Waupaca County, Wisconsin - Chapter 13, 1890

The Town of Lind consists of Township 21, Range 12. It is bounded on the north by Waupaca, on the east by Weyauwega and Fremont, on the south by Waushara County, and on the west by Dayton.

The soil is mostly a clayey or gravelly loam, easily worked, and producing excellent crops. Wheat, corn, and potatoes do well, but the soil appears to be peculiarly adapted to stock raising and dairying. Sheep do well; and probably no to^wn in the County can show better horses than may be found among the farmers of Lind.

In the Fall of that year came Tyler Caldwell and his son. Captain C. C. Caldwell, George W. Taggart, Jarvis Rice, James S. Potter, A. Rice, Charles Coffin, Hiram and James Sexton, Alonzo Vaughn, Moses Selleck, and John Shaw.

The first grist mill (water power) was built by C. H. Ritz in 1876. It is now owned by Charles E. Roberts, of Waupaca, and known as the Hatten Mills.

The first postofiice was established in December, 1850, with George W. Taggart for postmaster. Mr. Taggart named the town in honor of the famous Swedish singer, Jenny Lind.

The town was organized at a special meeting of the County Board, held March 5, 1852. Five other towns were organized at the same meeting ; but as Lind stands first on the records we may safely put it down as being the first town organized in the County.

Chairmam - Lyman Dayton; Supervisors - J. W. Chandler, Charles Beadleston; Justices of the Peace - J. H. Jones, S. Warner; Town Clerk - J. L. Rice.

The first Fourth of July celebration ever held in the County was in this town, in 1850, on Lone Pine Hill. The Declaration of Independence was read by Simon C. Dow, of Lind, after which national songs were sung, and patriotic toasts were given. Then the party, thirt^^-three in number, partook of a bounteous repast which was served under the spreading branches of some beautiful oaks at the foot of the hill.

In June, 1850, M. A. Stinchfield built a regular frame house on the south bank of Crystal River, in Section 6. It was one of the first frame houses in town, if not the first. The lumber was hauled from Weyauwega.

One day Mr. Stinchfield employed a man at Weyauwega to haul a load of lumber with a yoke of oxen. After getting on the lumber, he finished off by putting on a few supplies that he had got from Oshkosh, among v^hich was a jug of choice liquor, which, he assures us, was purchased ''expressly for medicine." He managed to hide the liquor from the man, knowing his propensity for such things. Mr. Stinchfield and another man went ahead to look out the road, and left the teamster to follow. All went well for a long time, when, upon looking back, Stinchfield saw his man slyly transfering the contents of the hidden jug to his stomach. Upon investigation, the jug was found half empty, and the teamster was so " full " that they had to tie him on the load to keep him from falling ofi".

When the3^ got the load off they tried to keep him till he got sober; but he would start back, although it was almost night. So, after fixing him up as well as they could, they let him go. He soon went to sleep, and when he awoke it was towards morning and he was fast to a tree, and unable to tell where he was. It was afterwards found that he was on the edge of the Spencer marsh. He finally got things straightened out, and reached Weyauwega the next night, tired out and nearly starved.