The Merrill Daily Herald from Merrill, Wisconsin • Page 7

THE DAILY HFFAT JTPTT.FF FPTTION OF THF HTY OF MFRRTLL LINCOLN COUNTY ORIGINALLY WAS ONE OF WORLD'S RICHEST REGIONS FOREWORD In the following narrative, the has made no attempt to a "JENNY HOUSE" be. down the salient facts of its early settlement. The data used were related to him personally, while the men and women who made this history were still in the possession of their full mental vigor. The persons named are persons who came here in the early days and became permanent residents here. No one can tell the future of Merrill and Lincoln County in the years or ages to come.

Merrill may come to be a city of wealth, with a million people. But whatever the future holds in store for this community, the children may be as interested in reading the names of the early pioneers, as American children are interested in reading- the names of members of the Mayflower, who landed on 1620. This writer has not attempted to touch upon anything pertaining to the history of Lincoln county than the late seventies, leaving to the editors of The Merrill Daily Herald the task of carrying on the story in more complete detail from 1880 to the present day. Respectfully submitted C. N.

JOHNSON On March 31, 1874, Chapter 123 of the Wisconsin Statutes creating Lincoln county was published. The chapter provides that all that territory of the County of Marathon lying north of the correction line on the southern line of Township No. 31. north, be detached from Marathon county, shall be known and called the County of Lincoln. Except that for judicial purposes it shall be attached to Marathon coiintv.

Section 2 of the act, provided that the town clerk of the town of sha.ll not tbfti the first of October, next, call an election for county officers. At this election, a county clerk, a county treasurer, a county superintendent of schools, a county supervisor and a register of deeds shall be elected, who shall hold offices for two years, from the first day of January following; and they shall enter upon their duties as soon as qualified after their election. Section 3, provided for the board of supervisors of Marathon and Lincoln Counties, for the proportioning of all county property, monies, taxes, appropriations, debts and liabilities. Section 4, provided that Marathon county shall render an item- The above Illustration represents the old "Jenny House." which occupied a position at the corner of Main and Poplar streets, wher" the American Bank building now stands, and was successor to previous hostelries erected at or near the same location, which were destroyed by fire. History records brie-fly as follows: the first hotel was built by Alex Watson, in 1854, near bank corner, and its opening in was a great event, at which a turkey dinner was served.

In 1850. it burned, and in 1867, Cy. Strowbridge built the hotel on the Poiriei corner, and called it the "Watson House." GUSTAV KOEHLER, now deceased, is another of Merrill's early artisans, and respected citizens, conducting a wagon-making lower Center avenue just west of the high bridge. ized bill for all expenses whatsoever for judicial purposes within said counties of Marathon and Lincoln. And the taxes for said expenses were to be assessed on all property in the two counties.

First County Board The first meeting of the county board of supervisors for the new county of Lincoln convened October 24, 1874. The members were: G. W. Strobridge, H. A.

Kyes and Chas. Sales. Mr. Sales was elect- resolutions to be introduced and on was the designation of Section 12. town 31, range 6 east, village of Jenny, was designated the county seat.

Also another resolution, naming all the territory outside the village of Jenny to be known as the town of Jenny. The board then adjourned to November 9. At the November meeting a committee to canvass the election returns was appointed. But no record of the election of 1874 appears in the records of the county board. A finance committee to settle with Marathon county was also appointed.

This committee was to consist of members of the county board, county clerk, county treasurer, and register of deeds. The board at that meeting also fixed the salary of the county treasurer and county clerk at $1,000 each ml. 4 pel A mi; ty superintendent of schools waa S100 a year. At this meeting the first bills were presented: Geo. Strickland $167.55.

for books and stationery; Ed Kluetz, justice fees, J. T. Adams, blacksmithing, $9.60. The board then adjourned to December 11. At that into by M.

H. McCord and the county board, letting the said McCord the use of back rooms of the county building as a printing office. The county building, or the court house, then in use was the second story of the T. B. Scott Lumber company's office building, located across the street south, from where now is located tho Citizens American Bank.

The committee to settle with Marathon county met on Decem- faer 7. 1874," andradjotiriiecr LO the next day. The members of the Marathon on-MTitv powmittAp Jacob Paff, D. L. Plummet, and A.

Schmidt. The Lincoln county i members were: Chas. Sales, Z. Space, V. R.

Willard, H. A. Kyes and T. P. Mathews.

First Officers The first county officers were: Z. Space, county clerk; T. P. Mathews, county treasurer; V. R.

Willard, register of deeds. During- the winter of 1875, the county "organization for Lincoln! wns rompMed by the lee-1 islature, separating it from Marathon county for judicial purposes. And at the election, April 6, 1875, F. C. Weed was elected county judge and Chas.

O'Neil was elected district attorney. A. D. Gorham was elected clerk of the court, and A. W.

Crown was elected sheriff over John T. Adams. A new county board was elected. Ou April 8, the new county board met arid organized. The new- board consisted of D.

A. Kline, and Fredrick Reibe. At a meet- petition was presented to build the proponed new court house. AL tiie geiierai election ox 137-1, party lines were evidently not drawn tight. W.

R. Taylor, democrat, cunied the county for governor, but A. S. McDill, Republican, carried the county for congress by 48 votes over G. W.

Cate, the Democratic candidate, E. L. Bump had a majority of 52 over W. C. Silverthorn.

Silverthorn was elected state senator from this district. Lincoln county early showed its tendency to Democracy. In the presidential election of 1876, Tilden received 174 votes to Hayes' 72 votes. Judge G. W.

