History: First White Settler Arrived, Eau Claire, WI, 1845 ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Nance Sampson 23 March 1999 ==================================================================== First White Settler Arrived in Eau Claire Area in 1845 Eau Claire, the French name for clear water, today is a city of about 40,000 population situated among rolling hills at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers. It is an industrious growing community which has become an education, medical and cultural center for West Central Wisconsin. But it was those same two rivers and the towering white pine which is solely responsible for the city's existence. The first white settler came to what is now Eau Claire in 1845. He was Stephen S. McCann who formed a partnership with a Jermiah C. Thomas. They erected a claim shanty on the Eau Claire River and later McCann constructed a cabin near the mouth of the Eau Claire River and still another on the location of what is now Eau Claire St. and S. Farwell. In 1847 the two men had joined with Simon Randall and had constructed a dam across the Eau Claire River and erected a new double saw mill. But on June 5, the same year, a cloudburst struck the area. The river rose and swept away the dam and sawmill. The mill was slated to open later that month. The firm went bankrupt. McCann went to the Eagle Prairie where he farmed and died in 1880. Thomas went back to Blue Mills, which today is Lake Hallie. Simon Randall was not daunted by the disaster and formed a partnership with his brother, George, and with Philo Stone and H. Cady. They rebuilt the mill in the winter of 1847-48 and went into business. The settlement began to grow and in 1848 the state legislature authorized the building of a road from Prairie du Chien, via Sparta, Black River Falls and Eau Claire to Hudson. It was finished during the winter of 1849-50. In 1850 Congress authorized a Post Office at Clear Water, the name of the community at that time. It was the first Post Office in the Chippewa Valley and G. W. Randall was the first postmaster. The village was then a part of Chippewa County which covered a vast area including the present counties of Eau Claire, Buffalo, Pepin, Clark, Dunn, Barron, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer, Rusk and parts of Taylor and Price. Town Formed By 1885 the village had a populatin of 100 and a capital investment of about $20,000. That same year the Chippewa board of supervisors divided the county into three towns. They Town of Clear Water was formed which is about identical in area to Eau Claire county of today. That same year R. F. Wilson and W. H. Gleason arrived and platted a considerable portion of the east side area and named it Village of Eau Claire. The name seemed to have confused town officials as both names appeared on official records for the settlement. In 1856 the town was laid out in two more sections, Eau Claire and Eau Claire City on the west side. Members of the Town Board of supervisors were C. M. Siley, chairman; E. W. Robbins, and M. A. Page. On Nov. 16, 1857 the chairmen of the town boards of Eau Claire, Half Moon Lake, Bridge Creek and Brunswick organized as a county board of supervisors and the town board government ceased functioning. In 1861 Half Moon became West Eau Claire. The city received its charter in 1872 from the state Legislature and formed the mayor-aldermanic form of government. Hiram P. Graham was elected the first mayor of the new city. At that time Barstow St., Kelsey St., Eau Claire, Gibson and River Streest were the principal business streets on the east side. N. Barstow, Galloway, Madison and Wisconsin Streets were the main north side streets and Water, Bridge, Bellinger and Menomonie Streets were main thoroughfares on the west side. Mills Spring Up Through the years more lumber mills were begun and Eau Claire became known as the lumber capital of the world. Adin Randall platted the west side in 1856 and also operated the first ferry. The same year he opened the Eau Claire house on the site of the present Hotel Eau Claire. The first school opened in 1856 on what is now the site of the Midelfart Clinic. It was built of green lumber and became known as the Green Lumber School. The Bank of Eau Claire, the first in the city, opened in 1856 and W. H. Gleason was president. In 1859 the first grade school was opened on the west side. The railroad reached Eau Claire in 1870 and the village was a scene of great rejoicing and festivity. The line was then known as the West Wisconsin Railway and is now the North Western. The two rivers became great highways for logs in the Chippewa Valley and handled millions of feet of logs each year. More sawmills sprang up in Eau Claire and in the immediate vicinity. The opera house was constructed in 1885 and the Galloway House was started in 1872 by Dr. William T. Galloway. It stood for many years until the new municipal parking ramp was constructed. The first mention of a tavern or boarding house in Eau Claire was in 1852 when reference was made to Gage and Reed's Boarding House which is now 410 Eau Claire St. There were 11 hotels in 1880 and these had grown to 16 in 1914. The population was nearly 20,000 in 1914 and the assessed valuation was set at $10,500,000. There were three railroads serving the city with 48 trains daily. The city had 111 factories, all busy, three hospitals, a tuberculosis sanitorium and county asylum. The net bonded indebtedness was less than $200,000. There were 21 miles of sewer, begun in 1885 on Barstow St.; 154 arc lights, six theaters. The population had grown from 5, 000 in 1870 to 10,000 in 1873 and was steadily climbing. Today (1968) the bonded indebtedness is $9.975,000. The town also had definite political lines. The west and east sides were mainly Republican and the Democrats had their strength on the north side. Government Changed Mayors and councilmen were elected on a political basis until 1910 when the commission form of government was inaugurated. Three commissioners were elected at large and they named the mayor. The first mayor in 1872, H. P. Graham, was a Democrat and he was followed in 1874 by J. P. Nelson, a Republican. The first mayor named under the commission form of government was J. B. Fleming, who served until 1916, when J. E. Barron was named. He served until 1928 when Fred Stussy took over and D. D. Lockerby was elected in 1934. He was succeeded in 1940 by G. Donald Barnes. The last mayor was Orville B. Christianson, who served from 1946 to 1949. The citizens voted for a city manager council form of government on April 7, 1948 and the election of councilman was held April 5, 1949. Members of the first council were Herman White, president; Leonard Haas, C. S. Van Gordon, Dennis Danielson, William D. McIntyre, Fred Stussy and James Voll. The first city manager hired by the council was James R. Pollack, who took over his duties July 8, 1949. He resigned May 14, 1952, to go into private business in Chicago. He was succeeded by David Rowlands in August of 1952 and he served until June of 1956 when he left for a similar job at Tacoma, Wash. Douglas Weiford became city manager Sept. 1, 1956 and served until Sept. 1, 1967, when he became Secretary of the State Department of Local Affairs and Development. The present city manager (1968) is Walter Kane, who took over his duties this year. He was formerly city manager at Loveland, Col. Industrial development in those early days evolved around the lumber industry but as diversification was born out of necessity as sources of lumber and wood were consumed. In addition to industries which employ more than 6,000 people, wholesalers serve the west central portion of Wisconsin to an extent of more than $144 million annually. The retail businesses employs approximately 2,000 who sell more than $67 million in goods. The Wisconsin State University at Eau Claire, with an enrollment of more than 6,000, is of distinct economic advantage. City hospitals enjoy an excellent reputation and provide for the needs of patients from a wide area. As the key city in West Central Wisconsin, Eau Claire has excellent hotels, motels, restaurants, night clubs and other entertainment. These attractions bring in numerous conventions and meetings and help create a healthy, active metropolitan atmosphere. Outstanding recreational facilities make Eau Claire an excellent place in which to work and live. The population is estimated at approximately 42,000 (in 1968) and it was 36,000 in 1968 and 30,745 in 1940. It is served by three banks, 53 churches with 13 denominations, a savings and loan association, three theaters, a television station, four radio stations, and two daily newspapers. --Taken from the Eau Claire Leader / The Daily Telegram, Progress Edition, 1968