Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-01-27

OUer Bridge
At KIb0urn

controversy over the question of the
care of the bridge across the Wiscon-
sin river at Kilbourn. The upper por-
ton Of the structure is used by trains
! of the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroad and the lower section is used
by vehicles of all kinds, being a part
of Trunk Highway No. II. The Off
Gals of the railroad company claimed
j Columbia and Sank counties should
maintain the highway portion of the
structure since it was part of the
trunk line and since the railroad COM
pany derived no direct benefit from
tits use for vehicles.
! y * *
! Former Justice r. d. Marshall of
Madison, formerly a resident of Sank
county and much interested in the
welfare of the northern portion of the
county has written a pamphlet giving
an exhaustive statement of the case.
For some time the controversy has
been going on and in order to clear
the matter up Justice Marshall devot-
ed much time to going over old re-
cords and writing the history of the
case, the printed matter covering
more than fifty pages.
| y = s.
He says the Chicago, Milwaukee &
ST. Paul railway company had it's orr
| gin in the early sos in the Milwaukee
and Lacrosse railway company. 1t
came to its present status by several
| changes. The first president of the
parent corporation was Byron Kill
bourn and the line was completed to
Portage prior to 1865. Later the work
was continued and the line built to
Lacrosse and the west.
] 4 4 4
In those early days, there being
much traffic on the Wisconsin river it
/, was thought there would be a city
where the railroad crossed the stream.
Jonathan Bowman became director
in the company and plated village
at the mouth of Dell creek, Joseph Bail
ey, who became famous in the Civil
war, by reason of his building the dam
on the Red river and rescuing the
Banks fleet, and associates, plated a
village on the east bank of the stream.
Newport on the east side, Dell creek
on the west side were united under
| the name of Newport, ferry operated
| by Norman Stewart being established.
s. y 81
I 5QET bo RIO nht n Q6 for a
bridge across the river; not long after
(; John Marshall Johnathan Bowman
! and others obtained a charter for a
dam in the stream and the owners OF
the land about Newport boosted valua-
tons until they reached giddy heights.
Those interested in the railroad Sc
cured release from certain obligations
i the details of which are too extended
| for these columns, and the first thing
| the people of Newport knew, it was de-
cided to erect bridge at the present
site of Kilbourn, about three miles
Iabove Newport. The village at that
time, including Delton, had pOpula-
ton of 1000 people, Judge Marshall
says, and when the citizens found they
had been out-generaled, their anger
became very great.
* = *
| At KilbOurn a paper was established
and a sale of lots held, the sum reali-
zed being about 100000. The contract
for a high bridge was let in 1856 and
completed in the fall of the next year
The utter extinction of the village OF
Newport meant the practical destruc
ton of taxable property amounting tC
about 100000. This and other circum
stances, one bond issue, caused
much bitterness toward the railroad
company.
The bridge was erected at a cost
of 100000 and was made with the
lower section for teams. AS there was
no railroad through the Baraboo val
LEY. there was much freight to cross
the river. The business on the west
side of the Wisconsin amounted al
that time to 90 per cent of the whole
done at the KilbouTn freight office
At the same time the destruction OF
Newport and the threatened loss OF
farms on mortgages given the com
pany by the farmers of Sank county
left the people in no pleasant frame
Of mind
* s. *
Many difficulties followed. At first
a toll was charged to cross the bridge
but this was not agreeable to the
people of Kilbourn who desired free
passage. A free ferry was establish
ed and later no toll was charged t.
cross the bridge. This structure
burned in 1866.
y s.
The bridge was speedily replaced
and opened free to the public. II
1877 the company decided to erect al
iron structure and this was done at {
cost of about $4,000. During the con