and he has cleared several acres, set out an orchard of apple trees, which have commenced bearing, also paid some attention to grapes and other small fruit. Mr. and Mrs. Steinmetz are the parents of seven living children-Mary E., John A., Charles H., Sam uel E., William P., Emory A. and Oscar E. when he bought it was covered with timber. He has built a good log house and has cleared quite a large tract. He is a native of this State, born in Calumet county, March 31, 1848. His father, whose name was Nicholas V., was born in Oneida Co., N. Y. He settled in Calumet county in 1844 and was one of the first settlers in that county. He then bought land in the town of Chilton, cleared a farm and now makes that his home. The subject of our sketch was there reared to manhood, receiving his education in the district schools. He made his home there with his parents until 1870, when he came to Vernon county. He was married in January, 1871, to Mary J., daughter of James McCoy. Three children have blessed this unionLorenzo Franklin, Walter and Charles. His cousin, Henry A., son of Lorenzo F. Chesbro, Sr., was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., March 5, 1860. He attended school there until seven-years' apprenticeship at the carpenter trade. teen years of age, then went to Pennsylvania with his parents and subsequently lived with them in Kansas and Missouri. He came to Vernon county in 1883 and has since made his home with his cousin, Lorenzo F. Chesbro. Philip F. Steinmetz, a member of the board of supervisors, has resided here since 1875. He was born in Union Co., Penn., March 7, 1841. He received a fair education in the district schools, supplemented with a course of study at the Lewisburg University. He enlisted Aug. 20, 1862, in company E, 142d regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was severely wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862. He was sent to the hospital and discharged from the service March 9, 1863, on account of disability. He returned to Pennsylvania and in 1864 located in Sandusky Co., Ohio, and from thence to Seneca county, the same State, where he was married in 1868 to Dorotha Saloma Krauss. They remained in Seneca county until 1875, when they came to Vernon county and Mr. Steinmetz purchased the northeast quarter of section 18, town of Union. The land was covered with a heavy growth of timber, George W. Hamilton settled in this town in 1878. He purchased timber land on sections 19 and 20 and began to clear a farm. He was born in Philadelphia, Penn., June 2, 1826, his father having died one month previous. When nine months old he suffered the loss of his best earthly friend, his mother, and was taken in charge by an aunt, who reared him to manhood. He was sent to the city schools and when ten years of age accompanied his aunt to Delaware Co., Penn., where he reached maturity. At the age of sixteen he commenced serving a four When twenty years of age he went to Balti- He CHAPTER XLVII. VILLAGE AND TOWN OF VIROQUA. A third of a century ago, the beautiful and enterprising village of Viroqua had its origin. While there may be nothing really remarkable in the development of the past, or anything peculiarly striking in the present, still there is much that cannot fail to be of interest to those who have been closely connected and identified with the city in all the various changes that have occurred. To those who have watched the growth and progress from its earliest origin, when Vernon county, then called Bad Ax, was but a wilderness, until the present time, the accomplishment of by-gone days would seem now like a great task, but it is, in fact, the sure and legitimate results of an advanced state of civilization. society is of the most refined and desirable character. EARLY DAYS. When the earliest settlers came upon the site now occupied by the village of Viroqua they found a most inviting spot. As it is expressed by one of the pioneers, the site was a kind of an oak opening, interspersed with large oak trees, scattered irregularly over the surface. Adjacent to the north laid the fertile Round Prairie as inviting a spot as could be found in the west. The very first settlement upon the site was made by Moses Decker. In 1846 he came here prospecting and selected land which is described as the east half of the southeast quarter of section 32, and the west half of the Viroqua is situated in the civil town of Viro-southeast quarter of section 31, town 13, range qua, a little southwest of the center of the county. The village is surrounded by some of the finest and most productive agricultural and stock-raising lands in the western part of the State, which is a guarantee of a permanent and ever increasing trade. This is the terminus of the Viroqua and Sparta branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, and therefore the marketing facilities of the place are fully equal to the necessities of the community. There are many imposing and substantial brick blocks to be seen upon the business streets and a stroll about the place discloses many fine and elegant residences. The location of Viroqua, being upon one of the highest eminences in the county, is exceedingly healthy; the inhabitants are possessed of high intelligence, and the 4 west. The same fall his sons Solomon and This was of veyed and platted into lots and blocks by Samuel McMichael. A brief notice of Mr. Decker's life will doubtless be of interest: Moses Decker, the first settler on the plat of the village of Viroqua, was