Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-02-19
SURVEYORS NOTES.
They Cover Some of the Early His
tory of This County.

w. j. Kregel, whe recently re-copied
the government surveyors field notes
for this county into three large volumes,
came upon several interesting things
in so doing, which deal with the early
history of this county. Pursuant to an
order from the surveyor general of the
U. s., part of the states of Iowa and
Wisconsin were surveyed as early as
1889. In this county the exterior lines
for several townships along the Wiscon-
sin river were surveyed in that
year. Later, when the general survey
OF the state was taken up, these town
ships were subdivided, the survey be-
ginning in 1852 and ending a year
later. Outside of Wausau (thcn Big
Bull Falls) and few other settlements,
| the whole county was a wilderness
when the last survey was made. A
person can gain some idea of the
! amount of wealth this county then af-
forded in pine timber by gancing over
the notes then made. Most of this
wealth of course has now disappeared.
1t is also quite evident that this Sec
tion was visited by some very heavy
wind storms and fires at a very
early period. The surveyors found
strips of down timber miles in length,
trees decayed and burned over. This
was especially noticeable in the town
of Pike Lake, where there is evidence
of a very old windfall.
The country around Kelly, which
was once heavily timbered with pine
was burned over in very early day.
In majority of the towns there
were no evidences of white men at the
time the survey was made. In this
connection we may note an ex-
cerpt taken from the general descrip-
given for town 26, range 10 which
reads as follows:
"There are no houses within the
limits of the township; no traces of
human skill or industry or enterprise,
except the decayed remains OF some
hunters falls or traps for taking game
The nearest approach to works of art
are the embankments of two or three
ancient beaver dams, which are not
obliterated so soon as many of the
works of mans Device"
Some curious descriptions are also
noted in this town. For instance in
setting meander corner on the bank
of Bass lake we find:
Indian lodge on the north shore at
this time inhabited by Big Papoose and
his father. On this course on this out
let are Indian straps for catching
minks"
There were several saw mills then in
operation in the southern part Of the
county and several roads were cut.
In speaking of the country around Rice
lake, which was rendezvous for In
dians, no mention is made of the
abcrignees.
AS in instance of how the govern
ment surveyors were in error regard |
ing the supply of timber in this region,
ii.l>ssr as many other lumber prophets
have been, we quote from notes made |
of the survey of town 2S, range 8, in
which the village of Kelly is located
This town was surveyed, i. e. subdivid-
ed, in Feb, 1858, by Joshua Hathaway.
Doe Goodhue and man named West
ern where then logging in that town.
The notes say:
THE pine is mostly cut off and in
process of being cut off. A
large portion of the pine region has
been cut off and burnt off, leaving a |
large quantity of dead timber down |
and standing. The northeast portion |
is impregnated with iron, causing
different variations of the magnetic |
needle Lumbermen are now engaged |
in cutting the same off, which 1 con-
clude will be nearly all of value taken |
off by the time the lumber season is
past"
That was fifty-seven years ago and
timber has been cut in that town |
every year since. Along creek which
runs into Sandy from the north in that
town are large pine trees, undoubtedly
of good size when the surveyors
passed through that section. The log |
ing roads cut by those lumbermen over
half century ago can still be traced
along the banks of Sandy above its
mouth. Quoting from the same notes
we find:
"Mr. Goodhue has mill upon the
sw I of the sw ! of section 10, which
does large amount of business. He
has some 10000 feet of sawed lumber
now piled up and large quantity of
logs on hand for the coming season.
Mr.. Western has mill upon
sw of the sw / of section 49,"
TIE former mill was located about |
where the John Manser mill in Kelly
now stands; the otherw was located at the
upper pond on the Eau Claire, formerly
known as Kelley's upper MILL
There were several clearings in the
town in that early day of which we
note the following:
There are several improvements
within this township. There is one
house and improvements on the Sc of
the sw of section 90 Also clearing
of some fifty acres upon the sw of the
sw of Sec. %; the Sc of the sc of
Sec. 81; the ne of the ne / of Sec. %
and the NV of the NV of section q,
which belongs to Mr.. Goodhue."
This clearing is located on farms now
owned by F. Sadler, Mrs q. Vonkenel,
John Melmert and 2 and Ii. Schmidt and
four farm houses are built uponi it. Out
side the city of Wausau, this is perhaps
the Oldest clearing in the county. 1t is
located just two miles on direct line
south of the Goodhue mill and just why
the owner selected that spot cannot be
surmised.
In the town of Stettin, town %, range
4 4