Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-06-18
DELVE into OUR HISTORY
PRIMEyAL DAYS IN THE KICK
AP0O VALLEY
High School Graduation Essay By
Lulu E. Paul of LaFarge-A Re-
view of the Old Days.

PerhapS the people of our state do
not understand the condition of the
Kiekapoo Valley sixty years ago.
The history as the old settlers tell it
contains some very interesting anee-
dotes.
Until 1854 the Kickapoo Valley had
not been traversed by white people.
The country was wild and the Indians
lived in the same manner as they did
IN 1920 when the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth. The country was cover
ed with heavy forests Of white oak
and bass wood, maple and scattering
pine. This made it much harder for
the pioneers to settle. They usually
had clearing bees; here many men
helped clear the land. Much of the
timebr was wasted because it had to
be- burned in order to have more room.
The first thing each settler did was to
clear a piece of land large enough
for his hut. 1t was a hard PROPOSE
ton to get food, but this was the sec
ond thing the settler looked for After
getting hut in which to live and get
ting some food, he helped erect schools
and churches. The people who moved
here We're a civilized, peace loving
class.
In June 1855, Mr.. Thomas DeJean
and AnsonW .DeJean came from Wau-
kesha county to settle in this wild for
est. When they got here an old
I Scotch trapper, who had come here
/ in 1854 was still here. Mr.. John
Anderson, for that was the trapper's
name, lived in what is now Seeley-
| burg. A. w. DeJean and his father
settled on what is known as the Bail
ey forty. In August Thomas DeJean
went back to Waukesha where his
family was, leaving his son, A. W.
| DeJean, to live near the Indians. La
ter in the yearThomas DeJean and his
! family moved here to live. BY this
| time several other men had settled
along the Kickapoo Valley Mr.. Gay
moved to Gays Mills. From Ontario
down the valley there were only three
or four white men. When these peo-
| pie came here, there was a tribe of
| Winnebago Indians camped across
from theBear Greek bridge. These In
dians We're always very peaceable
except when they had had liquor.
Black Hawk was also travelling
through the country. He came through
Dane county and went down the
Wisconsin river and was captured in
his last battle stand while attempt
ing to cross the Mississippi with his
band of red men. AS more people
moved in a great deal of timber had
to be wasted. This was against the
wish of the people so they started
sending the logs down the river on
RATS 60 or so feet long. The logs
went down the Kickapoo into the Wis
cousin river, then into the Mississippi.
The saw mill was also brought into
the valley. Above Ontario about
two and one half miles was a saw
mill owned by Sidney Waite. In
1854 Mr.. Ostrander started a saw mill
at Oden. Thomas DeJean and A. w.
DeJean had one in LaFarge which
was started in 1859 and ran until 1896.
Abe Cushman had a mill in Kickapoo
Center.
About 1860 many new settlers came
with oxen into this country. Among
them were Dick Lawton, Mr.. South
worth, S. j. Paul and Charlie Green.
These men came from the eastern
part of the state. They all settled
near Tunnelville except Charlie Green,
who settled one mile and a half south
of LaFarge.
At this time mail service started.
A young lad would ride on horse
back from Ontario to Viola one day
and back the next. Charlie Green
then had a postoffice in his home.
c. w. Lawton had a postoffice in his
home in Seeleyburg. 1t was from
the postoffice which Charlie Green
had that LaFarge got it's name.
This is the name which Mr.. Green
gave the postoffice. When the first
train came in 1898 the postoffice was
moved here. The name came with
it.
Mirr 1 sIl,nr, XsAu..n,. 10. ,rn.a1 Il