THE REPUBLICAN

April 1, 1875

 

WAUPACA

Kind Words from the Green Bay State Gazette.

 

            Waupaca is one hundred and thirty-six miles from Milwaukee and seven miles from Weyauwega.  Mr. E. Grover is the agent at this point, to whom we feel under obligations for the statistics of the business at the station, and other favors.  During the year 1874 (the month of December being omitted) the tonnage forwarded has been 3,680 tons, including 4400 bushels of grain, 16,200 barrels of flour, 32,000 bushels of potatoes, 300 head of cattle and 1,400 head of sheep.  The number of tickets sold 5,010.

            The first house built in Waupaca was in 1849, and was a small shanty built by E. C. Sessions and J. B. Hibbard.  It is now the county seat of Waupaca County, and contains about 2,500 inhabitants, and it has been incorporated as a city by an Act passed by the last legislature.  The city is situated on the Waupaca river, which at this point has a fall of over thirty feet, making one of the best water powers in this part of the state.  There are two flouring mills, one owned by Dayton, Baldwin & Co., doing a fair share of the supply of the country west of Stevens Point, on this line of road.  The other owned by G. L. Lord, does a large custom trade and shipping buckwheat to the Chicago market.  Two foundries, one owned by Temme & Rosche, who manufacture plows as a specialty and the B. F. Brown water wheel; the other by Walsh & Ogden, who confine their business to the manufacturing of the celebrated C. B. Walsh water wheel which was tested by Emerson, Holyoke, Massachusetts, and gave the best test on partial gate of any wheel ever tested by him. This foundry and machine shop was burned last New Year’s, and is being rebuilt on a large scale.  It is said that it will be one of the foremost establishments of the kind in the state.  There is one saw mill, by Paine, Dunbar & Co.; two planing mills by Jardine & Poll and Nelson, Olson & Co.; one large wagon shop by P. A. House; and one stave factory by C. Ritz; two tanneries by Zahl & Johnson and D. Parish; two furniture stores by W. Levise and J. J. Demarest & Son.  There are nearly seventy business firms in Waupaca, all evidently doing a good business.  The leading hotels are the Vosburg House and the Lewis House.

            The Waupaca Agricultural and Mechanical Association, incorporated in 1871, has now become an organization of some consequence.  The annual meeting was lately held and officers elected for the ensuing year.  Chas. Wright is the President of the society, and A. J. Perkins, Secretary.

            Waupaca should be well known for its morality, if the number of churches is any criterion – there are more spires here than in any city of its size, we believe in the state.  The new Methodist Episcopal Church has been built at a cost of $10,000.

            There are six hundred scholars attending the public schools, and Mr. J. G. Davies, Principal of the High School, has arranged a twelve year course of study taking effect Jan. 1, 1875.

            The surrounding country is nearly all good farming land and under good cultivation.