Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-11-18
Eagle RiUer,s Pioneers Turn Reminiscent

To the present day generation with it's fast
travelling pace of jazz symphony and jazz auto
mobiles, the story of the pioneer is as remote
and far separated as east and west The fur
trade fourishes only in James Oliver Curwood
and Stewart Edward White. The logger of the
old rough and ready type is and as un-
known to most of US of the jazz age as electric
known to most of US of the jazz age as the Ho-
dag or Dodobird We are all too apt to for
get that the day of the mighty riverhog and
the rip-roaring lumberjack is only around the
corner the backtrail.
Living IN a comparatively new country we
are fortunate in still possessing old timers who
were the heroes of the creative age of our
northern history. Their tales read like fiction
and their lives like mythology They were
strong men, all Of them-there was no room
for the weakling. 1t only the fittest that
lived through those days when men were men,
hardy, red-blooded, unafraid-and for that
matter so were women.
The old timer is fast going the way of the
oXteam, the side-wheeler and the muzzle-loader;
he will not be with us long Don't forget him.
lie IS unique character of a vanished age, and
one that sorrily enough is nearly forgotten
AS said, Eagle River can still pride itself of
possessing number of these old-timers The
editor always takes particular pleasure in lis
tenlng to their "reminiscences and anecdotes
from the days of yore and thinking that you
might be of similar disposition the Villas
County News this week feels privileged in in
Producing few of them to you:
Finn Lawler, of the Villas County Abstract
Co., is the oldest resident of Eagle River still /
in life and in our midst He came to the pres
ent site of Eagle River in 1872 from Oshkosh
with a pard named c. F. Perry. He recalls
times IN this region when VASTLY the majority
of the people were Indians. The fur trade was
fourishing greatly in those days; the fur trail
running from Wausau to Ontonagon. In the
summertime the furs were brought through by
pack horses; in the Wintertime by squaws and
dootrains. | came here when there were al
ready some Settlers notably Hiram Fuller and
Dan Gagen. All supplies to this part of the
country were brought in by water or by tote
road. In trading with the Indians money
which was a pretty scarce article in those days.
was not greatly used. Buckshot took the place
of dollars and smaller shot of lesser amounts of
money. Not only were the Indians the major
part of the population but they were the most
sincere and honest part. An Indians word was
as good as gold, which was more than you could
say for some of the white men who came up
here then.
"When | arrived here logging had already
begun. The logs were driven down the Wis
consin River to Stevens Point. It was drive
of two years to get them that far. They would
be driven part way year, then tied up until
spring and driven the rest of the way the fol-
lowing year. 1t was long distance and too far
for good business. We began logging after |
arrived at Otter Rapids All of our supplies
came in by boat.
"The first white woman in this district was
Mrs. Parks She was very remarkable wo-
man. Like myself she had come, here when
this district was nothing but dense uncut
wilderness.
'As numbering developed and people began
coming up this way, many wildcat banks were
started around here. They had little or no
backing One began out on Eagle Lake on the
present site of Eagle Waters resort There
were many others scattered over this territory.
Most of them went on the rocks but the men
that owned them in most cases were forced to
pay up
Il have watched Eagle River grow from
simple bridge over the river to what is is now
At first twas only station on the trail from
Wausau to Ontonagon and later it became
center of trade in its own right"
George E. O. Connor is one of the old-timers
He told The Villas County News: There is only
one man now living in Eagle River who was
here ahead of me, and that is Finn Lawler
arrived in town April, 1883, walking in from
Three Lakes along the right of way. In those
days the railroad was built only as far north as
that place. On the present site of Eagle River