Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-02-12
Grant County Lands--Rivers- Mines
Quarries, Mill Seats-Railroads

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Grant County Rivers Mines
Quarries Mill Seats-Railroads.
Much of the land in Grant county
is so poor that it has to be MANFRED
to enable the dead to rise. And it so
happens that most such skeleton or
impoverished land is situated along
the interior streams, the Plates,
Green, Blue and Grant rivers and their
tributaries. The valleys of these
streams are fertile; many of the hill
slopes are bare Of timber, but sodded
with wild grass. The hills to the
north are timbered ami the levels
above are in all conditions-grassed,
brushed, timbered. The breaks and
gullies are deep and descend so rap
idly that the waters flow in torrents
during rains. Nearly all such eullies
gre dry, except during wet weather,
and are called dry ravines.
There are rich stone quarries in all
these hills; also mines of lead ore
The projecting lodges of rocks are of
ten SO futed and piled up as to re-
semble old castles. In some places
there are great walls resembling at a
Il 81
There are not far from 100000
acres Of such land in Grant county,
nearly all Of it to become useful and
valuable only when there comes to
be higher civilization and better de-
votion to public Improvement.
But what should count above all
other items IN the catalogue of DOR
mant wealth is the stupendous water
powers offered BY the two hundred
miles of interior large streams Of this
county which flow into the MISSISSIPPI
pi and Wisconsin rivers. These sew
eral streams, in flowing thirty to for
ty miles, fall twelve to twenty feet
to the mile, and in places so rapidly
as to produce cascades, affording the
necessary fail for one or more dams
to each mile.
These streams one day in the dis
tant future will be improved from
mouth to source for driving millions
OF splindIes, forge hammers and 9th
er useful machinery. We had hoped
that such improvements might be ad-
ded during this nineteenth century
and during the active life of the pres
ent youthful generation Of people,
To this end we lately suggested the
building of one or more railroads thro'
the county, the means to be raised in
part By general or local taxation.-
We miscaIculated only in underesti>
mating the public anxiety fQE wealth
to De derived in that way Had we
suggested the raising Of such means
by some vast lottery enterprise, the
scheme 50 arranged as that there
would be one chance in million to
ma Ike a solitary fortune, and another
chance for the holder Of ticket num-
Der two to be drawn in four quarters,
we should have had twice the patrons
of our enterprise. But We have this
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impractical, and the emanation Of a
visionary brain, will be carried thro'
by immense ma orities this side Of an
ensuing twelfth year. Our error was
in starting dozen years too soon.
We conceived and advocated boldly,
but tiniid maiorites stood in the way
to arrest the car ofenterpris Strong
men were ready to SECOND the grand
work, but even these were slow to
speak in the face of opposing MAJORS
ties. We therefore now adjourn for
a period, and await revolution of
theindustrial zodiac, when the phrene
illogical bumps of Grant county shall
crumbe and vanish before the iron
horse as dancing atoms in the maZes
of confusion. And at that day of tri
umphing enterprise the present oppo.
sing ones will appear as idiots cut in
marble and dumb as the sheep at
shcaring.
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