Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-11-12

with the taking away, or through and
beyond these cities, by the railroads.
traffic and custom and headquarters
which had formerly been located here
In consequence all of the principal and
wealthler mill owners and some Of the
heaviest merchants in the two cities
failed completely. They had not pro-
vided sufficiently against a rainy day,
and had also aided too literally in
building the very railroads which took
away their trade for the tine being,
These heavy failures were a great mis-
fortune as well to the parties directly
interested as to the whole community
| The accunulatal >-,teea esn- fn,nlnsr1r.n
and Judgment liens tied up the titles to
the most valuable water-powers, and
following these disasters came death in
few years to some of the older mill
owners, involving further delays in un-
raveling the thread of title to the water
powers, SO that with the railroads
extending further north in the pineries
and with the lapse of time the tide OF
wealth and growth and development
incident to lnmber manufacturing
passed on beyond these two cities into
the forests continuously for many years,
while our wheels stood still, our mills
were deserted and silent, and the great
| power of the Wisconsin river rolled on
over her Grand Rapids unmolested by
the hand of man. During these years
of lethargy many of the young men and
some Of the older and more restless
moved away, and till recently there
was many deserted ranch and vacan,
house in and around Grand Rapids and
Centralia, and the price of real estate
from the year 1875 down to within the
past two years has been away below
par and it is still dirt cheap as compared
with its true value.
The fact is, the people have become
so accustomed to low prices for real
estate that they really don't know what
it is worth, though every body is smiling
and saving things are coming our way
now, permanently and with a boom
and we are going to STAY now and finish
cut our lease of life here.
! A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE.
There could be no more delightful
place to live in outside of the larger
cities than is to be found here If there
had not been many natural attractions
besides much good fellowship existing
among the people many more would
have moved away in the dark days
The rapids in the river, presenting 6
long line of boiling, seething water
forcing itself over the powders and
through the rocky passages, is inter
spersed with islands whose variegateo
foliage in summer and glitterins
diadems, ice-crowned in winter, afford
an endless variety of beautiful anC
pleasing views, while the drives, ole
roadways, touching the river bank anC
shaded by natural evergreens, hemlock
fir and pine trees, with here and there
elms and oak and climbing ivy and wilc
grape, natures own loveliness unadorn
ed, in either direction along the rive,
banks, are not surpassed in beauty BY
any in the richest parks made by human
hands.
There are seven churches, represent
ing all Of the principal denominations
four of which are in Grand Rapids anG
three in Centralia, two high schools
-.
liberally maintained and all of which
churches, schools and other public
buildings are fully paid for.
SOME OF THE IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES.
Two Touring mills, one of which is il
Grand Rapids and has capital O
S4O,0 900, and capacity of fifty barrels O.
flour per day, and the other in Centralis
capital stock 100000 all paid in, capa
city 100 barrels of -four per day. There
are three large pulp mills, where wooG
pulp is manufactured from popple anC
spruce wood, one of which is in Crane
Rapids and two in Centralia. The three
give employment to large number O
|
sums of money among the farmers fol
popple wood which would otherwise be
comparatively worthless and unstable
There are two furniture factories, one
of which is in Grand Rapids, with {
capital stock of 5000, and the othe1
in Centralia, with capital stock o
$4,000. These two last named indus
tries are new and their respective plants
are just approaching completion. The
factory i'll Grand Rapids is expected tc
give employment to fifty men and the
one in Centralia will employ 100 men OF
more from the start.
There are three banks, two of which
are national banks, each with a capita
stock Of $4,000 aud both located on the
Grand Rapids side of the river, ano
one in Centralia. a private banking
institution called the Bank of Centralia
the stockholders Of which are J. D
Witter and Emily Witter, his wife, with
ample capital to make it good for g
million dollars.
i Grand Rapids also has the county
buildings, courthouse, county Offices
and Jail, all of which are new and sub.
stantial buildings.
There is also in Centralia another
separate company, called the Centralia
Pulp and Water Power company, which
owns an extensive water-power, pulp
a,I ,opo,. mill with n oopitol c+oolz o1
5000, 900. all paid in and nearly all OF