a hatchet and rushed upon the fatally-wounded man and dealt him several crushing blows upon the head, breaking the skull in a ghastly manner.

Several neighbors heard the cries of the wounded man, and hastened at once to the spot, but did not arrive until the murderer had finished his work and started to make his escape. He ran west to a grove standing some sixty yards away, and there stopped to examine his own wound- The hasty examination appeared to produce the impression that he was seriously, if not fatally, wounded, and, reloading his revolver, he placed it to his head and sent his blood-stained soul into the presence of its Maker.

Mr. Young was picked up by his neighbors and carried into the house and laid on the bed from which he had fled but a few moments before. He lingered in great pain until the Sunday following, when death came to his relief, and he passed through the doors into the great hereafter.

The excitement in the community was intense, the murdered man had been universally respected wherever known, and his sudden and horrible death aroused all the indignation lymg dormant in the breasts of the citizens of that section. Had it not been for a few of the more conservative among them, there is no doubt but the stern rule of a mob would soon have reduced everything about the scene of the tragedy to ruins ; as it was, the body of the murderer was refused burial in the village cemetery, and was quietly interred upon the farm. Of the murdered man, the following testimony was borne by the papers of that date :

" Milas K. Young had a reputation as wide as his adopted State. His form graced our Jegislative halls during the years from 1862 to 1865. Intelligent, faithful, earnest, his constituents felt that their interests and their welfare were wisely understood and well defended by him. Endowed with a laudable ambition and great mental energy, he early became a leader among his fellow-citizens, capable of molding and guiding public opinion. With wide sympathies and views, he felt a deep interest in all public questions, especially those that concerned the profession that he had chosen. To increase the quantity and quality of the productions of the soil.; to provide for his fellow-farmers competing markets for their productions, were the problems he most studied. It was this devotion that gave him such a strong hold on the esteem of the farming class with whose interests his inclinations and tastes were identified."

United States Land Districts - Early Highways and Ferries - Railroads in Grant Coifntv - Telegraph Line - Census of Grant County - Agricultural Association.

United States Land Districts

A great amount of the public land in Wisconsin had been surveyed by the latter part of 1833, and this fact being reported by the Surveyor General, two land districts were created by an act of Congress approved June 26, 1834. These districts embraced all the land north of the State of Illinois, west of Lake Michigan, south and southeast of the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers, included in what was then the Territory of Michigan. This area was divided in twain by a north-and-south line at right angles from the base line to the Wisconsin River, between Ranges 8 and 9, east of the Fourth Principal Meridian. All east of that line was called the Green Bay Land District; all west, the Wisconsin Land District. The land oflSce of the Western District was established at Mineral Point, and of the Eastern District at Green Bay. * Grant County, then forming the western portion of Iowa County, was included in the Mineral Point District.

In October, 1834, the first public sale of lands in the present confines of Grant County, was held at Mineral Point, and a second sale took place at the same point in November, 1835. Within the Western or Mineral Point District, lay the great lead region, whose wealth had, for several years, been attracting miners by the hundred from every section. In accordance with the policy outlined by the Government, those lands known to contain, mineral were reserved from sale. By an act of Congress of June 15, 1836, the Milwaukee Land District was created out of the southern portion of the Green Bay District. The land ofBce for the new district was located at Milwaukee, where, in the spring of 1839, the first public sale of lands in this district was held. These lands had been surveyed after the lands which had been offered for sale at Mineral Point and Green Bay.

By a provision in the act of Congress creating the Green Bay and Wisconsin Land Districts, these districts were to embrace the country north of the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers, whenever the Indian title to the same should become extinguished. By a tteaty made with the Winnebago Indians November 1, 1837, all lands belonging to that tribe east of the Mississippi River were ceded to the United States. This cession put the General Government in possession of land north of the Wisconsin, and the limits of the land districts were extended to the new territory which was ordered to be surveyed, the survey being finished in 1845. All of this territory, with the exception of the reserved mineral lands was open to entry at $1.25 per acre. This reservation of the mineral lands from entry was afterward a large-sized bone of contention between miners and the Government, and terminated in these lands being offered for sale in 1847 ; a history of these troubles will be found in another portion of the work. In 1842, the land ofljice was removed to Muscoda, where it remained a number of months, when it was again returned to Mineral Point. The little log "seven-by-nine" structure which served as Uncle Sam's domicile, while exchanging land for cash at iJluscoda, was still standing up to a recent date.

Early Highways And Fereibs

Means of communicating with different parts of the country are early recognized by dwellers in any section as something indispensable. The savage denizen of the forests, as yet uninitiated into the mysteries of wheeled vehicles, depending mainly upon the means of locomotion furnished him by nature, or at the best, employing for long stages of travel that muchabused, much-enduring beast the "Indian pony," needed but a narrow pathway known lOi early parlance as a " trail." These arteries linking the different villages one to another, furnishing alike means for the solitary traveler, the hunting party, or the hideous, bedaubed warriors intent upon plunder and scalps, to attain their different ends, and was deemed quite sufficient by the first inhabitants of the soil. These trails were only wide enough for one person, making " Indian file " always the order of march, a phrase that was long remembered by settlers and their descendants. To the early white men, but little removed from his Indian companions in point of civilization, the Indian trail furnished ample means for pursuing his desire for pelts and pelf, and he gave but little heed to any improvement in this direction. Hence, when the early pioneers, those men of brawn and muscle, whose strong arms and stout hearts were to make a pathway that should serve as an entering-wedge for the advancing civilization made their appearance. They found slow travel along winding trails, or, slower but much more pleasant, drifting down the sparkling streams, the only mode of reaching the point which was to be their future home.

