Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-08-25
VARIATIONS PIONEER DEVEL-
0PMeNT.
CONTINUED from first page.l


In 1864 or 1865 the Rev. Hoffman
came to the German settlement and
established the first church.
Patrick Curran established his home
in Marathon county in 1878. He first
lived in Wausau and followed the
business ola land surveyor and Govern
ment timber estimator. In 1873 he
bought his present farm in the Town
of Easton, lots 20 and 2l-29-9 r. E.
He has raised excellent crops of all the
ordinary farm products. Wheat, oats,
rye, barley, and peas are the main
crops. Peas grown in Marathon
county are not troubled with the
weevil if sown early. Glover and
timothy grow abundantly on his farm
and he is turning his attention to-
wards dairy farming. Mr.. Curran has
built up reputation in Wausau for
the quality of his dairy products.
Potatoes grow we'll with him, ike
wise tobacco. All garden crops eZ-
eept watermellons he can grow. Sugar
beets grow we'll ON his farm. Prot.
VOLTS tests showed 10 per cent. sac
charine. Rape thrives well on his
farm. All farm stock do well. Mr..
Curran is laying the foundation for q
pure breed Red Poll herd.
In 1853 the town of Wausau in
Guided all the territory east to the
Michigan line. In the early settle
ment of the Town of EastOn the
pioneers were j. w. Nutter, Michael
Manning, Dunstan Manning, and
Jno. o. Speidle. 1t required three
days to make the journey from Wau-
sau to Nutterville, distance OF ten
miles, in the year 1857. The writer
drove it today in two hours. The
country at that time was a dense
Jungle and forest. Many of the settlers
made considerable in the winter by
getting out grubstakes for the lumber
raftsmen in the spring. Another
source of income was the peeling of
hemlock logs for tan bark. This is
still done to quite large extent.
S. M. Quaw came to Marathon
county in January, 1873, He engaged
in the lumber business and then
bought farm near the city of Wau-
sau. Mr.. Quaw is the first man to
begin the work of improvement of the
breeds of sheep in Marathon county.
His flock is composed of Shropshires
and he has expended quite an amOunt
of money in the improvement of them.
He winters now something more than
one hundred head The average clip
of wool is ten pounds per head. MIR.
Qaaw is proud of his flock and very
hopeful of the prospects of Marathon
county in sheep raising on account of
the abundance of nutritious grass.
Joseph Chesak came to Marathon
county in 1881 aud settled at Ponia-
towski He has farm of seventeen
acres and has grown crops of various
kinds upon it. Corn, both flint and
dent, does Well aud he has never
had failure yet He thinks that the
climate of the north has become less
vigorous since lsSl-the winters are
not as long and severe as they were
before the forest was cleared away
Tobacco has grown on his land with
fair success and the farmers raise it for
their own use. The farmers OF Pouia-
towski have always supplemented
their income from the farm by doing
work in the woods in the winters.
There is even now considerable tan
bark shipped To Stanley, Medford, and
Milwaukee Eastwood bolts are sold
to the Menasha Wooden Ware Co at
IliCii A4AS 70 -NtAf
after battling TO the lumber camps fur
Their north aud also to the large cities.
Mr.. Chesak owns and operates a cheese
factory which he built in 1898. Ii was
one of the first factories to be built in
the county and marks the advent Of
the factory system in the making of
dairy products
Charles Kiehl came to Marathon
county in lSS0 from Fond du Lac and
settled at Athens. He soon bought a
farm in the town Of HOlton and
farmed it with his father for three
years. He then secured farm Of his
own upon which be lived for sixteen
years. All the farm crops ordinarily
grown ia the county were raised by
Mr.. Kiehl. Clover was always grown
as it grew wild. The first year he
farmed was the most difficult one but
he obtained very quick results even
then. After one-half an acre had been
cleared he sowed it TO Tutabagas which
he dug in six weeks. Flax is paying
crop at Athens as the soil is deep and
heavy.
Mr.. E. L. Erbach came TO Marathon