The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1902-12-25
r. F. Roberts, OF Woodwork, Tells
the High School Students OF the
Early History OF the County.
THE BEGINNING OF KENosHA.
IN an Interesting Manner Mr. Roberts
TELLS of the Trials and Victories of
the Pioneers of the County.

interesting entertainment Friday
afternoon at which splendid paper
by r. F. Roberts, Secretary of the Old
Settlers Club, was presented to the
students and large number of the
patrons of the school.
The paper, which was read by the
Rev. Florence Buck, was as follows:
The human mind has natural feel
ing of curiosity to know the beginning
of things.
The territory of what is now Keno
sha and Racine counties first appeared
politically as part of Milwaukee
county. In the first legislative as
sembly OF the territorial government
of Wisconsin in 1886, Gilbert Knapp,
a citizen of Racine, represented Mil
waukee county as a member of the
council equivalent now to the State
Senate, and Charles Durkee, citizen
of Kenosha, was elected to represent
Milwaukee county in the other house
in the same legislative assembly. At
the second session of the first legisla-
tive assem- bly,, 1837-1838, Racine county
embracing the territory of Kenosha
county, was set off from Milwaukee
county.
For the first session of the second
Legislative assembly, 1888, William
Bullen, a citizen of Kenosha, was
elected a councillor to represent Ra-
cine county and was elected by the
council President of that body. Orrin
p. Stevens, a citizen of Pleasant Prai-
RE, was elected representative of the
lower house for Racine county. At
every session of the territorial con-
ventions, citizens of what is now Ke-
nosha county were elected to represent
Racine county because it was a
part of Racine county. In 1850 the
State Legislature divided Racine
county into two nearly equal parts and
created the county of Kenosha.
Racine made desperate fight
against the division but Southport
brains won. The city of Kenosha was
first called "Pike Creek"
In 1910 it was incorporated as the
village of Southport with Col. Michael
Frank as President. In 1850 it was in
corporated as "The City of Kenosha"
and Col. Frank was it's first Mayor.
The First Settlers.
1t is matter of historical record
that John Bullen, Jr., William Bullen
and Charles w. Turner were the first
settlers OF Pike Creek and made claims
there on June II, 1885. They were all
members of the Western Emigration
Company. A full account of this com
pany, its constitution and complete
list of its stockholders was published
IN the KENosHA EVENING News of
Sept. 20, 1901, so that this mention
will suffice at this time. I have tried
to discover the origin of the name Ke-
nosha and it's meaning. A pioneer of
Pike Greek and now citizen of Keno
sha tells me that Kenosha is the Indian
name of the fish known as ''pickere1."
That Pike Creek was named from the
pickereI, "Pike" being about the
equivalent of the pickerel.
In the history of Kenosha county it
is of record that Jacob Montgomery
was the first settler of the county and
that he commenced to build a log
house for himself in the town of
Somers March 4, 1885. Mrs. Gardiner
Wilson was the first white woman who
came to settle in this county. She
came with her husband to Pike Greek
on June 81, 1885. Alfred Foster built
the first saw mill in this county It
was located in the town of Somers on
Pike Creek, three miles from its mouth.
1t was built in the summer of 1885.
The following historical data was
given by Col. M. Frank in an address
before the Old Settlers Club at Pad
docks Lake, Sept. 6, 1883:
Horace Woodbridge settled in the
town of Pleasant Prairie June 4, 1885,
and Henry Miller later in the same
month. Rollin Tut settled in the
town Of Bristol in April Of 1886, and
in the May following Levi Grant
came. Re2built the first frame house
in the town of Bristol. John Dodge
settled in the town of Salem in June
of 1887. Shortly after General Bullen
and David Bu1len came to Salem and
located on the east bank of Fox river.
A bridge was built across the river
here and the bridge now is still called
''Bullen's BRIDGE" General Bul1en
nad village surveyed and plated here
with the expectation that it would be
the head of navigation of the Fox
river. Schuyler Bunday settled in the
town of IWheatland in August, 1887
and Adolph Reitbrook in September
Daniel T...Eldredge located on Mound
Prairie, town of Randall, in the fall Of
1886.
"Mr. Wightman and DR.. Johnson
were the first settlers in the town oil
Brighton. They arrived at nearly the
same time in the year 1888. Seth B
Myrrick settled in the town of Paris
July 10, 1887. His fellow citizens il
recognition of his being the first set
tier in the town, gave him the priv
lege of naming it. On the monument
at the head of his grave is this legend
t'He was the first settler in this towr
and named it Paris" Mr.. Myrricl