Vernon County, Wisconsin - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 30 of those read), 1884 (part 1 of 3)

Various Things

As tlie years pass away there are transpiring continually in the county incidents of importance, wliich, in their nature, only require brief mention, hut which cannot well be overlooked. Some of these are so transient in their character, that, by much the larger portion of the people, they are soon forgotten; but what may seem unimportant now may become exceedingly im portant to future generations. It is the office of this chapter to preserve these small things, awaiting the time when each shall no longer seem like "an insubstantial pageant faded."

A. Pioneee Incident

Lee Grant Sterling, in 1847, carried his plow on his shoulders from West Prairie to Mt. Sterling, in Crawford county, on his way to Prairie du Chieu to get it sharpened. At Mt. Sterling, his load getting rather heavy, he hired a horse and rode the residue of the distance. On hi.s way back he overtook Alexander Latshaw, whose wife was a relative, and a joyful meeting was, _^of course, the result. Mr. Latshaw was just then on his way out to settle in the county.

Census Of 1847

As the present county of Vernon before its formation by the Legislature in 1851, as Bad Ax county, was a part of Crawford county, the settlers up to that date were, of course, residents of the last mentioned county. On the 1st day of December, 1847, an enumeration of the heads of families, the number of males in each family, Iso the number of females was taken in the

The M. B. Church From 1851 To 1859

In the year 1851 a Mr. Stevens was appointed by the Methodist Episcopal Conference to the Bad Ax charge, as it was called, and he labored zealously in the cause, preaching in turn at

Viroqua, the Bad Ax school house, occasionally at the dwelling of James Foster, and at other private dwellings throughout the district, whicli included the whole of the present Vernon county.

In the year 1852 the conference appointed Nicholas Mayne to the charge. Mr. Mayne was a quiet, zealous Christian, patient under all circumstances; not a very fluent speaker, but correct and impressive. He resided under the same roof with D. G. A. Swain, and had for his places of preaching, the dwelling of Mr. Swain, Viroqua, Bad Ax, Springville and Coon Prairie. Mr. Mayne was also appointed to the same charge for tlie ensuing year, and his field of labor before the close of the second year became much enlarged, the Church increased in numbers and his services were well attended. The camp meetings were still carried on during the specified period in each year in the valley near the riisidence of .J. A. C)oke, with increased, additions to the Church. It was about at the time of the closing labors of Mr, Miyiie when, in cousequence of the great additions to the Church, both by new converts and those coming in by .etter, that it became necessary to make preparations for the building of a meeting house.

Upon the close of Mr. Mayne's appointment to the Bad Ax circuit, the conference sent Mr. Cooley to the charge. Mr. Cooley's places of preaching were the same as those of Mr. Mayne. We cannot find from the facts collected in reference to Mr. Cooley's labors among tlie brethren of the Bad Ax circuit, that lie formed any new societies, though many additions were made to those already formed.

At the close of the labors of Mr. Cooley on the circuit, Mr. Perdunn, who had preached to the first Church at Bad Ax, was sent back on the charge. Mr. Perdunn was a warm-hearted speaker and a zealous Cliristian. lie lab* red earnestly among the brethren near half his appointment, when sickness in his family called him home. He left the charge with the blessings of the Church resting on him and returned to his home to witness the expiring moments of his beloved wife, who died triumphantly in the faith which her husband had so zealously preached for many years.

At the calling away of Mr. Perdunn from the charge, it was left without any minister, until James Bishop and Mr. Mclndoe generously proffered their services to the brethren for the remaining portion of Mr. Perdunn's appointment. They labored zealously in the good work of building up the societies and consolidating the energies of the Church in general; and the cause received a lively impetus from their labors.

The Church considering its infancy and the adverse circumstances which its supporters had to encounter in the wilderness; the sacrifice which was necessary to be made on the part of the ministers, by leaving their homes in distant places and coming among the brethren to preach, receiving but a pittance for their labors except the warm friendship and hospitality of the members; notwithstanding all tills, the Church prospered and increased continu ally; prayer meetings began to be held in many places, and a general spirit of piety and devotion was diffused among the settlers; and few new countries have ever witnessed a more general reign of religious freedom during its first settlement than did the county of Bad Ax.

In the summer of 1850 Elder Hobart, of Prairie du Chien, visited the Church in Bad Ax, in his official capacity, and presided at the second camp meeting. This camp meeting was held under more favorable circumstances than the one the previous year. When the elder and many "f his ministering brethren made their appearance -among the members and resident ministers of the circuit, there was great rejoicing. It was to them as the re-enforcement of the army in the days of Wellington. Blucher had come and victory hailed his approach; and he appeared as one "born out of due time."

meeting held on the old ground in the year 1860. Some, perhaps, may think this is not the fact, that he was not the first one that visited the Church in an offiicial capacity, that Elder Wood visited the charge prior to the coming of Elder Ilobart. It is true that Elder Wood, as has heretofore been mentioned, visited the settlement, leaving an appointment to preach, which appointment was filled by Mr. Thomas, at the house of T. J. DeFrees, but Mr. Wood, afterwards elder, was not elder at that time, but was minister in cliarge on the Black river circuit

One fact should have been mentioned in the account of the itinerant ministers, in relation to the visits of Wra. Tascar, who visited the Bad Ax Church in the spring of 1349. Mr. Tascar was more theoretical than practical in his preaching, and lacked, apparently, the physical energy necessary to surmount all difliculties to be encountered in a new country. However, on his departure, his place was ably filled by other ministers whose names have alrealv been ment'oned, which brings this narra'ivc down to the date of 1856, and tlie a])pointiuent ol George W. Hartshorn, of Lafayette county, to the Viroqua circuit.

The circuit was divided north and south, leaving about one-third or one-half lying alons; the Mississippi river and the remainder to comprise the eastern part of the county, which received the name of the "Viroqua charge," and the river charge that of "Newton."

To the Newton circuit G. W. Nuzum was appointed first minister in the year 1856 and he made his place of residence the village of Newton, situated on the Bad Ax river. His places of preaching were Newton, Springville, Bad As City (now Genoa) and several private dwellings. Mr. Nuzum was a man of diminutive stature, young and not of suflicient physical ability to carry out the yearnings of his soul and the activity and energy of his mind. He was a lively and active worker in the Church, much devoted to the cause and his every-day life a continuous sermon.

Mr. Hartshorn was a man of heavy and apparently robust stature, a good scholar, but not classical; a good physician and minister, competent to cure both body and soul. He labored eai-- nestly on his charge, filling his place creditably, and the next year was appointed to a district in Grant county, and took up his residence at the quiet and pleasant village of Boscobel, on the Wisconsin river.

As early as the year of 1850 so many societies had been organized throughout the district, and these societies liad to be visited by the minister, and, as yet, dwelling houses being scarce, at least unoccupied ones, that it was difficult to find one wherein the minister might live and enjoy his leisure hours in seclusion - devoted to his work. To remove this difficulty Mr. Perdunn granted to the Church, to be used as a parsonage, one acre of land off his farm which lay two miles northeast of the village of Viroqua. This parsonage was situated opposite the dwelling of George Dacy, in a beautiful grove of hickory and ash, on the skirts of the prairie. When Mr. Stevens was sent to the charge, he erected a cabin on the parsonage, the people of the neighborhood lending a very generous aid. Mr. Stevens cut away the underbrush from the ground, trimming the shrubbery and creating (piite an attractive appearance about the premises

Mr. Cooley afterwards occupied the parsonage during his appointment, but some time after he retired from the charge the house and ground came into dispute, arising from the sale of the farm from which it was taken, and the Church tacitly relinquished its claim and the premises ceased to be used for its benefit. After the relinquishment of the claim on this tenement, the ministers took up their residence with the families of the members, or were provided otherwise with dwellings of some kind by them.

At the time when Mr. Bishop and Mr. Mclndoe were filling the place of Mr. Perdunn, they conceived the idea of building a house for worship in Viroqua.

During the years 1853, 1854 and 1855, the rush of emigration was so great to Bad Ax county and accessions to the Methodist Church were so numerous that it became difficult to find a house large enough to contain the attendants; and to remove this inconvenience, Mr. Mclndoe started a subscription paper for the purpose of building a meeting house. This subscription was dated May 29, 1856. The members all subscribed liberally. Some as high as $100 and many who were members of other Churches donated lumber, and some labor, and others who were not members of any Church aided materially in building the house. During the coming summer D. S. Connelly put in a bid for the erection of the building and got the contract. He prosecuted the work with vigor and the following year services were held in the new church.

Mr. Mclndoe's subscription list footed up $.343.22. After this another subscription paper was circulated for the purpose of completing the building - painting and plastering and other work.

This w^s the first building for public worship erected by the Methodist Church in the county; and having a building for the general meeting of the Church, the different classes were attended at dwellings and school houses until it became necessary to erect buildings in other localities. Mr. Hartshorn preached the first sermon in the new church in Viroqua.

