Dane County WI Archives History - Books .....Deerfield 1877 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/wifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com April 27, 2006, 7:46 pm Book Title: Madison, Dane County And Surrounding Towns... DEERFIELD. BY K. O. HEIMDAL. THIS town is the third from the north and south, in the eastern tier of towns in the county, occupying the whole of township No. 7, range No. 12 east, and was set off from Cottage Grove, which bounds it on the west; and organized as a separate town in 1849. The first town meeting was held April 3, the same year, at the house of D. R. Hyer, and thirty-five votes were polled, and the following officers were elected: Allan E. Adsit, chairman; Emery Sampson and George R. Fryer, supervisors; H. L. Foster, town clerk; Benjamin Potter, treasurer; and Martin W. Adsit, assessor. Previous to, and during the early settlement, deer were very plenty, and when the sleighing was good, it was a favorite method to hunt with teams, and generally with good success, and so it was suggested that the town should be called Deerfield. The first house put up in this town was on section 18, on the road from Madison to Milwaukee, by Philip Kearney. The work on the house was done by Judge N. F. Hyer and others. It was intended for a half-way house between Madison and Aztalan, and is said to have been occupied only a short time; but by whom, we have been unable to ascertain. The house was built in the summer of 1839, soon after those long corduroy bridges were finished across the marshes, in the eastern part of the town. The lumber for this house was drawn from Lake Mills, by B. Ingraham, who afterwards settled in the town; but not having a permanent occupant, it was in a short time ruined, and carried off piecemeal. Judge Hyer, one of the oldest settlers, has courteously furnished the following exceedingly interesting letter, which we quote in full, and wish he had given us a still further resume of his early Wisconsin history. He resided in Wisconsin from 1836 until 1849, when he left for the South, on account of ill health, residing most of the time in New Orleans. He still continues to cherish a deep interest in everything that relates to the settlement of Wisconsin, both past and present. He writes: In the fall of 1837, Capt. Stansbury, with Lieuts. J. D. Webster and Charles Hagner, of the U. S. Engineer Department, came to Milwaukee for the purpose of expending an appropriation by the government in making a road from Milwaukee to Madison, on the most direct and practicable route. They being unacquainted with the country, Capt. Stansbury sent for me, then residing at Aztalan, to come and pilot them through, which I did. On arriving at Aztalan and finding comfortable accommodations at the house of Thomas Brayton, Esq., who had recently arrived, and discovering it to be very impracticable to ride through on the route to Madison, on account of the impassable marshes, I was employed to make the survey through, which I did, but not without some suffering, as there was some nine miles of the way so surrounded with marsh that it was impossible to get on with team or pack horse, so we had to take on our backs the tent, camp equipage, provisions, etc. The day was cold, and we had to wade streams and marshes, and, before reaching the point selected for camping, my pantaloons became frozen to my boots, my boots to my stockings, and stockings to my feet, and my feet, as a matter of course, became somewhat cold, but the sensation was rather that of pain than cold. We soon had a rousing fire; I cut the boots from my feet, and spent most of the night in making moccasins for use the next day. My assistants did not appear to suffer so much. We soon found ourselves tolerably comfortable, and, after partaking of a hearty meal, hastily cooked, began to feel quite well again, and turned in for the night, but soon the sensation of thirst came upon us, when we realized the fact that we had not with us a pail or bucket to get water from the stream (Koshkonong creek) which was near by. One offered to go and get the water, if he had anything to bring it in; another offered his boots for buckets; tins being the best we could do under the circumstances, was adopted, and we were thus enabled to quench our thirst. The next day we succeeded in reaching Madison. Why the Half-way House was built: The next season, in October, 1839, Philip Kearney, a gentleman residing in the city of New York, father of Gen. Phil. Kearney, of the U. S. army, who was killed in the rebellion, sent his nephew P. J. Kearney with an introductory letter requesting me to assist in locating some land in Wisconsin. I started with him for Madison, on his way to Mineral Point, where the Land Office was then