NEWSPAPERS: Pepin County Courier, 07 July 1876, Pepin Co., WI ************************************************************************ 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. Submitted by Linda Deutsch Lambert 10 March 2004 ************************************************************************ The following article is from the 07 July 1876 Pepin County Courier (Weekly Times) The Fourth in Durand. The 100th anniversary of our Nation’s independence was celebrated in Durand in a manner long to be remembered, and worth the greatness of the occasion. The weather could not have been more favorable – a clear, balmy sky, the heat tempered by a fresh breeze and no unfavorable signs to mar the happiness of the day with gloomy apprehensions. Taking all in all, the day could not have been finer had it been made to order. The dawn of day was welcomed by salutes which were not formal, but heart felt. At an early hour teams of all descriptions came pouring into town, depopulating for the day the surrounding country. By ten o’clock 5000 people were in the village, the largest number ever assembled here on any occasion. The procession was formed on the street by the marshals, starting from the CASLER house. The programme was not strictly adhered to in the arrangement of the procession, but sufficiently to make it brilliant and imposing. The floral car was richly decorated and contained representatives of all the States, and of Justice and Truth supporting the goddess of Liberty. Following the floral car was a wagon brawn by oxen containing 13 "women of "76." Next was a car containing 18 little boys and girls, illustrating the growth of Young (unreadable) since 1865. These three vehicles with their gay trappings, flying flags and merry and beautiful occupants, formed one of the most attractive features of the display. Those mirth provoking objects the Calithumpiahs, headed all the rest. From two to three thousand citizens in wagons and carriages completed the pageant. The exercises on the grounds were opened by music, followed by and impressive prayer by Rev. Mr. KIDDER. The Declarations of Independence was read by Miss Hattie HAYES, in the most impressive manner, every utterance being distinctly understood by all within the compass of her voice. Miss HAYES may well entertain feeling of satisfaction for contributing by her perfect reading to the success one of the most difficult, parts of the exercises. After a piece of music by the band, Rev. W.W. WHEATON delivered an eloquent oration on the rise and progress and destiny of our county. He dealt with some of the issues which were fought in the land, deducing from them lessons which are of value to the nation. Wrong and corruption were dealt with in a manner that savored of practical reform. Following the oration was a grand song magnificently rendered by the glee club. The history of the towns of Waterville and Durand were read, three cheers given for "the day we celebrate," and the large crowd adjourned for dinner to the tables prepared by the Methodist and Congregational church societies. With their usual energy the ladies had prepared a feast fit for kings and freemen, and to them is due the replenishing the treasuries of the societies. In the evening the "Ten Nights in a Bar-room" was played at the Methodist church ... ( words on this line are unreadable ) ... works were not as splendid as was anticipated, the foreboding aspect of the sky causing too much haste in their management. Altogether, the celebration was a success, much of it being due to the uniting energy of the ladies of this village. In the next hundred years, may they shape the course of the country by their influence in society and politics, as much as they have been all over the land, instrumental in making the centennial anniversary a day great in its success. The German Sangyeren, of Plum City, furnished some excellent vocal music. Vice Presidents from all the towns in the county except Pepin and Stockholm were present Wm BOYD, Sen., FRANKFURT; S. L. PLUMMER, Waterville; Samuel INGRAM, Waubeck; F.J. IDE, Albany; C.N. AVERILL, Lima; Geo TARRANT, Durand; and many prominent citizens from adjoining towns in Buffalo county, The following town Histories were read: In 1855 the present town if [sic] Durand was included in the county of Dunn, which was composed of one town, that of Dunn, and attached to Chippewa Co. for judicial purposes. In the spring of 1856, C.N. AVERILL was elected justice of the peace, there being at that time only one legal work in the county, one of Judge GALE??(unreadable letters) "Form Books." In the fall of this year the town of Bear Creek was organized, which included all of those portions of Dunn and Pepin counties which lie on the east side of the Chippewa river. Then the first town meeting in this town was held April 7th, 1857, at which the following officers were elected: L. G. WOOD, Chairman; E. CAMPBELL and S. S. PLUMMER, supervisors; D. F. ALLEN town clerk, and L. G. CRAINE, treasurer. At the same meeting it was voted that $100 be raised be raised by tax for school purposed, and a further tax of $?9,999 was voted for town expenses. The first settlers in this part of the country was Percy and Truman CURTIS and Charles BILLINGS, who came here in the fall of 1854. 