River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-07-03
A WEEK OF RECREATION.
nIadison-E ConventiOn-Ex-
cursion TO Ashland.

4 Conceiving the idea OIL week res
| pite from the cares of business the SEN
Tor of the JOURNAL started for Madi-
son on Sunday, June Esd, to meet with
the editorial fraternity of Wisconsin
at their twenty first annual gathering
appointed in the capital city of our
prosperous and growing State. We
were Joined at Menomonie by our ge-
| NAL friend Rock Flint, of the Dunn
County News, who accompanied us to
Madison where we safely arrived at
| ten o'clock in the forenoon on the fol-
lowing day and at once proceeded to
| interview friends from the Northwest
in the Secretary of States office-H. b..
Warner, M. B. KimbaH. and b. III.
Weber, whom we found full OF bust
ness.
{. Madison at this season of the year is
really beautiful, and pleasure seekers
can pass few days very pleasantly
there, sightseeing, driving, boating.
fishing, etc., the lakes affording I'M
surpassed opportunities for the latter,
while the Capitol Park and public
buildings, including the Capitol. State
University, and Wisconsin State Hos
pital for the Insane command the ad-
miration of all who visit them /; a trip
around the university drive" is an
ENJOYABLE one and affords a fine view
of the grounds and farm connected
| with the leading educational institu-
ton of the State. While at Madison
we enjoyed the hospitality of Secre-
tary of State Warner and his estimable
| lady, to whom we are indebted for
courtesies extended us during our So
journ there.
A preliminary meeting of the Edi-
torial Association was held on Monday
evening and business session Oh
| Tuesday morning at nine O'Clock, in
the Senate Chamber, the public exer-
cises, consisting of the annual address,
| and memorial addresses, occur
ring in the Assembly Chamber on
Tuesday evening, after which an ele-
CANT gold watch was presented toGeo.
q. Ginty, of the Chippewa Herald, re-
firing President of the Association,
Sam. Ryan, of the Appleton Crescent,
having been chosen President for the
ensuing year.
The Wisconsin Central Railway Com
pany having placed at the disposal OF
| the Association three elegant Pullman
Palace Cars for the proposed excursion
| to Ashland, at the conclusion of the
exercises ON Tuesday evening the ex-
cursionists occupied berths assigned
them and retired for the night, to
start upon their journey to Lake Su-
perior at three o'clock Wednesday
morning before rising, by way of Por-
tage City in Columbia county, thence
through Marquette and Waushara
counties to Stevens Point in Portage
county, where the entire party par
took of breakfast at nine o'clock with
| an evident relish breakfast over and
haversacks filled with lunch for din
ner the cry of sail aboard" is heard
and the excursionlsts hasten to the
| train and resume their journey
| through the wilderness of Marthon,
Clark, Taylor, Chippewa and Ashland
counties to Ashland on Lake Superior,
| the northern terminus of the Wiscon.
sin Central, where they arrived at
about six O'Clock. We were joined at
Stevens Point by Superintendent Ba-
con, of the Wisconsin Central, who
was untiring in his efforts to make the
trip delightful one for the excur-
| sionists. The monotony of a ride of
nearly two hundred miles by raj from
Stevens Point to Ashland through all
| almost uninhabited wilderness, the
solitude of which is broken only by
| the shrek of the locomotive and rum
bling trains as they dash along their
track of iron, was much relieved by
| the very agreeable social features of
the occasion. Candor compels us
| to depart from the stereotyped form
of gush which characterizes writers
upon the country through which they
pass as tourists and to say that the
country trayersed by the Wisconsin
Central is far from being Paradise on
earth as it is but trackless wilder
ness of pine lands, large portion of
which are swampy, from Stevens Point
to the Penoka Iron Range within about
| thirty mile of Ashland where higher
land is found, though covered with
timber. This country, however, may
hereafter be reclaimed from its primi-
tive state and made available for graz
| ing, and consequently dairying pur-
poses. The scenery along Bad River
in Ashland county, and the iron rail-
road bridges across Silver Greek and
White River constitute the chief points
of interest between Stevens Point and
Ashland, thelatter bridge being l650feet
long and 103 feet in heighth, costing
$50, 600. TIE Wisconsin Central
Railway Company is entitled to great
credit for the indomitable energy and
perseverance with which it has prose-
cuted its enterprise to a successful
consumation, and we are of the opin-
ion that the State can afford to deal
literally with this corporation.
The Faber showers were welcomed
at Madison in an appropriate address
by Governor Smith, which was re-
sponded to by Captain Wilson. of the