The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-04-21
OLD SETTLERS.

In 1887 Joseph La Count came to |
Manitowoc from st. Lawrence Co. New |
York to assist in building the Thayer, |
Rouse & Thompson mill. The fall follow
ing, his family came. They took steam |
or to Milwaukee and came from there to
MaEitowoc on the schooner Jessie Smith.
They at once moved up to the mill and
remained there during the winter OF
1875 This is said to have been mar
yelously fine winter and the newcomers
accustomed to the rigorous climate OF st.
Lawrence County, thought they had
reached a paradise climatically consider
ed. But so far as food was concerned
the country was not all that hungry peo-
pie could wish. The -four had moulded
so that they found it necessary to chop
1t out OF the barrel; but it was this or
nothing IN the line OF bread. The labor
ers had planted patch OF potatoes dur
ing the summer but they did not grow
much beyond the size of nuts. These.
mouldy bread, salt fish and an occasion
oil meal of yenison secured from the In
dians constituted their food. DR.. La
Count, now of Wausau, was then lad OF
and retains vivid recollection OF these
old times. In the spring OF 1893 the La
Count family moved TO the Rapids. Mani
towoc ct that time, or ''the Mouth" had
only three dwelling houses, three OF
which were occupied by the families of
Oliver Hubbard, Benjamin Jones ind d.
S. Munger. The R apids was much
ore pretentious place. Conroe had a store
there at the time and was also running a
mill. In 1S41 Tom Baker put in
tannery there and some years later built q
store.
A Mrs. Potter, who had been teaching
a government school in Green Bay open
| ed private school In little building
above the second bridge in the Rapids as
| early as 1888. This was the first school
taught in the county excepting that taught
at the mouth" the year preceding. One
day she prepared a spread for her pupils
|
near the river in which the pupils were
| to lunch. The little affair was looked to
| with such expectation that Perry Smith,
stole away from his home at the mouth"
| to attend the celebration notwithstanding
it was his sisters wedding day. Bill
Flynn a young fellow who carried the
mail afoot from the Rapids to Green Bay,
started out from the latter place on that
morning and reached the Rapids at noon
| in time to take part in the celebration. A
man named Beardsley was employed
| later to teach and the court house was
the school room. This school opened in
| the winter of 1S41. DR.. La Count, Perry
Smith, Evi Sackett, Giles and Erwin
Hubbard and James La Count we're pu
he brought to the school and secreted
| During the noon hour while the teacher
was absent, dancing was the order. One
of the large girls was wont to say on
these occasions that the dance was "far
| better than solving problems"
| The court house in which the school was
kept was built in 1910. 1t was destroyed
| by fire in 1852. The jail, which stood near
was a block house and in it was confined
an insane man named Lyons, who went
by the name of league. Either by acct
dent or design he set the building on fire,
but managed to get out of the building,
though no ole knew how. TIE building
was burned In tho carly oprinS and Pea
que" was found near the burning build
ing, evidently enjoying the sight and
showing gratitude for the warmth.
The first lawyers to come to the city
were Judge z. Kicker, James Kyle and
J, Fl. w. Colby, The two latter came in
| 1917. Dr. Il. W. Preston came the same
| year and was the first physician. He was
a man of considerable brilIiancy ard
| quick at repartee. He was member of
the Episcopal church and some of the
| rehgiously inclined thought the parish
toner's needed little working up. With
| this end in view series of eve ming meet
|
| Glover and asked what the movement
was designed to accomplish. He was
| told and at once broke out with: See
| here, if they get religion into that church
we won't stand it, that's ALL" The first
Catholic church was built in Manitowoc
Rapids in 1852. A Jesuit from Green
| Bay named Bondweil had for some time
| before this held services there, walking
from Green Bay for that purpose.
In 1872, at the session OF the territorial
| legislature, Charles p Arndt the repre-
sentative from the Green Bay district,
| then including Manltowoc county, was
shot and killed in the capitol at Madison
by man named Vineyard. When this
fact became known i'll the Rapids it caus-
| ed the most intense excitement. Bruce
| who was then at the Rapids and warm
friend of Arndt, set out for Madison from
the Rapids in midwinter with horse and
sleigh and reached that place after beng
a long time on the road.
The only farm in the county during
the 30's was that owned by Hi MacAllis-
ter. Conroe had done some planting in
the bottom lands at the Rapids and Ben
Jones had done likewise in Manitowoc
but neither was for the purpose ultim-
ately Of farming.
In 1912 occurred the first Indian scare.
The Indians had passionate love for
liquor and several squabbles occurred be-
tween them and the dealers when whiskey
was demanded and refused. An old squaw
under the influence of liquor, came to the
Rapids and informed the people that the
Indians, then camped above Cato Falls