21 years ago to-day, a German accidentally shot himself while out gunning. His camp stood at the very spot now covered by J. D. TIFFANY’s store. The year 1856 was an eventful one for this town, the settlements of that year shaping the whole future course and development of the vicinity. Mr. N. PLUMMER, commenced a saw mill at the mouth of Bear Creek, finishing the same in 1856. In the Spring of this year, Moses HEMMENWAY of Independence, Iowa, purchased some land laying on Bear Creek and Chippewa river, and H. Clay WILLIAMS coming soon after, both thought it was a fine site for a village, and employed L. G. WOOD to survey and lay out a town which was called Chippewa. In June of this year, J. D. TIFFANY came from New York with a large stock of goods. The ferry house and the store were the only two buildings in the place. Soon after, Geo. BABCOCK erected a saw mill at the mouth of Bear Creek, and then came Jesse HARDY, D.W. MORKELL, Al (unreadable) ALLEN, Mr. MILES and others to the number of 20 or 30 families. The village prospered (unreadable), business was brisk and had it not been for the river’s overflowing, would have been a town of considerable importance. The first school in the town kept at this village; religious services were conducted from time to time by Father DOUGHTY and Monroe WEBSTER. Mr. HEMMENWAY lost a child during this year, and the town was consecrated by at little grave. The funeral services were conducted by Mr. STEVENS, a Universalist minister. On the 4th of July, 1856, true to the patriotism of Americans, the handful of settlers held a celebration. Mr. STEVENS read the declaration of independence and H. Clay WILLIAMS delivered the oration. Toasts were given, Mrs. BURKE responding to one. While the good people of Chippewa were celebrating, three miles down the river a young man from the Nutmeg State was driving the first nail in the present village of Durand. That young man was M. D. PRINDLE, and he has the honor of founding the village on July 4th just twenty years ago and having it for his namesake. The village was platted in 1956, by M. D. PRINDLE, Chas. BILLINGS and Chas. WEATHERBEE In 1857 a small mill was built by W.F. PRINDLE, George ELLSWORTH and W. E. HAYES, which commenced work in November. Mr. V.W. DORWIN built a grist mill on Bear Creek three miles north-east of Durand. This store in Durand was built by Miles Durand PRINDLE in 1856. In 1858 Messrs. SCOTT and HARDING established a furniture factory on a stream that flows through the village into the Chippewa. The surrounding country was now being rapidly settled, and though the times were hard in consequence of the great financial panic of ’57, the people had plenty of energy and industry, which are silver and gold to any community. The first day school was established in 1857, Miss Emily IDE, now Mrs. H.R. SMITH, teacher. Some idea can be formed of the rapid growth of the village from the fact that in one year from the founding of the school 51 pupils were in attendance, and the citizens were not all unmarried either. Seth SCOTT organized a Sunday school in 1858, which has never for eighteen years ceased to exist. Durand furnished fifty-eight men for the war. The first to enlist were George WRIGHT, Oliver BROWNING, and Lewis BELKNAP. BELKNAP fell at Pittsburg Landing. In 1862 Capt. V.W. DORWIN organized a company for the 25th regiment which saw some hard fighting before Atlanta, and some hard marching with Sherman in his raid to the sea. With Capt. DORWIN went Rev. Thomas HARWOOD as a private. He was promoted Sergeant, and then to Chaplain of the regiment. He was one of the God’s noblemen, a friend to all, a brother to the soldier, cheering his companions in danger, consoling them in distress, writing letters for them when they lay sick in camp or hospital, and ever trying to render his country service doing all in his power for others. Since the war improvements have been constantly made in both the village and country, houses and stores built, court house and jail erected, and farms opened up and improved. At this time a fine graded school building is in process of erection. While the material interests are improved, the moral and intellectual condition of the people receive careful attention. There are two church organizations in the village, the Methodist Episcopal and the Congregational, which have a good membership and earnest support Rev. W. W. WHEATON and Rev A. KIDDER are the pastors. It is impossible to picture at present the pleasant site of this beautiful village and improved country as being once wild and unbroken. With the toil which has been necessary to develop the place has become prosperity and contentment. May the future have in store a rich fruition of the labors and cares, the hardships and privations of those who opened the country and founded the place. Durand has at present about 1200 inhabitants; eight merchants, two druggists, four milliners, two groceries, four physicians, two lawyers, two clergyman, two markets, five blacksmith and wagon shops, one machine shop, one furniture factory, two breweries, two feed stores, four boot and shoe shops, two harness shops, one jewelry shop, two livery stables, two hotels, two (unreadable) implement depots, one express office, two tailors, four saloons and two cabinet shopss [sic]. In 1862 Myran SHAW founded the Pepin County Mirror at Durand. Mr. SHAW sold the paper to Mr. VAN WATERS who changed the name to the Alemble, under which name it was run for about a year when it was changed to the Times, which name it still retains. Mr. VAN WATERS sold the Times to S. A. FOSTER, when its politics were changed to Republican, they, having been Democratic before. Mr. VAN WATERS started an opposition paper called the Lean Wolf, which lived less than a year then left the field for less ferocious beasts of prey. The Times was sold by Mr. FOSTER to W. H. HUNTINGTON in 1873, who in turn sold to MATTESON & Bo??