Winnebago County, Wisconsin - Chapter 41, 1880

Chapter 41

War Times - Business Prosperity After the Close of the War - Prices of Commodities - Manufactiuing Stimulated by an Incieased Demand - The Progress in Improvements in all Parts of the County - New Factories and Mills Constructed - New Railroad Lines through the County - The Great Fire in Oshkosh in 1874 and 1875 - Big Crops in 1875.

jHE war which broke out between the North and the South, in 1861, conp vulsed this county with the excitement common to all other sections of the country. On the first call for troops, the count)' promptly responded, and companies were formed and assigned to various regiments, which marched to the scene of action. The first company formed in Oshkosh became a part of tiie famous Second Wisconsin, which acted so distinguished a part in the campaigns of the Iron Brigade.

The bodies of armed men passing through here, from other points, to the seat of war, the new companies forming, the soldiers home from time to time on furlough, the return of the wounded, and sometimes the remains of those who had perished in battle, gave evidence of the trying scenes through which the country was passing.

In 1862 the prices of all kinds of commodities had advanced fifty per cent., and more, and coritinued to advance, until calicoes and sheetings, that formerly sold for eight and ten cents, brought twenty-five to forty cents. Woolen goods doubled in price. Boots that used to be sold for five dollars, advanced to ten dollars. Groceries, in common with every thing else, went up to high figures, and farm products also took an upward bound.

During the first year ot the war, times were dull, but after that, improved. Mechanics' wages were three dollars a day, and laborers' wages two dollars.

The close of the war ushered in a long period of business prosperity. The vast expenditures stimulated business; the extension of railroad lines opened up new sections of country to settlement, and the lumber business received great impetus from foreign and local demand. Farm products, of all kinds, commanded good prices, and all branches of industry flourished.

The manufactories of Oshkosh, Neenah and Menasha, and the villages in the county, were in the full tide of prosperity. There was an enlarged demand for their products, money was plenty, and in rapid circulation; trade brisk, and business of all kinds good.

The progress in improvement, in all localities, was rapid. New farm buildings and barns sprung up in every direction; while in the cities and villages, handsome structures were erected by the hundreds. At Neenah, new mammoth paper and flouring mills were constructed. At Menasha new works erected and old manufactories enlarged. At Oshkosh, new mills were built on an enlarged scale. The capacity of sash and door factories increased, and new ones were constructed. New branches of manufacture were also established.

The Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad extended its lines to this county as far as Winneconne, giving the county another railroad connection. This gave a great impetus to the growth of Omro and Winneconne; and new manufacturing establishments sprang up in those towns.

In 1 87 1, the Wisconsin Central completed its line to Stevens Point, passing through the northern portion of the county, and gave Neenah and Menasha another railroad outlet.

In 1 87 1 the Oshkosh & Mississippi Railroad was constructed as far as Ripon, and the road let to the Milwaukee & St. Paul, which immediately put on the rolling stock, and thus extened its lines to Oshkosh. The first regular passenger train from Milwaukee reached Oshkosh December 14, 187 1.

The city of Oshkosh has, this year (1879), issued its bonds to the amount of seventy-five thousand dollars, in aid of the construction of a Northern railroad. This will be one of the lines of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railroad, from Milwaukee to Lake Superior. It is expected that this road will be completed next winter, giving the county another direct connection with Lake Superior.

Great Fires

Among the notable events of the county were the great Oshkosh fires of 1874 and 1875, the particulars of which are given in the history of Oshkosh, in this work.

The fire of July 14, 1874, destroyed all the compactly built portion of Main Street above the Beckwith House, and, spreading from there, burnt nearly every building in its course for a distance of more than a mile from the point of its origin.

The fire of April 28, 1875, was a still greater disaster. This fire destroyed the business center of the city, and, spreading from there, extended for over half a mile through the Second Ward, burning every thing in its track, but the court house and one dwelling, in a tract over a quarter of a mile in width.

Rebuilding Of Oshkosh

The enterprise and vigor which characterized the rebuilding of Oshkosh, added to the fame of the city, and was a matter of favorable comment by the newspapers of the country. Oshkosh astonished the outside world by the

Agricultural Prosperity In I 87 5

The year 1875 was a bounteous one to the farmer, and seldom, if ever, in the history of this section of country, have the harvests yielded so plentifully. The spring set in rather later than usual, the snow not melting away until the second iif May. The excellent summer weather, especially propitious fo"" grain and vegetables, quickly repaid with interest the backwardness of the season, and the harvest rounded up with the fullest store. The early frosts in August nipped and stinted the corn crop, which, however, is of but secondary importance in this section, and the crop was exceedingly light, and almost a failure in some places. Everything else developed and yielded to its fullest measure. The wheat and oat crops were never better, and reports ai threshing time came in thick and fast from every locality, of immense yields, which were considered astonishing. It was a common occurrence to find wheat turning out thirty to forty bushels to the acre, and in some instances fifty bushels to the acre has been claimed. The oat, barley and rye crops were proportionately up to the wheat.

The vegetable crop surpassed anything in the history of the country. The exhibition of vegetables at the Northern State Fair, held in this city in October, was the the theme of remark and wonderment by all who visited it. The crop of potatoes, which had been destroyed each season for several years previ. ous by the potato bug, came through without a scratch, and with an enormous yield. Potato vines that season were entirely relieved from the usual pest; where for several years before potatoes had sold at an average price of one dollar per bushel, the ruling price since the crop of 1875, is thirty cents. CROPS.

Live Stock

The navigable water courses traversing this county, with its beautiful lakes, are one of its most attracti\'e features. They also give it great commercial advantages, in affording steamboat communication with Lake Michigan on the one hand, and the Mississippi on the other; but above all, the Wolf River, flowing from the pineries, affordingthe best of facilities for floating their products to this county, has, from the beginning, been largely tributary to its prosperity. For the last twenty years, from one hundred to two hundred miUion feet of pine logs, per annum have been got out in these pineries, and floated down the Wolf, and the great portion of it ma>iufactured at that point into lumber, shingles, sash and doors. The magnitude of these manufactures may be comprehended, when it is stated, that the products of the Oshkosh mills and factories, have, in some seasons, loaded fifteen thousand railroad cars.

A large force of men have found employment in this business. In the fall, supplies are first hauled to the camps, and, on the first fall of snow, hundreds of men take their departure for the woods. In the spring the logs come down, and the boom, which is situated about twenty miles from Oshkosh, where the logs are rafted is a scene of great activity. Here, large crowds of men are seen in every direction, engaged in sorting and rafting the logs, which, when formed into fleets, are towed by tugs to Oshkosh, and other points. The stir and bustle at Boom Bay, which is a lively place in the rafting season, isfurther increased by the noisy little steam tugs, coming and going, and by the passenger steamers, arriving and departing daily.

MANUFACTURES. Winnebago County, in the value of its manufactuTCd products, is second on the list of the counties of the State. The immense timber products of the Wolf pineries, have formed one of the staple materials of manufacture. In the whole county, there has been for a long series of years, about forty odd saw and shingle mills - twenty-five to thirty of them in Oshkosh - one running gangs of sixty saws, and the others, large establishments, manufacturing yearly from i 50,000,000 to 200,000,000 feet of logs into lumber and shingles, and aggregating not far from two million dollars.

Sash, Door And Blind Factories

The manufacture of sash, doors and blinds is carried on very largely, there being in Oshkosh alone, eight large factories, several of them employing seventy to a hundred hands each, and with a daily capacity for making 1,000 doors, 2,000 windows, and 450 pair of blinds. They manufacture per annum, 200,000. doors, and 600,000 windov/s, besides a vast amount of blinds, dressed lumber, prepared casings, mouldings, etc.

Foundries And Machine Shops Flouring Mills

The manufacture of flour ranks in importance next to that of lumber, and is an immense production. The fine water power atNeenah, makes that point a great flour manufacturing center. Here are some of the finest mills in the State. There are also large mills at Oshkosh, Menasha, Waukau and Omro. Their aggregate productions are estimated to be about six hundred thousand barrels per year.*

Miscellaneous

The manufacture of print paper is a leading industr)'. The mammoth establishments at Neenah, averaging a daily production of twenty-two thousand pounds.

The match works of J. L. Clark, of Oshkosh, employ about three hundred and fifty hands, and its products amount to about half a million dollars per year.

Webster & Lawson's hub, spoke and bent work factory, at Menasha, is another mammoth concern, the works covering some ten acres of ground. (See history of Menasha.)

The brick and lime works, of Cook, Brown & Co., of Oshkosh, employ a large force, and a steamboat and two sail vessels, of their own, in the transportation of material.

The manufacture of furnitflre, wagons, leather, soap, clothing, woolen goods and other miscellaneous branches is extensively engaged in, and produce, in the aggregate, an amount of much value.

The railroads traversing the county are the Chicago & Northwestern, from Chicago to Lake Superior. The Milwaukee & St. Paul, with two lines, one to Oshkosh, and one to Waukau, Omro and Winneconne. The Wisconsin Central, from Milwaukee to Lake Superior 7'z« Neenah and Menasha. The Milwaukee Lake Shore and Western is now pur-

State Institutions

These are the State Normal School, in Oshkosh, and the Northern Hospital for the Insane, an immense structure. (See view of same in this book.)

Puhlic Buildincis

These are, thecourt house, Exposition building of the Northern Agricultural and Mechanical Association, and the various fine school structures, for some of which see views in this work.

There are a great many fine church edifices in the cities; and in many of the county towns, neat, tasty structures of various denominations.

Report Of Superintendent Of Schools

F. A. Morgan. County Superintendent of Schools, appeared before the Board of Supervisors, and read and submitted his annual report, for 1878, as follows:

Gentlemen : - My annual report to the State Superintendent of Public InBtruction, a copy of wliicii is on file with the County Clerk, shows the following facts concerning the schools of the county :

The total number of children in the county of scliool-age is 7,060, LftBt year the number was 7,535, 476 more than this year. The number who have attended school is 4,02''. Last year the enrollment was 4,4fi7, 461 less than this year, showing a decided improvement in attendance.

The total nimiber of days a school has been tanght is 14,768 against 13,962 last year, showing an average of nearly two weeks more school for each district.

Of one hundred and one school districts in the coimty, ten have maintained nine months school ; twenty-four have maintained eight months school; forty-three have maintained seven months school; sixteen have

The number of teachers required to teach the schools is one hundred and fourteen. During the year one hundred and eighty-four difl'ereut persons have been employed. Forty-four districts have not changed teachers the second year,

A majority of coimtry districts do not employ the same teacher the second term. Tliis fact tends to keep these schools in a disorganized condition. Teachers should be engaged for at least a year, and retained for that time unless removed for a good cause.

I am satisfied, from observation, that the advancement of pupils is much more satisfactory in those schools where the teacher is retained as long as possible.

Ten meetings have been held during the year, for the examination of teachers, viz : Four in Oshkosh, two in Neenah, two in Winneconne, one in Omro, and one in Waukau.

Three hundred and ten applicants have presented themselves for examination. Two hundred and twenty-seven certificates have been issued; ten of the first grade, thirteen of the second grade, and two himdred and four ol the third grade. Of this number foriy-five were gentlemen and two hundred and four ladies. Only thirty teachers holding certificates four years ago have received certificates this year, showing that in the coui-se of four years there has been an almost entire change of teachers, and that a large portion of our teachers have had but Umited experience.

Institute

The institute this year was held at Neenah, beginning August 19, and continued two weeks. I believe it was the first ever held in this county of more than one week's duration. Nearly one hundred iiersons were enrolled as working members. A large porrion were teachers, and the remainder persons who were fitting themselves for that occupation. The institute was conducted by Prof. A. O. Wright, of Fox Lake, assisted by the County Superintendant. A. A. Si)encer, of the Omro High School, was present the first week, and conducted exercises. The second week Prof. Zimmerraaun, of Milwaukee, conducted two exercises dailj' in drawing. Pres. Albee, of the State Normal School and Prof. Wood, of the Oshkosh High School, were each present one day, and delivered instructive lectures.

