Grant County, Wisconsin - Chapter 3: Platteville, General History, 1900

Chapter 3: Platteville, General History

First Comers and First Events - The Black Hawk War - The First School-house and Church - Small-pox - The Bevans Lead - The Gold Fever - Fires and Casualties - Town Officers - Village Officers - City Officers.

First Comers And First Events

Next to " Hardscrabble," the first mining settlement in what is now Grant County was made on the site of the present city of Platteville. Emanuel Metcalf came there in the spring of 1827 and found mineral thrown out of the hole of some animal, said to have been a badger, but more probably a coyote. Metcalf and his partner and son-in-law, Lewis, went to work and "struck a lead." Fred Dixon and his partner, Robert Roper, came the same spring, found mineral, and put up a sod cabin. Their lode was on the " East Ridge." About the same time James Danielson and his partner, Woodbridge, came and discovered a north-and-south lode on what was afterward called "Hell's Point." In the summer of 1827 Brigham, Thomas Shanley, and six others came and built a blockhouse on Blockhouse Branch, a short distance southwest of Platteville. About the first of July John H. Rountree came and looked over the ground, extending his tour of observation northward and westward as far as the site of Fennimore.

In the fall of 1827 Joseph Dixon came and began breaking up a field about a mile and a half south of Platteville, and the next year he raised twenty acres of corn - one of the first two (possibly three) cornfields in the county. This old pioneer died in 1861, aged 06.

In the fall of 1827, probably in November, John H. Rountree and J. B. Campbell bought Metcalf's lode for a sum variously stated at from $1,200 to $3,600. The two partners built a sod cabin on the creek about two hundred yards southeast of the corner of Pine and Lydia Streets, and prepared to pass the winter. They worked on all winter and took out a large amount of mineral, but there was no fur- nace nearer than Galena, and the ore was piled np near the mine to await the building of a furnace. It is said that they took out $30,000 worth in a year. William Ruby and John McWilliams came with Mr. Rountree and remained through the winter. As soon as the opening of spring would allow the work to be done, Rountree & Campbell be¬ gan the erection of a log furnace, which they completed in about two months. It was located about half way between Rountree's residence and Virgin's mill of later times. They also built a large double log cabin as a residence for themselves and the miners employed by them. It was only one story, but the loft between the ceiling and roof fur¬ nished a sleeping-place for several men.

The first white women to live in Platteville were Mrs. Metcalf and her daughter, Mrs. Lewis. The next one was the wife of Frederick Hollman, who came in the spring of 1828, with four children. James R. Vineyard came with them. Mrs. Hollman became the landlady of Rountree & Campbell's big log house. The same spring Mr. Jones and his wife and three grown daughters settled in the new settlement.

In March Mr. Rountree opened a store, the first and probably fora considerable time the only one in the present limits of the county. The goods were brought- from St. Louis via Galena. The store was in a log cabin near Mr. Rountree's after residence.

In the fall of 1828 Jacob Hooser came to Platteville and was em¬ ployed by Mr. Rountree to burn some charcoal. He was a blacksmith and found plenty of work for a time.

On August 7, 1828, Mr. Rountree was married in Galena to Miss Marj Mitchell and brought his bride to his new residence. The first marriage in the new settlement occurred August 20, 1828. James R. Vineyard, afterward a prominent citizen, was married to Miss Mary Jones, one of the three young ladies previously mentioned. The cere¬ mony was performed by an itinerant preacher named Campbell.

Of course, all this time the new settlement had a name, but it was not at first Platteville. In the fall of 1 827 it was called Platte River ; in the spring of 1828. the name was changed to Lebanon; and again in a few months to Platteville. It has been supposed that the place was named for Alonzo Platt, a prominent citizen who came to the settle¬ ment in 1828 ; but this is doubtful, as Platte River was so named be¬ fore his arrival.

the State officers of Illinois, it being supposed that Platte ville was in that State. There was a great fight between the Irishmen who came tip from Irish Hollow and the " Stickers." James R. Vineyard, who killed his iellow-legislator Arndt at a session of the Council of Wisconsin Territory, was conspicuous in this battle ; but the decisive charge was made by Major Campbell with a piece of the frame of a grindstone, with which he felled Irishmen as if it were a good knight's battle-ax.

By the fall of 1828 Platteville had about 150 inhabitants, but only five or six families. Two deaths occurred in Platteville this year : one was of a man from New Orleans, who arrived sick, and the other was of Mr. Jones, the Father-in-law of Mr. Vineyard.

