Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1922-09-14

and the voters of Sank City, unable
to win the prize for themselves, join
ed forces with those from the Bara-
boo valley to divert it from Prairie
dn Sac to the latter community.
Explore Baraboo Wilds
There was as yet no town at Bara-
boo, though for several years there
had been handful of settlers at the
rapids were the city has since grown
up, and between the Baraboo valley
and the Wisconsin river towns rose
the formidable Baraboo bluffs.
Against the scheme TO remove the
county seat to the Baraboo, the par
tisans Of Prairie du Sac put forward
the assertion that the region in ques-
ton was an uninhabitable wilderness,
incapable Of supporting population
such as respectable county seat
would inevitably attract. To answer
this argument an exloring committee,
composed to HerasZthy and another
residents of Sank City, together with
several men from the Baraboo rap
ids, set out to view the slandered re-
gion
The exploration consumed several
days and while IT reported the Prairie
du Sac argument canard it inciden-
tally disclosed that the interior of the
county, if not uninhabitable, was at
any rate uninhabitable, Herasztby was
a noted huntsman and the others
were accustomed "a pioneer life. Ac-
cordingly the explorers set out, de-
pending upon their rifles to procure
game enough for food. For SOME rea-
son-perhaps because Providence was
in league with Prairie du Sac-game
proved scarce, and for two days the
party subsisted upon single part
ridge which HerasZthy was fortunate
enough to shoot. They were on the
accompanied the men, when one Of
point OF eating the faithful dog which
them succeeded in shooting a deer
and the period of famine was at an
end.
The report brought back decided
the county seat contest in favor Of
Baraboo but it did not end the warfare
between Sank City and Prairie du
Sac. On the contrary, the lower
townsmen seem to have entered into
a sort of dual alliance with the deni-
gems of Baraboo with a view to con-
trolling the political affairs of the
county to the exclusion of Praire du
Sac Time after time the two villages
sent double delegations up to the con-
ventions at the county seat, and as
regularly as the Roosevelt delegates
were ruled out in the famous Chicago
convention of 1912, were the Prairie
du Sac delegates denied seats in the
party conventions Of old Sank.
The Post-office Fight
In other matters too, SaNk City
cOuntered on her up-river rival. For
several years Prairie du Sac had the
! post office, to which the deniZens of
Sank City were compelled to resort
( they wished to hole communica-
! ion with the outside world. At length,
/ 1851. Simeon Dean, a resident of
| the lower town obtained the appoint
: ment as postmaster. He seems to
] have originated the truly novel idea
of bringing the Office to his domicile
instead of betaking himself to the
day 10 Prairie Gu Sac, accompanied
] Office. Accordingly he repaired one
| by q score or more stalwart Sank
Cityiies, and removed the scanty
! equipment of the Office to his store
building in the lower town. The up
per townsmen cursed long and loudly
over this outrage, but without practi-
eel effect for some years. 1t is said
that Dean would head and date his
letters at "Sauk City" and then
stcppings over to the corner where
9ans his post Off 20. postmark them
prairie du SEC" The complaints OF
/ ,he upper tOwnsmen at length gained
an official ear at Washington, and this
particular dispute was settled by Civ
ing them a second post Office
More serious was the bridge rivalry
\ between the towns. There was great
need OF a bridge across the Wiscon'
sin TO connect them with the settled
country east of the river. but the
Wisconsin is the largest river in the
. cAdltt the NOcL VI UlluSihS IL was
heavy, and one bridge, properly 10
caed. would have answered every
need of the two communities. But
there was no more thought Of uni
I fled action in this matter than there
had been in that OF the county seat.
In 1851 Prairie du Sac erected a
bridge connecting the village with the
opposite bank of the river, but the
spring flood promptly washed it away.
A second and more durable structure
however, was erected in 1852. Thus
Prairie du Sac had a bridge, but nc
post office; Sank City had post Of
ice, but no bridge. Sank City pro
ceeded TO incorporate and a causway
was built from the village to an island
in the river. Until 1860, however
when a bridge was erected across the
o coDt5dt itself with ferry boat.