Fifty Years In The Northwest
Bayfield City. The territory of Bayfield county has been successively
in the bounds of Crawford, St. Croix and La Pointe. By subsequent
subdivisions Douglas and Ashland counties were set off from La Pointe,
and the Apostle islands given to Ashland, and the remaining part of La
Pointe was organized as Bayfield county, with the county seat at
Bayfield, in 1868. Aside from traders and adventurers and the
occasional advent of a missionary, the first settler was Elisha Pike,
who came with his family in 1855, and settled in section 21, township
50, range 4, not far from Bayfield. Bayfield was named in honor of
Admiral Bayfield of the British Navy, who made a survey of Lake
Superior in 1822-23.
BAYFIELD.
The village of Bayfield was platted in 1856, by H. M. Rice. It has
since been incorporated. It is beautifully situated. The site slopes
gently from high timbered regions to the shores of the bay. The waters
of the bay are deep, clear, and, from the shelter afforded by the
Apostle islands, almost unruffled. The harbor thus afforded is among
the best on the lake. Bayfield was made a port of entry in 1858. The
city is well supplied with stores, mills, hotels, school houses, and
churches. There are many pleasant homes, with fountains playing in
front, lawns, shade trees and ornamental shrubs. The landscape,
especially to those residing in the rear of the city on the higher
grounds, is exquisitely beautiful. There are many beautiful trout
brooks and ponds in the suburbs. As a summer resort Bayfield is
becoming every year better appreciated. The Bayfield _Press_,
established in 1874, is the local newspaper. It is edited and
published by Currie C. Bell.
WASHBURN
Is a new town on the west side of Chequamegon bay. It is the lake
terminus of the Omaha railroad. It has a fine harbor, large mills and
other enterprises that mark it as a growing town.
DRUMMOND, PRATT AND MASON
Are prosperous manufacturing villages, with large saw mills, located
on White river, on the line of the North Wisconsin railroad.
CABLE STATION,
On the railroad, in township 43, range 7, contains about a dozen
buildings. Mathews, Olson & Co. are working a silver mine near Cable
which yields twenty-three dollars per ton. There are several other
villages and stations on the line of the two railroads passing through
this county.
DOUGLAS COUNTY.
This county occupies the extreme northwestern corner of the State,
having a frontage of six townships on the lake by six on the Minnesota
state line, making a total of thirty-six whole townships and five
fractional, the latter lying along the lake. The northern part of the
county is drained by the tributaries of St. Louis river and Lake
Superior, the principal streams being the Nemadji, Middle and Brule
rivers. The southern part is drained by the St. Croix and tributaries.
The Omaha railroad intersects the county from south to north, having
its northern terminus at West Superior. The Northern Pacific crosses
the upper tier of towns, having its principal station at Superior.
Thriving villages are growing up along these lines of railroad, and
the county is being rapidly settled. It was organized as a county in
February, 1854, from territory originally belonging successively to
Crawford, St. Croix and La Pointe counties.
The first election was held Nov. 7, 1854. The following officers were
elected: County judge, J. A. Markland; sheriff, Asa A. Parker;
district attorney, R. R. Nelson; register of deeds, F. A. Whitaker;
county treasurer, Bradley Salter; supervisors, Frank Perfect, Chas. H.
Kimball and Alexander Paul; supervisors' clerk, C. H. Kingsbury;
superintendent of schools, J. J. Post; coroner, R. H. Barrett. Judge
J. A. Markland held the first term of court, June 4, 1854. The first
deed filed in the county was from William Herbert to Geo. L. Becker,
being a warranty in section 14, township 47, range 14. Consideration,
$250. The deed was recorded February, 1854. At the organization of the
county, Superior was made the county seat.
SUPERIOR CITY.
The site is on a beautiful plateau originally covered with pine, lying
on the southern shore of Lake Superior, separated, however, from it by
the waters of Superior bay, a fine natural harbor shut in from the
lake by tongues of land called Minnesota and Wisconsin Points. These
approach within a half mile of each other, the space thus left being
the original outlet of the bay. Between Wisconsin Point and the main
land lie the waters of Allouez bay, extending in length a distance of
three miles, and in width in its widest part about one mile. The
Nemadji river flows into Superior bay near its outlet. The bay of St.
Louis finds an outlet into Superior bay between Rice's Point and a
tongue of land a mile or more in length, projecting from the Wisconsin
main land. Minnesota Point, which separates Superior bay from Superior
lake, is a strip of land seven miles in length, with an average width
of seven hundred feet, beautifully fringed with pines. At the outlet
of Superior bay two piers have been constructed, extending into the
lake three-fourths of a mile. On one of these piers is a forty-day
lighthouse, constructed by the government. The bay forms one of the
finest harbors in the world.
The plateau on which Superior City is located is about thirty-five
feet above the waters of the bay. The site occupies the triangular
space lying between St. Louis bay and the bays of Allouez and
Superior, and has at least eleven miles of frontage on these bays,
along which numerous docks and piers have been built and projected,
some of them costing as much as $200,000. The government surveys were
made in 1853, by George R. Stuntz. In July of the same year J.
Addison Bulmer made a location on Allouez Point. In August, John T.
Morgan settled at the mouth of the Nemadji river. They were followed
by Wm. H. Newton, George E. Nettleton, Benjamin Thompson, Col. D. A.
Robertson, R. R. Nelson, and D. A. J. Baker, of St. Paul. In September
the Roy brothers and ---- Cadott came. The same autumn Frank Roy,
Abraham Emmuit and Louis Souvenard made pre-emptions of frontage on
Superior bay. Several buildings were erected. Mr. Roy and others give
to Col. Robertson the honor of building the first house in Superior.
It is still standing.
In the fall of 1853 mineral explorations were made, and mines were
worked during the ensuing winter. An Indian trail was widened and a
road opened into the St. Croix valley by which supplies were brought
from St. Paul. This road was not wide enough for wagons, but was
traveled during the winter in dog sledges and on snowshoes. The winter
following the opening of the road, Messrs. Robertson, Nelson and Baker
went over it to St. Paul on foot. In the spring of 1854 Newton and
others made additional surveys of the town site of Superior City, and
the same was recorded Nov. 6, 1854. Settlers came in rapidly. O. K.
Hall built a hotel. At the organization of Douglas county, in 1854,
Superior was made the county seat, the proprietors donating twelve
acres of land for county buildings. Two lots for every eight blocks
were donated for schools, twenty lots for churches, and a square for a
park. A weekly mail to and from St. Paul was established in July of
that year. A saw mill was erected. A land office was established at
Superior that year. Rev. David Brooks, a pioneer Methodist minister,
preached the first sermon, using a carpenter's shop as an audience
room.
An old settlers' association was organized September, 1855, known as
the Fond du Lac Historical Society. Its officers were: R. B. Carlton,
president; W. H. Norton and E. F. Ely, vice presidents; E. W. Perry,
secretary. The Superior _Chronicle_ issued its first number June 12,
1855. It was the first newspaper published at the head of Lake
Superior. Ashton & Wise were the publishers. The second number
contained the announcement of the opening of the Ste. Marie canal and
the passage through it of the first boat, the steamer Illinois. It
contained also the astonishing announcement, from the St. Anthony
_Express_, that a salt lake had been discovered by W. H. Ingersoll,
one hundred and fifty miles west of St. Cloud. The salt was said to
be of good quality, and in such quantity that it could be gathered by
the bushel. Large beds of coal had also been discovered near the lake.
The _Chronicle_ was discontinued in 1863 and succeeded by the Superior
_Gazette_ in 1864. The _Gazette_ has been succeeded by the Superior
_Times_, now edited by J. Lute, Thomas Bardon, proprietor.
Superior City has passed through periods of depression as well as of
advancement. At an early period speculators were lured to the spot by
the manifest advantages it presented for the building of a great city.
The favorable site attracted attention throughout the Union. Wealthy
men and men prominent in the political history of the country invested
largely. Amongst these we find the names of W. W. Corcoran, of
Washington; Robert J. Walker, of New York; G. W. Cass, of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania; Horace S. Walbridge, of Toledo, Ohio; the Breckenridges
of Kentucky; the Rice brothers, of St. Paul; and James Stinson, of
Chicago. With the influence of these names, and the means furnished,
the new city had a rapid, if not healthy growth. The prosperity was
short lived. The adjacent country was not sufficiently developed, the
shipping interests languished, and those who had been attracted hither
by dreams of becoming suddenly rich, were discouraged and moved away,
till, in 1858, the city was half deserted. The period of depression
continued through the Civil War, and for years afterward, until, by
the building of railroads and the consequent development of the
country, the claims of Superior as a centre of trade were again
acknowledged, and the tide of emigration was turned back. With
Allouez, Superior and Duluth bays for its harbor, with its railroads
already built, building or projected, its enterprising people are
ready to contest with Duluth for the sovereignty of the Unsalted Seas.
Superior, being a combination of Old Superior and West Superior under
one municipality, was organized as a village Aug. 27, 1887, and held
her first village election Sept. 24, 1887, with a population of 6,000
people. It was organized with the following officers: President, L. F.
Johnston; trustees, Wm. Munro, Neil Smith, L. G. Moran, A. Lederman,
A. A. Cross, and Howard Thomas.
WEST SUPERIOR
Was platted in 1884. The first buildings were erected in October of
the same year. The city has now a population of 3,000. It has
excellent graded schools, under the supervision of Prof. G. Glen
Williams. The Catholics, Presbyterians and Congregationalists have
church buildings, and the Methodists are about to build. A hotel is in
process of building that will cost when completed $100,000. West
Superior is supplied with water works, the electric light, extensive
coal docks and elevators, and has three newspapers, the Superior
_Inter-Ocean_, established June 3, 1886; the West Superior _News_,
established June 24, 1886; and the _Sunday Morning Call_, established
July, 1887.
THE BARDON BROTHERS.--James, Thomas and John A. Bardon came early to
Superior City and upheld her doubtful fortunes in the days of trial,
never losing faith in her prospective greatness. They have not toiled
and watched and waited in vain. The expected railways have been built;
the improved harbor, with dredge boats, well built piers and
lighthouse, has been completed. Surveys and terminal approaches of
other roads insure the commercial prosperity of the city. Thomas has
for some years been a resident of Ashland, Wisconsin.
WM. H. NEWTON, an early citizen of Superior City, is among those who
have never lost faith in its future prosperity, believing the head of