Before navigation closed that year mineral fell from $16 to $8 a thousand while provisions rose - flour being $15 a barrel, sugar five {founds and coffee three pounds for a dollar. The Finney Patch was discovered that year by the Clarks. They were prospecting one Sun¬ day and sat down to rest at the forks of an Indian trail. One of them carelessly struck his pick into the ground and on raising it he turned up "float," which was soon traced to the crevice. They sold the dis¬ covery to Finney & Williams, who raised, as is estimated, 1,300,000 pounds on the patch. Metcalf made another discovery thus : He found in a ravine bits of ore turned up by the hoof of an ox that had slipped on the muddy ground. This " float" he traced to a lode which he sold to Jonathan Meeker, a smelter of Galena. It produced half a million pounds of ore. It was called the Meeker Diggings. In the winter of 1828 Finney & Cresswell discovered a lode which they sold to McClintock. It was called the McClintock Range and produced 700,000 pounds of ore. The same winter Dr. Davidson struck a streak on the Finney Patch that yielded 97,000 pounds.

Besides those already mentioned, Samuel Kirkpatrick, A. L. Orden, Alexander Willard, A. and W. Daugherty, B. B. Lawless, John Wellmaker, Walter Rowen, William Morrison, Joseph Bremmer, M. M. Woodbridge, Jesse Harrison, Benjamin James, Frederick Reamer, Isaac Yocum, Thomas Densen, Israel Mitchell, William B. Vineyard, Clark Brothers, Dr. William Davidson, Isaac Hodges (afterward a prominent business man), David Seeley, and Farnam Johnson were among the inhabitants of Platteville in 1828. F. W. Kirkpatrick came in 1827.

nace nearer than Galena, and the ore was piled np near the mine to await the building of a furnace. It is said that they took out $30,000 worth in a year. William Ruby and John McWilliams came with Mr. Rountree and remained through the winter. As soon as the opening of spring would allow the work to be done, Rountree Sc Campbell be. gan the erection of a log furnace, which they completed in about two months. It was located about half way between Rountree's residence and Virgin's mill of later times. They also built a large double log cabin as a residence for themselves and the miners employed by them. It was only one story, but the loft between the ceiling and roof fur¬ nished a sleeping-place for several men.

The first white women to live in Platteville were Mrs. Metcalf and her daughter, Mrs. Lewis. The next one was the wife of Frederick Hollman, who came in the spring of 1828, with four children. James R. Vineyard came with them. Mrs. Hollman became the landlady of Rountree & Campbell's big log house. The same spring Mr. Jones and bis wife and three grown daughters settled in the new settlement.

In March Mr. Rountree opened a store, the first and probably fora considerable time the only one in the present limits of the county. The goods were brought- from St. Louis via Galena. The store was in a log cabin near Mr. Rountree's after residence.

In the fall of 1828 Jacob Hooser came to Platteville and was em¬ ployed by Mr. Rountree to burn some charcoal. He was a blacksmith and found plenty of work for a time.

On August 7, 1828, Mr. Rountree was married in Galena to Miss Mary Mitchell and brought his bride to his new residence. The first marriage in the new settlement occurred August 20, 1828. James R. Vineyard, afterward a prominent citizen, was married to Miss Mary Jones, one of the three young ladies previously mentioned. The cere¬ mony was performed by an itinerant preacher named Campbell.

Of course, all this time the new settlement had a name, but it was not at first Platteville. In the fall of 1 827 it was called Platte River ; in the spring of 1828. the name was changed to Lebanon; and again in a few months to Platteville. It has been supposed that the place was named for Alonzo Platt, a prominent citizen who came to the settle¬ ment in 1828 ; but this is doubtful, as Platte River was so named be¬ fore his arrival.

Platteyille, General History

the State officers of Illinois, it being supposed that Platteville was in that State. There was a great fight between the Irishmen who came up from Irish Hollow and the "Suckers." James R. Vineyard, who killed his fellow-legislator Arndt at a session of the Council of Wisconsin Territory, was conspicuous in this battle ; but the decisive charge was made by Major Campbell with a piece of the frame of a grindstone, with which he felled Irishmen as if it were a good knight's battle-ax.

By the fall of 1828 Platteville had about 150 inhabitants, but only five or six families. Two deaths occurred in Platteville this year : one was of a man from New Orleans, who arrived sick, and the other was of Mr. Jones, the father-in-law of Mr. Vineyard.