No doubt the annual camp-meeting did much toward the building up and strengthening the Methodist Episcopal Church in Bad Ax county. They were held three years successively on the same grounds, with the exception of the last year of the three, when they located a site within a few hundred yards of the former grounds, holding the meeting once, after which they prepared new grounds in the grove about one mile

Many hundreds of new converts were made at these meetings; members were strengthened in the faith; prayer meetings and revival meetings followed; and thus a religious spirit went forth perhaps without a parallel in any newly settled country in the west. Other Churches caught the fire of their zeal and crowded on their own work, sometimes joining with them in the great labor of Christianizing the land.

In the fall of 1857, during the first year of the appointment of J. E. Fitcli to the Viroqua circuit, a union meeting was held at the new church in Viroqua, wherein Mr. Dean, Baptist missionary, and J. E. Fitch, minister in charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church, united for the purpose of showing to the world how well Christians could agree, and to show their love for the churches; and a revival ensued whereby many were saved from the sin of the world, taken into the Churches. About 200 were added to the M. E. Church during the first year of the labors of Mr. Fitch throughout the circuit.

New Brookville, a pleasant little village had in the meantime sprung up, four miles south of Viroqua, at which place Dr. G. A. Swain resided, who had already done much toward building up a Church in that place. He first built a neat little dwelling in the village to be occupied by the circuit ministers; but during the appointment of Mr. Hartshorn a slight difficulty arose between him and the doctor, which resulted in the removal of Mr. Hartshorn to Viroqua. What the difficulty was it is needless to mention. Mr. Hartshorn found in Viroqua many warm friends and a comfortable dwelling.

The Church at New Brookville so increased that it became necessary to have a Imilding larger than any already there for the attendants to meet in; and Dr. Swain went to work in his usual persevering style, and a meeting house was soon erected.

Previous to the building of tiie churcli at New Brookville, on account of the inconvenience of so many in one class, it was divided, one part still meeting at the parsonage in the village, and the other class meeting at the school house, known to many as the Robinson school house, two miles northeast of the village. The place of meeting of the new class became a regular place of preaching, and William Cox was appointed leader of the class. During the winter of 1857 a revival took place among the new class, under the preaching of John Whitworth and J. A. Cooke, and many were converted and the class greatly increased and strengthened.

About this time was the great revival throughout the United States. Never before in its history was there known to be such a general turning to the Lord ; and the Methodist Church in Bad Ax county took an exceeding active part and had a bountiful share of new-born souls as a reward for her Christian zeal. New societies sprang up in every direction. New ministertook up the sword and helmet and battled valiantly, and peace was multiplied in the C'hurcli. The era of the revival of 1-57 will never bi erased from the annals of the Church in Bad Ax county, or from the memories of the people.

In the spring of 1858, the Church in New Brookville commenced the erection of a building for public worship at that place, under the superintendence of Dr. G. A. Swain, as already intimated. The building was situated on a beautiful eminence in the outskirts of the village. It was finished the following fall, and the dedicatory sermon preached by Elder A. H. Walters, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1858. The building was well finished, and was an ornament to the village and neighborhood where it was erected, and an honor to the Church in general.

In the spring of 1859 conference made an appointment at New Brookville, and sent thither J. J. Walker. This was the first appointment at that place and the third one in the county. Mr, Walker's places of preaching were New

After the expiration of Elder Hobart's term of office as presiding elder, Elder R. Wood was appointed to the upper district. About the year 1853, Elder A. Brunson was appointed and following him was Elder A. H. Walters, who was afterward presiding elder, by re-appointment.

The next church building of the Methodist Episcopal Church was erected in the town of Webster near the residence of Simeon Adams, who for many years was a leader of the class at that place. They had occasional preaching there by J. Whitworth, J. A. Cooke and Robert Adams. In June, 1859, the ministerial appointments for Bad Ax county were : A. Foster, stationed at Viroqua; H. H. Smith, at Newton ; and J. J. Walker at New Brookville.

An Aerolite

"We will not announce," says the Western Tii/ie!'\ i'i Aug. 16, 1856, "as an item of news, the f:KM that a few days, since a fire-ball or meteor w.is sec 11 to fall near this village (Viroqua), and that the stone or mass of native metal which caused the phenomenon, was afterwards found on the surface of the earth. But the occurrence has given rise to the question, what is the cause of so strange an appearance ? Several theories h;ive been advanced to account for these bodies, the scientific name of which is aerolites. They are composed of metal in an igneous spongy form, showing the action of heat, and apparently of volcanic origin ? They cannot proceed from any volcano upon the earth ; but one of the theories is that they are projected from volcanoes of the moon with such force as to be cast beyond the sphere of the moon's attraction and within that of the earth.

"Others supi^ose they are fragments of a planet or comet, or matter existing in space between the planets; and as the earth meets them in her orbit, they are brought within the sphere of her attraction and to her surface. In passing from a rarer to a denser atmosphere, they are heated and form sometimes shooting stars and sometimes asrolites or meteoric stars. In the latter form, they fall to the ground, and produce the curious phenomenon which has called our attention to the subject."

Death Of Mosks Decker

Mr. Decker had reached his three score years and ten, being in his seventy-second year. He was born in the State of New York, and portions of his life were spent in that State, in Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. During the War of 1812-15, he was living in Ohio, was drafted as a soldier and served one campaign.

In January, 184'7, he removed with his family on to the ground now occupied by the village of Viroqua, cutting his way with an ax. He had, previous to the moving of his family here, selected his lands, and soon after his arrival they were entered. When Bad Ax county was organized, Mr. Decker laid out the village of Viroqua, and as an inducement to locate the county seat here, offered to donate forty acres to the county, adjoining the village plat, to aid in the erection of county buildings. Viroqua became the county seat and Mr. Decker conveyed to the county board of supervisors the forty acre tract.

Since his removal here Mr. Decker has seen Bad Ax county organized and its population increase from a few families to 10,000 .souls. He has seen churches and school houses spring up all around him, and the wilderness made to bloom like a garden. Amid all the changes and improvements that have been made Mr. Decker has stood in our midst like one of tlie ancient landmarks. But at last he is gone! "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever?" No; one by one, the links that bind the present to the past are sundered, and we look with sadness for a moment on the vacancy made by their removal, and then, hurried along by the waves, we float down the stream of time, soon forgetting the forms and faces that have been borne away from us forever.

Mr. Decker's first wife died Jan. 3, 1 859. He was married again to Mrs. Anna Goode, widow of the late Thomas Goode, Esq., who survives him.

Starting A Paper Under Difficulties

J. A. Soraerby, of Madison, Wis., early in the spring of 1856, walked through from his home to Viroqua to look up the prospects for establishing a paper at the county seat of Vernon county. After his arrival he made arrangements with prominent men of the village to raise money to assist in getting his family, printing press and printing materials from Madison; this was effected by employing three teams which brought the whole to Viroqua. The first issue of the paper (the Western Times) was gotten out in the building then used as a court house - a hewed log, one-story edifice.

The Buckeye On Fieb

On Sunday morning, about 7 o'clock our citizens were alarmed by the cry of at the Buckeye.'''' Fire had communicated to a bed in a room in the second stoi'y. When discovered the room was full of smoke and flame; but Mr. (Jeremiah M.) Rusk rushed into the room and succeeded in partially stiflling the fire, when he fell from the effects of suffocation and exhaustion and crawled to the door, when he again rushed in and brought out a burning trunk. Mr. Rusk's hands are very badly burned, so much so that he will not have the use of them for several weeks.

The flames were effectually subdued in a short time by the citizens who collected in a few moments and showered snow upon the fire. Damages about $300. We bespeak a liberal patronage for our popular high sheriff, the keeper of the Buckeye House, who is thus suddenly crippled for a second time within a few months, he having had the misfortune to put his knee out of joint early in the spring in landing from a Mississippi steamer. - Western Times, Dec. 13, 1865.

A Strange noise was heard by many people in this vicinity last Thursday. Some say it was in the air and resembled the noise made by the rush and whirl of a tornado; while some think the noise was in the earth, and that there was a shock similar to the shock of an earthquake.

The noise was heard in other places; we have intelligence that it was noticed in Richland and Crawford counties. It seems to have been a somewhat mysterious noise; for no one can tell just what it was like, or where it seemed to be. If it was a light shock of an earthquake, and will never be any more serious than it was on this occasion, no one will care much about it; but if it was a tornado, our people must be excused for having a wholesome terror of it, the one last year having been such a fearful visitor that we do not like to think that we can possibly have another.

Wild Cats And Wolves

WILD CATS AND WOLVES. [From the Vernon County Censor, Jan. 1, 18B8.] Mr. John R. Casson, clerk of the board of supervisors, informs us that he has received during the month of December, 1867, applications for bounty on forty-three wild cats and one wolf. The county bounty being abolished, the hunters get only the $10, the State bounty, which, however, will bring $-l-10 on this account - a handsome sum. The wolves seem to be about all killed out. During the summer and fall they were much more numerous for wolf bounties; but they have gradually dwindled away to one a month.