As in all other portions of the country so it was in Grant County, trails crossing and recrossing led in every direction, but of genuine highways, broad and passable, there were none. What were put down on the early survey as roads were, with one or two exceptions, only an enlarged edition of these trails. A road was early inaugurated from Galena to Mineral Point and Dodgeville, that passed up through the present townships of Hazel Green and Smelser, leaving the latter township in the northeast quarter of Section 12. This road running almost wholly through a prairie country, was passable for teams from the beginning of settlement, but can hardly be classed as a properly laid out road. Other trails, or so-called roads, were, as has been stated, numerous. Upon the earliest surveys of the county, these connecting links are laid down as extending between Galena and Prairie du Chien, Cassville and Prairie du Chien and between Cassville and Galena, this latter road following the ridge for a portion of its length down through the southern portion of the present township of Lancaster. Another road properly so called led from the Western Paris, then an embroyo city, and, as after circumstances proved, destined to remain such, to Galena, and another from this place to Potosi. Besides these a "mail trail " connected Prairie du Chien, Cassville and Gibralter with Galena.

Upon the transfer of this Western Territory to the United States, the chain of posts at Green Bay, "the Portage" and Prairie du Chien was established. For a time the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers were depended upon to furnish means of communication between the posts, but the long winters and inconvenience attending this absolute dependence upon this water-way, led the Government to decide upon the construction of a road between these places, and thus it comes that the first regularly built highway in Grant County was the military road constructed at Government expense.

Early in 1835, Lewis Cass, then Secretary of War, issued orders to open, lay out, and propwly construct a road between Fort Howard and Fort Crawford, by the way of Fond du Lac and Fort Winnebago. These being the " piping times of peace," the Government in a truly economical vein determined to use the muscle' and intelligence encased in United States uniforms in its construction. Accordingly the soldiers at Fort Crawford were ordered to construct that portion of the road lying between Prairie du Chien and the " Portage." Those stationed at Fort Winnebago were to build the portion extending from the " Portage " to Fond du Lac, while the remainder of the distance from the latter place to Green Bay was put into the hands of the military stationed at Fort Howard for construction. The soldiers stationed at these three posts were under the command of Brig. Gen. George Mercer Broke, and composed the Fifth Regiment of the standing army. The road was laid out by Lieut. Centre and James Duane Doty. Mr. ^otys assistance was secured, as he was much better acquainted with the route over which the road was to pass, than any other man in the Territory.

It was, however, a shade better than no road at all, and in a fashion answered its purpose for some years. It passed through Grant County along what is now known as " Military Ridge." From the Blue Mounds it followed the old Indian trail to the northwest of Lake Mendota, and thence via Fort Winnebago, Waupan and Fond du Lac to its eastern terminus, Fort Howard. For many years it was quite a well-traveled road, owing to the scarcity of other lines of travel, but as the country filled up and other roads better and more direct between dififerent points were constructed, this highway fell into disuse.

First and last, a considerable sum of money was laid out on this " connecting link," as will be seen by the following report made by Capt. T. J. Oram to Congress, September 1, 1839, In this report the Captain says :

" Commencing at Prairie du Chien and running east as far as to the Blue Mounds, this road is laid on the ridge dividing the waters flowing toward the north from those flowing toward the south. At the Blue Mounds, this dividing ridge deflects toward the northeast, and continues on this course to within about four miles of Fort Winnebago, where it is lost in a summit level denominated ' the Portage.' This remarkable summit is one among a few others of similar character in our country, possessing the property of dividing the waters flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from those flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The part of the road from Fort Crawford to 'the Portage,' a distance of about one hundred and fifteen miles, will need the sum of $5,700 to be expended, chiefly in the repairs and construction of small bridges and the opening of ditches, which are not only necessary to the immediate use of the road, but also to the preservation of the road itself. The construction of a safe and permanent road across ' the portage,' for about four miles, will re][uire the sum of $5,995. Owing to the periodical overflowing of this summit level, the road across it is rendered utterly impassable, and continues so for several days at a time, amounting to some weeks during each year. At such time, the United States mail and travelers to Fort Winnebago are obliged to be taken around on a circuitous route of about fifteen miles, crossing a lake on the way, in order to reach the desired point, and it is not unfrequently the case that the unwary traveler is led into the middle of ' the portage ' before he becomes fully apprised of his danger, when, all of a sudden, his horses are mired in the midst of a flood of water, from which he finds it impossible to extricate his team, and might perish in sight of the fort but for the assistance of the soldiers, who come off" in canoes to his rescue. A thorough and critical examination has been made, with a viesv of constructing a road around the portage. It is found, however, that the cost of such construction, besides an increase of distance and the inconvenience of a ferry, would quite equal the cost of making the present road good and safe at all times.

" The sum required to complete the construction of the part of the road between Fort Winnebago and the south end of Lake Winnebago, a distance of about sixty miles, is $6,320. The land in the vicinity of this portion of the road is of good quality, and similar in most respects to that described elsewhere m this report. From the south end of Lake Winnebago to within about six miles of Fort Howard, at Green Bay, the road is exceedingly bad, and the cost of transportation over it is a heavy tax upon the settlers, and tends greatly to retard the settlement of the whole tract of country between Green Bay and the Wisconsin River."

" The cost of constructing the road from Fond du Lac to Green Bay, about fifty-six miles, would be $17,292, to be expended in bridging, ditching, and filling the wet places with durable materials, all of which exist in abundance on the road. Thus, the whole sum required to complete the construction of the military road from Fort Crawford, by Fort Winnebago to Fort Howard, the extent of about two hundred and thirty-five miles, amounts to $35,267. This sum, with strict economy in adopting the most simple kind of construction, would not more than cover the cost of completing this road, which, in a military point of view, is of unquestionable HP?"^' tance, connecting, as as it does, a chain of military posts, which the safety of the people of Wisconsin and the north part of Illinois will require to be maintained for some years to come.

At the second session of the Territorial Legislature, the necessity for more convenient thoroughfares of travel, is shown hy numerous acts locating roads in diflFerent portions of the State. But one road, however, was provided for in Grant County, the Council and House of Representatives enacting, " That Jonathan Craig, William Davidson and Stewart McKee are hereby appointed Commissioners to locate and establish a Territorial road from Osceola, in the county of Grant, to Belmont, in the county of Iowa, by way of Platteville. The Commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at Platteville, on or before the first Monday of August next, and proceed to the discharge of the duties assigned them by this act, according to the provisions of the act regulating the mode of laying out Territorial roads, passed at the last session of the Legislative Assembly.

