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

VIENNA.
BY HON. A. A. BOYCE.

  THE town of Vienna is situated on the north line of Dane county, and is midway
between the east and west lines of the county. The town is bounded on the north
by the town of Arlington, in Columbia county, on the east by Windsor, on the
south by Westport, and on the west by the town of Dane. It occupies the township
of land known as town 9 north, range 9 east. This township of land was set off
from the northwest corner of Windsor, and organized as a separate town by an act
of the second state legislature, in 1849. The name of the town was derived from
the town of Vienna in the state of New York, from whence came some of the early
settlers. It occupies a part of the high lands that divide the waters of the
Wisconsin from those of Rock river. From the northwest part of the town the
waters fall into Lodi creek, a small tributary of the Wisconsin, from the east,
and south the waters find their way into Lake Mendota through two small creeks,
one on the east, the other on the southwest border of the town. The land is
sufficiently undulating to afford complete drainage. There are no marshes of any
considerable extent. The soil is principally a deep, rich, dark loam of great
fertility. In many of the hills and ridges, limestone of good quality for
building purposes is found. It is said that every quarter section of land would
make a good farm. Beautiful prairies, interspersed with groves, form pleasing
landscapes of great beauty.

  The principal groves are called Robertson's Grove, in the north, Norway Grove,
in the center, and Hundred Mile Grove, in the northwest part of the town, the
grove was so called by the military engineers who placed the stake in the grove
that marked the one hundredth mile on the military road from old Fort Crawford,
at Prairie du Chien. This road extended from Fort Crawford, on the Mississippi,
by way of Fort Winnebago, at the portage between the Wisconsin and Fox rivers,
to Fort Howard at Green Bay, and in early days was the principal thoroughfare
from the southwest to the pineries of the north. It passed through the northwest
corner of the town.

  In the year 1838, William G. Simons (now of Lodi) entered the first land, the
southeast quarter of section 21, and plowed the first land. The next year he
built the first house, with the intention of keeping a tavern on the projected
road from Madison to Fort Winnebago, but the projected road taking another route
by the way of Token Creek, he left, and sold the land to Louis Montonda, who and
his wife Electa, were the only inhabitants for two years within the present
limits of the town. In 1842, Montonda moved away and the town was left without
an inhabitant until 1845, when David Robertson and Thomas Lindsay located on
section 4, where they now reside. S. Mcholson settled on section 22. The next
year (1846), Willard Fisher and Joseph Deming, with their families, settled on
section 21, and Ira Simons and Harvey P. Wheaton moved on to section 6; in this
year also members of a colony from and near the city of Leicester, England,
settled on section 31, being mostly mechanics, unused to farm labor and the
hardships of pioneer life, a majority of them left and sought homes elsewhere.
Among those who remained and improved their farms were William Plackett, Jonah
Poynor, William Crow, and Jabez Weston. In the spring of 1847, Adam Paton
settled on section 4, A. A. Boyce on section 6, Whiting D. Stanley and Aaron
Lamb on section 7, and Benjamin Nesmith on section 32. A number of families from
Norway settled in the central and eastern part of the town. Among the first that
came were Erick and Michael Johnson, with their families, who still reside on
their farms. During this and the following years, many more settlers arrived.
Robert Mann and Isaac Mann located on section 7. Among the early settlers who
still occupy the farms on which they settled, are Samuel Pashley, R. McChesney,
Alexander and Thos. Paton, M. O'Dwyer, W. O. and Wm. Fisher, R. B. Kellogg, Ole
Hemundson, Henry Nelson, T. E. Farness, Lars Sampson, T. Errickson, John Ollis,
J. and W. Howie, Aaron Cooledge, J. Farwell, S. Raymond, H. Cramer, Jas. Taylor,
R. J. Poynor, Win. Plackett, J. C. Hustleby, A. J. Damp, S. M. Lester and A.
Rankin.

  The first town meeting for the election of town officers was held at the house
of Willard Fisher, on the 16th day of April, 1849, and the following officers
were chosen: Supervisors, A. A. Boyce, chairman, Willard Fisher, and Benjamin
Nesmith; town clerk, Isaac Mann; assessor, Thomas Lindsay; treasurer, Jabez
Weston; justices of the peace, A. A. Boyce, Jonah Poynor, Willard Fisher, and
Hubbell Fuller.

  The first school house was built at Hundred Mile Grove, on section 7, in 1851.
There are five churches in the town, the first church erected was the Norwegian
Lutheran Church, in 1854, on section 24; then followed the Methodist Church on
section 31; the Seventh Day Adventists and the Catholic Churches both on section
9, and the Episcopal church on section 32.

  The inhabitants of this town have been peculiarly exempt from sickness. The
high and dry location of the lands gives them a pure and healthful atmosphere.
While the people are of so many different nationalities and religions, yet
greater harmony does not prevail in any town. Few crimes have been committed,
and pauperism is almost unknown. Schools and churches are liberally supported.
Many of the young people avail themselves of the educational advantages afforded
by the State University, the Normal and High Schools.

  Two railroads come within the limits of the town. The Chicago and Northwestern
Railway crosses the southwest part of the town, the Madison and Portage road the
northeast. The stations on these roads afford good and convenient markets for
the products of the farms — Morrison, DeForest and Windsor on the Madison, and
Portage road; Waunakee, Dane and Lodi, on the Northwestern road.