A Call For Facts

To the friends and relatives of deceased s"ldiers: It is more than probable that at some future day Vernon county will erect a suitable monument to the memory of her soldiers slain in the

It is probable, too, that some person may undertake to preserve in- book form a short history of the part performed by Vernon county soldiers in suppressing the rebellion.

I wish, therefore, that the friends of deceased soldier would send to me, if they can, the full name of such deceased soldier, the date of enlistment, the various actions in which such soldier engaged, etc., and such other facts concerning the history of the soldier as the friends may see proper.

I wish, too, that all of Vernon county soldiers who had commissions in the service would furnish me with the date of their various commissions, their first enlistment, the principal actions in which they engaged, etc.

Now, friends of soldiers, do not be afraid to write me and write at once. I do not care how poor your penmanship is, nor how bad your spelling is. I only ask you to write all your communications on good, clean paper. If I should not use the materials myself, I will carefully preserve them, so that they can be used by somebody.

Just east of this village (Viroqua), two or three bears seem to have taken up their (juarters, making themselves quite at home. Not long since, Mr, Brothers, on rising in the morning, found several of these animals composedly sitting on their haunches at his door-step, and he being unarmed was not able to secure the prize thus almost within his reach. The other day we hear Mr. "Put" White was chased from his field to his house by an old bear with two cubs. Unless the "varmint" are careful our market will soon be supplied with bear meat.

and which directly affects the growth of plants and animals, is determined by the following causes : 1st. Distance from the equator. 2d. Distance from the sea. 3d. Height above the sea. 4th. Prevailing winds ; and 5th. Local influences, such as soil, vegetation and proximity to lakes and mountains.

Of these causes, the first, distance from the equator, is by far the most important. The warmest climates are necessarily those of tropical regions where the sun's rays are vertical. But in proceeding from the equator toward the poles, less and less heat continues to be received by the same extent of surface, because the rays fall more and more obliquely, and the same amount of heat-rays therefore spread over an increasing breadth of surface ; while, however, with the increase of obliquity, more and more heat is absorbed by the atmosphere, as the amount of air to be penetrated is greater. If the earth's surface were either wholly land or water, and its atmosjjjiere motionless, the gradations of climate would run parallel with the latitudes from the equator to the poles. But owing to the irregular distribution of land and water and the prevailing winds, such an arrangement is impossible, and the determination of the real climate of a given region, and its causes, is one of the most difficult problems of science.

On the second of these causes, distance from the sea, depends the difference between oceanic and continental climates. Water is more slowly heated and cooled than land ; the climates of the sea and the adjacent land are therefore much more equal and moist than those of the interior.

A decrease of temperature is noticeable in ascending high mountains. The rate at which the temperature falls with the height above the sea is a very variable quantity, and is influenced by a variety of causes, such as latitude, situation, moisture, or dryness, hour of the day and season of the year. As a rough approximation, however, the fall of 1 deg. of the thermometer for every 300 feet is usually adopted.

Air in contact with any part of the earth's surface, tends to acquire the temperature of that surface. Hence, winds from the north are cold ; those from the south are warm. Winds from the sea are moist, and winds from the land are usually dry. Prevailing winds are the result of the relative distribution of atmospheric pressure blowing from places where the pressure is highest, toward places where it is lowest. As climate practically depends on the temperature and moisture of the air, and as these again depend on the prevailing winds which come charged with the temperature and moisture of the regions they have traversed, it is evident that charts showing the mean pressure of the atmosphere give us the key to the climates of the different regions of the world. The effect of j^revailing winds is seen in the moist and equable climate of western Europe, especially Great Britain, owing to the warm and moist southwest winds ; and in the extremes of the eastern part of North America, due to the warm and moist winds prevailing in summer and the Arctic blasts of winter.

Among local influences which modify climate, the nature of the soil is one of the most important. As water absorbs much heat, wet, marshy ground usually lowers the mean temperature. A sandy waste presents the greatest extremes. The extremes of temperature are "also modified by extensive forests, which prevent the soil from being as much warmed and cooled as it would be if bare. Evaporation goes on more slowly under the trees, since the soil is screened from the sun. And as the air among the trees is little agitated by the wind, the vapor is left to accumulate, and hence the humidity of the air is increased. Climate is modified in a similar manner by lakes and other large surfaces of water. During summer the water cools the air and reduces the temperature of the locality. In winter, on the other hand, the opposite effect is produced.

The surface water which is cooled sinks to lower levels ; the warmer water rising to the surface, radiates heat into the air and thus raises the temperature of the neighboring region. This influence is well illustrated, on a great scale, in our own State by Lake Michigan.

It is, lastly, of importance whether a given tract of country is diversified by hills, valleys and mountains. Winds with their warm vapor strike the sides of mountains and are forced up into higher levels of the atmosphere, where the vapor is condensed into clouds. Air coming in contact, during the night or in winter, with the cooled declivities of hills and rising grounds becomes cooled and consequently denser and sinks to the low-lying grounds, displacing the warmer and lighter air. Hence, frosts often occur at these places, when no trace of them can be found at higher levels. For the same reason the cold of winter is generally more intense in ravines and valleys than on hill tops and high grounds, the valleys being a receptacle for the cold-air currents which descend from all sides. These currents give rise to gusts and blasts of cold wind, which are simply the out-rush of cold air from such basins. This is a subject of great practical importance to fruit-growers.

In order to understand the principal features of the climate of Vernon county, and the conditions on which these depend, it is necessary to consider the general climatology of Wisconsin, particularly of the western portion of the State, of which Vernon county is a part ; and from this, the reader can readily deduce the character of the climate in the county.

The remarkable manner in which so large a body of water as Lake Michigan modifies the temperature has been carefully determined, so far as it relates to Wisconsin, by the late Dr. Lapham, of Milwaukee. It is seen by the map that the average summer temperature of Racine is the same as that of St. Paul. The weather map for July, 1875, in the signal service report for 1876, shows that the mean temperature for

July was the same in Rock county, in the southern part of the State, as that of Breckenridge, Minn., north of St. Paul. The moderating effect of the lake during hot weather is felt in the adjacent region during both day and night.

Countries in the higher latitudes having an extreme summer temperature are usually characterized by a small amount of rain-fall. The Mississippi valley, however, is directly exposed in spring and summer to the warm and moist winds from the south, and as these winds condense their moisture by coming in contact with colder upper currents from the north and west, it has a profusion of rain which deprives the climate largely of its continental features. As already stated, the average amount of rain-fall in Wisconsin is about thirty inches annually. Of this amount about one-eighth is precipitated in winter, three-eights in summer, and the rest is equally distributed between spring and autumn - in other words, rain is abundant at the time of the year when it is most needed. In Wisconsin the rainfall is greatest in the southwestern part of the State ; the least on and along the shore of Lake Michigan. This shows that the humidity of the air of a given area can be greater, and the rainfall less than that of some other.

In comparison with western Europe, even where the mean temperature is higher than in the Mississippi valley, the most striking fact in the climatic conditions of the United States is the great range of plants of tropical or subtropical origin, such as Indian corn, tobacco, etc. The conditions on which the character of the vegetation depends are temperature and moisture, and the mechanical and chemical composition of the soil.

The basis of this great capacity (the great range of plants) is the high curve of heat and moisture for the summer, and the fact that the measure of heat and of rain are almost or quite tropical for a period in duration from one to five months, in the range from Quebec to the coast of the Gulf. Indian corn attains its full perfection between the summer isotherms 72 deg. and 77 deg , in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas ; but it may be grown up to the line of 65 degs., which includes the whole of Wisconsin. The successful cultivation of this important staple is due to the intense heat of summer and a virgin soil rich in nitrogen.

While Milwaukee and central Wisconsin have a mean annual temperature of 45 deg., that of southern Ireland and central England is 50 deg.; the line of 72 deg, the average temperature for July, runs from Walworth county to St. Paul, while during the same month Ireland and England have a mean temperature of only 60 deg. In Wisconsin, the thermometer rises as high as 90 deg. and above, while the range above the mean in England is very small. It is the tropical element of our summers, then, that causes the grape, the corn, etc., to ripen, while England, with a higher mean temperature, is unable to mature them successfully. Ireland, where southern plants may remain out-doors, unf rosted the whole winter, cannot mature those fruits and grasses which ripen in Wisconsin. In England a depression of 2 deg. below the mean of 60 deg. will greatly reduce the quantity, or prevent the rijaening of wheat altogether, 00 deg. being essential to a good crop. Wheat requiring a lower temperature than corn, is better adapted to the climate of Wisconsin. This grain may be grown as far north as Hudson bay.

