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THE WAUPACA REPUBLICAN POST June 5, 1913 LETTERS FROM WAUPACA RESIDENTS Waupaca, Wis., May 26, 1913. To the Home Coming Committee: It gives me great pleasure to see how cordially the city of Waupaca has invited its former residents to return to their old home and renew the ties of friendship formed here, and with us and doubtless with them, still existing as strong and endearing as ever. Many of them left after their maturity, and went out into the world to make their own way and fortunes. We are happy to know of many of them who have been eminently successful in social, political and business life. When they left, we had a little burg, just struggling into village life, with only the primitive advantages of a small backwoods place. We want they should come now and see one of the nicest, cleanest, most attractive and prosperous little cities in the state – with fine macadamized streets, cement sidewalks, fine electric light system, fine electric railroad through the city and to the “Chain o’ Lakes,” splendid city water works, elegant churches, and as fine a school house as can be found in any city of its size in the state, business buildings which would grace any city, and above all a people as well educated and as well read in the best literature of the world as I have ever met. Yes, come and see us; we have not forgotten you; we will bring a thrill of the olden time. The journey here will do you good and you and we will renew and strengthen ties of early life which will leave a green spot in our memories never to be forgotten. The friendships formed in early life never cease to be rich in pleasant memories, and to renew them is a duty we owe ourselves as well as others. So come. Our hands, our hearts, our homes are open to give you welcome. E. L. Browne. ***** My father, S. S. Chandler, Sr., came to this county (Indian Land; it had not been surveyed at that time by the Government) in the fall of 1849 and moved his family here or near here, about the last of March, 1850, by ox teams from Racine County, Wis. We lived on the south bank of Waupaca River about three miles this side of Weyauwega, although it was five miles by the wagon road from our house and six miles to Waupaca. Father went to Berlin and bought hay to keep the cows and oxen on until the grass was large enough for them to live on, and the oxen would eat nearly one-quarter of his load and the brush scratch off another quarter before he reached home, making the load very small by the time he got home. Sugar at that time cost about fifteen cents per pound, and was yellow or brown at that; tea and coffee two to three times as much as it does now and clothing, shoes, etc., more than at the present time while a man only got about seventy-five cents per day for ten to twelve hours work; and no complaint of the High Cost of Living either. The first school we children attended in this county was held in the cottage home of A. H. Chandler and taught by Aunt Susan A. H. Chandler, his wife. The first fourth of July celebration held in the county was held on Lone Pine Hill, about two miles south and three-quarters of a mile east of the court house. The first top carriages that I remember of seeing were in 1856, or, I think when we were living at what is now the village of Iola. Ours was the first white family there, September, 1854, when we moved from the farm in Lind. Before the Civil War there was talk of a railroad, the Wisconsin Central, now the Soo line. In 1865 we had two mails a week each way between New London and Stevens Point at Iola, where we lived until 1872 when we moved to the town of Waupaca. The people who do most of the kicking about the high cost of living at the present time know but very little of hard times. They think they should be waited on and ride in autos and flying machines free of charge, I suppose – go to Panama one day and to Europe the next. When Daniel Nickel was married his wife rode home with him in a humble wagon. S. S. Chandler. ***** Waupaca, Wis., May 24, 1913. To the Home Coming Committee. A cordial greeting to the home comers to Waupaca in August next. The main object in writing this is to endorse, and if possible, to emphasize the invitation of our able committee to all former residents of Waupaca and vicinity to attend the Home Coming here in August. The committee are working hard and doing all in their power to make this gathering a grand success in every way, and as one of the old timers, I sincerely hope that they may not be disappointed. Think it over, see what it will mean to you to meet so many old friends you have not seen for twenty, thirty, or perhaps fifty years. Visit the scenes of your early life, note the improvements in streets, sidewalks, better homes, with well kept lawns, and many other things too numerous to mention. I can remember when our people held meetings, they held them in the little school house, or in what was called Gothic Hall. Those days are past and we now have quite a number of fine church buildings, which would be a credit to any city twice the size of Waupaca. Then we have a new school building which is modern and in every way up to date. We have two steam railroads, one electric line, operating from the Soo depot to the Soldier’s Home and Grand View; good water works, electric lights and a host of energetic businessmen to keep the wheels moving. Now that you will A. T., the ;ohD( , VCn. T;cC – o accept this earnest invitation to visit old Waupaca next August, is the earnest wish of one who has used Waupaca post-office continuously for