Outagamie County, WI - "Jordan's Landing? It's Shiocton Today" ************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************* Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives Subject: newspaper article "Jordan's Landing? It's Shiocton Today" Submitted by: county coordinator EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com Date Submitted: 15 March 2000 Source: New London Press newspaper article from Bicentennial issue, undated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jordan's Landing? It's Shiocton Today photo credit: This is the W.A. Float in procession at Shiocton - July 4, 1911. Front row, from left; Vivian Flint, Lucille Wilcox, the next three are children of Lawrence Weber, Wilmer Henry, Leonard Henry, Layal Goldsmith, Ethel Palmer, James Colburn, Royce Lacke, Russell Lacke, Harold Donaldson, Lee Shepardson, Neva Main, Phyllis Austin, Helen Donaldson, Milo Singler. Second row, from left: Tom Mullen, Elmer Goldsmith, Charles Wardell, Louis Locke, Charlie Oaks, Loyd Brooker, Harvey Pooler, Peter Olson and Bill O'Brien. Third row, Clemens Austin, unknown. Carl Steidl, Robert Austin, unknown, Harriet Donaldson, unknown, unknown, Lila Pederson, Irene Main, unknown, Maine Oaks. Back row, ? Langman, unknown, unknown, Caterine Brill, Emma Durwick, unknown, unknown, unknown, Helen Langman, Esther Allender, Irene Roate, Lewellyn Mack, unknown. by Leona Mech Shiocton of today was at one time called Jordan's Landing or Jordansville. The first name was used because a Yankee surveyor, Woodford Dominicus Jordan founded the village on the Wolf River. Born in Raymond (now Casco) Maine, the son of an English-born Rev. Robert Jordan, this young unmarried surveyor came to DePere in 1846, and ventured to survey the wooded, wild regions of the Wolf River, that is now Bovina township. Jordan found a trader, Ben Harmon, near the present site of Shiocton, who was engaging in trading with the Menominee Indians, who had a village to the north on the Wolf River. Noting there was a "tote road" from Bruce's Mill (now Stephensville) and envisioning active river traffic and trading, in 1850, Jordan returned with Randall Johnson, with whom he purchased 640 acres of forest (including the present site of Shiocton). There he built the first house on section 29 of his property, also a sawmill, and a little settlement developed, which was called Jordan's Landing or Jordansville, for several years. Jordan bought out Trader Harmon and continued trading with neighboring Indians, and other early settlers who were arriving in the wilderness. He and his partner were busily engaged in merchandising and milling. Later he purchased his partner's interest, and his village prospered, with Jordan becoming prominent as a leading citizen, selling lumber and real estate. When the Township of Bovina was created in 1853, Jordan's Landing had a rival settlement (called Shioc) a few miles to the north. Shioc was known as the upper settlement, whereas Jordan's village was called the lower settlement. The founders of the two settlements were vieing to build the main village of the township, which was nearly divided because of the animosity between the two places. Then the upper settlement's dam was washed out, and the mill there was abandoned. From then on, as early as 1856, the lower settlement began being called Shioc. Shiocton's first post office was established in 1855, and according to pioneer D.M. Torrey, the first mail carriers between Stephensville and Shiocton were volunteers who were sworn in before starting each trip. Later this mail route became a regular from Appleton to towns in Shawano County by way of Greenville, Hortonia, Ellington and Bovina. Shiocton was named for one of the greatest of Menominee war chiefs, and by 1856, ten families and eight or ten buildings comprised the village, with some 40 families living within a two-mile area around the village. Daniel Morris carried supplies between New London and Shiocton, making the 25-mile trip in two days and usually made two trips a week, in a dug-out canoe he had built, which he called the Lily Dale. This canoe was 65 feet long, with a set of four oars, requiring four rowers, and a steersman to navigate it. On some trips, this boat carried some 30,000 shingles on one trip. Later steamboats were being built at the mouth of the Shioc and made regular trips to Shawano to further the Indian trade. One steamship was called the Outagamie. The Menominee was built there in 1856 it's length was 100 feet - beam 16 feet, and was a side-wheeler. Route was New London and Fox River points - the project failed, so it was sold to Lake Pepin in 1860. The little village prospered because of the lumbering industry, and the firm of Morse and Jordan, by 1862, averaged 12,000 feet of sawed lumber daily, and employed 20 men. Ordinary lumber sold at $6.00 per thousand, while a better brand brought $9.00. The lumbering industry hits its peak in the 1870's, and the village sprang into importance because it was the principal distributing point for the great Wolf pineries, and the Green Bay & Pepin Railroad, which line then passed through the village. Various logging camps were located nearby and millions of feet of white pine and hardwoods were logged out of the surrounding woodlands. By 1870-71 Shiocton boasted five stores and three hotels. A few years later a hub and spoke factory, a planing mill, a handle factory, and one of the largest lumber firms in northern Wisconsin, owned by Willy, Greene and Bertschy, was established. J.& L. Fisher operated a large merchandising business at their general store, and trading post, and packed and sold immense lots of furs. - In 1877, a butcher in the village, owned by Charles Fantl or Fautt, made a specialty of packing and preparing meat for lumbermen and river drivers. When the lumber industry moved out of the county, the village came to a standstill, but the district then turned to farming, to form a stable growth. W.D. Boynton started a tree and plant nursery in 1896, which was later run by Norman G. Williams, and by the turn of the century, Shiocton became the "garden of Wisconsin" when the near-by swamp area was drained. The village area received widespread publicity because of this project. C.A. Kerr, Washburn and George Lonkey began experimenting with vegetable growing and storage, which led to the present extensive cultivation of these crops, and developing the cabbage industry in that locality. Today tons of vegetables are supplied to the market and canning factories, and the Shioc Kraut factory takes care of the cabbage crops. The village was surveyed and platted in 1857, and incorporated as a village much later, in fact on Jan. 27, 1902 - the bank of Shiocton started as a private business, and in 1906 incorporated as a state bank. G.A. Zuelke, Appleton, was it's first president. In 1933, the bank became a branch of the Appleton State Bank. A noted personage of the village was Eben E. Rexford, one of Wisconsin's most gifted writers of gardening magazine articles and books. He was also the author of the old love song, "Silver Threads Among the Gold". He wrote that at age 18, and received but $3.00 in payment of it. He also wrote fiction and tales for children. Eben Rexford lived in Shiocton from his early boyhood days, and as floriculturist, there was no place in the United States, that his advice had not been sought, and many times inquiries came from foreign countires. He was a native of New York state, born July 16, 1848, moving to Wisconsin with his parents at the age of seven, settling 2-1/2 miles from Shiocton. In the early 1880's he built a home in Shiocton, and in 1890 this house, together with all his manuscripts burned to the ground. He rebuilt a beautiful home on the bank of the Wolf River (located on now highway 54, near the bridge). In 1930, a memorial was dedicated to him at the site of this home. In Cleveland's first administration, (1885-89) Rexford was appointed postmaster of the village. He also acted as Town clerk of Bovina Township. In 1915 Rexford sold autographed copies of "Silver Threads Among the Gold" to help a struggling church in the village. He also donated the organ, and was the organist. He also donated song books, and always decorated the altar with flowers. Eben Rexford died on October 16, 1916. photo credit: This is the first dwelling in Shiocton. It was built by Woodford Dominicus Jordan. It is located in the vicinity of the old bank and Krueger's Butcher Shop.