Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-04-08
CENTRAL WISCONSIN.
Paper Read by L. X. Wright at the
Farmers Institute at Oconomowoc.

Farmers Institute at Oconomowoc.
Under this heading / am asked to
speak of the southern part of that great
section of the state, long known as
Northern Wisconsin. Geographically
it is Central Wisconsin, but the people
up there have for years worked for re-
cOgnition in agricultural, educational
aud political lines, unaer the name Of
Northern Wisconsin, and now that the
natives down below" have learned
that we are on the map, we propose TO
stand with our tried friends further
north and fight under the old banner of
Northern Wisconsin.
In order to distinguish the portion of
Northern Wisconsin where agricultural
pursuits have obtained firm footing,
from the section further north where
agriculture is still an infant industry, -
| will use the term Central Wiscon-
sim"
My definition of this term takes in my
home county of Marathon, and the
neighboring parts of Clark, Taylor,
Lincoln, Langlade aud Shawano coun-
ties, great hardwood timber district
where practically all the land is good
agricultural land and which is destined
20 become one of the greatest agricul-
tural districts in Wisconsin.
TIMBER, SOIL AND WATER
Seventy-iive per cent. of this district
was once heavily timbered with forests
of hardwood principally birch, bass,
elm maple and hemlock. The soil is Il
clayey logm. the best soil found in the
northern part of the state.
White pine forests covered perhaps
twenty per cent. of the land. which TIM
Der was large, indicating good soil,
far different from the poor gfavelly
sand land on which Norway and jack
pine grows This land makes good
pasture, without any clearing, aud il
good potato and corn land
There is very little swamp land, what
there is being of small extent, and often
hemlock and other high land timber is
found mixed with the usual swamp tim
Der, conditions indicating swamps very
easily reclaimed There are none of
the poor spruce swamps found further
north The poorest land that we have
are the narrow sand belts IN the valleys
of the larger streams.
The hardwood lands are often stony,
generally small surface stone, easily re-
moved. l have frequently seen farms
where there was a good deal of this
stone, while an adjoining farm would
be nearly tree from stone. | have been
told that the conditions in this respect
are very similar tn those found IN Mani
towoc and Sheboygan counties.
All of this region Is well watered,
streams are numerous and springs are
found IN nearly every quarter section.
Cisterns are unknown, as all the water
is soft, aud can generally be obtained
at very little depth. \ very noticeable
thing about the water is its purity; all
of our streams are clear, cool, and
sparkling. in marked contrast TO the
muddy waters have seen further south.
EARLY SETTLEMENT AND CONDITIONS.
Parts Of Marathon county have been
settled for nearly nifty years, aud in
these old settlements thrre are today
some of the finest farms in the state, the
farm buildings comparing fayorably
with any have ever seen Visitors To-
these sections, being told how long they
have been settled, might conclude that
it took fifty years to make such farms ;
but we have other settlements in Mara
thon, Clark and Liuc,.ln ronntieS,
twenty-five years younger, with just as
good clearings aud farms, but wheE il
comes tc sSrm buildings, doubt if Hlere
Is a tow nShip in the state " hich eau COM
pete with the old town of Berlin in
Marathon county.
Tc understand why it took 50 long to
cler up these old farms. compare the
conditions which confronted the early
settler with those that confront the
home-Seeker in this region to-day
The German immigrants who made
these FARMS. came by rail to Berlin In
Green Lake county. A journey of 100
miles by stage or OK team TOOK them
Ia the backwoodS settlement at Big Bull
Falls, where the city of Wausan now
stands The last forty miles of tle
Journey. from Stevens Point north, was
made through timber country over
almost impossible roads, corduroy till-
ingS making much Of the road paSSihle.
This part of the journey was generally
made by OK team, hand spikes being
frequently called into use 10 get tae
wagons ont 0f tie bad places Al Wan
Sau the pioneer took his supplies on hlS
back and continued the Journey TO the
woods where he had made his home
Here the primitive log house WAS put
up. and eu the clearing thus made. the