Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-01-11

| ADDED with each passing year to GU
city, and which in recent years are of M
increasing value and Of. a substantial ane
permanent kind, one can not refrair
while sitting by the fra these los
winter evenings from rejecting up I
and comparing the past ipconvsnicn.
With the more modern improvements q
| the present. Tia older inhabitants who
were blessed with youth and health, the
most essantiai requirements for thoss
who are working to estsb ish now arc
permanent homes in new country, ar.
the ones who look back upon the gooc
old days lhsy first saw the b.autifn
pr4iiies OF Vernon with a pleasurable
aud unfaltering interest. Many changes
are paiated 10 living pictures of scenes
OF happy homes that seemed radiant
with perpetual sunshine when recalling
the past. How many OF the old settlers
now living well remember them. They
were certainly the days they all erjoyed
Ard which are recalled and discussed
with an interest by them all.
The city of Viroq1a 10 now a place
OF large proportions, compared to it's
size when those who ira now middle
aged were mer" rirplipgs It's isolated
position from the main arteries of CON-
merce and travel has mads it's advance
ment less p-on u d than those OF
more favored p 81 but, nevertheless, it's
fertile and productive surroundings nave
blessed its Inhabitants with many of the
comforts 6. joyed in cities of much
larger growth.
When The earliest settlers came upon
he place row occupied by the city OF
Vifoque they found most inv ting
spot. AS expressed by one of the pio-
ueers, the site was a kind Of an oak
opening, interpreted with large oak
trees, scattered Irregularly over the sur
face. The very first settlement upon
this beautiful spot was made by Moses
Decker Ia 1876 he came here pro-
specting and selected land and tae same
fall his sons Reasoner and Solomon came
and erected the first building upon the
site of the village The cabin which
thsy erected stood somewhere near the
dooryarl or garden surrounding the
pr sent brick cottage On the old Lay ne
property, northeast from the Park hotel
In 1850 Rafus Duolap, with large
family, came from Dane county, bring
ing with him acroes the cour try by way
of Baraboo, with teams, the rem tindt I
of stock of goods. He purchased two
acres of ground whe1e the present Park
hotel now stands ard erected log
building with two wings. Here he KEEP,
general store until bis death in 1853
In 1850 Grin Wieel came to Viroqua,
from near Liberty Pole, where he had
made q claim. He erected a board
shantv, fsw feet north of where the
fremont hotel now stands, hauling
Jun bar from the saw mill in the town OF
Kickapoo. lie was blacksmith by
trade and opened shop here, which be
continued for a short time and then re-
moved to Reads own. He was elected
the first county clerk and clerk of the
circuit court of the county. Durir 6
the same year Moses Decker erected the
old school, meeting and curt house
WGlCu oUOOu Uppii oic lOuc NOW oCCuplCI
by Rogers & Williams store. This little
building WAS the scene of all public do
I1gs in e8rly days; it was used fol
schools, dances, religious services and nt
court house. The first term of cour
being held therein. In August, 1851
the entire population consisted of the
families of Moses Decker, Rufus Dunlap
and Grin Wisel. During this month
William F. Terhune, the first educated
l=wver in the c>,Enty, came with his
wife and located in tie village, taking
up their quarters the first few months
with the fami, of Moses Decker, where
hey boarded until they secured home
They had eft New York city the spring
before, where the judge had been EN-
ployed as clerk in the city hall build
ing, and they came west by way of thu
Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the cholerf
epidemic, which was aboard their boat
retarding their journey. The same fall
alter their arrival here Mrs Terhun,
opened tie first term of school held il
the village and taught three months. A
this time village lots, centrally located
sold from So to $25 each, and IS an in
ducement for Mrs Terhuhe to tt ach an
other term, during the winter of 1851
| Moses D. cker offered her two lots, nov
we'll located, in addition to her regala
salary of $14 per month, but she de
clined the cffer. Mrs TerhuLe's onl,
living pupil residing in the city is Mrs
| q. G Brown, who was one of the 2.
scholars who attended tie first tern
he'd in tie old log building. 1t wal
this same fall that the first frame build
lag was erected in the village, and i
occupied the present site of the Procto
block. William A. Billiard and wife
who are still living and residents o
Corfu, New York, came also in 1851, anC
during the ensuing spring Henry Mich
OILS, S. c. Lincoln and Gilbert Herricl
I'll moved into the village. During THU
time the settlers depended more or les
upon one another for subsistence, ant
should one butcher hog or bring In
deer from the surrounding woods thu
entire population kaew all about it
Batter was luxury that paIed IN it
contemplation end -four was cbtaine'
with much expense and trouble. Th
settlements of Springville and Libert,
Pole were then attractions that brough
the phone ers to their stores in order t.
purchase the few groceries then obtain
able. Notwithstanding all the priva
tons the newcomers experier ced, man
OF whom had left comfortable homes be
hind, large number, if rot all of them
would like to live over the same ex
periences. Only short time since. ii
riting to friend 10 this city, MI
Billiard said, ~ would like IT, live On.
life over again in Vi,oqua." La tn
summer and fall of 1862, the building
for years known as the B1cke We house
was constructed by Terhune & Billiard
This was the first frame building OF an
size erected in the county. During it
construct N none of the village pic
neers were out Of joo, and all VIII
could drive nail assisted in it's con
etruction. The lumber was drawn from
Readstown, on the Kickepoo, where
saw mill had been erected by Dauie
Reed. The building stood upon 10
present site Of TOWERS store. In lS5'
Je, eniah NJ Ruek came to Wire qua an
commenced the career in Ii that mad
his name we'll known throughout tn
nation. For some time he kept tn
Buckeye hotel al catered to the want
If the pubic in manner that n ade hi
name prominent as landlord over thu
section Of the state. Mary are sti
living who recall mis- familiar face IN til