The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-08-15
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9 This REGION Of Ours. {
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The Wisconsin Valley.

E: r; Buckley. geologist in charge of Econ
consin, in tie Tomah nsS' '''n'nefs' Oh WIS
Within comparatively few years
the numbering industry, as conduct
ed in the past, will be known mainly
among the traditions of our fathers
The timber lands, today, are hello
at such price as to offer little or nc
attraction to the man of small mean
The timber is being driven from the
land in much the same fashion as the
American Indian was in the early
pioneer days. 1t will soon be rare
thing to see a virgin forest of pine
or hemlock.
No country, no state, no valley
can have a future where forests are
the only source of wealth. Lum Der
in Wisconsin has been the fountain
of many mans fortune, but the
time for acquiring the fountain has
:, now almost expires. Men who have
accumulates wealth from this source
may enjoy the fruits of their indus
try-in the midst of land where
there are no other resources. The
mass of the people, however, must
seek out those sections wnere the re-
sources are of a diversified and per-
manent nature.
Men in the south have stood afar off
and specialized on the future of the
great pine lands of Northern Wis
expecting sooner or later that this
portion Of the state woulh revert to
vast barron waste of sand. How
ever, there there has been no more
erroneous speculation than this.
Portions of the land are indeed
sandy and barron, but there are
hundreds of thouasnds of acres here
of the most productive soils known
In the state
The growth and strength of a
country and the stability of its civil
ization depend mainly, ultimately,
upon the status of the manufacture
ing and agricultural industries. A
country which combines with these
the mining industry is especially
fortunate.
re cities which have been built
along the Wisconsin river in the
northern part of the state must al
ways remain among the sturdiest
and thriftiest of their class. The
lands have been stripped of their
timber only to be turned by the
| plowshare. Where magnificent
forests stood but a few years ago
rich fields OF grain are now being
harvested. The vast stretches of
land which appear desolate and un-
inha bitable to the traveller as he is
hurried over the rails. are destined
to become some of the best dairy
and farming spots in Wisconsin.
Farming and dalrying will eventu-
ally become two of the leading in
dustries of this great undeyeloped
region of the north.
For manufacturing purposes it
has been shown that the Wisconsin
river with its tributaries furnishes
sufficient power to supply many
times the number of factories now
being operated. Pulp, paper and
flour mills and sash, door, BOX and
furniture factories occur at a num-
Der OF places along the banks of the
Wisconsin river, but there is room
for more.
AS the lumber increases in price,
and becomes more scarce there will
be an increasing demand for brick
and stone. An abundance of ex-
cellent stone is quarried at several
places aloug the river. The Wausau
granite is widely known among
monument dealers throughout the
northwest as stone of exceptional
strength and beauty. Clay is being
exploited for the manufacture of
brick at a number of places there
being sixteen or seventeen yards
located along the Wisconsin river
north Of Grand Rapids. The clay
varies greatly In composition, anu
the character of brick the manufac-
tured are equally variable. The de-
composed re-Cambrian shists
which are mined at Grand Rapids
are in places pure white, being
largely composed of kaolin and free
from iron. These are among the
highest grade clays exploited in the
valley, and are too valuable for the
manufacture of common building
brick.
The clay which occurs near Tom
ahawk is of alluvial origin and has
all the external appearances of be-
iLg we'll adapted to the manufacture
of excellent building bricks The
Wausau clays, with the exception of
thos at Ringle, are arenaceous in
character and less suitable for brick