Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-05-03

Wheatlanl is in the extreme southern
part Of Vernon county, with the Missis-
sippi river for its boundary on the west,
the town Of Genoa on the north, the
town of Sterling on the east and Craw-
ford county on the south. 1t comprises
parts OF towns IL and IL; ranges 8 and
| Z west, and contains about twenty six
sections. The only water course within
this town is small stream called Battle
creek which takes it's rise on section 5,
town IL, range Z, and hows into the
Mississippi river from section 9, Oh the
same town and range. Not unlike the
other towns OF Vernon county, which
border on the Mississippi river, there is
a large amount of rough untillable land,
a part of which is covered with heavy
timber. The valleys are very produc-
tive and even the hiIlsides are not
worthless, as they are utilized as past
IRE lands for sheep, which are quite ex-
tensivaly known.
Ira Stevens was the first man to settle
10 this town. He located at Victory in
January, 1849. Other pioneers are
mentioned in the history OF the villages
OF Victory and DESPITE. At these two
points were effected the first settlement
in this town. Aaron Cooley settled on
section Is, in the autumn of 1854. The
following settlers were among the num-
Der who came in 1855: L. p. Miller,
who located on section IL; Samuel Hunt
ington on section II; Willard Fosdick,
also settler of section IL; q man named
King made claim on section /, but the
land was finally entered by another
party. Jonathan Law also settled
that year on section 81. Arvin and
A. d. Chase settled on section 49,
and j. T. Shaw ON section 90. Still
others who came in 1855, were Moses
Ssnderson and his sons, Clark w. and
Bridane. The SONS settled on sections
5 and 8; but the father located in the
town of Sterling. j. J. Tenney settled
/ on section g.. Richard Morgan and
family located on section 5, on lands
entered by Elijah, Reuben and Stephen
Powell, the previous year. p. Jay
Miller settled in this town in November,
1855. He was a native of New York
Peleg Coffin settled in the town of Free
man, Crawford county, Wisconsin, July
5, 1855. He was born at Yarmouth,
Cape God, Mass, November 90, 1795;
Thomas Lawrence, although resident
of Freeman, Crawford county, Wiscon-
sin, was with his father an early resi-
dent of Vernon county, owning farm
near Liberty Pole, which was first occu-
pied by John McCulloch, the first set
tier of Vernon county. His father, Jas.
Lawrence, located at Liberty Pole, July
| 5, 1851, and settled on the farm now
owned by William Clawater. james
Lawrence was born in Monmouthshire,
England, in 1909. He emigrated to the
United States in 1851. making his first
settlement at Liberty Pole, where he
remained until the spring of 1854, then
removed with his family to the town of
Freeman, Crawford county, being the
first settler in the neighborhood.
1 The first birth in the town OF Wheat
land was that of Thomas d. Carlyle,
son of Adam and O. L. Carlyle, who was
born Feb. Ia, 1856. The first death was
Mrs. Frank Huntington, in the spring
of 1856. The first marriage was that of
J. B. Wilcox to Maria Page some time
during 1855. The first house destroyed
by fire in the town was one owned by
| V. FL. Story in the village of DeSoto in
1857.
The town of Wheatland was organized
in 1857 and the first election held that
year, at which the following officers
were elected to fill the town offices:
| Chairman-Adam Carlyle.
| Supervisors Joel Shaw, Hiram Fnrgeson
| CleIk-George 6, sanWagner
| Assessor-W William Furgeson.
Treasurer-C. b Stevens
Town School Superintendent. @. Kurtz
A society of the Congregational church
was formed in 1868, at the school house
on section 33, in the town Of Sterling
though most of its members were resi-
dents of the town of Wheatland. The
first members were: Richard Morgan
and wife, e. Cilley and wife, @. w
Sanderson and wife, Samuel Morgan
and wife, DIR. d. A. Bean and wife, j. /
Tenney and wife, and perhaps a few
others. This society and the one at Re-
treat were consolidated in 1879.
The town of Wheatland has always
been fully up with the other towns Of
Vernon county in its school and other
educational advantages. The first school
was taught in the fall of 1858, by Nancy
Berry, daughter of John O. Berry, at 6
point where the village of Victory now
stands.
DeSoto was first known as s'Winne.
shiek's Landing" from the chief by
that name, who came here to trade hie
furs for supplies with the French trad
ers at this time. Two French families
by the name of Godfrey located here not
long after the close of the Black Hawk
war. They were induced TO come
through efforts put forth by Col. Dous
man of Prairie du CHEN. This was
occupied as trading post for about
twenty years. Moses M. Strong made
the original entry OF the plat of the
village. DR.. Euclid b Houghton pur-
chased it of Mr.. Strong. Drs. Simeon
D. Powell, HoCghton and James Osgood
laid out the village in 1854. These
gentlemen came hither from Port
Washington DIR. Osgood built the
first house or the village plat. DR..
Houghton opened the FIST store. The
first building OF any Importance was
by Carlyle Dowse & Co. The lumber
put into this house came from Black
River Falls, the nesrest available point
for obtaining lumher at that time. The
first blacksmith in the village was Will
liam N. West The first cooper shop
was operated by Ambrose Delay. The
first shoe maker was Henry Fosdick In
| 1855 Mr.. Adam Carlyle purchased for
Mr.. Fosdick side of sole leather and
other stock for his shop of Ulysses s.
Grant, of Galena, Ill. The first saw mill
was built in 1855 by A. B, Clapp and
George Meade. This mill and all others
at this point were operated by steam
power. N. s. Gate 6 Co., built saw
mill in 1857. This firm was composed
of Messrs N s. Gate, I'll. nj. Chamber
lain and Emery Haughton, who came
from the state of Maine. The first
school in the village was taught by Mrs
Casharine r. Stevens in the winter OF
1866 6. This was private school, The
fret school house proper was built in
the summer of 1856, in which James Nc
Dill Taught the first school. The first
physician was Dr.. u. s Spsrry, who
came from st. Iaul in the summer oil
1856. The first lawyer was Addison A.
u.,,oa~ a vruduota re Harvard 10 IN