Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-08-28
JUDGE CLEMENTSON'S ADDRESS

Mr.. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW CITIZENS OF
GRANT COUNTY:
The foundation Of the new court
house is finished, and we have come to-
gether today to lay, with ceremony, the
corner stone of the superstructure. In
doing this we follow a long existing
custom in the erection OF public build
ings. Its origin is lost in the mist OF
antiquity God is represented as say
ing to Job: "Where vast thou when L
laid the foundation of the earth?....
Whereupon are the foundations there
of fastened, Or who laid the corner
stone thereof" Paul using what he
must has esteemed a we'll understood
and expressive figure of speech says
that the household of God is built up
on the foundations of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone" 1t is appro-
pirate that there should be manifested,
by public observance, approval OF this
building which the county has begun,
for it will be the largest in the county
and the most enduring. If these table
foundations are typical OF the strength
of the whole, centuries will roll by and
this court house will stand. We should
rejoice, too, that it is being built, be-
cause fire proof and commodious vaults
were needed for our invaluable public
records. and court house with more
room and modern conveniences was re-
CURED for the county officers and court
PURPOSES. This will be building that
will give dignity to office and add i'm
pressiveness to the administration OF
Justice The old court house belittled,
in the eyes of strangers, the character
and enterprise of the citizens OF Grant
county, and lily accorded with its
wealth and age. Our county is twelve
We ..s older than the state of Wiscon-
sin, and during it's entire existence has
expended, until now, less than $4,000
In building it's court houses. Though
old as compared with other counties Of
the state the county is still young as
the years of municipalities are meas
ured. All of this Western country is
young. One hundred years ago all
that is now Wisconsin was unlnhablt-
ed by white men, except that at Green
Bay and Prairie du Chen there we're
few Indian traders. This county was
then part of the Territory of India
ma. which included all of the North
west territory this side of Ohio, and
continued to be until 1909. By the
authorities of that territory two just
ices of the peace were appointed, one
for Green Bay and one for Prairie du
Chen They were the first authorized
ministers of justice within the present
borders of the state. In 1909 what is
Wisconsin was by act of Congress made
part of the Territory of Illinois and
80 continued until 1918, when it be-
came part of the Territory of Michi-
gan. By proclamation Of Lewis Cass,
governor of Michigan Territory, made
in the same year, what is now WiscOn-
sin was divided into two counties by a
perpendicular line drawn from the
northern boundary Of Illinois, through
what is now the city Of Portage to Lake
Superior; the Western county being
named Crawford with Prairie du Chen
as it's county seat and the Eastern one
Brown with it's county seat at Green
Bay. We have no accurate infOrma-
ton upon the subject but it may be
safely said that at this time the white
population of both these counties fell
considerably below one thousand. In
1923, Congress passed an act providing
for an additional Judge for the Terri
tory of Michigan, whose jurisdiction
was made coextensive with the cOun-
ties of Crawford, Brown aad Michili-
mackinac; the latter comprising what
is now the northern peninsula of the
state of Michigan. James Duane
Doty, afterwards governor of Wiscon-
sin Territory, and one of the first con-
gressmen from the state, was appoint
ed Judge of the new district by Presi-
dent Monroe. He held his first term
OF court at Prairie du Chen in May
1924, and this was the first court of gen
eral jurisdiction ever held within the
limits of this state.
Beginning with 1925, a considerable
population flowed into what is now
Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties,
attracted by the lodes of lead ore that
had been discovered in what was
known as the Galeua lead mine dis
trict, so that in 1929, the legislative
council of Michigan Territory deemed
it advisable to divide Crawford county.