Before navigation closed that year mineral fell from $16 to $8 a thousand while provisions rose - flour being $15 a barrel, sugar five pounds and coffee three pounds for a dollar. The Finney Patch was discovered that year by the Clarks. They were prospecting one Sun¬ day and sat down to rest at the forks of an Indian trail. One of them carelessly struck his pick into the ground and on raising it he turned up "float," which was soon traced to the crevice. They sold the dis¬ covery to Finney & Williams, who raised, as is estimated, 1,300,000 pounds on the patch. Metcalf made another discovery thus : He found in a ravine bits of ore turned up by the hoof of an ox that had slipped on the muddy ground. This "float" he traced to a lode which he sold to Jonathan Meeker, a smelter of Galena. It produced half a million pounds of ore. It was called the Meeker Diggings. In the winter of 1828 Finney & Cresswell discovered a lode which they sold to McClintock. It was called the McClintoek Range and produced 700,000 pounds of ore. The same winter Dr. Davidson struck a streak on the Finney Patch that yielded 97,000 pounds.

Besides those already mentioned, Samuel Kirkpatrick, A. L. Orden, Alexander Willard, A. and W. Daugherty, B. B. Lawless, John Wellmaker, Walter Rowen, William Morrison, Joseph Bremmer, M. M. Woodbridge, Jesse Harrison, Benjamin James, Frederick Reamer, Isaac Yocum, Thomas Densen, Israel Mitchell, William B, Vineyard, Clark Brothers, Dr. William Davidson, Isaac Hodges (afterward a prominent business man), David Seeley, and Farnam Johnson were among the inhabitants of Platteville in 1828. F. W. Kirkpatrick came in 1827.

ecuted above ground as well as below. Early in the spring of -1829 Pierre Teller came in and settled with his family two miles southwest of the present city. William Richards and his family and brother Daniel settled near Teller. Thomas Hugill, Ebenezer M. Orn, Thomas Cruson, Benjamin Good, and Benjamin Green were among the new comers to the settlement in 1829. Since the brief " Winnebago Fuss " of 1827, fear of Indians had passed away, and the Winnebago hunters wandered about the settlement without exciting any alarm. In 1829 a miner named Meredith, mining a few miles southwest of Platte ville, received fatal injuries in a fight and a third grave was added to the new cemetery of the nascent city. This same year 1829 the first postoffice in the limits of the present county was established at Platteville, with Mr. Rountree as postmaster. Whether the place was still sup¬ posed to be in Illinois cannot now be ascertained. Mr. Rountree was soon after appointed justice of the peace, and in fact, became a sort of Pooh-Bah for the young frontier .community.

In 1830 occurred the first birth in the new settlement, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Vineyard. The girl grew up in Platteville, was married in 1857, and went to California with her gold-hunter husband.

The Black Hawk War

In the spring of 1832 the inhabitants of the little frontier settle¬ ment were thrown into consternation by the news of the approach of Black Hawk and his band of Sauks. A company was hastily raised in PlatteviHe and vicinity. A roster of this company will be found on page 267, Part III. A stockade and blockhouse were erected in Platteville. The stockade was about a hundred feet in diameter and the blockhouse, made of logs, was about twenty feet square. It was situated near where the Gates House now stands. Another block¬ house was built on Blockhouse Branch, on the farm of Ebenezer M. Om, the one planted by Joseph Dixon in 1828. The Sauks, however, did not come very near Platteville and the war and its attendant alarms were soon over.

The tide of immigration that set into the Lead Region immediately after the Black Hawk War does not seem to have reached Platteville for a considerable time, for there is no record of more than two new comers to the place from 1829 to 1834. One was Dr. John Bevans, who came in 1832, and the other Sylvester Gridley, who came in 1831 and in 1832 struck a lode which he sold to Janies R. Vineyard, and was afterward known as the famous " Vineyard Lead/ and produced two million pounds of ore. In the same year Teller & Richards dis¬ covered a lead that yielded a million pounds before it was worked out.

The 3'ear 1834 opened a new era of prosperity for Platteville. Among the new comers that year were William Long, Samuel Moore, (afterward a prominent business man), Irvin O'Hara, Wm. Martin, John Wiley, Henry Snowdon, Richard Waller, Robert Chapman, Benja¬ min Farmer, Miles Vineyard, Richard Bonson, Robert Bonson, Samuel Huntington, Richard Huntington, and Lorenzo Bevans. In October the lands west of the Fourth Principal Meridian were put upon the market, the land office being at Mineral Point, and the settlers of Platteville had an opportunity to buy the lands on which they had located. They do not appear to have been troubled with speculators.

The First School-House And Church

In the spring of 1834 a log building 18X26 was put up on Section 16 to serve as a church and school-house. In this building was taught the first school in the county, in 1834, by Samuel Huntington. Sam¬ uel Moore began blacksmithing in Platteville this year.

In 1835 another farm was broken up by Richard Huntington in Section 24, and one by Mr. Carpenter in Section 12. Among the new¬ comers this year were Edward Estabrook, James T. Murphy, Edward Hugill, Thomas Rowe, David Crockett, Robert Meyers, Jos. Chalders, J. W. Woodcock, W. W. Barstow, Thomas Lewis, James Bonson, George Snowdon, Neely Gray (afterward member of the territorial leg¬ islature), Abner Coates, William Blundell, N. D. French, and Dr. A. R. Locey and his sister.

