Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-08-28
Southwestern
Wisconsin


fast extending into the country and
this is a great factor in stimulating
travel by means of motor vehicles.
A vacation with constant change OF
scenery, the chance of meeting old
friends o. making new ones, the OPP
portunity OF visiting the scenic Won
ders of Wisconsin or make a Pilgrim
age to the many historic spots in the
state-all at ones own convenience
is a delight and adds much to the
JOY Of living.
A little company Of historical pill
grims recently visited southern Wis
consin and have returned with minds
enriched by the wealth OF historic
data in the locality. The party in
Guided Mr.. and Mrs. O.. D. Branden-
burg, Madison, Mr.. and Mrs. P. ".
Lawson, Miss Lillian and Miss Mar
ian Lawson and G. P. Pierce, Men
asha; Roderick McAlpine, South
Bend, Ind. and Mr. and Mrs. H. E.
Cole, Baraboo.
The journey from Madison led to
Blue Mounds near the western edge
of Dane county Here call was
made at the pleasant home Of Mr..
and Mrs. G. I. Brigham located near
the site of the old Brigham tavern.
1t was from this hostelry that Mr..
and Mrs. Eben Peck set out for the
site OF the new state capital early in
the spring of 1887. After sojourn
in this locality, the Pecks decided to
journey northward finally settling in
what is now the city Of BarabOo.
Mrs. Peck was particularly distin-
guished in that she was the first
white woman to enter the BarabOo
valley Her daughter, now Mrs. A.
S. Hawley, holds the honor of being
the first white child born in Madison
and is the sole survivor of the family.
Charles /. Brigham present owner of
the Brigham farm. is relative of the
pioneer settler EbeneZer Brigham. He
is justly proud of the slightly property
and called attention to the few re-
naming stones which mark the To-
cation of the old tavern and to the
gushing spring of clear cold water
near by which is as refreshing to
the tourist today as to the traveller
Of territorial time.
y X *
Within sight Of the village GENE
terry at Blue Mounds is the location
of Brigham's fort. A number of forts
popped up Ike mushrooms when the
Black Hawk war broke in 1882.
There We're no swift means of com
munication then, no telegraph, no
and stories of settlers being killed by
Indians became very much exagerat-
ed. Often an unusually shaped
stump, half-hidden object in the
brush, or a rustic by the roadside was
distorted into Indians when none
was within miles of the spot. These
forts served helpful purpose in
those exciting times, however, and
the events which transpired there
give to them valuable historic inter
est today.
s. * *
Brighams fort was made historic
from the fact that the two Hall girls
we've ransomed there. On May %,
1882 at the outbreak of the Black
Hawk war, party of Pottawattomies
and Sacs surprised and slaughtered
fifteen men, women, and children
north of Ottawa. H., taking into cap
tivity Sylvia and Rachel Hall, aged
seventeen and fifteen years, respect
lively. A brother escaped. The two
girls were taken to Black Hawks
sold or turned over to White Grow,
ponies and other trinkets to the val
ue of $4,000 being given in exchange.
General Atkinson offered reward
of $4,000 cash for the girls and this
was paid when the two captives were
turned over to the whites at Brig
hams fort. The girls were not harm
ed in any way. A day Or so after the
ransom William Auberry was MUIR
dered by Indians at the spring and
about twenty days after George
Force and Emerson Green were shot
by savages in sight Of the fort. The
Indians stopped to dance about their
victims and in the meantime the fort
was strengthened, else all might have
persisted It was such depradations
as committed at that time that recon
ciled the frontiersmen of that day to
decide upon the elimination of the
redskins by the methods of pitiless
civilization.
= *
The fort site is now owned by
August Eckel and he states there are
about twenty abandoned diggings or
lead mines on the place. They are
scattered about, great piles of stone
and earth indicating where miners
sought wealth in the early days.
When Charles I. Brigham sold the
farm he gave to the State Historical
society the site of the fort. Although
there is nothing left of the fOrtifica-