" Section 2. The County Commissioners of the counties of Grant and Iowa, shall audit and pay the expenses in their respective proportion to the amount of the road laid out by each. The Commissioners shall receive each $3 per day for the time necessarily employed in the discharge of the duties assigned them by this act."

This was the first Territorial road laid out in Grant County. Previous to this, however, Daniel Burt, an early settler, who had located in the present township of Waterloo, on the River, and erected a mill, had opened several roads, one eleven miles in length, to Cass- -ville, one eight miles to Potosi, another to Beetown, eight miles in length, and still another to Hurricane Corners, six miles away.

Perhaps no better illustration of the difficulties and inconveniences which beset the path of the early pioneers, in attempting to get from one point to another, can be given than the following : Soon after Mr. Burt's settlement at his new home the supply of food ran short, and, failing to receive any from St. Louis as he had expected, started for Paris, on the Platte, the nearest point at which provisions could be purchased. To reach that place with a team, it was necessary to take a circuitous route, first to McCartney's, eight miles, then to Beetown, thence to Lancaster, and from there on to Potosi and Paris. His starting-point had been only eight miles from Potosi, but there was no road between the two points, and Mr. Burt was therefore obliged to perform a roundabout journey of forty-four miles to reach his destination, which, but for lack of a short stretch of road, would have been only a short trip of twelve miles. He arrived at his destination, and returned as far as a cabin situated on the present site of Potosi, where he stopped overnight. In the morning, a start was made for home, through the timber, over a route that had never before been traveled by man or beast. Mr. Burt was accompanied by a man to drive, while he himself selected the route and cut away the trees. They reached Boice Creek, about half way, by 10 o'clock, and with but little diflSculty. At that point they met with a formidable obstruction. The Mississippi was high, and the water covered the bottoms -of the creek a quarter of a mile to the depth of eighteen inches ; and in the channel of the some forty to forty-five feet wide, the water was ten feet deep. The wagon was a new one and the box was reasonably tight. After caulking up some of the open places with leaves, the wagon was placed on the verge of the perpendicular bank with the provisions aboard to be forced by the driver into the channel when all was ready. Mr. Burt then swam the horses over the creek and placed them in readiness with whiffletrees and chain attached ; he then cut a grape vine and fastened one end of it to the pole of the wagon, and took the other end in his teeth. Having swam the length of the vine, he ordered his companion to force the wagon into the creek, which he did, and this odd craft, floating with its load in fine shape, was towed by Mr. Burt across the stream until it reached the opposite side, when the horses were hitched on and all brought safely over the bottom. The blufi" was then ascended without diflSculty, and they arrived opposite their home about 1 o'clock. Here another obstruction was met. For some distance either way the blufi" was steep and rocky. A point where timber had been rolled was selected, the inclination being about thirty degrees from perpendicular. All the wheels were chained, and a tree, fifteen inches in diameter and with a wide expansive top, was felled, «nd chained to the hind axle-tree. Thus fixed, the descent was made in tine shape, and the <argo was safely landed.

After the organization of the county, among the first acts of the County Commissioners was the meeting of this demand for inter-county communication. At a meeting of this hody, held May 4, 1838, M. De Tandebaratz - better known as Detantabar - presented a petition for the laying- out of a road between Platteville and Paris, on the Platte River, notice having previously been published and no objections raised. Ralph Carver, James Gilmore and James H. Dixon were appointed Commissioners to locate a road in accordance with the request of the petitioner, upon the latter's depositing the sum of $25, as required by law.

At the same meeting, the same person presented a second petition, signed by himself and others, asking for a road from Lancaster to Galena, 111., via Paris, said road to run to State line. James Bonham, Jonathan Craig and Enos P. Wood, were appointed as a commission to lay out the wished-for road, as soon as the petitioners should deposit $30.

Still another petition was presented by Asa E. Hough, for a road from Cassville " by the best and most practicable route via La Fayette, on toward Galena, to the State line of Illinois." Elias Dean, Orris McCartney and Benjamin Kilbourn were appointed Commissioners to lay out this road, the applicants being first required to deposit the sum of f36.

The list ends with a petition presented by Daniel R. Burt, the settler whose adventures are chronicled above, praying for the location of a road from Cassville, via Burt's Mills, "to the most eligible point in the Snake Diggings by the most practicable and best route." The petitioner's cry was granted upon the deposit of $15, and a commission, consisting of Isaac Dodge, F. A. Sprague and E. P. Wood, was appointed to locate the wished-for road. With the opening of the country, as the years wore on, new thoroughfares were opened, until now every district and farmhouse has its connection with the main arteries, and the difficulties, not to say dangers, surrounding travel in the early days of settlement, are only remembered, as are other tales of pioneer experiences, in a traditional and fragmentary way.

Ferries. - While the early Indian, from the very necessities of the case, was obliged to establish trails as means of communication with his neighbors, he was far from perceiving the necessity of providing permanent means of crossing the streams, numerous or otherwise, which might intersect these forest pathways. He considered himself fortunate if a stray canoe should happen to furnish the means of a dry and convenient passage across the brawling obstructor, but if this was absent, the copper-colored inhabitant, not being troubled with that superabundance of clothing rendered necessary by modern civilization, plunged in, and stoutly breasted the miniature waves or swift-sweeping currents, and, with a few muscular strokes, landed on the opposite shore, and pursued his way without giving a second thought to his interceptor. In this, the first explorers of the country, and those who visited it later on, were fain to follow the example of their dusky companions and predecessors, and it was a number of years before ferries, with their rude but safe appliances for conveying the traveler dry shod over the larger streams, were established. Gradually, however, as settlers began to come in, and the inconvenience of a cold bath, not to mention the great disadvantages of swimming cattle and himself, soon brought about a new order of things in the shape of fixed ferries at certain accessible points. The construction of the military road in 1835 brought in its train the establishment of the first legally authorized ferry, at the point where the military road crossed the river. This ferry was run by a Canadian Frenchman by the name of Jean Brunei, a shrewd, hard-working, enterprising representative of that class without whose aid the great Northwest country might have lain many years longer, covered with the darkness of uncertain tradition. By means of a flat-boat propelled by poles, oars, or transferred from point to point by means of ropes, as occasion served, Brunet was wont to convey the early settler, the wandering hunter, or detachment of troops, across the broad bosom of the Wisconsin. On the north shore of the river the ferryman had erected a comfortable stone house, one of the first erected in this western country, and combined the avocation of tiller of the soil with that of ferryman. Brunet was succeeded by Jean Barrette, whobought out the original proprietor, and so satisfactorily had the ferry been conducted that, upon the second session of the Legislature, in the latter part of 1837, the early legislators granted to- Barrette, his heirs and assigns, permission "to establish and keep a ferry across the Wisconsia