The village of Platteville was laid off in 1835 by Mr. Rountree. That year Rountree's frame store building was erected on the site on which his brick store stood at a later date, the frame building having been burned. It was the first frame house in Platteville and the first building to be burned. The lumber was brought from Stewart Mc¬ Kee's sawmill on the Little Platte.

In 1835 Mr. Rountree put up the building afterward known as the Adams Tavern, for a hotel, which was kept by William Blundell till June, 1837, when Ezra Adams bought it. The first house on Second Street, which afterward became the most populous street in town, was a small log cabin which, during the forties, constituted the bar of the Platteville House. It was built in 1835 by N. D. French as a " grocery." Most of the buildings at that date were along the road running from Rountree's residence to his furnace. The rest of the town site was mostly a thicket of hazel brash. There were still few families in the place ; most of the population were " old bach '' miners.

The second person to be killed in the neighborhood was a boy, the adopted son of Benjamin Good, living two miles northeast of the vil¬ lage. The boy, in the summer of 1835, was out hunting cattle when he met another boy and a quarrel and fight ensued, in which young Good received injuries which resulted fatally. The young homicide was arrested and put in jail at Mineral Point ; but he escaped by slip¬ ping past his keeper one day, and, as he afterward stated, hiding in a "sucker bole" till night, when he made his escape into Illinois and was never retaken.

In 1836 there were quite a number of new comers, among them John (afterward Rev.) Reynard, Leonard Coates, W. S. Coates, Thos. Cheseboro, Noah H. Virgin, S. O. Paine, James Durley, Wm. Robinson, and N. W. Kendall:

A formal celebration of the Fourth of July that year was held in a grove near the village. S. 0. Paine and Lorenzo Bevans made speeches ; toasts were given ; the Declaration was read, and then the crowd feasted on a barbecued ox and other refreshments, solid and liquid. Some of the "boys" took in a disproportionate quantity of the liquid, and as a result jumped upon the festal board and danced a jig, much to the detriment of the dishes and remaining refreshments.

James- Durley discovered a "lead "this year. Mr. Rountree com¬ pleted the building of a sawmill this summer. By the beginning of 1837 there were about twenty families 'in the village and an unknown number of single miners, many of them transient. There were two stores, one kept by James Mitchell and Robert Bell, and the other by Mr. Rountree. In the summer of 1837 a Methodist church was built on Main Street in the village. A regular school had been established in 1836. In 1837 two partners. Nelson and Fortune, discovered a lode afterward known as the " O'Hara Lead." It promised little at first and Fortune sold his share to Nelson for a watch and thought he was doing well. Nelson sold to O'Hara for $800. The lode produced a million pounds of ore at a very small expense

David Mayfield, and Robert Neely. Samuel Mitchell came this year and opened a farm on Section 15. Hanmer Robbins also came this year. This afterward prominent business man and legislator walked more than half way from New York to Platteville. John Huntington, came this year and opened the farm where he resided for more than Sixty years,

Benjamin and Sanford Parmer opened a "grocery " on the corner of Main and Third Streets ; Sylvester Gridley pnt np a store and resi¬ dence on the site long afterward occupied by Isaac Hodges's bank.

In 1838 the new comers to the village were Milton Bevans, Peter Bell, Bennett Atwood, Wm. C. Smith, David Kendall, Wm. McDon¬ ald, Ezra Hall, Washington Parmer, John Dickerson, Thomas Chap¬ man, Robert Snowdon, and, among others, Rev. A. M. Dixon, who became prominent as an educator. If there were any improvements in the village they have escaped remembrance- or record. Dr. John Bevans, who had left Platteville and lived three years in Mineral Point, returned and resumed practice in Platteville in 1838 or 1839.

In 1839 the new comers whose names are recorded or remembered were Edmund Bell, Cyrus K. Lord, Isaac Lord, James Adams, and William Holloway. The first newspaper in Grant County, the North¬ ern Badger , was started in Platteville this year. An extended account of it will be found in the next chapter. That year Wiram Knowlton came from Prairie du Cbien and settled in Platteville as a lawyer. He appears to have been the first to make a business of legal practice. S.

