Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-10-03
fine FARM LANDS
FOUND IN Villas co.
Iron River Starnbaugh Re-
porter Tells its Readers
of Advantages to be
Found at Phelps.

"PhelpS township, Wisconsin, al
most directly west of Iron River and
Stambaugh, was visited over the
week end by several representatives
of the Iron County Milling Co., for
the purpose of interesting the large
settlement of farmers of that region
in the -four mills located at Iron
River. The party was made up of
Victor Benson, Thomas Brozoznowski,
Felix Brozosnowski, Henry Liiman-
tanen, John E McGillis and George
Breen, a Reporter representative
''Phelps township is reached by go
ing south of Iron River and then
turning west at the Hiawatha, past
Stanley and Camp lakes, TO the South
Brule. The Wisconsin road is taken
to Brooks forks, where the road
turns to the right and continues on
to Phelps
''The richest farming lands in Villas
county are those found in the town
ship of Phelps. Throughout this re-
gion, the land was once covered with
tall splendid hardwood, sustaining
millions of feet of timber, which has
largely been cut of and manufactured
into lumber at the Hackley- Phelps
Bonnell Co.'s sawmill in the town Of
Phelps In this neighborhood live
about $50 thriving farmers who in the
past decade have developed from the
wild cut over lands of this region
some of the finest farms in the state.
Most of the settlers are of Finnish
descent, men who worked at the mill
of the Hackley company and with
their savings bought cutoyer lands
the company offered it's employees at
attractive prices and on easy terms.
"Men of Drawn and backbone we're
country into the fine cultivated area
which it is today. In the district
known as Camp IL, two miles east Of
the town Of Phelps, are some of the
finest farms seen on the trip. Pros
perity, direct result of thrift. was
evident everywhere. Fine substantial
farm houses were situated in the
midst of acres of land, which had just
presented their owners with bounti-
full and prolific crops of grains and
other products. Here contentment
apparently reigns. A new school dis
trict has recently been built and
Phelps township is giving the settler
every encouragement by building
good roads over which the farmer can
haul and dispose CT his crops. The
town of Phelps is the MARKETING
center where the farmers go to buy
their necessities and where they
either sell or ship their products to
market. Ninety per cent of the fam
lilies in this district are Finnish. 1t
was to these people that the repre-
sentatives of the Iron County Milling
Co. sold shares in their enterprise.
'Mr. McGinnis, secretary, states
that the Finnish and Polish farmers
are the best supporters of the mill
throughout Iron county. Upon strriv-
ing in this locality his statement was
born out, for almost without eXcep-
tion the farmers who we're appealed
to quickly subscribed for shares in
the mill. The mill at Iron River is
the closest to this district and it is
probable that the thousands of bush
els of grain grown in this township
will be shipped TO the local mill to be
ground into -four and feed.
sit is unfortunate, however, that a
roundabout trip must be made at
present in order to reach Iron River
or Stambaugh. Three farmers, Emil
Kinner, Andrew Heikkinen and j..
Watila have settled just across the
wisconsin line in Stambaugh town.
ship, where they have lived for the