Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-27
HISTORICAL LETTER.
Written by ]. Q. Severns, one Of
Wood County's Pioneers.
Continued from last week.

quick trip, which was wonderful
to US in those days, for we made
that amount in cash in less than a
month.
The next summer | undertook
to work the farm Of my father-in-
law, but farming was not prosper
Gus, for owing to bad seed and
rust the crop was in part a failure,
and then when I got my crop
raised the price was low, and to
cap the climax, when [ began to
thrash the machine broke down
and | sold the grain in the stack
and started in company with B.
Langdon, now of Kilbourn City, if
he is alive, to explore the then
September IS49) uneXplored and
unmarked region Of the Yellow
River Valley in what is now west
ern Wood county. We went as
far north as Little Bull Falls about
two miles north of the present site
of the city Of Pittsvilley but al
though We were struck with the
beauty and value Of the country at
the time, our partner, B. Langdon,
refused to come with US, and there
was no white settlers nearer than
Grand Rapids Or Necedah. We
concluded to let the matter rest
another year but went to Baraboo
and Newport and represented the
thing to parties there as l saw it.
D. L. Ward, of Baraboo, and
Amosa Wilson, Of Portage City,
NOW of New Lisbon, Wis.), COM
menCed the erection Of a saWmill
on Sec. p, Town 2I, Range 8
East, near the south line of Wood
county, in the fall of 1859, or sum-
mer of 1850, and George Hiles and
Jarvis Searles commenced to clear
the ground, put up shanties and
get out and frame the timber for a
saWmill on Sec. IA, Town p, North
of Range 3 East, on what is now
the site of the village Of Dexter
vile In the summer, Or fall, Of
1880 D. r. w. Williams & Brother
entered claim on Sec. 10 in the
same town, the site of the L. A.
Houston homestead. Joseph Bal
ley, John Marshall and William
w. Shutes marked out a claim,
and built shanty on Sec. 8, in
Sept, 1850, but Dissolved partner
ship and offered their shanty and
supplies for sale, and your cores
Epondent purchased the same and
moved up with his family, consist
| ing of wife and one child, where we
arrived on the I4th day Of October
1850. We cut logs and made
shingles until the next spring when
on the 10th day Of April, 1851, c.
d. Newberry, Of GAINESVILLE, Wis,
came to our shanty in the hunt for
a location whereon to build a saw
mill. We went with him, showed
him the site where the city of
P1ttsville now stands. About ten
o'clock the next morning, the 18TH
day of April, 1851, we cut the first
bush that was ever cut with the
intention of making an improve
ment on the present site Of the city
of Pittsville. We proceeded with
the work of improving the place
by building shanties and putting
up a sawmill until Newberry
through some disappointments
failed to be able to supply his crew
and provide the means necessary
to complete the mill, and went, (in-
the language Of DR.. Franklin),
forming an alliance with some
more fortunate individual, and first
struck upon William Hoxie, of
Baraboo, who sent up some sup
plies, such as were necessary to
sustain life and promised to'furnish
as fast as they were needed, but
failed to come to time. In the
mean time Mr.. Hoxie sent his
brother Walter into the woods
north of Pittsville With a crew to
cut and draw logs to the river
with the avowed purpose of
furnishing work for the mill to do
when it was ready to run, who