Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-08-18


Very little in the way of farming was
done by the lumberman. The grass
growing upon the islands along the
rivers was cut for hay but this work
way very limited.
In 1854 a few families of Gerl.an MS
came 30 Marathon county, located land
and commenced clearing it. This
marked the advent of the German
farmer. In 1856 August Kickbusch,
German, came to Wausau with his
family in covered wagon with load
OF groceries and peddling parapher
MALTA. He built store and house on
Clarke's Island where he carried on his
business as a general store keeper.
The following year he was joined by his
brother F. w KicSbusch, who came to
Marathon county May 20, 1857. He
came from Pomerania, Germany. f.
w. Kickbusch engaged in farming in
the town of Stettin for two years. After
this he formed a partnership with his
brother in the mercantile business at
Wausau. These two brothers were in
strumental in settling the county west
of Wausau. In 1867 August KicKDusch
went to Germany and succeeded in Sc
curing many emigrants who came to
settle in Marathon county. The Kick
busch brothers were never land specu-
lators but they helped their country
men to locate on the lands in the
county They sold the settlers blankets
and provisions, not knowing whether
| they shcdld ever see these men again
or not Considered apart from the cold
historical facts, the early struggles of
the pioneers in subduing the wilderness
has much of the pathetic or even tragic
| III it,
In conversing with VIM. +. Hewitt,
| one of Marathon county's oldest set
| tiers, the writer WAS much Interested
in his account of the work done by the
| German settlers. Zone morning in the
month of June, 1860, was standing on
the bank of the river near the little
store of August KickbusCh, when my
attention was called to group of per-
sons who appeared to be strangers
Among the group was man past mid
die age, but of rugged form and deter
mined appearance. At his side was a
woman, his wife, several years younger
than himself, and behind them were
the children, three in number, ranging
from six to twelve years of age. They
were all clad in the garb of foreigners
and all except the youngest child car
ried bundles upon their backs. All
their possessions they carried with
them to piece of land twenty miles
west of Wausau in the heart of the
dense forest. Here the man began
work with his axe and soon rude
| shanty was made which sheltered his
family for the summer months. He
Immediately set to work in telling the
trees about his house and then in cut
| ting them up into lengths that he and
his wife could roll into heaps or piles to
burn. Before the winter had come he
had cleared off the trees from small
piece of land and had built a snug little
log house for his family for the ap-
| preaching winter. In the late fall he
again visited Wausau and bought of
Kickbusch Bros. provisions for his fam
ily for the winter which he packed on
his back out to them. He then babe
his wife goodbye and returned to
Wausau and entered lumber camp
for the winter. When the camp broke
up in the spring our settler returned
to his little farm and home. He now
renewed the work of clearing his land.
The ground cleared the summer before
he planted to potatoes and garden veg
etableS. The smoke curling up from
his burning log piles seemed to pass up
to Heaven as an incense to the Throne
on High to plead for an abundant
harvest.
''In this manner the settler toiled on
season after season until his farm had
reached quite comfortable proportions
He now devoted his whole time to his
farm the products of which he sold to
the lumber camps"
This is the brief story of the majority
of these sturdy men of toll who have
cut out homes from the dense wilder
ness they entered many years ago To
their courage and pei severing industry
is due in great measure the. increasing
development of the agricultural re-
sources of Marathon county. Much
hardship was endured by the early set
tiers and few luxuries were enjoyed
| Many of them were obliged to grind
out their flour in coffee mill or go
sixty miles to Stevens Point to grist
mill, carrying the grist upon their
backs Fodder for the support of a
COW was first obtained by cutting down
birch tree and allowing the COW to
browse on the branches and twigs
The implement used to cover seed that
was sown was called a brush" This
consisted of the branches of trees which
were tied together with a rope and
pulled across the fields by a man as
| the motive power. Mr. Hewitt, who
still resides at Schofield, was one of
the first who raised crops in this way
There were only three horses in all the
county west of Wausau in 1860 These
| German settlers obtained much of their
land from the government although
| considerable was secured from private
parties who had bought it for specu-
lative purposes. The prices paid
| ranged from three to five dollars per
acre An Incredible amount of labor
has been done by them in clearing their
farms. They were rugged, sturdy,
| and industrious class of people and con-
tented with the prospect of owning
their own homes. The families were
large and they all labored together in
the fields and forests with the single
purpose in view of making themselves
| comfortable homes To an observer at
this time the work they have accom-
plished seems almost miracle. The
changing of vast forest into clear,
arabic farms is an undertaking from
which many people would shrink
These German farmers were undauuted
and presevered 10 their work They
are now reaping the reward of their
trials, as in an approaching old age
they retire from their activity amid
conditions of comparative comfort to
watch the work being carried forward
by their children.
1t may not be apart from the purpose
of this paper tc make personal mention
of a few of the leading characters, in
the different localities, who were identi-
fed with the development of the agri-
cultural resources of the county.
Among the oldest settlers of Wausau
is John c. Clarke and although MIR
Clarke never engaged in farming to
any extent himself he has watched the
agricultural development of the county
from its infancy. He states that one
James Moore was the first to grow
crop of potatoes in Wausau and that he
(Clarke) was among the first to eat
Marathon county grown potatoes. He
was at this time cooking for Stevens
lumber camp.
Potatoes sold at this time at one
dollar per bushel and flour at eight
dollars per barrel. The first batch of
bread made by Mr.. Clarke was mixed