Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-03-10

| Eleven men came here and voted,
and were furnished a poor dinner
at my table, hence, l have said that
| gave dinner to the entire voting
population of Richland county.
think | was mistaken as there was
a small settlement opposite Mu.co-
la and possibly at Port Andrew.
The settlement about the mouth OF
Bear Creek was all we know OF
Richland county. | cannot tell the
object OF the election, the year it
vas held nor many of the names
who voted, certainly the McClouds
| and more | cannot name | think
there were three of the McClouds;
they were pretty energetic men and
would not stand the nuisance of
Lramps in the form of Indians
around, indeed it was pretty well
understood that Bear Greek was a
very unhealthy place for Indians.
Wild honey AMI venison were
abundant and about as common as
lops and cheese have been since
In 1S47-S | learned that a settle
nent was being made towards Pine
liver in the latter part OF summer,
% that nothing had been raiSeI to
at. So in the winter loaded up
TWO horse load of -four, and went
,ver there in snow about two feet
ieep, but found no one of the set
.lers willing to take my flour, as
hey had no place to keep 1t but
hey told me of man by the name
Il Wallace who had settled at the
mouth of Pine river, and advised
ne to go to him which | did and
found him in log hui with little
bacon, tobacco, sugar and | believe
whisky to SELL He said he was 60
ng to lay off town plat in the
.pring and prove beyond question
hat it was the best site on the Wis
onsin for big town. Mr.. Wallace
,greed to take my flour and pay for
t when sold, which he did. So
hat | furnished bread for Richland
ounty through that snowy winter.
the next summer quite large set
cement went into the Pine river val
ey and the new town bloSsomed
ut with the big names of Richland
'ity, and a goodly number of enter
prising men went into that neighbor-
rood, some Of whom | can name.
Woodman x Brown built saw
mill. Wallace started a ferry, Doc.
Person soon came, as also a Congre-
gational minister by the name OF
Benton, his two sons-in-law Clark,
70 start dry goods store, Silsby, ali
academy, Garwood Green and others
whose names | cannot recall. One
Wheeler, Methodist preacher, who
said he took Sunday over there
where it had never been before. He
preached occasionally in Wyoming
for several years.
After we became a State, a pre-
cinct was set off III Richland county
and q Mr.. Coffinberry was elected
supervisor and represented Richland
county in our county board, which
was held at that time in Mineral
Point.
Then again Richland county got
the reputation of being the harbor
of an extensive gang of counter
feitors. Wonderful stories were
told about Bogus Bluff and of what
was or had been there. The further
away the bigger the stories were. !
believe however there was some in
fatuated person or persons spent
some time digging into that motor
ious bluff for some of Capt. kidd's
money or something, but | never
heard how much of it they got.
At one time Richland city had a
fine Touring mill, saw mill, lum-
Der yard, ferry, high school, several
stores, coopers, blacksmith and
shoemaker, and looked for big flu
ture, but alas for it, a railroad came
quietly down the other side of the
river and pretty effectually crushed
its hopes.
When | came to the valley Of the
Wisconsin, had not shadow of Il
doubt but the river would be navi-
gated by steamboats, soon as there
was business for them, and indeed a
boat run here one season and it was
said cleared six thousand dollars.
The next year she run in again, and
another came to share that six
thousand dollars which proved dis
astrous TO both, one of which sunk
i'll the river; the other got out, be-
lieve. but without any dollars.
In 1915, | believe there was not a
mile of railroad i'll Illinois, certainly
not III Wisconsin, and it never en-
tered my thoughts that a railroad
would run down the Wisconsin riv-
or.