Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-02-24
a Tribute to the Resources of Wood
County, Wisconsin.

- i'io'i'.' OHCo al az luSs' u VI imam
prospect always gives health and
vlgor to every country Or community.
Wherever fertility, natural wealth and
noble facilities are lavishly offered. we
see the shining leaves of progress
We see the brilliant rainbow of pro-
mise in the waving fields of grain and
the torch of progress in the flaming
FORCES. We hear the din and confu-
sion of the tide of immigration. We
know that factories and mills, FORCES
and farms, railroad, houses and fire
sides, school-houses and temples will
be the result There, prosperity must
reign. There, the go-ahead business
talents Of the country will congregate,
capital will be invested, labor reward
ed and great good accomplished.
Upon taese splendid gifts of nature,
Of native wealth, location and natural
advantages, the citizens of Wood
County have Just reason to be proud
Within the past ten years our popu-
| lation has increased over two hundred
per cent, enumeratinS neatly ten
thousand. Villages have been built
with surprising rapidity to remain and
flourish Many beautiful and promis-
! ing farms, few years since covered
! by sturdy oaks. have been cleared, and
where all was shadow and wilderness
there are now warm and comfortable
homes around whose bright fresides
gather the fathers and mothers. and
the happy children who will represent
the years to be- Farms raising crops
unsurpassed by even the best prairie
counties of the state. Harvests of
the best grains, bringing the first
prices; land finely adapted to garden
ing and fruits which are always in
! demand The towns Of Lincoln,
Marshfeld, AuburndaLe, Wood, Ru-
dolph and Sigel afford as fine soil for
agricultural purposes as the richest
and NEST fertile valleys of Western
prairies. While Remington, Port
/ Edwards and Dexter contain cranberry
marshes highly productive and the
source Of a vast annual gain Of wealth
to the comfy. giving business fresh
impetus at a time when it would other
wise flag But these two valuable
sources Of wealth, cranberries and
grains, are not all Of which we can
boast
Wood County has her fullest share
of the most varied timber Large
quantities Of clearest oak valuable for
hubs, spokes and slaves. can be pro-
cured with little labor. Hemlock and
poplar wood, SO valuable for paper
mill, only awaits the whirling wheels
of the pulp factory to be made greatly
important. The inexhaustible supplies
of pine, which have SO long engaged
the large saw-mills of the county, sup
plying the markets west and south
with first-class lumber are but slightly
diminished and there is still broad
reserve for the future No county in
the state affords better advantages for
the lumber trade. The supply can
scarcely equal the demand though we
have some Of the finest and largest
mills in the state. Both the Wiscon-
sin and Yellow rivers are convenient
to the raw material. Both have
numerous mills utilizing their advan-
tag for the production Of lumber,
lath, hubs, spokes and shingles
Three railroads the Wisconsin Cen
trail, Green Bay & Minnesota and the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul-in-
terssct the county in we'll calculated
manner to assist its growth, procure
its productions, and give the lumber
men the noblest opportunities of trans
porting their products, West, North
and South, thus supplying the rising
cities of Dakota, Minnesota and Wi :
consin with the most important factor
to pioneer growth. Situated as our
county seat is, in the center of the
state, it naturally commands a superior
advantage over neighboring com
munities. Its resources are yet
untold. Immense umbering interests
will be continued for years and still
remain profitable employment.
SO too, we have noble facilities for
manufacturing establishments. The
water power Of the Wisconsin at
Centralia and Grand Rapids has few
superiors 1t compares favorably with
those of Minneapolis, Rochester,
Appleton and Patterson. With fall
of thirty-fve feet within a half mile
and vast reservoir of water amount