Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-07-27
SOME OLD FARMS.
The Beginning of Marathon County .
Agricultural Development.

J6T6SJlng part OF The ueSelOplucIlo oi
any industry Marathon county IN
1909 is rich in farmsteads, but What OF
the period from 1910 to the close OF
the civil war? Those who started
farms in an early day little dreamed
of what the agricultural industry
would mean for our county in Tie
twentieth century, and the very
earliest farmers raised crops only for
their own needs of subsistence, de-
pending on their work in the logging
shanties and on the river as a profit.
| When King Louis XIV of France was
recklessly squandering his money, he
little thought of the responsibility he
was placing on his successors, and his
favorite remark was, "Things will
outlast our time' His saying holds
true when applied to the early day
farmer as regards farming and it will
apply to the present day farmer
/ The first efforts in farming were
made by early day lumbermen, then
/. Operating camps near the present
limits of the city. Their intent was
to raise enough potatoes, ETC., fol
camp needs during the following win
ter. This they could well afford to
do, for the road leading to the nearest
market place was long and rough, AND
| ''toting" was anything but pleasant
and profitable.
Perhaps the first efforts to be made
in this direction was by James l..
Moore. Mr.. Moore built a saw mill
in Mosinee in 1872 Later Jos. Des-
Sert acquired a half interest and after
| wards became sole owner. This was
the mill operated SO many years by
the Jos. Dessert Lumber Co. Mr.
Moore, after selling out his interests
| in MoSinee, came to Wausau and con
tinued in numbering operations. The
creek emptying into the Wisconsin
river, near the northern boundary line
| of the city, bears his name. During
| the early summer of 1S45, Mr.. Moore
planted potatoes on islands in the
Wisconsin river at this point and
raised fine crop, and j. G. Clarke
was probably the last to pass away
who enjoyed the distinction of being
one of those who tasted of the first
potatoes raised in Marathon county.
Mr.. Clarke often spoke of this.
AT about the same time Abraham
Brawley cleared farm in the vicinity
of where the st. Paul depot now
stands, and Philip Marshall opened
one on Marshall hill The crops
raised on these farms were consumed
! iii the logging camps.
In l848 Benz. Single cleared several
acres in the town of Maine and plant
| ed crops on them. This is now owned
| by son of Jacob Gensmann of this city
and on it is located the states trial
orchard. In the same year, Joel Briggs
opened a farm across the river from
Brokaw, which has been under cult
vation ever since. Shortly after, Jas.
ID. Armstrong and Uria E. Mains
opened farms adjoining that of Briggs.
In February, 1858, Joshua Hath
away, deputy United States survey
or, suhdiyided town %, range 8, OF
what is now part of the town OF
| Weston. In his field notes he men
tions clearing with a house on it
located on the SCI of the swi of sec
| tion %.
Judging from the size of the clear.
| ing it is presumed that what is really
| the oldest farm of any pretension in
an early day was located at the cor.
ner of sections p, %, 27 and % in the
same town, and mentioned by the
same surveyor in his notes. In 1S5:
there were fifty acres cleared, with
good log buildings on the farm. We
have been unable to learn who opened
this farm, but evidently, judging
from it's size, it was not cleared by
one man alone. AT that time Doc
| Goodhue and a Mr.. Western were
conducting extensive numbering oper.
ations along the Eau Claire river two
miles north of the farm. The former
had mill at what is now known as
the upper Kelly pond, and the latter
in what is now the village of Kelly
We presume that the surplus farm
products were sold to these firms.
| In 1928 a Pittsburg promotion
company brought about 100 families
from Pennsylvania to the county, ano
settled them in the town of Cassel
now Marathon. AS a result of this
promotion scheme we now have the
| village of Marathon. As community
of farmers this is the oldest in the
county.
| In 1854 the first unsolicited German
farmer influx to the county began anC
in that year quite number of fam
| lilies came here and settled in the
towns surrounding Wausau.
In 1856 Aug. Kickbusch arrived in
a covered wagon with a load of gro
ceries and established a small store
on Clarke's island. The next year he
was Joined by his brother, Fred
and the two formed partnership. LII
1867 Aug. Kickbusch went to Ger.
many and brought back many emf
grants to settle in Marathon county
He afterwards made several more
such trips. The Kickbusch brother:
were never land spectators, but they
| helped their countrymen to locate or
| lands in Marathon county which are
today the finest farms of this section
| They sold these settlers supplies OF
credit, not knowing whether they
would ever see them again, but II
must be said to the credit of theSt
pioneer farmers that the kickbuscf
| Bros. had but few bad accounts OF
their books.
One of the very old farms in tn,
county is located in sections 3l32
| town rs, range 4. The original clear
| ing on it may be hundreds of year!
old. 1t was purchased of the Indian!
by man of the name of Otis w
Saunders, and though the Indian,
had no legal title TO it he paid then
$500 TO yacate. After receiving tn,
money some of them refused TO moy'
in spite of coaxing or threats, anC
Saunders finally set fire TO their wig
vans and drove them out. Mr.
Saunders worked the farm for years
until it finally passed into othe
hands. He was one of the pionee
farmers of Marathon county. In rela
tion TO him We will quote from a re
cent issue of Duluth newspaper
once wealthy with hosts of friends and
| q high reputation. Otis ". Saunders
/ lumberman and explorer. has become
burden upon his friends and relatives
without a cent. Where once he had ser
| wants waiting upon him, he is no longer
| desired and is refused stopping place at
Nhotel Most of his money was LOST
4 Through unfortunate investments
| Locating on a farm in Marathon
lcounty today is a snap TO what it wa
forty years ago. In the early COS ont
lcould see a family of foreigners ar
rive here, carrying with them all thei
possessions to piece of land mani
| miles from WanSan Here the mai