Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-08-12
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LETTER FROM WISCONSIN.


Thirty six years ago the writer of this left
Mt Vernon, Maine, and drove his horse
and bugg, with his family, consisting of a
wife and one two-year- daughter to this
place situated on the bank of the Chippewa
river in northwestern Wisconsin. We came
through the intervening states during the
presidential campaign of Buchanan and
Fremont and witnessed along the route some
of the political demonstrations that were
then full tedged and shedding some of
their feathers. Coming through the city of
Rochester New York, We observed a large
flag strung across the street on which were
the names of Buchanan and Breckenridge
in flaming colors.
The writer stopped his horse no egotism
intended AMI inquired of a crowd of people
on the sidewalk if there was no way of pro-
ceeding except under that flag. "oh, yes.
WAS the response, take that
other street :" and when he turned his horse
to take the other street he was greeted with
a shout from portion of the crowd in which
he noticed some women with their handker-
chiefs were very conspicuous, and from
which he inferred there were some
Fremont people around,
This place Eau Clare was then little
hamlet with few shantv houses and a saw
mill, but no brick chimueys or plastered
walls 1t is now city of twenty thousand
inhabitants. with paved streets. electric street
cars and city water-works and other para
phanaIa of modern cities, including high
taxes and churches and schoolhouses
galore; every building and improvement
now here having been erected since we came
here, none of the original ones left aud it
is pretty large town to grow mp under one 5
eye who was not very young man when he
came here and does not feel like an Old one
now There were then no railroads in the
northwest north OF Dubuque, Iowa,
which ia 200 miles from Eau Claire,
the only way of reaching which by public
conveyance was by uncertain steamboat
navigation or 200 miles of stage coach.
There are now some SIX or eight roads lead
ing out from thu city in az many directions.
During the thlrtysix years of the growth
of Eau Claire there has been not less than
twenty five thousand million feet of pine
timber cut on the banks of the Chippewa
river and its tributaries, and either sawed
into lumber at home or run ont of the river
in the log. most of which was sawed at
home here and at the manufactures above,
and run out of the river IN RATS and con
sumed in the states bordering and west of
the Mississippi: and the woods above here
are full of pine trees yet.
When the writer first came here in the
spring of 1856 seeking his fortune and saw
the Pine trees zone of which at that time in
the State of Maine would have looked as
big as woke of oxen standing on gov
eminent land that was for sale at one dollar
and twenty FIVE cents per acre and adjacent
to water that would float them to an
inexharstable market he thought he would
seek no further hut take a chance in the
then wilderness and the advice of a notable
writer and grow up with the country, all the
time keeping in view a retreat to New Eng
land as a last resort
Well, the country has grown up pretty
fast since then, even faster than we ex-
pected. and we find ourselves still here.
somewh hat battered by the almost four de
caies that have come and gone since then,
and by the aid of the little 2-year-old that
was part of the early buggy load, the fam
ily has increased to eight. the accretion be
ing five little grandchildren, ranging from
one to eight years of age. Whether the
retreat to New England will ever come
about remains about as uncertain as ever.
u 1ah'H koo' many "'"''t ~ VI
IN new country ana as many puiis 10 pan
them up again, anu unless one oeglns 10
pull them up before the hnfmi'ieS OF aye
begin 10 get IN thsF WORK ne may ia'i
TO get them All OUT.
Inns town mas mad continual growth
from us ihceptoh' WIN no eatra''gah'
hooms ana reactions 'ke some OF the north
western cities' ana Is sun OH Tue haren 10
greater proportions iafgeN no" OWING 10
increase IN It's agricultural surroundings.
lhere are some ten saw minis "thih the
city hh''s WIN saving caPseHy OF ifo"
one 10 TWO hii'i"h iep' Oh 'og' per nay Nv
dayh9ht' All W" nave no iapof strikes.
iheft - oo'ih Il. ,oun'e "a "o" "ehh
IN the river III me f''y hiiiits tha' IL caps
Die OF hoiuihg III ansoiu,e ShieIE from eisnt
to ten nun'irea million ieet Oh logs ana 1t
womb he ne" FeFeiaioh 10 some Oh Tue
Maine ihmneruieh TO look over 'hls noon IN
the spring OF tue year "heh u Is ma OF
toys lnere mas h'en fht-oh IN 'he
rver above the Doom through "hirh the
channel runs to irf the raits from above
through to below the ooom WINE " IS NOM
ing the logs 10 ee saweh mere ana
dam across tue river 10 aoh 10 the nost'hs
capacity OF the room ana I" give water
power 10 lhe eHs wafer "orhs.
Inc thirpe~a river Is '''o ieet "lae ana