Autumn, including September, October and November, is of short duration in Wisconsin. North of the 42d parallel, or the southern boundary line of the State, November belongs properly to the winter months, its mean temperature being about 32 deg. The decrease of heat from August to September is generally from 8 deg. to 9 deg.; 11 deg. from September to October, and 14 deg. from October to November. The average temperature for these three months is about 45 deg. A beautiful season, commonly known as Indian siimmer, frequently occurs in the latter part of October and in November. This period is characterized by a mild temperature and a hazy, calm atmosphere. According to Loomis, this appears to be due to "an uncommonly tranquil condition of the atmosphere, during which the air becomes filled with dust and smoke arising from numerous fires, by which its transparency is greatly impaired." This phenomenon extends as far north as Lake Superior, but it is more conspicuous and protracted in Kansas and Missouri, and is not observed in the southern States.

Destructive frosts generally occur in September, and sometimes in August. "A temperature of 36 deg. to 40 deg. at sunrise is usually attended with frosts destructive to vegetation, the position of the thermometer being usually such as to represent less than the actual refrigeration at the open surface." In 1875, during October, at Milwaukee, the mercury fell seven times below the freezing point, and twice below zero in November, the lowest being 14 deg.

The winters are generally long and severe, but occasionally mild and almost without snow. The mean winter temperature varies between 23 deg. in the southeastern part of the State, and 16 deg. at Ashland, in the northern. For this season the extremes are great. The line of 20 deg. is of importance, as it marks the average temperature which is fatal to the growth of all the tender trees, such as the pear and the peach. In the winter of 1875-'76, the mean temperature for December, January and February, in tlie upper lake region, was about 4 deg. above the average mean for many years, while during the previous winter the average temperature for January and February was about 12 deg. below the mean for many years, showing a great difference between cold and mild winters. In the same winter, 1875 - 76, at Milwaukee, the thermometer fell only six times below zero, the lowest being 12 deg., while during the preceding winter the mercury sank thirty-six times below zero, the lowest being 23 deg. In the northern and northwestern part of the State the temperature sometimes falls to the freezing point of mercury. During the exceptionally cold winter of 1872-3, at LaCrosse, the thermometer sank nearly fifty times below zero ; on December 24, .it indicated 37 deg. below, and on January 18, 43 deg. below zero, averaging about 1 i deg. below the usual mean for those months. The moderating effect of Lake Michigan can be seen by observing how the lines indicating the mean winter temperature curve northward as they approach the lake. Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Two Rivers and the Grand Traverse region of Michigan, have the same average winter temperature. The same is true regarding Galena, 111., Beloit and Kewaunee. A similar influence is noticed in all parts of the State. Dr. Lapham concludes that this is not wholly due to the presence of Lake Michigan, but that the mountain range which extends from a little west of Lake Superior to the coast of Labrador (from 1,100 to 2,240 feet high) protects the lake region in no inconsiderable degree from the excessive cold of winter.

According to the same authority, the time at which the Milwaukee river was closed with ice, for a period of nine years, varied between November 15 and December 1 ; the time at wliich it became free from ice, between March 3 and April 13. In the lake district, snow and rain are interspersed through all the winter months, rain being sometimes as profuse as at any other season. In the northwestern part the winter is more rigid and dry. Northern New York and the New England States usually have snow lying on the ground the whole winter, but in the southern lake district it rarely remains so long. In 1842-43, however, sleighing commenced about the middle of November, and lasted till about the same time in April - five months.

The average temperature for the three months of spring, March, April and May, from Walworth county to St. Paul, is about 45 deg. In central Wisconsin the mean for March is about 27 deg., which is an increase of nearly 7 deg.

from February. The lowest temperature of this month in 1876 was 40 deg. above zero. April shows an average increase of about 9 deg. over March. In 1876 the line of 45 deg. for this month passed from LaCrosse to Evanston, Illinois, touching Lake Erie at Toledo, showing that the interior west of Lake Michigan is warmer than the lake region. The change from winter to spring is more sudden in the interior than in the vicinity of the lakes. "In the town of Lisbon, fifteen miles from Lake Michigan," says Dr. Lapham, " early spring flowers show themselves about ten days earlier than on the lake. In spring, vegetation in places remote from the lakes, shoots up in a very short time, and flowers show their petals, while on the lake shore the cool air retards them and brings them more gradually into existence." The increase from April to May is about fifteen degrees. In May 1876 Pembina and Milwaukee had nearly the same mean temperature, about 55 degrees.

The extremes of our climate and the sudden changes of temperature no doubt have a marked influence, both physically and mentally, on the American people. And though a more equable climate may be more conducive to perfect health, the great range of our climate from arctic to trophical. and the consequent variety and abundance of vegetable products, combine to make the Mississippi valley, perhaps, one of the most favorable areas in the world for the development of a strong and wealthy Nation.

During the months of summer, in the interior of the eastern United States, at least three fourths of the rainfall is in showers usually accompanied by electrical discharges and limited to small areas. But in autumn, winter and spring, nearly the whole precipitation takes jjlace in general storms extending over areas of 300, 500 and sometimes over 1,000 miles in diameter, and generally lasting two or three day. An area of low atmospheric pressure causes the wind to blow toward that area from all sides, and when the depression is sudden and great, it is accompanied by much rain or snow. On account of the earth's rotation, the wind blowing toward this region of low pressure is deflected to the right, causing the air to circulate around the center with a motion spirally inward. In our latitude the storm commences with east winds. When the storm center, or area of lowest barometer, is to the south of us, the wind gradually veers, as the storm passes from west to east with the upper current, round to the northwest by the north point. On the south side of the storm center the winds veer from southeast to southwest by the south point. The phenomena attending such a storm when we are in or near the part of its center are usually as follows: After the sky has become overcast with clouds, the wind from the northeast generally begins to rise and blows in the opposing direction to the march of the storm. The clouds which are now moving over us discharge rain or snow according to circumstances. The barometer continues to fall, and the lain or snow is brought obliquely down from the northern quarter by the prevaling wind. After a while the wind changes slightly in direction and then ceases. The thermometer rises and the barometer has reached its lowest point. This is the center of the storm. After the calm the wind has changed its direction to northwest or west. 'I'iie wind blows again, usually more violently than before, accompanied by rain or snow, which is now generally of shoit duration. The .sky clears, and the storm is suddenly succeeded by a temperature 10 or 20 degrees beh^w the mean. Most of the rain and snow falls with the east winds, or before the center passes a given point. The path of these storms is from west to east, or nearly so, and only seldom in other directions. These autumn, winter and spring rains are generally first noticed on the western plains, but may originate at any point along their path, and move eastward with an average velocity of about twenty miles an hour in summer and thirty miles in winter, but sometimes attaining a velocity of over fifty miles, doing great damage on the lakes. In predicting these storms, the signal service of the army is of incalculable practical benefit, as well as in collecting data for scientific conclusions.

A subject of the greatest importance to every inhabitant of Wisconsin is the influence of forests on climate and the effects of disrobing a country of its trees. The general influence of forests in modifying the extremes of temperature, retarding evaporation and the increased humidity of the air, has already been mentioned. That clearing the land of trees increases the temperature of the ground in summer, is so readily noticed that it is scarcely necessary to mention it; while in winter the sensible cold is never so extrenje in woods as on an open surface exposed to the full force of the winds. The lumbermen in Canada and the northern United States labor in the woods without inconvenience when the mercury stands many degrees below zero, while in the open grounds, with only a moderate breeze, the same temperature is almost insupportable. In the State of Michigan it has been found that the winters have greatly increased in severity within the last forty years, and that this increased severity seems to move along even-faced with the destruction of the forests. Thirty years ago the peach was one of the most abundant fruits of that State; at that time frost, injurious to corn at any time from May to October, was a thing unknown. Now the peach is an uncertain crop, and frost often injures the corn. The precise influence of forests on temperature may not at present admit of definite solution, yet the mechanical screen which they furnish to the soil, often far o^ to the leeward of them, is sutticiently established, and this alone is enough to encourage extensive planting wherever this protection is wanting.

With regard to the quantity of rain-fall, we cannot positively aflirm that the total annual quantity of rain is even loolaly diminished or increased by the destruction of the woods, though both theoretical considerations and the balance of testimony strongly favor the opinion that more rain falls in wooded than in open countries. One important conclusion, at least, upon the meteorological influence of forests is certain and undisputed; the proposition, namely, that, within their own limits, and near their own borders, they maintain a more uniform degree of humidity in the atmosphere than is observed in cleared grounds. Scarcely less can it be questioned that they tend to promote the frequency of showers, and, if they do not augment the amount of precipitation, they probably equalize its distribution through the different seasons.

