Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-03-31
WlTERTOWN.
A Sketch OF the Settlement and
Growth Of the City.
Cor. Milwaukee Commercial Times

COR. milwaukee, Commercial Times
A two hours ride on the cars over
the track OF the Milwaukee & St. Paul
Railway Company, will take you from
Milwaukee to Watertown, and IN pleas.
ant weather the traveller sees much that
interests him and enlivens the trin
Just now, however, there is nothing
but snow to the right and snow to the
left, and whereas IN Milwaukee, the
snow, except - patches, is a sweet
memory of the past, in Watertown, il
is still to be see - al its pristine pur.
ity, rising to ma snihcent heights in all
directions, block2ding the railways ana
interfering seriously with intercommu-
nication between city and country.
Nevertheless the resident of Watertown
INDUCES the pleasing. and we trust
that it may not prove delusive, hope,
that he will rise on the morning of
the Fourth of July next to see the
meadows green with verdure, to hear
the larks and tie whipporwills carroll
ing their glad songs as they fit from
leafy bough to shady copse, and to gaze
quietly and with rapture, at the majes-
tic Rock river tumbling and tossing
over its pebbly bed, as it winds along
by waving corn ] Id and tufted clover
land and is lost L sight. Buried be-
meath snow banks, the Watertowner is
encouraged by that pleasing hope to
to keep his hand TO the (snow) plow,
and "await the day" We sincerely
trust that the fate of Watertown will
not be that of Pompeii, which didn' t
get up and dust with half the " "Phe-
nix-like energy that would character
ize an American city of the present
century in similar predicament.
IN sWADDLING CLOTHES.
In lS45 the convention which met
at Madison to frame a constitution for
the government of the Commonwealth,
was petitioned by several settlers at
j Johnson's Rapids 70 change the name
of that place to Watertown, after Wat,
ertewn, n. Y, from whence most of
them came. The request was granted
and the place was regularly baptized.
Its first name, Jonnsca's Ranids, was
johnson, who took up a clam and put
up log hut there, away back in 1882.
Tim came from Ohio, and the only ev-
idence of civilization that greeted him
was large wooden cross fourteen feet
high, made of cedar and stained black,
which had been erected in clearing
on the bank sloping toward the river.
The cross had probably been placed
there by some of the early Jesuit mis-
sionaries, as it was their custom to
erect them, and had nearly gone to
decay. The veteran johnson has
passed away from earth, but two Of
his daughters married aud are at pres.
ent residents of Watertown. We will
mention here that Johnson's Greek
where Tim first settled, was near the
present site Of Jefferson, and that
shortly afterward he moved further
north to where the city Of Watertown
now stands. At that time this section
of country was the resort of several
tribes Of Indians, among them the Pot
towatamies, all Of whom are now ex-
tinct. Tim exchanged tobacco and al
kinds OF supplies, for furs and skins
besides which he raised Indian corn
and cleared the lands. About the year
1916 a man named Goodhue settled on
the river at this point and put up q
saw mill There was not very large
force to do it, but the settlers were
only short time in erecting the mill
and building a dam across the river.
The timber was cut and sawed here
and run down the river to Beloit
Among the men who worked for Good
hue at that time and have since risen
to wealth and distinction, we may men
ton Luther A. Cole, Ebenezer Cole
and Mr.. Bailey. Goodhue didn't re.
main very long, however, and he trans
ferred the logging business to Messrs
Cole, Cady and Bailey, the corsidera-
ton being 100000 feet of lumber
delivered at Beloit. And now few
more settlers
CAME STRAGGLING ALONG.
In 1886 Daniel Crowley ana his fam
lily arrived at Watertown from Yer.
mont. They settled on the east bank
of the river and though there were
several settlers who had their wive.
with them, it was nine months aftel
her arrival that Mrs. Crowley saw tht
first white woman. The woods were
so thick and intercourse so Difficult
that the settlers saw very little of on,
another. The next industry afte
Goadhue's saw-mill was another saw
mill, erected by James and Patricl
Rogan, in the year '36 or '37 on tn,
west side of the river. The land a
this time all belonged to the govern
ment and timber was undoubtedly ha,
pretty cheap. From '37 to 40 th
new settlers were very few and th
log -schoolhouse which was erected an,