Historic ſites along the Great River HISTORIC SITES ALONG THE

:* GREAT RIVER ROAD 3W. Histo §§§hs Twº Ǻ º à ^p.- OF VV15C 'g by

Lynn A. Rusch Archaeological Assistant

and John T. Penman Associate Curator of Anthropology

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN

April 1982

& º F Ş. º, * C r) ©y

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT 7

Madison, Wisconsin 3.2

P. 35. TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * ! ----"w

Abstract

Acknowledgments

List of Tables

List of Figures page

INTRODUCTION ......

HISTORY OF AMERICAN SETTLEMENT IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI WALLEY .

HISTORIC SITES IN PEPIN AND PIERCE COUNTIES ...... Pierce County History ...... Pierce County Historic Sites ...... 10 Pepin County History ...... 17 Pepin County Historic Sites ...... 18

HISTORIC SITES IN BUFFALO COUNTY ...... 22 Buffalo County History ...... 22 Buffalo County Historic Sites ...... 24

HISTORIC SITES IN LACROSSE, TREMPEALEAU, AND VERNON COUNTIES . 39 Trempealeau County History ...... 39 Trempealeau County Historic Site ...... 41 LaCrosse County History ...... 42 LaCrosse County Historic Sites ...... 44 Vernon County History . . . . 45 Vernon County Historic Sites ...... 46

SUMMARY ...... 48

MAP REFERENCES ...... 51

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 54

Figures

List of Publications ABSTRACT

In June 1979 the State Historical Society of Wisconsin began an archaeological survey of the Great River Road with funding provided by the Wiscons in Department of Transportation. Survey for prehistoric and historic sites continued in the summers of 1980 and 1981, and at this writing 236 prehistoric sites and 52 historic sites have been recorded along the G. R. R. in western Wisconsin. Some information has been published for the prehistoric sites found during this survey, and the present report presents data for the historic sites recorded from 1979 through 1981. Historic features such as houses, cemeteries, and bridges are presented along with their date of use. Recommendations for further research are presented in the concluding chapter.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This is the third annual report regarding results of the Great River Road survey. As in past years many individuals have aided in our research. David M. Stemper, Benjamin W. Ford, and Carolyn Croy-Riggs have processed artifacts and field records. We appreciate Robert P. Fay's review and comments on the manuscript. Michael Doyle of the Alma Historical Society provided guidance and enthusiasm during all three years of our fieldwork, and Dr. Orl in Anderson willingly aided our research in the Stockholm area. David Dahlk, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, gave great care in printing the reports. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for both the fieldwork and the corresponding analysis time.

COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Melchoir brewery and hotel, Trempealeau County.

ii LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1 Nineteenth Century History of the Upper Mississippi Valley .. 4

TABLE 2 Population of the Wisconsin Portion of the UPPer Mississippi Valley ...... 7

TABLE 3 Artifacts from Pepin and Pierce County Sites ...... 14

TABLE 4 Artifacts from Buffalo County Sites ...... 32

TABLE 5 Artifacts from Buffalo County Sites ...... 36

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE l Modern Map of the Upper Mississippi Valley FIGURE 2 Upper Mississippi River Valley in 1856 FIGURE 3 Map of Historic Sites in Pepin and Pierce Counties FIGURE 4 Carish House; Prescott, Wisconsin (Pierce County) FIGURE 5-7 Doe House; 606 North Lake Street, Prescott, Wisconsin FIGURE 8 Smith House; 331 Lake Street, Prescott, Wisconsin FIGURE 9–10 Site 2519-01 and Pi—73, Pierce County FIGURE 11 Artifacts from Pierce and Buffalo Counties FIGURE 12 Site 2519-13, Pierce County FIGURE 13 Site 2517-30, Pierce County FIGURE 14 Site 2416-07, Pierce County FIGURE 15 Pierce County Historic Sites FIGURE 16 Pepin County Historic Sites FIGURE 17-18 Flemming House, Pepin County FIGURE 19 Map of Site Pe-22 Showing the Flemming House, Pep in County FIGURE 20 Map of Historic Sites in Buffalo County FIGURE 21 Site 2313-31, CCC Camp structures 4 & 2, Buffalo County FIGURE 22 Site 2313-31, CCC Camp structures 3 & 5, Buffalo County FIGURE 23 Site 2313-30, CCC Wing Dam, Buffalo County FIGURE 24-25 Site 2313-35, Buffalo County FIGURE 26–27 Site 2213-09, Buffalo County FIGURE 28-29 Site 2213-16, Buffalo County FIGURE 30 Site Bf-57, Camp #1 of the Beef Slough Co.; Buffalo County FIGURE 31 Log sorting works on Beef Slough, Buffalo County FIGURE 32 Shear boom on Beef Slough, Buffalo County FIGURE 33 Site 2213-36, Buffalo County FIGURE 34 Site 2112-17, and Site 2012-05, Buffalo County FIGURE 35 Artifacts from Buffalo County FIGURE 36 Site 1911-06, Buffalo County FIGURE 37 Site 1911-22, Buffalo County FIGURE 38 Map of Historic Sites in Trempealeau and Vernon Counties FIGURE 39 Melchoir Brewery and Hotel, Trempealeau County FIGURE 40 Melchoir Brewery and Hotel, Trempealeau County

iii INTRODUCTION

Archaeological Survey

The State Historical Society of Wisconsin (S.H. S.W.) received a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin D.O.T. in April 1979 for the purpose of assessing the archaeological resources of the Great River Road which parallels the Mississippi River. A site survey program to locate both prehistoric and historic features began in June 1979, and fieldwork has continued on a seasonal basis through August 1981. While the major emphasis of this program has been to locate prehistoric sites, historic remains have been noted as well since many of the latter are being destroyed at the same rapid rate as the earlier Slte S. The survey area which is approximately one mile (1.6 km.) wide extends for 150 miles along the federal aid portion of the Great River Road which is in the area between Prescott and DeSoto.

Historic Site Survey

During the 1979 and 1980 field seasons several historic sites were documented for the area between Alma in Buffalo County and Prescott which is at the Mississippi-St. Croix River confluence (Figure 1). Additional survey was conducted in 1981 from Alma southward to DeSoto in Vernon County. However due to time limitations, less emphasis was placed on recording historic sites. To date, 236 prehistoric sites and 52 historic sites have been recorded in the Great River Road project area between DeSoto and Prescott. Approximately 80% of the land designated for survey

in this six county area has been completed. -

Methodology

At the beginning of each survey season, landowners within the project area were asked for permission to survey their property. During this interview informants were asked if they had knowledge of any prehistoric or historic sites on their land. If landowners granted permission to survey their land, crews conducted surface reconnaissance, collecting any artifacts that were observed. Historic structures and landowners' artifact collections were photographed as well.

During the course of site survey attempts were made to relocate houses that appear on the earliest plat maps for the area. Township, Range and Section lines are depicted on these maps which were made by the Surveyor General's Office from 1843 to 1852. These maps also show features such as houses and are commonly referred to as Original Land Maps (O. L. M. 1850).

-- 1 -- While the majority of the sites have standing structures, many are represented by foundations or surface artifact scatters. Sites with extant buildings have been entered into the Historic Preservation Division (S.H. S.W.) files, and their site numbers designate location. Thus, the Petersen house which is in Section 18 of Township 23 North, Range 15 West is designated as site number 2315–18. Sites which only contain foundations or artifact scatters are considered archaeological and have been recorded in the Wiscons in Archaeological Codification file. The scheme of this trinomial system is a designation of state, followed by county abbrevation, and site number within that county. Therefore the Eichman site, 47-Pi—89, is the eighty-nineth site recorded for Pierce County, Wisconsin. Artifact collections from the archaeological sites are curated in the Museum Division (S.H. S.W.), as are all fieldnotes and maps.

One cannot necessarily determine from tax rolls whether or not there are buildings on a particular property, therefore date range of site occupation has been gleaned from land ownership and M. R. C. (Mississippi River Commission 1902) maps. In cases where artifact collections or cultural material is present, these objects have been used as an additional indicator of occupation span. Since terminology for historic artifacts is relatively standard, artifact descriptions are not presented here. Terms used for ceramic types and bottle glass may be slightly modified from previously published sources (Price 1979, Newman 1970).

Although the majority (80%) of the Great River Road has been subjected to survey, the number of recorded historic sites does not represent a corresponding percentage of the historic sites that are actually in the area. Towns such as Alma (Anderson-Sannes 1980), and Trempealeau (Kriviskey and Zeitlin 1981) contain several historic Structures and have received previous attention. Since the archaeological survey crews avoided urban areas, buildings in towns such as Fountain City, Genoa, and Maiden Rock were not recorded. Analysis of structures in these fine old river towns must await future research.

-- 2 -- HISTORY OF AMERICAN SETTLEMENT IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI WALLEY

"To the Great West; Its Future Prospects; Nothing slower than a Locomotive Can Overtake Her" C. B. Cox's July 4, 1857 toast at River Falls (Weld 1909: 491).

At the outset of the nineteenth century, Indiana Territory encompassed the region between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 placed the west bank of the Mississippi River in American hands. Within six years Illinois Territory was carved from what had been the western portion of Indiana, and while the Americans laid claim to the entire region known as the Northwest, British influence was strong. It was not until after the 1812 war between Great Britan and the United States that the latter could actually form a permanent presence in the region (Table 1). When the state of Illinois was formed in 1818, the lands north of the 44 degree parallel and east of the Mississippi River fell into the jurisdiction of Michigan Territory. Western Michigan Territory, which included the present state of Wisconsin, underwent dramatic population increases during the decade following separation from Illinois. The 1820 census recorded 361 civilians and 131 military personnel at Prairie du Chien which placed the majority of the non-Indian population at the Mississippi River. After 1822 lead mining and settlement increased in the upper Mississippi hill country.

In 1823 the Virginia plied its way from St. Louis to St. Paul opening the way for the era of steamboat traffic on the Upper Mississippi River (Blegen 1963: 112). The year 1832 saw the establishment of the Fourth Principal Meridian, the north-south survey line which bisects Galena, Illinois. The Fourth Meridian forms the borders of modern Grant and Lafayette counties in Wisconsin, and extends northward to Lake Superior. Tracts of land in western Illinois, northeastern Minnesota, and the entire state of Wisconsin were surveyed using this line as base datum (Johnson 1976).

In the fall of 1834 the sale of Public lands commenced, and the Military Road linking Prairie du Chien with eastern posts was completed the following year (Blegen 1963, Nesbit 1973, Smith 1973).

As a result of the adoption of the Land Ordinance of 1795 all public lands had to be surveyed on the township/range system prior to sale. This land survey project began at the Fourth Principal meridian, with survey parties working eastward. Thus, it was not until after 1837 that the land along the Mississippi River was surveyed and available for purchase (Nesbit 1973: 143).

*******-*-*------e. gººd,

-- 3 -- TABLE 1

NINETEENTH CENTURY HISTORY OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI WALLEY

1871 Railroad Linking St. Paul to Winona and Duluth

1870 Winona and the Twin Cities become the center for flour milling

1859 Wheat is the Dominant Crop

1858 Minnesota Statehood

1857 Railroad linking Prairie du Chien and Milwaukee Completed

1855 Suspension Bridge built across the Mississippi River at Minneapolis

1851 Southern Minnesota opened to American Settlers

1849 Minnesota Territory Formed

1848 Wisconsin becomes a State

1846 Iowa Statehood

1844 Iowa City is Capital of Iowa Territory

1841 Post Office at St. Paul

1838 Iowa Territory Created

1836 Wisconsin Territory Established

1835 Military Road linking the Upper Mississippi Valley to Lake Michigan

1832 New Fort built at Prairie du Chien, First Fort Crawford abandoned

1823 First Steamboat arrives at St. Paul

1819 Cantonment New Hope [Fort Snelling] built at the Minnesota River

1816 Fort Crawford built at Prairie du Chien by Americans

1815 British withdraw from the Upper Mississippi Valley

1808 American Fur Company Established by John Jacob Astor

1803 Louisiana Purchased by the United States

-- 4 -- In spite of the 1795 act settlement increased along the Mississippi River. Iowa County, which comprised the lead mining district of the upper Mississippi hill country, had a population of 1587 by 1830. When Wisconsin Territory was established in 1836 another census was taken, which illustrates the increase in population. Although Wisconsin Territory extended from Lake Michigan to the Missouri River, the census was restricted to the counties east of the Mississippi River. The 1836 account revealed that there were 5234 non-Indian inhabitants in Iowa County, which comprised present day Iowa and Grant counties. Crawford County, which contained all lands in the St. Croix region southward to the Wisconsin River contained 850 of the residents of Wisconsin Territory (Thwaites 1895).

With the Indian land cessions of 1837, Wisconsin Territory east of the Mississippi River was opened to survey and later purchase by settlers (Smith 1973). The lead mining district had attracted many Americans to Wisconsin Territory, and thus, the river area of Iowa County, Wisconsin and Dubuque (Iowa) was the population center of the territory in the 1830's. Since the densest population was in the upper Mississippi valley area, this region was the logical choice for the territorial capital, and both Cassville and Belmont vied for the honor. While Belmont won the laurel, the town was too small to adequately support a legislative contingent. A hotel was built at Cassville in an effort to gain the capital. However, through political chicanery, the permanent location chosen was not in the lead mining area, but further east.

Mid century rail line construction linked farming communities with harbors. In February 1854 tracks connecting Rock Island to Chicago were completed. This provided rail service to the east coast and, thus, the upper Mississippi became more accessable to westward moving immigrants. Rail lines branched northward from Rock Island and reached Dunleith, or Dunlieth (now East Dubuque), by 1855. Within three years railroads from Prairie du Chien to Milwaukee, and a northerly route from Milwaukee to LaCrosse were completed. While there were several rail lines west of the Mississippi no bridges spanned the river (Figure 2). A suspension bridge was completed at Minneapolis in 1855, and by 1856 the Mississippi had been spanned at Rock Island linking it with Davenport, Iowa. However, it was not until after the Civil War that bridge construction was undertaken in the area between Rock Island and Minneapolis (Blegen 1963, Current 1976, Richman 1931).

As the land survey parties moved west of the Fourth Meridian, public lands were placed on the auction block in the upper Mississippi valley region. While the district land office at Mineral Point remained active in selling mineral lands, new offices were established at Hudson in 1849, and at LaCrosse in 1853. After Indian lands on the west bank of the Mississippi were ceded in 1851, survey began in southeastern Minnesota Territory. Land offices were opened at Minneapolis and Red Wing in 1854. Even though large tracts of land were sold most were purchased by speculators. While land sales were less than brisk, approximately ten million acres, which represents 30% of the public land in Wisconsin, had been sold by 1857 (Current 1976, Johnson 1976). The Wabasha Reservation or "Half Breed Tract" that had been established on the west bank in 1830, was sold by its residents in 1854 which allowed the village of Wabasha to expand (Johnson 1976).

-- 5 - The advent of a sophisticated transportation system and the sale of public lands brought about dramatic population increases during the 1850's. In this decade Iowa's population increased five fold. By 1860 St. Paul had a population of 10,401, Winona had a population of 2464, and Red wing contained over 1,000 souls (Blegen 1963, Richman 1931). Even though the upper Mississippi region of Wiscons in underwent a similar population increase (Table 2) the cities along the Lake Michigan shore line grew at a much faster pace. By 1860 Wisconsin's population center had shifted from the Mississippi River area to the harbor ports of Lake Michigan.

The mid-century population shift indicates a change in the economic base as well. Prior to the Civil War the majority of Wisconsin's settlers had participated in mining and the fur trade. Scarcity of certain raw materials during the war brought about diversification on the farm. Wheat had been king prior to 1869. However, due to soil depletion and economic factors, farmers began to experiment with other crops. Hog raising and dairying increased, and Wisconsin also became a flour milling center.

Mining became increasingly expensive since deep shafts had to be constructed. Many shafts flooded, and thus increased funding was needed for pumping equipment. Many mining companies solicited funds from eastern investors in an effort to finance lead exploration. While capital was provided, many investors lost their funds due to the failure of new mining and pumping equipment (Current 1976: 102-103). As the mining enterprise failed in southwestern Wisconsin, many residents deserted the region. While most of the western Wisconsin communities increased in population, Grant County which was in the heart of the lead mining district, actually decreased in population during the latter part of the century (Table 2). After 1852 mining could no longer compete for funds with the logging industry that was developing further north.

The years following the war saw exploitation of timber in the St. Croix and Chippewa river valleys. The white pine of the St. Croix-Chippewa region was unmatched in quality, and by 1873 logging and lumber milling dominated the economy of northwestern Wisconsin. In 1868 a charter was granted to the Beef Slough, Manufacturing, Booming, Log Driving, and Transportation Company for the right to capture and sort the huge volume of logs that floated down the Chippewa River destined for the mills on the Mississippi. Not only did the company sort logs, it also processed lumber and transported logs down the Mississippi to mills as far distant as St. Louis. Frederick Weyerhauser, who served as a company president, became a millionare and dominated the logging industry in Wisconsin and Minnesota (Belgen 1963, Nesbit 1973).

