Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-09-23
Notes About tho City.

where factories and mills run steadily
every working day in the year, thus
giving the wage earners continuous
employment, as a residence city OF
much beauty. as mercantile city of
conservative progress and push and as
a college city of higher educational
advantages, Watertown stands pre-
eminent among her sister cities of
equal size.
1t is located in the northern part of
Jefferson county. This county is four
tOe enships wide and four long, and
comprises an area of five hundred and
twenty six square miles. The greater
portion of it ha, an alluvial surface
soil of great depth, from eight inches
to two feet. The mean temperature
for winter is % degrees and for sum-
mer 70 degrees. The average rain
fall for the year is 80 inches. With
good soil and never failing climate
the farmers especially in the vicinity
of Watertown are prosperous, always
raising product in one or the other
of the numerous products that Jeffer-
son county produces. This thriving
condition among the agricultural ele-
lment places them in position to
make Improvements upon their farms
and to lay out money for wearing ap-
}parel and household articles, and
consequently they spend many thous-
sands of dollars annually in Watertown
Watertown owes much to the
memory of Timothy johnson, sturdy
fpioneer who suffered all the hardships
off frontier here in early days.
In January, 1886, the redoutable
Johnson, undeterred by the severity of
the winter storms, set out from Racine
then a town OF few log cabins) on
westward march. In February of the
same year he located about two miles
below the present site OF Jefferson,
erecting there log cabin. He occu-
pied his time in making short explor-
ing expeditions about the country.
During one O. these daily tramps he
discovered what was afterwards known
as Johnson's Rapids (now Waterto~n.)
He visited ''ths Rapids" several
times and finally staked out a claim OF
about one thousand acres upon a por
tion OF which Watertown now stands.
In June, 1886, he made trip to
Milwaukee and purchased supply of
provisions, yoke Of oxen end
wagon. When he retul ned to w ater-
town he brought with him Philander
Baldwin, Reese Griswold and Charles
.Seaton, whom he permitted to make
claims within his thousand acre plat.
each erecting a temporary cabin.
Provisions were secured once Or twice
q year from Milwaukee. The price
paid for -four was twenty dollars per
lbarrel and fourty dollars per barrel for
lpork. In addition to paying a high
price for aonr and hauling it from
milwaukee, johnson had to contend
with the troublesome Indians who
often endeavored to steal it from him.
Among the old settlers who followed
johnson in 1s3s-37 were Luther A.
Cole, Ansssa Hylaad, Peter V. Brown.
John A. Chadwick. VIM. M. Dennis,
Goo I G,,oehue. James Rogan and
Patrick Rogan.
Luther A. and John w. Cole estab-
,ished the first store in Watertown.
It stood on the southwest corner OF
Second and Main streets.
Edward johnson was the first drug
pist: Fred Kusei, Sr.. was the first
tinsmith; Jacob ). Enos was the first
practicing attorney, and Drs. cokeley
and Goodenougn were the first prac-
ticing physicians.
Theodore Prentiss was the first
mayor of Watertown; L. Bruegger the
first marshal, and j. A. Hadley the
first editor.
Captain James Rogan held the first
deed TO any land within the present
limits of the city of Watertown ever
conveyed to any person. The deed was
given him by John Hall. of Michigan,
whosaceahpanied Rgovernpeat. snr7
vsyor named Briuk : s9rysying
expedition operatas tie Rock
river valley. The d i dated July
9, 1888. The ,ant<gyered by the
deed was sthe noea aWexLr quarter i of
section s2,'s town ~rinee 15.--From
an issue of the Watestawns Commercial
Review. -