River at that place where the military road running from Prairie du Chien to Fort Winnebago crosses said river, for the term of ten years from and after the passage of this act." Section second of the same act provided, " that no district, county, or Board of County Commissioners shall have power to grant license to any person to establish a ferry across said river within one mile immediately above or immediately below the place aforesaid."

At the same session an act was passed authorizing " William Walker and Joseph H. D. Street their heirs and assigns to establish and keep a ferry across the Mississippi River at Cassville in Grant County, and for one-fourth of a mile below and one-fourth of a mile above said town to the west bank of said river, and for one mile below the mouth, of Turkey River, for the term of ten years from and after the passage of this act ; provided, said Walker and Street shall keep, or cause to be kept, a good and sufficient horse or steam ferry-boat, at the place aforesaid, for the safe conveyance of passengers, horses, cattle or hogs across said stream without delay ; and provided, also, that said ferry, when so established, shall be subject to the same laws, and under the same restrictions as other ferries are, or may hereafter be, in this Territory."

Still another act granted the required authority to James P. Cox and Justus Parsons to establish a ferry across the Grant and Mississippi Rivers, at Parson's Landing, in the county of Dubuque, to the town of Osceola, in Grant County.

This act was confirmed at a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, held April 2, 1838, when it was " Ordered that license to keep a ferry across the rivers of Grant and Mississippi issue to James P. Cox and Justus Parsons, at the following place : From J. P. Cox's landing, Osceola, to Jones' Island, and from said island to Parsons' Landing west of the Mississippi River, and at the following rates of ferriage, viz. : Ferrying a person from Osceola to said island, 18-J cents; each head of neat cattle, 16-| cents ; each hog, 4 cents ; each sheep, 3 cents. For carriages of all kinds, 8J cents each wheel ; double the foregoing rates for crossing the Mississippi River from said island to said Parsons' Landing, and for crossing both the rivers around the island, quadruple the sum for crossing the Grant."

These ferries were soon after established, and furnished means for crossing their respective streams for many years. Through the interior of the county but few ferries were known, fords taking their place until the advent of that emblem of civilization - the bridge. Near Paris, at an early date, a ferry had been established across the Platte, under private auspices. At certain seasons of the year, these fords were extremely treacherous and unsafe, owing to the swiftness of the currents of the streams, and numerous accidents combining in rare instances a distressing loss of life told of the dangers lurking in the riotous depths of these on-rushing waters. Soon, however, with the advent of properly laid out roads came the accompaniment of bridges, and only the remembrances of the lurking dangers in the silent depths remained to haunt the spot.

Probably no section of the Western country has had more projected railroads to the square mile, compared with the actual railroad facilities, than Grant County. Local lines and trunk lines have been from the earliest times almost annually projected in all parts of the county, running m all conceivable directions, and with varied termini. " Great expectations " might well he the characteristic applied to the railroad interests of Grant County. As a matter of fact, until within two years previous to this writing the larger part of the county has been left without railroad connection.

As early as 1836, a railroad was chartered in the county. Early in the session of the first lerritorial Legislature an act was passed incorporating the " Belmont & Dubuque Railroad V'Orapany." Section 8 of this act gave the company power "to construct a single or double track railroad from the town of Belmont, in Iowa County, to the nearest and most eligible point on the Mississippi River within the Territory; and they shall have power to extend the railroad if they shall deem it expedient, from Belmont to Mineral Point, and from thence to Dodgeviile in the said county of Iowa, with power to transport, take and carry property by the power and force of steam, of animals, or of any other mechanical or other power, or of any combination of them ; and they shall also have power to make, construct and erect such warehouses, toll-houses carriages, cars, and all other works and appendages necessary for the convenience of said company in the use of said railroad." In a subsequent section it is " Provided, that the toll on any species of property shall not exceed fifteen cents per ton per mile, nor upon any passengers more than six cents each per mile." This was the second road chartered in the State, the first being the La Fontaine Railroad Company, to run from La Fontaine, on the Fox River, to Winnebago City.

The incorporators of the Belmont & Dubuque Railroad were John Atchinson, Francis K. O'Ferrall, William I. Madden, James Gilmore, John Foley, Charles Bracken, Richard McKinn Robert McPherson and Paschall Bequette. This road was never built.

The next railroad of which historic mention is made, was one agitated in 1843 and 1844. It had more important termini than the first one - no less, in fact, than Lake Michigan and the Pacific Ocean. It was proposed by Ira Whitney, of New York, as a part of a trans-continental route, intended to afibrd a means of reaching Oregon, a section then coming into notice. Aid was solicited from Congress, but the project was never carried out, or even begun.

In 1843-44, the subject of a road from Grant County to the lake was warmly agitated, the object being to afibrd a means of transit for the vast quantities of lead ore then being mined in this section. Galena, however, opposed the road, thinking it would interfere with her jobbing trade. Potosi was anxious for the road. A committee was appointed, of which Maj. G. M. Price, of Cassville, was Chairman, to report to the House of Representatives the practicability and expediency of the construction of a road from Potosi to Lake Michigan. The road was projected on two routes, one to run up the hollow at Potosi and pass near Lancaster and Fennimore ; the other nearer Platteville ; and $20,000 per mile was thought to be a liberal estimate for building. The income was estimated to be 5J per cent upon the investment.