-- 6 -- TABLE 2

Population of the Wisconsin Portion of the Upper Mississippi Valley

1855 1860 1870 1880 1890

BUFFALO COUNTY 832 3864 11, 123 15, 528 15,997

Alma 565 1244 1428

Buffalo City 184 268 248 223

Fountain City 867 963 972

CRAWFORD COUNTY 3323 8068 13,075 15,644 15,987

Prairie du Chien 2700 2777 31.31

GRANT COUNTY 16, 169 31, 189 37,979 37,852 36,651

LA CROSSE COUNTY 3904 12, 186 20, 295 27,072 38,801

La Crosse 386.5 92.79 14, 505 25,090

PEPIN COUNTY 2392 4659 6226 6932

PIERCE COUNTY 1720 4672 10,003 17, 744 20, 385

Prescott 1032 1138 975 902

TREMPEALEAU COUNTY 493 2569 10, 728 17, 189 18, 920

VERNON COUNTY 48.23 11,007 18,673 23, 255 25, 111

Sources: Cunningham 1891, Heg 1882, Turner 1872, Warren and Dean 1862.

-- 7 -- Logging and flour milling were directly affected by railroad transportation. In 1874 a railroad bridge was completed across the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, and by 1887 a total of fifteen bridges spanned the upper Mississippi River (Nesbit 1973: 194). Westward rail line expansion brought about increased competition for inexpensive wheat. Wheat yields were on the decline in Wisconsin due to soil exhaustion, and wheat production increased in the newly opened farmlands of the Dakotas. Rail shippers purchased an increasing amount of western wheat, causing the flour milling centers to shift westward-–to Minneapolis and Winona. The technology that created steam locomotives also brought about advancements in the lumber yards. Steam driven saws could quickly and efficiently process lumber. Trains could effectively move wood products, which brought about a corresponding decline in transportation of logs down the Mississippi River. While mechanization Probably added to Wisconsin's peak lumber production in 1892, the logging era met its demise at the end of the decade.

Farming underwent a revolution in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Wheat was dethroned as king probably due to over cultivation more than any other factor. Production reached its crest in 1878, when Minnesota recorded that 69% of its cultivated land was planted in wheat. By 1889 this acreage had fallen to 45.9% (Blegen 1963: 340). While Iowa wheat production had increased in the decade before the Civil War, corn was the most important crop and the state had become a leader in the production of potatoes (Rosenberg 1972: 5). In the years between 1869 and 1889 wheat production in Wisconsin declined by 62% while corn acreage rose 59% (Nesbit 1973: 283).

Poor wheat yields and the scarcity of certain farm products during the Civil War had caused Wisconsin farmers to vary their crops. Corn production began to increase as wheat declined, and dairying probably had the greatest impact on the farm community in the later years of the nineteenth century. As techniques were improved for cheese and butter making, and quality control was established for milk, the rearing of milk cows increased in importance. By 1890 nine out of every ten Wisconsin farms had a dairy heard, and by the end of the century the state had specialized in the production of milk and dairy products.

-- 8 -- HISTORIC SITES IN PEPIN AND PIERCE COUNTIES

Pierce County History

In 1820 Philander Prescott arrived in the Upper Mississippi River country. After a stint at Fort Snelling he moved east to the area where the St. Croix River meets the Mississippi. Prescott established a trading house in 1827, and during the 1830's managed a farm for several soldiers who were based at Fort Snelling (see Heilbron 1932, Parker 1966, Weld 1909). In 1851 the town of Elizabeth was formed on the east bank of the St. Croix where Prescott had settled. Elizabeth hoped to rival the other river towns for trade, and W. S. Lockwood opened a store here in 1842. Since there were large timber stands east of the town, Elizabeth also capitalized from the logging industry. Only three years after its organization Elizabeth became known as Prescott, and in 1853 when Pierce County was carved from the larger St. Croix County, Prescott was the logical choice as the county seat (Figure 3).

At the time Pierce County was formed, saw mills were built in Trimbelle and Bay City. The following year a brick kiln was established at Bay City, and a grist mill was in operation at Trimbelle by 1855. Civil Townships were recognized for Isabelle (which included Bay City) and Trimbelle in 1855 due to their increased population and development. An influx of settlers from Ohio (1854-1855) caused the formation of Oak Grove and Clifton Townships in 1857. A year later Diamond Bluff Township was created in the area between Trimbelle and Oak Grove which is to the north.

Prescott, which had hoped to become a dominant distribution center, never realized its goal. While the village grew rapidly, during the mid-century period, the economy of Pierce County shifted. The timber stands were exhausted, and thus the needs of the lumbermen slackened. St. Paul which was further up the Mississippi was rapidly becomming a metropolis and the center of distribution. Settlers with the intent of making a living from agriculture moved into all parts of the county. Many Scandinavians settled in the Rush River valley which soon became a farming center. After the Civil War immigration to Pierce County increased, and most sought a living at farming. Prescott also lost much of its importance when the county seat moved to Perry in 1861 (Easton 1919, Weld 1919). Towns such as Maiden Rock and Bay City began to diversify. As farming intensified, the need for agricultural related businesses increased. Bay City and Maiden Rock provided farm stores, and also developed into fishing and fish processing centers (Peterson 1972).

As the nineteenth century drew to a close, Prescott experienced a decline in population (Table 2), while Bay City and Maiden Rock became more important for their fishing industry. After the long-awaited railroad arrived in 1879, Hager City thrived on shipping and transportation. As late as 1907 Pierce County residents hoped that the proposed canal linking the Mississippi to Lake Superior would spur growth in their county. However this project was never realized, and thus Pierce County relied on agriculture as the mainstay of its economy. - Pierce County Historic Sites

A total of fourteen standing structures or building foundations were recorded in Pierce County. In addition two archaeological sites (Pi-89 and Pi-90) are represented by artifact scatters, and have no standing buildings. The Pierce County historic sites as discussed in this section are ordered from north to south, which is the format that will be followed in successive sections.

The Carish house is at the northern terminus of Lake Street in Prescott (Figure 3). The house is a one story frame, and faces the St. Croix River (Lake St. Croix). This building stands in the general area where two homesteads were established by the time of the original land survey in 1848 (see O. L. M. 1850, Trygg 1964). The Carish house, however, is the product of much later construction. The basement beams are finished lumber, indicating that they were manufactured in a mill. Many of the nails are wire nails that were massed produced, and not hand wrought. Since the earliest saw mill in the area was at Marine-on-the-St. Croix which was established in 1839 (Blegen 1963: 157, 319), the Carish house does not date earlier than that date. However, the presence of wire nails suggests a post 1880 date (see Fontana 1965). Also, it appears that the original house had a lower roof line as indicated by a diagonal notch running through the chimney (Figure 4). It is postulated that the original house was destroyed (probably by fire) and when reconstructed, the original chimney was incorporated into the TheW. Structure.

The Doe house was built by Hilton Doe sometime between 1855 and 1856. Doe had first arrived in the St. Croix country in 1838. He returned to New York and brought his wife and family back with him. Shortly after Doe's return to the upper Mississippi valley, he was chosen Clerk for the town of Elizabeth. In 1852 he purchased 80 acres of farmland from the federal government and a housesite from Philander Prescott. Prescott had laid claim to the lakefront property in 1849, and eventually sold lots as house sites. Doe built a two story house on his lot that overlooks the St. Croix River in the town of Prescott (Figure 3). The house was evidently completed by 1857 for in that year Gibbs and Young (1857: 465) noted that "Mr. Doe has erected a large and handsome dwelling house, and laid out grounds, which he intends to adorn with fruit and shade trees, and flowers and shrubbery. . .". Doe continued to be in the forefront of the political scene when he was elected alderman for the town of Prescott (formerly Elizabeth). By 1870 Doe had amassed significant wealth and was a prominent citizen in Prescott. The 1870 census lists Doe as having a wife, two children, and a cadre of servants. Doe's household included a school teacher, servant girl, farm hand, and one other non-relative. His property was valued at $6000; which included 90 acres of land, four horses, three cows, two oxen, six pigs, and five "other cattle". His inventory of food stuffs is listed as : 400 bushels of wheat, 750 corn, 300 oats, 300 bushels of Irish potatoes, and 150 pounds of butter.

-- 10 -- Of the 90 acres of land Doe owned in 1870, ten acres were "unimproved" and presumably included the house lot. The area on which the Doe house stands today amounts to about three acres. The Doe house is a large two story frame structure that faces the St. Croix River (Lake St. Croix). During its heyday in the 1870s it was presumably one of the most impressive structures in Prescott, and certainly was large enough to house Doe, his family, and servants (Figures 5-7). It is uncertain how long the house remained in the family after Hilton Doe's death in 1884 (Easton 1919, Weld 1919). When the Great River Road crew (G. R.R.) visited Prescott in 1980 the Doe house was up for sale.

The Smith house is located at 331 Lake Street in Prescott (Figure 3). This two story Greek Revival house is the oldest standing building in Prescott (Figure 8). The Smith house was built by Daniel S. Smith, a Yankee immigrant from Vermont. Smith had apparently built his house prior to the first tax assessment of 1854. The Smith house is built on land that was originally claimed by Philander Prescott in 1849, and even though Prescott did not have clear title to the land until much later, he began dividing the waterfront property into house lots. We know that the Smith house post dates 1850 for at that time there were only two "small" houses in the town (Gibbs and Young 1857). Prescott was deeded the land in 1852, and Smith apparently purchased his lot from Prescott, and built a house the following year (Mitchell 1980). Smith, a gunsmith by trade, established the Prescott Gun Shop, and became active in county politics. The Smith house has been the home of fifteen different owners, and while many outbuildings have been constructed on the property at various times, the house itself has met with only slight modification. In 1981 a National Register of Historic Places nomination was being prepared for the Smith house.

The Eichman site (Pi—89) is situated on the bluff top between Diamond Bluff and Prescott (Figure 3). This site is at an elevation of 1020 feet (311 meters) above sea level, and artifacts cover a 2700 square meter area. Among the artifacts is an earthenware sherd with a printed makers mark that was used by Charles Meakin from 1870 to 1889 (Godden 1964: 426). An aqua glass sherd is embossed "1858" and is from a Ball Mason jar that was manufactured from 1858 through 1900 (Toulouse 1969: 31). The majority of the "natural glass" (Table 3) is from window panes, and one milk glass fragment is from a fruit jar liner. The earliest Pierce County plat map (1877) shows a house at this site. The house and land were owned by Henry Weyh, and according to the 1900 census Weyh had a 29 year old son who had been born in Wisconsin. This indicates that Henry Weyh may have moved to Oak Grove Township as early as 1871. There is no house indicated on the 1908 plat map, and no structures appear on subsequent maps although Weyh still owned the property in 1920. There was no evidence of structures when the Eichman site was recorded in 1981. Since no chemical glaze stoneware appears at Eichman, the site was probably abandoned prior to 1900.

-- 11 -- The Holst site (2519-01) is a farm complex with a standing farmhouse located in the Wind River valley. In addition to the farm complex a rehistoric component has been identified at the site as well (Penman 981 : 16). Since the prehistoric component and the historic structures cannot be separated spacially, the site has been assigned two numbers: 2519-01 designates the historic structures, while Pi-73 represents the prehistoric component. The farm complex consists of a frame house, an outbuilding, and several foundations. During the 1870s a well-traveled road passed close to the farm house, and extended some two miles up the Wind River valley. This road originally connected the villages of Diamond Bluff and Prescott, and paralled the route which is now County Trunk Highway "E" (Figure 3). The farm house is a frame one story structure that is dilapidated and has only two walls intact (Figure 9). This farm headquarters also consists of a windmill and an outbuilding that were in good condition when visited by the G. R. R. crew in 1980 (Figure 10). The farm house is depicted on the 1877 plat map and was owned by Peter Hanson, a Danish immigrant. Hanson is listed in the 1880 census as having a five year old son, Anton, who had been born in Wisconsin. This indicates that Hanson and his family had settled in Diamond Bluff Township about 1875, and thus, a construction date of ca. 1875 is suggested for the farmhouse. By 1908 Anton Hanson had taken ownership of the property. The farm house was still occupied in 1955, and the road to Diamond Bluff was being maintained. The 1952 U. S.G. S. topographic map (Red Wing) indicates that while there was still a road connecting the Hanson property to Diamond Bluff, that portion of the route north of the house had been virtually abandoned.

The Those site (Pi—90) is situated on the bluff top in Diamond Bluff Township. This site is represented by a surface scatter of cultural debris that measures 50X50 meters in area. Among the artifacts (Table 3) are five earthenware sherds that have makers marks (Figure 11 a-c). Only two of these are complete enough for identification, however. Both are from the company of Charles Meakin which operated from 1870 to 1889. "HA " appears on one sherd, and is probably Hanley where Meakin had a shop from 1883 to 1889 (Godden 1964: 426). Another sherd is marked "England", and therefore probably post dates 1890. The 1877 plat map shows that Peter Sherlin had a farmhouse at the Those site. Sherlin had apparently immigrated from Sweden prior to 1870 as he and his family are listed on the 1870 census as residents of Diamond Bluff Township. Sherlin apparently moved prior to 1900 as he does not appear on the census of that date. By 1908 Barbara Firner had acquired the property, and since she lived in Prescott, the house at the Those site was either rented or abandoned. The 1955 plat does not indicate a house at the Those site. The absence of chemical glaze stoneware from the artifact collection suggests that the site was abandoned prior to 1900 since chemical glazes were the dominant surface treatment after the end of the nineteenth century (see Newkirk 1979). When the site was recorded in 1981, only a house foundation and the cultural scatter remained.

-- 12 -- Site 2519-11 is a house foundation with associated cellar depression on the bluff top in Diamond Bluff Township (Figure 3). According to the 1877 plat map this property was owned by D. P. Turner who arrived in the township after 1870. Turner is not listed in the 1880 census, and by 1895 E. W. Brookes had taken ownership of the house and property. No house appears at this location on the 1908 plat which suggests that the building had been destroyed by that date. Therefore a date of ca. 1871 to 1907 is suggested for the farmhouse. When the area was visited in 1980 the cellar depression was still visible, and the foundation of an addition was observed. Two trees were growing in what had been the cellar, which indicated that the house had been abandoned for a considerable period of time. A test pit was placed east of the house, but no artifacts were recovered. A small sample of artifacts all post date 1880, as wire nails are included in the assemblage (see Fontana 1965).

Site 2519-13 is a farm complex and stone bridge north of Diamond Bluff village (Figure 3). While the fields in the vicinity are fallow the house was still occupied in 1980 (Figure 12). The bridge crosses an intermittent stream, due east of the farm buildings. The farmhouse first appears on the 1877 county plat, and belonged to Iver Nelson, an immigrant farmer from Denmark. Nelson brought his family including daughter, Mary, to Wisconsin in the 1870s; and thus, a post-1870 date is implied for construction of the farmhouse. Iver is not listed in the 1900 census, but the land ownership was transferred to M.C. Nelson -- presumably Mary. By 1955 the ownership had again changed. The stone bridge was built in 1910 as indicated by the date on the keystone (Figure 12). This stone bridge was part of a route that extended northward up the valley, and then crossed the Wind River. This road was abandoned by 1952 for a more favorable southerly route.

The Even site (2517-30) is a farm complex situated on the bluff top northeast of Bay City (Figure 3). Also located here, but not directly within the farm complex, is a prehistoric component identified as Pi—71 (Penman 1981: 16). While Sven Magnuson, a Swedish immigrant, owned the property in 1877, no buildings appear at the site on the plat map compiled that year. By 1908 Sven's son, A. P. Magnuson, had assumed ownership and built a house and barn (Figure 13). Since then ownership has been transferred to G. Pearson, Oscar Swenson, and finally to Nick Even.

Site 2417-02 is apparently a log house that has been sided. This house is northeast of Bay City (Figure 3) on land that was originally purchased by Chauncey Hobart in 1853. None of the nineteenth century maps depict a house at this location, and the 1908 plat only shows a house on an adjacent parcel of land owned by Ole Lier. It is difficult to determine if the Hobart house is a mislocation of the log structure. Unfortunately the plat maps from the 1920-1940 era do not indicate whether or not houses occured on a particular parcel of land. A house is shown on site 2417-02 for the first time in 1955, and this one story house was still standing in 1979.

-- 13 -- TABLE 3

ARTIFACTS FROM PEPIN AND PIERCE COUNTY SITES

Site Pe-32 Pe-33 Pe-36 Pi—89 Pi—90

White Earthenware 25 56

Transferware 2

Shell Edge

Yellow Glaze Earthenware l 5

Plain Porcelain

Decorated Porcelain 4.

