Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-02-27
The Hardwood Timber of Wood
County.

Wood County, though known as a
Pine numbering county, and very gener-
ally considered abroad as SO much
waste territory excepting as its pine
lands are counted valuable in their
annual yield Of the lumber product, Is,
nevertheless, one Of the most valuable
hard timber wooded counties in the
state. 1t is safe to estimate the acres
of hardwood timber ia the county as
comprising at least three fourths of its
territory. All the northern tiers of
townships, and those al g It's western
border, together with those in the In
terror and in fact, all, with the eScep
tien of those townships on its southern
and southeastern boundaries where
are located Grand Rapids and Contra
liza, are richly timbered regions yield
inc the finest hardwoods in the west.
The varieties most prominent are black,
red and white Oak, hard and soft Ma
pie, Elm and Hickory, while Butter
nut and Eastwood are found in great
abundance.
Unfortunately for the development
of the counties wealth, sandy region
of territory stretching from northern
Juneau, extending through northern
Adams into Portage AM adjoining
counties. touches Wood County on It's
,9uthe-n .al southeastern borders. And
a. heretofore the only means Of access
t. It's principal business points have
been from New Lisbon on the south
west, from Portage City Oh the south,
and from Portage County on the east,
all these highways leading through
this desert region, those who would
seek to investigate its rumorcd wealth
Of agricultural and tim5ereI lands, or
its mineral resources, have counted all
that has come to their ears as SO many
idle tales fabricated in the interest OF
SPECTATORS. Not few have turned
away from Grand Rapids in disgust
after having made the pilgrimage. from
the points Notwithstanding only
over night because necessity compelled
them so to do,-neter having looked
IN to the grand old forests that stretch
away to the north and west,-such a
forest of giants as is not to be found
south Of the Mill. & st. p. r. Il. and
only in Wood, and the northern and
northwestern counties of the state
This wealth Of timber no longer re-
mains a hidden treasure. The rail-
roads now building, ana those project
cd will extend their iron parall els ath-
vart and directly through these regions
Of timber and very soon the reaching
hands of commerce will have seized
unon the treasure which for centuries
las been ripeninc for the manufacture
inc industries Of the nation.
Strange as tie statement may seem,
Wood County never has been, literally
speaking, a pine producing county.
\ very large proportion Of the pine
product annually shipped to the Miss
issippi markets has been the product
of the pine forests Of northern Wis
consin. floated down the Wisconsin
river. and here manufactured in the in
terest of resident and nonresident lum-
Der capitalists. Wood County Is a
hardwood county, possessing timber OF
a very superior quality and in quaint
eies almost inexhaustable. We pre-
dict the homo consumption of millions
of feet Of this timber in the manufact-
ure Of the thousand and one articles
for which it is adapted, in Il very brief
period. while the amounts exported
must necessarially foot up to an enor-
nous figure We see nothing mythical
or extrayagant in these assumptions
Already we can observe a different in
eonation.--the pine dia'ect is yielding
70 the more stable rhriortc Of maple,
elm, hickory and sturdy oak.
The Evening Wisconsin.