There is abundant and undoubted evidence that the amount of water existing on the surface in lakes and rivers, in many parts of the world, is constantly diminishing. In Germany, observations of the Rhine, Oder, Danube and the Elbe, in the latter case going back for a period of 142 years, demonstrate beyond doubt that each of these rivers has much decreased in volume, and there is reason to fear that they eventually disappear from the list of navigable rivers.

The Blue-Grass region of Kentucky, once the pride of the west, has now districts of such barren and arid nature that their stock farmers are moving toward the Cumberland mountains, because the creeks and old springs dried up, and their wells become too low to furnish water for their cattle. In our own State "such has been the change in the flow of the Milwaukee river, even while the area from which it receives its sujiply is but partially cleared, that the proprietors of most of the mills and factories have found it necessary to resort to the use of steam, at a largely increased yearly cost, to supply the deficiency of waterpower in dry seasons of the year. What has happened to the Milwaukee river has happened to all the other -water-courses in the State from whose banks the forest has been removed; and many farmers who selected land upon which there was a living brook of clear, pure water.

Districts stri pped ot their forest are said to be more exposed than before to loss of harvests, droughts and frost. Hurricane-i, before unknown, sweep unopposed over the regions thus denuded, carrying terror and devastation in their track. Parts of Asia Minor, North Africa, and other countries bordering on the Mediterranean, now almost deserts, were once densely populated and the granaries of the world. And there is good reason to believe that it is the destruction of the forests which has produced this devastation. From such facts Wisconsin, already largely robbed of its forests, should take warning before it is too late.

I. - Potsdam Sandst07ie. After the great Archrean upheaval, there followed a long period, concerning which very little is known - a lost interval in geological history. Itisonly certain that immense erosion of the Archaean strata took place, and that in time the sea advanced upon the island, eroding its strata and redepositing the wash and wear beneath its surface. The more resisting beds withstood this advance, and formed reefs and rocky islands off the ancient shore, about whose bases the sands and sediments accumulated, as they did over the bottom of the surrounding ocean. The breakers, dashing against the rooky clifl^s, threw down masses of rock, which imbedded themselves in the sands, or were rolled and rounded on the beach, and at length were buried, in either case, to tell their own history, when they should be again disclosed by the ceaseless gnawings of tlie very elements that had buried them. In addition to the accumulations of wash and wear that have previously been the main agents of rock formations, abundant life now swarms in the ocean, and the sands become the great cemetery of its dead. Though the con- tribution of each little being was small, the myriad millions the waters brought forth, yielded by their remains, a large contribution to the accumulating sediments. Among plants there were sea-weeds, and among animals, protozoans, radiates, mollusks and articulates, all the subkingdoms except the vertebrates. Among these, the most remarkable, both in nature and number, were the trilobites, who have left their casts in countless multitudes in certain localities. The result of the action of these several agencies was the formation of extensive beds of sandstone, with interstratificd layers of limestone and shale. These surrounded the Archaean nucleus on all sides, and reposed on its flanks. On the Lake Superior margin, the sea acted on the copper and iron-bearing series, which are highly ferruginous, and the result was the red Lake Superior sandstone. On the opposite side of the island, the wave-action was mainly upon quartzites, porphyries and granites and resulted in light-colored sandstones. The former is confined to the immediate vicinity of Lake Superior; the latter occupies abroad, irregular belt bordering on the Archaean area on the south, and, being widest in the central part of the State, is often likened to a rude crescent. The form and position of the area will be best apprehended by referring to the accompanying map. It will be understood from the foregoing description, that the strata of this formation lies in a nearly horizontal position, and repose unconformably upon the worn surface of the crystalline rocks. The close of this period was not marked by any great upheaval; there was no crumpling or metamorphism of the strata, and they have remained to the present day very much the same as they were originally deposited, save a slight arching upward in the central portion of the State. The beds have been somewhat compacted Ijy the pressure of superincumbent strata and solidified by the cementing action of calcareous and ferruginous waters, and by their own coherence, but the original character of the formation, as a great sand-bed, has not been obliterated. It still bears the ripple-marks, cross-lamination, worm-burrows, and similar markings that characterize a sandy beach. Its thickness, is very irregular, owing to the unevenness of its Archtean bottom, and may be said to range from ] ,000 feet downward. The strata slope gently away from the Archfean core of the State and underlie all the later formations, and may be reached at any point in southern Wisconsin by penetrating to a sufficient depth, which can be calculated with an approximate correctness. As it is a water-bearing formation, and the source of fine artesian wells, this is afact of much importance. The interbedded layers of limestone and shale, by supplying impervious strata, very much enhance its value as a source of fountains.

II. Lower Mag nesian Limestone. During the previous period, the accumulation of sandstone gave place for a time to the formation of limestone, and afterward the deposit of sandstone was resumed. At its close, without any very remarked disturbance of existing conditions, the formation of limestone was resumed, and progressed with little interruption till a thickness ranging from fifty to 2.50 feet was attained. This variation is due mainly to irregularities of the upper surface of the formation, which is undulating, and in some localities may appropriately be termed billowy, the surface rising and falling 100 feet in in some cases, within a short distance. This, and the preceding similar deposit, have been spoken of as limestone simply, but they are really dolomites, or magnesian limestones, since they contain a large proportion of carbonate of magnesia. This rock also contains a notable quantity of silicia, which occurs dissseminated through the mass of rock; or, variously, as nodules or masses of chert; as crystals of quartz, filling or lining drusy cavities, forming beautiful miniature grottoes; as the nucleus of oolitic concretions, or as sand.. Some argillaceous matter also enters into its composition, and small quantities of the ores of iron, lead and copper, are sometimes found, but they give little promise of value. The evidences of life are very scanty. Some sea-weeds, a few mollusks, and an occasional indication of other forms of life, embrace the known list, except at a few favored localities where a somewhat ampler fauna is found. But it is not, therefore, safe to assume the absence of life in the depositing seas, for it is certain that most limestone has originated from the remains of animals and plants that secrete calcareous material, and it is most consistent to believe that such was the case in the present instance, and that the distinct traces of life were mostly obliterated. This formation occupies an irregular belt skirting the potsdam area. It was, doubtless, originally a somewhat uniform band swinging around the nucleus of the state already formed, but it has since been eroded by streams to its present jagged outline. Ill- - St. Peter's Sandstone. At the close of this sandstone-making period there appears to have been an interval of which we have no record, and the next chapter of the history introduces us to another era of sand accumulation. The work began by the leveling up of the inequalities of the surface of the lower magnesian limestone, and it ceased before that was entirely accomplished in all parts of tlie State, for a few prominences were left projecting through the sand deposits. The material laid down consisted of asilicious sand, of uniform, well-rounded - doubtless well-rolled - grains. This was evidently deposited horizontally upon the uneven limestone surface, and so i-ests in a sense unconformably upon it. Where the sandstone abuts against the sides of the limestone prominences, it i^ mingled with material derived by wave action from them, which tells the story of its formation. But aside from these and other exceptional impurities, the formation is a very pure sandstone, and is used for glass manufacture. At most points the sandstone has never become firmly cemented and readily crumbles, so that it is used for mortar, the simple handling with pick and shovel being sufficient to reduce it to a sand. Owing to the unevenness of its bottom, it varies greatly in thickness, the greatest yet observed being 212 feet, but the average is less than 100 feet. Until recently, no organic remains had ever been found in it, and the traces now collected are very meagre indeed, but they are sufficient to show the existence of marine life, .and demonstrate that it is an oceanic deposit. The rarity of fossils is to be attributed to the porous nature of the rock, which is unfavorable to their preservation. This porosity, however, subserves a very useful purpose, as it renders this pre-eminently a water-bearing horizon, and supplies some of the finest artesian fountains in the State, and is competent to furnish many more. It occupies but a narrow area at the surface, fringing that of the lower magnesian limestone on the south. See map. IV - Trenton lAniestone. A slight charge in the oceanic conditions caused a return to limestone formation, accompanied with the deposit of considerable clayey material, which formed shale. The origin of the limestone is made evident by a close examination of it, which shows it to be full of fragments of shells, corals, and other organic remains, or the impressions they have left. Countless numbers of the lower forms of life flourished in the seas, and left their remains to be comminuted and consolidated into limestone. A part of the time the accumulation of clayey matter prodominated, and so layers of shale alternate with the limestone beds, and shaly leaves and partings occur in the limestone layers. Unlike the calcareous strata above and below, a portion of these are true limestone, containing but a very small proportion of magnesia. A sufficient amount of carbonaceous matter is present in some layers to cause them to burn readily. This formation is quite highly metalliferous in certain portions of the lead region, containing zinc especially, and considerable lead.

with less quantities of other metals. The formation abounds in fossils, many of them well preserved, and, from their great antiquity, they possess uncommon interest. All the animal sub-kingdoms, except vertebrates, are represented. The surface area of this rock borders the St. Peter's sandstone, but, to avoid too great complexity on the map, it is not distinguished from the next formation to which it is closely allied. Its thickness reaches 120 feet.

Estate

This Indenture, made this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, between Samuel Read, of the county of Crawford and territory of Wisconsin, of the first part and John Mc- Culloch, of the county and territory aforesaid, of the second part, witnesseth, that the said party of the first part for and in consideration of the sum of thirty dollars to me in hand paid, by the said party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have remised, released, sold, conveyed and quit-claimed and by these presents do remise, release, sell, convey and quit-claim, unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns forever, all the following described lot or parcel of land, situate, being and lying in the county of Crawford, and known and designated as follows: Twenty-four acres of (oif) the west side of the the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section number thirty-six, in township number twelve north, of range number five west of the fourth principal meridian. To have and to hold the same, together with all and singular, the appurtenances and privileges thereunto belonging, or in any wise appertaining, and all the estate, right, title, interest and claim whatsoever of the said party of the first part, either in law or equity, in and to the above described jjremises to the only proper use, benefit and behoof of the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns forever, and the said party of the first part for himself, his heirs, executors and administrators, do covenant and agree to and with the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, that he will warrant and forever defend the aforesaid premises to be free and clear of all claim or claims of all and every person or persons claiming or to claim the whole or any part thereof, by, through, or under him, and none other.

I, Thomas J. DeFrees, a justice of the peace of said county, do certify that Daniel Read, whose signature appears to the foregoing deed, and who is personally known to me to be the person described in and who executed the same and acknowledged that he executed the said conveyance, for the uses and purposes therein mentioned.

I hereby certify that the within deed of conveyance, from Daniel Read to John McCulloch, was this day produced to me, in my oflice, at 12 o'cliick noon, and there upon duly recorded in Book F of Deeds, [on] pages 408, 409.

An Indian Scare

In the winter of 1844-5, and while the Legislature of the State was in session at Madison, the capital, a rumor that an Indian war had broken out, came to the ears of the legislators with a thousand fearful forebodings, and producing intense excitement. At this time the militia laws had all been repealed, probably with a view to counteract the supposed influence of Gov. Doty, and the capital he might have made by the organization of the militia, and the appointment of the officers from among his friend;, the majority of the Legislature being opposed to Doty. At this juncture, however a change in the administration of the general government had changed governors, and Gen. Dodge was again at the helm of the territory. But the law which abolished the militia service with a view to liamper and trammel Doty, was now, in a time of need, found to trammel and hamper Dodge, for though great fear was excited, tliat plunder and murder would be, or were actually being committed by the ludians, the governor's hands were tied by the law, which he had himself approved. The representations ot the Indian disturbances made to the governor he communicated to the Assembly.

The emergency of the case was such as to call the two Houses together at an evening session, to receive the governor's message on the subject, and to devise ways and means for the public defense. And while one was looking at another, at a loss to know what to do, a member penned and offered a bill to repeal the act by which the militia organization had been abolished, and to restore the former laws upon the subject. In oifering the bill which contained only a few lines, he moved a suspension of the rules, so that the bill passed at once, and was sent to the council; and, by the same process, it was passed there, and in about half an hour from the time it was first offered, the governor had approved of it, and tlie whole militia of the territory was organized, officers and all, and measures were said to be taking to call out a portion of it, to chastise the supposed marauders, when a second communication to the governor showed that there was no occasion for it. The first report had grown out of exaggerated statements of some white hunters, who had come in contact with some Indians in the same pursuit, and who probablv took some game which the whites would have been glad to have taken; and possibly some pigs had been taken on the credit of the Indians, but this was never proven against them.

By reference to the Legislative journals, it appears that this matter happened on the last evering of Feb. 3, 1846. The governor communicated the proceedings of a meeting of the citizens of Muscoda, on the Wisconsin river, in Grant county, dated Sunday night, Feb. 1, 1846, stating as follows: "The citizens of this prairie and surrounding country, having been for the last several months annoyed and harrassed by the depreda'ions of the Winnebago Indians, and submitted to their bullying and insults, have at length been forced to the dernier resort; to take up arms for our protection. This evening a skirmish took place between the Indians and the citizens, in which four of the former were severely, if not mortally wounded; and from the known character of the Indians, we may naturally expect more serious consequences to ensue. A true and correct statement of the occurrences of the day is substantially as follows: A number of the Indians came down the north side of the Wisconsin river to Capt. Smith's, and stole his canoe. He discovered them and called to them to bring it back, which they refused to do. The captain, with several other men, came over to this shore, found the Indians who took his boat and chastised one or two of them with a stick, and in the melee one of his men was severely hurt with a club in the hands of one of the Indians. The Indians then ran, and the citizens, a number of whom had by this time collected, followed them a little way and returned. In a short time the Indians came back also. All the citizens having by this time assembled, Capt. James B. Estes and Booth advanced towards them, unarmed, and in a peaceable manner, making friendly manifestations, all of which time the Indians threatened, by drawing their knives, throwing off their blankets, waving their guns in the air, and pointing them toward the whites. Finding it impossible to pacify or appease them, they separated, and in a moment they fired upon the citizens; the next minute their fire was returned, and four of them fell." They then add, that the Indians have sent their runners to collect their scattered bands, and the whites have sent for aid; that they want the governor's assistance, and are determined to kill or drive every Indian on the Wisconsin over the Mississippi; have upwards of forty men under arms, and have chosen James B. Estes for captain.

Gov. Dodge recommended the adoption of a memorial to the secretary of war, asking for a corps of dragoons to protect the frontier settlements. "In the course of half an hour," says the Madison Argus of that period, "resolutions were adopted to that effect, and the militia law of the territory revived ; " and on the adjournment of the Legislature, the governor set out immediately for the scene of disturbance, but the excitement had died away and' no more troiible was apprehended.

Town Of Bad Ax, 1849

T., held pursuant to law on the 3d day of April, 1843, present: David Clark, Jr., Samuel Gilbert, I. P. Perret Gentil; the board proceeded to set off and divide and name the different precincts in the county of Crawford, viz.: No. 1. First precinct to be called the "The Prairie du Chien precinct," bounded as follows: On the south and east by the boundaries of said county of Crawford; on the west by the Mississippi river, and on the north by a line drawn due east from the mouth of Coon river, so called; and the following named persons are hereby appointed judges of election: Stephen G. Tainter, H. L. Dousman and Daniel G. Fenton. * * * * (An assessment district was included in the same boundaries.)

The clerk of the board laid before the said board his certificate, stating therein the compensation to which the judges and clerks of election are entitled for their services at the annual election held Sept. 7, 1846, which was allowed, and the following orders issued in numerical order for the same, to wit : Mt. Sterling precinct (No. 2) : William T. Sterling, $2 ; S. G. Rice, $2 ; E. Tainter, $2 ; John McCulloch, $2; Lewis Sterling (mileage), $4.60.

The board on the 1st day of January, 1847, proceeded to select from the poll book the following named persons (from what is now Vernon county) to serve, along with others, as grand and pettit jurors, for the year 1847 : grand jurors, Hiram G. Rice, Lewis Sterling, Ezekiel Tainter ; pettit jurors, Henry Seifert, John Miller, George P. Taylor and Lee Grant Sterling.

The statement of the clerk of the board of supervisors of Crawford county, showing the compensation to which the judges and clerk of the election in the Mt. Sterling precicnt (No. 2) are entitled for their services at the annual election held on the first Monday (the 6th day) of September, 1847, which was allowed and orders issued for the same, as follows : W. T. Sterling, judge, one day, $2 ; S. G. Rice, judge, one day, -12 ; Ezekiel Tainter, judge, one day, $2 ; Orrin Wisel, clert, one day, $2 ; John McCulloch clerk, one day, $2, and forty miles travel (by said McCulloch) in making returns, |4.

The following petition signed by twentythree citizens, was presented to tlie board of commissioners of Crawford county, on the 4th day of October, 1847 : "We, the undersigned, citizens of Crawford county, respectfully ask for an order authorizing the location of a county road beginning at Winochick (Winneshiek, now De Soto) on the Mississippi, and intersecting the Black river road at or near John McCulloch's. We further ask that S. G. Rice, Lewis Sterling and George Nichols be appointed viewers to locate said road ; and the petitioners further state that they will be at all expense in locating and building said road. (Petitioners' names not given).

Said. petition, after due consideration, granted by the board and ordered by said board that the said S. G. Rice, Lewis Sterling and George Nichols be and hereby are appointed viewers to view and establish said road agreeable to said petition ; and it is further ordered by said board that said viewers report their proceedings to the next regular session of said board, to be held on the first Monday in .January, 1848.

At a session of the board of county commissioners for Crawford Co., Wis., begun and held at the office of the clerk of said board on the 9th day of January, 1849, in pursuance of law, Thomas J. De Frees and Jacob Spaulding appeared and filed their certificates and oath of office as county commissioners of said county ; and the board proceeded to elect their chairman ; and, on examining the votes, Jacob Spaulding was found duly elected.

