Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-03-11
Wyalusing.
To the Editor of the Herald

developed into something of NOR
tangible character, and the ..Eas
Shore Line has become the Chicago
Burlington & Northern railroad, tn
the grading OF which has so material
changed the village front, whateve
may be the advantages or disadvantage
OF its completion | purpose to write yo
a brief history of the locality, contou
and settlement of the village of Wya
lusing. And if you consider it of sui
ficient interest to the readers of tn
HERALD to occupy place in that valu
able paper, all right. Ii not, consigl
it to oblivion.
Mr.. James M. Otis, who was among
the first settlers of the village of Ian
caster, as also one of her first mer
chants, was engaged in the early fortie
in the numbering or logging business OF
the Wisconsin River. Those days wer,
in the morning of that great numbering
interest that has grown into such vas
proportions in the northern part of oul
state, as well as elsewhere in the great
Northwest. All logs cut on the tribu-
taries of the Wisconsin River at thai
time, were driven down those streams
until they reached that river; were then
gathered into small RATS, or ..cribs,' .
and 1oated down the Wisconsin Rive,
to its junction with the Mississippi
thence down the Mississippi River to
the big Eddy" three and one-hali
miles below the mouth of the Wisconsin.
Here the small RATS were gathered
together and placed in larger RATS
previous to descending the Mississippi
River in quest of market When q
sufficient number of logs had been run
into the big Eddy" then the work OF
coupling up commenced, which re-
| quired several men for several days to
bind the logs securely together in
large RATS, so as to resist the dangers
to which they were exposed during
their downward passage.
This Eddy" which lies in front of
the northern part of the village of Wya-
lusing, and which MIR. Otis had occa-
sion to visit frequently during the time
he was engaged in his logging opera
ton, gave him a fine opportunity of
looking over the ground upon which
the village plat was subsequently laid,
he being man of good judgment, and
of rather speculative turn of mind,
discovered IN the unoccupied land
before him. what he thought fine
opening; and. being acquainted with
the surrounding country, believed that
good and permanent trade could be
established between this point and the
northwest portion of Grant County.
With this idea in view. he proceeded,
in company with his brother, John Nj.
Otis, then also merchant of Lancaster,
and Enos z. Finn, then of Patch Grove,
and purchased the land Mr.. Finn did
not hold his interest long, but sold to
Chas. Blanford and Robert Glenn, at
that time both of Lancaster At the
time the tract of land was purchased by
Otis & Co., Patch Grove and Blake's
Prairie were but sparsely settled. There
was no settlement on the Mississippi
River, in Grant County, north of Cass-
vile. Glen Haven was then unknown,
and Tafton (now Bloomington) ten
miles east of the Mississippi, was in
embryo yet. Patch Grove then had
name, derived from the early settlement
of that kind-hearted, good man, ''Uncle
Henry Patch" who has since been
gathered up as shock, fully ripe, for
the harvest. About this time Mr.. l. g.
Ury established store of general mer-
chandise half mile due east of Patch
Grove. This was the cornerstone of
the village of that name, the nucleus
around which the village clustered An
effort was made to change the name of
the embryo city from Patch Grove to
Ursene, but the people rebelled. and
the old name of Patch Grove was
re-established. But to return to the
village of Wyalusing. The plat of
ground which comprises the village lies
in fractional sections No. and Sc, of
townships number five and six north of
range seven west. This is very
pleasant plateau, from forty to sixty
rods in width. and nearly one mile in
length from north to south. There are
two roads leading from the village, one
from the northern, the other from the
southern extremity; the north road
ascends a rayine of gentle grade for
about two miles in northeast direc-
ton until it reaches the highland,
thence east through Brodtville, & miles
from the village) until it reaches the
beautiful prairie land of the township
of Patch Grove. The south road, start
ing from the south line of the village,
runs one-fourth of mile over a ssdug-
way and enters a large bottom, a
tract of land containing several thous-
and acres; thence runs in a southeasterly
direction along the base of the bluff
nearly six miles from the center of the
village, until it reaches what is known
as sand Creek Bridge thence up
ravine on well-kept road one and
half miles until it reaches that fertile
and far-famed country, ''Blake's
Prairie
Nature has been rather pronounced
in disclosing her fancies in making up
the scenery around Wyalusing-the
steamboat landing, with its rockbound
shore, occupies the central portion of
the village, while both the north and
south portions are sandy banks. South
of the landing there is an elevated
piece of ground called by the original
settlers a mound. But had they called
IL a maintain indUino fro,,, -, .:r =.