Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-04-20

that money ever returned to our ''ba by
CITY," Most all of our supplies came
from below, which also took our money
and never returned. Most all of the
working men were paid once a year
sometimes in two or three years, or as
soon as an opportunity presented
itself to go down on the lumber of
their employers to market, and there
received their pay. Eight out of ten
Of these would return dead broke;
then again no money returned to US,
and so we were left all the while at
home cutting teeth, without money.
II the business men had only arranged
it SO as to pay their men at home, we
would have full grown city at this
present day. But now the eye tooth
is cut, and our city is thriving slow
but sure. All our commodities can be
bought at home. All of the working
men are paid at home, which leaves
the money at home, and we are thriv-
ing. If this had only been done forty
years ago our baby city would be a
full grown and well developed girl
today.
Now, [ must stop. 1 think that [
have already imposed upon your kind
ness too long, and, if desirable and |
am permitted, I will try and write
more Interestingly next time.
l sincerely hope that we shall meet
all and every one of us here present,
many, many times again. Most
of us have now passed the mid
river of life. This river of life, as it
has always occurred somehow in my
mind, runs it's course from north to
south. We embark in the canoe On
the East shore, and we cross over to
the West shore. And when we embark
on the East shore DO charges are made
except the understanding that we
have to paddle our own canoe. Most
of us old folks have already padded
across the mid-river, but yet there is
some distance and, as we do not paddle
now as fast as we did at the start,
there is time yet ere we reach the
western shore. [ would, if permitted
to, advise you to paddle slowly from
this out, and by SO doing, it will give
us old folks ample time to meet, and
meet again and again, before we dis
embark on that dreaded western shore.
FIRST FOUR WOMEN.
Mrs. A. B. Sampson presented "a
Sketch of the First Four Women in
Grand Rapids" and her paper was
read by Mrs. C. H. Brown. Our rep
resentative called upon Mrs. Brown
the following day for this manuscript
but was Informed that the sketch had
been consigned to the flames. Mrs.
SIMPSONS paper could not, therefore,
be obtained for publication.
EARLY "REMINISCENCES.
Mr.. -President-La-
dies and Gentlemen of this meeting of
the Old Settlers of Wood County
Greeting:
1 assure you that it is with pleasure
[ respond to the toast entitled early
"reminiscences of Wood county. The
word ''early" indicates to my mind
the beginning of settlement and in
dustrieS, so [ at once proceed to
quote first from "The History of
Northern Wisconsin,"
In the winter of 1927, Daniel Whit
ney of Green Bay obtained permit
from the Winnebago Indians, granting
him the privilege to make shingles on
the Wisconsin river and employed
twenty-five Stock bridge Indians and
his nephew David G. Whitney and an
other man to superintend the party:
thus the beginning of the first
industry in this vicinity. The line of
travel from Green Bay here, was up
the Fox river to Portage and up the
Wisconsin as far as Point Basse..
Following this, in 1881, Mr. Whitney
obtained permit from the war de-
partment to build a saw mill and cut
timber and manufacture lumber on
the Wisconsin river and in 1881 and
1882, he, assisted by his nephew and
A. B. Sampson, built the first mill at
a place they named Whitney Rapids
at or near where now stands the large
Nekoosa Paper Company's Pulp and
Paper mills. The second mill was
built about 1885 by Messrs. Grignon
and Merrill and not far distant from
the Port Edwards Paper mill; and the
first mill built in this immediate
vicinity was in 1886 at or near where
now stands the electric light plant in
Centralia, by Mr.. Whitney or Mr..
Harris.
The first marriage ceremony took
place at the residence of Mr.. Sampson
at Whitney rapids. The contracting
parties being George Kline, Jr., OF
Grand Rapids and Maria Whitney,
widow of David Whitney, the knot
being tied by S. r. Merrill, justice of
the peace.
AS Grand Rapids is the older of the
twin cities. I shall now proceed to
describe some of the first business
enterprises there. Among the first
was boarding house built by a Mr..
Strong and was built of logs, about
the year 1S43. Mr.. Strong soon there
after sold an interest to A. B. Sampson.