Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-07-10
PIONEERS LAUD
new WISCONSIN
TWO CHAPTERS FROM LIVES OF
SETTLERS TOLD BY THEM
SELVES.
BOTH FIND PROSPERITY,
Minister Retires from Pulpit, and Finds
Wealth and Happiness in
Northern State.
TRUE STORIES ARE CONVINCING.
BY EDGAR II. wHEELocK.

BY EDGAR T. WHEELOCK.
Secretary Wisconsin immigration and De-
Velopment Association.)
AS an indication Of what can be done
n northern Wisconsin by men of small
means the personal testimony of two such
men quoted below is in point. These
raen bought wild land, moved upon it
with their families and not only made
living, but cleared their farms and be-
came Independent, prosperous farmers. It
should be remembered that there are
thousands Of such farmers in the north
ern part of the state and that 90 per
cent. of them had little or nothing when
they sought homes in the new Wisconsin.
Many of them had hard time, it is true,
and were forced to practice the strictest
economy in order to make ends meet.
Some of them worked a part of time in
lumber camps or in the mills and fac
tories to earn money with which to buy
necessities Of life. In the early days
there was no market for forest products;
now everything found on the land can be
sold. The hGmebuilders in some counties
are even beginning to sell pine stumps for
fuel.
A Preachers Story.
In the old days the homebuilder was
forced to seek work away from home to
earn money to live on while he cut down,
piled and burned the very timber which
today brings him enough money to pay
for his land, and, in many cases, for
clearing it also. The following letters,
written in 1905, tell their own story, and
they could be supplemented by hundreds
of others relating similar experiences and
equally gratifying success. Here is the
first one:
Dear Sir: Your request for a statement
from me as to my experience as a new set
tier is inclosed herewith:
l came here from LIE Seuer county, Mimi,
in 1901, to look over the country with
thing on it. l liked the looks of the coun-
me near Ladysmith l went back home,
borrowed enough money from an old friend
to make my first payment on forty acres OF
land.
After making my first payment and get
ting my family and household goods here
house u on my land and moved in i with my my
wife and three children and went to work.
The first winter 1 cut logs and wood and
same time cleared some of my land. The
next spring I cleared off clean three,
worth of potatoes and vegetables, besides
having enough for my own use during the
winter
l have now under cultivation fifteen acres
Of land. l have also two cows and thirty
chickens. Last summer we earned $15
month selling butter from our two cows.
Our chickens this wiz ter are earning $1.7o
week. l maintain tnat with four COWS,
seventy-fiNe chickens, and twenty acres OF
land under cultivation man can make a
good living in this country. l would not
take $500 for my property. All l owe is
$3.50 on my land.
a piece of land? When came here 1
was fifty years old with a family of three
children : growing up l had preached for
! began to realize that If was ever going
TO have home of my own | must start
tic &c xT-hT1 hon YonI
here and / am glad. Indeed, hat i came.
This is a country where a poor man has an
and by industry and prudent saving earn
himself a home and lay aside little 6T-
REV. W. o. KING.
A Yeoman's Experience
This is not an exceptional case as near
" every county in the new Wisconsin
can furnish cases that will parallel it.
The next letter is from a German resi-
dent of Price county and reads as fol-
lows:
Dear Sir: In 1897, I purchased and
moved my family; consisting Of my wife
stump land about six miles east of Phillips
This land s1o vas all had and on It l had
soon sold eighty acres Of my land and then
bought FIVE COWS, a pair Of old plugs, and
an old, diaepidated farm wagon had 40
into an old logging camp and the cows and
horses into an old logging barn
"hiugs did not go smooth at first, but we
w0>-ied hard and did not get discouraged.
We had many troubles, but, where seven
years ago you could not see anything but
stumps, there stands today a modern eight
A"om dwelling all finished and 10000 feet
of lumber on the ground for large new
frame barn, which will be built next sum-
nCr. In place of the old plugs we have a
nvavy team weighing $500 pounds, new
harness, new wagon and buggy, new mower
and hay rake, new plows and cultivators,
twelve head of cattle, of which seven are
good milking cows.
One thing more: We have confidence in
the future and / am thoroughly convinced
that north Wisconsin Is the coming COW,
butter. cheese, and sheep country Of Amer
lee. With these prospects in view we keep
right at it, attending to our own business.
l am, yours very truly,
c. F. GL1SSENDORF
These are experiences of men who
have tried and succeeded, and I can
furnish similar ones from any number of
s1er from all sections of the new Wis
consin. What has been done can be
done and there is the soil, climate. water.
markets. and all other things needful for
success in the northern counties that
have never known a crop failure.