The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-03-23
RFCOLLECTIONS OF THE EAR
LY SETTLEMENT OF KENOSHA.
BY A. D. NoRTHwAY.
Continual from znst ,oeek


With the opening of the season of
1886 came seekers for homes in the
then Far West, Wisconsin. Some
came by land with their own convey
ances; more came by sailing vessels, as
there were but two arrivals of steam
boats this season. Among the number
stopping here was Mr.. Charles Durkee,
who at once engaged in business cal
culated TO give character to the place.
He purchased drove Of oxen and
cows, so that the new corners could
find these necessaries at hand for use
and comfort. Soon after he began the
erection of a substantial building for
store and residence, the basement of
which was at once occupied by Mr..
Orlando Foster as leather store and
shoemaking.
The Fourth of July this year was a.
time of unusual interest. Notice of
its celebration was sent out to the sur
rounding country: early in the day
trains began to come in, loaded with
the settlers in their best attire, showing
health, vigor, ambition and resolution.
Their cOnveyances showed not only
their tact for making what they had
take the place of what they had not,
but that they were of the sort to make
a success in new country. They had
every kind of wagon, from a we'll
painted one to large ungainly prairie
] schooner, all adorned with flags, from
the national bunting ensign to those
made from torn strips of red, white
and blue. A few of the teams were
horses, but the majority were the
prairie-breaking teams of two, three
and more yoke of oxen abreast. Order
and good feeling characterized the day,
and on this occasion Elder Jason Lath-
rop was the orator of the day, and ac-
quilted himself in his usual interesting
and happy style. From this the real
advancement of the town may be
dated. Mr.. Crossit put up new and
larger residence, and new blacksmith
shop, in which he and Mr.. Grafton
continued the business. Mr.. William
Bullen came this season and erected a
fine residence on the island, also Mr..
B. G. Spencer on the island; they also
formed a partnership under the firm
name of VIM. Bullen s. Co., as forward
ers and shippers, built warehouse on
! the east side of the block east of Lake
street, and now occupied by Mr.. Bald
win as coal yard, the south pier of
the harbor now covering the exact
ground on which the warehouse stood.
Mr.. Bullen, in the erection of his house.
had some difficulty with Mr.. Resigue,
who laid claim to the whole island.
| All was settled, however, Mr.. Samuel
| Hale came this season, the latter part
1 of August. He bought out Mr.. N. r.
Allen and filled up the store with a
general assortment of merchandise.
Later his family came and boarded
| in the Resigue tavern, then kept by
Mr.. Toby. Mr.. Tom Parsons
came this season, and erected resi-
dence for Mr.. Hale on the east side of
Lake street, directly opposite his store,
long since washed away.
| Messfs. John Cogwell and E. &.
Aver came this fall; they put up a
large building as store and residence
on the west side of Lake and north side
of Park street.
There was a fine block school house
built this season by Messrs. Chauncey
Davis and Nelson Lay, the two promi-
nent carpenters of the place; it stood
on the east side Of Main street near
where Schmitt's saloon now stands.
| About the last of November, or first
of December three young men came
| from Massachusetts,; they were joiners
and carpenters. Their names were
James ID. Pulcifer, Henry Titcomb and
= Parsons. They put up shop
for doing carpenter and joiner work,
on the east side of Main and south side
of Pearl streets. DR.. Walker came
this fall; his family did not until the
next season. Mr.. Harvey Durkee also
came this fall; Mr.. Daniel Haskin
came late in the fall, and made dug
out in the bank, surrounding it with
turf, and, putting up an empty barrel
for chimney, made it the residence
for himself and his wife until spring.
Years after he was elected member
to the convention to frame the State
Constitution.
At this time the territory of Wiscon-
sin embraced what is now the State of
Iowa. and the Territorial Legislature
had been called to assemble at the
village of Belmont, the Mississippi
River, now in the State of Iowa, and
this section had been awarded one
member for each branch. Capt. Gill
bert Knapp, of Racine, was elected to
the Council and Mr.. Charles Durkee to
the House of Representatives One of
the first acts of that legislature was to
organize counties, and Mr.. E. R. Hugu-
min was the first sheriff of Racine
county, embracing what was then
called Southport. The name first given
to this point was Pike River.
TO be continued.)