O. Paine and C. K. Lord had settled in the place; but there appears to have been little call for legal advice by the primitive settlers. In the same year came Ben C. Eastman, also a lawyer, and later a member of Congress. In 1840 Lorenzo Bevans and George W. Lakin put their cards in the Badger as attorneys. James M. Goodhue came in 1842 and practised law in Platteville until January 1, 1844, when he went to Lancaster. Thus the village became all at once bountifully supplied with attorneys, after doing without for twelve years. But there was also less honesty. In earlier days mineral was left piled up at the mines for months and never stolen ; coats, picks, gads, drills, etc., could be left any place overnight in safety ; but by 1840 this golden age was passing and before many years it bad passed, and larceny became common.

The physicians of this period were Drs. John Bevans, Joseph Basyev and J. S. Russell, all allopathists, and Dr. J. C. Campbell, eclectic. Dr. Russell died in 1857 and Dr. Basye in 1877. The developments in schools and churches will be described under those heads in the next chapter.

Among the new comers of 1840 were Timothy F. Barr, Jacob B. Penn, Robert Bell, Jacob W. Bass, James Bass, O. A. Boynton, David Gardner, and Henry C. Lane. The last set up a blacksmith shop in a log building on the site of Hendershot's store and built a frame house, part of which is still standing in the rear of Hendershot's store.

The merchants of the place in 1840 were O'Hara & Hopper, Gro¬ cery Street near Main ;J. W. & S. Bass, Mineral Street opposite the park; Sylvester Gridlev, David & N. W. Kendall, French & Baker, and L W. Link, all on Grocery Street. There were three hotels, kept by Ezra Adams, John Bevans, and French & Milton. There were four fur¬ naces: those of O'Hara & Hopper, David Seeley, the Vineyards, and Carson & Morrison. The justices of the peace were James Durley, C. K. Lord, and Hugh R. Colter. Durley had been justice for three years. Alex. C. Inman was constable and had been for two or three years.

Among the residents of Platteville at that time was the since ^fam¬ ous Mrs. E. D. E. N. South worth, whose husband (a relative of J. H. Rountree's second wife) was a tinner residing on Second Street. He had been rather "shiftless," but invented and patented a lamp from which he made considerable money, and abandoned his wife. She took to writing novels and succeeded, removing in a short time to New York, while the husband lived in California. Her tale, The De¬ serted Wife , is a sort of autobiography. She afterward lived and died in Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, D. C. She once told the ed¬ itor that the short time she spent in Platteville was the most wretched part of her life. Her husband, learning that she had become famous and wealthy, hastened to New York to effect a reconciliation; but she wanted no more of him.

The village of Platteville was incorporated by act of the legisla¬ ture approved February 19, 1841. The plat included all of Section 15, Town 3, Range 1 west. In the original survey in 1835 only nine¬ teen lots were laid out.

The first fire occurred in the village on the night of January 29, 1843. John H. Nichols had recently opened a store in the frame building built by Rountree in 1835. George R. Laughton was keeping the store for Nichols, sleeping in the building, and barely made his es¬ cape when he was aroused by the flames. The circumstances pointed to incendiarism, and such was the excitement that the event created that a public meeting was held to adopt resolutions to express the indignation of the citizens at the supposed crime.

The burned building was replaced by a brick building, the first one in the town, and the third in the county. Both the brick and the lime were burned in the vicinity of the village. J. H. Rountree was the proprietor.

An expedition from Platteville to Lake Superior copper mines was undertaken that year by residents of Platteville : James Paul, James R. Vineyard, James Hammond, and Charles Grosvenor. Paul went overland and the others from Chicago by the lakes. They located a copper mine, but were dispossessed by the military forces of the United States.

The spring was remarkable for heavy rains and terrific thunder showers. A young man and his intended bride were coming into town to be married and were caught in one of these floods. They got under the buggy for shelter, but the water from below was worse than from above, and the terrific thunder nearly frightened the bride out of her wits. However, the shower, was sh6rt, and the couple soon arrived at the Platteville House, dried out, and were happily married As the daughters of the settlers grew up and new marriageable maidens came in, marriages became very frequent. The custom of charivari was al¬ most universal. To treat the crowd on such occasions cost the bride¬ groom from five to forty dollars. But when Abner Carson was mar¬ ried at the house of John Morrison, in 1840, John went out with his shot-gun and broke up, not only that particular charivari party, but the custom itself to a great extent, respectable people no longer taking part in it. But in 1843, when a Mr. Shinn was married to the sister of Dr. Clark, enough cow-bell and horse-fiddle artists were raised to serenade the couple, not only one night, but ten or twelve consecutive nights, until the stubborn groom, who had refused to treat, yielded to a desire for quiet nights, and " set 'em up to the boys."

The Fourth in 1843 was celebrated in Platteville in more than usual style. J. M. Goodhue delivered the oration and George R. Laughton read the Declaration. He was interrupted by a newly ar¬ rived Englisfnan named Fillebrown, who protested against such abuse of his yet unrenounced sovereign.

