LOCAL HISTORIES:  The History of Brunswick Township, Eau Claire Co., WI

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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:  
Nance Sampson  <nsampson@spacestar.net>  15 April 2000	
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Brunswick Township, which contains about thirty-six square miles, was formed
in 1857, and is bounded irregularly on the north by the Chippewa river, 
which divides it from the town of Union; on the south by the town of Drammen,
on the east by the towns of Washington and Pleasant Valley, and on the west
by Dunn county.  Besides being abundantly watered by the Chippewa river at 
its northern extremity, the town is intercepted by Taylor's, West and Coon
creeks.  It had a population according to the census returns of 1910 of 706.
Porter's Mills were the only manufacturing industries of this township.  This
was formerly called Porterville and was surveyed and platted with that name
in the fall of 1883.  It had a station on the Chippewa Valley division of
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway, described as "Porter's Mills."
Among the early settlers in close proximity to it were Nelson Cooley, in 
1855, and Washington Churchill, in 1856.  This location was selected as the
site for a sawmill in 1863 by Charles Warner, who began the erection of a 
structure of this description.  It was completed in the following year by
Messrs. Porter, Brown and Meredith.  The capacity of the mill was then 
20,000 feet a day of twelve hours.  It was burned down in October, 1866, and
rebuilt by Gilbert E. Porter and D. R. Moon during the following winter, and
its capacity increased to 40,000 feet.  The business was carried on under 
the firm name of Porter & Moon, and in 1869 the capacity of the mill was 
again increased with an output of 60,000 feet per day.  When the first mill
was started in 1865 there was only one house at this place.  It was occupied
by the few men then required to run the business.  According to the census 
returns for 1890 the population of the village was 1,194.  There was no 
industry here other than those controlled by this company.  A Scandinavian
Lutheran frame church was erected and dedicated in 1889, and a fine school 
house was built.

Taken from the "History of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Past and Present,
1914", pages 38 - 39.