(unreadable) in the spring of 1876. Waterville was taken from Waubeck, March 20, 1860, and contained only 15360 acres. At the meeting of the county board of supervisors the following fall two tiers of sections were attached from Frankfort, So that now the towns contains 23198 acres. It lies in the north-west corner of the county on the west side of the Chippewa river. The Eau Galla river runs through the north east part of the town. The north and west portions comprising over three fourths of the town is heavily timbered with red and white oak, rock and red elm, hard maple, ash, basswood, butternut, &c. The south-east part of the town is prairie and natural meadow. Dead Lake prairie is about the three by four miles, has a rich sandy loam is especially adapted to raising corn. The natural meadows on the Chippewa and Eau Galla bottoms are second to none in the State. The soil in the woods is a rich black loam with clay. Subsoil is especially adapted to raising wheat, oats, potatoes and tame grass. No portion of Ohio, or Kentucky affords a greater yield of hay per acre, then this town. The Chippewa River borders the town for two miles on the north and east. Round Hill is as good a boat landing as there is on the river. In the season of 1857 Nicholas BOWMAN built a steam saw mill at that place and during the past few years the Beef Slough Co. have put in extensive booms, piers, &c., so that now it is one of the most noted points on the river. One noted feature of the town is the morality of the people. No license for the sale of intoxicating liquors has ever been granted in the town. It is drained by the little Missouri on the north. The "big" and "little‘ Arkansaw creeks through the center and the Porcupine on the south-west besides numerous small brooks affording water for farm uses. The village of Arkansaw is situated in the Arkansaw valley three miles from Round Hill, it contains one church (Methodist Episcopal), four stores, two hotels, two saw mills, one grist mill, potash and pearlash works, one wagon shop, one blacksmith shop, but the leading industry is the extensive cabinet works owned and carried on by W. F. HOLBROOK & John GILMORE under the firm name of HOLBROOK & Co. Their business is second to none of the kind in the State. They are known throughout the west as the manufacturers of the best furniture in the market. The population of the town is about 1500 and is steadily increasing. No town in the State is peopled with a more industrious, quiet, law-abiding set of inhabitants. Settlement was commenced in the spring of 1854 by [Elijah] Grant and Elish[a] STEVENS, now both dead. The wife [Mary Holmes Rice] and several of the children of [Elijah] Grant STEVENS are still living in the town. In 1855 there was quite an ingress of settlers among whom were Levi MARBLE, who located on Dead Lake prairie where he now resides, James BURNETT, who located on Section 29 on the farm now owned by Stephen FOX, Asa L., John, Caleb, and Andrew CLOSEN, Isaac EGGLESTON, Ed HART, M.D. and E.M. BARTLETT, and Alfred COPSEY. W.F. HOLBROOK and his father, Schuyler HOLBROOK, the town in 1852 [sic]. In 1854 W.F. HOLBROOK, entered the first land in town and commenced the first mill and the same year built the first frame house. [Elijah] Grant STEVENS built the first log house. Among the first settlers were Charles and L.E. CURTIS, George WILCOX, John PRESTON, Jason AMES, Henry and Solomon BENTON, J.H. MCALVINE, Nicholas BOWMAN, Bradley and B.F. INGERSOLL, Arden KELTON, M.H. TUCKER, Gabriel BUCHANAN, Tobias, A. D. John and Charles SWARTZ, Nathan WILLIAMS, Lucins DUNBAR, George LAMORI, George DUNHAM. M[arion]. S. STEVENS son of [Elijah] Grant STEVENS was the first male child born [31 August 1854] and Hettie MARBLE the first female child April 25th, ’56 – George Greenleaf WILCOX was the first white person died and buried October 21st ’58. James CARROLTON and Mrs. Delilah MASHER were the first couple married, which took place at the house of Levi MARBLE in 1857. Dr. STEVENS of Eau Galle, a justice of the peace officiating. Rev. Ezekiel WEBSTER (Methodist Episcopal) preached the first sermon at the house of John PRESTON on the Section 25 on the farm afterwards known as the WILCOX farm. Hervy ROUNDS taught the first school in district No. 1 during the winter of 1856-7 in a house on the farm of Levi MARBLE. Minnie KELTAN (now Mrs. Tobias SWARTZ) taught the first school in Arkansaw. W.F. HOLBROOK was appointed the first sheriff of Chippewa county, but did not serve. He was also appointed by Gov. Randall the first coroner of Pepin county, and served. H. M. MILES moved