Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-10-14
FORMER RESIDENT HERE
Sam. Walters, Known to the
Older inhabitants Died In
Florida.

h ONE, Florahome, Florida, on
Thursday, October 9Th, following a
General breakdown due to a COM
pIication Of ailments. Heart trouble
yas the direct cause Of death. Fur
tber information had not been re-
ceived by relatives at the time this
was written.
Mr.. Walters will be remembered
by most Of the older residents of
Eagle River, for the family lived
here for period Of about twelve
Years, during which time the de-
ceased had charge Of the Gerry
Lumber company's saw and plan
ug mill as engineer and general
millwright. He was quite prom
incnt in public affairs during much
Of this time and had an active part
In the organization of Villas county.
Samuel Walters was born in Ash
land county, Ohio, September 10Th,
1851. In 1853 his parents came to
Wisconsin, making the journey by
cmigrant train. Somewhere on this
Journey his f a t her contracted
Asiatic cholera, dying shortly after
leaving Milwaukee. Ten or twelve
months after the group of settlers
had reached their destination in
western Outagamie county, the
mother Of the deceased was mar
ried to James Webley, who COM
pIeted the home already started by
the father of the deceased.
MIR. Walters was Of markedly
ingenious nature, and though de-
prived of the benefits of even the
average country school facilities
amplihed the rudimential training
he received in the few months of
school attended each year by eX-
tensive reading. When a young
man, still in his teens, he saw his
first steamboat at Appleton. The
sight left lasting impression with
HIM and he began an intensive
study Of the mechanics of steam
engineering, seeking his informa-
ton from such meagre sources as
were at his command.
For about two years he worked
as fireman and engineer on steam
boats plying the Wolf and Fox
rivers. This was during the period
that the Wisconsin Central rail
road was building north from Osh-
kosh. One of the shipments con-
signed on the Henrietta" a boat
that will be recalled with interest
by those familiar with the early
history of the Wolf river, was a
quantity of steel for the railroad
bridge at ellis Landing. While
this was being unloaded at the
Landing" Mr.. Walters climbed in
to the wood-burning locomotive
standing on the tracks above and
had his first ride in the cab Of a
locomotive. The days Of the steam
boat, he decided, were numbered.
The call of the rails intrigued him
and for several years he was en-
poyed as an engineer with this
road, the most of this time on a
branch running out of Marshfield
into the numbering woods.
While employed in this capacity
he saw the opportunities open in
The numbering industry, and associ-
ated himself with the 0. d. Van
Dusen company at Dorchester.
During the period from 1881 to 1883
he built several mills along the
Central one at Westboro, another
AZ Prentice and one at Rib Falls.
In 1876 he was united in mar
rage to Miss Rose Stevens, at Dale,
Wisconsin. In 1884 Mr. Walters
moved his family TO Clintonville,
and two years later came to Eagle
River, his family following him
during the succeeding winter.
In the spring of 1898 Mr.. Walters
went to Rhinelander where he had
charge of the Robbins Lumber
company's mill for time. He then
purchased farm tweemiles east of
that city which he operated until
the fall of 1918, when the family
moved to Florida.
Mr.. Walters is survived by his
wife, four sons, Bert E., of Wau-
sau; Phillip r., of Pekin, H.;
Il George and Shirley, of Florahome
Htla; Mrs. r. B. Woodhouse, Ash
land, Wis. Also one sister, Mrs. r.
q. Wilson, of Neenah and a step
brother, Casper WebIey, or Amigo
lie was also brother-in-law of the
late A. H. Stevens of Eagle River
"Cy" Has Returned.
Fred "Cy" Williams, center field
or Fcv Al l.