Small-Pox

In December, 1843, an epidemic of small-pox broke out in the vil¬ lage. It was supposed to have been imported by one of the merchants returning from Milwaukee, and before the nature of the disease was ascertained its germs were considerably spread. The first death was a son of James McKernan, who resided at the corner of Second and Mineral Streets. Miles M. Vineyard was the next to die. He lived at the Platteville House, and after his death his coffin was opened in the hall of the house, at the request of the widow. It is thought that the germs of the disease were thus spread. There were five doctors in the town, Bevans, Basye, Campbell, Clark, and Castle; they disagreed in the diagnoses of the cases and in the treatment, and there were many fatal cases. There was panic in the village and it was quarantined against by the surrounding country. A committee of public safety, consisting of George R. Laughton, James McKernan, A. A. Bennett, Bennett Atwood, and "Doc" Simmons, were appointed to visit the sick, bury the dead, and look out for the public safety generally, includ¬ ing compulsory vaccination. They all came through without an at¬ tack. The population of the village was about five hundred and it is estimated that nearly half had an attack of the dread disease. The number of deaths is variously stated at from nine to twenty-five. Among those attacked was Wiram Knowlton, the lawyer. Expecting to die, he had his coffin prepared ; but he lived many years and had a good deal more experience, including that of a captain in the Mexican War. In February, 1844, the plague abated.

Some time after the passing away of the disease Isaac Hodges and George R. Laughton went to Galena and put up at the American Hotel: There they met J. Allen Barber, who began chaffing them on their recent quarantine. The guests took the alarm and went in a body to the landlord, Rosette, and demanded the expulsion of the Platteville men. Mr. Rosette would not turn them out in the night, but when they came down stairs the next morning he informed them that they did not owe him anything, but for God's sake to get out at

The Bevans Lead

One of the largest lodes ever discovered in the vicinity of Platte¬ ville was discovered by Lorenzo Be vans in 1844. Bevans was a law¬ yer, bnt he had become so fascinated with mining that he had spent all bis property and all he conld borrow in prospecting. He had been "grab-staked " by the merchants to the last limit. He had spent his last dollar in paying his windlass-man, whose time was ont at noon, bnt who consented to remain with him till night. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon of a July day when Mr. Bevans struck "wash dirt." Shoveling this out with renewed vigor, he suddenly came upon an enormous mass of mineral. That very afternoon Hanmer Robbins happened to come along, and seeing the mass, offered $500for a share, but was refused. At night he offered $1,000, but was again refused. About two million pounds of ore were taken from the lode. The dis¬ covery caused considerable excitement in the mining region and served to increase the population of Platteville considerably for a time.

Among those who came in (most of them to stay) from 1841 to 1845, inclusive, were, Joel Potter, who afterward built up a large plow factory, Joseph Robinson, Thomas Robinson, Philip Reilly, H. A. W. McNair, David Wilson, David Phillips, Paul Jeardeau (a black¬ smith), William aud Nelson Beebe, Abram Clarke, John Kemler (who put in a store on Second Street in 1844), George Huntington, P. B. McIntyre. John Stephens came from England in 1841 and opened a farm near town.

In 1842 the "Stephens Colony" came to Platteville from Corn¬ wall, England. Most of them were miners and went to mining. J. J. and W. C. Stephens went to farming. James Nichols was a wagonmaker and worked in the village as a house carpenter. Forty-nine members of this colony were members of the Stephens family.

In 1845 the brick block of E. Bayley on Main Street was built. In that year the village had a population of 1,050. The corner-stone of the Masonic Hall was laid with appropriate ceremonies May 27, 1845.

The Fourth of July was celebrated in Platteville in 1847, and a dinner given in the city park for the benefit of the Presbyterian church, which society was then erecting a church edifice. The Mexican War was then in progress, but created no great interest in Platteville, al-