Porcelain Doll Fragment

Albany Slip Stoneware 37 26

Lead Glaze Stoneware 18 17 l

Chemical Glaze Stoneware

Clear Bottle Glass l

Clear Glass with Manganeese 3 2

Natural Green Bottle Glass 10 15

Olive Green Bottle Glass

Aqua Bottle Glass 9 8

Green Bottle Glass 3 l

Brown Bottle Glass

Blue Bottle Glass

Milkglass 2 3

Brick Fragment l

Unidentified Metal l 7

Square Nail 15 5

Wire Nail

Total Artifacts 122 18 26 72 136

-- 14 -- Site 2418-02 is a stone foundation of a farm building. The 1877 plat map indicates that J. P. Bergstrom owned the land, and had built a house by that date. The house was extant in 1908, and Bergstrom owned the property as late as 1917. Since Bergstrom does not appear on the 1900 census; he had apparently moved out of the state, while retaining ownership of the property. The house and an access road appear on the 1952 U. S.G. S. topographic map, but both had been abandoned twenty years later according to the 1974 topographic map (Red Wing). Local residents indicate that there was a house and barn at this location, and both were destroyed by fire. When the area was investigated in 1980 only one foundation was observed, and the artifacts collected all date to the twentieth century.

Site 2416–07 consists of a frame farmhouse and outbuilding. The house has been moved to this area from a former location. The 1877 plat map shows a structure 0.10 miles east of the present location, and at that time S. Swedberg owned the property. By 1895 three structures are depicted (M.R.C. map) on land owned by O. Hoglund. While neither Swedberg nor Hoglund appear on the 1900 census, the latter retained ownership as late as 1908, but no structure is indicated on the map of that date. The house is one story and is currently being used for storage (Figure 14). The out building is rectangular, and at one time was divided into three rooms (Figure 15). Wire nails were used almost exclusively in the construction of both buildings. Since wire nails were not abundant until after 1880 (see Fontana 1965), a post 1880 date is suggested for both buildings. The Swedberg house (ca. 1877) is probably a different house that had been abandoned. One of the three structures on the M. R. C. map (1895) is probably the house that still remains at site 2416-07. While the house had fallen into disuse by 1908 it was still maintained, and at some unknown date it was moved to the present location.

Site 2417-12 is a stone foundation in a small coulee at the base of the bluffs (Figure 3). None of the map references show a building at this location. The 1877 county plat does indicate a road which ran through the ravine and near the foundation. The Maiden Rock (15 minute) U. S. Geological Survey topographic map indicates that the road was abandoned prior to 1950. While portions of this road were still visable when the area was visited in 1976, it was not maintained and could be traveled only on foot.

The Brown house (site 2417-12) is the best preserved log cabin found during the G. R. R. survey. This house is south of Bay City (Figure 3) on land that was originally purchased by John Fertig in 1855. John Fertig was a Virginia farmer who moved to Wisconsin via Indiana. By 1877 Cornelius Fertig (Firtig) owned the land but no houses appear on the plat map of that date. By 1908 a structure appears on the plat map, and the land was owned by a John Carlson. [There were three John Carlsons in Isabelle Township at that time]. By 1917 A. Dehlgren (Dahlgren) owned the property and he retained ownership through 1955. The land is currently owned by Thomas Brown.

-- 15 -- The Brown house is a two story log structure that has a one story frame addition on the north side (Figure 15). Upon inspection in 1979 newspapers, which had been used as insulation, were found in both the original log structure and the addition. Since the newspapers date to 1906 it appears that extensive remodeling was conducted at that time. Thus since the house does not appear on the earliest plat map we can infer that the log house was abandoned prior to 1877. The newspapers indicate that the original building was remodeled some thirty years after it had been abandoned, and an addition was built at that time. John Carlson is probably responsible for the remodeling effort and the construction of a double vaulted stone storage area under the frame portion of the house.

-- 16 -- Pepin County History

John McCain settled north of Pepin Prairie in 1844, five years prior to the original land survey. McCain put up a log cabin in 1846 with the aid of his cousin, William Boyd Newcomb. Newcomb settled on the lakeshore south of McCain in 1849, and the site became known as Newcomb's Landing (Curtiss-Wedge 1919, Trygg 1964).

Newcomb's Landing was later known as Kansas, and was platted as North Pepin in 1855. When Pepin County was seperated from Dunn County in February of 1858; North Pepin, or Pepin became the county seat. Communities began to form at Lakeport, which had been McCain's homestead, and at Pepin. In 1852 Erick Peterson claimed a tract of land north of Lakeport, and four years later, Peterson and other Swedes formed the town of Stockholm (Figure 3).

The county seat was moved from Pepin to Durand in 1867. The seat of county government was shifted again to Arkansaw, and then back to Durand where a courthouse was erected in 1874. Since Pepin did not possess a natural harbor it failed to become a prominent port city. With the removal of the county seat, overland transportation faltered in the Pepin area as well. Stage routes were established to Durand, and even the logging industry bypassed the village of Pepin. Since the majority of the timber was transported via the Chippewa River, which was three miles downstream from Pepin, lumbermen sought goods and services further south. During the nineteenth century the Chippewa River was a major transportation route for boat traffic as well for it was "navigable for boats of small tonnage" (Curtiss-Wedge 1919; 959). Lakeport also lacked a natural harbor and was, therefore, even less successful in capturing the river trade.

The railroad was completed on the west side of the Mississippi River in 1870, and thus east bank towns such as Pepin and Lakeport failed to grow. The village of Stockholm suffered a similar fate for it was virtually isolated from other river communities until it was connected to Pepin by rail in 1886.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Lakeport was represented by only a few houses, and Pepin contained a single hotel, a saloon, and a few churches; while much of Stockholm's business district was destroyed by fire in 1906 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919).

As the decades progressed, farming increased in importance. There were only 25,456 acres of farmland in the county prior to the Civil War, and only 20% of this total was cultivated. By 1910 Pepin County had 61,500 acres of cultivated land, which represents an eleven-fold increase in a mere fifty year period (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 964). Thus, while Pepin County had been oriented to the river trade in its early years, it like Pierce County was forsaken by the steamboats and lumber industry. Both counties are similar in that they realized a vital economy from agriculture during the latter part of the nineteenth century.

º: gºt H!3TC

-- 17 -- Pepin County Historic Sites

A total of nine sites have been recorded for Pepin County. As was the case with the Pierce County sites, some of these sites have been mentioned previously. Several sites, notably Pe-32, Pe-33, Pe-34, and Pe-36, nave been recorded previously (Penman 1980), and the site of Fort St. Antoine (Pe-22) has been the subject of great debate among historians and archaeologists for the past century. Dating of the components has been accomplished through the aid of information from local informants and archaeological material whenever possible. In addition land survey records and plat maps were enlisted in an attempt to accurately date buildings. While there are several plat maps for the county, the 1913 and 1925 maps do not indicate whether or not there are houses on a particular tract of land. Thus, determining approximate dates of destruction that may have occured in the early twentieth century is difficult at best.

Site 2416–35 is a farm complex where only the house remains standing. This site is situated on the bluff top north of Stockholm (Figure 3), on land that was originally purchased by Ohef (Ole) Sandstrom in 1857 (Curtis-Wedge 1919: 975). By 1895 two structures had been erected at this site (M.R.C. 1895). A single house is depicted on the 1896 plat map, and at that time John Gronquist was the owner. By 1958 the house had been abandoned. When the site was visited in 1979, a foundation was recorded north of the house. A rock is west of the frame house and foundation, and due to its large size it appears to be the footing for a barn. A circular depression, which is probably a filled cistern, is the northern most feature of the site.

Site 2316–12 is a two story brick home in Stockholm (Figure 3). This house has maple floors with walnut inlay, and while renovation is currently in progress, the original front porch has been removed (Figure 16). While the earliest plat map (1877) shows a structure on land owned by Eric Peterson, the house was built much earlier, about 1870. According to census records, Peterson was a dealer in agricultural implements. He had originally claimed the land in 1852, after which he returned to his home in Sweden. In his absence several other Swedes moved into the area. Peterson returned to his claim in 1854 and two years later established his implement business. Mrs. Mary Peterson assumed ownership of the house by 1896, after the death of her husband.

Site 2315-18 is the oldest house in Stockholm (Figure 3), and was built in 1868 by Jacob Peterson. Like other Swedish immigrants, Jacob Peterson followed Eric Peterson to Stockholm Township (Curtis-Wedge 1919: 1013). Jacob Peterson claimed his house site in 1854, and bought the land in the following year. Jacob Peterson still owned the land in 1877. However, prior to 1896 ownership was transferred to E.U. Peterson. This may be E. N. Peterson who was prominent in village politics during the early part of the twentieth century.

-- 18 –- A second site at 2315-18 is north of C.T. H. "JJ". This site is represented by a house foundation and well, and according to the 1877 and 1896 plat maps William Brownlee (Brownly) owned the property. Neither map, however, depicts a house at this location. When the site was visited in 1979 several twentieth century artifacts were noted, but not collected. It would appear that this house was built during the twentieth century.

The Horse Thief site (Pe-34) is south of site 2315-18, and south of old C.T. H. "JJ" (Figure 3). William Brownlee purchased this 40 acre tract in 1869, and is listed on the 1870 census as a farmer from Pennsylvania. Brownlee retained ownership throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century, but apparently died prior to 1900. William's wife, Sarah, had taken ownership by 1913. No structures are depicted on the nineteenth century maps, even though two foundations and a depression (cistern? ) were observed by the 1979 G. R. R. crew. The foundations appear to be 1920-1930 in construction, and are not associated with the pre 1870 artifacts that have been recovered from this site (Penman 1980: 34).

The Eu-phra'-tes site (Pe-33) is a prehistoric site south of Stockholm that had been reported previously (Penman 1980: 32). In addition Pe-33 contains a historic component that is represented by a small collection of artifacts (Table 3). The 1896 plat map indicates that there was a house at this location that was owned by William Feldhausen, a German immigrant. According to the 1900 census, Feldhausen had a 21 year old daughter who had been born in Wisconsin. This suggests that Feldhausen could have arrived as early as 1879 and could have built a house by that date. Since there is no building shown on the 1877 plat map, a date of 1879 is suggested for the house at Pe-33. None of the subsequent maps indicate a house at this location, and by 1913 C.E. Ivens had taken ownership of the property. The absence of twentieth century artifacts coupled with the small size of the collection indicates that the house at Pe-33 was abandoned prior to 1900.

The Lakeport site (Pe-32) is a large Oneota site north of Pepin (Figure 3). In addition to the prehistoric component a 30 meter square area yielded a concentration of historic artifacts. This historic component is near the eastern margin of the site between the N40 and W40 grid stations (see Penman 1980: Figure 15). A representative sample of historic artifacts was collected when the site was visited in 1979 (Table 3). This collection includes one hard paste earthenware sherd that has a blue glaze, two unglazed redpaste earthenware sherds, a kaolin pipe bowl, two yellow glass sherds and one each pink and turquoise glass fragments. These colored glass fragments are probably "carnival glass". A shell button, two glass buttons, and a three piece brass button were also recovered. The metal button is stamped "Benedict & Burnham" on the back. Other artifacts not included in the table are two metal buckles, a cow (Bos taurus) tooth, and a sawn longbone that is probably also cow. The majority of the bottle bases (Table 3) are molded while one aqua bottle has a pontil mark which indicates that it was hand made. A single aqua bottle neck was also hand made, while a green bottle nas a machine made screw top. The date "1858" is embossed on two fruit jars, and one clear glass fruit jar top is embossed "Ball [script]".

-- 19 -- The handmade bottle, five mocha ware sherds, three spongeware fragments, and the stamped square nails are the oldest artifacts in the collection from Pe-32 and probably date to the 1860-1880 period. The absence of chemical glaze stoneware suggests that the site was abandoned Prior to the twentieth century. According to local informants this portion of Lakeport was the site of a nineteenth century hardware store. The artifact collection indicates that the hardware store could have been in operation during the Civil War era, and that it met its demise prior to 1900. The termination date of ca. 1900 is somewhat substantiated by Curtiss-Wedge (1919: 1012 who states that (ca. 1907) Lakeport is a "little hamlet of a few residences" and does not mention any businesses in this town. None of the Pepin County plat books depict a building at this location, and no foundations were observed by the G. R. R. crews.

The presumed location of Fort St. Antoine is also the site of a later historic house. Several late nineteenth century accounts have placed the location of the fort along the lakeshore between Pepin and Stockholm (Figure 3). The site is designated Pe-22 in the Wisconsin Archaeological Codification file. Site Pe-22 was visited in 1979, and test excavations were conducted in 1980 in an effort to relocate the fort (Penman 1981). While a large quantity of artifacts was recovered none of the historic material is contemporary to seventeenth century Fort St. Antoine. The majority of the historic debris dates to the latter part of the nineteenth century, although a tinkler and percussion cap found at a depth of 40-50 cm in excavation unit S23E2 may date as early as 1830. Currently there are five standing buildings at the site, and with the exception of the house all were built during the twentieth century. The house which is log, was built in two different stages. The one story portion, which is now the kitchen, is the older section. The two story segment has one window that faces Lake Pepin (Figures 16-18). In addition there is a foundation in an area where excavations were conducted in 1971 approximately 15 meters west of the barn (Figure 19). This farm complex is on Lot 2, or the West 1/2 of the NE1/4 of Section 20. According to Deed Book "B" (at the Pepin County Courthouse) Lot 2 was originally purchased by Marcus B. Osborn in November 1854 (see Curtis-Wedge 1919: 973). In July 1858 Osborn sold all of his land holdings to Nathan E. Lyman. Lyman's purchase price was $5000 for the Section 20 holdings and several other parcels. Osborn had originally purchased all of this land for $370.57, which indicates that land prices had soared; or that Osborn had made some improvements prior to 1858. The earliest plat map for Pepin County (1877) shows a house owned by John Carlson. Carlson retained ownership through 1896, but, little else can be said of him since there are two John Carlsons listed in the 1880 census. The log house at Pe-22 was constructed between 1854 and 1877, and during the twentieth century it was sided and wired for electricity.

-- 20 -- The Killer Lobo site (Pe-36) is the location of an early homestead that is depicted on the original land survey map (see Trygg 1964). When the land survey crews entered T23N R14W in February 1850 they noted a blacksmith's shop in the NW1/4 of the NW1/4 of the NW1/4 of Section 20 (Figure 3). A small surface collection was recovered from this site in 1979 (Table 3). While none of the ceramics bear makers' marks, the glassware indicates that the assemblage dates to the latter half of the nineteenth century. The presence of chemical glaze stoneware places some of the material in the twentieth century since chemical glazing was not common in the previous century (see Newkirk 1979). The original building at this location was a blacksmith's shop that was built before 1850. Unfortunately there are no map records available for the 1850 to 1876 period. By 1877 A. Sifert (Seifert), a Yankee farmer, had purchases the land and a building is shown on the map of that date. The 1860 census lists Sifert's son as an eight year old Wisconsin native, which indicates that Sifert moved to the state prior to 1852. While Siefert became a resident of Pepin Township at some time between 1852 and 1860, he evidently did not own site Pe-36 prior to 1872 as he is not listed as one of the pioneer landwomers in Section 20 (see Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 974-975). When the 1979 G. R. R. crew visited the site they were informed that a frame house had been torn down in 1951. The blacksmiths shop was probably a log building since milled lumber was scarce in this area prior to 1855. Unfortunately, due to the void in the map records it cannot be determined whether or not the house occupied in 1877 was the original building. The artifact collection probably dates to the Sifert occupation rather than to the earlier tenure by the blacksmith.

-- 21 -- HISTORIC SITES IN BUFFALO COUNTY ºis settlene ºligºs, Me" Buffalo County History *:::wing ºf 2: ... .353 by During the first quarter of the nineteenth century several g is:...ºf set unliscensed fur traders operated posts in the area of present day Buffalo ::::::, had 3 County (Figure 20). They came to trade with an influential Sioux chief, ... The Il Wabasha, and his band who had established a village at the present site :::::: tº meet of Winona, Minnesota. First among these traders was probably August in ::::::::ived i Roque whose post at the mouth of the Buffalo River was in operation in º:::er, and 1817 (Kane et al. 1978). Two other independent traders, August in Grignon and Joseph Roulette, maintained their posts near the mouth of the Zumbro Yet the me River, but whether these were on the east or west bank of the Mississippi º, and the is unknown (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 55). :::::: provič *... tºwn bac The first permanent settlements in Buffalo County owe their #:::ition f inception to timber exploitation on the Mississippi is lands and bottom ºnati. It lands. As steamboats passed up and down the river with increasing º: on whic frequency during the 1840's woodyards were established to supply the º:::$2; sett boats with cordwood for fuel. With the arrival of settlers the woodyards *:::::ent se expanded into villages. ºil, a º, In 1839 Thomas A. Holmes began one of these commercial woodchopping endeavors at a likely spot on the Mississippi River approximately midway The ethn between Prairie du Chien and Fort Snelling. First known as Holmes' Landing, and later as Fountain City, the site was blessed with wooded * was pred islands and a good natural steamboat landing. Holmes, his family and º: a visit relatives, and the six laborers who originally settled Holmes' Landing This wil were joined in 1840 by two German immigrants, John Adam Weber and Frank Weber. Other settlers, mostly German immigrants, continued to arrive, nearly ºf Qld but until the 1850's woodchopping continued as the primary economic function of the settlement (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 90-91, Kessinger 1888: tºwn of 215-228). all Ge: Stores The city of Alma, originally known as Twelve Mile Bluff, had a (Curti similar beginning. In 1848 two Swiss immigrants, Victor Probst and John Waecker (or Weckler), settled near the mouth of the Buffalo River and *::::, . began chopping wood. Settlement proceeded slowly at Twelve Mile Bluff * Rajori with a third Swiss immigrant joining Probst and Waecker in 1849, and a kiºs 0Cſ fourth arriving in 1850 (Anderson-Sannes 1980: 5, Curtiss-Wedge 1919: *i; sett tº take u 83–85). tº the Settlement proceeded at a faster pace beginning in the 1850's, when *.ed. many prospective farmers arrived. The first farmstead claims they sought out were in the rugged but accessable bluff land a long the Mississippi and . The its tributary streams. These stream valleys provided a relatively easy ºted 3. route to the existing settlements, an important consideration to early tither t farmers since travel over bluffs and across coulees to obtain supplies *ttlers and sell crops was an arduous task. kiins. *ists *is of ºf the %-su.

-- 22 -- This settlement of the countryside stimulated new economic growth in the villages. New businesses and services were founded to meet the needs of the growing ninter land. At Fountain City the first general store was opened in 1853 by Henry Teckenburg who bought out a trading post operated by an earlier settler. The city was granted a post office in 1854, and reportedly had a grist mill at an early date (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 90,908). The first business to open in Alma was a saloon, probably intended to meet the spiritual needs of the woodchoppers. But, in 1854 a cobbler arrived in Alma and soon thereafter, a tailor, a hardware dealer, a carpenter, and others (Anderson-Sannes 1980: 5). Yet the needs of the growing population could barely be met fast enough, and the economic opportunity that the upper Mississippi valley frontier provided for entreprenuers, tradesmen, and professionals was well known back east. Taking advantage of this opportunity was an organization formed in Ohio called the Colonization Society of Cincinnati. In 1856 the Society purchased and platted land in Buffalo County on which they established the city of Buffalo. Two years later increased settlement of the city by both Society members and by independent settlers took place. That same year (1858) a sawmill, a gristmill, a store, and a brewery were all erected (Curtiss-Wedge 1919:

87). - The ethnic character of Buffalo County during these early settlement days was predominantly German. Judge George Gale provides this account from a visit to Fountain City in April 1860: This village is the county seat of Buffalo County, and is «ATE Hºot, nearly as much a German village as if situated in the heart § §ºr; of Old Germany itself. The postmaster, county officers, H 㺠-

town officers, merchants, mechanics and farmers are nearly § g’ ** % # all Germans. The conversation of the barrooms, saloons, Q º: § stores and public places is in German principally- dºgó” (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 91) In fact, with the exception of Buffalo City, German immigrants were in the majority throughout the settled portion of Buffalo County. The various occupational backgrounds of these people in their homeland led to their settlement in cities as well as farmsteads. For German immigrants to make up such a homogeneous population in an area was not unusual, since the continued companionship and custom of fellow Germans was much

valued. The predominantly German ethnicity of Buffalo County was finally diluted after the civil War. Wheat was failing as the major crop, and rather than give up wheat farming many of the original vangard of settlers sold their farms and moved west to the unbroken sod of the plains. This vacation of existing farms, combined with increased development beyond the bluffline, made room for new settlers. Since the Peak of German immigration was over, other groups filled the void. Many of the county's Norwegians arrived at this time (Curtiss-Wedge 1919:

910–911).

-- 23 –- With the decline of wheat Buffalo County's agricultural economy became somewhat more diversified. Dairying, however, quickly emerged as the favorite alternative. The Mill Creek and Pine Creek Valleys of Alma township were the first locations to have creameries, and beyond the bluff additional creameries were soon established.

Lumbering figured very important in Buffalo County's economy during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Though local sawmills had been in operation as early as 1855 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 48-54), they were mostly concerned with processing nearby timber for local use. Buffalo County did not itself possess sufficient quantities of good timber to establish an industry.

However, when lumbering in the Chippewa Valley reached its greatest proportions Buffalo County was able to capitalize on the activity. Huge quantities of logs from various lumbering operations were being floated down the Chippewa River destined for mills on the Mississippi. To sort, process and transport these logs as they entered the Mississippi the Beef Slough Manufacturing, Booming, Log Driving and Transportation Company was formed at Alma (Anderson-Sannes 1980: 33–43, Kessinger 1888: 353–355, also see description of 47-Bf-57 below and Figures 30, 31 & 32). When the lumbering era was over just after the turn of the century, agriculture came to dominate Buffalo County's economy. In particular, dairy farming was popular and has remained so down to the present.

Buffalo County Historic Sites

A total of 27 historic sites were recorded in Buffalo County. Of these 18 are farmsteads or rural residences represented by at least partially intact structures, and five are apparent residential dump sites comprized only of artifact scatters. A Civilian Conservation Corp camp with standing structures and foundations was recorded in northwestern Buffalo County, as well as an associated SCS-CCC wing dam north of the camp. Finally, two industrial sites were visited: a lumber rafting camp represented by a surface scatter, and an early mill site with no above ground remains.

The Jost 2 site (Bf-25) was visited in 1979 and found to contain both a prehistoric and a historic component which have been reported previously (Penman 1980: 18). While the historic artifact collection is small it appears to date to the latter part of the nineteenth century. The 1877 plat map does not indicate that there were any buildings at this location. However a house which was owned by Frank Ender appears on the 1896 map. According to the 1880 census Ender was a farmer from Iowa, and while he resided in Wiscons in by 1880 he did not own Bf-25 until after 1877. Ender is again listed on the 1900 census, but plat maps indicate that he sold his property and that the house was destroyed prior to 1914. The historical documents indicate that a house was build at this location during the 1877-1896 period, and the artifact assemblage suggests that the house was abandoned prior to 1900.

-- 24 -- Site 2313–31 (Figures 20–22) is a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp located along By Golly Creek in northern Buffalo County.

- Five sheds and two concrete foundations were recorded when the site was first visited by the G. R. R. crew in 1979. The sheds were all of wood frame construction, sided with lumber and tarpaper. All are thought to have functioned as storage facilities for camp equipment. The larger concrete foundations south of the sheds most likely represent the camp barracks. By the time the site was revisited in 1981 the sheds had all been burned to the ground, though foundations still marked the locations of individual structures.

An SCS-CCC wing dam is site 2313-30 (Figure 20 & 23), located on the first terrace of the Chippewa River 1/2 mile east of Buffalo Slough, and approximately 3/4 mile north of the CCC camp (site 2313–31). The dam, which was built in 1938, was a joint construction project between the CCC and the Soil Conservation Service.

Site 2313-34 is a farmstead located on a ridge top above Trout Creek, and is represented by a brick house and log barn. A young farmer from Prussia, Charles Yahnke (or Janke) and his Swiss-born wife owned the property when the 1877 plat map was compiled. Since Yahnke was only 31 years old when the 1880 census was taken, and since he does not appear on earlier censuses, the couple had undoubtedly not been in the area long before 1877. The Yahnkes had three small children by 1880. When the next census was taken in 1890 the Yahnkes were gone, and had probably sold out to Joseph Hall who appears in their place on the 1896 plat map.

Site 2313-35 (Figures 20, 24 & 25) consists of a log barn and outbuilding located in the Trout Creek Valley. The barn is a hewn log structure. It was probably built by Gottlieb Nold, a farmer, stock dealer, financier, and the first president of the First National Bank of Nelson (Kessinger 1888: 600). Nold was a native of Germany who settled in Sauk County, Wisconsin in 1857, and moved to Nelson Township, Buffalo County in 1864. In 1887 Nold gave up farming to open a meat market in the village of Nelson, and sold his farm to John Wald. Wald, a first generation American of German-born parents, made improvements on the property (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 154). These improvements may have included construction of the milled log outbuilding. After owning the property for nine years, Wald sold it to Michael Thoeny. Both buildings are still in good condition today. They have been outfitted with sheet metal roofing and kept in repair.

Site 221.3-05 is a farmstead site consisting of a log house and barn. The site is located on a blufftop overlooking a coulee that drains into Beef Slough. This property was probably first settled by the Maerky family. In 1857 John Maerky, his wife Maria, and son Henry immigrated to Nelson Township from Canton Aargau, Switzerland and established a farm (Kessinger 1888: 584).

-- 25 -- No structures appear at the site on the 1877 plat map, indicating that the Maerky residence was located elsewhere at the time. However, since other types of farm structures were generally not depicted on plat maps, the barn may have already been standing here. A house does appear on the 1896 plat map. It was possibly built to house Henry's family when he married another Swiss immigrant sometime between 1880 and 1884 (1880 and 1900 censuses). By 1896 Henry had assumed possession of the property. He also apparently changed the spelling of his surname to Markey, since all future reference to the family employs this spelling. Of his six children, August bought the property in 1915 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919). It still remained in August's ownership in 1955, but has since been sold to another family.

The farmstead and grave site of the Christian Zable family, site 2213-09, was recorded on a bluffridge that roughly parallels the Mississippi (Figures 20, 26 & 27). Christian and Sophia Zable were Prussian natives. Judging by the Wisconsin nativity of their eldest child in the 1880 census, they had arrived in the state by 1859. The 1877 plat map establishes the Christian Zable's ownership of the property at that date, but fails to show any structure on the site of the farmstead. By the time the next plat map was compiled in 1896 they had constructed their L-shaped log cabin on the site. The family was gone when the next census was taken in 1900. By 1925 Arthur Johnson owned the property, and though no structure appears on the plat map this is an oversight, since the house is still in use today. It has been sided and additions made. The Zable's log barn with dressed limestone block foundation is now collapsed. The graves of two of the Zable children were located in a wooded section of the property close to the bluffedge. They are marked by a common headstone inscribed in German and decorated with a cross at the apex and two lambs (see Figure 27). Since the childrens' deaths occured three years apart, this marker was probably erected after the death of the second child in 1883. The childrens' names are illegible due to weathering of the marker.

Site 2213-16 (Figures 20, 28 & 29) is a wood frame house and associated milled lumber outbuilding located in front of the bluffs on Beef Slough. The house had not yet been constructed in 1877 when the Beef Slough Company owned the property. It was, however, very likely built within the next several years, as evidenced by the use of square cut nails in the construction (Fontana 1965). In 1896 the house appears on the plat map located between Beef Slough and the main north-south road. It was situated on a small tract of land owned by a C. or G. Burmingham, and still surrounded by Beef Slough Company holdings. Unfortunately, Burmingham does not appear in the census records, indicating that he or she was either an absentee landowner, or had moved prior to the 1900

Censu S •

-- 26 -- This occupation may well be an outlying representative of the small community of North Alma that grew up during the last quarter of the nineteenth century to serve the local camps of the Beef Slough Company (see site Bf-57). The house's location near North Alma, the absence of adjoining farm buildings and fields, and the duration of Burmingham's ownership concurrent with the height of Beef Slough Company operations all point to an association with the North Alma. Most likely this house served initially as the residence of a non-farming family engaged in some service or business supported by the village.

Located where the Buffalo River enters Beef Slough, the Garden site (Bf-57) is a multicomponent site containing undiagnostic prehistoric and late nineteenth century material (Peñman 1980: 14). The historic component at the site consists of debris from what was once Camp #1 of the Beef Slough Manufacturing, Booming, Log Driving and Transportation Company (Figures 20, 30, 31 & 32). The camp was one of six operated by the company between 1867 and 1905, and was probably the largest, consisting of several spacious bunkhouses, equipment storehouses, a plug mill, and the company offices. Organized in 1867, the Beef Slough Company began its booming and rafting operations on the slough despite the lack of a state granted charter required to do so. Legislative battles against an organization of Chippewa valley mill owners followed for the next several years. At times these were accompanied by local brawls and acts of sabotage perpetrated by the crews and known as the Beef Slough Wars. In 1870 the Beef Slough Company finally emerged with the right to use Beef Slough for its operations (Anderson-Sannes 1980: 34, Fries 1951: 143-5). Though this gave the company a virtual monopoly on rafting logs sent down the Chippewa from all the various lumbering operations in the valley, the financial strain of several years of hindered operation had left the company bankrupt. Other lumbering interests, however, realized the potential of owning exclusive rights to Beef Slough. In 1870 they organized under the direction of Frederick Weyerhauser to form the Mississippi River Logging Company, and in 1872 purchased a controlling interest in the Beef Slough Company. The vicinity of Camp #1 was by this time something of a bustling community all its own. Despite its proximity to Alma, the camp was served by a number of its own facilities, such as a post office and railroad depot. In the spring of 1870 Lawrence Kessinger was hired by one of the Beef Slough Company stockholders to execute a plat of the site, then comming to be called "North Alma" (Kessinger 1888: 360). Settlers other than those directly involved in lumbering were attracted to the village, presumably to provide services for the lumber camp. In 1880, at the peak of the season, North Alma was at least locally held to be the busiest riverport in the world (Anderson-Sannes 1980: 38).

-- 27 -- Eight years later silt had built up in the slough to such an extent that logs passed through with difficulty, and the booming operation was hindered. Since the Mississippi River Logging Company was denied federal permission to dredge, the slough had to be abandoned. A new rafting works was built at West Newton across the Mississippi from Alma and a few miles downstream. Logs from the Chippewa were now directed down the main channel of the Mississippi to be sorted at West Newton. Though some work continued in Beef Slough from time to time, it was limited, and in 1891 West Newton became the sole site of operations. After this date buildings from Camp # 1 were moved to West Newton. Many inhabitants of the area also left (Anderson-Sannes 1980: 42). Between 1900 and 1905, with the decline of the logging industry, the company sold its holdings at Camp #1. Only the plug mill continued to operate, manufacturing raft plugs for another logging company. When the mill burned in 1911 the last structure at Camp #1 was gone.

The Gobar Mill, 22.12-30 (Figure 20), one of the earliest mills in the county, was built on Mill Creek in 1858. Three settlers from New York, Franklin and Julius Gobar and William Gates, were involved in the operation, but judging by information in the 1860 Census their individual interests in the business were varied. Julius Gobar was a carpenter by trade, and may have been primarily responsible for construction of the mill. William Gates gave his occupation as "farmer," possibly indicating that he was a financial backer of the mill, but involved in mill operations only to a limited extent. Franklin Gobar, Julius' brother, was the only one of the three men listed as a miller in the 1860 Census. The mill changed hands at least twice after the original owners had it (Kessinger 1888: 404-5). For many years it was run by August Grams, who eventually moved to LaCrosse. By 1888 the mill, still known as the Gobar Mill, was being operated by Tritsch and Brothers. This sort of turnover in ownership was not unusual in the milling business (Kessinger 1888: 405). Though mills were generally held to be profitable enterprises and the demand for them was great, the fact was that they could be considerable financial burdens to their owners. Mills required larger capital investments than most businesses (Curti 1959: 237), and were subject to sudden ruin when spring floods came. Perhaps it was this risk that caused many owners to get out of the business after a few years. The Gobar mill is known to have suffered at least one mill pond washout, prompting the owners to convert the facility over to steam power. In 1915 the mill was destroyed by a flood. It never again resumed operation. No above ground remains were visible when the site was visited in 1979, and no subsurface testing was conducted.

-- 28 -- Two log barns were recorded as site 2213-36 (Figure 33). They are located close to the head of a coulee that drains north into the Buffalo River. Both have been sided over with milled lumber and are now

abandoned. - No structures appear here on the 1877 plat map. Since there was no access road shown leading into the coulee at that time either, it is unlikely that the barns were yet built. The plat map indicates that J. Allemann owned the land in 1877. Two John Allemans show up in census records around this date. Appearing in the 1870 census is a John Alleman who is a Swiss-born farmer, age 45, the head of a household consisting of a Swiss-born farm laborer named John Flory and a housekeeper named Cathrine Flory. In the 1880 census this John Alleman is gone and another Swiss-born farmer of the same name has appeared. This second individual would be eight years younger and had a wife and five children in his household. A structure and road finally appear at the site on the 1896 plat map. This map indicates that the structure is the residence of one Carl J. Michaels who was involved in farming and stock raising and had settled somewhere in the county in 1866. A Carl Michaels, age 69, who was living in Belvidere township in 1900 may be the same person. He was a German immigrant who engaged in farming, and was at that time living with his wife, an adult son, and and one nonrelative named George Ellers. In 1914 Fred and Ferdinand Michael's owned the farm. By 1955 it had been sold out of the Michaels family.

Site 2112-17 is a round barn situated on a western arm of the Alma Ridge (Figures 20 and 34). It is probably attributable to the Wilk family who settled in Belvidere township in 1860 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 109). John Wilk was a native of Wodarg, Prussia, who along with his wife and five children was counted in the 1870 census. First recorded evidence of Wilk's ownership of the property comes from the 1877 plat map. By 1896 John Wilk's son Henry had acquired the property, and it was likely still in his hands when the 1900 census recorded Henry, age 40, his wife, and four young children living in the township. John, by this time age 67, and his wife were also still in the township, but lived alone and were presumably retired. The 1925 plat map records that ownership has changed to Henry Miller, but neglects to show any structures. They reappear on later maps.

The Fetting site (Bf-129) is east of Buffalo City in Belvidere Township (Figure 20). A cellar depression was noted in a small wooded area when the site was investigated in 1980. During the survey an artifact collection was recovered from the area west of the cellar (Table 4). This assemblage includes a white earthenware sherd with a fragmentary makers mark (Figure 11 d), and a brown stamped earthenware sherd (Figure 11 e). The lead glazed stoneware appears to be fragments from at least two Rhine wine bottles (Figure 11 f,g). Several glass fragments were recovered and all of the bottles have hand applied lips (Figure 11 h, i.). While the 1895 map (M.R.C. 1895) shows two structures here belonging to Edward Probst, earlier maps are rather vague. The 1877 plat indicates a house 660 feet (201 meters) to the northwest on the property of Gottlieb Klein. To add to the confusion the 1896 map depicts L. Mecklenberg's house 528 feet (161 meters) east of the site, and does not indicate the presence of the Klein house.

-- 29 -- The Fetting site is probably not the location of Klein's house since he arrived in Belvidere Township in 1857 and moved to Bohris Valley in 1882. Although there is no L. Mecklenberg listed in the census records, John and Charles Mecklenberg arrived from Germany in 1865 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 111). Thus we assume that the house at Bf-129 was built by John and Charles Mecklenberg who lived here as late as l896. The archaeological collection tends to substantiate a late occupation of the site since manganese laden glass represents 29% of the glassware. Manganese was used from about 1880 to 1915 as a clearing agent (Munsey 1970: 55). The Mecklenberg house survived until about 1925; however by that date the ownership was transferred to Lloyd Fetting. The Mecklenberg/Fetting house was destroyed prior to 1932 since it does not appear on the topographic map of that date. Thus a date range of 1865-1932 is suggested for the occupation of the house at the Fetting site. One would not expect to find purplish glass containing manganese at the Klein house which probably dated 1857-1882.

The Flury site (Bf-72) is on the same terrace as Bf-129 and east of Buffalo City (Figure 20). No foundations were recorded in 1980; and due to poor field conditions, only a small artifact sample was obtained (Table 5). The presence of both Albany slipped and chemically glazed stonewares in addition to brown bottle glass indicates an 1870 to early twentieth century time range for the artifacts. All of the glassware is machine made, and probably clusters in the early part of this century. This tract was included in William Achenbach's extensive holdings in 1877 (see 2112-32 and Bf-130 below). However, the plat map compiled that year portrays no standing structures on the site. By 1896 a structure had been built, and Charles Hurth (Huth in the 1880 census) had acquired the property. Whether this was Charles Hurth Jr. or Sr. is not specified. Both appear in the 1880 census as farmers and heads of household in Belvidere Township. The elder Hurth and his wife were Prussian natives who had lived for a time in Pennsylvannia where Charles Jr. was born. When the next plat map came out in 1913 the Hurths were gone and oliver Weinandy owned the tract. Weimandy was the son of Nicholas Weinandy and grandson of John Peter Stein, a very early farm settler (see the Blacksmith Shop site, 2112-33 below).

Site 2112-32 (Figure 20) is a two story house of partial log construction located on the Mississippi floodplain. The property was owned for many years by William Achenbach who came to Belvidere township from Westphalia, Prussia in 1855 (Kessinger 1888: 560). It would be difficult to attribute the structure to Achenbach with any certainty since he owned a great deal of land in the township, and may have been renting out this particular site. . Furthermore, no structure appears here until the 1896 plat map, and since Achenbach and his family were in the area since 1855 they would have constructed a residence early enough to have shown up on the 1877 plat map. . If this structure was the Achenbach's second home, one would expect it to be constructed of milled lumber or brick, an improvement over their original

log home. - since william Achenbach had at least 11 children (1880 census), some of whom had reached adulthood by the time the cabin appears on the possible that this is the home site of one of the property, it is Achenbach children. The property still remained in the family when the 1925 plat map was compiled. By 1955 it had changed hands.

-- 30 -- The Blacksmith Shop Site, 2112-33 (Figure 20), located at the mouth of the Rose Valley, may represent the earliest farmstead in the county. In 1851 John Peter Stein, a native of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, and his wife came to the mouth of the Rose Valley. There they reportedly took up the claim of an individual named Guetle (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 233), though no original records could be found to sustantiate Guetle's presence. During their first three years of residence the Steins are said to have lived in a 12X16 foot cabin built by Guetle. When they finally constructed a larger log house this first cabin was converted to service as Mr. Stein's blacksmith shop. It was reported still standing in 1919 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 232). Stein engaged in several pursuits after settling in the Rose Valley. For the most part he practiced farming, being acclaimed as the first to raise wheat, barley, and potatoes in the town. Indian women dug the potatoes for him and were repayed with a share of the harvest. Being the first blacksmith in the area Stein was able to maintain excellent raport with the local Indians who were dependent upon him to repair their guns. In 1858 Stein attempted to build a mill on the property, but the effort failed. He did keep a successful tavern which was quite a popular gathering spot for early settlers in the valley. In addition, Stein served as an early justice of the peace. His family eventually grew to include eight children. Stein lost title to his property sometime between 1877 and 1896. It had been offered as security for Valentine Brehl's store in Belvidere Township. The family most likely continued to live there though, since it was Stein's son-in-law, Nicholas Weinandy, who assumed ownership. Weinandy was a graduate of the Galesville College who practiced some teaching, but was mostly concerned with farming. John Peter Stein died in 1895, but the property remained in the Weinandy family as late as 1955. When visited in 1980 only two decaying hewn logs marked the site. The present landowner indicated that these logs were the remains of the blacksmith shop, however pedestrian reconnaissance of the site produced no evidence to support this. The logs may be attributable to either the blacksmith shop, the second Stein house, or any number of unrecorded log outbuildings that may have been built on the property.

-- 31 -- TABLE 4

ARTIFACTS FROM BUFFALO COUNTY SITES

Site Bf-71 Bf-81 Bf-128 Bf-129

White Earthenware 67 59 12 4.

Transferware 2 7

Shell Edge 2

Bandedware 3 l

Spongeware : l

Yellow Glaze Earthenware l 2

Plain Porcelain l 3

Decorated Porcelain 3

Albany Slip Stoneware 38 16 2 ll

Lead Glaze Stoneware 8 l 6

Chemical Glaze Stoneware l

Clear Bottle Glass 5 4. l

Clear Glass with Manganese 5 9 5

Natural Green Bottle Glass 11 7

Olive Green Bottle Glass l 2

Aqua Bottle Glass 6 4. 7

Green Bottle Glass 2

Brown Bottle Glass 2 3

Milkglass l

Brick Fragment 2 9

Unidentified Metal 2 4 l l

Square Nails l

Total Artifacts 144 119 44 39

-- 32 -- Site 2012-05 (Figure 34) is a log cabin located at the mouth of a small coulee. The structure was probably built by Melchoir Schwy (Schwee) who settled in Belvidere township in 1851 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 86). The 1860 census records "Milchor Schwee," age 57, his wife and two sons. All were natives of Switzerland. The house had been built by 1877 when it appears on the earliest plat map. Melchoir Schwy died in June 1881 (Kessinger 1888: 570). Since the property still appears in the name of M. Schwy on the 1896 plat map, one of his sons, Melchoir, Jr., had probably taken over the farm. The property was sold out of the family within the next several years. No Schwys appear in the 1900 census, and by 1925 Theo. Kruse was listed as owner on the plat map. On the 1955 plat map H. E. Kochender was listed as owner. The cabin was abandoned when visited by the G. R. R. crew in 1980. Though it was never sided, there was a milled lumber addition made on the rear and electricity installed.

A second site at 2012-05 is a dressed stone house built by the Stirn family in 1906 to replace an earlier log structure. (Curtiss-Wedge 1919 and Stirn family interview). Jacob and Dorothea Stirn were natives of Wuerttemberg, Germany who first came to Washington County, Wiscons in before settling at the current family homesite in Buffalo County in 1853. The 1860 census indicates that the Stirns engaged in farming, having at that time ten improved acres and 130 unimproved. This land, along with two cows, two oxen, one sheep, nine pigs, farm implements, and stored quantities of various grains, gave the farm a value of $1800. The Stirn's only child, Henry, who had been working on the farm, took it over when his parents died prior to 1877. It remained in Henry's hands until his death in 1912 at which time one of his sons, Robert, got possession. The property still remains in the Stirn family today. A small surface collection was obtained when the site was visited in 1981 (Table 5). This sample contains chemical glazed and Albany slipped stoneware coupled with brown bottle glass that indicates a date range of 1870 to the early twentieth century. In addition a single earthenware sherd has a printed mark: "Made in Japan" which dates after 1890.

Site 2012-08 is a log cabin located on the Mississippi River floodplain. The current landowner, Edwin Foelsch, informed the G. R. R. crew that his great grandfather built the cabin about 1860. This is substantiated by the 1870 census which records William and Sophie "Faelsh" living in Belvidere township. Based on the nativities and ages of their children listed in that census, the family had emigrated from Germany to Michigan by 1856 and come on to Wisconsin between 1858 and 1861. Though only a cabin is currently standing at the site, the MRC map of 1895 shows three buildings at the farmstead. By 1896 the Foelsch's son John had acquired the tract. William and Sophia had apparently died by 1900 since neither appears in the census taken that year. Out of the total of 52 historic sites recorded in the survey area, this is one of only two that remains in the hands of the family that first settled it (see also the Stirn family house, 2012-05

above). -

-- 33 —- The Achenbach site (Bf-130) is on the terrace (665 feet, 203 meters elevation above sea level) east of Buffalo City (Figure 20). An artifact collection was obtained when the site was recorded in 1981 (Table 5). The earliest plat map (1877) shows that William Achenbach owned the property, but no house is depicted. Achenbach was a Prussian farmer who, according to census records, immigrated prior to 1869. Curtiss-Wedge (1919: 560) notes that Achenbach was from Westphalia, and had taken up residence in Belvidere Township in 1855. By 1895 the ownership had changes to L. Kochendoefer (Kochendoerser), however no buildings are indicated on any maps from the 1877 to 1932 period. The artifact collection contains one shell edge sherd which could date to the middle nineteenth century. The milkglass is from a container, and no jar liners were recovered. Other glass is from bottles with molded bases and hand made lips. Much of the glassware and stoneware dates later than the flow blue ceramics. The artifact assemblage indicates a ca. 1850 to early twentieth century time span, and since no buildings appear on the early maps and no foundations were observed by the 1981 survey party, the Achenbach site appears to have been a dump area and not an occupation Site .

The Bollinger site (Bf-128) is east of Buffalo City and due north of the new sewage treatment plant (Figure 20). This site is represented by a scatter of cultural debris that covers a one acre area (Table 4). The collection contains three yellow glazed earthenware sherds (Figure 35 a.) that are probably of local manufacture. A glazed brick fragment and a single glass button were also recovered. While one of the bottles has a hand applied lip (Figure 35 b) which indicates a pre 1900 date, a second is a clear glass bottle with a screw top and an Owens makers' mark. This style mark was used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company between 1936 and 1946 (Toulouse 1971: 403). The Bollinger site is on land that was owned by Rudolph Kochwelb in 1877. Kochwelb, who was a farmer from Prussia, immigrated to Wisconsin prior to 1860. By 1896 landownership was transferred to Henry Stirn, and the Stirn family retained ownership for the next sixty years. However, none of the map records for the 1877 to 1972 period indicates that a house ever existed at Bf-128 even though the artifacts date to a 1880– 1946 time range. Furthermore no foundations were observed when the site was visited in 1981. The presence of glass, ceramics, and brick fragments in addition to a chicken (Gallus gallus) numerus indicates that this site was used as a dump for both household and construction refuse by Kochwelb and later residents.

Site 2012-09 is a log structure at the mouth of a large coulee east of Cochrane that drains into the Mississippi (Figure 20). According to the U.S. government tract book Urs Probst layed claim to the land in 1855. A Swiss immigrant, Probst was the brother of Victor Probst, one of the original settlers of Twelve Mile Bluff (Alma), and Martin Probst, also an early county settler (Kessinger 1888: 233–34). The 1860 census records Urs, his wife Barbara, and 4 children living in Belvidere township.

-- 34 —- During the winter of 1863-64, while Probst was at Camp Randall as a volunteer in the 25th Wisconsin Infantry, he became ill and died. Barbara, however, continued to operate the farm. In the 1870 census she appears as the head of household, having two adult sons, one teenage son, a nine year old daughter, and a Swiss-born farm laborer at her residence. Ten years later, when Barbara would have been 59 years old, she and her family did not appear in the census records, at least not under the name "Probst." It is unknown whether Barbara had died, moved or remarried. By the time the 1896 plat map was compiled Charles Bade, who settled in 1867 had bought the property. It has changed hands at least twice since then. The 1925 plat map was the last to show a structure at the site, indicating that the residence was abandoned sometime between then and 1955 when the next plat map was made. The Auer 2 site (Bf-71) is south of Buffalo City and approximately 1500 feet (457 meters) from the Mississippi River (Figure 20). While the site was owned by Gottlieb Walter in 1877, it is east of the area where Walter built his home. Walter immigrated to Wisconsin in 1858 and maintained ownership of this land until after 1896. None of the map records from the 1877 to 1932 period indicate a house at the Auer site. No foundations were observed by the 1981 G. R. R. crew, and although a large artifact collection was obtained it probably represents a dump rather than an occupation area. Surface conditions were good when the area was visited and thus a large artifact collection was recovered (Table 4). Among the artifacts collected is a flow blue sherd (Figure 35 c), five white earthenware sherds with partial makers' marks (Figure 35 d), and sherds with a yellow glaze which were probably manufactured locally (Figure 35 e). A single white earthenware sherd has a fragmentary maker's mark that contains the royal coat of arms and "Burslem", which was used by many British potters from 1830 to 1947 (Godden 1964). A plain kaolin pipes tem and two yellow glazed (white paste) earthenware sherds were also recovered. The bottles have molded bases and hand applied lips which probably date ca. 1870 to 1903. The artifact collection dates to the 1850 to 1950 period and probably accurately represents the time span during which the Auer site was used as a dump.

-- 35 -- TABLE 5

ARTIFACTS FROM BUFFLAO COUNTY SITES

Site Bf-72 Bf-79 Bf-130 2012-05

White Earthenware 9 7 18

Decorated White Earthenware l

Transferware l 2 l

Shell Edge l

Plain Porcelain l

Decorated Porcelain l l 2

Albany Slip Stoneware l 5 4

Chemical Glaze Stoneware 2 6 2 2

Clear Bottle Glass 4 2 6 l

Clear Bottle Glass with Manganese 2 3

Natural Green Bottle Glass 5 2 3

Aqua Bottle Glass 4 3 8

Brown Bottle Glass l 2

Blue Bottle Glass l l

Milkglass 6 2 3

Brick Fragment l

Unidentified Metal 4.

Square Nail l

Wire Nail l

Total Artifacts 35 39 46 13

-- 36 -- The Gre shick 2 site (Bf-79) contains both a prehistoric and a historic component. The historic material comes from an area north of the prehistoric debris (Figure 20). A modest artifact collection was obtained when the site was visited in 1981 (Table 5). The artifact assemblage includes a stoneware sherd manufactured by the Minnesota Stoneware Company (Figure 35 f). This particular mark which was not commonly used, dates to the 1883-1906 era. Since the vessel has an Albany slipped interior, it was probably made prior to the twentieth century (Newkirk 1979). The bottle bases are all molded, and one clear glass base was machine made and has a script "L" on the bottom. The blue glass fragment is part of a screw top. The collection also includes a window pane fragment, a metal jar cap, and a single table spoon fragment. The Greshick site was owned by Joseph Rohrer in 1877 and by 1896 Joseph's son, John, assumed ownership. There have been at least two other landowners since 1955. While there is extensive landowner information for the property, none of the plat maps indicate a house at this location. The 1932 topographic map, however, shows a house here which was extant when the site was visited in 1981.

The Lost Token site (Bf-81) contains both a historic and an unidentified prehistoric component. The site is east of Kamerowski Road which is an older route for S.T. H. 35 (Figure 20). It is represented by a surface scatter that covers a 320X230 foot (70X100 meter) area, from which an adequate collection was obtained (Table 4). Among the artifacts are a brown stamped (hard paste) earthenware sherd, a plain kaolin pipe stem, a glass button (Figure 35 h), an unidentified earthenware sherd, a shell, and one chert thinning flake. While three white earthenware sherds exhibit makers' marks, these are to O fragmentary for identification (Figure 35 g). An aluminum trade token marked: "Rohrer Bros. Cochrane, Wis." (Figure 35 i, j) was also recovered. No house is depicted on any of the plat maps (1877-1955), and no foundations were observed by the 1981 survey crew. Furthermore, neither the 1932 nor the 1972 topographic maps indicate a house or any other building at this location. The artifact assemblage (Table 4) appears to date to the latter part of the nineteenth century, since there is manganese glass in the sample and chemical glazed stoneware is absent. The trade token was distributed by Joseph and Gottlieb Rohrer who began their hardware business at Cochrane in 1886. It is interesting to note that Joseph Rohrer's son, John, owned site Bf-81 from 1896-1925. The Rohrer Brothers store burned in 1911, and the brothers established two seperate operations (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 300). Thus the date range for the token is 1886-1911. Based on the entire collection, the span of use is 1880-1900; and this artifact assemblage appears to date a dump rather than a habitation site.

Site 1911-06 (Figures 20 & 36) consists of a log house and log barn located on the Mississippi floodplain between the bluffs and the pre lock and dam channel of Waumandee Creek. The house has been sided and is currently occupied. The barn is also still in use. The dubious accuracy of plat maps in recording structures is apparent at this site which was overlooked on all 4 of the earliest plats (1877, 1896, 1925, 1955). Only the Mississippi River Commission Map of 1895 and the Wisconsin Geological Survey Map of 1932 managed to record the farmstead, depicting both the house and barn. J. L. Lenhard had the

-- 37 -- property in 1877, but did not appear in any census records. Therefore, the duration of his tenure probably spaned only a short time between 1870 and 1880. Jacob Blum acquired the property next. His ownership is depicted on the 1896 plat map. Blum was a farmer who had settled about 1855 (Curtiss-Wedge 1919: 94) and had previously owned adjoining property. Since a residence already appeared on Blum's old property on the 1877 map, and since it continued to appear on later maps, perhaps a tenant or one of Blum's three sons had built a home here. After their father's death the Blum brothers kept the farm until 1934 when the current owner, Wilbert Brose, bought it.

Site 1911-22 (Figures 20 & 37) is a log cabin situated be low the bluffs south of Fountain City. According to Curtiss-Wedge (1919: 90 & 323) two German immigrants bought this tract of land between 1854 and 1857. John Haeus singer, who had been working as a teamster at Holme's Landing (Fountain City), and his friend from Germany Lawrence Dressendoerfer began farming the land together. In 1857 Haeussinger was married and bought Out Dressendoerfer's interest. By the 1860 census Hauessinger and his wife had two small sons. Approximately 65 acres of their 80 acre tract was improved at that time and their farm livestock consisted of two cows, two oxen, five other cattle, and 16 pigs. They had stockpiled 23 bushels of wheat, 100 of corn, 16 of oats, and 150 of Irish potatoes. Including $50 worth of farm machinery, the value of the farm was estimated at $800. The cabin shows up on the 1877 plat map, at which time the main nortn-south road ran east of the structure. In 1896 the road still followed that route, but railroad tracks had been layed down to the west. Today S.T. H. 35 runs west of the house with the route to the east abandoned. In 1880, at age 54, Hauessinger was accidentally killed. The farm remained in the family, however. In 1897 Haeussinger's son Andrew took over and made improvements (Curtiss-Wedge 1919). Today the cabin is still in use. At the time it was visited in 1980 it was undergoing remodelling of the exterior. HISTORIC SITES IN TREMPEALEAU, LACROSSE, AND VERNON COUNTIES

Trempealeau County History

Euro-American habitation of the Trempealeau County area (Figure 38) dates to the late seventeenth century. Nicholas Perrot, a trader and interpreter in the service of the French, operated a trading post in front of the bluffs near the present city of Trempealeau during the winter of 1685-86 (Curtiss-Wedge 1917: 54–55). It is thought that Perrot abandoned this post in the spring and moved upstream to establish Fort

St. Antoine on Lake Pepin. -

The hostilities of the Fox Indians who blocked the Fox-Wisconsin waterway kept the French out of the upper Mississippi valley for several decades, but in 1731 the Fox were temporarily subdued and the French returned to trade with the Souix. In this year Rene Godefroy, sieur de Linctot built a second post at the Trempealeau bluffs. Evidence from archaeological excavations carried on during the late 1880's and 1912 indicates that Linctot's post was built immediately atop Perrot's (Pierce, et al. 1915: 111-123). The second French post remained in operation under nearly constant threat of attack by the Fox until its abandonment in the spring of 1736. For almost a century following this there is no documented white habitation of the area, though numerous explorers and traders mention the landmark bluffs in their accounts.

Trading posts were again established in the area in the 1820's when unliscensed traders maintained camps near Trempealeau Mountain, and on Beaver Creek (Curtiss-Wedge 1917: 65-66). In 1836 a Swiss protestant missionary and his interpreter built a cabin and cleared land for farming east of Mission (or Mountain) Lake. Neither the missionary's farming nor his preaching were much appreciated by the Souix, and when Souix lands east of the Mississippi were given to the United States in the Treaty of 1837, the missionary packed up and left (Pierce 1906: 251-252).

Permanent settlement began the following year. In an effort to secure trade with Wabasha's village for the American Fur Company, Francois la Bath, an agent of Hercules Dousman, sent two men to the site of the city of Trempealeau. Ostensibly the men were engaged in cutting wood, though their actual purpose was to establish a steamboat landing and a general presence in the area. One of the men, Jean Baptiste (John) Douville, decided to settle at the site (Curtiss-Wedge 1917: 66-67). In 1840 Douville was joined by his father-in-law, James Reed, who was a frontiersman of some reknown. Reed and his large family built a spacious cabin on the waterfront in which Reed kept a tavern and provided hospitality to travelers (Grignon 1913: 113). The settlement was soon known as Reed's Landing (present day Trempealeau).

-- 39 -- Settlement was slow at Reed's Landing during the 1840's due to competition from LaCrosse. Just 20 miles downstream from Reed's Landing, Lacrosse manifested an air of confidence and properous growth that proved a greater attraction to settlers. The few who did come to Reed's Landing were all French and French Canadians from Prairie du Chien who built their cabins along the waterfront abreast of Reed's, and engaged in farming. After 1846 American families began to settle. The economy, however, remained simple with most of the inhabitants engaged in farming, sometimes supplemented by hunting, trapping and trading (Curti 1959: 12-17).

Development of the landing got underway in the 1850's. Benjamin F. Hueston, a LaCrosse businessman, visited the site and realized its potential. As the first steamboat landing above LaCrosse, Hueston felt that Reed's Landing could become a major agricultural shipping center. In 1852 Hueston and his partner finished construction of a warehouse and had the village platted. Speculation fever spred and land prices soared. During the next several years the village's name was changed to Montoville, Trempealeau, back to Montoville, and finally back to Trempealeau in 1856, but rivermen and original settlers managed to avoid confusion by simply continuing to call it Reed's Landing (Curtiss-Wedge 1917: 73). The village did develop to meet Hueston's expectations. In fact, for a time it functioned as the chief western wheat shipping port of Wisconsin. On any given day at harvest time wagons loaded down with wheat reportedly lined the streets for many blocks waiting to unload. This prosperity ended when the Green Bay and Western Railroad crossed the county in the mid 1870's and established a terminal at Winona (Curti 1959: 37), thus diverting trade.

While Trempealeau was growing so was the countryside. At first farmsteading had been confined to the Trempealeau Prairie behind Reed's Landing. Then in 1852 a settler purchased land on Beaver Creek 1/2 mile south of the future village of Galesville, and in 1853 settlement began on the Decorah Prairie (Curti 1959: 21). Some of the original settlers from Reed's Landing, including James Reed, also moved into the countryside at this time to continue their farming and to avoid the hustle and bustle of the new city, whatever its name was .

In 1854 the county of Trempealeau was carved out of LaCrosse County. Its boundaries have remained the same except for a small change made in 1857. Prior to this all of Township 19 North, Range 7 West was included in Trempealeau County. The change gave the area of this town south of the Black River back to LaCrosse County (Wisconsin Historical Records Survey 1942: 184-185).

The city of Galesville was established according to the plan of Judge George Gale. Unable to interest the citizens of LaCrosse in the university that he envisioned, Gale bought 2,000 acres of land on Beaver Creek in 1854 and started a mill with the hope of establishing a village and eventually a university. Though the population of Galesville grew slowly, Gale did manage to attract settlers. In 1859 work began on Gale College (Curtiss-Wedge 1917: 83–86). By 1860 Galesville had its own paper and several businesses.

-- 40 –- After this other villages grew up beyond the bluffs. They functioned mainly as rural service centers, non possessing any special attributes of location or resource that would allow them to grow into major cities.

After the 1870's when the city of Trempealeau lost its status as a principal wheat shipping port, little industry remained to distinguish the county. If any other industry ever had an opportunity at getting a foothold in the county, this opportunity was now preempted by the growing city of LaCrosse. In all its properity, LaCrosse proved to be a much more attractive site for most any large business or industry to locate. Agriculture, with a heavy emphasis on dairy farming, remained to dominate the character 9f Trempealeau County, as it still does today.

Trempealeau County Historic Site

The Melchoir Brewery and Hotel (Figures 39 & 40 and cover photo) is a two story sandstone block structure located in the city of Trempealeau. It was built in 1857 by Jacob Melchoir, age 37, who had come to Trempealeau with his wife and children from Prussia sometime between 1849 and 1854 (Atlas of Trempealeau County 1975 and 1860 census). The structure was one of the few to survive a fire that ravaged Trempealeau about 1888 destroying two blocks of businesses along the river, and leaving the village without any of its public documents and records. It may be on account of this fire that little information remains today regarding operations of the brewery and hotel. The brewery produced Melchoir Lager Beer. Caves cut into the bluff at the rear of the building were used to store the beer. The back of the building butted up against the the bluffs lope so that access to the caves was made directly through the building (Figure 40). The brewery remained in operation until at least 1882 (Kroll 1976: 130), but it is not known just how long the hotel was in existence.

-- 41 -- LaCrosse County History

The first settler in LaCrosse County arrived in 1841. Nathan Myrick, a New York native, came up from Prairie du Chien and opened a trading post on Barron's Island opposite the present city of LaCrosse. Initially the local Souix were openly hostile toward this encrouchment on their territory. They preceived by this time that white settlement was increasing in the upper Mississippi valley, and were uneasy at even the presence of additional traders. Within the year though the mood had quieted and Myrick decided to move his post to the mainland. He formed a partnership at this time with H. J. B. Miller who had just arrived and opened a post be low Myrick's on the river. During the first few years the traders, their wives, a few other settlers, and transient lumbermen comprized the total population of the settlement of Prairie LaCrosse (McMillan 1906: 383-384 and Bryant 1907: 32).

Nonetheless, Myrick must have been optomistic about LaCrosse's future. In 1842 he hired a surveyor to lay out the village site. This early plat was never recorded, though, because the necessary government land survey of the area had not yet been conducted. LaCrosse got its post office in 1844, but settlement remained slow. Only 12 white inhabitants were recorded in 1845 (McMillan 1906 and Bryant 1907).

The countryside remained unsettled at this time with the exception of Mormon Coulee south of LaCrosse. This area was a favorable one due to its good soil and location. Situated on the land trail that followed the river between Prairie du Chien and the northern posts, the coulee mouth was passed by numerous travelers. The first settlers here were a group of twenty or thirty Mormon families who came up from Nauvoo, Illinois in 1843. Soon they were joined by other settlers attracted to the trail location. Though there seem to have been no overt conflicts between the Mormons and their neighbors, the Mormons were never accepted socially. When the Mormon leader Joseph Smith was killed at St. Joseph, Missouri, this band of Mormons destroyed their cabins and returned to Nauvoo (Bryant 1907: 232). Today the coulee's name serves as the last vestige of Mormon habitation.

Prosperity arrived at Prairie LaCrosse in the late 1840's on the heels of a speculator named Timothy Burns. Burns, a future lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, thought he recognized economic potential in the little village site. He initially bought a half share of Myrick and Miller's business, and hired a surveyor to make the official plat. By 1850 several other "men of enterprise" (Bryant 1907: 33) had been attracted to LaCrosse, and the air of success was drawing settlers in much faster. In 1853, when the population of LaCrosse was 548, the U.S. Land Office opened here (Bryant 1907: 35–36, 38). Though lumbering in these days was the primary enterprise, it was quickly supplemented by others. Bryant (1907: 38) lists some of the businesses to be found in LaCrosse in 1854, and it is quite evident from the variety and multiplicity of these that the city was prospering.

-- 42 -- With the simultaneous arrival of European immigrants beginning in the early 50's, rural areas and outlying villages were being settled as well. Farmstead settlement was begun by English, Welsh and Yankee immigrants who chose sites in the accessable river valleys. Scandinavian immigrants, most of whom were Norwegian, settled in greatest density in the fertile valleys beyond the bluffs in northwestern LaCrosse County. The villages of New Amsterdam and Holmen sprung up in the late 1850's to serve this hinterland. In the southwest the character of the countryside was determined by the great proportion of German immigrants who elected to settle there.

One of the villages to grow with the influx of settlers was Onalaska. Located on the Black River, it developed around a tavern opened in 1851 to accomodate area lumbermen (Bryant 1907: 229). Growing rapidly, the village had three operating sawmills and two more under construction by 1856. In the same year a plank road was planned that would connect Onalaska to LaCrosse. Onalaska was able to compete with LaCrosse to some extent as a service center by virtue of a slightly closer proximity to farmsteads in the north. LaCrosse, however, prevailed as the more cosmopolitan city due to its location on the Mississippi, and when the lumbering industry failed at the turn of the century Onalaska suffered a decline.

LaCrosse's more diverse, healthy industry was facilitated by the transportation that the Mississippi River afforded. The dock facitilies at LaCrosse remained somewhat inadequate for supporting the heavy volume of steamboat traffic until improvements were finally made in 1856. That year a German immigrant was hired and built a new dock employing a willow twig construction method learned in his native home on the Rhine River in Germany (Bryant 1907: 68). Reportedly this type of construction was exceptionally strong and allowed water to pass through the structure without washing away the sand.

By the 1870's, however, the heyday of the steamboat was over. The first railroad had already made its arrival in LaCrosse in 1858, accompanied by much celebration. In 1872 the railroads had surpassed Mississippi steamboats in volume of passengers and had also taken over a large share of the freight business. With this replacement of river traffic by rail, LaCrosse was able to maintain a commercial posture second only to Milwaukee among Wisconsin cities, a status it maintained into the twentieth century.

By the outset of the twentieth century the rural economy of the county was dominated by dairy farming. In addition, grains and some apples were grown throughout the county. Potatoes were extensively grown in the sandy soils of the Mississippi River valley, and in the southeast tobacco was a popular crop (Rogers 1907: 182-183). Today this same general pattern remains on the country landscape.

-- 43 -- For the most part the rural service communities that were established in the 1850's have remained small, and continue to play the same economic role for the farming population that they originally did. The exceptions are the communities of Onalaska and Holmen, located near enough to be affected by the growth of LaCrosse in recent years. Fulfilling a new role as bedroom communities for LaCrosse, the residential areas of Onalaska and Holmen are expanding with new homes and apartment complexes for LaCrosse workers who chose to live away from that city and commute to their jobs. Such growth of LaCrosse and its neighboring cities a long the Black River is currently claiming much former farmland for development.

LaCrosse County Historic Site

The Patco site (1607-06) is located at the north end of French Island on land currently owned by the LaCrosse Municipal Airport. This is a historic dump site. No records indicate that a structure ever existed here, and no foundations were noted when the location was visited in 1981. The survey party recovered a substantial quantity of artifacts, and it appears that 98% of the ceramic wares were manufactured during the first part of this century. Among the ceramics are an earthenware sherd which has the makers mark "SHENA / NEW " which is probably from the Shenango China Company of New Castle Pennsylvania (Barber 1976: 35). This particular Shenango mark probably post dates 1904. Another earthenware sherd is marked with the Knowls logo. Edwin M. Knowls began pottery manufacture in 1901 at Liverpool, Ohio (Barber 1976: 117). "Fran_" which appears on a porcelain sherd was commonly used by the French China Company of Sebring, Ohio (Barber 1976: 135). A clear glass bottle has an Anchor Hocking mark that was used after 1937

(Toulouse 1971: 48). - A variety of other artifacts were also recovered. The collection includes two toys (one lead, one porcelain), two blue glass fragments, one carnival glass fragment, nine milkglass pieces, four unidentified earthenware body sherds, and various metal fragments including a spoon. A red glass bead (type IIA9) and a type IIA43s blue bead (Kidd and Kidd 1970) may date slightly earlier than the majority of the assemblage. The refuse recovered dates the Patco site to the early twentieth century. At that time property lines converged over the site dividing ownership amongst four parties: Joseph Richmond, an early French Island settler, Isidor Valiquette, E. Rise and C. Belcot.

