Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-06-20
(From the Mosinee Times.)

| history of which has been closely
woven with that of the entire valley
and many were the comments anC
reminiscent tales that have been in
dulged in by the early day settler;
since the razing of this building wa,
started
When the advance guard of the
| numbering industry invaded the Wis
consin river and followed it up little
by little, finally reaching this place
and gradually penetrating farther uE
the river, the Importance of The
water power at this place was fully
| realized. But in the late fortieS anC
| the early tiftieS there was no bridge
across the river here, and while the
| mill had been located on this side Of
| the stream, the wagon road, the main
avenue of ingreSs and egress to the
| pineries, was located on the east side
| of the river, and it was thought that
| the business interests would center on
| the east side. AS q result of these
| conditions, in the early part OF the tif-
| ties the land on the east side of the
| river, adjacent to the falls, was plated
out into lots and named "Fall City,
But the building of bridge across the
river in 1855 and 1856 put an end to
these visions, as once thOrOughfare
was established, traffic soon found its
way to this side of the river.
To Fall City, in 1851, came William
G. Blair with his wife and family OF
three children. Mr.. Blair was a
Scotchman, one of the kind who
knew not the meaning of the word
defeat, and who had in his constitu-
- Il,
downed by adverse circumstances. He
bought the hotel property on the east
side of the river that was known as
the Fall City House, and conducted
this until 1861, when he enlisted in
the army. Part of the old original
building that was bought by Mr.. Blair
in 1852 now stands practically on the
ground where it was first built. This
is what has been used in late years
for saloon bar room, but it origin
ally faced the south and was moved
around to this position few years
after it's purchase by Mr.. Blair, when
he built on what is now the rear part
next to the river. 1t was in this part
of the building that Mrs. Helen NJ
Hasford of Lawrence, Kas., was born
on May 20, 1858, and 9. S. Blair, of this
place, on March %, 1856.
The old barn was built by Mr.. Blair
in August and September, 1860 1t
originally stood just south of the no.
tel, and the early day riyermen and
lumbermen will well remember it's
location. 1t was very substantially
built structure, Mr.. Blair, who was a
millwright and architect, giving it his
personal supervision. Some years later
it was removed by Joe Barnard to
about where the depot now stands
and when the railroad was built
through here in the spring of 1875
their line of survey cut it through in
the middle, and it was moved by them
to its present location. 1t was moved
this time by d. w. G. Mitchell, who will
be remembered by all the early day
settlers.
The lumber used in this building
is what was known as 'Stub shot"
lumber, that is, it was sawed with
the old-fashioned up and down saw,
which necessitated splitting off the
boards for the last six inches or so of
the cut, and the stub shots on the
boards were very plainly visible and
have caused no end of curious COM
ment among those who examined
them.
William Blair came into the pinery
seeking employment at his trade as a
millwright and architect, and many
Of the early day mills along the Wis
consin river and its tributaries were
built by him. He built the old Braw-
ley mill below Stevens Point in 1851,
coming here from the lead mines near
Galena for that purpose. He also
built the old Goodhue mill on the
Eau Claire river. In 1861 he answered
the call for volunteers and enlisted in
the army. He was in the battle of
Pittsburg Landing, where he was
wounded and taken prisoner. lie was
in a rebel prison for several months,
and was finally exchanged, but could
not stand the journey home. He died
i'm one of the army hospitals. He
now sleeps in the National cemetery
at Nashville, Tenn.
Left alone with family of small
children to care for, and in a country
where the bare necessities of life were
luxury, Mrs. Cornelia Blair demon
strated the true traits and ability of
the pioneer women that have made
the conquest of the forest possible
size JOCk lutA GOiklEOl Oh the fOGei
business, and by her own personality
and close attention to the comforts of
her guests, it became the most popu-
lar hostelry on the road between the
pinery and the cities to the south.
She knew most of the rivermen and
teamsters by name, and they always
made il point to reach this hotel in
time for their meals or to spend the
night, and many of them have been
nursed by her through long sieges of
illness. She died in the spring of
1881 from the results of a paralvtic
stroke. and so passed one of the pio-
neers of the Wisconsin river valley.
enc whose part in its settlement and
final Reclamation to the huSbandman
was greater than many of her most
intimate s.cQuaintances realized. Ii
required fornsude and perseverance
and grim determination TO win in the
battle OF life in those pioneer times,
and these Mrs Blair possessed. She
was one of those grand women, nat
ure's noblewomen, who have made
the world infinitely better through
their having lived in it. The loss OF
a husband in the trying times of war,
leaving the attendant wants OF a
! family of snail children TO care for,
| the death of two small children by
drowning. both 1T the same time,
mara nr1zxr n mar fsf haw sea1rs nsf hTffaw.