The Gold Fever

In the spring of 1850 began the great exodus of gold-seekers from Platteville, as from all other parts of the Lead Region, to the Sacra¬ mento's golden gravel-beds. Miners were peculiarly susceptible to the gold fever, and Platteville's population was mostly miners. Even its professional men were often amateur prospectors. The news of the discovery came in 1849, but with a long, cold winter at hand, few ventured to start immediately. For three years the fever raged with violence. Platteville was largely depopulated. Houses and lots went begging in vain for purchasers. After a while the emigrants began to return, many of them having completely failed financially and suf¬ fered many hardships, but once in a while one returned with some¬ thing to show for his labors and trials. In the Independent American of May 4, 1853, we find an item : "J. H. Holcomb has just returned from California with a pocket full of rocks. He has one little plum which weighs about fifteen ounces avoirdupois." One such item out¬ weighed a hundred tales of loss and suffering. Among the many Ar¬ gonauts of Platteville we may note James R.and William B. Vineyard, Thomas Cruson, Dr. John Bevans, W. B. and C. D. Bevans, Judson Holcomb, John Hollman, E. M. Orn, Michael, John, and Thomas Ste¬ phens, James Moore, Henry, C.,*and T.* Eastman, Curtis Barker, Ed¬ mund T. Locke, R. T. Verran, Jackson Basye, William Gross, Joseph Funk, Octavius Hollman, Fisher Bayley, Thomas Colburn, Adolphus Holliday, Charles Wright, D. and M. Comstock, Robert Snowdon, Mi¬ lo Jones, Benjamin Green, John Gillham, John Grindell, George Hunt¬ ington, James McKernan, James Nichols, and Neely Gray. The lastnamed old pioneer returned in 1852. and died in Madison May 15, 1867, aged 57.

Mining, Platteville's principal resource before' 1850, suffered a backset from which it never recovered. The great bodies of ore, from half a million to two million lodes, had all been worked out. The magnificent agricultural resources of the township had hardly been touched. But a change came on in the early fifties : the prairies were broken up and sown to wheat, and manufactures, especially of agri¬ cultural implements, sprang up in the village.

In 1850 the village contained 12 brick and 196 frame houses, 13 log houses, 4 churches - Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist and Cath¬ olic - 1 academy, 2 district schools, 9 dry-goods stores, 2 hotels, 1 fanning-mill factory, 1 threshing-machine factory, 2 cabinet shops, 1 chair shop, 1 drug-store, 1 harness shop, 1 tin shop, 1 shoemaker shop, 4 wagon and plow shops, 2 cooper shops, 6 blacksmith shops, 1 barber shop, 2 livery stables, 2 brick-yard^, 2 billiard rooms, 3 saloons, 1 bakery, 4 lawyers, 5 doctors, and 4 tailors. The population of the township in 1850 was 2,171 ; in 1855 it was 2,789, of which 1,427 were in the village. In 1860 the population of the township was 2,858.

The War of the Rebellion found Platteville ready to do her whole duty to the country, and she poured forth soldiers as became the first town in Old Grant. Further particulars of Platteville's part in the war will be found in Part ry.

After the war anera of prosperity opened for Platteville, the draw¬ back being lack of railroad facilities. Her struggle to obtain railroads will be related in the next chapter. As the great agricultural resources of the township were developed, manufactures in the village increased and the population grew. In 1865 the population of the township was 3,039, of which 2,061 were in the village. The population of the township in 1870 was 3,683 and in 1875, 4,060.

Fires And Casualties

A serious fire occurred on the night of June 10, 1870, by which the Gates Honse, the store, warehouse, and residence of John McArthur and the bank building of I. Hodges were burned. Loss about $20,000. The fire originated in the billiard room of the Gates House about 11 o'clock at night.

On the night of April 15, 1874, occurred the most disastrous fire Platteville has ever known. The fire started in the saloon of A. S. Lottman and burned William Meyers's harness shop, John Kruse's butcher shop, C. Kistler's tailor shop, and then leaped across the street and badly damaged the house of Jacob Hooser, Sr. On the south the fire spread to the saloons of J. R. Stephens and Siemers and Thiele, the drygoods store of C. Kettler, the boot and shoe shop of T. Karrman, the cigar factory of S. Steinbach, the drug store of T. O. Drinkall, and the grocery store of D. Wilson. With a little force pump and a piece of hose Mr. Cummins saved bis building and perhaps others.

Chris Stannard met with a serious accident in a mine about five miles northeast of the city, Feb. 23, 1878. The shaft caved in and buried him under thirty feet of earth. He was rescued alive after being buried twenty-six hours. Such accidents are more rare than would be supposed. The only one previous to that we find recorded was that of William Pascoe in April, 1854, he being killed by the cav¬ ing m of the Woodcock Diggings.

On Christmas day, 1878, a terrible tragedy shocked the citizens of Platteville, the victim being one of the foremost business men and highly respected citizens of the town. Mr. E. Baylev, besides his business in town, had a farm near the city on which he kept some blooded stock, among which was a Jersey bull of which Mr. Bayley was very proud. While attending the animal, all alone, the brute became enraged from some cause and gored his master to death.

On the whole Platteville has been more exempt from murders, sui¬ cides, great crimes, and fatal accidents than almost any other town of its population during the same length of time.

In April, 1897, Platteville's centenarian, Charles Goode, died. He was born March 5, 1794, and came to Galena in 1828. In 1830 he settled near "the Blockhouse", a short distance southeast of Platteville and took part in the Black Hawk War that soon followed.