kept. Our new road not being then opened, we went by way of Sun Prairie, where lived three brothers, by the name of Lawrence, in a small cabin, who entertained travelers as well as they could; there we arrived about one o'clock, tired and hungry; we wanted our horses fed and dinner for ourselves. We succeeded in getting feed for our horses, but for ourselves they had nothing but one wild goose; nothing to cook him with, and nothing to eat with him when cooked. Mr. K. wanted him roasted; so a fire was made, and the goose strung up for roasting. Those who have not watched the slow roasting of a turkey or goose, when very hungry, cannot realize our condition while watching and waiting for that goose. Mr. K. at length becoming impatient, asked me if I would not select a place on our new road about half way between Aztalan and Madison and have a double log house built where travelers could be accommodated. I told him I would, and did; and that is the way the first house in Deerfield was built. Mr. Philip Kearney paid for the land and the house. It now occurs to me that of twenty men, including the three government engineers, assisting in making that survey, none are left save Levi. P. Drake and John Starkweather, of Madison, and your humble servant, NATH. F. HYER. The bridges or causeways mentioned above were built for the purpose of facilitating the travel across the marshes by the several stages, whose route day through the town, and was done by the filling up of the marsh with every kind of brush and waste material found near by, and then large logs felled and laid across. In the wet season it frequently happened that the stages would drive over these causeways, with the water nearly up to the wheel hubs. The changes incident to the cultivation of the soil have materially affected these roads for the better, and they are now dry and substantial. The first settlers in this town were Norwegians, and and [sic] the first Nels Siverson. He settled on section 35, and built a cabin in the spring of 1840. He is still living, but resides in Minnesota. In 1842, his brother Ole Siverson, settled on section 33, where he still continues to live. Lars Davidson settled on section 28, the same year, and is still in the town. In June, 1843, Colben Olson and his brother, Stork Olson, settled on section 30, and still continues to reside there; and about the same time, B. Ingraham and David R. Hyer, the first two Americans in the town, located together on section 9, where the village of Deerfield now is, built a tavern, which they conducted for some years, and then dissolved partnership, Mr. Hyer becoming the proprietor. For a number of years, it was the relay house for the old Milwaukee, Janesville, Columbus and Madison four-horse stage, where fresh horses were exchanged going or returning, until the Chicago, Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railroad supplied their more expeditious route. The supplies for the stages were bought and kept here, the oats and hay being obtained from the surrounding farmers, and purchased by Mr. Hyer. Many a jolly load of passengers stopped at Hyer's for refreshments, and during the session of the legislature extra coaches had sometimes to be sent out, which made lively times for the tavern keepers. Mr. Hyer was the first postmaster in the town, and held the office as long as he lived here. He now resides in the town of Springfield, and has furnished us the following facts, which we feel certain are but as a drop, compared with the numerous incidents which he must have witnessed and known when he was mine host of the Relay tavern: About the 1st of August, 1842, I commenced with a force of ten men to build a log house on Sec. 9, T. 7, R. 12 E. (now Deerfieid), for the purpose of keeping a tavern for the accommodation of travelers, who were daily increasing in numbers, and within three weeks completed a substantial building, with six rooms. One night, during our stay, we were much annoyed by wolves, who had caught a deer and devoured it within a few rods from our encampment, small remains of which were found scattered about in the morning. At another time, they made an attack on our cattle, that were feeding near by, and caused a great commotion among them; they bellowed and ran together, the same as they do when they smell the blood of any of their number slain. None were killed, but many of them showed the marks of the teeth and claws of the wolves. Soon after completing my log house I removed therein, and was appointed postmaster, and the place was duly christened "Deerfield." I built my stables for the accommodation of forty or more horses, and made additions to my house as occasion required, until the ground floor covered a space of 44 by 74 feet, and could conveniently accommodate