Cate, democratic candidate for congress, got 237 votes; T. C. Pound, Republican, 79 votes. There was no contest for county treasurer, T. P.

ir was A. D. Gorham, clerk of court, and David Finn, county superintendent of There was a spirited fight on for sheriff; J. T. Adams received 153 votes, John Mclnnis, 75, Robert Truax 44, and Allan Space 43.

P. B. Champagne was county surveyor receiving 134 votes to D. Kline's 115. For countv clerk Herman Rusch had 182 votes tu 133 votes for Z.

Space. When Lincoln county was created, its territory extended from the south line of town 31 to the state line of Michigan and Lake Superior on the north. East and west it included ranges 4, 5, 7. 8. 9 and 10; on the south line of township 41, ranges 2 and 3 were also included in Lincoln county.

In 1879, when Price county was created by Chapter 103, we lost the richest region in the world, excepting the diamond region of the a a a 1. YOU HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS, YOV" Here most magnificent pine timber re- sun. Its deposits in the Ashland and Iron county region have already yielded millions of dollars worth of iron ore. How much iron ore or other minerals remains is unknown. The pine I timber has been ruthlessly destroyed.

So far as the timber is concerned no great fortunes have been accumulated. The millionaires it made can be counted on your two hands. This writer can count six. Hut we have the cities of the Wisconsin valley, Wisconsin Rapids--much of our timber was manufactured Stevens Point and WaU.SHU likewise the lumbermen of Wausau harvested most of the profits from our timber resources; us did the other cilics in valley Merrill, Tomahawk. Rhinelander, Mellen, Ashland and a great many villages ana iiirii'- ty communities, and a fine region of farms, factories, and what not.

This region is still in its early stage of development. The town of Rock Falls was first called Scanawan. The name was changed to Rock Falls at meeting of the county board, April 14, 1S77. At. the April 28 meeting of the board, it was ordered that S2.000 be appropriated for the court house.

At the May meeting $25.00 were appropriated for plans and specifications for the court house, to cost not. to exceed $6.000. Later the plans and specifications of F. Dudley Allen were accepted, but for some reason the board paid Mr. Allen $50.00.

At the meeting of the June 30. 1877, the bid of M. H. McCord to build the court house for $5.700 was accepted, and on July 7th, the contract with Me- olu c.oiujnuioi uum. new court house, now the Lincoln County Normal srliool building.

At ttie next meeting 17, board priswd a resolution po.sf- poning the hnilrlinp; of the court house for one year. Subsequently Me Cord sublet the contract to David Finn, who built it. In the fall election of 1878 E. P. Ellis, of Milwaukee, Greenback candidate for governor, received 169 votes: Smith, Republican, 27 votes; Malory, Democratic candidate, 15.

Though a Republican. T. B. Scott received 366 votes for state senator, against IS votes for Richard Dewhurst. At that election L.

C. Tyner was elected sheriff; W. H. Canon, district attorney; Herman Rusch, county clerk; A. D.

Gorham, clerk of the court; V. R. Willard, register of deeds: Tim O'Connor, county surveyor STIC? TOt-win Mr. Kerwin was a well known HAN" ACKERMAN, is a worthy citizen, who after many years of residence in the county ami city, is still vigorous, and is spending his declining years on his homo- Stead on Riverside avenue. lumberjack, and was best known by the name of John C.

Heenan. Few if any of the voters knew that they were voting for the lumberjack Heenan. He did not quality for the office. H. B.

Huntington who owned large tracts of pine, timber in the town of Pine River, and David Finn, were candidates for superintendent of schools. Finn was successful. Aid Railroad The first railroad aid voted by Lincoln county was to the Wisconsin Valley Railroad on Octo- give the railroad company $50,000 in auih and $00,000 ir: bonds to chapter 74. townships 41 to 47, inclusive, ranges 2 and 3 were attached to Ashland county. In 1885, we lost townsmps cu to do.

inclusive, ranges 9 and 10 to ad countv; chapter 436. laws of 1885. That same winter the County of Oneida was created and we lost all of that territory hAtvi-ppn tbp Michigan state line and township 36. In 1875. by chapter 60 we lost some territory to Taylor county.

Richest Region The territory ot tne new i for its size, in 1874, was probably Merrill. The vote stood 307 for the railroad and 10 against it. For some reason the railroad never pushed the matter and Uie county never appropriated the money, nor issued bonds. The record on this, transaction is not. very clear.

On June 20, 1879, another railroad proposition was submitted to the people of Lincoln county. This time it was $55,000 in bonds. The vote on the question stood 319 for and 16 against. The $55,000 of bonds were issued to the Wisconsin Valley Railroad Company for $55,000 of the company's stock. This stock was sold to T.

B. Scott, January 31, 1880 for fVlrv UNfrtl'lVSC'lYl I Railroad company's: stock was not worth much. When Lincoln county was set off from Marathon county in 1974, in the financial settlement, Lincoln county was given $17,400 worth of railroad stock of the same company. This stock Lincoln county sold first to H. E.

ROBERT POSKY. born at Grandfather Falls. December 20, 18R4. Mr. Posoy is the first white boy Muiu in uii.il of country.

the resolution to sell the stock to Huntington was rescinded, and the stock was sold to M. H. McCord for $2.700. About that time the St. Paul, Milwaukee Pacific railway company took over the Wisconsin Valley Railroad Co.

The lirst poor farm the county bought was located at what, is known as Donovan's corner, about five miles east of Merrill, on County Highway G. The county paid $4.500 for 'it, and later sold it to John Dt-reg- for 51,500. John' Robertson, member of the county board, was the man who sold the for S4.500 to he user! as a poor farm. The court house, now the Lin- ing was completed May 10. 1882.

O. B. Smith Mr. O. B.

Smith, father of Fred first white man to romo to this region anrl remain to help build up this section. In an interview, published many (Turn to next Page Please).