  The pioneer settlers underwent many privations. Among those most severely felt
was the want of a good and near market. Milwaukee, almost the only cash market
for wheat, was nearly one hundred miles distant, over new, and at times, almost
impassable roads. Frequently the expenses of marketing a load of wheat at
Milwaukee were greater than the money received for the load. W. D. Stanley used
to relate his experience in marketing his first load of wheat at Milwaukee; it
was in the fall of the year, the roads were bad and muddy, the weather rainy
most of the time; it took nearly eight days to accomplish the trip; no
extraordinary expenses were incurred, and yet so little did he receive for forty
bushels of wheat that when he returned home all he had to show for his load and
eight days' work for himself and team, was three yards of sheep's grey cloth and
a pound of tea.

  The experience of another neighbor — John Overton, of Dane — was even worse
than that of neighbor Stanley. He hired a yoke of oxen at twenty-five cents per
day, his own oxen not being sufficient to haul forty bushels of wheat to
Milwaukee over the bad roads; he hired a wagon at twenty-five cents per day; he
paid only ordinary expenses. After paying for the use of the oxen and wagon, he
found that the forty bushels of wheat did not pay expenses, and that he was
fifty cents in debt.

  I remember marketing a load of wheat in those early days at Madison, selling
it to "'Squire" Seymour (then of the firm of Seymour & Varney), for forty cents
per bushel, in "store pay." Wheat was the staple farm crop; in fact about the
only thing raised on the farm that could be converted into money. The yield of
wheat on the new rich lands was enormous; forty bushels to the acre was not an
uncommon crop. Now such yields of grain are rarely, if at all obtained — not
even from virgin soil. There are several reasons for this: first, insect enemies
of the wheat plant, then unknown, have come in and so multiplied as to
completely destroy the crop in places, year after year; second, the successive
crops of wheat taken from the same lands, without any system of judicious
rotation with other crops, have taken from the soil the elements of plant food
necessary to the production of large crops of wheat; and lastly, the
comparatively few acres of land that were plowed by the early settlers drew from
the atmosphere (nature's great storehouse) the plant food that now would be
divided among many times the number of plowed acres.

  Many of the first settlers entered upon the lands without first purchasing the
lands from the government or even pre-empting them, simply claiming them, using
all of their means in building fences and other improvements, and farm stock,
intending to make from the farm, or borrow, money sufficient to pay the
government for the land. The right of the settlers to the lands they claimed was
generally recognized and held sacred by the settlers, who protected each other
in their rights, and cases were rare where claims were "jumped" by settlers.
Occasionally some land speculator would " enter" (or buy of the government) the
lands claimed by settlers, and whenever one of that class appeared, his
movements were watched with a good deal of anxiety.

  In the summer of 1846 a settler was informed that a stranger on horseback had
been in the neighborhood looking land, and that he had obtained the numbers of
the lands he claimed, and had left in the direction of Milwaukee that forenoon.
The settler had not money enough to buy the land of the government, but he had a
friend living on Rowan's creek, eight or nine miles away, who could lend him
money sufficient with what he had, to enter his land at the land office at
Milwaukee; so he determined to borrow the money and reach the land office before
the stranger. He had no horse (I think there was no horse owned in the town at
that time); it was nearly noon when he started for his friend's; he was
fortunate in finding him at home and in getting the money; when he returned home
and commenced his journey on foot to the land office, the afternoon was well
advanced. He reached Cottage Grove late in the evening. He dare not enter a
house to sleep for fear he should sleep too long, but lay down by the tavern
stable door where he knew he would be awakened early iu the morning. Before
sunrise he was up and on the road; he reached Milwaukee that night. In the
morning he entered the land office as soon as it was opened, and found to his
great relief that he was in time to enter the land. Before leaving the office a
stranger entered to buy lands, and among the numbers were his own lands that he
had just paid for.

  Some of the old settlers will call to mind an occasion when the settlers of
this and the adjoining town of Dane were called together to right the wrongs of
a brother settler whose claim had been " jumped" The case was an aggravated one,
and was briefly this: A settler was living on a claim where he had built a
house, broken and fenced a field. He was visited by a former acquaintance from
an eastern state, who came to buy lands. The settler entertained the man for
several days, accompanied him a day or two in looking up lands, and assisted him
in getting correct descriptions. With these the man left for the land office and
entered the lands claimed by his entertainer, and returned to the neighborhood
and demanded possession of the land. The news of the outrage soon spread among
the settlers. They met on a cold December day at the house of the injured
settler, and caused the "claim jumper" to be brought in. A justice of the peace
was conveniently near, to act as the occasion might require — to take the
acknowledgment of a deed or hold an inquest. The man was stubborn; he refused to
receive the money he paid for the land and sign a deed made ready for his
signature. Threats and entreaties were alike unavailing. At last it was
determined to try the "water cure." He was taken to a neighboring pond, a hole
was cut in the ice, and he was plunged in. In his case the cold water cure was
instantaneous and complete; he expressed himself not only willing but anxious to
sign that deed. He took the money, signed the deed, and departed, a sadder and
wetter, if not a wiser man. Few persons except early settlers fully understand
the inconveniences and hardships of pioneer life in those days. Living for years
without a reliable market for their products, without railroad or telegraph,
schools or churches. The post office, store, physician and mechanic miles away,
and perhaps a day's drive to the nearest grist mill. Those early pioneers were
persons of robust health, and inured to toil; they were buoyed up with hope and
expectation of gain; their lives were not devoid of happiness; they were kind
and hospitable, ever ready to assist one another. Many, even now, recall with
pleasure and regret the days of pioneer life in old "territorial times."


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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