forty or more persons with lodging; and a dancing hall 32 by 25 feet, where parties, often from a distance of twenty-five miles, came for recreation. In addition to the mail route from Milwaukee to Madison, a new route was soon established from Janesville to Columbus, with two-horse coaches, via Deerfield. The staging on the Milwaukee and Madison line increased to two daily post coaches, and often two or three extras, and the demand for oats to feed teams, purchased and furnished by me, amounted to from 5,000 to 7,000 bushels annually for five years. The oats were all raised within a radius of ten miles of my house. This much was accomplished about fifteen years from the first survey through the wilderness. The settlers spoken of were only the beginning of more extensive immigration. Lars Torgerson settled here in 1842, and still remains. Charles and Martin Adsits settled in 1845, while Allan E. Adsits and family came in 1846. For four or five years after the first settlement, the town increased in population very rapidly, and has continued to do so up to the present. In 1875, when the census was taken, the population in the town was 906, the largest proportion of which were of foreign birth, such as Norwegians, Germans and Irish. The only streams of any importance are Koshkonong and Mud creeks. The first named enters the town on section 19, and flows easterly into the large expanse of water known as Krogh's Mill Pond, which covers a portion of sections 13, 14, 15, 22, 23 and 24, leaving the town on the last section. The pond has been the source of litigation between the mill-owner and the property owners on the edge of the pond, in consequence of the large amount of land submerged. The current is very slow on this stream, so that it gives no water-power in the town, though over the line in Jefferson county there is a mill privilege. Mud Creek enters on section 34, and empties into the pond on section 27. The surface of this town is gently undulating. A portion of Liberty Prairie, lying within the southwestern part, is included within its boundaries. The southeastern part of the town is prairie and openings, the northwestern part, bare openings; and the northeast part, heavy timber, with more or less marsh. This timber land was entered by the early settlers in the adjoining towns for timber lots; but as it is now cut off, the land is cleared for agricultural purposes. We have, in the southwestern part, excellent stone quarries, both limestone and sandstone. Some years ago, there was a saw-mill built on section 20, by Mr. Thompson and Mr. Knudson; but just as it was ready to run, the dam broke, and it was never repaired, as the country being extremely level, the damage caused by overflowing was very great. Along these streams are excellent hay marshes, as good as any in the county. In the northeastern part of the town, some of the marshes will, in course of time, be valuable for the cultivation of cranberries. In this part of the town there is a large pond, which is called "Goose Pond," from the great number of these birds frequenting here. Hunters find abundance of duck also, and in the fall of the year it is very much patronized. In educational matters, we have achieved very satisfactory results. We have five good schoolhouses, a number of joint-districts, and some private schools. There are in the town three churches, one Lutheran, Rev. J. A. Ottesen, pastor; one Evangelical Lutheran, Rev. Rasmus O. Hill, pastor; and the other, Roman Catholic, Rev. Father Maher. Each one have regular service performed by their respective pastors. There are two postoffices in town, one in the village of Deerfield, Henry Bennett, postmaster; and the other at Nora, near the stone church, on Liberty Prairie, Andrew A. Prescott, postmaster; mail tri-weekly. In the village there is one store kept by Charles Mayer; two blacksmiths shops kept by H. Bennett and Mr. Seeley; and a good hotel kept by Mr. Benj. Baldwin. For years, wheat has been the principal crop raised, but of late, our best farmers have engaged more in what is called mixed farming, raising of stock, and seeding down their land. In 1876, the acreage of the different kinds of crops was as follows: Timothy and clover, 227 acres; wheat, 2,710; oats, 1,078; corn, 1,045; barley, 1,387; rye, 94; hops, 21; tobacco, 30. The facilities for marketing our produce in this town are, on the whole, quite convenient. Marshall and Waterloo are on the north, Jefferson and Fort Atkinson on the east; Stoughton and McFarland on the south and west, so that if we have no railroads, we have the consolation that we have ready access to market. The town has no bonded indebtedness. 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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