Bad Ax ( town No. 2 ) comprises that portion of the county lying north of township number 9, and south of the line between townships number 16 and 17 north, including not only the whole of what is now Vernon county, but parts of the present counties of La Crosse and Crawford.

Albion ( town No. 3 ) comprises that part of the county lying north of the line between townships number 16 and 17 north, and south of the line between townships 22 and 23 north.

Barly Eoads In Vernon Countt

At the date of creating, in Crawford county, the town of Bad Ax, Jan. 9, 1849, which included not only the whole of Vernon county, as at present constituted, but part of what is now La Crosse county on the north, and part of the present Crawford county on the south there were in tli.at town the following laid out roads within what is now Vernon county :

( 1 ). A road leading north from W. T. Sterling's residence, by the home of S. G. Rice, on through where Viroqua is now located, until the north line of the town was reached.

( 2 ). A road leading from Warner's Landing on the Mississippi, through Springville, where it branched ; one leading to Thomas J. De Frees' and the other northeast.

The general formation of the country is hilly. Some portions of our original county, (including what ij now Crawford, Vernon, La Crosse etc.,) is level, but more of it undulating. The level portions of it are at the heads of the largest streams, where it is apt to be swampy and marshy. Near the Mississippi the hills, or bluffs, rise in some places 500 feet above the river; but as you ascend the streams the hills lessen down to a gentle undulation on the small streams, and to a level or marsh and swamp on the larger ones. In the present limits of the county the land is generally hilly or rolling. The level or marshy portions are on the margins or bottoms of the great rivers. The whole of the original, as well as the present county, abounds in streams of pure water, and abundance of water power. The purity of the waters in the smaller streams and lakes - those that are fed entirely from springs - may be judged of from the fact that they abound with speckled trout. But those larger streams, which rise in swamps and marshes, many of them being tamerack swamps, show the effects thereof in the highly colored state of the water.

The prairie region extends from the Wisconsin, north, by a width of from thirty to fifty miles from the Mississippi, to within ten miles of Lake Superior at its western extremity, with sufficient timber for farming purposes the most of the way. Between the Black and Chippewa rivers, on the present mail route, the timber is too scarce to encourage a general settlement; but along the river hills, and also east of the mail route, timber is more abundant. East of the Kickapoo, and on the head waters of the St. Croix, Chippewa and Black rivers, and on the weiitorn branches of the Wisconsin, all within the original county of Crawford, there is no lack of timber; indeed it is generally a dense forest of Pine, mixed with hard wood. Within the present limits of the county, except a dense forest on the east side of the Kickapoo, the county is divided between prairie and timber, and open woodland, so that no portion of it can suffer for want of timber; and except along the precipitous bluffs of the river, there is but little waste land. It can mostly be ploughed, grazed, or kept for timber; and is not more uneven than some of the best cultivated portions of western Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio, along the Ohio river.

The general character of the soil is good; within the present limits of Crawford county, in Bad Ax, La Crosse, the western portions of Chippewa, and southern parts of St. Croix, it may be considered as first rate. Indeed, it is hard to imagine how it can be improved. Further east and north, when you reach the pine region, the soil becomes of less value, except in places where the pine doesnot grow.

The soil in that portion of the country first named is mostly a vegetable mould, formed from the decay of vegetable matter, or its ashes, when burnt over. It is mixed with sand sufficient to give it warmth; and this seems to increase as we go north, showing that nature, or nature's God has provided against the vicissitudes of the climate. The poorer soils spoken of are, in the pines too sandy, and in the marshes too wet, and in a few instances a cold clay.

Of the crops and the general yield, it would be difficult for me to speak, because I have not sufficient data. Much depends on the mode of cultivation and the season; 50, 40, 30 and 20 bushels of wheat to an acre have been raised. So far as I know, 30 of wheat, 50 of corn and oats, and from 100 to 200 bushels of potatoes, are considered an average crop.

In the cranberry marshes, which are found at the head of the larger streams, the crops in good seasons are said to average several hundred bushels per acre.

To yoke oxen, they tied a pole across the backs of their horns. They had no wagons, and their one-horse carls were without tires, boxes or skeins on the axles. They usually put in only spring crops. Their wheat, oats, barley and peas were sown on the ground with no other preparation than burning off the weeds, stubble and grass of the last years growth, and plowed in - the ploughing being usually in the same direction - no crossing and no manuring.

The ground cultivated was in a narrow strip at the foot of the bluffs, where was the best soil, say from forty to eighty rods wide, and enclosed in one common field from five to seven miles long, having but one fence on the west side and across each end, the bluffs on the east answering for a fence on that side. The corn plante'd was of the early Indian variety, which ripens in the early part of September, yielding from thirty to fifty bushels per acre, according to the mode of cultivatiop. The whent, ais. barley and peas being harvested in August, and the corn in September; the field was usually thrown open in October, as soon as the potatoes were gathered, as common pasture. If wood was scarce in the ensuing winter, or before the ice became good for procuring it from the islands and bottom lands of the river, most likely the fence would be used in their stores, being dry, and the place of the rails would be supplied before spring by new and green ones. These annual changes of the rails rendered it of little consequence whether they were made of oak, ash, maple or willow, the three latter being usually the easiest obtained, composed the most of the fencing material of the farms.

The grain cradle was not known here until the arrival of Americans, the scythe and sickle being the only instruments used for that purpose. The French bind their grain with willow withs to this day. In other respects, they have availed themselves of the improvements introduced by the American immigrants, and some of them are now among our best farmers.

The markets are good, and also the facilities for reaching them. From the earliest settlement of the country the military and Indian departments, including the fur trade, always furnished a good market for our surplus produce until a short time since, when the amount produced has been greater than the demand from that source. To supply the deficiency, the lumber trade since 1838 has kept the demand more than equal to the supply; add to this the demand growing out of the immigration, so that hitherto the demand for every thing, except wheat, in the two last years, has much more than equalled the home supply. And our prospects for a market are good for a long time to come in our own country, and nearly at our own doors. The lumber trade; the Indian trade and annuties;the military posts at the north and west of us, together with the continued tide of emigration; to which may also be added llie mining interests; all together bid fair to consume the most of our surplus produce, except, perhaps, wheat.

Within two or three years past, the produce of wheat has been larger than the demand in the country. But the facilities for transportation by steamboat on the Mississippi has supplied us with a market in St. Louis. Our merchants purchased the wheat, cleaned it thoroughly, had sacks made of coarse domestic cotton, holding over a bushel each, and sent it to St. Louis, where its superior quality and clean state commanded the highest price, making it profitable for both the producer and the

The opening of the navigation of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers, already gives us a choice of markets, between St. Louis and the lakes, for all we have to spare over and above the up river and home demand. And if, as is expected, the Milwaukee and Mifsissippi Railroad should reach the river, we should have an additional facility for reaching an eastern market. Nor will it make much difference, if any, whether the road reaches that river at this point or not, so far as the surrounding country is concerned. The road must reach the river somewhere, hut if not, some other one will, within a short distance, by steam; so that before one surplus produce gluts the market on this great river, we shall have the double facility of steamboat and railroad whereby to reach an eastern market, and that too at but a trifling expense. As it is well known that the average of our crops exceed that of the eastern part of our State, after deducting the expense of reaching the lake, we shall have equal, if not greater profit per acre than will our more eastern neighbors.

Our stock is that which is most common to the country. We have no animals of special note, unless it is the pony breed of horse ; and not many of them. Our early French settlers came to the country by water, and in bark canoes or Mackinaw boats, and could not bring with them the real Canadian or Norman horse. Indeed I do not remember of seeing one of that breed in this country. If there is one or more, they must have come by land from some States bordering on lower Canada The original stock of horses here probably came from the south and west, and were from the stock introduced by the Spanish into Mexico, Santa Fe, etc., and from thence spread among the Indians. Carver mentions an expedition of theWinnebagoes towards Santa Fe, and the capture of eighty horses at one time, which they brought home with them. The French settlers here may have obtained horses from their brethren at Kaskaskia, or in Missouri. But in either case they were originally obtained, most probably, from the Indians to the south and west of them.

The present breed of horses or ponies are not generally of an extraordinary character. Only a few very great travelers have been found among them. I have, however, seen one of but moderate size, which is said to have traveled before a light train on the ice, from Mount Tremj)eleau to this place, 120 miles, between sunrise and sundown, in February, and that without any visible injury. But whether any of such bottom can be now obtained, I am unable to state. Our stock of horses has greatly improved of late from immigration.

The horned cattle in this country originally came from the States of Illinois and Missouri, and were not of the first quality. Some few of a good quality were obtained from the droves brought up, but generally they were of the ordinary character. Immigration has lately brought some of good quality among us, but I know of none of the imported breeds of the day, though, no doubt, we have some of mixed bloods, which are quite valuable.

