Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-09-24
EARLY HISTORY OF
OUR Villas COUNTY
Some Interesting Facts About
the Pioneer Days of Villas
County Gathered From
State Records.

Many of the Review readers will no
doubt be- interested in the following
brief bit of history concerning Villas
county to which we are indebted to
Jos. F. Habrich as the letter shows.
1t is worth preserving as a ready ref
erence, as it would require much
research to get it as correctly.
Madison, Wis, Sept IS, 1920.
Mr. JOS F. Habrich,
Eagle River, Wis.
Dear Sir:
Since my return from the State
Fair | have had Miss kellogg of our
research department, make Especial
investigation for you concerning the
country round Eagle River. She has
made the following report:
1.-THE following is a brief account
Of your region of the State. Villas
County was formed in 1893 out of
Oneida County 1t was named for
Col William F. Villas, veteran Of
ficer of the Civil War who was at the
time the county was created, post
master general in President Cleve-
lands cabinet. Oneida County, was
named for tribe of Indians removed
from New York to Wisconsin in the
early nineteenth century, and was
formed in 1885 from part of Lin
coin County This last county was
named for President Lincoln and
organized in 1874 out of the northern
portion of Marathon County Mara
thon County was named for the bat
tlefield of the Greeks n the fifth CEN
tury B. G. When erected in 1850 it
covered all the north central part of
the State. Marathon County was
formed from Portage County, one of
the original counties that was formed
when Wisconsin became a Territory
in 1886. Portage was the name for
the portage between the Fox and Wis
consin rivers where the city OF Por-
tage is today. 1t was at first about
the same as Columbia County now.
Then in 1841 all the region along the
Wisconsin River was added to it, in
Guiding Adams, Juneau, Wood, Lincoln
and parts of the present Marquette,
Waushara, Portage, Marathon, Oneida;
Villas, Taylor, Price, and iron coun-
ties.
oil CQfttQTC
within this part of the State except
few along the Wisconsin River,
where sawmills were being built.
In the part now Villas County, how
ever, was settlement of Indians
and half-breeds on Lac du Flambeau.
This was one of the Oldest Chippewa
villages in northern Wisconsin On
an island in Lac Vieux Desert there
had been clearing made for plant
ing longer ago than anyone knows.
Probably it was an Indian planting
ground, but it may have been Guilt
waited by whites or half-breeds. All
of the lakes of Villas County we're
famous for hunting and trapping OPP
portunities. Our Society published
the journal of fuT-trader who came
there from Canada in 1804-5, His
name was Francois Victor Malhiot,
his journal was originally in French,
Owls. Hist. Coils. XIX, 163-233)
After Wisconsin became territory
in 1886 the line separating it from
Michigan was planned to run through
Lac Vieux Desert In 1910 Capt.
Thomas Jefferson Cram, an engineer
in the army, was sent out to survey
this boundary he and his party were
probably the first white Americans
who ever visited what is now Villas
County. The next year, 1841, Cap
tain Cram went out again to survey
the boundary line. He remained
four months in the region suffering
many hardships during his reconai-
sance. In 1912 the Chippewas coded
this region to the United States, but
in 1854 the Lac du Flambeau reser-
walton was set off for their use.
Lumbermen began searching this re-
gion for pine during the fifties and
sixties of the last century. The later
history of farming operations you
are doubtless familiar with
Yours very truly,
ANNIE A. NUNS,
Assistant Supt.