The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-01-27
PIONEER COURTS AND
LAWYERS OF NANITOWOC CO.
Collections and ReCoIIeCtOns
BY j. S. ANDERSON
'F5rsan thaec dim meminisse juvabit'
NUMBER Is
THEN AND NOW


courts and bar of the pioneer period, it
is difficult for those who had no per
sonal experience of life and conditions
prior to forty years ago to compre-
hend difficulties under which they la
bored. 1t is difficult to think of Chief
| Justice Stow riding from Fond du Lac
on pony with an Indian for a guide,
following only the trails the Indians
had adopted from the wild animals
through the unhrokcn forest extending
! from the shore of Lake Winnebago to
the waters of Lake Michigan. Imagine
him and his guide winding around the
heads Of the great swamps which exist
ed in what is now the towns of Rock
land and Eaton to organize his first
court at the Rapids The only settlers
road then reaching to the west from
Manitowoc was that to "Thayer's
Mills" last called Heinz's Mills, about
seven miles out, and the Calumet road
even on paper was two years away. If
a storm arose or the rains fell, they
simply had to go on until they found
shelter in the log shanty of some new
settler or the bark tecpe of an Indian
| trappcr. If the dark night overlook
them in the woods they had to stop,
build a fire and lie down until day
light
1t is recorded of Judge Wiram
Knowlton that he was compelled to
make the trip from la Crosse to St.
CroiX or Superior in the month of
February, on Snow-shocs carrying a
pack of provisions and blankets, con
sidering himself fortunate If he had a
chance to go over the crustcG snow in
a dog-sleigh, with an Indian mail car
rier His circuit comprised nearly the
northern one-third Of the state, and
reached from the north boundary of
| Grant county in the southwest corner
| of Wisconsin to the waters of Lake
Superior. Except along a few streams
emptying into the Mississippi, it was a
wilderness Wilderness or not, there
were human rights to be protected by
law, trappcrs, Indian traders, cxplor-
ers, lumber men, and twice year at
five different points, the pioneer judge
went to hear the cause and pronounce
the Judgment.
| ! recall a conversation with Judge
Howe, in which he told me about being
caught in March in snow blizzard
while on the military road from Green
| Bay to Manitowoc and was obliged to
spend two days and nights in the shell
ter Of a settlers cabin. He was on his
way TO hold court in Manitowoc and It
took him four days to get through. He
had forgotten the name of his host but
remembered that he was a Frcnchman
and from his description inferred
that it must have been the old Clifford
King, father of the present Clifford
King Of Coopcrstown, or one of the
Allie families who lived in that neigh
| borhood.
Each Of the circuits had an average
Of FIVE counties. Some of them had
eight, but one county would be at-
tached to a contiguous county for judi
Icial purposes, so that one term Of court
would include two counties The terms
were so arranged that at least two reg
ular terms were held in each county
during the year and in addition TO that,
all the Judges met twice a year at the
capitol to hold term Of the supreme
court Thus each circuit Judge held
twelve terms a year Mt least. For in
stance, Judge Howe at Green Bay
would he compelled to come to Mani
towoc twice year, in April and Sep
tcmber, through the woods, on foot,
horseback, or blackboard stage, to hold
a court, make similar journeys to Osh-
kosh, Calumet, Fond du Lac and She
hoygan, and twice a year in December
and June go 10 Madison
Each Of the other four circuit judges
had similar arduous duties to perform.
They had, perhaps, less travel Some
Of the circuits were much smaller, but
more thickly settled, and more real law
work to do But in "travcling the cir
cuit' as il had to be Travelled in those
days, all had an abundance Of outdoor
exercise. For all these services and the
real hardships which at times attended
| them, these pioneer judges received the
munihcent salary Of $500 per annum,
payable quarterly, out Of which they
we're expected to pay the expense of
their travel and living which even in
those days OF low stage fare and
Cheap" hotels was a considerable item.
It was not until 1853 that the salary
was increased to $500 per annum.
II is hardly a matter Of wonder that
Chief Justice Stow refused re-elec-
tion, or that Judges Howe and Gors-
line resigned before the end of their
respective terms Changes In the
iudgeship were frequent in all the cir
cults of the state. But in those early
days the honor of the Judicial Office
was held in high esteem, and consid-
cred worth the sacrifice of many dol
lars. Many men, learned and schol.