Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-01-25
THE EARLY
History of WauWatOsa.


hideous with their bowls.
Mrs. T. NJ Riddle. now Mrs, Rork,
tells the following aDecdote: "One
Sunday in 1874, as there was no meet
ing to attend, took book and went out
into the woods, which surrounded our
L., house, aud sat ON log. l heard
s)iaething, and looking up, saw an
animal coming towards me with a hen
in his mouth, Her wings were spread
out before his face so lie could neither
see before him nor smell. / jumped at
him and yelled. He had never heard
such a noise as that before. lie
dropped the hen and hew for his life.
l pursued him short distance and
kept screaming. lie was as large as a
good sized dog, brindleG, had a-bushy
tail with white tip. picked up my
book and the hen which was still
warm, that he was taking home for his
Sunday dinner. We had it instead for
our Sunday dinner. was told this
was black wolf, a rare species"
Perhaps the experience Of some of
the Wauwatosa settlers was somewhat
to that Of M. Chas. Brown the
father % Mrs VIM Underwood our for
mer secretary. He lived with his
brother in a simple cabin north of
in the town Of Granville,
He once wrote: '.It soon became nee
essary to replenist our domicile with
those elements that perish with us
ing. | left my brother alone in the
forest, not expecting to see human
face until / returned and went to the
small village of Chicago. to obtain such
luxuries as we were unable to secure in
Milwaukee After spending few
days in that village, started to return
with my purchases, consisting OF an
on-kettle, frying pan and some pro-
visions. But during my absence snow
had fallen, changing the appearance
of things, SO much. that this unfortun-
ate youth, like the Babes in the
Woods, was lost 10 all but himself two
days and one night before finding his
brother, who had exhausted the stock
in his harder and began to be alarmed
ut my long delay. Everything went
on nicely until June arrived, when such
swarms of huge mosquitoes beSet us, as
to involve the question of of our pro-
longed existence among them. After
bordering the chances in my own
mind awhile, came To the conclusion
that one of US at least ought to be
saved.
| sold my interest in the potato
patch and started for Milwaukee, and
spent the summer in small store with
a salary of thirty dollars per month.
My brother remained the only resident
ia the town during the summer, and
with nothing but his AK and hoe, de-
Tended himself againt the mosquitoes,
aud raised three hundred bushels of
potatoes-the first that were ever raised
in the town. have accorded to him
the credit of being the Drawer man.
With all their severe experiences of
home sickness and privations, the
pioneers had much enjoyment. A COM
mon purpose made u strong bond be-
tween them All testify TO the cor
dialty of each to the other during their
rural life in the primeval forest. This
seems remarkable, when we take into
account, that they had school districts
to lay out. roads to locate and district,
and all had point to make or lose,
which meant increase or decrease in
the value of their property.
The United States road was chopped
out in the winter of 1850. This
followed the old Indian trail from
Lake Michigan westward to the Mis-
sissippi River. This was the only
road, and came down over the hill on
North Main street, as does now the
electric line. The previous settlers
/ picked theiy way through the forests.
following the blazed trees.
/ In" universal stumps were every.
where. Every vehicle meaudering be,
/ tween them aud over their roots.
! The first bridge across the Menomo-
nee river WAS built in 1897. Since that
time several others have been con.
structcd, but these were subjected TO
heavy strains When the bridge before
the first iron one was built. it was pro-
posed Ia invite two % the feshiest
women in the viliaS> I will not give
their uamc>l to walk across it, and il
it eou d endure that pondcrous weigh.
ii would be pronounced safe.
Four horse stage --i+egular Concord
stages carrying the aails and pas
Seugers ran through regularly. at an
carly date after the road was opened,
in fact the United States opcued it for
this purpose. The product of the lead
mines from Platteville and Mineral