River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-07-13
THIRTY-SIX YEARS AGO
Taken From the River Falls
Journal of July Is, 1873

Before the location of the Normal
school at Whitewater, less thar
half q dozen men met in this village
and resolved to call the attention OF
the Board of Regents to the pecul.
lar merits of River Falls, and to its
advantages as a Normal school site
This committee was composed OF
G. w. Pratt, O. S. Powell, C. B
Cox, A. D. Andrews and A. Morse.
From that day till the
day the deed of the site of the
Fourth Normal school in the state
was accepted our citizens were per-
sistent in their efforts to secure this
great enterprise. Among
those who aided most extensively
in this work were Hon. S. S. Fifield,
of Ashland, Judge Clough, of Su-
petfpr, and Hon. t.. w. Price of
Black River Falls. Every news
paper in the St. Croix valley was
devoted to our cause, and, not
alone devoted, but enthusiastic
Such were among the outside efforts
in our behalf. Next came an array
of croakers-men who disparage, as
we'll as discourage every new enter
prise. But this only had the effect
to wake up those who started the
project, and they were reinforced
by men like Prof Weld, Hon. G. D.
Parker and many others we might
mention, both at home and abroad,
till public sentiment was united in
our behalf. Again the Board of
Regents was appealed to for terms,
and we were told that $40, 900 raised
and placed at their disposal in the
state treasury, and a deed of ten
acres of land to be by them selected
for a site, would, doubtless, secure
the location of this school at River
Falls. Nothing daunted plan was
Immediately adopted by which the
money could be raised, and then we
supposed our labors were at close.
At the very moment when we sup
posed we were safe, however, we
were in the midst of our greatest
looo-ar Nary rivals noyoa ip+o +bo
field. Hudson shook her $50, 900,
Menomonie as much more, and La
Crosse stood ready to tempt the
Board with $50, to secure the To-
cation of this school at that place.
And here was a poser" Some
thing must be done; another burden
was placed upon our shoulders
that of raising $4,000 more, but for
what purpose we knew not, and we
believe it will ever remain secret
in the hearts of those who exacted
it at our hands, y y Here was
a dark period. We had raised the
last dollar in our power to raise,
and there was not a single ray of
hope for aid from the county. Near
ly every town in the county pro-
nounced against US at their annual
town meeting, and to invoke aid un-
der such circumstances looked like
madness. Nevertheless, we resell
we'd to try, and, TO the surprise, If
not the delight of everybody, true
to instinct, at least, when justice
calls, our people voted the coveted
boon, and we were again made hap
py. First, then, in the order
among those who should receive
credit for this grand enterprise, are
those who conceived the project
and put their scheme in operation.
Next, those persons around about
US who so generously encouraged
it, and, lastly, those who so gener-
ously contributed the means to Sc
cure it. Among these are those of
our citizens who subscribed the
money to pay for the site-the town
of River Falls, which paid $4,000
the town of Clifton, which gave
So, O00-the Town of Troy, which
gave $4,O0O-the town of Kinnic-
kinnic, which gave $4,000, and the
county Of Pierce, which gave $4,000
to secure in this valley one of the
most valuable of our state institu-
tons.
nEENnCs TNCTYTTITEC Enn