sixty-one years. T. Rich. ***** The John Gordinier family came to Wisconsin in 1855 from New York, coming by boat from Buffalo to Chicago where we changed boats for Sheboygan, where we landed with our family of three children, household goods, horses, cattle and chickens – horses of the old St. Lawrence stock, Durham cattle and White Brahma fowls. We spent our first winter in Green Lake County, arriving in Lind, Waupaca County, April 1, 1856, when we set up housekeeping in a little log house on the farm where Mr. Gordinier died on July 18th, 1903. Our oldest son was killed by lightning June 23, 1858, in this same log house. A few years later we moved to the new house which is owned and occupied by Fred Spencer at the present time. For neighbors at that time we had the family of Abraham South on the west, and on the north the families of David and Susan West. We passed through all the hardships and vicissitudes incident to frontier life and I am the sole survivor of my generation left to tell the story. Mrs. Juliette Gordinier (Aged ninety years.) ***** Waupaca, Wis., May 24, 1913. Dear Readers. At the request of your Home Coming Committee will write a few of the many pleasant recollections of early life in Waupaca. Mr. Nordeen came here in 1851. Worked the first season for Augustus Chandler for $5.00 a month, taking his pay in seed corn at $2.00 bushel, seed potatoes at $1.00 a bushel and the rest in breaking on his father’s farm located where John Hom now lives. His share of his summer wages was $1.50 in money, to last him through for his board and attended school. At that time there was a small Indian village in the grove at the head of Main Street. However, they soon became scarce, though many passed through here, stopping for a short time only. I, with my widowed mother’s family, reached Waupaca May 10, 1855, hailing from Courtland County, New York. We came by way of Chicago. From there to Portage City by rail, and there hired a man and team to bring us the rest of the way, the trip taking two and one-half days. We stopped at a small tavern located where Cristy’s store now stands. It was called the Tremont House and kept by a Mr. Higgins. As we were looking for a farm, we neither cared to buy in town or board at the hotel long (there were six of us.) At the suggestion of one of the citizens, we built a shanty where the location pleased us most, which was about where Charley Roberts’ residence now stands. After the shanty was completed another trouble arose. We had nothing to put into it. Our household goods were still on the road, and little could be bought in the furniture line, nearer than Berlin or Oshkosh. We procured a stove and dishes, and with a dry goods box (large) for a table and smaller ones for chairs did very well. Our kind landlord, Mr. Higgins, loaned us two chairs and a bedstead for my mother’s and grandmother’s use. About that time Peter Grover of Stevens Point happened along, and hearing that mother wanted to buy a farm, thought she would like it better there than here, and offered to take her up there to look at land. She went, but after looking around some, did not agree with him, and found herself in Stevens Point with no way to get back. A stage line ran from there to Berlin, striking Plover. From Plover she walked, reaching home on a pleasant Sunday afternoon but in a weekday state of mind. Soon after, she purchased a farm two miles east of town, of James Cameron, father of Mrs. Winfield Scott, the farm now owned by Mr. Stinchfield. The only building on the place was a double shanty on the bank of the river a half a mile from the road. The cow and oxen lived out in the open. On our trips to and from Waupaca Falls we were more apt to meet a bear than a person. In those days our fresh meats consisted of bear steak, venison, pigeons (when they flew) and suckers (when they ran). When we moved into the shanties my aged grandmother thought we had surely reached the “jumping off place.” Soon after, mother built a house, which now stands, I think, on the east side of the present brick residence. After leaving the farm our home for many years was where S. S. Chandler now lives. In 1860 my sister and I planted the row of maples now standing there. They were one inch in diameter when planted, and came from the farm of Mr. Churchill in 1855-6 there were in Waupaca two hotels kept by Messrs. Jones and Higgins, a hardware store owned by G. & C. Chesley, two drug stores owned by J. Chesley and Dr. Thayer respectively. Wilson Holt and Charley Bartlett each conducted a general store, and two groceries, one belonging to Nathan P. Judson, the other to two brothers, Reuben and Hiram Luce. There was one newspaper, “The Waupaca Spirit,” owned and edited by the Redfield brothers, Joseph B., Charles and Luke. There were no licensed saloons but liquor could be procured at almost any place of business. About this time one citizen was fined for diluting his stock with fifteen pails of water. In case of a death, burial could not take place until a coffin was made to order by Mr. Hampson, a cabinetmaker. On July 4th of that year dinner was served on the rocks on Granite Hill. Three church denominations were represented at that time, the Baptists holding services in the schoolhouse, the Presbyterians, with Dr. Marsh as pastor, in the Gothic Hall which was about where the court house now stands. The Methodists had a church up and enclosed. During the summer, services were held in it with seats of plank held up by nail kegs and a work-bench for a pulpit. In the fall a little more work was done on the church. Among