Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-07-13
mtth thr pntnat ptnttrrrs
(By Judge Wilmottl

of money and for years thereafter,
Brent was the man among the Irish.
He died in Potosi in 1869.
In the early days of Potosi, several
Ferry franchises were granted by the
Territorial Legislature In 1888 James
F. Cox and Judson Persons were
granted a charter to operate a ferry
across Grant river from Oceola to
Jones Island and from the island
across the Mississippi river to a point
in Iowa, known as Parsons Point.
In the same year James f. Chapman
was granted a charter to maintain a
ferry across the Mississippi river from
the Iowa shore to the Wisconsin
shore. This ferry afterward became
known as Wells Ferry, and later as
Specht's Ferry. Marcus D. Briggs
was granted a license in 1910 to oper-
ate a ferry across the Platte river be-
low the city of Paris and on the Po-
tosi and Galena road. This ferry
later became known as Archers Ferry
and then Griffen's Ferry and subse-
quently the Shine Ferry. None of the
ferries are now in operation. A man
named Olinger established ferry at
the mouth of Platte river on the Po-
tosi and Dunlieth road. This ferry
continued in operation until the ad-
vent of the railroad.
In 1S49 a telegraph line was estab-
| lished from Dubuque to Potosi and
from Potosi to Lancaster, thence onto
Platteville and finally terminating at
Mineral Point, and communication
opened with the outside world. DR..
Lundy, a dentist then in Potosi had
charge of the ticker in the PotOsi
| office in the Henderson block. Henry
O'Reilly the promoter of the line
! later passed under cloud and went
into BANKRUPTCY The stockholders
struggled manfully to continue to
operate the line with wavering sue
cess for a few months, but soon gave
up the ghost and the telegraph be-
came a thing of the past AS the
wires were of galvanized iron, numer-
GUS people along the line concluded
that the wires would serve as excel
lent and indestructible clothes lines,
and many housewives used a section
of the wire in supporting the weeks
washing, and no doubt some of this
wire is still in existence.
John CLARA came to. the Snake
Hollow lead mines in 1886. He hailed
from southern Illinois and first locat-
ed at New Diggings. He saw military
service in the Black Hawk war, and
at the conclusion of the war he came
to what is now Potosi. He followed
mining, but not with any great sue
cess. He was married here and first
lived in log house up the hollow be-
low Moore and Watsons cabin. He
later moved up to the frame house on
the POtosi and Galena road that had
been vacated by Alexander Neaville.
This house ever afterwards was
known as the O'Hara house. Governor
Dewey became owner Of the Moore
and Watson lands in the town of Po-
tOsi, made John O'Hara his agent to
collect mineral rents, and to look
after his land interests. Mr. and Mrs.
O'Hara raised quite large family,
their eldest son Charles O'Hara en-
listed in the Civil war and served
three years with Company G. End Wis
consin Cavalry. The family eventual
ly drifted apart, and the couple after
more than fifty years residence in Po-
tosi moved to Dubuque to make their
home with a daughter, and where
both died some years ago.
Our next chapter will be devoted
to such old pioneers as Samuel Morris,
| Henry B. Coon, Brayton Bushee, Mich
ael LAWYER and others who came to
Snake Hollow in the thirties and
later.