Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1919-06-19

In the year 1888, John Parrish run
the last fleet Of lumber from Biron
where the lumber had been manufact-
ured to the ST. Louis market. In the
early history of Grand Rapids logging
and numbering was the only industry
this locality was blessed with. Now
it is almost extinct. The writer can
recall when lumber was plenty in the
Wisconsin river, that you could cross
the river afoot on "rapids" pieces that
werefastened in, side by side. In those
days no lumber was shipped by rail.
Now it is all shipped that way. In
talking with Mr.. Parrish he furnished
us the following list of old Wisconsin
river pilots that resided in Grand Ra-
pids, as follows:
Chauncey Wakely, Louis Eaton, Tim
Hurley, John Parrish, Frank Gardepe,
Ben Buck, Edward Wheelan, Joseph
Whitney, Lewis Yannah, L. Dennie,
Pete Laramie, Manley Hill, Rem Hath
away, Frank Brown, Andrew Marshal,
John McAvoy, Martin Corcoran, Hank
Ticknor, Russ Roberts, John McVey,
William Corcoran, Mike Corcoran,
Phil Ward, Fred Case, Dan Case, Hans
Bugsby, Pat Garihee, H. Rablin, Chas.
Richards, Richard Harvey, Bat La
Vigne, Jim Quick and Rufus McFar-
land, Grand Rapids, Wisconsin;
Shaw, Buena Vista; Geo. Porter, Ed
Casey, Dick Porter, Necedah; Jim
Clair, Tom Cashlin, Sill Clair, Jack
Mahoney, Portage; Old Geo. Crawford,
Stevens Point; Gus Lavign, Leny La
vign, Joe Jombeau, French Town, now
Port Edwards; Lawrence Ward, Dex-
terville; Eric Mckay, Hank Sales,
Wausau; George Bremen, drowned at
Yellow Banks, George Willmot, Ed.
Ellis, Plover; w. M. Carpenter, Co.
nant Rapids.
He also gave US the following arti-
Gle published in Wausau Central sew
eral years ago, which is of considera-
BILE interest at this time and we re-
publish the same as follows:
From the (Wausau) Pilot and Re-
view.
Dear Old Wisconsin River Pilot:
Down here in the sunny South, en-
joying the balmy breezes, living on
one of the finest of old plantations in
my thoughts will revert back
to old times and recollections of the
rafting days on the old Wisconse and
it's sturdy, brave, courageous pilots,
who used to tramp it's banks, wade it's
depths and shoals and camp upon it's
banks in their trips down it. They
were strong Of heart and muscle, true
of purpose, and persevering until all
obstacles were overcome in the peril
Gus work. Deeming it but justice to
their memories that their names
should be of record and pass into his
tory as they deserve, I know of no
medium more appropriate than the
old paper, Wis. River Pilot, to record
it in. The mere mention of some of
the names will awaken recollections
of many incidents to the old pinery
men, who are now fast passing away.
have endeavored to record the names
of all of them that were river pilots
and known as such from 1910 to 1875
when the R. R. virtually closed the
business, though some rafting has
been done since and probably will be
for years yet. can't say the list is
complete, as there We're some French
pilots about Grand Rapids whose
names I never knew, otherwise the
list is nearly complete. There may be
a few omitted that have forgotten.
have called them by the names they
were known by on the river. Many of
them are dead and gone; several were
drowned; many have strayed to dis
tant lands and a good few are yet
knocking about in the pineries.
Old Kentucky Bill went out in the
Buena Vista tornado; Pete Snider was
drowned at Grand Rapids in 40. Lazy
Phelps, Fay, Hall and Lee were drown