Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-07-01

y
1oo lead was discovered in the
,tbwastern part of Wisconsin
4gsra was a rush Of settlers to the
R..-e alI coming with the hope Of
s.fug fortune in the newly
.apd mines. In the community
aod New Diggins, in Lafayette
oty where the first mines were
oercl q typical mining craze pre-
.aqI and the life was full of ex-
+omcat. When the state was or
,,izcd as a territory in 1886, this
min region had a larger popula-
A. and a more settled mode Of
H. than any other section)
The story Of white settlement in
riseoasin is that Of the American
d alton of French settlement. In
1r, respect it differs from the
ov of most Of it's neighbors. In
N1e Indian days Wisconsin had been
meeting place for the tribes in
No west. During the white settle
ncnt Tie same fate controlled, and
became the meeting place of set
Tiers Of distinct types from differ
nt sections of the country. 1t was
no. populated exclusively by the
nemow from it's neighbors and so
ms rot made up Of a people en-
acy similar to those in the ada
cent states.
Melting Pot for Colonies.
While Wisconsin received immi-
rants from Michigan, Indiana and
Illinois who settled in the south
EASTERN part Of the state, in addi-
ion from the East came another
me the Yankee, travelling a long
distance via the Great Lakes and
Unfamiliar with the western pio-
oecr life and its habits and it's
mode Of thought. From the South
came the Southerners Of Kentucky
stock, originally springing from
Virginia. They were attracted by
the lead mines in southern Wiscon-
sin.
This purely American stock made
up the early population in the ter
htorial period from 1886 to 1913.
These we're the men who framed
the state constitution and fought
strenuous battle over the provis-
ion of this historic document. 1t
Is the oldest constitution in the
Middle West, having been amended
but never revised. 1t has been for
II years a monument to the fore
sight Of the pioneers. At that per-
lodi many Of the older states had
nearly bankrupted themselves for
Internal ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and
railroads.
No Mortgage on the Future.
The wise farmers Of Wisconsin
took a valuable lesson from then
ueighbors and when the constitu-
ton was framed in 1S48 inserted a
clause forbidding the state to incur
Indebtedness Of any kind except
IN case of war, or to undertake
amy work Of internal Improvement.
This section has been amended only
once IN recent years, and that
only to permit the state to enter on
the work Of highway improvement.
AS a consequence the state has no
public debt and has paid as it built.
It has laid no mortgage on the fu-
tmc OF It's citizens.
The problem Of Wisconsin after
l>JJ was to secure additional set
tiers - occupy its virgin lands, SO
there was established bureau for
The purpose Of attracting settlers
from Europe. This campaign be-
came intensive after the Civil war,
ana from then on a heavy fuX Of
foreign immigration followed. The
o0.6 of the immigrants were Ger
mans. the Norwegians being next
~ number. Other large groups
were Danes, Swedes, Irish, Belgians
and Poles. Nearly a half million
new settlers came to the state in
the decade from 1850 to 1860-near-
y twice the increase in popula-
non for any later decade.
Mines Attracted Settlers.
Wisconsin's first industry was
the fur trade. With the settlement
OF the state it receded in import
ance and today it is merely inciden-
tall being now carried on only on
a small scale, by trappers, largely
IN northern Wisconsin. The value
of skins of wild animals cold In the