Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-04-20
TROUT FISH.
INC DURING
SNOuSTORh
Auto Trip to Friendship, Ark
dale, Monroe Center and
Barnum.

DdI UuIIis
Through the kindness of Geo. n
Wood, the Editor Of this paper en-
joyed an automobile trip from Grand
Rapids over the old Portage road to
Friendship, edistance 80 miles) on
Friday afternoon, where Mr.. Wood
wanted to fish for trout in the little
Roche a Cri creek We left Grand
Rapids at 1:30 p. m. Friday, in Mr.
Woods twelve horse power runabout.
Anyone who has travelled over this
road will understand and recall its
sandy condition. Part Of this coun-
try is certainly desolate and the for
saken farms along the way indicate
the condition Of the soil being too
poor to profit a man for tiIIing it.
After making several stops on the
way, We arrived at Friendship at p.
m. Immediately upon our arrival we
called upon the Real Estate firm of
Werner and Mccormick, both of
whom were very enthusiastic over a
new town site they have just recent
ly plated adjoining the Northwestern
depot grounds and grades. We were
shown the town site in which this
firm have already sold rs lots and
there are some store and residence
buildings already in course of erec-
ton on the same The Chicago and
North-W estern grade at this point,
their depot grounds and the place for
their side tracks impresses the Wis
itor with the fact that this company
must intend to make this a division
point, as they have provided for i'm
mense yard room. They have graded
a strip along their main track grade
three hundred feet wide and two and
one-half miles long. This would indi-
cate that this is to be a division point
or they would not provide such yard
room. The distance from Friendship
to Milwaukee is one hundred and six
teen miles and to La Cross one hun
dred miles showing that the distance
is right for freight divisions. One
part of this yard grade is a mile and
three quarters long without wagon
road crossing it which makes it very
valuable for yard purposes. We regis
tered at the Pease Hotel, which will
be remembered by old settlers as the
Wright Hotel and has been in exis-
tence about sixty years. The writer
stopped here the first time about SO
years ago.
Friendship is pretty little place
nesting in the Roche a Cri valley at
the base of what is known as the
Friendship Mound, an immense rock
formation or mountain of about 200 #
high and about three fourths mile
long. 1t is picturesque and little
out of the ordinary This village is
the County Seat of Adams county
and has a population Of over three
hundred people according to the last
census 1t is supported by a farming
community. Their store buildings
and residences are of frame, mostly
new and nicely painted, impressing
the. stranger with thrift and prospect
ty.
While in this village we called upol
Andrew Hessler, Clerk of the Court
Walter Greenwood, who is in the
Hardware business and is ex-sherif1
of Adams county; A. Gilbarth, re
gister of deeds; DR.. Hill, who con
ducts the only drug store in the vii
lage; Attorney at law Gilman; and
at the Adams County Press office
with all of whom we enjoyed a pleas
ant visit and learned more of Friend
ship and her advantages all of whom
are enthusiasts over her bright fu
ture..
Saturday morning at four o'clOcl
we went trout fishing on the Little
Roche a Cri and were there only {
short time when we were OvertakeI
with a binding snowstorm, lasting a
bout an hour and a half, with it {
cold northwest wind. This was no
conducive to good trout fishing anC
certainly dampened and cooled tht
ardor of the deYotees of this sport
We returned home by way of Arkdal
Monroe Center and Barnum. (distanc
of SO miles, passing through a Sc
we're sandstorm which, ragged all thu
afternoon. This was the writer
first visit to Arkdale and Monroe Ce
ter, old settled farming communities
we have heard much about and were
glad of this opportunity to visit. Will
the weather was most unpleasant, W.
enjoyed our outing just the same
and are thankful to Mr. Wood for thi
good time afforded We are contem
plating another trip into this part o
the country when the prospects TO
trout fishing will be better at which
time the little speckled beauties vii
need to look out. >