Sheep have done remarkably well, so far as they have been tried ; they are very hariiy, and produce good and heavy fleeces. To show their hardiness and the adaptation of the climate to their growth, I will give the following fact : In 1837 a drove of sheep was brought to this place for slaughter. One of them, a wether, strayed from the flock and took up its abode in the hills east of this prairie, and within three fourths of a mile of my house and strange to tell, but nevertheless true, he escaped notice of juen, dogs and wolves, through two winters, and was discovered and killed in the spring of 1839, in good eating order. His hoofs were so worn by traveling over the rocks, that they were but square stubbs. We know that he must have strayed from the said flock, because there had been at that time no other such drove on the prairie, from which he could have strayed. At this time there are a few small flocks of sheep which do exceeding well, and show, most conclusively, that our hilly and healthy country is well adapted to raising them on a large scale. I have never heard of any disease among them.

The adaptation of the country to grazing, as compared with tillage, is a question I am not as well prepared to decide as are those of more experience. A few facts, however, may serve to show the grazing qualities of the country. The French here who usually own large droves of horses, seldom, and some of them never, feed them in winter, except such as they use ; and, in the spring, they are in tolerable order. In our low bottoms and ravines where the wild grasses grow high and rank, they are sometimes beaten down by the fall rains and snow; in which case the snow usually covers a large quantity of green substance which the horses reach by pawing away the snow, if snow there is. If the grass is not beaten down by the snow, but stands up and reaches above it then they eat off the tops. And what is remarkable in this country, this dry grass, reaching above the snow, is eaten with avidity by the horses ; and from the fact that they keep in good order on it, it must have considerable nutrition in it, even in that dead and dry condition.

Tliere are, however, other means of grazing in the country. On some of the islands and river bottoms, there are not only thickets of underbrush on « hich the animals browse, but rushes abound in many places on which horses and cattle will even thrive through the winter. These rush beds are not very numerous; they abound most in the thick timbered regions where the wild grass is thin, or does not grow at all. In the winter of 1842 - 3, when, the hay failed at the falls of the Chippewa, the cattle not wanted for immediate use were driven to, and watched in the rush bottoms.

In the same winter a party of us voyaging with horses through to Lake Superior and back, our hay and oats having failed, we were obliged to resort to the rushes, on which our horses subsisted three days before we reached tlie settlement.

better than the same article further south. Those who have lived in the southern parts of Illinois and Missouri say that they can winter cattle easier in this region than in the former places. They think the grass here makes more substantial hay, probably from not being so much drenched in summer by the rains.

But a principal reason why catttle can be easier wintered is the character of our winters. We are not one day in mud and wet snow, nor being drenched with rain, and the next day frozen into icicles. Cattle, under such sudden and repeated changes, cannot do as well as with us, where but few changes occur, probably not more than one or two, and sometimes not one through the whole winter. Dry snow, and dry cold weather, even if somewhat severe, when it comes on gradually and is uniform, does not effect man or beast as does the contrary kind of weather. If it requires much labor to provide a winter's stock of provender, wehayegood liealth and physicial strength to perform it, and we are satisfied to work if we have health, rather than get along without it, and shake half the year with the ague and fever. If our cattle cost us more to raise and keep they bring a better price when raised than do those that come up themselves in sickly regions.

As between grazing and tillage I think there is but little to choose if either is to be pursued by itself. But both together is certainly preferable; because the straw and stalks from tillage go far in wintering cattle, which would be a loss if we had no cattle to eat them.

Of dairies we cannot say a gre^t deal, having but few; but we could say much in favor of their establishment. What few dairies we have are on a small scale, but have been and are very profitable, and would, no doubt, be more so on a larger scale. I have already stated the facility we have for raising and wintering cattle ;these, of course, are necessary to a dairy, and so far it is an encouragement. The next, and indeed the great question is, as to the market for the products of the dairy and of this, let facts answer. The most of the cheese consumed in our mines, our pineries and on this entire frontier, is made on the western reserve in Ohio, and transported 2,0(i0 miles by the rivers; and having changed hands several times, each of which must have some profit to pay for freight, storage, commission, etc., the price realized by the producer cannot equal more than half the cost to the consumer. Having lived myself on that reserve, and having some knowledge, by experience, of the cost of clearing land, and getting it into grass, the crops obtained, etc., I am certain that cattle can be raised and kept in this region for one-half the expense necessary to be incurred for the same purpose in that country; and, of course, if the products of the dairy here equal the products there, per head of cattle, and the producer here realizes no more than the producer does there, the business must be much more profitable here than there; but if the producer here realizes double what the producer does there, and that too at one-half the expense for raising and keeping cattle, then the business is proportionately more profitable. The only difEerence and the only drawback in this country to this business is the difference in the wages of hired help. But the difEerence in costs and prices in favor of this country will more than balance the difference in wages.

The extent of our horticultural experiments are but limited. That the country is adapted to the growth of fruits is evident from the fact that the wild fruits indigenous to this climate are very abundant; such as crab apple, plums of some dozen or twenty varieties, grapes, cherries, currants, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and several other varieties.

The French who first settled Detroit planted apple trees, pear trees and various other kinds of fruits, and, judging from that fact, I expected to find such trees in abundance in this region. But in this I was disappointed; finding of their planting but a few apple trees and these of an indifferent quality.

About the year 1830 Gen. Street, the Indian agent, brought a lot of apple trees from Kentucky to this place, and set them out on a lot at the north end of this prairie. They have had but little care and are natural fruit, yet they have grown well and are very fruitful when not injured by the frost. In 1838 I procured fifty grafted fruit trees from Kentucky, the nearest place from which I could then procure them. But the distance of transportation and change of climate must have affected them. Furthermore the warmth of the steamboat caused them to bud in the moss in which they were done up so that but four or five of them lived. I have since tried seedlings of this country's growth, and though I have had bad luck, the mice and careless ploughman injuring the trees, yet there ai'e some fine and very promising orchards in the country. What is wanted is a nursery in the country, so that the trees will become acclimated, and there can be no doubt but that apples, pears and plums will do as well as in any country as far north as this.

As for peaches our hopes and prospects are not so flattering. In 1846 1 had twenty peach trees, which, in March, showed buds for as many bushels of fruit; but a severe frost in April killed them down to the very roots. A neighbor of mine had beat me, in that he had thirty or forty bushels of the fruit the season before, and had ho]>es of a hundred at the time but his shared the fate of mine, or nearly so. A few sprouted and made a great effort to live. We could raise peaches here if we could prevent the sap from starting before the late severe frosts in the spring. I do not agree with the theory that hard freezing before the sap has started kills these trees. For forty years I have watched these trees in the west, and I have never been satisfied that either the fruit or the tree has been injured by the frost before the sap starts in the spring. But invariably if the sap has started, and is followed by a black frost, that is, something harder than a mere white frost, the fruit, if not the tree, is killed.

Various remedies have been tried and recommended for this evil - a northern declivity, covering the roots with straw when the ground is frozen, etc. But the best, as I think, is engrafting the peach upon the wild plum. The plum we know seldom fails of bearing fruit on account of frost, because it is late in putting forth its sap; and if the peach top is dependent on the plum root for sap it cannot get it, nor start its buds, until the plum root, according to the law of its nature, gives it. And as that period is so late, the frost usually does not injure the plum, neither can it injure the peach. Another advantage of this mode of grafting is, that the worm has sometimes killed the peach by goring its roots; but that occurrence, as far as I know, never happened to the plum.

The raising of peaches in this climate is a desideratum of which most persons despair. It is laid to the climate; but in this I think tliey are mistaken. Lower Canada, Vermont, New York, northern Pennsylvania, Ohio and I think Michigan once were favored with abundance of of this delicious fruit. In 1812, when I first emigrated to northern Ohio, those farms which had been long enough cleared to have peaches on them abounded in this fruit, and the trees and fruit continued to grow and do well until about the year 18.30, when the late spring frosts began to kill, not merely the fruit, but the trees themselves. And what is singular, the frost took those in the valleys in one year, and those on the hills in another; and so on from" one location to another; until, in 1836, when I left that country, there were but few peaches left, and from the newspapers I learn that since then this same cause has worked farther and farther south until fears are entertained of the loss of this fruit as far as Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Now, from all this, the evil appears to be in the changes ofthe seasons and not in the climate. The climate in the same place must be the same. But seasons have changed and re-changed

First White Men Who Were Ever In Vernon County An Account Of Their Voyage Up

We set out from Fort Creve Coeur (on the Illinois river) the 29th of February, 1680, and toward evening, while descending the river Seignelay (Illinois) we met on our way several parties from Illinois returning to their village in their periguas or gondolas loaded with meat. They would have obliged us to return, our two boatmen were strongly influenced, but as they would have had to pass by Fort Creve Coeur, where our Frenchmen would have stopped them, we pursued our way the next day, and my two men afterward confessed the design which they had entertained.