In 1845, a continuous line of railroad from Maine to the Mississippi was talked of, and in that connection a road from Chicago to Galena was proposed, of which Potosi was to have a branch. The outcome of this efi"ort was the " Galena & Chicago " Railroad, but it did not enter Grant County.

The same year a project was formed for an immense system of railroads to be concentrated at Pensacola, Fla., of which the Illinois Central (as now built) was to be a part; and it was to be extended north through Potosi.

In 1847, a company was chartered to construct a railroad from Lake Michigan " to the Mississippi, in the county of Grant." Among the charter members were J. H. Rountree and Samuel Wilson. In 1849, the terminus was fixed at Cassville, and William Prideaux, M. K. Young, and C. L. La Grave added to the commission.

The Milwaukee & Waukesha Company was authorized, in 1848, to extend its road to the Mississippi, in Grant County. In 1850, its name was changed to the Milwaukee & Mississippi, and enthusiasm ran very high. Meetings were held along the line, and J. T. Mills wrote from Madison that upward of $600,000 had been subscribed, and it was proposed to loan out the school fund to the enterprise. The road was contracted to Waukesha, including T rails and equipment, at $11,350 per mile. As the terminus was to be at or near the northern limits of Grant County, the people took a deep interest in it, as affording the first means of outlet for their products. It was to run through Dodgeviile, and under that expectation the " Potosi & Dodgeviile " road secured a charter, intending to form a connection with the road at Dodgeviile. At this period the lead mines were at the zenith of their production ; the extent of the underground wealth was vastly exaggerated, while the discovery had been made that the surface, so long supposed to be comparatively unproductive, was valuable for agricultural purposes. Hence, the residents considered that they were soon to be in the very center of travel and oi population. It was confidently expected and predicted that the " future metropolis of the Mis- sissippi " would lie within the limits, or close upon the confines of Grant County. The Milwaukee Commercial Advertiser, in speaking of the above-mentioned road, said, in July, 1851 : " The rush of business and travel through this great artery of communication and trade, will scarcely find its parallel in the West, if in any portion of the United States."

The Herald of March 27, 1851, announced that books of subscription to the capital stock of the Potosi & Dodgeville Railroad would be opened at Potosi, Platteville and Lancaster, as required by the act. April 24, the Potosi Republican stated that 400 shares had been taken in that place up to that time. During that year, and the early part of 1852, meetings were held at various places in the county, in the interest of the projected line. In October, 1851, a meeting was held at Lancaster, Judge M. M. Jackson Chairman and J. Allen Barber Secretary. The speakers and all present united in the opinion that immediate steps should be taken toward organizing the company ; and Mr. B. F. Woods was appointed to solicit subscriptions to the stock. December 11, 1851, a meeting was held at the Methodist Church, Potosi, to awaken popular interest. F. H. Bonham was President and George H. Stuntz Secretary. Messrs. Bonham, Vance and Block were appointed to canvass their respective neighborhoods to secure subscriptionsto the stock. December 20, 1851, another meeting was held at the same place to complete the subscription to 1,000 shares of stock in this road, the same having been nearly subscribed previously. February 17, 1852, another meeting was held at Potosi at which a resolution was passed instructing the commissioners of the projected line to correspond with the directors of the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad and of the Galena & Chicago Railroad for the purpose of obtaining their views and intentions -regarding a consolidation with the proposed road. The road, however, never proceeded further than this, owing to a change of route in the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad, by which it terminated at Prairie du Chien instead of in Grant County as called for by the charter. In 1852, the " Southern Wisconsin Railroad " was projected and chartered ; and in November of that year a survey was made from Janesville to- Dubuque, the route running as follows : Beginning at Dubuque, up the river on the west, to Eagle Point, crossing the Mississippi a little below the place where a lithograph or imaginary city was laid out in 1835 or 1836, on Section 20, Township 1, Range 2 ; thence northwest along the east bank of said river to Sinipee, on Section 7 ; thence northeast to Gilmore'sfarm, and the place known as "Bulgero," on the Platteville and Galena road ; thence east toward Janesville. The intention of the company was to let the contracts at once, and it is stated that the route of descent to the Mississippi was by easier grades and with less expense than by any route above Dubuque. August 24, 1853, an election was held in the town of Potosi, on the question of taking stock in the proposed road, on condition that the company would extend a branch to that place. The amount of stock to be subscribed was f 50,000, and the vote resulted as follows :

During September Judge Jackson canvassed portions of the county, for the purpose of obtaining subscriptions to stock. The Potosi people claimed that both their location and harbor facilities would bear favorable comparison with any point on the western limits of Wisconsin ; that a harbor might be made on Grant River, by means of a canal, equal or superior to that of Galena or Uubuque. It was predicted that the canal once opened to the Mississippi, upper river boats would be constantly coming in in search of passengers and freight ; and if Potosi was a railroad terminus, it would monopolize trade from Galena, Cassville and Prairie du Chien. As to the site for a city, the Potosi Republican claimed that the "Hollow " was " sufiicient in extent to accommodate any reasonable population that might wish to 'borough ' here together," say forty OT fifty thousand. It was also contemplated to form a connection with the Illinois Central at jJunleith, which was then in course of construction, a distance of only fifteen miles from Potosi. JNeither of these roads however were built. Dnrinfr the latter tiart of 1880. the Chicajro.

Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, the present proprietor of the former " Milwaukee & Mississippi," graded the line to Gratiot on the Mineral Point Railroad, which, as well as the Platteville & Calamine, it had recently acquired by purchase, with the intention, which will very probably be realized, of continuing the line thus formed from Milwaukee via Janesville and Monroe, to Platteville, and from the latter place to Dubuque, possibly upon the very route surveyed nearly thirty years previous.