to Arkansaw, in December, 1859, and in the spring of 1860, in company with L.E. CURTIS, commenced the first grist mill and had it in operation in the fall of 1861. Pepin county was formed from Dunn county by chapter [ unreadable..], laws of 1853. The first town meeting was held at the mill of W. F. HOLBROOK, on the 3d of April, 1860 there were but thirteen votes polled. The following named officers were elected: Supervisors, Marril AINSWORTH, chairman, W. F. HOLBROOK, George DUNHAM; Justices, Marril AINSWORTH, Solomon DENTON [ barely readable!], J. H. MCALVINE, Schuyler HOLBROOK; Town Clerk, M. H. TUCKER; Supt. of Schools, H. M. MILES; Treasurer, Geo. HOLBROOK; Assessor, Terrance ROONEY; Constables, Charles STEWART, Peter MURRAY. At the election in 1861, there were 20 votes polled. At the election in 1862, there were 31 votes polled. The personal property valuation in 1861 was 3,760. In 1861, there were 12720 acres of land assessed. In 1868 there were 14162 acres of land assessed and the personal property valuation was $31,11S [sic]. In 1876 there were 19080 acres of land assessed, and the personal property valuation was $508.042 [sic]. W.F. HOLBROOK kept the first goods for sale in a small shanty now used for a line house. Shortly afterwards Walter BAILEY built a store and put in a small stock of goods. He was succeeded by Samuel CHAPIN and Andrew CASCADDEN. In 1868 HOLBROOK built a new store and brought on enough goods to supply his employees. In 1871, James PAULEY and John GILMORE, of Read’s Landing, Minn., formed a co-partnership with HOLBROOK, enlarged the store built a large furniture shop, potash and pearlash works. The increase of capital necessitating the employment of mechanics and laborers gave the village a start and it has been steadily growing since. The same year H. M. MILES built a store and Miletus KNIGHT entered into partnership with him in the mercantile business. The next season a drug store was started by F. H. HILLARD and V. F. ROUNDS. In 1871 Alfred CROPSEY opened the first hotel and two years later Stephen CLIFF opened another hotel. Mr. CLIFF started a wagon shop the first in town and continues the business yet, B. O. AMES as partner. The present registered vote of the town is not far from three hundred. The farmers are in a thriving condition with the best of soil, water and timber and an industrious people. Waterville cannot fail to become one of most prosperous towns in the State. Waterville furnished her full quota of soldiers among whom were Charles, Thomas, and Israel TAYLOR, Reuben KIDDER, Charles RICHARDSON, Stephen SMITH, A.M. and Austin DUNBAR, Marselles and Charles STEVENS. The first church organization was about [..unreadable..] Methodist) as Pastor, [unreadable] The first stated preaching was by Rev. Wm. B. STURGEON, a Baptist missionary who located in Oct., 1858. Among the early preachers were Fathers DOUGHTY, GURLEY, BEMAN, DYER, HOBERT, WOODLEY, HOLT and WEBSTER [barely readable]. In 1861 S. L. PLUMMER located on Dead Lake Prairie and was appointed Probate Judge to fill vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Hon. M. D. BARTLETT, he having been elected to the state senate. At the following election Mr. PLUMMER was elected county judge which office he has held ever since. In the fall of 1873 Judge PLUMMER was elected to the assemblp [sic] from this District comprising the counties of Pepin and Dunn. The first post office was established July 2d, 1866, with the weekly mail from Pepin to Durand, with Abel R. HUMPHREY as postmaster. Mr. HUMPHREY came from Auburn, N.Y., in 1861, and has held various town and county offices. In 1871 the village of Arkansaw had grown so that the interest of the community demanded that the office be kept in a more public place, and Miletus KNIGHT was appointed Post Master and moved the [sic] into the store of MILES & KNIGHT which office he get [sic] holds. Up to 1874, Waterville depended upon other towns for medical assistance when W. R. CHURCHILL (Homeopathic) located in Arkansaw, but remained only about one year. Shortly afterwards E. P. WADSWORTH, M. D. from Painsville, Ohio, graduate from Wooster medical University, Ohio, located in Arkansaw and is the only regular graduate Physician in the town. George LAMORI, a Frenchman, born in Quebec, came here in 1855. He came to the State in 1844 and for several years explored the country between here and Lake Superior. From 1837 to 1844 he commanded a schooner running from Buffalo to Chicago. The first schooner was the ‘Tom Hart". He is now 74 years old, was acquainted with many of the British and French Officers in the war of 1812 ed [sic] with Col. TACHARAN, Col. BOPNDARDVILLE, Major D??DIBRI, Gov. PROVOUX, and others. Hervey ROUNDS who taught the first school in the town is now the Superintendent of schools for the county. There are at present two grist mills, five saw mills, and one stave mill, in the town. I am under obligations to J.S. McCOURTIE, Levi MARBLE, W.F. HOLBROOK, Mrs. M.E. MILES and others for information concerning the first settlement of the town. If any of the FIRST settlers are not mentioned in this sketch it is because their names have not come to my notice and is not intentional. Miletus Knight © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm