Histories: Trempealeau Co. Historical Accounts:
"History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin, 1917":
Chapter 10:
William Trim has seen all the changes come to the county from its really wild state to its present condition of wealth and comfort, having resided in it since the fifteenth day of October, 1858, to this time, except during the three years that he was in the army. He saw the red schoolhouse built at Wright's Corners in 1862 by Al Holcomb; saw the mill and dam put in by the Holcombs and Mr. Grant in 1860; knew the first teacher in the red schoolhouse, a Miss Sumara Grant, afterward Mrs. Carsely, her term being in 1862 and 1863. Mr. Carsely ran the sawmill above Bortles, built by Mr. Grant when he and Holcomb dissolved partnership in the prairie mill, Abe Holcomb coming in the spring of that year. Hollister Wright was on his old farm when Mr. Trim settled in the vicinity in 1855. Elder Cook came in 1860, Ralph Martin in 1862. Trempealeau was a small village in October, 1858. Harvey Bowls kept a hotel, as also did Frank Utter. Thede Booher and Mr. Paine kept stores, and N. B. Grover a warehouse, to which he helped Mr. Ware haul corn in the winter of 1858-59 at 25 cents a bushel shelled. He attended the town meeting in the spring of 1859 at Trempealeau, the first meeting of that kind he ever attended, and there became acquainted with Mr. Sutcliffe and John Rhodes, Samuel Barr and others, who all lived in the Big Tamarack. He says a man by the name Whistler was an early settler over the Pass - being the first one - and that the Pass was named after him. The two sons of the man became homesick and traveled back to Dodge county, and Mr. Whistler and his wife soon abandoned the place and in an ox team returned to Dodge County. Thomas Knox was an early pioneer over the Pass and sold their claim to a Mr. Rudnick, who was the first Pole to settle in Pine Creek, in 1859 or 1860. This man and his wife paid Knox in half-dollar pieces the sum of $800 she had earned in Winona washing. Knox put the half dollars in a sack to carry on foot to Galesville, but at the Lee Bridge over the Tamarack Creek he hid half of the money, finding the whole amount too heavy to carry at one time to Galesville, afterward returning for the half that he had hidden. In 1860 four Germans located north of Vernons, in the valley that has since been called German Valley. There were Koop, Pfefer, Were and Dopp. In 1858 the settlers in the Tamarack were Bortle, Cook and Vernon. On the west side of the prairie were Seby and Darwin Atwood, two Nashes and A. A. Whiting. In the south part were Stevens, Gillies, Brewins and Steadman. On the east toward Galesville were Anson Bell, Mr. King and a Mr. Hartz on the Isaac Wright farm, Thompson on old farm. A barn was built on the Thompson farm in 1859; the shingles were rived by Stark Butman from logs. Many of these shingles are now sound and good. William McDonough then lived on the old Martin farm, William Lee on the Chase Wasson farm. Later came Shaw and Howe above the Vernon farm. Castleman, a half-negro, lived on the Walsky farm.
(Interview with Stephen Richmond.)
"History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin, 1917":
Chapter 10:
Trempealeau Prairie
-As transcribed from pages 166 - 167
-As transcribed from pages 166 - 167
William Trim has seen all the changes come to the county from its really wild state to its present condition of wealth and comfort, having resided in it since the fifteenth day of October, 1858, to this time, except during the three years that he was in the army. He saw the red schoolhouse built at Wright's Corners in 1862 by Al Holcomb; saw the mill and dam put in by the Holcombs and Mr. Grant in 1860; knew the first teacher in the red schoolhouse, a Miss Sumara Grant, afterward Mrs. Carsely, her term being in 1862 and 1863. Mr. Carsely ran the sawmill above Bortles, built by Mr. Grant when he and Holcomb dissolved partnership in the prairie mill, Abe Holcomb coming in the spring of that year. Hollister Wright was on his old farm when Mr. Trim settled in the vicinity in 1855. Elder Cook came in 1860, Ralph Martin in 1862. Trempealeau was a small village in October, 1858. Harvey Bowls kept a hotel, as also did Frank Utter. Thede Booher and Mr. Paine kept stores, and N. B. Grover a warehouse, to which he helped Mr. Ware haul corn in the winter of 1858-59 at 25 cents a bushel shelled. He attended the town meeting in the spring of 1859 at Trempealeau, the first meeting of that kind he ever attended, and there became acquainted with Mr. Sutcliffe and John Rhodes, Samuel Barr and others, who all lived in the Big Tamarack. He says a man by the name Whistler was an early settler over the Pass - being the first one - and that the Pass was named after him. The two sons of the man became homesick and traveled back to Dodge county, and Mr. Whistler and his wife soon abandoned the place and in an ox team returned to Dodge County. Thomas Knox was an early pioneer over the Pass and sold their claim to a Mr. Rudnick, who was the first Pole to settle in Pine Creek, in 1859 or 1860. This man and his wife paid Knox in half-dollar pieces the sum of $800 she had earned in Winona washing. Knox put the half dollars in a sack to carry on foot to Galesville, but at the Lee Bridge over the Tamarack Creek he hid half of the money, finding the whole amount too heavy to carry at one time to Galesville, afterward returning for the half that he had hidden. In 1860 four Germans located north of Vernons, in the valley that has since been called German Valley. There were Koop, Pfefer, Were and Dopp. In 1858 the settlers in the Tamarack were Bortle, Cook and Vernon. On the west side of the prairie were Seby and Darwin Atwood, two Nashes and A. A. Whiting. In the south part were Stevens, Gillies, Brewins and Steadman. On the east toward Galesville were Anson Bell, Mr. King and a Mr. Hartz on the Isaac Wright farm, Thompson on old farm. A barn was built on the Thompson farm in 1859; the shingles were rived by Stark Butman from logs. Many of these shingles are now sound and good. William McDonough then lived on the old Martin farm, William Lee on the Chase Wasson farm. Later came Shaw and Howe above the Vernon farm. Castleman, a half-negro, lived on the Walsky farm.
(Interview with Stephen Richmond.)