Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-02-22
PIONEERS OF CLINTON TOWN
Descriptive of the First Mills and their
Founders The West Branch OF the
Raging kickapoo and It's Tributaries
First Eyents-Etc,

| Clinton is situated on the northern
line of the county and comprises con-
gressional township IL, range west,
containing 23,139 acres of land. The
general surface OF this town is very
broken and billy, composed largely OF
valleys aud ridges. The bluffs along
the streams present almost perpendicular
fronts, rising in many instances, to a
great height from the rivers's bad. The
soil In the valleys is of black sandy
character, and very productive; the up.
laud IN the northern part of the town,
produces excellent crops of wheat, oats
and other cereals. la the southern part
Of the town is found black loaal with
clay sub-soil. ALI of this town was
orig inally covered with timber, except
about forty acres in the northeast corner
This was on section II, and was in,
Guided in the original entry OF John
Masterson, the first settler of the town
The chief varieties OF timber are tn {
white, red and bur oak, with some har j
maple, bass wood and butternut. The
heaviest growth of timber extends in o
belt from the northwest to the south
east corner of the town, and not many
years sinca embraced about four .fifths
of the entire area of the town.
The principal stream flowing through
Clinton, is the west byRnch of the Kicka.
poo river, which rises on section 6. ite
source being large spring pond; il
| rims eouth from ito snysco, -, 81: 4 IL
of section 7, then flows west into the
town OF OhristiaEa, re catering the town
OF Clinton on The southwest quarter OF
section 10, thence 10. a soutneaster!y
direction, leaving the town from section
81. This river has several branches ia
the town. The first in Importance, of
these, is the chaplain branch" con
slsting OF two streams, one rising on the
northwest corner of eection and the
other on section Is; they unite on sec
tion 8, and taking asouthwesterlv course.
enter the main stream on section 80
What is known as the "Gillett branch"
of the Kickapoo river, rises on section 16,
runs southwest, and eunites with the
main stream on the Southeast quarter
of sectiou 80 The "Pierce branch
takes its rise on section 81, aud leaves
the town from section 80, entering the
main stream in the town of Webster.
Webster creek is smaller stream, which
also has a number OF small branches.
which unite in the southeast pRrt of the
town, thus forming good sized stream
before they leave tbs borders of the
town, from section SO. Another small
stream, branch of Brush creek, has it's
rise on the west side of section 2, and
leaves the town from section /.
Ths first man to make an actual set
Element in the town of Clinton was John
Masterson, who in May, 1854, located
on the northwest quarter of section
IL. He was an Irishman by birth,
born in the county of Mayo. He went
to canada, when young, and from there
to Ohio, from which state he came to
this locality. At the time he settled
here his family consisted of his wife and
four children Mary Jane, William,
Michael and Eliza He resided where.
he first located til his death, about
twenty years later. At the time of the
organization of the town OF Clinton, an
effort was made by Mr. Masterson and
his friends to have the town named after
his father, as he was the first settler
within the bounds of the town. This
name was applied for several years, and
the clerks records in the early history
If the town so gives the name; but the
later board of supervisors failed to sus
tain TIE claim of Mr. Masterson and his
friend, and the mama Clinton was
adopted by that body. Later 10 the
year, 1854, Ingebret Bjorseth and Lars
Morterud, two Norwegians, began the
improvement Of the water power at
Bloomingdale, and little later still,
Ole Hallingstad located Oh eighty acres
of land on section 81, In 1856 the
population was increased by a number
of settlers; G. A. Hunt. now a resident
of Monroe county, located that year, at
what was afterward Bloomingdale He
was one of the active men of the town
in those early days. Others came in
that year, attracted, doubtless, by the
prospective mill and other improve
ments that had begun to develop them
selves. In Other portions of the town,
in 1855, settled Thomas Seaman and
John Stokes on section IS. Mr.. Stokes
died March 26, 1878. A man named
Damn, on-in-law of John Masterson.
came with the latter, remained a short
time and moved to La Crosse. L B
Perkins came in Octc Der, 1854, and
made az entry of land, on section II,
but did not settle or the same Ill 10
| March, 1885, he afterward sold to T, J
Seaman and moved to section 9. Anoth
or settler of 1855 was John Norris. who
settled on section 26. His fatho-
James Norris, came to Vernon county
IN 1854, spent two years in the town of
Viroqua, and then removad to the town
of Webster, where he died in February
1888. He was native of Mary laud.
born IN 1899, and moved to Ohio, with
his parents, wh9n a mere boy, where he
, lived till the time OF his coming to Yer
no2 county. His wife, Susan (Hudson)
| Norris, diod in 1881 There were six
children in the family when they came
to Vernon county. John was born in
Ohio, in 1928 Hans Hanson, another
pioneer of 1866, came in June, and
settled on section 81, where he hveu
till 1871, when he exchan ged his farm
for half interest inthemill property at
Bloomingdale Among the number who
settled in the town during 1856 we're.
Samuel Ell. Bugbee, Samuel and Alex
ander Currier aud jeremiah Conawav
Samuel FL. Bugbee settled on section II,
in March. He was from the state of
New York. He purchased eighty acres
of land from his brother, Elijah L. Bag
bee. He died November 81, 1872. Luxe
| Bugbee, brother of Samuel. was also
an early settler. The Carrier brothers,
Samuel and Alexander, in 1884, were
occupying land claimed by their father,
Abner Currier, in June, 1856. A. J.
Gift and B. Banker settled In 1857. The
latter located 90 section /. He was
afterward soldier of the 25th Wiscon-
sin Volunteer Infantry. After the close
of the rebellion be moved to the town OF
Whitestown, where he died in November,
1882. James K. Boyd also settled on
section l. ia 1857, and moved to Mis-
souri, in 1871, where he died Patrick
Brody came to the town of Clinton in
1859. He purchased his. first eighty
acres OF land of Jonathan Adams By
birth he was sn Irishman. He came TO
America IN 1847. He lived in Columbia
j ~ ~