Outagamie County, WI - "Fremont First Settled in 1849" ************************************************************* 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 "Fremont First Settled in 1849" Submitted by: county coordinator EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com Date Submitted: 15 March 2000 Source: New London Press newspaper article from Bicentennial issue, undated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fremont First Settled in 1849 Supposedly the first survey of the township of Fremont was made in 1846 by Theodore Conkey, government survey. The next surveying was done by Ira Sumner in 1849. The first settlement was made in the spring of that year, and the first shanty was built by D. Gorden. During the same year, a man named Crosby built a log shanty on the west side of the Wolf river, making Fremont one of the first settled towns in Waupaca County. That same year, Ira Sumner built a shanty on the east side of the river, it being the first dwelling erected on that side. Claims were also made by Harman Mumbrue, the three Eastmans, a man named Hill, and Frank Millett. The next year, 1850, other settlers came, among them Benjamin Brickley and the Bergstressers, who settled on the east side of the river. Amos Riley made a claim and a man named Rowley built a shanty on the west side of the river; and another, named Clow, made a claim at "Red Banks". During that same year, Ira Sumner put up the first frame house. It was framed by Harmon Mumbrue, on the east side of the river, and became a portion later of the old Booth House, the first hotel. Also on the east side the first store was kept by Benjamin Brickley and Samuel Bergstresser, in 1850. The first child born in the town was Charles, son of Riley Eastman, in 1851, while the first death was that of young David Riley, in 1850. On June 22, 1851, Elder Miller, a Methodist, officiated at the first marriage, that of Frank Millett and Betsy Eaton. The first sermon was preached that year by the Rev. John Baxter, a Congregationalist. That same year, W.A. Springer moved from Little River, where he had located two years previous, and settled near the mouth of Patridge Lake, where he subsequently laid out a village, giving it the name of "Springer's Point". - Alvah Sherburne came in February, 1853, and bought out the claim of Frank Millett. The first apple tree was planted in 1851 by Mr. Springer, and in 1854 he harvested his first apples. The first school was taught in the Sumner school district by Miss Stroud in 1853, and the first school was built in the same district in 1854. Ira Sumner became the first postmaster when the first post office was established in 1853 on the east side of the river. It was later moved to the west side. In the early days, every two weeks, when the wind was right "Old Jack" sailed up the Wolf river from Oshkosh, and brought the mail and news from the outside world. The mail route was from Oshkosh to Stevens Point, and "Old Jack" sailed up the Wolf in his sailboat as far as Fremont, and the rest of the way he delivered mail on foot. Records say in November, 1855, a license was granted C.H. Mack to run a ferry across the Wolf at Fremont for a term of ten years. At the November 13, 1855 County board meeting C.C. Kinsman was granted the charter for a ferry at Fremont, and Ira Brown for one at Northport. The first dock and warehouse were built by Bender and Kinsman in 1855, at the lower landing. The first steam sawmill was built in 1856 by S.F. Conant and M.J. Russell, at the outlet of Patridge Lake. In 1857 a weekly newspaper was started in Fremont. It was called the Fremont Pioneer, and was "neutral in politics". It was edited by John M. Dewey, of Waupaca. It survived only one year - the first number was dated November 4, 1857, and had five columns per page. Advertisers in the Pioneer newspaper were "The Fremont House", A.J. Mayo, prop.; "Wolf River House", J.P. Shoemaker, prop.; "Evans Townsend", notary public and general land agent; "Steam Saw Mill", Damon and Springer, props.; "Store", J. Bender and Company; "Dry Goods", T.W. Brisbine; "Variety Store", Livermore's; "Steam Shingle Mill", Hubbard, Manswer and Company. (A German Lutheran church was founded around 1870, but a church building wasn't erected until 1885). The first church (Presbyterian) was built in 1873. (A German Lutheran church was founded around 1870, but a church building wasn't erected until 1885). The first grist mill was built in 1876 (100 years ago) by C.C. Arnold, and was subsequently owned by George J. Smith. It burned. One hundred fifty dollars was voted as a tax levy for nine months of school, four in the winter months, and five in the summer months. In 1887 the school divided into an upper and lower room, with two teachers. The principal received a salary of $50. The village was organized in May, 1888, when an assessor and other village officers were elected; E.L. Damon, president of board of trustees, and Wm. Sherburne, clerk and police justice. The first bridge across the Wolf was built by Abel Neff, of Oshkosh. It was a toll bridge, charging 5 cents per person to cross. After a few years, it was purchased by the town, and made free. It did good service until the great flood in the spring of 1888, when it was swept away. In the summer and fall of that year it was replaced by a first-class bridge, with an iron turn-table resting on a substantial stone pier. Its cost was more than $5,000., the town and village bearing half the expense, and the County the remainder. This bridge was replaced on Highway 10 at over one million dollars, and was just recently opened to traffic. In 1890 Fremont had one saw mill, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, one shoe shop, one agricultural implement warehouse, three churches, one high school, four stores, one hotel, two saloons, and two physicians. Around the 1900's there was a button factory in Fremont. The buttons being cut from clam shells. Twenty-five years later the village had ten stores of various kinds, two blacksmith shops, two hotels, one bank, several saloons, two garages, two real estate offices, and a lumber, wood and coal yard. Several cheese factories were at the village or nearby, known as Silver Field, Oak Grove and Fountain Valley.