All the agitation has resulted in nothing, and until 1854, the inhabitants of Grant County were a long distance from the pathway of the iron horse. In October of that year, however the Illinois Central Railroad was opened to Galena, which being the principal market, boti of supply and shipment for Grant County, and only six hours distant from its center, the event was looked upon with great interest by the people of the county, being the first rail communication available to them. For two years it continued to be the only outlet. In 1852, the Madison & Prairie du Chien Railroad had been incorporated, to run along the northern boundary of the county; in 1853, it was consolidated with the Milwaukee & Mississippi Company, and, during 1864-55, the construction of the road was proceeded with. It ran westward from Madison, entering the valley of the Wisconsin at Mazomanie, and Grant County at Muscoda, running within its borders to Woodman, a distance of twenty-two miles. In September, 1856, the road-bed was completed to the Grant County line, and, on the 1st of October, the cars entered the county at Muscoda, which was the first visit of the iron horse to Grant County.

In 1853, the Western Wisconsin Railroad & Mining Company was authorized to construct a railroad from Hazel Green to Prairie du Chien. Its Grant County Commissioners were N. Dewey, B. C. Eastman, J. Allen Barber, D. R. Burt, J. H. Rountree, Jefferson Crawford, John Edmonds and Charles McCoy.

In 1854, the Potosi & Dodgeville Company was authorized to extend its road through -Cassville, N. Dewey, D. McKee and others being made Commissioners.

In 1856, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company was chartered. The head of Lake Superior, and any point on the west side of the Mississippi not south of Wisconsin, were to be its starting points. Among the corporators were William Hull, J. Allen Barber and Nelson Dewey.

In 1856, the Legislature chartered the Muscoda & State Line Railroad, to run on the Fourth Principal Meridian. It was said that Galena was ready to help it with her capital; Platteville was pledged for a considerable amount, and the farmers along the line would push it to completion. The road as projected was never built.

In 1857, the Western Wisconsin Railroad was incorporated, to run from below Jamestown to Prairie du Chien. W. E. Parish, B. Hutchinson, Nelson Dewey, S. B. Lewis, 0. Cole, J. A. Barber, N. W. Kendall and A. W. Ewing were the organizers.

The Platteville & Calamine Railroad was incorporated March 15, 1861. The corporators were M..M. Cothren, D. W. Jones, Hanmer Robbins, E. Bayley, Samuel Moore, John H. Rountree, Noah Virgin, Nelson Dewey and others. The capital stock was $500,000, and authority was given in the charter to construct a road from Platteville to Calamine. In 1863, the charter was amended so as to authorize the extension of the road to the Mississippi, and to Monroe. It was intended as a link in a chain connecting Milwaukee and Dubuque. In September, 1863, meetings were held in Milwaukee, Dubuque and other places along the line, at which a good deal of interest was manifested, and the result was a subscription to the stock oi the road by the various towns. In the latter part of 1866, the people of Jlatteville became thoroughly awakened in regard to the building of this road, which would give them connection with the Mineral Point road, running through La Fayette County to Warren, in Illinois, on the Illinois Central. In January, 1867, a bill was introduced into the Assembly by Hon. Hanmer Robbins, of Platfeville, authorizing the people of that place, Lima and Harrison to vote aid to the Platteville & Calamine Railroad, on condition that the cars should run through to Platteville by September 1, 1868. At the same session a bill was passed authorizing the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien road to continue their Southern Wisconsin branch from Monroe to Dubuque. This road would have run nine miles south of Platteville, and was opposed by the people of that village. The opposition in fact was so great that it gave rise to "the great stragcle in the Legislature" of that year. A-fter it became a law, the opposition immediately applied to the courts to enjoin action under it, claiming it unconstitutional. The court sustained the opposition in part, which prevented the consolidation with any road west of the

In August, 1867. the people of Platteville, Elk Grove and Kendall subscribed stock to the amount of $270,000, in the Platteville & Calamine Railroad. In the latter part of 1869, the work was so far advanced that the road-bed was graded, and the iron had begun to be laid, and it was finally opened to Platteville July 1, 1870, and of this road the Witness said : " The road was built most of the way through a section of country, the citizens of which gave it no encouragement, and nearly without aid, except what the people of Platteville and Mr. Beecher, proprietor of the Mineral Point Railroad gave."

In 1865, M. K. Young, C. L. La Grave, S. E. Lewis and others procured a charter to construct the Dunleith & St. Croix Railroad. It would have passed through Jamestown, Paris, Waterloo, Potosi, Cassville, Glen Haven, Bloomington and Wyalusing. It is said that one or two members rode into the Legislature on this road, but this was the only riding done upon it.

The Oshkosh & Mississippi Railroad Company was chartered in 1866, to build a road from Oshkosh to any point on the Mississippi or any point on the State line in Grant County. Among its incorporators Hanraer Robbins, W. W. Field and Addison Burr. In 1868, a route was surveyed from Fennimore to some point opposite Guttenberg, Iowa, two miles below Glen Haven. The routes to the Mississippi were all too steep, except by the valley of Sandy Creek, which enters the Mississippi three miles below Glen Haven. Some of the towns appropriated money to pay for these surveys. It was expected that twenty miles of this road (the Oshkosh & Mississippi) would soon be running, and that work would soon be begun on the west end. The road had been projected in 1866, to run in a southwesterly course from Oshkosh to the Mississippi, with the object of affording a connection between the vast lumber interests and iron mines of the northeastern part of the State and the Mississippi River, and would give Grant County an outlet in both directions.

January 28, 1868, the Herald said : "About one year ago we deemed it possible that Grant County might fall heir to several railroads, one centrally through the county ; another along the Mississippi, another from Mineral Point north by way of Muscoda ; a fourth, the Platteville & Calamine, and perhaps a fifth, the Southern Wisconsin ; all in addition to the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien."

In 1868, an act was passed in the Legislature authorizing the towns of Blue River Valley to vote aid to a branch road from some point on the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien road, to Montfort or Wingville.

In 1869, Nelson Dewey, William Humphrey, H. A. W. McNair, W. P. Dewey, J. C. Holloway, D. T. Parker, B. M. Coates, W. W. Field and W. 0. Thomas formed the Military Ridge « want County Railroad Company, to construct a road from the northeast side of the county through Fennimore, Lancaster and Cassville to McGregor.

The Wisconsin & Dubuque Railroad Company was organized in 1869, to construct a road from Shullsbnrg through Grant County, to the famous fatal " point on the Mississippi."

