Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-01-13
WIN. BRADLEY DEAD.


hawk and millionaire lumberman, died
Wednesday at his home in Milwaukee.
On the Monday previous he was united
in marriage to Miss Marie Hannemyer
his private secretary, and at that time
was so weat that he was compelled to
sit in chair while the ceremony was
being performed. On Wednesday he
passed away while sitting in that same
chair.
Mr. Bradley was one of the most
wealthy men of Wisconsin and was one
of the best known .ambermen of the
state. He was native Of the state of
Maine and was 65 years of age at the
time of his death. The following is a
brief biography of the man:
Back in the 66s Re was resident of
Janesvile, Wis, where he was engaged
in the numbering business in small
way, afterward going to Oshkosh,
where he engaged in the manufacture
of lumber aud was successful. Later
he formed partnership with some
Milwaukee capitalists and began oper-
aliug near Muskegon. Mich. This
proved a profitable venture, and after
amassing large fortune he took up his
residence in Milwaukee, building a
handsome home on Prospect avenue.
City life aud inactivity incident to a re-
tirement from business did not agree
with this native son of the Pine Tree
state. He decided to found city in
the primeval forest, and with this end
in view journeyed up the Wisconsin
valley and found his site where the
present city of Tomahawk now stands.
Here he built saw mill, erected
large hotel with appointments equal to
those to be found in the larger class of
cities He started newspaper, built
and stocked a general store, supple
mented it with drug store and added
hardware esta blishment, and then
awaited the arrival of the population
which followed him into the wilderness.
AS the timber about his mill was cut
down, manufactured into lumber,
shipped to market and disposed of, he
built railroads and put the iron horses
with long trains of flat cars hauling logs
to the mill, adding to the roads mile by
mile as the eXigencies required.
He was one of the most successful
men in the state, and investments that
to others seemed the height of folly
materialized into gold mines in his
hands While Tomahawk was still in
its swaddling clothes, Mr.. Bradley con-
ce'ved the idea of establishing another
city at Spirit Falls, few miles directly
west of his growing metropolis. He
erected a grist mill, a general store and
established market tor the farmer,
with William II. Bradley as the great
purchasing power of the community.
He bought everything the farmers
offered for sale in his new town, and
then he joined it to Tomahawk with
railroad
At one time he found that the trains
on the 500 railroad did not run TO suit
the people who desired to visit Toma-
hawk. They had to get out of the
sleepers at an early hour in the morn
ing, at Bradley junction, and wait
there a few hours for the morning train
on the Bradley railroad. To remedy
this evil he purchased a sleeper, placed
it on his road, with porter in charge,
and when the early evening 'scoot" on
the Bradley road ran out to the june
ton it took the sleeper along, side
tracked it at the station, and the pas
sengers who alighted from the trunk
line train were given comfortable sleep
ing Accommodations at regular hotel
rates In the morning they were
hauled to Tomahawk and became the
guests of his big hotel.
A few years ago the Wisconsin Edi-
torial association became the guests of
Mr.. Bradley at his Tomahawk hotel
and were given an excursion on the
river in his famous houseboat train,
consisting of series of houseboats
Joined together after the fashion of the
coupling of the coaches of railroad
train, with a tug on ahead as the motive
power The editors were taken to the
woods, where they were royalty enter
tanned, and the day finished with
banquet in the hotel.
Mr. Bradley has done much for
charity in quiet way, and with his
former wife, who died last Nov IL, was
a liberal contributor to all movements
pointing toward the relief of the poor
The Wisconsin Humane society is one
of the Institutions he has literally sup
ported.
Mr.. Bradley was buried Saturday
from his old home and Walter Alexan-
der, of this city, acted as one of the hon
orary pail bearers.