Rib Lake Historical Society Newspaper Notes © Robert P. Rusch, 2/12/2012 Updated to December 30, 2012 Newspaper Notes: 1875-1902: Articles regarding Rib Lake and vicinity from Taylor County newspapers. This is a folder of the Rib Lake Historical Society, LLC, Robert P. Rusch, manager. Its purpose is to collect data regarding Rib Lake and environs from newspaper sources other than the Rib Lake Herald. The initial emphasis will be on older newspapers, such as the Taylor County News, Taylor County Star & News, and Taylor County Star News. This document will utilize a template having four columns. Column 1 will identify the date of publication. Column 2 will indicate the newspaper. Column 3 will provide the text, i.e., either a quote or summary of the article. Column 4 contains comments that RPR may wish to make, for example, cross references to other documents. This document is begun on September 28, 2011, under the skilled scrutiny of Cindy A. Sommer, and will be on laptop computer 6. ABBREVIATIONS: Taylor County News = TCN Star & News= S/N Taylor County Star & News= TC STAR & NEWS Date Paper Text Comments 1875 4/7/1875 TCN The masthead says this is volume 1 number 2---what happened to number 1? “Ogden Brothers publishers” 4/14/1875 TCN WESTBORO -- Westboro, April 10, 1875 - Editors of The News, GENTLEMEN: We have The Wisconsin Central Railroad (later a part of the received and read, with pleasure, the first and second numbers of your paper, and pronounce “Soo Line,”) platted the Village of Westboro soon them complete in most respects: complete, as a neat and handsomely got up newspaper, and we after it constructed the railroad there. The feel highly complimented that we have such active young men at the head of a paper in our new Wisconsin Central Railroad sold a beautifully located County, but we would surely have appreciated the paper much more, had we found our little sawmill site in Westboro to John Duncan, William S. village of Westboro mentioned in its columns. Taylor and James Ritchie. You may see both the plat and sawmill contract, for example by consulting the Were you aware that there was such a place as Westboro? If not, I would inform you that we photo and document collection at 1 claim to have the smartest little town on the Wisconsin Central Railroad, not excepting the www.riblakehistory.com County seat. We are 13 miles north of Medford, in Taylor County, on Silver Creek. The place commenced its growth last fall, if I am not mistaken, in November. We have a lumber company, Duncan, Richey [Ritchie] & Co.; that had up one of the best mills on the line all ready for business. They have in about five million feet of logs. We have one hotel, the Palmer House, kept by C. C. Palmer and his most agreeable wife. Travelers can not help but feel at home while stopping with them. We claim it the largest and best hotel north of Milwaukee, at least. We can feed and lodge more people than any other. Nothing uncommon for them to have eighty-five and one hundred quests over night. We have the large wholesale and retail grocery and provision house kept by E. P. Warren, a real stirring business man , just the an for the place, always ready to accommodate his customers by keeping what they want and selling cheap. The P. O, Department has been kind to us and has established a post office at this place, Ed. Williams, Postmaster. We have one wholesale liquor house kept by Peter Campbell, not what you would call a saloon, it being so well conducted. Our restaurant, kept by N. Saloo (sic) a genuine, lively Frenchman, where you can get lobsters, sardines, oysters, and I don’t know but with bull-frogs now that the pond is open. Rhinholdt was to open a millinery shop; had his building set up, but failed to get the milliners, and has sold out to a German, who will soon open up a beer garden. We also have a first-class freight depot, managed by Mr. Cone and his worthy assistant, the Grand Duke, both very obliging gentlemen. There are many other items I could speak of that, perhaps, would be interesting to the outside world, but for fear I am taxing you too much, will speak of them some future time. Yours, Skiff 4/29/1875 TCN GOVERNOR WILLIAM R. TAYLOR -- The Democratic party will undoubtedly renominate Taylor County was named for him. William R. Taylor for Governor… 4/29/1875 TCN TAYLOR COUNTY NEWS -- (Advertisement) Taylor County News, the only newspaper in The currently published Star News is the result of a Taylor County. merger of the News and Star about the turn of the century 2 4/29/1875 TCN WISCONSIN CENTRAL TIME TABLE The time table reveals one train per day passed through Medford going north at 6:15 p.m. This train was scheduled to reach Dedham (Ogema) at 8:30 and Worcester at 10:00 p.m. where the tracks ended. The south bound train left Medford at 9:00 a.m. and arrived in Milwaukee the next morning at 6:45 a.m. 4/29/1875 TCN POPULATION BOOM -- Taylor County is rapidly increasing in population; in the village of Westboro, now containing over one hundred inhabitants, there were seven births last week. Where is there a place of that size that can do a better? 