other things a pulpit was built which was quietly removed by the ladies of the congregation during the still watches of the night. It was replaced later by one that suited them. In the fall of 1855 considerable excitement prevailed over election, the location of the county seat being the main issue. In the afternoon a bus-load of men came up from Weyauwega (that place being one of the contestants) to see how election was going. They were promptly drummed out of town. In the winter of ’56 everything was very high. I remember that eggs were fifty cents a dozen and scarce. At that time I was looking for some, to make my wedding cake. After some time I located a lady who owned a few chickens and visited her. Upon making my errand known she said to me: “If you want those eggs to make a cake for the Methodist Donation party you can have them; if not, you cannot.” The cake was made and frosted without eggs. At a Donation party for Elder Hayward the following winter, I remember that everything was taken from sled-length wood to kid gloves. The winter of ’57 will always be remembered for its deep snow and heavy crust over the snow. Man times I walked from my home on Division Street to my mother’s home on Main Street over the tops of the fences. The men in getting up wood, would have to shovel the trees out of the snow after they were cut down before they could cut them up. Winters were severe, times hard, living high and wages low. None of the Waupaca people (except the few old settlers) now enjoying the privileges of the prosperous little city, can imagine the hardships of those times, or the ways and means employed to live and enjoy living. I sometimes think that we did enjoy life more under those conditions than the average person of today. Am sincerely yours, Mrs. P. J. Nordeen. ***** It was in the year 1851, about the 5th day of May, when five men in the city of Racine hired a team to take them to Fond du Lac, enroute for the Indian land which had been proclaimed as having been thrown into market by the Government. The names of these men were Ansel Warren (then editor of the Racine Advocate), Richard and John Harney, Thomas Marshall and M. R. Baldwin. I think we arrived in Fond du Lac the third day; we then took Foot & Walkers line, wading deep in water through a part of Fond du Lac to Black Wolf Point, where the Harneys had a cousin living. We chartered a little sail-boat to go up Wolf River to Gill’s Landing. Getting into Lake Poygan, we lost our course, not being able to find the cut-off which shortened the route from following the crooks in the river. Night overtook us and we tied our boat to a raft of logs, to stay for the night. About midnight a tremendously heavy thunder-storm came up, flashing and roaring frightfully, the rain pouring down furiously, but we had to stand it. In the morning we managed to find our course and came on up to Gills Landing Taking Foot & Walkers line again, we came on and made claims about a mile north of what was called Spencer’s Lake. There were a few settlers at what was called Tomorrow River Falls, which is now the city of Waupaca. The settlers were E. C. Sessions, Joseph, William and Miles Hibbard, S. F. Ware, and Captain Scott. Three of four log huts constituted the buildings. Dana Dewey was here. Winthrop and George Lord, Wilson Holt and a man by the name of Judson came here the same year; Mr. Cooper, Ambrose Gard, Chas. Bartlett and several others settling out in the country. The Vaughns, the Chandlers, Lyman Dayton and family, Vanhorn and family, J. H. Jones and several other Jones, George W. Taggart and the Caldwells. Weed, Gumaer and Birdsell had a sawmill in Weyauwega. The same year the squatters had a Fourth of July celebration. The speaker of the day who delivered the oration, was a young lawyer by the name of E. L. Browne, whom almost everybody knows and have shaken hands with many times, and is an honored and worthy citizen. Many people have come to Waupaca since the early settlement; many have gone again, and very many have gone to their final reward. If the cost of living had been as high at the time of the early settlement as now, it would not have been possible for the people to have obtained a living, for there was no money here and no way to make money. Shingles were legal tender. Every settler had to have a draw shave and a shaving horse, and go out and hunt a pine tree that would make shingles and shave them, get a team and haul them to Berlin and trade them for provisions for several years. They would also have to work in the woods during the winter for twelve, fourteen or sixteen dollars a month, according to the ability of the man. So you see how far that would go now towards supporting a family and improving a new farm. For twenty years very little progress was made in this country; from 1851 to 1871 when the railroads began to point this way, then things began to look a little better. This Indian land, with its barren sandbanks, as Evan Townsend stated in my hearing, when the Wisconsin Central was being built through here, saying it was a good thing, for we could almost raise enough to live on but if we had a railroad, we could get stuff in here easier. Now our dealers are shipping out thousands of carloads every year of the products of the soil; our banks are carrying a million dollars in deposit in this city; our farmers are retiring in affluence, and our city is the cleanest, the brightest, the best governed; our school facilities the best; our churches numerous and we have the most enterprising city of its size in this or any other state. M. R. Baldwin |