Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-07-27

land area, formerly covered by a forest
of hardwoods, mixed with remarkably
heavy stand of large white pine" There
was considerable hemlock in the north
eastern portion. Mr. Roth estimated the
standing timber at the date of his report
lock, 30,OOO,000; hardwood, 650,OO0,0O0.
In November, 1908, the report of Mr.
Samuel Weidman of the Wisconsin Geo
logical Survey, estimated that so to IS
per cent. of this remaining pine, and
probably 10 to 20 per cent. OF the other
limb timber reported by Mr.. Roth, had then
been cut. 1T has continued to disappear
rapidly within the past twelve months,
and it will be but a few years more be-
fore all Of the more valuable timber is
exhausted.
During the days Of pine, logging oper-
lions occupied a foremost position in
Clark county business. Such farming as
was done was a by--play for men who
made logging their chief occupation. 1t
was not until these large logging opera
tons were drawing to a conclusion and
the lOggers gave way to real farmers,
that the agricultural interests Of Clark
county began to be Of account. Even
nine years ago, when Prof. Henry
Hand Book for Homeseekers in North
ern Wisconsin, was published, Clark
county was treated as one Of the new
agricultural districts of the northern Sec
ton Of the state This "Hand Book"
which was an excellent publication for
it's day, dealt largely with Wood, Mara
thon, Clark, Eau Claire and Dunn coun-
ties as typical northern counties. The
section of the state to the north of Clark,
in Taylor, Price and Chippewa. was tn n,
too far from market to be spoken of, vet
it is today quite as advanced in most
agricultural respects as Clark county was
then.
The other day when I drove from
Neillsvilie north to Withee, I hunted up
one Of the pioneers to go along and point
out the old landmarks. Henry Myers has
been in the county since 1856 Along the
way he pointed out the former sites Of
early lumber camps and showed places
along the fine turnpike road that single
horse would have mired in thirty years
land laid open TO the SUM-
1t was fine June afternoon and the
drive of over thirty miles, almost due north
along the meridian line, was a revelation
Of agricultural growth and prosperity
that needs to be seen to be fully appre-
ciated. Wide reaches of gently rolling
land, excellently titled, with fine growing
crops, smiled at you on every hand. The
homes on these farms were comfortable.
many Of them large, and the great barns
and granaries grouped near by spoke of
herds, of hocks and pastoral abundance.
The artist has endeavored in the
picture selected for this article to illus
trate the lay Of the country Although
small picture, the view shows
portions Of three fine farms. The little
creamery in the foreground on the right
and the great barn with it's fine stone
foundation, prominent object on the
left, help to make typical Clark County
farm scene. The excellent road leads
toward a hill at the farther end that is
one of the highlands Of Clark county east
of Black river. Across the river, on the
west Clark county is newer. and in some
places more broken and stony.
Opportunities here are incompara bIy
greater than they were even a few
short years ago. To illustrate this point,
L need but remind the reader that there
was a telephone line along most of my
drive, to which any farm house could be
attached, and the horse and wagon Of
the rural mail carrier, which we met on
the way, and the mail boxes all along the
roadside, all suggested the modern lux
uries of farm life in ar old, rich and
we'll settled community. Other evidences
were abundant also in such thriving com
munities as Neillsville, Greenwood.
Longwood and Withee; in substantial
brick school houses along the country