The town was organized by the County Board in January, 1849, and is Town 3, Range 1 west, containing thirty-six square miles. In territorial times the justices of the peace were appointed by the Gov¬ ernor. The following were some of these justices:

1843 - Lorenzo Bevans, George W. Link, Wm. C. Fillebrown'; 1844 - E. M. Orn ; 1846 - S. O. Paine, Harrison Bell, Bennett Atwood. The following is the roster of the town officers from the organization of the town till the present time:

Town Officers Platxeyhx8, General History

1858 - Supervisors, Samuel Moore, Stephen 0. Paine, John Ste¬ phens ; clerk, assessor, and supt. of schools, same as 1856 ; treasurer, F. E. Palmer; justices, A. R. Bushnell, N. Goodrich; constables, E. W. Coville, Hudson Thomas.

1860 - Supervisors, A. R. Bushnell, George R. Laughton, Calvin Russell ; clerk, B. P. Wyne; treasurer, B. T. Mears ; assessor, J. W. Rewey; supt. of schools, Hanmer Robbins; justices, N. Goodrich, A. R. Bushnell ; constables, J. H. Holcomb, A. K. Young.

1864 - Supervisors, Isaac Hodges, Thomas Chapman, Edward Bstabrook; clerk, treasurer, and asssessor same as preYious year; jus¬ tices, Frederick Hollman, W. H. Chapman ; constables, J. L. Rewey, E. G. Beckwith.

1871 - Supervisors same as in 1870 ; clerk, E. A. Andrews; treas¬ urer, Ludolf Longhenry ; assessor, Thomas Jenkins; justices, B. F. Wyne, Aug. Michaelis; constables, Thomas R. Hugill, J. Alford.

1872 - Supervisors, treasurer, and assessor same as in 1871 ; clerk, JoelC. Squires; justices, Engel Vanderbie, Carston Hinners; consta¬ bles, Thomas R. Hugill, Thomas Gardner.

1873 - Supervisors, N. W. Bass, Ch. Griesse, Frank Rowe; clerk, treasurer, and assessor same as in 1872; justices. B. F. Wyne, William H. Beebe; constables, Thomas R. Hugill, Judson H. Holcomb.

1876 - Supervisors, clerk, and treasurer same as in 1875 ; assessor, Engel Vanderbie; justices, Charles W. Hill, R. J. Huntington; consta¬ bles, John Cavanaugh, J. T. Davidson, James Hammond.

1879 - Supervisors, clerk, and assessor same as previous year; treasurer, Henry C. Lane; justices, B. F. Wyne, C. Weitenhiller; con¬ stables, John Cavanaugh, J. L. Rewey, S. C. Sampson.

1883 - Supervisors and assessor same as previous year; clerk, Den¬ nis J. Gardner; treasurer, Noah Hutchens; justices, Dennis J. Gardner, Jacob B. Penn, Herman Melster; constables, John Davidson, E. J. Bentley, Charles Sheets.

1887 - Supervisors, John McArthur, Anson Bennett, Peter Pitts ; clerk, treasurer, and assessor same as in 1886; justices, A. L. Brown, Joel C. Squires. C. G. Marshall ; constables, John Fawcett, John Da¬ vidson, Taylor Camp.

Plattevtlle, General Hi8Tory

1892 - rSupervisors, clerk, treasurer, and assessor same as previous year ; justices, S. B. Spencer, H. Gilmore ; constables, same as in 1890.

1895 - Supervisors, clerk, treasurer, and assessor same as previous year; justices, B. F. Huntington, J. O. Holmes, William H. Harrison; constables, John Fawcett, AlHc Grinded, Frank Laughton.

1896 - Supervisors, clerk, and assessor same as previous year; treasurer, Joseph Meinhardt ; justices, S. W: Traber, S. B. Spencer; constables, John DavidSon, John Shilliam, John Fawcett.

1 897 - Supervisors, F. E. Huntington, Amo C. Stephens, William J. Robinson: clerk, treasurer, and constables same as previous year; as¬ sessor, Frank M. Bonson ; justices, J. 0. Holmes, William Wilkie.

1898 - Supervisors, Robert Spear, William J. Robinson, Amo C. Stephens; clerk, A. W. Loy ; treasurer and assessor same as previous year; justices, S. B. Spencer, A. W. Loy, James. Dolan; constables, John Shilliam, John Fawcett, John Stark.

1899 - Supervisors, clerk, treasurer, and assessor same as previous year; justices, William Wilkie, J. C. S.tnelker; constables, Frank Laughton, John Shilliam, John Stark.

The village of Platteville was incorporated February 19, 1841. Following is a roster of the village officers since that time. It is in¬ complete owing to the absence of some of the records: