Dane County WI Archives History - Books .....Cottage Grove 1877
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Book Title: Madison, Dane County And Surrounding Towns...

COTTAGE GROVE.
BY JAS. BELL, ESQ.

  THE town of Cottage Grove is situated eight miles east of the city of Madison,
in Dane county. It is designated on the government surveys as town seven, north,
range eleven, east. The general face of the country is somewhat rolling; the
quality of the soil is good and productive; partially prairie and some oak
openings, with considerable marsh or meadow land, yielding excellent hay and.
pasturage; it is under a high state of cultivation. Fine farm houses and barns
meet the traveler at almost every turn of the road, indicating thrift and social
independence. The first purchase of land from the goverment in the township was
in 1838, by Phillip Kerney, on sections eight and ten. In 1840, Wm. C. Wells,
Amos Harris and Horatio Catlin entered their lands in sections seven, eight and
nine.

  The first town meeting was held at the house of Amos Beecher, April 6, 1847,
when, on motion of Rev. J. G. Kanouse, Horatio Catlin was chosen chairman, S. H.
Adsit and Orsamus McCray, judges of election, and Rufus Howard clerk. The towns
of Deerfield. and Cottage Grove were then together for political purposes, and
at that meeting there were seventy-one votes cast, and the following town
officers were declared duly elected: Supervisors — Henry L. Bush, chairman, A.
E. Adsit, J. W. Butts. Clerk—Frederick A. Mitchell. Assessors—John Sunderman,
Lucius Loss and M. W. Adsit. Justices of the Peace — Edmund P. Butts, J. H.
Clyde, Charles Drakeley. Commissioners of Highways — Molton J. Hammond, Samuel
Halawork, E. Sampson. School Commissioners — E. D. Kanouse, John Barker, Eli
Sperry. Collector — Isaac Beecher. Constables — Isaac Beecher, E. A. Sperry,
George S. Butler. Sealer of Weights and Measures — John Deline. Fence Viewers —
Amos Harris, Allen Kanouse, Orsamus McCray. These men constituted the first town
officers.

  On the 20th day of April, 1849, the towns of Cottage Grove and Deerfield, by
mutual agreement, separated their political connection by the action of their
supervisors, who on the part of Cottage Grove were, Charles Drakeley and Lewis
Waldruff; on the part of Deerfield, Allen Adsit and Emery Sampson. H. M. Warner
was town clerk.

  Cottage Grove received its name from a burr oak grove, in the midst of which a
public house was built, and where the post office was established in 1838, with
Wm. C. Wells as post master. There are now two post offices in the town, the one
at Cottage Grove, on the road leading from Madison to Watertown, and the other
at Door Creek, on the west end of Liberty Prairie, eleven miles from the city of
Madison, southeast, on the road from Madison to Milwaukee, by way of Cambridge
and Fort Atkinson. Liberty Prairie covers about five sections in the south half
of the town, and called so by a number of citizens who assembled on the highest
eminence on the prairie to celebrate the Fourth of July, and, from the
exuberance of their spirits, together, it is said, with something from a little
brown jug, that on looking around on the beautiful prairie, they became so
enchanted with the sight, they involuntarily cried out "Liberty Prairie." Thus
one of the richest and most beautiful prairies in the state received its
christening. There are three organized churches in the town, each having a fine
house of worship, the Presbyterian, Methodist and German Lutherans. The
Presbyterian church was organized by the Rev. John G. Kanouse, in 1845, at the
house of Horatio Catlin, his wife being an active member of the church, and his
house the only "meeting house" in the town. Mr. Kanouse was minister for nearly
twenty-five years, until his death on the 30th day of May, 1870. Since his death
the pulpit has been filled by several eminent divines, such as Wm. Hendrickson,
Lemuel Leonard, O. P. Thompson and others. The Methodist church, in Cottage
Grove village, was organized at the house of Amos Beecher, in 1846, by Rev.
Matthew Fox and Rev. Mr. Montgomery with Laura Robinson, Samuel G. Curtis and
Thomas Atkins as "charter members." The Methodist church on Liberty Prairie was
organized shortly after by Samuel Dodge and L. D. Kelly. The former has long
since gone to his reward, the latter is still in active life and engaged on his
farm. The German Lutherans organized since the other two; have a large and
intelligent congregation, and a fine house of worship.

  The Evangelical Association is strongly represented in the town, though their
church is situated just across the line, in Blooming Grove. They purpose at some
early day building a new church in the town, where three-fourths of the
membership reside. The church was first organized in 1853, in the house of C. F.
Uphoff, on section 19, and where services were held for a number of years, with
Rev. Henry Roggats as pastor. They are now in a very prosperous condition.

  Schools are well attended and well provided for; the census of 1875, shows a
population of 1,430 inhabitants, the foreign element being largely represented.
The village of Cottage Grove is located on section seven; it consists of the
post office, one store of general merchandise, two blacksmith shops, one harness
shop, one wagon maker, two churches, a school house and quite a cluster of
dwelling houses.

  In 1841, General Dodge passed through the village and put up at the Beecher
tavern. His military career was well known among the early settlers, and with
none more so than Mr. and Mrs. Beecher, who resolved on setting a table worthy
of their distinguished guest. But the old general had endured too many
privations, and too many homely fares to be disturbed in his usual method of
dieting, and so regaled himself with bread, potatoes and pork, leaving all the
"fixings" untouched. His room had been prepared with extra care, and with an eye
to modern comfort and ease in the way of a good feather bed and pillows. But the
general had pillowed his head on the soft side of a hard board many a time, and
so asked the good lady, to her utter amazement, to supply him with some comfort
by the removal of the feather bed, and the substitution of one of straw, which
with him was deemed a luxury.

  In old stage times, and before access by rail to Madison had been
accomplished, Cottage Grove was one of the relay and resting places for the
members of the legislature going to and returning from Madison, and many a
pleasant reminiscence is associated with Cottage Grove and the many guests and
members who made mine host Beecher's house their abode, but which our space
forbids enumerating at present, further than to record one notable circumstance.
In 1841, a number of the early settlers agreed to have a social dance at Amos
Beecher's tavern, and to show the extent and distance the guests came from, it
is stated that H. W. Wales, Mr. Brown, G. H. Walker, were from Milwaukee; Mr.
Rogan, from Waterloo; James Frau, from Fort Atkinson; Harris and Charles
Lawrence, from Token Creek, and a large number from Madison. A noticeable event
of the evening was, that Mrs. Davis, who weighed about 200 pounds, and Mr. G. H.
Walker, who weighed about 250 pounds, were the two leading dancers of the
evening, displaying more ease and elegance of deportment in the mazes of the
ball room than those with less corporeal incumbrance.

  Through the energy of our Good Templar Lodge, there is a pleasing feature
throughout the township that there is not a place where ardent spirits are sold,
nor has there been for a series of years, although this was not always the case.
Whisky, as in all new countries, used to be plenty, and highly prized, so much
so, that at a town meeting the electors passed a "resolution " that hereafter
hogs should be restrained from running at large, but "whisky was to run free,"
and in those times it did run freely. There is a very fine Grange Hall in the
town, No. 97, Patrons of Husbandry.

  No streams of water of any great volume are in the town, though Door and
Koshkonong creeks run through the town, but not of sufficient size for mill
privileges. The township is under a high state of cultivation, and is extremely
well located for markets. It is remarkably healthy, having a pure atmosphere,
good water and plenty, and no miasmatic swamps to create fevers and agues. There
are no natural curiosities, such as caves or large mounds, although there are
plenty of ancient indications. On section four, on the land of Albert Gaston,
there were some ancient Indian relics.

  Politically, Cottage Grove has not been behind the times in contributing her
share of public men. She has given the state a governor, state senators and
state legislators, and in the late civil war, Cottage Grove sent 105 men to the
field; twenty-two of them left their bones on southern battle fields. Any person
wishing to locate in this part of Wisconsin cannot do better. Here we have the
best of society, the best of churches and school privileges, a good, healthy
climate, good water, good markets, good soil, and just far enough from the
capital city for a good, pleasant drive, accessible to three or four depots in
thirty minutes drive. To the visitor the drive from Cottage Grove Corners to the
city of Madison is truly lovely and enjoyable; for a greater part of the
distance there is a full view of the city and the beautiful lakes Waubesa,
Monona and Mendota, with their bays and streamlets, and the Catfish river, with
its many windings through natural meadows. The road leads for about two miles
along the shore of Monona, where a lovely white sand beach affords facilities
for good bathing or gathering of shell and pebbles. If a little touch of the
hand of art was added to what nature has already done, it would cast Long Branch
into the shade. To the seeker after pleasure and health, we would say, God has
created few lovelier or more healthful spots than Dane county, and the town of
Cottage Grove, for here will be found health and pleasures to overflowing.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Dane County Towns Section

MADISON, DANE COUNTY AND SURROUNDING TOWNS;
BEING A HISTORY AND GUIDE
TO PLACES OF SCENIC BEAUTY AND HISTORICAL NOTE FOUND IN THE TOWNS OF DANE COUNTY
AND SURROUNDINGS, INCLUDING THE ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNS, AND EARLY INTERCOURSE
OF THE SETTLERS WITH THE INDIANS, THEIR CAMPS, TRAILS, MOUNDS, ETC.

WITH A COMPLETE LIST OF
COUNTY SUPERVISORS AND OFFICERS,
AND
LEGISLATIVE MEMBEES, MADISON VILLAGE AND CITY COUNCIL.

ILLUSTRATED,
MADISON, WIS.:
PUBLISHED BY WM. J. PARK & CO.,

BOOKSELLERS, STATIONERS AND BINDERS, 11 KING STREET.
1877.

COPYRIGHT.
WM. J. PARK & CO. 1877.

DAVID ATWOOD, STEREOTYPER AND PRINTER, MADISON, WIS.

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