In 1870, the Dubuque, Platteville & Milwaukee Company (formerly the Plattville & Calamine) was authorized to extend its road to the mouth of the Platte, and thence to Cassville, and connect with the Military Ridge Railroad.

In 1871 , another company was chartered to construct a railway from Dunleith along theriver shore, through Potosi and Cassville to St. Croix. The same year the Eastern & Mississippi Company was organized, to construct a road from ShuUsburg to the Mississippi.

In 1871, it was proposed to extend the Mineral Point road northwest to the Mississippi, thence to Tomah, making a through line from St. Paul to Chicago, nearly sixty miles shorter than any other. October 20, 1871, an election was held in Potosi on the question of voting aid to the Dubuque, Platteville & Milwaukee Railroad, the vote standing sixty-one majority in favor of aid to the extent of $40,000 ; at that time there had been voted by towns along the line, the amount of $120,000, and with the sum raised and expended by Platteville, the amount of $240,- 000. The " Wisconsin Midland Railroad " was organized under the general laws of 1872 with the same object as the previously projected " Oshkosh & Mississippi Railroad," the route being^ from Oshkosh through Portage to Arena, then to Mineral Point, Platteville and Dubuque. In 1873, the company issued its prospectus, and some enthusiasm prevailed along the line.

The " Galena & Southern Wisconsin Narrow-Gauge Railroad " was projected in 1871. It was a Galena institution, originated by capitalists of that city, with a view of drawing to it the trade of the fertile region of the east half of Grant, and the west half of Iowa and La Fayette Counties, to the Wisconsin River. Surveys were made during 1871, and the route reported as feasible.

In May, 1872, the contract was let for building the road from Galena to Fennimore, to be completed as far as Belmont the same year. On November 14, an election was held in Platteville to vote on the question of taking sufficient stock to induce the company to build it by way of that village, which was not at first intended. The proposition was carried by a vote of two to one, assuring the building of the road to Platteville. Work was carried on during the summer and fall. During that year, officers of the road visited the towns asking subscriptions of stock. The terminus of the road was to be at Cassville. In the fall of 1874, the road had been graded and bridged to Platteville, and the iron and material was on hand to place the road in running order. Under the agreement by which Platteville had been induced to aid this project, the road was to be in running order in one year's time from the time such aid was voted ; an extension had, however, been granted until the 1st of January, 1875. At that date, the first train ran into Platteville, but the rails had been hastily laid without any attention being paid to ballasting or security, and as soon as the train had been run out, the track was taken up and relaid later in a substantial manner and in the May or June following, the trains commenced running with regularity.

During 1873, the project of the " Chicago & Tomah Narrow-Gauge Railroad" was agitated. Meetings were held at various points and petitions of tax-payers in favor of aid were filed, which, by August 14, amounted to over $100,000 in the county ; a meeting held in Lancaster in June was favorable to voting $100,000 ; a vote in Fennimore, July 10, resulted in the defeat of any aid by fourteen votes ; on this , account, a proposition of the company to Lancaster was withdrawn and no vote was ordered.

In 1872, a route had been surveyed from Lancaster to connect with the road up the Kickapoo. But the project seems to have blown over for the time. In January, 1875, Lancaster had another severe attack of the railroad fever. A meeting was held January 16, largely attended, which voted unanimously in favor of a 5-per-cent tax on the assessed valuation, provided a road was brought to Lancaster from any point. Some favored connection with Dubuque, others with Platteville and Galena. Enthusiastic meetings were held at Potosi and EUenboro, also February 11 at Dubuque, attended by delegates from Lancaster and Potosi, at which resolutions were adopted favoring railroad connection by any feasible route with Grant County. A ponton bridge was to be built at Dubuque, and the road run from Lancaster to Potosi and so to Dunleith. A meeting was held early in the spring at Lancaster. H. A. Moore was authorized to employ a competent engineer to survey a route from Lancaster to Platteville, ascertain the cost and report. A company was organized under the State law known as the Lancaster, rlatteville & Dubuque Railroad Company, capital $300,000. A survey was made and several routes to

Platteville found practicable. The company was chartered and organized as the " Grant County Railroad Company," President, A. A. Moore ; Vice President, Addison Burr; Treasurer, John Schreiner; Secretary, John G. Clark. Much discussion followed, and many projects were started through the stimmer of 1875. The Dubuque people were expected to assist, i was proposed that the road should be built to Specht's Ferry, and a tracked barge be put on the ferry, and a third rail on the road from there to Dubuque so that narrow-gauge cars could be run through. A special election was held at Lancaster, November 2, 1875, to vote on a proposition of the Grant County Railroad Company to build a road to Platteville on receipt of bonds for 6 per cent of the town valuation, viz., $13,000, the same not to be delivered till the road should be ready for the cars, and stock to be issued for the amount of the bonds. The result was 320 to 78 in favor of the proposition. During the winter and spring (1876), meetings were held and the enthusiasm continued. At a meeting February 25, it was voted that books of subscription be opened, and the Dunleith route be chosen, and Potosi asked to join hands. April 10, a meeting was held at Lancaster, and the Platteville route advocated ; $80,000 to ^100,000 would be required, of which $15,000 was subscribed at once. June 6, an election was held in Liberty to vote on aiding this road to the amount of $5,350 (2J per cent on the town valuation) which resulted in the defeat of the proposal. Whether this vote cast a wet blanket upon the whole scheme or not, certain it is that all the projects under consideration shared the fate of their predecessors, and Lancaster became discouraged in regard to its prospects of ever having railroad communication with the outside world. Up to the close of 1877, out of all the efforts that had been made for nearly forty years, the only result was a few miles of the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien road, along the eastern part of the north line of the county ; a still fewer number of miles of the Platteville & Calamine road, and the small end of the Galena & Southern Wisconsin Narrow-Gauge terminating at Platteville, and as the railroadbuilding era seemed to have passed, it was not supposed that any would ever be built. Matters remained thus for a year or two, when D. K. W. Williams, President of the Chicago & Tomah Railroad Company, again appeared upon the scene early in 1878. In March, he published a pamphlet or prospectus, in which the cost of construction was estimated at a trifle over $6,000 per mile, including rolling stock, which would be less than one-quarter the average debt of railroads in Wisconsin.