4/29/1875 TCN CHELSEA -- Mr. Colby of the Wisconsin Central Railroad has donated to the people of Chelsea The railroad platted the village of Colby at the time it two lots: one for school buildings and the other for a church. Mr. Colby is doing the faith thing was constructed there, i.e., 1873. Chelsea is named with our County. for Chelsea, Massachusetts. 4/29/1875 TCN COUNTY BOARD – C.C. Palmer, resident of Westboro and proprietor of the Palmer House This was the first Taylor county board formed after hotel there, is on the Taylor County Board of supervisors. the creation of the county in 1875; Palmer was one of three members; the others were Isaac Biscornet, Medford businessman, and G.W. Adams, chairman, a Medford attorney. 5/6/1875 TCN PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST SCHOOL MEETING OF DISTRICT NO. 2 -- Chelsea, May G. W. Adams was the chairman of the County Board 3, 1875 “Meeting called to order by S. Barry. G. W. Adams, of Medford, was introduced to and a Medford attorney practicing in the firm of the meeting. C. H. Gearhart was appointed secretary of the meeting. School law read by G. W. “Ogden & Adams, attorneys & counselors at law.” Adams. They ran a weekly ad in the News providing “Collections promptly attended to. Office in the Alfred Margatroy was chosen as district clerk and Daniel Shay as treasurer. It was decided to NEWS building.” have five months of school. Note that school was scheduled to run for five Two hundred dollars was the amount decided upon to be raised for teacher wages, and one months and free. hundred dollars to be raised for incidental expenses; four hundred dollar to be raise to build school house. The supervision of school house building is left to the school board. The generous offer of the railroad Company for school house lot accepted, The Board was instructed to purchase a lot adjacent to the one donated by the Company. 3 All who wish to attend school, residing inside or outside the district, are admitted free. A vote of thanks was tendered Mr. Adams for his kind attendance at our first meeting. /s/ Charles H. Gearhart, Secretary 5/13/1875 TCN LITTLE BLACK -- The frame for the new sawmill, owned by Watermelon & Co., situated on the Little Black River, and is ready for erection. 5/13/1875 TCN CHELSEA ITEMS -- The Indians are bringing in large quantities of fish from the lakes east of Gearhart’s impressive 3 story hotel on the west side Chelsea; they are selling them for five cents per pound. of the railroad tracks served Chelsea for many years; you can see a photo of it in the photo & document Mr. Gearhart’s new hotel is erected and enclosed. collection at www.riblakehistory.com 5/13/1875 TCN CHELSEA -- [Letter to the Editor] Chelsea, May 10, 1875 …In December last, with the I believe the author’s reference to John Wellington’s exception of the railroad line depot and a couple of homestead residences, this place was a home and farm on Black Lake is in error; His place wilderness. Since that date a site has been opened up for a town. A new mill of the capacity of was located on the north shore of Wellington Lake— 23,000 ft. of lumber and 40,000 shingles daily) erected by A. [Abrams] Taylor Esq., a large known originally as Worthington Lake. boarding house and several other buildings put up; a dam built, and C. H. Gearhart’s new hotel is fast approaching completion. Eight homesteaders are now residing in the vicinity busily Note the author’s accurate observation that most engaged clearing for cultivation; and most every acre of land for miles around has been entered. Taylor County lake water is dark colored. A school district organized, lots acquired, and in a few weeks we shall have the juveniles THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS THE FIRST assembled under some efficient person in training for future usefulness. Our scholars arrived MENTION OF RIB LAKE WITHIN THE TCN. ready for business, m any of them grown up… The site of our town will compare favorably with any along the railroad line: a level plateau with mills mill pond, dam and three million feet of first class logs to the south; on the east a tract extending over six miles to Rib Lake of excellent pine and farming lands, interceded by creeks, and dotted over with beautiful lakes abounding with fish of the choicest king, such as bass, pickerel, perch, sun fish and muscalange (sic).