-- 44 -- Vernon County History

The present day city of DeSoto on the Mississippi River may have been the first site of Euro-American habitation in Vernon County. Prior to the 1830's a French fur trader had located there in order to do business with Chief Winneshiek's Winnebago village. The trading post site was at this time known as Winneshiek's Landing (Rogers 1907: 237). After the Black Hawk War (1832), Hercules Dousman managed to persuade two French families by the name of Godfrey to locate at Winneshiek's Landing and secure the trading post. For about the next 20 years the settlement continued to function as a trading center. Not until the mid-1850's, a decade after settlement in the county's interior had begun, was DeSoto platted and the first businesses established there.

The village of Victory on the Mississippi also experienced its beginning as a French fur post site, but the date of the traders' arrival there is unknown. Traders were still there when the first settler, Ira Stevens, arrived in 1849. The settlement was known as Stevens' Landing until 1852 when the site was layed out and its name changed to Victory in commemoration of the defeat of Black Hawk near the site. During the days of heavy wheat cultivation Victory served as a principal shipping point in the region (Rogers 1907: 241).

For the most part, settlement of Vernon County proceeded from the inside out. That is, farmstead claims were taken up early in the interior of the county, while riverfront townships were ignored. Poor soil and harsh terrain of the riverfront were mostly accountable for this pattern of settlement. Some prospective settlers were probably warned away from even inspecting the riverfront for homesteading by accounts such as this one in the original land survey report (1846):

This township (T13N R7W) is extremely unfit for cultivation. The soil is 3d rate and poor. The surface hilly and broken. The ravines deep and narrow at the bottom. The hills high and where terminating at the ravines and branches: covered with rock, flint and Ironmist [?] . In many parts of this Township there are fine Springs of clear, pure, cold water. The timber mostly scattering and of inferior quality. Br White and Black Oak. (N.E. Whiteside, Deputy Surveyor)

Farmsteading of the interior began in the mid 1840's, five to ten years earlier than interior locations farther up the Mississippi Valley. Those to arrive early in what was then Bad Ax Township of Crawford County where mostly Yankees and a few Norwegians (Roger 1907: 61). These settlers came overland through the Wiscons in Territory. The first settled locations were the present cities of Liberty Pole and Springville, with claims taken up next in the late 40's at Viroqua and West Prairie (Rogers 1907: 41-42 and History of Vernon County 1884: 116-117). By 1851 there was already sufficient population in the area to warrent creation of two new counties. That year LaCrosse and Bad Ax (Vernon) counties were carved out of Crawford.

-- 45 -- Population growth accelerated in the 1850's due to the arrival of foriegn immigrants. Norwegians comprized a large segment of the new population, with their greatest concentration of settlement located in Coon Valley. Originally known as Helgedalen, this 25 mile long valley in the northwestern area of the county, has retained a fairly homogeneous Norwegian-American ethnicity (Holand 1928: 10–23). German immigrants, also represented a substantial share of the population at this time, but their distribution was somewhat more widespread than the Norwegians'.

The villages of the county expanded with the influx of settlers as well. The riverfront villages, however, did not experience the same volume of growth as many of those in other areas of the upper Mississippi at this time. Evidence of the relative unimportance of the riverports comes from the fact that they were overlooked when the railroads came to the county. Viroqua, the inland county seat, was chosen as a terminal when the first railroad reached the county in 1879 (Rogers 1907: 79). This is definately exceptional. In most cases throughout the upper Mississippi the riverports, not the inland villages, had the warehouse facilities and commerce that was necessary to attract rail service.

In 1862 the county's name was changed to Vernon. The feeling had been prevalent for some time that "Bad Ax" simply sounded too malicious. This being a time in frontier history when every nuance of image was scrutinized for its effect on prospective settlers, the political fathers of the county did not wish their territory to seem any more barbarian than that of their neighbors'. The name Vernon was chosen for its patriotic ring, harkening back to George Washington's home of Mount Vernon.

Vernon County's economy was headed by farming from the first. Somewhat more variety of farm products has been exhibited here than in counties to the north, with a good deal of sheep raising and corn growing taking place early. Apples, various vegetables and wheat were added at the time of the 1850's settlement boom (Rogers 1907 and Holand 1928). Tobacco, still an extremely popular cash crop in the county, was one of the items grown early. It gained popularity in the 1880's and by 1904 had become Vernon County's leading crop in terms of value (Rogers 1907: 102-103).

Vernon County Historic Sites

Site 1407-03 (Figure 38) consists of a log cabin and log outbuilding located in the Mohawk Valley of northwestern Vernon County. Charles Bay, a Prussian native, and his family were living there as early as 1880 when the census was taken. Bay was 29 years old at that time, and included in his household were his wife, mother, sister, and four sons. The oldest of these relatives to be born in Wisconsin was Bay's sister, Paulina, who was 14 in 1880. This would establish the Bay family's presence in the state by at least 1866. Whether they had settled at this site by then is unknown. Though no members of the Bay family appear in the 1900 census, Charles Bay was still shown to own the property on the 1915 plat map. By 1931 the farm had been sold out of the family to Edmund Kiecling.

-- 46 -- Site 1407-10 is also located in the Mohawk Valley. Two log cabins and a log smokehouse were recorded at the site. The northernmost of the cabins is located just within section 3. It has been sided and is still in use today. Another family of Prussian emigrants named Bay was residing at this farmstead. Herman F. Bay, age 34, headed this household when the 1900 census was taken. Though his relationship, if any, to Charles Bay is unknown, it is certain that they were not brothers since Herman's parents were also living with him. In addition, Herman's wife, sister, and three children lived at the farmstead. Herman's sister, Emelia, age 17 in 1900, was the oldest Wisconsin-born member of the family. This establishes the Bay's presence in Wisconsin by 1883. The earliest plat map of the area compiled in 1896 shows both houses on the property and confirms Bay's ownership at that date. Since the 1870 and 1880 censuses fail to record the family, it is likely that they arrived here between 1880 and 1896. The property remained in Herman Bay's hands until at least 1931.

-- 47 -- SUMMARY

In the three years of field research on the Upper Mississippi River from 1979 through 1981, the Great River Road archaeological project has recorded 52 historic sites. Most of these represent farming occupations, since urban areas were generally avoided in favor of survey in the less altered countryside. Rural farmsteads are also more poorly documented than the houses and industries of the cities, so they necessarily lend themselves to an archaeological rather than purely historical interpretation. Thus, artifacts recovered from the sites have been used to provide dates of occupation.

Due to the rapid technological changes in bottle manufacture, glassware is particularly useful as a temporal indicator. While bottle molds were patented in the 1840s, many makers still produced their wares by hand. Therefore, many bottles that date to the first part of the century exibit pontil scars on the base and have hand applied lips. Early nineteenth century bottles were usually green or an olive green that was so dark in tone that it has been referred to as "black glass". In the post Civil War era bottle molds changed in both increased variety and efficiency, and by 1870 most bottles were molded although necks and lips continued to be hand made. Through time the variety of glass colors increased also, and by the end of the 1870s green, aqua, and brown glass had become quite common. Later color additions include red, blue, and clear (with manganese), and milkglass jar liners also became prevelant. After the Owens bottle making machine was patented in 1903; the entire bottle, including the lip could be manufactured through an automated process. While the majority of the post 1903 bottles are mass produced many glass factories retained older techniques for at least two decades. Through analysis of bottle manufacturing techniques and glass color an accurate time span can be determined for a particular archaeological site.

Even though late nineteenth century ceramics are not as sensitive as glassware to manufacturing innovations they provide some insight into local economics. Much of the ceramic ware bears American makers' marks, although a significant amount of earthenware was imported from England. A small percentage of the porcelain is probably German. However the majority of the marked earthenware specimens are either American or British. Much of the "yellow glazed earthenware" has a red paste and a lead glaze that ranges from yellow to amber in color. This ware is of local manufacture since this type of ceramic was made in Minneapolis as early as 1857 (Smith 1977: 176) and at Mineral Point by 1858 (Penman 1978: 324). The distribution of redpaste earthenware in Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce counties indicates that the majority was obtained from a nearby source. Only 1% of the earthenware in the Buffalo County sample is the red paste variety. In contrast 7% of the Pierce County earthenware is red paste, while 24% of the Pepin County is the domestic ware. If the red paste wares were being shipped from Mineral Point (Iowa County, Wisconsin) or Galena, Illinois one would expect to see higher percentages of this ware in Buffalo County which is relatively close to

-- 48 -- the supplier. The reverse is the case, however, indicating that the pottery kiln was probably in eastern Minnesota, close to Pepin and Pierce County farms. It would appear that the majority of the stoneware was also made in the vicinity. By 1880 several kilns in Red Wing were producing large quantities of stoneware. Minnesota stoneware was a much sought commodity not only for its fine quality but also because of its low price (Smith 1977).

At the outset of the survey, major emphasis was placed on relocating early homesteads and other buildings that were in the upper Mississippi valley prior to the original land surveys. In Pierce County Lockwood's store, depicted on the original land map, has been replaced by newer structures in the city of Prescott. A total of five homesteads were originally mapped on Pepin Prairie (Pepin County) between 1849 and 1850, and while four of these areas were investigated, no early homestead could be relocated. Reconnaissance of the surrounding farmland failed to produce any foundations or artifacts dating to the mid nineteenth century. Several homesteads and a woodcutter's shanty in Buffalo County have also been destroyed. At the city of Trempealeau the first homestead sites now lie beneath a railroad right-of-way. In LaCrosse and Vernon counties the early traders' cabins have been overrun by more than a century of urban development at the cities of LaCrosse, Victory, and Desoto.

Sadly, it appears that all of the early structures encountered by the land surveyors have fallen victim to either modern construction or the farmer's plow. This is not surprizing. Settlement of the upper Mississippi valley prior 1850 was sparse and generally more transient in nature than later settlement. Activities such as trading, trapping, woodcutting, and subsistence farming characterized the few early pioneers. Since their mark on the landscape was minimal, it was subject to obliteration by the much more extensive settlement that followed.

Most of the recorded sites date to the latter part of the nineteenth century. The earliest hail from the 1850's. All represent the population boom that began in the 50's and lasted several decades. It was fed by a stream of European immigrants who sought livelihoods at farming the American frontier. Their ranks quickly swelled the population of the countryside. Though immigrants who arrived at the outset could chose from the choicest homestead parcels located on the Mississippi floodplain and tributary river valleys, the pressure of population growth was already forcing settlement of rugged bluff land in most areas by the late 1850's.

Riverfront villages, some of which had experienced their inceptions as trading posts or woodcutting yards, grew to moderate proportions as service centers for the surrounding farm population. While many had aspired to greatness as steamboat ports, the railroads bypassed the majority of Wiscons in towns. By the 1880's when the heyday of riverboating was past, the resulting loss of commerce sealed their fates. With the exception of a lumber processing industry that flourished from 1870 to 1900, the towns of the Mississippi came to function primarily in serving an agricultural hinterland. Only LaCrosse and Prairie du Chien had managed to attract the railroad service that allowed them to prosper as shipping centers.

-- 49 -- It is interesting to note that only 2 of the 52 sites discussed remain today in the hands of the earliest known families who settled them. These are the Stirn brick farmhouse ( site 2012-05) and the Foelsch log cabin (site 2012-08). Both are farm homes established by German natives who arrived at the sites before the Civil War, and both are coincidentally located just over a mile apart on the Mississippi floodplain near Cochrane in Buffalo County. Also worthy of mention are the Markey (site 2213-05) and Stein-Weinandy (site 2112-33) farmsteads which remained in those families for just over 100 years. Both were settled in the 1850's and only recently sold. Like the Stirn and Foelsch sites, they are German farmsteads located in Buffalo County.

The sample size in the case of this survey is too small to justify drawing any conclusions about the distribution of immigrant groups, or the particularity of their land use habits, building styles, etc. However, it should be mentioned that the sites recorded do seem to support the generalized trends that one would expect for the area. The Yankees, English and Welsh formed the vangard of settlement, beating the wave of continental European immigrants. This allowed them the choice to settle where they pleased, and they chose the accessable and productive stretches of the Mississippi floodplain and its tributary valleys. Norwegians and Germans arrived next and eventually made up the bulk of the immigrant population. Since both of these groups valued a continuation of their ethnic heritage, they tended to settle in proximity to neighbors from the homeland. Today Buffalo County is still predominently German in heritage, and pockets of Norwegian immigrant descendants live in northwestern LaCrosse County and Coon Valley (Vernon County). The Swedes, though making up a smaller percent of the population, can be found in Stockholm (Pierce County). Some Danish immigrants also settled in Pierce County, however they tended to follow a more dispersed settlement pattern and thus have not retained so much of their native culture as other groups. Information on this topic is scarce for the Wisconsin segment of the Great River Road.

Future research calls for the investigation of homestead locations south of the Trempealeau River. When the land survey crews entered the upper Mississippi region they noted four houses in what is now Trempealeau County, and four buildings which included two trading houses in Vernon County. The city of LaCrosse was platted by the survey crews in 1846 and three houses were noted south of LaCrosse (in modern LaCrosse County). Hopefully these areas can be field checked by the 1982 Great River Road survey crews. It is doubtful, however, that any of the original homesteads in the LaCrosse vicinity are extant since the city is expanding at a rapid rate. It would appear that both prehistoric and early historic sites will meet their demise in the wake of modern urban expansion.

-- 50 —- MAP REFERENCES

Buffalo County

An illustrated historical atlas of the counties of Buffalo and Pepin, Wisconsin. 1877 Briggs and Falconer. Pardeeville, Wisconsin.

Standard atlas of Buffalo and Pepin counties, Wisconsin. 1896 George A. Ogle and Company. Chicago.

Farm Plat book of Buffalo County, Wisconsin. 1925 Rockford Map Publishers. Rockford, Illinois.

Topographic map of Buffalo County. 1932 Wisconsin Geological Survey. Madison.

Plat Book of Buffalo County, Wisconsin. 1955 W.W. Hixson and Company. Rockford, Illinois.

LaCrosse County

LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. 1900 W.W. Hixson and Company. Rockford, Illinois.

Standard atlas of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. 1906 George A. Ogle and Company. Chicago.

Plat book of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. circa 1930 W. W. Hixson and Company. Rockford, Illinois.

Plat book of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. 1940 W.W. Hixson and Company. Rockford, Illinois.

Topographic map of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. 1931 Wisconsin Geological Survey. Madison.

Ownership plat book of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. 1948 Marathon Map Service. Milwaukee.

Farm plat book and business guide, LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. 1954 Rockford Map Publishers. Rockford, Illinois.

-- 51 -- Pepin County

An illustrated historical at las of the counties of Buffalo and Pepin, Wisconsin. 1877 Briggs and Falconer. Pardeeville, Wisconsin.

Standard atlas of Buffalo and Pepin counties, Wisconsin. 1896 George A. Ogle and Company. Chicago.

Atlas of Pepin County, Wisconsin. 1913 The Entering Wedge. Durand, Wisconsin.

Plat book of Pepin County, Wisconsin. 1925 W. W. Hixson and Company. Rockford, Illinois.

Plat book: Pepin County, Wisconsin. 1958 Rockford Map Publishers. Rockford, Illinois.

Pierce County

Atlas of Pierce County, Wisconsin. 1877-1878 G. V. Nash and F. B. Morgan. Appleton and Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Atlas and plat book of Pierce County, Wisconsin. 1917 Spring Valley Publishing Company. Spring Valley, Wisconsin.

Platbook of Pierce County, Wisconsin. circa 1920 W. W. Hixson Company. Rockford, Illinois.

Plat book of Pierce County, Wisconsin. 1930 A. E. Rhame. Red Wing, Minnesota.

Standard at las of Pierce County, Wisconsin. 1908 George A. Ogle and Company. Chicago.

Farm plat book of Pierce County, Wisconsin. 1955 Rockford Map Publishers. Rockford, Illinois.

-- 52 -- Trempealeau County

Map of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. 1877 M. G. Tucker.

Standard Atlas of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. 1901 George A. Ogle and Company. Chicago.

Atlas and farm directory of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. 1914 Webb Publishing Company. St. Paul.

Topographic map of Trempealeau County. 1929 Wisconsin Geological Survey. Madison.

Atlas of Trempealeau County. 1975 Tri-Tabula, Incorporated. Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

Wernon County

Plat Book of Vernon County, Wisconsin. 1896 C. M. Foote and Company. Minneapolis.

Atlas and farm directory of Vernon County, Wisconsin. 1915 Webb Publishing Company. St. Paul.

Topographic map of Vernon County. 1928 Wisconsin Geological Survey. Madison.