May 1, a large meeting was held at the court house, to consider a direct proposition from the Chicago & Tomah Railroad Company, namely : That if the town of Lancaster would vote a 5-per-cent aid (to wit: a subscription to first mortgage bonds to amount of $42,000), the whole amount of bonds not to exceed $5,000 per mile, the company would complete said road from a connection with the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad to Lancaster on or before November 1, 1878. The sense of the meeting was favorable to accepting the proposition ; the necessary legal steps were taken, both in Lancaster and the towns between that and the Wisconsiti River ; Liberty and Fennimore also voted aid sufficient to make up a subscription of $5,000 per mile, and by May 16, the railroad force was actively at work in the county ; and with such expedition was the work pushed that, although the cars were not running from Woodman to Lancaster by November 1, they did actually enter the town January 1, 1879, and thus the only successful ^%ttBmpt was made to penetrate with a railroad the interior of Grant County.

During 1879 and the first part of 1880, this company made efforts to continue their road from Fennimore east to Wingville, and thence to Madison, along the Military Ridge ; and also from Wingville southward toward Freeport, the original destination of the road. In 1880, the Uicago & Northwestern Company purchased the Galena & Southern Wisconsin Narrow Gauges which was then being extended northward from Platteville toward the Wisconsin River ; and ^ery soon after, also purchased the Chicago & Tomah. The termini of the two roads were, at hat time, only a few miles apart, and the gap was soon filled up by the Northwestern Company, and trains were run from Galena to Lancaster, thus giving the interior of the county an outlet 'I a southerly direction. The intention of the Northwestern Company is to change the gauge

1881 ; and an extension will probably be built westward from Lancaster, toward the Mississippi to command the trade of the fertile region around Bloomington known as Blake's Prairie.

Telegraph Line

In 1849, visions began to flash with a rosy radiance through the minds of sundry residentfl of the county, as in misty, prophetic dreams, they seemed to stand on the brink of a rich vista down which their glances rested on the bright and pleasing picture of Grant County as the disseminator of news for the teeming thousands and unborn millions. All this 'upon the word of one Henry O'Reilly, who held or pretended to hold, a patent for an improved system of Morse telegraphy. The bright and finely-spun rails on which passed, with the rapidity of thought, the chained lightning, carrying the news of weal or woe, should, said Mr. O'Reilly, be at once erected, and the county take a proud stand in the van of civilization, provided the inhabitants of the region would co-operate with him in the role of benefactors of mankind and advancers of the county's interests. The role of benefactor is ever an enticing OB'e, and what wonder that the investors were numerous. A line was erected from Dubuque to Potosi, from that point to Lancaster, thence on to Platteville, and finally terminating at Mineral Point. The line was opened in November, 1849, and communications opened with the outside world. Mr. O'Reilly passed under a cloud and went into bankruptcy, while his deluded victims struggled manfully to continue to operate their new toy with wavering success for a few months longer. In May, 1850, the Grant County Herald proposed that thirty-eight subscribers take one copy more of the paper, paying in advance, in which case the telegraph line would be sustained. This last effort, however, came to naught, and a short time later, the "connecting link " yielded up the ghost ; as the wires were of galvanized iron, numerous thoughtful dwellers along the line, daily cogitating on the bankruptcy of the affair, and consequent waste of good material, concluded that the wires would serve as excellent and indestructible clothes lines, and to this day pieces of the Grant County Telegraph Line may be seen doing duty in the lower and useful domestic scale of supporting the week's washing. This experiment is believed to have cost the investors between $6,000 and $8,000.

Population. - In 1836, the number of residents of this county was 1,643. The early Territorial Legislature soon after its organization, ordered that a census be taken throughout the Territory. By these returns, it was shown that Grant County then had a population of 2,763. The census of 1840 showed 3,926. In 1842, this had increased to 5,937. Four years later, in 1846 the population was found to have more than doubled itself, the county then containing residents to the number of 12,034. One year later, this had dropped away to 11,720. At the Governmental census in 1850, the returns for the county showed 16,169 for its population. From that time on, censuses have been taken every five years, by which Grant County shows the following steady increase: 1855, 23,170; 1860, 31,207; 1865, 33,618; 1870,37,975; 1875, 39,086. From various causes, but principally owing to the fact that Grant County's population has ever been composed in a large per cent of miners, whom " fresh fields and pastures new" in other localities will call in that direction, the census returns for 1880 show a slight percentage of loss, the present population being reported as 37,852.

Number Op Aoebs Agricultural Association

November 6, 1855, a meeting was held at Beetown for the purpose of organizing a society Tfhich should be known as the Grant County Agricultural Society. Mr. J. E. Dodge was elected -Chairman, and John Dodge, Secretary of the meeting.

On motion of Mr. James Prideaux, a resolution was passed averring the expediency of such an organization. A constitution was then presented and adopted, after which the following ofiicers were elected : President, J. E. Dodge ; Vice Presidents, William Humphrey and Edmund Haralson; Secretary, John Dodge; Executive Committee, Henry Patch, Sr., George Morris, WiUiam Carter, E. Kilby and Dr. Young. The first fair under the auspices of the new society was held at Lancaster, October 7, 8, 1856. Premiums on stock and farm produce, to the amount of |69, were offered at this meeting. Since that date a fair has been held annually at Lancaster, generally during the latter part of September. The fair grounds lie about a half-mile east of the city on a high, commanding site, and, from its dryness and general location, is well adapted for this purpose. This tract was purchased by the society, and fitted up especially for exhibition purposes. The leading men of the county have taken considerable interest in the association, and its list of life-members has numbered among the roll many of the illustrious names of the county whose bearers have passed on before.

The business of the association is managed by a board comprising the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, and the Executive Committee. All the ofiBcers are chosen annually on the second day of the fair. The present ofiBcers are President, L. M. Okey, of Cassville; L. J. Arthur, of Lancaster, Secretary ; Executive Committee.