Evening addresses were delivered by State Superintendent Wlutiord and Prof. Wright and Zimmermann. The attandance at this institute was larger than any that has been held for several years. The interest was maintained to the close, and the members expressed themselves as satisfied that they had been generally benefitted.

In conclusion I will say that while the instruction given in most of our schools is defective, and the education acquired limited, we have reason to congratulate om-selves upon their present efficiency. The district school is \vithin reach of every child in the county, and ver>' few neglect the opportnnily thus oB'ered of acquiring the rudiments of education.

F, A. Morgan Post Offices

The following is an Abstract of the Assessment Rolls of the several towns and cities in the county of Winnebago, as returned to the County Clerk for the year 1879, under the provisions of section i ,066 of the revised statutes. Also the average value of each of said items:

Statk Governors From Winnebago

First on the list is Governor Doty, whose residence was on Doty Island, now part of the City of Neenah, and a brief sketch of whose career is given on Page 105. He took a most distinguished part in the public affairs of the Northwest and its early explorations, naming many of its localities, examining the country and its resources, and collecting valuable information in regard to the same. He took apart in the making of treaties with the Indians, and held the first court west of the lakes. He also donated to the State the present site of the State Capitol, and in 1841, was appointed Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin. He was a man highly esteemed for his valuable public services and for his ability, and integrity of character.

Governor Coles Bashford, now of Arizona, was Governor of the State of Wisconsin, in 1856 and 1857. He reached the executive chair through one of the most exciting political contests in the State, and his title to the office was obtained through a decision of the Supreme Court. His administration involved questions which occasioned bitter party and some local and individual dissensi account of the disposal of the large land gran/ which eventually fell into the possession of th Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. He was 'a" man of very fine address and genial manners, of much culture and ability, and had many warm friends.

Hon. I'Hiletus Sawyer

Probably no one, for the last ten years, has been more influential in the public affairs of the Northwest, than Hon. Phiictus Sawyer, of this city, a man whose whole business and political career has been one long series of successes.

Mr. Sawyer commenced his business career as a manufacturer of lumber, in 1850, in the village of Algoma, now the Fifth Ward of the City ofOshkosh, and soon became the leading manufacturer of that staple from the Wolf River pineries.

His business energy, promptness, and practical efficiency and sagacity, ha\'e led to the highest success in the accumulation of great wealth, and in an unremitting business prosperity which still attends his efforts.

position. Hecommencedhis long and successful political career, as Member of the State Legislature in 1857, was again elected in 1861, was Mayor of Oshkosh in 1863 and 1864, was elected Member of Congress from this District in 1864, and was re-elected for four consecutive terms; making a continuous term of service as Member of Congress ten years.

His ten consecutive years in Congress, gave him an e.xperience, which, added to his practical ability, caused him to be regarded as one of the most influential members of that body, and as one of the leaders in the public affairs of the Northwest.

After the close of his fifth Congressional term, he declined a renomination, and has since devoted his energies to the pursuit of his personal affairs. He has since been frequently and persistently urged to accept nominations for the highest positions, but has invariably and positively declined.

But few men of such a long political career, are so universally esteemed as Mr. Sawyer, and whatever bitter things may have been said in the heat of party strife, his morals and integrity of character have never been impeached.

He has been very liberal in his donations to benevolent associations and churches, and many of his benefactions will be known only to those he has kindly assisted in their pecuniary troubles; and if Mr. Sawyer is energetic in his struggle for wealth, he has been liberal in assisting those whom he considered worthy, and has contributed largely to the business success of many, who, without his assistance would have failed in their enterprises.

Of Oshkosh, now Member of Congress from "this District, was elected Attorney-General of the State of Wisconsin in 1857 and served for the term of two years. In i860 and again in 1864, he was elected to the State Legislature, and in 1876 was elected Member of Congress, carrying this district by a large majority. In 1878, he was re-elected.

Mr. Bouck came to Oshkosh in 1849, and entered upon the practice of his profession - Attorney at Law, in which he has attained great success, having had an extensive and successful practice, from which he has realized much wealth. His professional career has been signalized by the closest attention to business entrusted to his hands, and by his