The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-01-15
INTERESTING HISTORY OF EDGERTON'S EARLY DAYS.
The Red Mems Soil Has Been FuOWed the White Mans P Pioneer Life
Fraug With Hardshps Namess Community Grown to Thriving City,
Paper
Miss Angie owne Before the Womens Club dgon December s 1903

This small group of buildings was {
nameless community. This month is the
semi centennial anniversary of the com
ing of the railroad, when for convenience
this place was called Fulton Depot" La
two or three years the name was chang
ed to Edgerton, after B. K. Edgerton
the civil engineer, who surveyed the line
of the railroad. When Mr.. Edgerton
was told that this village had been nam
ed for him, he replied, "Better not do it
for am not dead yet, and | may dis
grace the name.
The first passenger car came through
in January, "a. This was cold winter
with heavy SHOWS so the company was
unable to build the road further than
Stoughton. A resident tells how one of
the first passenger trains was showed in
at the cut one mile south of town. Mr..
Robert Attlesey is one of the four men
called up at night and who with four
yoke of oxen hauled the engine and ten
der out of the snow drift to Edgerton.
They then went back and pulled the
passenger coach to the depot. For this
service the men received the thanks of
the passengers and the request that they
would continue with the novel motor
power which they said was "the swiftest
found this side of Milwaukee"
The coming of the railroad brought
mail. Mr.. VIM. Hall was made the first
postmaster with the office in his house.
This was the building Mrs. Edwards now
owns on Fulton street. 1t was in this
building that Frank Hall, the first child,
was born. The post office, little whis-
key shop on the present bank corner and
a store in part of Mr.. Jessup's house con-
stituted the business street.
The completion of the railroad brought
immediate results. Many laborers on
the railroad became permanent settlers.
Fifty-four and SO were marked by con-
siderable development and growth in the
infant village. Two brick stores and the
U. S. house were erected besides a num-
Der of dwellings. Of the dwellings erect
ed in these early days we still have with
US the old Babcock place, and the homes
of Mr.. McInnes and Mr.. Copley. These
three places were considered the most
magnificent houses in the village and
were looked upon with pride or envy by
the other citizens. They were heated
with wood stoves and lighted with tai
low candles.
If time ia her flight should turn back
forty eight years we would walk up AL
bion street through the mud in the mid
die of tte road rather than stumble over
the grubs where the cement walks now
lie. Or if time should turn back to one
Of those lovely spring months Of those
early days, rubber boots would be neces-
sary to 60 over to the depot, unless we
go up to the jail and down the railroad
track.
This marshy land was the ideal home
for quail, prairie chickens and pigeons
An old hunter delights to tell when the
ducks were so thick about the present
school house yard that lone could hard
ly see the SUM- The first proprietor of
the U. S. house always served duck din
ner to unexpected guests. Ducks were
easily obtained by shooting them from
the back door of the hotel. Wolves and
foxes were often killed at the edge of the
village Au old settler recalls seeing
herd of sixty deer in sight of the family
home.
The first death was of man named
Hakes. He was buried on the hill just
back of where DR.. Stillman's residence
uOW SGouOSs LII LOU, Ml COhu l. OkS OGG
donated three acres of land for GENE
terry. A cemetery association was form
ed and the cemetery under the name of
the donor was laid into lots. 1t has since
been twice enlarged. A Roman Catho-
lie cemetery was laid out in 1859. A
Norwegian Lutheran cemetery some
years later.
Evidence of the appreciation of early
education among the pioneers can be
traced to the first school which was in
one room of log house, to private
schools and then the building Of a little
school house near the Dane county line.
In spite of strong opposition two story
brick school house was built in 1856.
Those who opposed two story building,
with the fear that it would never be
filed, saw it crowded to Overlooking
with children within a few years. In
1870 two new rooms we're added. In
twenty years more the school house ca
pacity was doubled and this year an
other new building became a necessity.
The school meeting in 1866 voted tax
of fifty dollars for library and contin
ued this tax for three years. In 1859
the school meeting directed that COM
mittee use two hundred and sixty dollars
on hand in purchasing library books.
This was the nucleus of our public Ii
brary.
The most imposing building of those
early days, and now remaining, was
Swift's three story brick block on the
corner of Fulton and Swift street. This
building was opened in January 1858
with grand ball where there danced
163 couple at three dollars per couple.
From all these small beginnings the VII
lage grew by the arrival of energetic,
sturdy, industrious men who came to
improve their condition and make at
tractive homes
Ia 1867 the first disaster visited the
town in the shape of two fires. One fire
destroyed five or six store buildings on
Fulton street east of Swift street. A
second fire the next month destroyed d
number of buildings on depot grounds.
These early settlers sought quick
growing shade tree to adorn their streets
and homes. They found the soft maple
and elm along the streams and shores of
Lake Koshkonong admirably fitted for
this purpose. They gathered the seeds
S0wad than in purSariaS trancplapto1