Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-07-06
Beetown-Past and Present

The following paper was prepared
| by Messrs. G. Lamson and s. Newick,
in response to the Proclamation oil
Pres. Grant and Gov. Luddington,
and copy was made and deposited
in the Centennial Box at the celebra-
ton in Lancaster, July 4, 1876, by G.
Hutchinson, Chairman of the Town
Board of Beetown
Beetown derives its name from the
fact oil lead ore being found at the
roots of fallen bee tree; hence the
name Beetown. This discovery was
made in the year 1925, by Thomas
Crocker, Jas. Meredith, Curtis Cad
we'll and Cyrus Alexander. They
found lump of ore weighing 425 Tbs.
About the same time Henry G. Bush
nell, Benz. Stout and Thomas Segar
found mineral at Muscalonge
In the year 1927 Henry q. Bushnell
and wife settled at Muscalonge, and to
them was born the first white child in
this vicinity (Dorathy ]. BushnelD
now the wife of Chas. Whipple of
California. In the same year, 1927,
George Hackett built smelling fur
mace at Muscalonge. There was min
eral found on the bluffs of Grant river
and worked by the French and In.
dams long before the discoveries
above mentioned. There are ruins of
rude smelling furnaces where they
smelted their ore found to this day.
The first settlers in Beetown were
Soloman Arthur and wife, pioneers
from the state of Vermont, who ar
rived here in the year 1923. During
the Black Hawk War he sent his wife
to the block house at Cassville while
he cultivated his little patch of ground
where the village now stands. When
he saw an Indian on the hills he re-
tired to his little fort "a drift in the
hill near by) rifle in hand, ready to
shoot down the red man if he attempt
ed to invade his premises. We re-
ceived this account from his own lips.
He died in February, 1916, and was
buried under the shade of Four Oaks,
place selected by himself in the
Beetown graveyard, little north
west of the village, being the first per-
son buried in the graveyard. As a
last tribute of respect to his memory
we close this short sketch of his life,
as a citizen of Beetown, in the Ian
guage of the poet:
screen wave the grass forever DER thy rest.'
James Prideaux and wife came to
Beetown in August, 1884. Matthew
Edwards and wife were the next set
tiers, who were guests by invitation
together with Capt. Ester and some
other miners at an Independence din
ner given by Jas. Prideaux on July 4,
1885. Mr.. Edwards commenced keep
ing hotel and also sold groceries aud
miners supplies in1s35.
The first smelling furnace built in
Beetown was by Arthur L. johnson
in 1929, who also kept the first store
in the village. His store and furnace
were situated q little north of Mr..
Arthur's dwelling. The second smell
ting furnance, a much larger one than
the former, was started in 1s43 by
Mr.. De Lasseaux, Frenchman by
birth and education, who was highly
resp ected by the miners for his liber-
atty and fair dealing. II was his
practice to furnish new miners with
means to commence prospecting, tax
ing his chances for remuneration in q
share of the mineral they might raise.
He was cruelty murdered on April lst,
1s46, by miner named Brewer, for
which crime Brewer was tried, found