born in Orange Co., N. Y., of German parentage. He removed with his parents to Muskingum Co., Ohio, when a boy, where he grew to manhood and was married to Elizabeth Reasoner, subsequently removing with his family to Mercer Co., Ill. He had a family of fourteen children, eight of whom, five sons and three daughters, are living. Joseph and Henry, the two eldest sons, reside in Ohio. Solomon, who had grown to manhood when the family came to Viroqua, and where he lived for many years, is now in California. Lewis R., or "Dede," as he is familiarly known, is in Stevens, Minn. Thomas J., the youngest son, is now in Kansas. The daughters are: Eliza, J., wife of Ira Stevens, of Victory,in this county; Sarah A. is the wife George Nicholas, of Chain Lakes, Minn., and Elizabeth, wife of Owen Rice, of California. In the meantime, in 1850, Rufus Dunlap had come from Dane Co., Wis. He brought with him a large family and the remainder of a stock of goods, coming across the country by way of Baraboo, with teams. He purchased two acres of ground where the Park Hotel now stands and erected a log building, with two wings. In this building he placed his stock of goods and opened up a hotel or public house. Dunlap's was the first store in Viroqua. kept dry goods, occasionally groceries, and a stock of crockery ware lasted from the time he went in business until the time of his death in 1858. He In 1850 Orin Wisel came to Viroqua from near Liberty Pole, in the town of Franklin, where he had made a claim. He put up a board shanty a few feet north of where the Tremont Hotel now stands, hauling lumber from the saw mill in the town of Kickapoo. He was a blacksmith by trade, and opened a shop, here, which he continued for a short short tine, and then removed to Readstown. He was a strong democrat, quite a politician, and was elected the first county clerk and clerk of the circuit court of Bad Ax county. During the same year, 1850, Moses Decker erected the old school, meeting and court house, which stood upon lots now occupied by the Williams Block. This little building was the scene of all public doings in early days; it was used for schools, dances, religious services and as a court house. It is fully described in the chapter upon the courts of the county, the first term of court having been held in it. In August, 1851, the entire population of the village consisted of the families of Moses Decker, Rufus Dunlap and Orin Wisel. During this month William F. Terhune, the first educated lawyer in the county, came with his wife and located in the village. He at once became a leading spirit among the settlers While the county had been organized, yet the wheels of county goverment had not yet been fairly put in motion. He became a sort of deputy for the county at large, opening the books for the various offices and otherwise perfecting the system of county government. Mrs. Terhune opened a subscription school in the little log court house. During the same fall, for the accomodation of Judge Terhune, Isaac and Solomon Decker erected a small building about 12x16 feet in size, which stood upon the lot now occupied by the Proctor & Tollefson building. This was the first frame building erected in the village. Judge Terhune occupied the building as a residence during the following winter. This building was afterwards removed to the corner where now stands the Tremont Hotel, and was used as an addition to that building. In the fall of 1851 William A. Bullard moved into the village and took up his residence here. During the ensuing spring, of 1852, Henry Nichols, S. C. Lincoln and Gilbert Herrick all moved into the village. During the summer and fall of 1852, the building for years known as the Buckeye House was erected by Terhune & Bullard. This was the first frame building of any size erected in the county. It was constructed of the old timber or barn like frame. A number of the old settlers, among whom were James Foster, S. C. Lincoln, Cyrus Gillett, Rufus Gillett, Gilbert Herrick and others, worked upon the building under the direction of John Longley and W. A. Bullard, who might he called quasi carpenters. In those days there were no genuine carpenters; but any one who could handle a maul or drive a nail, worked at the trade. The lumber was drawn from Readstown, on the Kickapoo, where a saw-mill had been erected by Daniel Read. The building stood upon the corner directly north of the present store of Clarke Brothers. The building was occupied as a tavern with a wing attached for a law office until 1854, when the front part was rented to McAuley & McCormick for a store. They occupied it for a time, then Bullard sold his interest in the building to Dr. James Rusk, who occupied part of the building and Judge Terhune the balance. This continued until about 1862, when Rush bought Terhune's interest. After the decease of Dr. Rusk, Hon. Carson Graham bought the building and owned it until it was burned to the ground, in 1878. Mrs. Carson Graham still owns the lot upon which the building stood. Early in the spring of 1853 a man named Trott came to the village and bought the lot which is now occupied by the residence of Mrs. Randall. Upon this he erected a small dwelling house; it was frame, boarded up and down and battened. During 1854 the meagre settlement of Viroqua received a number of additions. Among those who came were: James E. Newell, Israel and Aaron White, William Huntington, Joseph Buckley, Johnson, Smith, J. B. Glassfor, Thomas Crawford and Arza and John Strait J. E. Newell erected a building which stood just back of where J. H. Tates store now is. J. Israel White came from Ohio, and died about ten days after his arrival. His son, Aaron, erected a store building upon the corner opposite the Park Hotel; he also purchased a building that had been erected by William Huntington. Joseph Buckley erected a dwelling house where William Taylor now lives, which was destroyed by the tornado. Johnson Smith came in May, 1854, and built a dwelling and store where Layne's machinery depot is now located. B. Glassford bought a building that had been erected by Thomas Crawford, and put up a little store upon the lot now occupied by Peter Nelson's grocery. Arza Strait came from Ohio; he erected a little building near the center of block 14. The dingy little room which the building contained, was the scene of many rough times in early days. John Strait came at about the same time as did Arza, and erected a little house where the widow Day now lives. He died there. Since 1854 the growth of Viroqua has been steady and sure. It has met and out lived all the difficulties which have in times past impeded the growth of this country. The crash of 1857; the hard times of the war during the sixties, and the financial panic and depression of 1873; all marked epochs or mile posts, as it were, in the history of Viroqua, as a village. In 1879 the railroad was completed to Viroqua, and since that time the growth of the village has been very rapid. The track was completed to this place during the latter part of August, and the first train reached here early in September. The citizens indulged in a spirited celebration. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. The starting point in the business life of Viroqua has already been treated at length. For many years the stores were general and all carried almost every class of goods, but as the business of Viroqua began to assume larger proportions, the general merchandise began to separate, and the various stores, as a rule, handled one line exclusively. In this connec tion will be presented a history of each of the various lines of trade, giving the first and that in 1984, interwoven with the personal history of some of the most prominent business men. The first general merchandise store in Viroqua, was established by Rufus Dunlap, in 1850, as has been stated. The next general merchandise store was started by Henry Nichols & Sons, in the spring of 1852. They put up a building on the corner now occupied by Clarke Brothers' store, which was the first store building erected in the village. It was about 20x60 feet in size and one story high. This firm continued in business until 1857, when the father retired and the sons under the firm name of L. W. Nichols & Brothers continued the business for one year. At the expiration of this time M. C. Nichols withdrew and bought out Powell & Dawson. Henry Nichols withdrew and started a store at Liberty Pole. L. W. Nichols conducted the business for about one year, when he removed the stock of goods to the Mississippi river. About two years later he came back to Viroqua and became the partner of M. C. Nichols, as Nichols Brothers. This continued for about five years, when he moved to Iowa. Later, he returned and again went into partnership, remaining until 1877, when he went to Kansas, where he still lives. Henry Nichols, one of the pioneer merchants of Vernon county, was a native of Providence, R. I., born Nov. 22, 1790. He was the son of a sea captain. After the death of his father, he removed with his mother, whose maiden name was Burnham, to western New York. From there, after the death of his mother, he removed to near White Pigeon, Mich. There he was married. His wife lived but a few years, and after her death, he removed with his only child, George S., to Ohio. Leaving his son there in care of friends, he went to St. Louis, Mo., and joined the Ashley expedition, which was sent in 1823, by the Hudson Bay Company, to trap for furs and trade with the Indians in the Rocky mountain region. About fifty men started on the expedition, and after spending two years traveling over the whole territory between the Yellow stone and Platte rivers, and enduring many hardships and privations, and having many conflicts with hostile Indians and wild animals, he, with but eighteen others, returned. After spending a year or two on the lower Mississippi, he settled in Hancock Co., Ill., where he married Delia Whitney, a daughter of Luther Whitney, with whom he lived on a farm near Warsaw until her death, which occurred in 1848. During his residence there, he served one term as probate judge of the county. In 1849 he moved with his family to Le Claire, Scott Co., Iowa, where he commenced his mercantile life. In 1852 he moved to Vernon Co., Wis., where, with his son Luther, under the firm name of H. Nichols & Son, he started the pioneer store of Viroqua. He continued in business until 1857, when he retired. In 1856 he was married to Mrs. Lydia Van Wagnen, with whom he lived until her death in 1870. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for more than half a century, and took an active part in moral and religious work, and at the advanced age of eighty-five years, loved and respected by all who knew him, he died at his home in Viroqua, June 28, 1876. The following lines appeared in the Vernon County Censor, of July 19, 1876: IN MEMORY OF THE LATE HENRY NICHOLS, A soldier of the cross long tried; No shadow on thy name. We shed for thee no hopeless tears; |