Official atlas of Vernon County, Wisconsin. 1931 W.W. Hixson Map and Atlas Company. Rockford, Illinois.

-- 53 -- BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson-Sannes, Barbara 1980 Alma on the Mississippi; 1848-1932. St. Mary's College Press, Winona, Minnesota.

Barber, Edwin Atlee 1976 Marks of American potters. Ars Ceramica, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Biographical History of LaCrosse 1892 Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe, and Juneau counties, Wisconsin. Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago.

Bjerkeng, Paul B. n.d. Papers, articles and notes on the history of Pierce County. Manuscript on file Area Research Center, River Falls, Wisconsin.

B legen, Theodore C. 1975 Minnesota: a history of the state. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.

Bond, J. W. 1853 Minnesota and its resources. J. S. Redfield Co., New York.

Bryant, Benjamin F. (editor) 1907 Memoirs of LaCrosse County. Western Historical Association, Madison, Wisconsin.

Burnquist, Joseph A. A. 1924 Minnesota and its people. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago.

Chapman, Silas 1856 Chapman's sectional map of the state of Iowa. Silas Chapman, Milwaukee.

1856 Chapman's new sectional map of Minnesota. Dyer and Pasmore, Milwaukee.

1856 Chapman's sectional map of Wisconsin. Silas Chapman, Publisher, Milwaukee.

Cooke, Warren W. 1940 A frontiersman in northwestern Wisconsin. Wisconsin Magazine of History 23: 281-303.

Current, Richard N. 1976 The history of Wisconsin, Volume 2: the Civil War era, 1848-1873. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison.

-- 54 -- Curti, Merle 1959. The making of an American community; a case study of democracy in a frontier county.TSEanford University Press, stanford, Cal{FOFTſa.

Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn 1917 History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. H. C. Cooper, Jr. and Company, Chicago.

1919 History of Buffalo and Pepin counties, Wisconsin. H.C. Cooper, Jr. and Company, Winona, Minnesota.

Dunn, James Taylor 1979 The St. Croix: midwest border river. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Easton, Augustus B. (editor) 1909 History of the St. Croix valley. H. C. Cooper, Jr. and Company, Chicago.

Fontana, Bernard L. 1965 The tail of a nail: on the ethnological interpretation of historic artifacts. Florida Anthropologist 18: 85–90.

Foreman, Grant 1938 Settlement of English potters in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Magazine of History 21: 375–396.

Fries, Robert F. 1951 Empire in Pine: the story of lumbering in Wisconsin, 1830-1900. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison.

Gibbs, Oliver, Jr. and C. E. Young 1857 Sketch of Pierce County. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Collections 3: 453-465.

Godden, Geoffrey A. 1964 Encyclopedia of British pottery and porcelain marks. Bonanza Books, New York.

1971 The illustrated guide to Mason's patent ironstone china. Praeger Publishers, New York.

Gray, James 1945 Pine, stream, and prairie: Wisconsin and Minnesota in profile Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Grignon, Antoine and Eben D. Pierce 1913 Recollections of Antoine Grignon. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Proceedings 61 : 110-135.

-- 55 -- Heg, J. E. 1882 The blue book of the State of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Lithographic and Engraving Company, Milwaukee.

Heilbron, Bertha L. (editor) 1932 with Pen and Pencil on the frontier in 1851; the diary and sketches of Frank Blackwell Mayer. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

History of La Crosse County, Wisconsin 1881. History of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company Chicago.

History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. 1884. History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Union Publishing Company, Springfield, Illinois.

Holand, Hjalmar R. 1928 Coon Valley. Upper Coon Valley Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Johnson, Hildegard Binder 1976 Order upon the land; the U.S. rectangular land survey and the upper Mississippi country. Oxford University Press, New York.

Kane, Lucile M. June D. Holmquist, and Carolyn Gilman (editors) 1978 The northern expeditions of Stephen H. Long; the journals of 1817 and 1823, and related documents. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Kessinger, Lawrence 1888. History 2.É Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Privately Published, Alma, Wisconsin.

Kidd, Kenneth E. and Martha Ann Kidd 1970 Classification system for glass beads for the use of field archaeologists. Canadian Historic Sites, Occasional Papers in

Archaeology and History l; 46-89. -

Kleven, Bernhardt J. 1946 The Mississippi River Logging Company. Minnesota History 27: 190

202. -

Kriviskey, Bruce M. and Richard H. Zeitlin 1981 Summary report: intensive architectural/historical survey and recommendations for downtown revitalization for Trempealeau, Galesville, Blair, and Whitehall, Wisconsin. Pfaller Herb st Associates, Inc., Milwaukee.

-- 56 -- Kroll, Wayne L. 1976 Badger breweries past and present. Privately published, Jefferson, Wisconsin.

McMillan, Morrison 1906 Early settlement of LaCrosse and Monroe counties. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Collections 4: 383-392.

Mitchell, Dorothea S. 1980 Prescott home retains Greek Revival. Prescott Journal [newspaperl, August 7. Prescott, Wisconsin.

Munsey, Cecil 1970 The illustrated guide of collecting bottles. Hawthorn Books, New York.

Newkirk, David A. 1979 A guide to Red Wing markings. Monticello Printing, Monticello, Minnesota.

Newman, T. Stell 1970 A dating key for post eighteenth century bottles. Historical Archaeology 4: 70-75.

O. L. M. 1850 Land survey maps dating 1843-1850, prepared by the Surveyor General's Office, United States of America. Maps on file, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison.

Parker, Donald Dean (editor) 1966 The recollections of Philander Prescott frontiersman of the Old Northwest, 1819-1862. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.

Pelzer, Louis 1917 Marches of the dragoons in the Mississippi valley. State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.

Penman, John T. 1978 Archaeology of a late nineteenth century shoemaker's shop, Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Wisconsin Archaeologist 59: 310-342.

1980 Archaeology of the Great River Road: site survey in Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce counties. Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 3.

1981 Archaeology of the Great River Road: survey and testing in Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce counties. Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 5.

-- 57 -- Peterson, Kenneth Allan 1972 Commercial fishing on the northern portion of Lake Pepin. Pierce County's Heritage 2.

Pierce, Eben Douglas 1906 Early history of Trempealeau. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Proceedings 54; 246-255.

1914 James Allen Reed: first permanent settler in Trempealeau County and founder of Trempealeau. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Proceedings 62: 107-117.

Pierce, Eben D., George H. Squier, and Louis Phelps Kellogg 1915 Remains of a French post near Trempealeau. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Proceedings 63; 111-123.

Price, Cynthia, R. 1979 Nineteenth century ceramics in the eastern Ozark border region. Center for Archaeological Research, Monograph 1. Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield.

Richman, Irving Berdine 1931 Ioway to Iowa. State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.

Rogers, Earl M. (editor) 1907 Memoirs of Vernon County. Western Historical Association, Madison, Wisconsin.

Rosenberg, Morton M. 1972 Iowa on the eve of the Civil War. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.

Schollmeier, David. 1972 The battle over the Pierce County seat. Pierce County's Heritage 2.

Smith, Alice E. 1973 The history of Wisconsin: Volume 1, from exploration to statehood. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison.

Smith, G. Hubert 1977 The manufacture of pottery in Minnesota. Minnesota Archaeologist 36 : 173-195.

Thwaites, Reuben Gold 1895 The Territorial census for 1836. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Collections 13: 247-270.

Tomlinson, Franklyn 1928 Pioneer days in Plum City. Privately Published, Plum City, Wisconsin.

-- 58 -- Toulouse, Julian Harrison - 1969 Fruit jars. Thomas Nelson, and Sons, Camden, New Jersey.

1971 Bottle makers and their marks. Thomas Nelson Inc., Camden, New Jersey.

Trygg, J. William 1964 Composite map of United States land surveyors' original plats and field notes. Trygg Land Office, Ely, Minnesota.

Turner, A.J. 1872 The legislative manual of the State of Wisconsin. Atwood and Culver, Madison.

Turner, J. M. 1940 Rafting on the Mississippi. Wisconsin Magazine of History 23: 313-327.

Warren, John H. and John S. Dean 1862 The legislative manual of the State of Wisconsin. Smith and Cullaton, Madison.

Weld, Allen P. 1919 Pierce County. In History of the St. Croix valley, edited by Augustus B. Easton, pp. 485-501. H.C.T.Cooper, Jr. and Company, Chicago.

Willett, George Henry 1914 Trempealeau Mountain. Abingdon Press, New York.

Wisconsin Historical Records Survey 1942 Origin and legislative history of county boundaries in Wisconsin, Madison.

—— 59 --

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FIGURE 4 Carish House; Prescott, Wisconsin (Pierce County) located at the northern terminus of Lake Street: Upper, West side of the house facing the St. Croix River; Lower, East face of the house, note notch in chimney indicating former roof line. FIGURE 5 Doe House; 606 North Lake Street, Prescott, Wisconsin (Pierce County) Built by Hilton Doe in 1855–1856: Upper, View to the northeast; Lower, West side of the house, facing Lake Street. - -º- - -

FIGURE 6 Doe House; 606 North Lake Street, Prescott, Wisconsin (Pierce County): Upper, View to the northwest including rear of the house; Lower, South side of the house. FIGURE 7 Doe House; 606 North Lake Street, Prescott, Wisconsin (Pierce County): Upper, North wall; Lower, East side, or rear of the house. º's. A. ºr . º

FIGURE 8 Smith House; 331 Lake Street, Prescott, Wisconsin (Pierce County). Built by Daniel S. Smith in 1853. This is the oldest surviving building in Prescott: Upper, View to the northwest; Lower, East side, facing Lake Street. FIGURE 9 Site 2519–01 and Pi—73, Pierce County: two views of farmhouse. FIGURE 10 Site 2519–01 and Pi—73, Pierce County: Upper, View of farm buildings; Lower, Rock wall. FIGURE 11 Artifacts from Pierce and Buffalo Counties: a-c, White Earthenware sherds with makers' marks (Pi—90); d, White Earthenware sherd with makers' mark (Bf-129); e, Brown Stamped earthenware (Bf-129); f,g lead glazed stoneware (Bf-129); h, i Clear Glass with Manganese and hand applied lips. FIGURE 12 Site 2519–13, Pierce County Upper, General view of farm complex; Lower. Stone arch bridge, note the date 1910 on kew FIGURE 13 Site 2517–30, Pierce County: Upper, Even house; Lower, Even barn. º º - º º º

FIGURE 14 Site 2416–07, Pierce County: Upper, South face of house; Lower, East wall of the house. ------|-

FIGURE 15 Pierce County Historic Sites: Upper, Outbuilding at site 2416–07; Lower, Site 2417–12, view to the northeast. FIGURE 16 Pepin County Historic Sites: Upper, Site 2316–12, Two story brick house in Stockholm; Lower, Site Pe-22, view to the south from State Trunk Highway 35. FIGURE 17 F1emming House; Pepin County: Upper, North face; Lower, South wall. FIGURE 18 Flemming House; Pepin County: Upper, East face; Lower West - + -1 - –1------a-- 1-4 – – 1--— Suº nºuu ==، (f>OZ • OGS BO +± ºnlun uolneae3x3 g WAæpeu6 peou||eu};„C）öIz6I 'n sºn ||3^ous e ！”(f)º6/61 County. §HL-socſo861 - \lun uolneae3x3 = Pepin

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FIGURE 20 Map of Historic Sites in Buffalo County FIGURE 21 Site 2313–31, Civilian Conservation Corps Camp; Buffalo County: Upper, Structure #4; Lower, Structure #2. FIGURE 22 Site 2313–31, Civilian Conservation Corps Camp ; Buffalo County: Upper, Structure #3; Lower, Structure #5, note sign above the door: "RESERVE SIGNS AND FLAGMEN". FIGURE 23 Site 2313-30, SCS-CCC wing dam; Buffalo County: Upper, View to the north;

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FIGURE 24 Site 2313–35; Buffalo County: Upper, Milled log outbuilding; Lower, Hewn log barn. FIGURE 25 Site 2313–35; Buffalo County: two views of the hewn log barn. FIGURE 26 Site 221.3-09, Zable Farmstead; Buffalo County: Upper, Log house; Lower, Limestone block foundation of the collapsed log barn. 2

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FIGURE 27 Site 221.3-09, Zable Childrens' Graves; Buffalo County: The two names on the common headstone are illegible. The left side reads: "GEB. 1883. GEST. DEC. 1873.". The right side reads: "GEB. _ AUG. 187_. GEST. 13 SEPT. 1871. ". At the bottom is inscribed: "Kinder von CHRISTIAN & SOPHIA ZABLE.". FIGURE 28 Site 2213–16; Buffalo County: Upper, South side of the house; Lower, North side of the house. FIGURE 29 Site 2213–16; Buffalo County: Upper, Farmhouse, view to the northeast; Lower, Milled lumber outbuilding. FIGURE 30 Site Bf-57, Camp #1 of the Beef Slough Company; Buffalo County, as seen from the west bank of the slough. Surface collections made by the 1979 G. R. R. field crew were in the vicinity of the building on the far right. Other buildings are obscured by the passing sternwheeler. Gerhard Gesell, photographer, ca. 1890 [S. H. S.W. Iconographic Collection WHi(G471) 27"]. FIGURE 31 Log sorting works on Beef Slough, Buffalo County. Logs that came down the Chippewa River bearing the marks of various lumber companies were sorted into the assigned pockets of those companies here at the sorting works. Each companies' logs were then formed into rafts which the Beef Slough Company also transported down the Mississippi River to the appropriate mill. Gerhard Gesell, photographer, ca. 1890 [S. H. S.W. Iconographic Collection WHi(G471) 18"]. FIGURE 32 Shear boom on Beef Slough with Alma, Wisconsin in the background. This boom could be swung out across the slough by means of positioning the wings shown on the right. When thus closed, the boom held logs in Beef Slough. As shown here the boom has been swung open to allow a steamboat to pass. From a stereopticon photograph by Gerhard Gesell taken about 1890 [S. H. S.W. Iconographic Collections WHi(X3) 28183]. FIGURE 33 Site 22.13–36; Buffalo County: Upper, General view of the area; Lower, Same 10g barn as is shown on the right in the upper photographs note the upright bricks placed between the logs in the center of the photograph. FIGURE 34 Buffalo County Historic Sites: Upper, Site 2112–17; Lower, Site 2012-05. FIGURE 35 Artifacts from Buffalo County: a, Red Paste Earthenware with yellow glaze (Bf-128); b, Aqua Bottle fragment with hand applied lip (Bf-71); c, Flow Blue sherd (Bf-71); d, White Earthenware sherd with makers' mark (Bf-71); e, Red Paste Earthenware with yellow glaze (Bf-71); f, Detail of Minnesota Stoneware Company makers' mark (Bf-79); g, White Earthenware sherd with makers' mark (Bf-81); h, Glass Button (Bf-81); i, Obverse of Rohrer Brothers trade token (Bf-81); j, Reverse of Rohrer Brothers trade token (Ef-81). - FIGURE 36 Site 1911-06, Buffalo County: Upper, Log house; Lower, Log barn. FIGURE 37 Site 1911–22, Buffalo County: Two views of the log house during remodeling in 1981. =-> TRENMPEALEAU COUNTY - ses,” |-- * ~ ov'ſ a - - - - I gr’ \º LA crosse county

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FIGURE 38 Map of Historic Sites in Trempealeau and Vernon Counties. FIGURE 39 Melchoir Brewery and Hotel; Trempealeau, Wisconsin (Trempealeau County): Upper, View of the front of the building from First Street; Lower, Detail of brick arch above a window. DATE DUE

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FIGURE 40 Melchoir Brewery and Hotel; Trempealeau, Wisconsin (Trempealeau County): Upper, View of cave entrances from inside the brewery; Lower, Bluff slope at the rear of the building with caves cut into it, and cross section of front wall. LIST OF HIGHWAY SURVEY PUBLICATIONS

Highway archaeology in Wisconsin: the 1978 field season, by John T. Penman. Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 1; January 1979 (out of print). Highway archaeology in Wisconsin: the 1979 field season, by John T. Penman and Glenn D. Stone. Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archaeological Report 2; February 1980.

Archaeology of the Great River Road: site survey in Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce counties, by John T. Penman. Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 3; June 1980.

Highway archaeology in Wisconsin: the 1980 field season, by Rodney E. Riggs and Daniel M. Seurer. Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archaeological Report 4; May 1981.

Archaeology of the Great River Road: survey and testing in Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce counties, by John T. Penman. Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 5; May 1981.

Highway archaeology in Wisconsin: the 1981 field season, by Daniel M. Seurer and John T. Penman. Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archaeological Report 6; December 1981.

Historic sites a long the Great River Road, by Lynn A. Rusch and John T. Penman. Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 7; April 1982.

COPLES OF AVAILABLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORTS MAY BE ORDERED FROM: Highway Archaeologist Museum Division State Historical Society of Wisconsin 816 State Street Madison, Wisconsin 53706