Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-05-31
TEUNWRlTN HISTORY.

IL many sections of the United States,
and especially in the Eastern states,
which was the home of our Puritan
ancestors, every fact of historical in
terest from the first settlement of white
men to the present day has been care
fully recorded, so that the people for
generations to come will have a com
plete history of those sections. But
this cannot be said of Wisconsin,
especially this section known as the
Wisconsin river valley 1t is true that
many of the early settlers can give a
fair account of events from the time of
their coming here up to this late day,
and some of the more interesting of
these stories may live in the minds of
their children for years to come, but
will there ever be written history for
the preservation of facts? So little is
known of this section at the time the
Indian held sway that we doGht if sucn
book could be compiled
So far as known, Jean Nicolet was
the first white man to set foot on Wis
consin's virgin soil, he being one of the
intrepid sons OF old France sent out to
explore new territory for his home
country About one hundred years
later the great Hudson Bay Co. began
active operation in trading with the
Indians of this state and to- the daring
men in the employ of this concern, who
braved the rigorous hardships of max
ing their way through unbroken forests
and among savages, an perhaps be
given the honor of opening the way
for civilization. The Hudson Bay CO.
is without doubt the oldest corporation
doing business on this continent today.
Its founders and their successors for
each succeeding generation, down to
the present time, have been laid away
in their graves, but the company or its
business purposes have remained the
on business in territory as large as
all Europe, and were 5000 in number
| There are evidences that they did a
great trading business along the Wis
consin river in this vicinity, a few be-
| ing seen here after the advent of the
settler. The skeleton dug up on
Clarkes island last fall. which had
lain in its resting place perhaps a
hundred years, was undoubtedly that
OF one of these traders. They had a
trading post at Portage and one in
Forest county with perhaps interlnedi-
ate posts in the vicinity of Big Ball falls
at the mouth of Prairie river and other
points. just south of Crandon is a
beautiful lake where still can be seen
the graves of number of these traders
who died of some disease-no doubt
smallpox. This post was often visited
by men within the memory of the pres
ent generation. Here at Big Bull falls
was regular settlement of Indians
They camped on either side of the falls
and on what was afterwards the old
Knox mill site, several thousands con
gregating here at certain seasons of the
l.
trader reaped his revenue from ex
changes of beads and other cheap good:
for pelts, etc At different times pieces
of pottery ware, sun dials, etc, thu
latter bearing dates Oh over two hun
dred years ago, have been found along
the Wisconsin river showing that white
were in this section at a very early day
If this early history could be knoWI
what an interesting page il woult
makel Many a romance might b,
woven from its facts, and perhap
t many tragedy, for the trader wa
. not always scrupulous, and the Indial
was quick to avenge a wrong, fancifu
or otherwise
j. c. Clarke, Levi Fleming and othe
esting stories and anecdotes of earl
g happenings, but beyond this our know
d edge of facts is limited. They cam
here at very early day, and have see
$ Bull Falls settlement grow TO the thirty
i ing city of Wausau, and have passe
/ through all the vicisitudes and struggle
of the pioneer In their minds is store
1t data that would fill large sized volum
IS of the most interesting Kind of reading
e which, if it could be coupled with even
further back, would make book ths
r. would be a treasure to this and futur
q generations.