Fond Du Lac City (part 2 of 2)

Some time prior to the year 1847 the first store was established in F'ond du Lac by Clock & Weikert, who had a room in the first building erected in the town - the old Fond du Lac House, near the corner of Johnson and Brooke streets. It was a general store where could be purchased groceries, hardware, hats and caps, boots and shoes, crockery, tinware, cordage, dry goods and even clocks. This was before the time that special stores were dreamed of in this region. House room was scarce and no great amount of money was displayed. The settler here often came from a distance and bartered his farm products for the necessities of life.

The second store came a little later and was opened by George Keys. Mr. Keys had a larger stock than his competitor and soon established a good business. The next store opened was by A. P. and N. G. Lyman, which was still more pre¬ tentious in its character than its predecessors. W. A. Dewey was in charge of the establishment. The Lymans, having plenty of capital, had previously established a store at Sheboygan. They also engaged in buying and selling stock and had a distillery at Sheboygan. G. M. Lyman in 1850 removed to Ripon, where he engaged in handling stock and also started a distillery.

The next merchants to appear in Fond du Lac were G. F. Brownson and H. K. Laughlin. They opened for business in 1849 under the firm name of Brown- . son & Laughlin and surprised the people with a large display of goods of various descriptions.

The first store for the exclusive sale of dry goods was opened in 1861 by J. C. Whittelsey and John Sharpe, under the firm name of Sharpe & Whittelsey. This was among the prominent emporiums in Fond du Lac, and for many years was conducted by Mr. Whittelsey alone.

M. Wagner was the next to engage in the sale of dry goods. He came to Fond du Lac in 1856. The dry-goods firm of Carswell & Deed was well known in the

The veteran shoe firm of Fond du Lac is that of M. Fitzsimmons, who began business in the city in 1854, opening a stock of goods in the building that once stood near the corner of Main and East Second streets. For many years he had as a partner Martin Sasse. This business is still continued under the firm name of Fitzsimmons & Sons, in a new store building recently erected on the northwest corner of Main and First streets, the site of the old Darling block.

In 1848 Eliab Perkins was running a tinshop in Fond du Lac. In 1864 he began the manufacture of the North Pole refrigerator and two years later invented and began the manufacture of a fire proof shutter.

To light the houses, Francis Fritz made candles in a factory on Main street when the village was in its infancy, and in 1848 William Chandler had a small bakery and pie shop on Main street. ITere was made the first bread in a public bakery in this county.

R. M. and Asa Pierce started a carriage and wagon blacksmithing shop on Division street in 1846. Later they built a larger factory on Macy street. It was in 1848 also that Fond du Lac had its first barber shop. It was presided over by John Riley, a negro. T. M. Bowen was the first white barber.

While Dr. T. B. Brigham is sometimes spoken of as being the first druggist in Fond du Lac, he can hardly be credited with that distinction, as he was not a. regularly licensed physician, nor had he a stock of drugs worthy of the name. The first real drug store opened here was by Dr. O. S. Wright, who came in 1847, one year later than Dr. Brigham. He continued in business until 1851, when he dis¬ posed of his stock. D. R. Curran also opened a drug store in 1847, which he con¬ tinued many years. The store was located in the same building occupied by the dry-goods firm of A. P. & G. N. Lyman on the east side of Main street between First and Second and was placed in charge of William A. Dewey. This store was destroyed by the big fire of 1852, but was reopened on the west side of the street, where it remained many years.

The next drug store was opened by Robert Partridge some time after Cur¬ ran's. It occupied a room in the old Darling block. It eventually went into the hands of J. R. & J. W. Partridge and was continued until 1856, when it. was sold.

It was not until 1849 that a store for the exclusive sale of clothing was opened. The proprietor was S. Madevitch. I11 1857 the first large clothing store was opened by Seligman & Brother.

Philo Smith was the first watch repairer and jeweler, who came in 1847. Philip Odenbrett opened a jewelry store in 1849. G. Scherzinger in 1854, and A. Kuenne and H. G. DeSombre in 1856. A little later Charles Trowbridge & Brother were established in the same line of business.

Fond du Lac's first grocery store was opened by Jason Wilkins in 1850. Other early grocers were J. V. Carpenter, T. & B. Mason, A. Pogue, C. Ailing, R. A. & H. O. Baker, Case & Ailing, Valentine & Olmsted and Smith & Chandler.

A city charter was granted the village of Fond du Lac early in the year 1852. The instrument of incorporation established its boundaries and divided the terri¬ tory into two wards, or rather, left it as it previously had been. These wards were named the North and South wards, but in 1854, the city was redistricted and five wards were created. These wards remained intact until the spring 1875, when the number was increased to eight. In 1912 there were sixteen wards.

Description Of Fond Du Lac In 1854

The city, by the year 1854, had greatly increased its population since given the privileges of a village in 1847. The city in 1854 was made the subject of many favorable comments by writers far and near. One enthusiast describes his impressions of the place in these words :

"The city is situated on the Fond du Lac river, the mouth of which furnishes a convenient harbor for steamboats and other craft traversing the waters of Lake Winnebago. The principal business part of the city is upon the east side of the river, and more than a mile from the lake. Upon the west side of the stream is a beautiful grove of sugar maple and other forest trees, in which pleasant retreat are numerous private residences, splendid and tasteful gardens, and one elegant church edifice, erected by the Baptist denomination in 1853. The Rock River Valley Union railroad, with its depots and machine shops, is on the west side of the river.

"Surrounding the most populous part of the city are thousands of acres of unbroken prairie, over which freely roam vast herds of cattle and horses, luxuriat¬ ing and fattening upon the rich prairie grass and rank clover, which are sufficiently abundant to supply hundreds more of cattle and horses without inducing a scarcity of food. This wide expanse is occasionally dotted with the elegant mansion of a man at ease, but more frequently with the habitations of the humble toilers. Mechanics of small means who labor in the city, prompted by the desire for a 'home of their own,' select locations where lots can be purchased at comparatively low prices, erect dwelling houses and thus add inducements to others and to the value of surrounding lands. Almost every week witnesses not only numerous buildings erecting upon the principal streets, but new settlements within the bounds of the city.

"This city, being surrounded by one of the most fertile and interesting farm¬ ing countries in the state, with the peculiar advantages of its location, has required no forced efifort to secure its rapid growth. Its natural and easy connection with the 'pineries' is. of itself, a mine of wealth. Lumber and all kinds of timber for building can be obtained in the city almost with as little difficulty as in the forest where it grows. The limestone ledge stretches along the whole length of the city, within three miles from which the best of stone may be easily quarried for building, flagging and for burning lime, and in quantity sufficient to build a second Chinese wall. The great foundation of most delicious water which underlies the whole city, struggles for vent, and pours a grateful stream of health and comfort for as many as will approach it.

"The natural channel for communication through Lake Winnebago and Fox river to the great lakes, and through the latter to the Atlantic cities, connected with the inherent wealth of the city, forms a combination of advantages seldom found in one place, and have led far-seeing and sagacious business men to make invest¬ ments in Fond du Lac, not for purposes of speculation, but for permanent resi¬ dences and thorough business transactions. And, although the city has not grown with the rapidity which has marked the progress of many western places, it has been continually increasing with steady pace, in population and enterprise, measuring its business by the legitimate wants of the populaton ; hence, it has never suffered the paralytic influence of reaction from feverish excitements. The prosperity of each year has given its successor momentum, until with its increased ratio of progress, it is becoming a city of no small importance. Eastern capitalists already manifest their shrewd forecast by purchasing real estate in Fond du Lac. Mechanics of all kinds here find ready employment and high prices for labor. Many of the buildings erected in the early growth of the city were constructed on the principle of securing the greatest amount of room with the least possible expense. The present season ( 1854) witnesses the erection of noble structures of stone, brick and cement.

"There are at present four school districts in the. city. District No. 4 embraces more than half the population of the place. It has a spacious and well constructed schoolhouse, a library filled with well selected volumes, a small cabinet of geolog¬ ical specimens, outline maps and other useful apparatus for giving instruction. The vard is enriched and ornamented with shade trees and has a fountain of water. The school is graded, consisting of a primary, an intermediate and a higher department. A well qualified teacher is employed in each about ten months dur¬ ing the year, and in the winter the principal has an assistant in the higher depart¬ ment. There is no school in this section of the state better adapted to give a thorough English education to the youth of both sexes than this. It gives to all the children of the district the advantages of a school of a high order, and fur¬ nishes the surrounding country with some of its most approved and successful teachers. It is truly one of the noblest institutions of this thriving city. The other three districts have hitherto maintained separate schools upon the unclassi¬ fied plan, but have recently agreed to unite and establish a school of the first order. When that is accomplished, Fond du Lac may justly be proud of the educational advantages which are afforded to all the children of the city, without regard to wealth or caste. There are in the city about nine hundred children between the ages of four and twenty years, most of whom attend the public schools a portion of the year. The amount expended for school purposes in 1 85 ^ was $2,072.31.

"The Wisconsin Female Seminary was established in the year 1853, by Rev. O. W. Cooley and wife, at the city of Fond du Lac. The object of its founders was to secure to the young ladies who should avail themselves of its advantages, a liberal, finished and Christian education. The institution passed the ordeal of its first term with encouraging success and has commenced its second term with cheering prospects for the future.

"The church edifices in the city are one Roman Catholic, one Episcopal, two Methodist Episcopal, one Congregational and one Baptist. The Catholic and Congregational have both been enlarged since their erection but the increase in population has increased their congregations beyond their capacity for accommo¬ dations, and larger structures are demanded. The others were more recently erected and are yet equal to the wants of the worshipers. There is a Freewill Baptist church but they have not a house of worship; they occupy the Union schoolhouse. There are now eight resident clergymen, whose talents and use¬ fulness will compare favorably with their brethren of other cities.

"The Catholic church was organized in 1848, with about thirty members, under the administration of Father Rerhl, who resided at that time in Calumet. But as their numbers increased they built a church edifice and the congregation was watched over by Father Anthony Godfert. who, after staying three years, was suc¬ ceeded by Father Louis Dael, who is now (1854) in charge. The church now numbers about two thousand members, though not all residents of the city.

"St. Patrick's Temperance Society was organized on the 17th of March, 1854, with about fifteen members. It now numbers two hundred and fifty, not one of whom has broken the pledge. They hold their meetings the first of each month, when an address is delivered by some one of the members. The Catholics are about to erect a spacious church edifice 130 feet long by 60 feet wide, to be built of stone. They intend to have it completed the present year.

"The first regular missionary of the Methodist Episcopal church who preached in Fond du Lac county was Jesse Halsted, who formed a class in Taycheedah, in 1842. In 1848, Rev. Harvey Bronson organized the Methodist Episcopal church in the village of Fond du Lac, with six members. The presiding elders to the present time (1854) have been W. H. Sampson, W. Wilcox and W. G. Miller. The pastors have been IT. Bronson, Joseph Lewis, M. L. Noble, H. R. Colman, H. Requa, J. S. Prescott, E. Tucker and E. S. Grumley. There was a second church formed in the north ward in 1852. The south ward church now num¬ bers (1854) one hundred and thirty-eight.

"The First Baptist church of Fond du Lac was instituted May 21, 1845, with eight members. ' H. Hovey, W. H. Card and S. Cornelius, Jr. have successively been pastors of the church. Since the settlement of the present pastor, a com¬ modious and convenient house of worship has been erected through his persever¬ ing efforts, at a cost of $3,000. The present number of members (1854) is about seventy.

"The Congregational church, the largest protestant church in the city, was organized by Rev. Stephen Peet, July 20, 1845. It consisted at its organization of nine members. In September, 1846, Rev. L. C. Spafford assumed the pastoral charge of the church and continued in that relation until the autumn of 1852. In 1849 a house of worship was erected at a cost of $900. When Mr. Spafford left the church, it numbered some seventy-five members. In June, 1853, Rev. Silas Hawley, Jr., of the presbytery of Geneva, New York, became pastor of the church. In the autumn ensuing, such was the increase of the congregation that a large addition was made to the house of worship. But such has been, and is still

(1854) the crowded state of their house, that the members are about to erect one of the largest and finest church edifices in the state. It will accommodate at least one thousand. They have an architect now east to procure the best model. Dur¬ ing the brief pastorate of Mr. Hawley, there has been an increase of the members of the church of seventy-five persons.

"St. Paul's church of Fond du Lac was organized September 4, 1849. The number of communicants at that time was four; at the present time (1854), forty-four. The edifice was completed and consecrated July 18, 1852. Rev. Joshua Sweet became rector of the parish September 4, 1849, and resigned June 24, 1854.

"There are now (1854) in the city of Fond du Lac nine physicians, two den¬ tists, sixteen lawyers, two landscape and portrait painters, three daguerrean artists, two joiner shops, five carriage factories, five tinshops, three saddle and harness shops, one tallow chandlery, eight boot and shoe stores, one brewery, four cooper shops, one billiard room, three saloons, thirteen groceries where liquors are sold, thirteen grocery and provision stores, one jewelry and music store, one gun and ammunition store, five blacksmith shops, three livery stables, two cabinet and chair factories, one book bindery, three bakeries, thirteen dry-goods stores, one leather store, two hat and cap stores, two drug stores, four clothing stores, two tailor shops, one candy factory, three meat markets, one plow factory, one fanning mill shop, three bookstores, one music store, two oil and glass stores, one tobacco and cigar factory, one cap factory, two barber shops, one paint shop, one water power sawmill, one sash, door and blind factory, two steam sawmills, one steam power planing machine, six millinery stores, eight hotels, one bank, one bank of exchange and brokerage, twelve lumber merchants, two hardware stores, one jewelry store and one county jail without an occupant.

"Between the opening of the spring and July 10, 1854, there were erected in the city of Fond du Lac ninety-seven new buildings. There were between two hundred and fifty and three hundred mechanics employed in the place, besides the common day laborers. The annual sales of several of the leading dry-goods houses average about $30,000 each; the grocery and provision stores, $10,000; clothing stores, $10,000, and hardware, $35,000. The annual sales of each of the tin and stove stores average about $10,000, and of meat markets, $10,000. The amount of lumber sold annually is estimated at over 12,000,000 feet. About 6,000,000 shingles are manufactured and sold each year. The population of the city is estimated at a fraction less than 5,000. Since 1850 (to 1854) the capital and business of the place have increased in a higher ratio than the population, which has at least doubled. In the meantime the resident lawyers have decreased forty per cent and places for the sale of intoxicating drinks, about fifty per cent. These, together with the fact that in the county jail there is not a prisoner, are encouraging tokens that the civilization and morality of the city are improving. There are four daily mails to Fond du Lac and eight weekly and tri-weekly mails. Since the postoffice was established in 1838, it has been in charge of John Bannis¬ ter, M. C. Darling, Thomas Green, J. A. Eastman, Samuel Ryan, Jr., C. W. Tompkins and G. W. Weikert. Its present revenues (1854) are $1,824. There are received at the office weekly, seventy-five mails, and the same number made up, besides the distribution of twenty-five bags of newspapers." before an office had been regularly established by the government, Colwert Pier acted as postmaster for the villagers, receiving and distributing what little mail matter came to the settlement at his home, in the double log cabin erected by the Fond du Lac Company. He received the first letters, February 5, 1838, the same being brought to his door by a half-breed Indian, named Baptiste Lavigne, who carried his pack and trudged the Indian trails on his route from one village to another. There were no postage stamps in those days nor envelopes and the recipient of a letter paid the postmaster from ten cents to twenty-five cents for the missive before delivery. Pier eventually received his commission and a delivery of mail was made twice a month. Lavigne was succeeded as mail carrier by "Uncle" William Stewart, a Scotchman, who was alleged to have been a deserter from the English army. Stewart afterwards took up farming in the town of Byron and later in Eden. He proved himself an industrious and good citizen. For a period of ten years he served with credit and general satisfaction on the board of supervisors. He died a number of years ago. His predecessor Billy Lavigne, or Lalone, was a prime favorite. He died near Racine in 1903.

The second postmaster in Fond du Lac county was John Bannister, a civil engineer, who had come to the settlement of Fond du Lac from Green Bay early in the year 1838. He first had his quarters in the old Fond du Lac House, but later moved to a building which he had erected. Dr. Mason C. Darling was appointed postmaster in 1839 and served until 1842, when Thomas Green took charge of the office. Three years later, or in 1845, John A. Eastman was the incumbent. He retained his position until 1849, when Samuel Ryan was appointed. Ryan only remained one year and in 1850 E. C. Tompkins was the postmaster, continuing as such until 1852. That year George W. Weikert re¬ ceived his commission and was at the head of the office until 1861, having been reappointed in 1857. His successor was John C. Lewis, who gave way in 1865 to the noted General Edward S. Bragg. General Bragg served but one year, when he turned over the office to J. M. Gillet. The latter remained but one year and in 1867 R. M. Lewis received the appointment and assumed the duties of postmaster. In 1869 came James Coleman and his successors were: I. N. Hauser, 1877; Thomas Spence, 1877 ; George E. Sutherland, 1883; Samuel M. Smead, 1885; James T. Green, 1889 ; Samuel M. Smead, 1894; Frank M. Givens. 1897; Frank M. Givens, 1901 ; Frank M. Givens, 1905; George W. Watson, 1909.

When Dr. Darling was appointed postmaster he removed the office from the Company building to his own house, on the corner of Main and First streets. John Eastman, a lawyer, distributed the mail from his office, on the west side of Main, between First and Second streets. Ryan kept the office on the east side of Main near Forest, and Tompkins, removing it to his law office, on the west side of Main between First and Second streets. In 1855 Postmaster Weikert moved the office to the west side of Main street below Division and when Lewis came in he moved the office to the rear of the First National Bank building on Forest street. General Bragg kept the office in the Amory building, corner of Macy and Division streets, and when James Coleman took up his duties of postmaster he moved the office to the corner of Forest and Macy streets, where a building had been especially constructed for postoffice purposes. Here the postoffice remained

Views Of Fond Du Lag

In 1865, a money order department was established in this office and free postal delivery in 1888. In 1900 the government inaugurated the free delivery of mail in the rural districts of the county, beginning with two routes. Now there are nine. Recently this office has been made a postal bank station and in the year 1912, the receipts of the Fond du Lac office reached the thousands in dollars, a far cry from the $1.50 received by the first postmaster during his one year's incumbency.

In 1838, a half-breed Indian carried the mail sack on his back and walked from Green Bay, making a trip every two weeks. Today, several mails are re¬ ceived daily and carried to the home, not only of the urbanite, but also to the home of the farmer in every part of the county.

Fire Department

As the village of Fond du Lac began to grow and the houses became more numerous and closer together, the necessity of some means of protection against fire was brought to the notice of the early settler, so that, in March, 1848, the authorities appointed John Bannister and A. L. Ellsworth fire wardens, whose duties were of a police nature, in that they were required to inspect the various houses of the village and see to it that each owner was well provided with buck¬ ets and water, to be used in case of a conflagration. In May of the following year the citizens petitioned the village trustees to purchase a fire engine. The petition was not granted but, to appease the villagers in a manner, three fire wardens were appointed the following year: E. W. Davis, C. A. Goss and W. A. Dewey. They were charged with the duty of attending and superintending all fires. It was also ordered by the trustees that all citizens, when called upon, should assist the fire wardens and upon refusal to obey should be liable to a fine of five dollars and costs. The real beginning of the Fond du Lac fire department, however, was when a "bucket brigade" was organized, on the 3d day of Septem¬ ber, 1849. At the organizing meeting E. W. Davis presided and J. Hall tran¬ scribed the proceedings. Pledges were extracted from members to "dip, stand in line and pass it, or throw water," and when all preliminaries had been con¬ summated buckets, hooks and ladders were purchased by the city. Another order issued by the village trustees was to the effect, that in case of fire, any pails or buckets on sale at the stores might be seized by the bucket brigade, if necessary, and if damaged, the owner should recoup his loss from the village treasury. In one instance, G. N. Lyman's store was left without one receptacle for carrying water.

The bucket company could do good service when all things were favorable. But when a fire sprung on the hardy citizens at a time that the weather froze the water in the buckets before they could be passed from one end of the line to the other, resulting in a serious loss of property, then the "village dads" woke up and, in 1854, authorized K. A. Darling to purchase a fire engine. He found at Troy, New York, a hand "machine" which he purchased for the village and for which the latter paid $2,800. This called for an organized fire company, which was formed in November, 1854.

Washington Volunteer Company, No. i, got the inspiration for its formation in a meeting held in the rear of Darling, Wright & Company's Bank, on the corner of Main and First streets, in November, 1854, which was attended by K. A. Darling, George W. Sawyer, C. N. Snell, Thomas H. Green, D. W. C. Wright, L. F. Stowe, Edward Farnsworth, C. L. Pierce and C. M. Bowen. K. A. Dar¬ ling was elected foreman, C. N. Snell, first assistant, and Thomas H. Green, sec¬ ond assistant. L. F. Stowe was elected captain of the hose company, and George W. Sawyer, secretary. The name of "Washington Volunteer Company, No. 1," was adopted. The strength of the company was limited to fifty mem¬ bers, among whom were: D. Everett Hoskins, C. F. Kalk, E. A. Carey, Allan Carswell, E. A. Brown, C. Childs, Thomas S. Weeks, James W. Partridge, N. L. Bullis, A. B. Taylor, George Burrows, George Burrows, Jr., Thomas Heathcote, Jerome Gibson, John S. Burrows, T. W. Dee, John J. Metsgar, Louis Rupp, Charles Chandler, Dana C. Lamb, W. A. Tanner, Louis Darling, A. T. Little, O. D. Cory, S. A. Dudley, John B. Wilbor, C. N. Kendall, Henry Shattuck, Asa Pierce, T. G. Adams, I. K. Hamilton, William Burrows, D. R. Curran, S. E. Lefferts, C. H. Tuttle, J. H. Gibson, D. C. Hutchinson, C. L. Ailing, Oscar Bonnell, David Sickles, Delos A. Ward, J. C. Lowell, Mr. Windecker, Volney Chapman, John J. Beeson, L. W. Parmelee, John C. Kenneally, J. M. Taylor, J. G. Miller, A. G. Butler, A. P. Swineford, E. H. Little, F. N. Violet, L. F. Stowe, David Palmer, John Bonnell, William Sealey, Isaac S. Sherwood, C. M. Bowen, J. V. Frost, Fred Spink, C. L. Pierce, J. W. Benson, E. J. Hodges, John Warner, H. J. Hopkins.

The company served under the following foremen : Keyes A. Darling, D. E. Hoskins, D. W. C. Wright, C. L. Pierce, Thomas W. Dee, Charles Chandler, A. T. Little, J. W. Benson, W. G. Curtis, Thomas Heathcote, D. R. Curran, J. G. Miller, E. J. Hodges, L. W. Parmelee, John C. Kenneally and John Davis.

Fountain City Company, No. 2, was organized in May, 1857, with James W. Partridge, foreman ; Edward S. Bragg, first assistant ; J. B. McCall, second as¬ sistant ; W. T. Coneys, third assistant ; and Milton Ewen, captain of the hose company. The Fountain City Company had a Button hand engine. Winnebago Fire Company, No. 3, was organized May 16, 1857. Charles R. Harrison was foreman ; Alexander White, first assistant ; W. B. Morgan, second assistant ; John S. McDonald, secretary and treasurer. In 1866 this company got an A. B. Taylor steamer and turned its old Button hand engine over to a new company. Fire Engine Company, No. 4, was organized December 10, 1866, and took the Winnebago's discarded Button hand engine. Frank Seymore was foreman; G. H. Tuttle, first assistant; Ed Seymore, second assistant; and Solon W. Edson, secretary.

Aetna Fire Company, No. 5, was organized October 25, 1874, with M. Rich¬ ard, foreman; A. M. Green, first assistant; F. Werner, second assistant; F. J. Martin, captain of the hose company ; W. IT. Hurley, secretary ; and George B. Dana, treasurer. That same year the council purchased for the company the self-propeller "Alexander White." Fountain City Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1, was organized February 20. 1862. S. Eudemiller was foreman; M. Karstens, first assistant; M. Krembs, second assistant; Joseph Wolf, treasurer; and C. A. Handt, secretary.

A. T. Glaze came to Fond du Lac in 1850, but a short time after the organ¬ ization of the first volunteer fire company. He writes of his own knowledge the history of the different organizations of the kind in Fond du Lac and his style of narration adds very much to the interest of the tale. In his history of Fond du Lac county he has this pertinent sketch :

"In the earliest days of the Fond du Lac fire department, old No. 1 engine and accompanying hose cart were housed on the west side of Main street, op¬ posite Third, and over the ravine. K. A. Darling was the first foreman of the company, and D. W. C. Wright was the first hose captain. The first steamer was also housed there for a time. The boys used to congregate there evenings and have a lively time. North of the engine house was J. L. Ault's shop, where he made lightning rods and made and repaired steel plows. Barnett had a cab¬ inet shop on the ground where Blankenburg was then on the east side of Main street.

"When Fond du Lac bought its first apparatus, old No. 1, which was given the name of Washington Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, in the summer of 1854, Azro Taylor was chosen first fire chief, and held the office several years. Fie was succeeded by Allan Carswell, a dry-goods man, of the firm of Carswell & Dee, a stubborn Scotchman but a good fire fighter. Next came Alexander White, and since then numerous men have served in that office but it is doubtful if any have been more efficient. In 1856 we got two Waterford engines, Fountain City No. 2, Foreman E. S. Bragg, located at Arndt and Brooke streets, where No. 3 is yet. We then felt competent to fight almost any fire, yet in i860 we bought a steam fire engine, an Amoskeog machine, put it in charge of No. 1 company and Johnny Hardenburg as engineer ran it. Later on the self-propeller Alexander White was bought and we have that machine yet, but not as a self-propeller - that feature was soon abandoned.

"One night the engine house took fire and among the damages to be invoiced was the burning of two of the wheels of the steamer. George Pike, the engineer of the steamer, was mad beyond endurance, but he got over it after a few days. The engine house was then moved to West Second street, to about where the gas office is now. . This building was not strong enough for the rough usage and weight it had to carry, and Chief Marshal A. B. Taylor, by direction of the coun¬ cil, at last provided quarters to be permanent, by sending No. 1 to where it is now and has been for more than thirty years.

"In the meantime another steamer was bought and housed with No. 2, No. 1 still having the first steamer. Moses Nightengale was the engineer of the new machine. But not long after, agitation began for the purchase of a self-propeller and a committee was sent to an Illinois city where one was in use, to inquire about it. This committee, with Alexander White at the head, reported favorably and the machine was purchased and Johnny Hardenburg was appointed engineer to run it. At its first fire on Portland street, it got* stuck in the mud so tight that the self-propelling machinery could not pull it out and horses had to be used. In fact it was soon found that our streets were not sufficiently improved for such a machine and the self-propelling feature was abandoned. It was named Alexander White, and its main merit was that it could pump a very large amount of water. In this year of 1905, the city still owns this machine and No. 1 steamer. After the coming of the Alexander White, No. 1 was transferred to No. 3 house. Lire Company No. 4. located on Military street, afterwards at the live points, and it got the old No. 1 machine, while No. 1 house took the hook and ladder apparatus. No. 5 Fire Company was also formed and located on Main street, where it is yet. It was composed of husky middletown young men, but lasted only a few years as a distinct volunteer organization. At the county fair in 1875, No. 2 and No. 4 competed for a silver trumpet in making a half mile run and laying 500 feet of hose. No. 4 won and the men of that company thought they were entitled to the care of No. 2 steamer, and as they did not get it, they dis¬ banded. But the beginning of the end of the volunteer fire department was at hand. Jealousy had crept in more or less all around and culminated on July 4, 1877. Nos. 1 and 2 wanted Azro Taylor for chief fire marshal, and Nos. 3 and 5 wanted George P. Dana. The latter was elected and the order for the depart¬ ment to turn out for the 4th of July parade, came from him. Rebellion was abroad and when the parade reached Second street, No. 1 left the ranks and dis¬ banded. The council looked upon it indifferently, as horses were now in use to haul the machines and drag-ropes were of little use. A paid department was then put into service and has continued ever since most efficiently.

"\\ hen the waterworks came in 1885, there was practically an end of pump¬ ing by engines and our No. 2 steamer was sold, as well as the hand machines, rhe Alexander White is kept in repair and ready for emergencies, but No. 1 would need overhauling if desired for use. For some years the hook and lad¬ der house was on East First street, where the residence of Mrs. Payne now stands, but it has not been there since 1882. The No. 2 house is now and has been for some years a modest but neat dwelling on the north side of Division street, near Main. No. 4 house has also been a dwelling on Military street for many years. Nos. 1, 3 and 5 are in daily use by the department. They have been changed and repaired many times, but with the waterworks system there is less wear and tear. With forty to sixty men making the engine house head¬ quarters for recreation as well as business, running out the machine every few nights for practice, and the general roughness which all this naturally brings, is suggestive of frequent repairs. But who will imagine that the old volunteer fire department did not fulfill an important mission and do an important work? Complaints of inefficiency were sometimes heard, but they may have originated in the talk of croakers, while sensible people remembered the sort of appliances they had to work with and the many difficulties they had to encounter, and es¬ pecially as to water supply. But there is another feature to be put into the credit side of the ledger in making up the account of the old fire department. The engine houses kept many men from loafing in saloons, barrooms and on street corners. The men were interested in their fire companies, and almost nightly could be found in their engine houses in association with their fellows. The department did fulfill a mission other than that of fire fighting.

"From the time Fond du -Lac \rolunteer Fire Department was organized in 1853, until 1859, when the steamers came and the boys no longer Tun wid der masheen,' the firemen's dances were a marked social feature every winter. They had the earnest support of the best class of citizens and were under the control of men of high standing. Most of these firemen's dances were arranged and were under the control of Fire Company No. i, but No. 2 had them occasionally. No. 3 still less frequent and No. 4, seldom or never. No. 1 seemed to be com¬ posed largely of dancing men. No. 2, with General Bragg as foreman, was composed of business men who cared little for dancing. No. 3 was a lower town organization of leading men, headed by C. R. Harrison, Alexander White and B. F. Sweet, and No. 4 had a sort of sickly existence of a few years at the 'five points.' For foremen at different times, No. 1 had George W. Sawyer, A. B. Taylor, J. V. McCall, Ed. J. Hodges and D. W. C. Wright. Among the hose captains were Milt. Ewen, Tom Green, Tom Weeks and Fred Kalk. Truly was old No. 1 a lively set of fellows. But in 1858 the city got its first fire steamer and the downfall of the old fire department began and the grand old firemen's dances ceased. The last one seems to have been in January, 1861, in Amory Hall.

"Adelbert Coffman, present (1905) chief fire marshal, has been a fire fighter in this city since boyhood, a period of about thirty-five years. He knows the department and its work almost from the beginning.

The Great Fire Of 1852

"The great fire in December, 1852, that burned out the whole east side of Main street frontage, from First to Second streets, except the Keyes-Darling bank corner, was a serious affair. The concerns burned out were : Case & Ailing's grocery store, where the fire originated; M. Sasse's shoe shop; E. Per¬ kins' tin and stove store ; A. P. & G. N. Lyman's general store ; D. R. Cur¬ ran's drug store; Nate Lepper's paint shops; Carswell & Dee's dry-goods store and the residences of W. A. Dewey and D. R. Curran, around the corner on Second street. It was Sunday evening and so cold that John Case came up to the store, filled the big stove full of grubs, rolled the barrels of vegetables up near the stove to prevent freezing, locked the door and went away. A few days before, the Davis block, located just north of where the Lauenstein store is now, was burned, and the city being wholly without fire apparatus, except a few leather buckets, it was necessary to watch the smoldering ruins to prevent it breaking out anew. Five or six young men, with headquarters in the Journal office, on the ground where Mason's crockery store is now, were on watch and at about one o'clock discovered a light reflected on the street and found the Case & Ailing store was ablaze. The grubs, the stove and the vegetable barrels did the business. The weather was dreadful cold and all that could be done was to carry goods out of the stores at a safe distance - much of it to be stolen. So cold was it that an empty pail from the stores, after going on top of a building a couple of times with water, would come thundering down into the street half full of ice. Men dipping water from the reservoir at the corner of Main and Second streets, would burn the backs out of their coats and freeze their cheeks, noses, and ears, without, knowing it. The cylinder of the pumps of fire engines and the hose would have frozen if the city had had fire apparatus and tried to use it. Next day fully one-half the men in town had peeling cheek bones and noses from the frost. It was a night of dreadful experiences ; as to the fire, the only thing that could be done, as George Weikert said, was to 'let her burn.'

There was considerable wind and blazing shingles and boards were carried to roofs and long distances away people had to work on their roofs to save their homes. What has for years been known as the 'Giltner House' on Second street, opposite No. 1 engine house, repaired and altered last year, was on fire six times from those Hying shingles, but was saved, Ed. Farnsworth staying on the roof until he froze his hands. Soon after this fire a move was made toward procur¬ ing fire apparatus, and old No. i was bought in Milwaukee." it was some time after the city of Fond du Lac had been chartered that it had a police force that could be so called. Before the village became separated from the town, each man looked after his own conduct and was liable to police duty at any time he was called upon. Finally, in 1847, when Fond du Lac became incorporated, two constables were elected and but two police officers bearing the title of constable looked after the deportment of the villagers until it had grown into a city in 1852. Before 1852 George Williams, Carmi Wright, Joshua Barnett, George Croft, F. D. McCarty, Wilfred Van Dresar, Charles Mailorder, Fred Homiston and others served as constables. Under the city charter the chief police officer was known as city marshal and he covered the town himself without any assistance, for a number of years. The office of marshal was abol¬ ished by the legislature in 1866, at which time Fond du Lac became cosmopolitan in its police department. James T. Conklin was the first chief of police and he has had many successors. The department in Fond du Lac is doing its duty well and the city has a record for cleanliness in its morals and deportment second to none in the state.

Electric Lighting And Street Cars

The first system of .illuminating the city by electricity was the erection of five steel towers with as many different points of the compass in the city, upon which were placed electric lamps. One of the towers was placed on Main street in front of the courthouse. The others were on First, Division, Forest and Arndt streets and were completed and in running order in September, 1882. Two of these towers were blown down in the wind and storm in 1886 but were rebuilt at a less height than at first. For several years one engine was all the power the plant had to run its dynamos and this made the lighting very unsatisfactory. Since the use of electric motors has become so general, motor power is needed, so that four quick motion engines and four large engines, with twelve dynamos, ranging from two to ten feet in diameter to generate the electricity for railway, lighting and general purposes have been placed in use. In 1888 J. P. Burkholder secured a franchise and laid a street railway line with a light Tee rail from the landing to the old fair grounds on upper Main street and on Fourth street near the Kite fair grounds. The barn or power house was at the terminus of the latter line and consisted of thirty mules. The line proved very unsuccessful and shortly after Burkholder had disappeared, a Hollander by the name of Lewis Ne Peiu settled the indebtedness, which amounted to $18,000 and took possession of the road. It was but a few months thereafter that he retired from business with scarcely a dollar to his name. W. G. De Celle took possession of the road and replaced the mules with electric power. He also purchased new cars and put up two electric lighting plants. The debt was too heavy for him and Elihu Colman, being a large creditor, organized a company under the name of the Fond du Lac Light & Power Company, which took possession of the road and its franchise. Even this company failed to pay out and soon became the Fond du Lac Electric Company, which continued to run the electric lighting plant but dis¬ continued the railway line. The city was without adequate transportation for some time but was relieved when H. F. Whitcomb and others organized the Fond du Lac Street Railway & Light Company. In 1899 road was completed and equipped in good shape and the following year extended its tracks to North Fond du Lac and Lakeside Park. The power house was enlarged and new machinery was installed, so that today the city has not only a well equipped and well con¬ ducted electric light and railway plant, but a paying institution. In 1903 the line from Fond du Lac to Oshkosh was built and before the expiration of that year the Eastern Wisconsin Railway & Light Company was organized to construct a line on the east shore of the lake.

The citizens of Fond du Lac first depended for their water supply for all pur¬ poses upon wells, but in 1849, a man named Curtis, a practical well driller from the east, came to this city from Sheboygan and drilled a well for J. C. Lewis and R. L. Morris at the old Badger Hotel. After he reached eighty some odd feet, a powerful stream of water was struck and within a few minutes it was gush¬ ing out of the top of the hole in such quantities as to overflow the vicinity and a ditch had to be dug to carry off the surplus. This was the beginning of Fond du Lac's fountains or artesian wells. The next one was drilled at the home of George McWilliams, where the warehouse now stands. It overflowed into the river and was for many years one of the most noted wells in the city. It was nearly one hundred feet in depth. Many other wells or fountains were sunk in the city but few if any of them are now in existence. In 1853 what was known as the Big Fountain was struck at the corner of Marr and Sixth streets.

The Fond du Lac Company received its franchise from the city in 1885. The promoters of the enterprise were T. F. Flagler, H. H. Flagler, G. A. Gaskill and

1*. H. Linneen. This company sunk seven wells, the shallowest of them being 475 feet in depth and the deepest 1,103 ^eeC and most of them six inches in diame¬ ter. This for a while supplied sufficient water to meet the demands of con¬ sumers and the city. Frank Barnes was the first superintendent. He was suc¬ ceeded by bred Tenbrook. About two years ago the city took over the property of the Fond du Lac Waterworks Company and elected a commission of three citizens to guard the interests of the people and although paying a good round price for the public utility it in all probability has made a splendid bargain.

Street Paving

Fond du Lac has many miles of good paving. A great deal of it is concrete but there are a number of streets that were first paved with cedar blocks which failed to meet the expectations of the contractors and city authorities. Today the city is proud of its thoroughfares and is adding to its improvements in this regard from year to year.

Gas Works

Early in 1861 propositions had been made to the council for lighting the city with gas, and franchises for the privilege of erecting works and using the streets for pipes were sought by J. Lockwood, of Milwaukee, and John P. Crothers. A franchise was granted John P. Crothers in the month of September, giving him and his assigns the right to all streets, lanes and alleys, for the purpose of laying and maintaining gas mains and pipes. In accordance with the ordinance, under which the franchise was granted, a gas plant was erected on land purchased of Isaac S. Sherwood, in block "K" on Macy street, between Second and Court, and on the 16th of October, 1862, Crothers sold the plant to H. J. Hayes. The following June Hayes sold out to James G. Miller at a profit, and in September, 1863, the firm of Miller & Bonesteel were the proprietors. This firm sold to Jesse Buckley, in 1867, for the sum of $33,000, and Mr. Buckley at once began improve¬ ments, laying several miles of new pipe and mains. In 1879, Joseph Andrews, of Cincinnati, Ohio, came into possession of the property and within a few days thereafter he organized and incorporated the Fond du Lac Gaslight Company. At this time the gas plant is under the control of the Eastern Wisconsin Railway & Light Company, a corporation of which Clement A. Smith is president; W. E. Cole, treasurer; H. R. Whitcomb, Jr., secretary; and R. T. Dunn, general manager.

Halls And Places Of Entertainment

The first hall of importance for public use was in Darling's block, corner of Main and First streets, erected in 1847. Before this the schoolhouse on Main street, between Second and Third, was used as a public hall and church and a place for holding court.

Amory Hall was built in 1856, and even to this day is from its outward view rather pretentious. At the time of its erection there was probably not its dupli¬ cate in the state of Wisconsin. As a matter of fact it was considered the finest building of its kind in Wisconsin for a number of years. The hall itself has

Opera Hall, a brick block, was erected at the head of Forest street on Main street, by Charles Johnson, in 1865, and has long since gone out of use. A num¬ ber of other public places have from time to time been in use. No mention can be made of them at this time.

Boyle Opera House was recently built and is modern in every detail. There are other theaters given over to vaudeville and modern picture shows. Chief among them is the Bijou on Main near First and the Ideal on First, nearly oppo¬ site the Federal building. These are first class houses and always play to remu¬ nerative audiences.

Among the hotels may be mentioned the old Fond du Lac House, erected by the Fond du Lac Company in 1836. This was a double log building that cost its pro¬ prietors the sum of $500 for the building and furniture. Colwert Pier was its first landlord. Dr. Mason C. Darling erected a log house on the corner of Main and First streets and opened it as a hotel under the name of the Fond du Lac House. This building has often been confused with the old Fond du Lac build¬ ing. It was erected in 1838.

The next structure put up for hotel purposes was erected in 1838 on a tract of land donated to Theodore Hebert by Dr. Darling. In 1847, having accumu¬ lated considerable from the proceeds of his tavern, Mr. Hebert built a new tavern which he called the Exchange Hotel. It was three stories high and the largest structure in the city. It proved a success. Another hotel, the Temperance Cottage, was built in the spring of 1846 by John J. Drakes. It stood on the corner of Main and Court streets where the American House was afterwards located. From the fact of its having the name of Temperance Cottage, the youngsters of the village who liked their "tea'' called the hostelry "Dishwater Castle" because no liquor was sold there.

The Badger House was built in 1846, opposite the court house square. The old Temperance Cottage eventually became the Globe Hotel. Then there was the Lewis House, built by Robert Wyatt in 1846 on the corner of Fourth and Ellis streets. It was first classed the Eagle and in 1849 Mr. Wyatt moved it to the corner of Main and Sheboygan streets, enlarged it to three and a half stories and then rented the property to J. C. Lewis. James Ewen purchased the building in 1850 and named it the Lewis House. Three years later B. S. Patty bought the property.

The original American House was a three-story wooden building erected by Henry Shattuck, built in the fall of 1861, on the corner of Main and Court streets. It gave way to a newer and larger building in 1875. The Patty House, now known as the Palmer, was the largest and most expensive building erected for hotel purposes in Fond du Lac. It was constructed of brick and fronts eighty feet on Main and one hundred and forty feet on Sheboygan street and is still in oper¬ ation, being the leading hostelry in the city. Other hotels that may be mentioned are the National, built in 1866, on the corner of West Division and Brooke streets; the Washington House, corner Main and Fifth streets ; the Serwe, on Main, hav¬ ing been the City Hotel, on Alain just north of Division; and others.

The New Erving has recently been remodeled and caters to a good class of trade. It stands on Main street, with one side facing the court house square.

Industrial Fond Du Lac

The industries of Fond du Lac are treated in a general way by Ernest J. Perry, cashier of the First National Bank, in an address made on the occasion of the "Home Coming" in 1912, which is made a part of this article. This city's manufactures are varied and the number of people engaged in creating new arti¬ cles of commerce for the industrial world has so increased that a detailed sketch of each concern cannot be given. General mention of the important corporations and companies doing business in Fond du Lac is given below. The details con¬ cerning Fond du Lac's business activities are covered in Mr. Perry's admirable collection of facts.

The principal industries of Fond du Lac now in operation are: The B. F. & H. L. Sweet Company, manufacturers of wagons, sleighs, etc. This firm is one of the pioneers of the county in the manufacturing world, dating back to the year 1855, when the brothers, B. F. and H. L. Sweet, started to manufacture sleighs and sleds, which soon took prominence in the trade. The firm is now employing about fifty men and doing an annual business of about $100,000. The factory is located on West Arndt street, between Packer and Satterlee streets.

The Moore & Galloway Lumber Company, located on West McWilliams and Packer streets, began business in 1864. They now employ 260 men and their annual sales amount to $615,000. The present officers are: H. W. Moore, presi¬ dent; E. M. Moore, vice president; G. N. Mihills, secretary; C. A. Galloway, treasurer; F. M. Moore, assistant secretary.

Huber & Fuhrman Drug Mills began business in 1864. They employ thirty hands and do an annual business of $90,000. The plant is located on Marquette and East Sibley streets.

The Giddings & Lewis Manufacturing Company, located on Doty and Rees streets, are manufacturers of sawmill machinery. They now employ from eighty to one hundred people and the annual business transacted amounts to between $200,000 and $300,000. The officials are : C. E. Cleveland, president ; Henry Rueping, secretary and treasurer. The firm has been in existence since 1866.

The O. C. Steenberg Company, manufacturers of sash, doors and blinds, began business in 1868. The plant is located on West McWilliams and Brooke streets and employs from fifty to sixty people. The annual sales amount to $75,000. The officers are: Mrs. H. G. Steenberg, president; Fred G. Steenberg, secretarytreasurer. The Harrison Postal Bag Rack Company was founded in 1881. The' annual sales amount to $24,500. The plant is located on §heboygan and Port¬ land streets, and the present officials are: L. Fred McLean, president and secre¬ tary; Mary A. Hoskins, vice president; and Mary M. McLean, treasurer.

The Gurney Refrigerator Company, manufacturers of refrigerators, was founded in 1890. The firm employs two hundred people and the annual sales amount to $500,000. The officers are: C. J. Medberry, president; David Tack, vice president ; F. J. Peck, secretary and treasurer. The concern is located on Forest avenue and South Brooke street.

The Winnebago Furniture Manufacturing Company, at 101 Western avenue, began business in 1890. The firm employs from one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty people and the annual sales amount to $185,000. The officers are :

The Fond du Lac Table Manufacturing Company began business April i, 1891. They now employ seventy-five hands and the sales amount to §125,000 annually. The officers are: Louis Rueping, president; Louis H. Rueping, vice president;, Charles H. Karstens, secretary and treasurer. The concern is located at 239-57 West Scott street.

The Fond du Lac Shirt & Overalls Company began business in 1896. They employ ninety hands and the annual sales amount to $155,000. The officers are: Mrs. A. Meiklejohn, president; W. W. Collins, secretary and treasurer. The fac¬ tory is located at 55 Forest avenue.

Longdin-Brugger Company, dealers in automobiles, began business in 1898. They now employ thirty-four people and the sales amount to $135,000 annually. The officials are : C. Brugger, president ; S. Longdin, vice president ; S. T. Treleven, treasurer; W. F. Treleven, secretary. The firm does business at 21 West Second street.

Badger Sewing Company, manufacturers of overalls, is located at 20-24 East First street. The business was started in 1898 and now employs eighty-five hands, while the annual sales amout to $125,000. The officers are: T. E. Ahern, presi¬ dent; Thomas Watson, vice president; W. W. Collins, secretary and treasurer.

Boex-Holman Company, wholesale candy manufacturers, is located at 79-83 East First street. The business was started in 1904 and now employs one hun¬ dred and twenty-five people. The annual sales amount to $200,000. The officials are: A. M. Boex, president and general manager; F. A. Holman, vice president; John Holman, secretary and treasurer.

The Northern Casket Company began business in 1905. It employs one hun¬ dred people in the manufacture of its output, the annual sales amounting to $150,000.

The Fond du Lac Church Furniture Company does business at 178 North Main street. It was founded in 1907 and now employs one hundred and ten people, while the annual sales amount to $160,000. The officers are: M. O. Pillsbury, president ; N. W. Sallade, secretary and treasurer.

The Fond du Lac Malt & Grain Company is doing business at the end of Macy street. It was founded in 1890 and employs thirteen men in carrying on the business. The annual sales amount to $275,000. William C. Reinig is sec¬ retary and treasurer.

The Harris Typewriter Company is one of the later innovations, the concern having been founded September 1, 1911. It employs seventy men, the plant being located near the Northwestern depot.

The Vulcan Manufacturing Company is another comparatively new concern, having been founded March 1, 1911. They employ thirty-five men in the manu¬ facture of their output, and the annual sales amount to $80,000.

Address By Ernest J. Perry

''To condense the sixty years of the industrial development of Fond du Lac into an address, which I am to deliver in the short time allotted to me, I have found a very difficult matter.

"At the best 1 have only been able to give you an outline of what has been accomplished, and to deal with the facts in a general and not a specific way.

"1 realize that I have an advantage in being the first speaker on this after¬ noon's program and 1 could well take the entire afternoon in telling you of the wonderful progress 1'ond du Lac has made during the last fifteen years, but if I were to take more than the time allotted to me, I am sure the speakers who are to follow would feel towards me very much like the fellow who had been sentenced by a judge for horse stealing. After sentence had been pronounced upon him, the judge asked the prisoner if he had anything to say. The prisoner replied: 'No, except 1 think you are pretty darn liberal with another man's time.'

"We have come to believe that no great industrial development can succeed without the aid of good shipping facilities. The founders of Fond du Lac were also convinced of this fact. Their facilities for shipping by water were limited, the use of the ox team was a very slow means of transportation. As early as 1849 there was talk of iron rails for Fond du Lac but those who had faith in them were very few in number. The local papers in those days were not as progressive as our papers today. Columns of space were devoted to the build¬ ing of plank roads, but short paragraphs sufficed for the railroad enterprise.

The First Railroad

"It was not until John B. Macy, who had discovered that nothing could be done in Fond du Lac towards the building of a railroad went east with maps and plans and succeeded in interesting Robert J. Walker, of Washington, in the new enterprise.

"Late in the year 1850 a contract was let to Bradley & Company, of Ver¬ mont, practical railroad builders, to construct a certain portion of what was to be known as the 'Rock River Valley Union railroad,' which was proposed to be built from Fond du Lac in a southwesterly direction through the counties of Fond du Lac, Dodge, Jefferson and Rock. T. F. Strong, for the contractors, came west in 1850 to look over the proposed route of the railroad, and rode on horseback from Chicago to Fond du Lac. After looking over the situation here he returned to Vermont, and the following spring of 1851 he returned to com¬ mence work on the new railroad. Up to this time the people of Fond du Lac had been skeptical and few believed that a road would be built, but when they saw his crew of men with one hundred and sixty horses followed by loads of » shovels, picks, wheelbarrows and other tools, they were quickly aroused from their lethargy.

Breaking The Ground

"The date set for the commencement of the work on the new railroad was July 10, 1851. Arrangements had been made for breaking ground in true west¬ ern style. At an early hour on the 10th teams began to pour into the village from all directions. Walworth, Dodge, Rock and Jefferson counties sent large delegations. The state officials were here, and members of the bar and officials from the various counties were present. Preceded by a band, the procession marched to the spot where the work was to begin, a point a few rods north of

Division street, where the present main track is now laid. A hollow square was formed and Dr. Darling opened the ceremonies with a brief address, a spade which had been carried in the procession was handed to A. H. Smith, the pres¬ ident of the road, and as he cut the tough sod and tossed it high in the air, a shout went up that could be heard for miles, and here was the beginning of what is now known as the Chicago & Northwestern railway - that great system which is now recognized to be one of the greatest railway systems in this country. And while portions of what now constitutes this line of railway were built before any work was done in Wisconsin, yet the first work done on the Chicago & Northwestern railway proper, was in the city of Fond du Lac, in 1851, hence Fond du Lac has the right to the claim of being the birthplace of this mighty system.

Hauled Engine With Oxen

"The first engine for this road was brought from Buffalo by boat to She¬ boygan, and was hauled from Sheboygan to Fond du Lac by teams of oxen and horses. It took several weeks to bring it here. This engine weighed some fif¬ teen tons and was named 'The Winnebago' in honor of the lake from which it drank.

"This new line of railroad encountered many vicissitudes ; iron was hard to get, and it was not until eight years after the time ground was broken in Fond du Lac that a continuous passage by rail could be made to Chicago.

Three Periods

"Doubtless you all know that Fond du Lac was primarily what is commonly known as 'A Sawmill Town.' As early as 1845 the first sawmill was running in Fond du Lac, and was located on the east branch of the Fond du Lac river, at a point which today would be directly back of the court house. This mill was run by water power, a dam having been built which furnished a seven foot head of water, while the water wheel was made of wood and furnished considerable power. This mill could saw about 2,500 feet of lumber per day by being run early in the morning until late at night.

The First Steam Mill

"In 1846 the first steam mill was built in Fond du Lac; in fact in this part of Wisconsin, and was located on the east bank of the river just where Cotton street now is. The mill was erected by Cornelius Davis, who furnished the experience, and by A. G. Ruggles, who furnished the money. The logs and timber for the mill were cut on the Wolf river in 1846 and were rafted to Fond du Lac, after which Mr. Ruggles went east and bought the engine, boiler and machinery. The machinery was brought by boat, and while making the trip a terrific storm was encountered, and the frightened passengers were for a time determined to heave the heavy mill machinery overboard to insure the safety of the vessel. Mr. Ruggles was far more disturbed at the threats of the passengers than he was at the storm, bad as it was, for all he had was represented by the machinery, which seemed in a fair way to be dumped into the lake. However, the storm subsided without the passengers making good their dire threats, and in course of time the machinery was landed in Sheboygan and brought to Fond du Lac by teams of oxen.

Zenith Of Lumber Business

"From this small beginning the number of mills was gradually increased until 1873, when the lumber business had reached its zenith. In this year there were in Fond du Lac eighteen lumber and shingle mills, employing some 830 hands, manufacturing 67,000,000 feet of lumber and 88,000,000 shingles, valued at $1,- 225,000, while four sash and door factories employed some 585 hands, with an annual output of about $1,050,000.

"In addition to the above there were sundry foundries, machine shops, flour¬ ing mills, carriage factories, paper mills, and steam bakeries, employing in the aggregate upwards of 1,500 hands, producing nearly $2,000,000 in manufactured products annually. The average deposits of the banks of Fond du Lac were, in 1873, about $900,000.

"At this time there were also maintained here the general car shops of the Northwestern road, also a sawmill, in which was sawed the lumber used in the manufacture of the cars. A large body of men were being employed and it was in these shops that the first Pullman coach was made.

The Stagnation Period

"I wish it were possible to pass by the second, or stagnation period of Fond du Lac history and not to recall it. It is filled with good intentions and many failures. The panic of 1873 was far-reaching in crippling the many industries in Fond du Lac. The sawmills soon commenced to shut down, owing to their inability to secure raw material, and mills that burned were not rebuilt.

The Last Straw

"In 1876 the car shops, which had been a large factor in keeping up the town, were moved to Chicago. This seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back. The feeling must have been very bitter towards this railway cor¬ poration by the citizens of Fond du Lac, for I find in a directory published shortly after the removal of the shops, the following, printed under a Northwestern time table :

" AVe print the above time tables at our own expense, for the benefit of the public, who must travel on the Northwestern road. Not for the good of the road, which we believe to be one of the meanest and most illiberal corporations on the face of the earth. Even its seeming liberal actions towards the Van Brunt Works is but the temporary free lease of buildings of little or no further use to them, and so situated as to be useless for ordinary business purposes. We warn the timid and halting that if no competing line of southerly railroad is built, Oshkosh and other points having competing lines, will outgrow Fond du Lac, until the "Second City" will finally become third and even fourth in point of population and business among the cities of the state/

"I can only attribute this outburst of feeling to one of two causes. First, that it reflected the temperament of the citizens of Fond du Lac after the shops were removed, or, secondly, that the editor of the directory had been unsuccess¬ ful in his request for a pass, which sometimes could be secured1 for the asking in two days.

"I say that this period of stagnation was filled with good intentions and many failures. For some twenty-five years did this period of depression continue. It seemed to be impossible for Fond du Lac to gain a new foothold, although the business men of this period were not slow to realize that new industries must be secured for the city, to take the place of the lumber industries so fast dis¬ appearing.

Strewn With Wreckage

"This period seems strewn with financial wreckage of many large and small industries, which had been endeavoring to do their part in maintaining Fond du Lac's position in the industrial and financial world, - concerns like Hiner's Iron Works, Hunter's Paper Mills, Empire Woolen Mills, Baker's bank, Steveley's fac¬ tory, Pierron's Boiler Works, the Stickney shoe factory, the blast furnace, C. J. L. Meyer's various interests and numerous smaller industries became financially involved.

Industrial Incubator Only

"Fond du Lac seems to have also served as an industrial incubator for a num¬ ber of industries which received their start here, and this period saw the re¬ moval of a number of the sawmills - the McDonald Manufacturing Company to Minneapolis, forming the nucleus of what is known as the Minneapolis Thresh¬ ing Machine Company; the LaBelle Wagon Works to Superior; the Wheel and Seeder Company to La Crosse; the Yeast Foam Company to Chicago; and the absorption of the B. Wild Steam Bakery by the National Biscuit Company.

"Naturally such an upheaval of the business conditions in Fond du Lac dur¬ ing this period had a marked effect upon the population of the city. I find that the state census of 1875 gave Fond du Lac a population of 15,308. This dropped to 13,091 in 1880 and further receded to 12,024 in 1890. The next five years showed a small gain, and the census of 1895 shows a population of 13,051, while an appreciable increase was made during the succeeding five years, the 1900 census showing the city to have a population of 15,501.

A Tribute To Mr. Whitcomb

"There is a gentleman who now resides in Wisconsin's first city, who has always believed that Fond du Lac possessed certain natural and geographical advantages which are not possessed by her sister cities in the Fox River valley. A man who in the earlier days of Fond du Lac was a resident here, and although called to work in a larger field, never lost sight of the fact that Fond du Lac held the geographical position as being the logical location for a division head¬ quarters for any railroad which traversed eastern Wisconsin, and I therefore say to Henry F. Whitcomb does Fond du Lac owe to no small degree the debt for its industrial revival.

"His broad vision and business foresight while president of the Wisconsin Central Railway Company in convincing his board of directors that Fond du Lac was the logical point for their general car shops and division headquarters has been demonstrated beyond a doubt. In fact, his foresight and judgment was soon confirmed by the management of the Northwestern railroad, who shortly after the coming of the Wisconsin Central shops realized that this road had made a wise move and they, too, followed suit by establishing division headquarters and repair shops at North Fond du Lac.

Employ 1,700 Men

"Time does not permit me to tell you how certain of our citizens made it pos¬ sible for these shops and division headquarters to be moved here. Houses had to be built, a new town laid out, with stores, churches and schools, but Fond du Lac citizens proved themselves equal to the emergency and today we find the Soo shops at North Fond du Lac are giving employment to 891 men, while the North¬ western shops employ about 225 men and that there are now living in Fond du Lac nearly seven hundred conductors, engineers, firemen and other trainmen, the combined pay roll of these two roads at this point being over $1,250,000 annually, which is paid to over seventeen hundred men.

Fond Du Lac Of Today

"The Fond du Lac of today is not the Fond du Lac of 1873. The estimated value' of the manufactured product at that time was $4,212,000, of which the largest item was represented by lumber, shingles, sash and doors, with a value of $2,280,000, while today I find from the best information I am able to gather that our manufactured product represents an annual value of over $7,000,000, of which the largest item is represented by our leather industry, with a value of $4,000,000, this industry being represented entirely by the Fred Rueping Leather Company, which, as William Rueping & Sons in 1873, gave employment to twenty hands, with an annual output of $70,000 in leather, has grown until they are now employing 500 hands, manufacturing annually leather, with a value of over $4,- 000,000. It may be said of this concern that it is now in its third generation, for the grandsons of William Rueping who founded this industry in 1854, are the managers and principal owners of the business today.

Fred Rueping

"There are six other industries now in business here which connect the Fond du Lac of yesterday with the Fond du Lac of today the B. F. & H. L. Sweet Company, established in 1855 ; the Moore & Galloway Lumber Company and the Huber & Fuhrman Drug Mills in 1864; the Giddings & Lewis Manufacturing Company, known in an early day as the Novelty Iron Works, in 1866; the O. C. Steenberg Company, in 1867; and the Bechaud Brewing Company, established in 1872. These six concerns who in 1873 were employing 205 hands are now employing 1,039 hands, which shows a very healthy growth. Twenty-one of the most important manufacturing industries in Fond du Lac today are giving em¬ ployment to over 2,100 people.

The Bank Deposits

"No better indication of the growth and stability of conditions today can be found than by a comparison of the bank deposits of the Fond du Lac of yes¬ terday with the Fond du Lac of today, for while the bank deposits in 1873, when the city had around 15,000 population, were around $900,000, the deposits held by our banks today, with an estimated population of 20,000, are nearly $5,000,000.

"In closing, let me say that Fond du Lac is proud of her industries. The prod¬ ucts of her industries are known far and wide. We want you to see these prod¬ ucts of which we are so justly proud, and in order that you may do so, we have prepared for you a 'Made in Fond du Lac Exposition,' which is being held at our Coliseum building. You are most cordially invited to visit this exhibit, for it will give you a more comprehensive idea of what Fond du Lac is doing in manufacturing than I can possibly tell you this afternoon.

From The Cradle To The Grave

"We can furnish leather from our tannery for your shoes in your walk through life. When you sit at your family table it can be a table made in Fond du Lac. When you go to your refrigerator, it can be a Gurney. Our Bonita chocolates will appease your sweet tooth. At your office you can sit at a Win¬ nebago desk and use a Harris typewriter. We can put a new top on your auto¬ mobile and will soon be able to light it for you with electric light. We can fur¬ nish you with shirts and overalls. If you want to wear wooden shoes, we make them. We will furnish your churches complete. If you are ill, we can furnish you with drugs from our Drug Mill, and when this fitful journey through life is ended, you can be buried in a Fond du Lac casket. Let me assure you that Fond du Lac is prepared to take care of your wants from the cradle to the grave"