In 1870, the population of Sauk County was 23,060; in 1875, 26,932, an increase in five years of 3,872. The population for 1880, by towns, is as follows:

A preliminary meeting of the old settlers of Sauk County was held in the parlor of the Baxter House, in Prairie du Sac, on the 22d of February, 1872. Jonathan Hatch, a pioneer of 1839, was called to the chair, and Charles Halasz was chosen Secretary. The following old settlers-opposite whose names are placed the dates of their arrival-were present: Jonathan Hatch, July, 1839; William and Alexander Johnson, December, 1839; George Dunlap, May, 1840; Charles Halasz, June, 1840; Cyrus Hill, June, 1840; J. I. Waterbury, September, 1840; John Gallard, April, 1841; Archibald Hill, May, 1841; D. R. Baxter, May, 1841; John Acola, May, 1842; William H. Canfield, May, 1842; Henry Gatwinkle, August, 1842; A. M. Seymour, September, 1842; George Owen, September, 1842; H. H. Webster, December, 1842; John Thilke, May, 1844; James H. Haines, May, 1844; John B. Crawford, October, 1844; B. F. Brown, May, 1845; James Cowles, October, 1845; John Sharpe, February, 1846; David B. Crandall, November, 1846; Robert B. Crandall, February, 1847; Ransom E. Stone, February, 1847; D. K. Noyes, June, 1847; Ryland Stone, September, 1847; S. W. Corwith, September, 1847; L. V. Tabor, October, 1847.

Annual meetings of the remaining old settlers of Sauk County continue to be held. The proceedings are very interesting, but are not usually of an historical nature, partaking more of sociability than of reminiscence.

THE COUNTY POOR.

Upon the organization of Sauk County, the town poor system, then in vogue in other and earlier settled parts of the State, was adopted. In March, 1854, by vote of the Board of Supervisors, the distinction between town and county poor was abolished, and three County Superintendents of the Poor were chosen-one to hold office for three years, another two years, and the third one year. E. G. Wheeler, Charles O. Baxter and James Maxwell were elected to the offices thus created. From this date until November, 1855, the county at large was responsible for the care and maintenance of all the paupers within its borders, a poor tax being levied in each town, and turned over to the county for that purpose. At the fall meeting of the board of this year, the distinction between town and county poor was restored, the old system of each town caring for its own paupers being again adopted, and the county caring for such transient paupers as might come within its borders. This system remained unchanged until 1872, when, at the spring term of the board, the town system was again abolished. Immediate measures were taken for the location of a poor farm and the construction of a poor house. A committee, of which H. P. Ellinwood was chairman, was appointed to select a site, and, after making an examination of some thirty or forty farms in different parts of the county, the committee reported in favor of purchasing 125 acres of land of James B. Clark, in Section 34, town of Reedsburg, and paying therefor $5,000. The report being adopted, an appropriation of $4,000 was voted toward building a poor house, and the work was soon afterward commenced. At the

*Including population of villages. Population of Baraboo Village, 3,266; Reedsburg, 1,331.

same sitting of the board, J. I. Waterbury, G. Stevens and Enos Kimball were chosen Superintendents of the Poor. A Superintendent is chosen annually, one going out each year, and three being continuously in office.

While the new poor house was being built, and during the prevalence of a wind storm September 26, 1872, a portion of the north wall was blown down. Two young men, named Thorn and Knowles, were unloading brick at the time at the base of the wall, and the former was considerably bruised. The heaviest portion of the falling mass overreached them, however, but their escape from instant death was almost miraculous.

A separate structure was erected for the safe-keeping of the county's insane, or that portion of this unfortunate class who are returned from the State asylums as incurable. During the year 1879, there were cared for at this institution sixty-one paupers and fifteen cases of insanity. The present Superintendents of the Poor are Anton Fischer, O. Thomas and N. Stowe.

ORNITHOLOGY.

One of the most peculiarly interesting evidences of home talent and industry to be found in this county is a collection of birds, animals, insects and minerals, gathered and prepared by Mr. Charles Dininger, of Sauk City, taxidermist and ornithologist. This splendid collection, large in number and numerous in variety, is the result of nearly half a lifetime's labors; twentynine years of hard work and study having been almost uninterruptedly devoted to the work of collecting and preparing these specimens for permanent preservation. The amount of perseverance, enterprise, talent, strength and time, that it takes to accomplish anything really appreciable in such a field of effort, can hardly be overestimated, and is seldom ever fully appreciated. A man, to be successful in such work, must not only be imbued with a love and engrossing admiration for nature and her productions, but he must be willing to give the best energies of his life entirely to his pursuit; for thus, and thus only, have the varied mysteries of nature been solved, and her paramount beauties exposed. Although but few may ever look at this collection with aught save the interest created by curiosity, yet that few will give Mr. Dinninger the credit which is due to his fine intelligence, and unusually excellent achievements, in placing before them, from field, forest and stream, so much that is graceful and beautiful, as well as being, in many cases, exceptionally rare and remarkable.

The number of birds, of various species, indigenous to this part of the country, is very large, and includes many of exquisite beauty of plumage as well as perfection of form. Of these, and those also that come to this county annually (migratory birds), Mr. Dininger has succeeded in getting specimens, there now being several hundred in the collection, and all being very perfect, from the wee young ones of our red-throated humming-bird in their nest, to the monster gray eagle, sitting in native majesty on his perch, and that measures 8 feet 4 inches from tip to tip of his wings. The albinos (odd specimens of regular species) are, perhaps, the most novel in appearance of any kind here, and, though being almost unknown, are worthy of careful mention. There are a pair of beautiful white quail; a yellow-breasted white robin; a black robin, with white-mottled head and white-tipped wings; a variegated robin, being white, brown and yellow a white pheasant, with beautifully tufted head and heavy brown ruff; a white specimen of the specie purple crakle, or blackbird; a white redwing starling (very rare), and female starling, with red on wings; a snowy owl, with mottled plumage, and ears like the great horned owl (not mentioned in any work). Among the others there are large numbers of exceedingly fine specimens, of which may be mentioned: A pair of pilated woodpeckers, now very rare; a pair of Bohemian waxwings, or wanderers, a bird which, it is said, roams through the cold regions of the entire globe; a yellow-headed crakle, indigenous to California; a yellow-breasted chat, strayed hither from the Sunny South; a great heron, of magnificent plumage, and a cormorant, with greenish black body and neck, beautifully mottled crest, and mottled, dark bronzecolored wings-a most superb specimen.

The description could be continued to almost any length, so many and worthy are the various specimens; but the above is sufficient to give a fair idea of the character and merit of

the collection, which, be it remembered, has been made entirely in this county. Below is given a catalogue of the different birds that abound in the county, with their common names, all of which are represented in Mr. Dinninger's collection :

Bald eagle, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, pigeon hawk, sparrow hawk, marsh hawk, whitebreasted hawk, broad-winged hawk, rough-legged hawk, goshawk, cooper's hawk, red-tailed hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, black-belted hawk, American fish-hawk, great horned owl, snowy owl, snowy owl (or a very light-colored mottled, with ears; not found in books), mottled or screech owl, barred owl, hawk owl, long-eared owl, brown wren, golden-crested wren, red-crested wren, black-billed cuckoo, blue-jay, red-headed woodpecker, golden-winged woodpecker, yellow-bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, whippoorwill, night-hawk, belted kingfisher, great northern shrike, white-bellied nut-hatch, kingbird, peewit or Phoebe bird, ruby-throated humming-birds, Maryland yellow-throat, black-throated blue warbler, yellow-rump warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, black and yellow warbler, black-throated green warbler, black-burnion warbler, bay-crested warbler, black-poll warbler, lesser red poll, brown thrush, water thrush, wood thrush, green black-cap flycatcher, American redstart, scarlet tanager, purple marten, barn swallow, bank swallow, chimney swallow, white-bellied swallow, cat-bird, cedar bird, Bohemian chatterer or waxwing, purple finch, siskin, snow bunting, the American creeper, black-cap titmouse, American skylark, goldfinch, bluebird, song-sparrow, fox-colored sparrow, tree sparrow, indigo bird, red crossbill, rose-breasted grossbeak, ground robin, bobolink or rice bird, redwinged starling, rusty blackbird, swamp blackbird, purple crakel or crow blackbird, cow bunting, meadow lark, Baltimore oriole, turtle dove, passenger pigeon, pinnated grouse, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, quail, sandhill crane, bittern or stake driver, least bittern, great heron, snowy heron, green heron, night heron, golden plover, kill-deer, king plover or semipalmated snipe, Wilson's English snipe, field plover, parrie plover, yellow-legs, prairie plover, sandpiper, woodcock, clapper rail, sara or common rail, coot or mud hen, hell diver, Canada goose, snow goose, white-fronted goose, brant, black duck, ruddy duck, redhead duck, pentail duck, wood duck, mallard duck, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, buffel-headed duck, spoonbill duck, scaup duck, American widgeon, sheldrake, goosander, hooded merganser, common cormorant, double-crested cormorant.

CHAPTER VII.

REMINISCENCES.

PIONEER DAYS-EARLY VISITS TO SAUK COUNTY-A TRIBUTE TO SOME OF THE FIRST PIONEERS -THE FIRST WHITE WOMAN IN THE BARABOO VALLEY-A TILT WITH REDSKINS-THE INDIAN SCARE OF 1844-EARLY CHRISTIAN EFFORT IN SAUK COUNTY.

PIONEER DAYS.*

Early in the spring of 1838, Berry Haney received private information from George W. Jones, who was then Delegate in Congress from Wisconsin Territory, that the treaty with the Winnebago Indians, for their lands north of the Wisconsin River, had been ratified. Haney, at that time, was engaged with Col. Abner Nichols, of Mineral Point, in staging between Mineral Point and Fort Winnebago. They had two men in their employ by the names of Jonathan Taylor and Solomon Shore. Haney lived on Black Earth Creek, at the place now called Cross Plains. On the receipt of the intelligence of the ratification of the treaty, he sent Taylor to the Wisconsin River, opposite Sauk Prairie, there to await the coming of Shore, who went with Haney to Fort Winnebago, to purchase a skiff to take down the river to Sauk Prairie, in order to get across. They met at that point according to previous arrangement, crossed over, and proceeded to mark out their claims. The first one marked out by them was for Berry Haney, on what is now Sauk City. Taylor claimed the next above Haney, and Shore the next, which claim I afterward purchased and own at this time. Haney, I believe, had the first land broke in Sauk County. In June, 1838, he employed James Ensminger and Thomas Sauser to break ten acres, for which he paid them $100. The first place in the shape of a dwelling, on Sauk Prairie, was built by Ensminger and Sauser. They dug a pit in the ground, about four feet deep, twelve by sixteen or eighteen feet square, logged it up, and covered the hole with hay and earth, making a sort of root-house. This they did for the purpose of preventing the Indians from burning them out, as they had threatened. James S. Alban (who was afterward Judge of Portage County) and family moved on to Sauk Prairie in January, 1839, being the first family, I believe, in Sauk County, or what is now Sauk County. I believe it is claimed by John Wilson, of Wilson's Creek, that he and family were the first. However this may be, I cannot say; I have always understood, until a few years since, that Alban and family were the first. I left Rock Island for Wisconsin about the 1st of April, 1839, on board the old steamer Fayette. I arrived at Galena in due time, and there took stage-or rather wagon-for Mineral Point. The proprietor was John Messersmith. We arrived at his place at Elk Grove, at noon, where we were very politely entertained by the Squire and his family, and after an excellent dinner we proceeded on our way. We arrived at Mineral Point in the evening of the same day. I there lay over one day for the stage-or rather wagon, again—to Madison. At Mineral Point, I met Berry Haney, who introduced me to A. A. Bird, of Madison, who was also waiting for the stage, and to many prominent citizens of the Point. We were one day in going from the Point to Haney's place in Black Earth Valley, where I arrived, I believe, on the 6th of April. A few days after I arrived at Haney's place, Haney, Joseph Denson, from Iowa Territory, and myself, started for Sauk Prairie. We followed a dim trail to the river, left our horses on the south side and crossed over in an Indian canoe. We visited several of the cabins and claimshanties, among others, that of D. B. Crocker, which was situated where the village of Prairie

*By Charles O. Baxter.

du Sac is now situated. While there, a little incident occurred that may be worth relating. The day was pleasant, and we were all seated out in front of his cabin, admiring and conversing upon the beauties of the country, when some one of the company discovered an animal of some kind approaching the grove below us, from the prairie. Some supposed it to be a deer, others thought it was a wolf. Denson, being an old hunter and a good marksman, proposed to go down and try to get a shot. He took Crocker's gun and went down to the grove, where he soon disappeared. Presently we heard the report of the gun, and very soon saw Denson with his hat off, running with all his speed toward us, making signs to us to come to him. We all ran as fast as we could. When we came up to him he told us he had shot an animal, the like of which he had never before seen. He said when he fired, it leaped into the air about ten feet, and then he thought it was making after him, which was the cause of his running and giving us signals to come to him. After reloading his gun, we cautiously advanced to the spot, and there found a monster lynx pierced through the heart.

The only families that were then settled in what is now Sauk County, were those of James S. Alban, Albert Skinner and John Wilson. Wilson was living at Wilson's Creek at the time. There were several young men making and improving claims when I came. They were H. F. Crossman, Burk Fairchild, D. B. Crocker, William Billings, William May, Nelson Lathrop, E. B. Harner and an old bachelor by the name of Hunter. The third family that moved in was named Parks, and the fourth, Jonathan Hatch.

Some time in October, 1839, five of us, Berry Haney, Burk Fairchild, Solomon Shore, Samuel Taylor and myself, crossed the bluffs over to the Baraboo Valley. The trail led us over the bluffs immediately back of what is now known as the Teel place, the highest peak, I think, in the center range between the prairie and Baraboo. The trail led us directly to the Baraboo River, at the place where Maxwell's mill-dam now stands. Here we forded the river and entered the village of the Indian Chief, Caliminee, where we were very warmly and hospitably received. We rested and refreshed ourselves and horses, and were very much amused in seeing the Indians playing at cards and horse-racing. Some of them would stake their last string of "wampum on a single chance at cards. The game we could not understand. After spending about two hours at this village, we started to traverse the river above, which we did, whenever it was approachable, as far up as "Dandy's" village, which was five or six miles above. At this village we were received with marked displeasure by the Indians, many of them gathering around us, and making much noise and confusion. They made signs and gesticulations for us to leave. After some parley with them, however, we succeeded in restoring quiet, and afterward purchased some corn to feed our horses for the night, and left them in peace. We encamped about two miles above the village, where I spent the most disagreeable night of my life. It was very chilly and dark, and rained the entire night. We had no shelter except that afforded by our blankets, which was but little, and we were drenched to the skin in a short time, through blankets and all. After much trouble we succeeded in making a fire, which somewhat relieved us from the cold. The next morning the rain ceased. After drying our clothes, and taking breakfast in the Indian style, we proceeded up the river to the Narrows, from which point we returned on the direct trail to the lower village, where we had the honor of dining with the Chief. We spent several hours at this village, and then went down the prairie to the Narrows below, from which place we returned home. After a very tedious and tiresome journey across the bluffs, we arrived at Sauk some hours after night, and lodged in the primitive house (or dugout, as we used to call it), which was a very agreeable change from the night before.

We saw no visible signs of white men in the Baraboo Valley. I think in all probability we were the first white men that ever crossed the bluffs between the prairie and Baraboo Valley. Some time in the after part of the summer of 1839, Cyrus Leland and George Cargel moved their families to the prairie, being the fifth and sixth families who came; and a little later in the season of the same year, Berry Haney moved his family to the prairie, being the seventh. On the 30th of November, 1839, Charles B., son of Berry and Anna Haney was born, being the