Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-02
4 VISIT To ARPIN.
4 Nc10 Station 0n tile P01t EdzUards
Rnlr0ad.
TContributed.l

TContributed.l
A trip to the village of Arpin, in the
town of Vesper, is well worth the time
Of any one interested in the signs of
developement in Wood county.
A year ago the only signs of civiliza-
ton there, were the Wood County r. R.
to the east ard surveying parties of the
Pt. E. c. & n. R'y Co. to the west. A
vast tract of pine and hardwood lands
lay unbroken by wagon road or farm
clearing for miles around. Now there
are two railroads within half mile of
each other with sidetracks to the mill
yard from each-betWeen them large
mill almost completed and in running
order. A dam over an eighth of a mile
long, across the little stream that flows
past the mill forming a. ample pond
for the floating of the logs. Millions of
feet of logs piled high upon skids on
the bank of the pond. boarding house.
store and other buildings in progress ];
seventy-fve or more men busily at
work, and general air of earnestness
anG "we mean business everywhere.
Let us outline for you, about your
experience, if you will take the trip:
Look out that you are in time for the
seven o'clock train on the PIT E. c. &
n. R'y. Forty minutes after the train
starts you are at the Arpin switch, and
you never rode over smoother bit of
rail than the new road from Centralia
to Vesper. Beyond Vesper it is not
fully balasted, but large crew is at
work and the road will soon be in first
class shape.
From the Arpin switch a quarter mile
walk brings you to the mill, and a finer
mill we have seldom seen. When com
pleted it will have two band-saws,
edgers, picket, lath and shingIe mills,
and all other machinery necessary to
the economical working up of timber of
every sort. It is expected that the mill
will be running by July 4th, or at least
will be ready to run. The mill looked
over, you next start for the boarding
house, where you can get a lunch to
supplement your early breakfast-a
lunch [ said-but when you are once
seated on the pine bench at the clean,
white pine table, with the tin basin of
coffee and the great slices of light white
and graham bread, pan of brown baked
beans before you and the genial Joseph
Wilcott attending to your wants you
change your mind and make the heart
lest meal you have eaten for year
Lunch over you cast about for
amusement for the day, and from the
scene about the mill yard, you know
better than to expect anyone to amuse
you-all are too busy to look after
pleasure seekers-but our friend Daniel
told us we would find enough worth
looking at, either to the north, or to the
southwest at Powers bluff. We went
north, and from o'clock till strolled
through as fine tract of pine and
hardwood timber as one often sees.
Oak, birch, hard and soft maple, elm
and Eastwood, are large and abundant
The soll is rich loan, and the land
slightly rolling, and cut here and there
by little streams of cold spring water,
crossed by ancient Beaver-dams. On
some of these grow large trees, suggest
ing that the Beavers built there long
before Jeane Nicolet and Father Alouez
opened the way to the extinction of
that most intelligent of the brute
creation.
Prettier or more wholesome streams
for trout, would be hard to find cold,
clear, rock-bottomed, with here and
there shelving bank, or log, or tree
root for protection.
BY the time you have tramped six or
eight miles through the woods you will
feel like turning homeward. You reach
the boarding house and again show am
pie appreciation of the art Of our friend
Wilcott. Baked beans were never so
sweet before; bread never half so light,
and as for the pie and cake and coffee
well, words cannot describe them.
At about six o'clock you take the
train for home, we'll satisfied with the
days pleasure; fully assured that not
all the beauties and wonders of a me-
tropolis can satisfy the pleasure seeker
or leave him half SO we'll prepared to
take his duty up the next day, as trip
to the woods and a partaking Of the
hospitalities at Arpin.