GEOGRAPHICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF WISCONSIN; WITH SRIEF SKETCHES OFITS HISTORY, GEOLOGY, MIN- ERALOGY, NATURAL HISTORY, POPULATION, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, GOVERNMENT, ANTIQUITIES, &c. &c. BY I. A. LAPHAM. MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: PUBLISHED BY P. C. HALE. 1844. Entered according to the Act of Congress, in theyear 1944,by IiXCREASE A LAPHAM, in the Clerk'sOfficeof the District Court,in theThird Judicial District of the Territoryof Wisconsin. COURIERPRINT. PREFACE. This work is now given to the public with the hope not only of furnishing the thousands ofnew comers, who are annually flockingto our Territory, and to others, in a cheap andconven- ientform,a large amount of useful information, which it would be difficult for them to obtain from any other source; but also topreservefor the future historian many interesting facts which mightotherwisesoon be forgotten and lost. The aiithor is fully sensible of its defects and omissions, but hopes that due allow- ancewillbemade, whenitis considered that this is the first at- temptofthekindrelative to a country morethan twicethe ex- tent of the great State of New-York, which has been made pubhc. Many parts of the country are but thinlypeopled, and but little communication exist between them and other settle- ments, so that it is difficult to ascertain what are their extent, population,improvements,&c. New settlements are commenced almostevury day, and soon growinto important places witliout any noticebeingtakenof them by thepublic. Townsand villa- ges springup so rapidlythatone has to "keep asharplook out" tobe informed evenof their names and location, to say nothing about their population, trade, buildings, &c. Th3 building ofa to'vnhasin agreatdegreeceasedtobea matter of muchinterest —as much so as an earthquake formerl^did in some parts of iSIissouri, where a traveller having stopped at a log cabin, was much concernedtohear thedishes begin to rattleon theshelves, and make adisagreeable kind of music, at which the chairs and i<j-C IV PREFACE. Other furnitiii-c set up an unnatural and very alarrriing kind of dance' Thegoodladyof the house attempted to allay hisfears by saying, "Don't be afraid, Sir!—it's only an 'arthquake!!' Henceitmaybe expected thatsome towns are not as fully no- ticedinthis workas theirimportance would seemtodeserve; and otherseven entirelyomitted. As it is probable, however, that a neweditionmarsoonbe called for, it is hoped that such infor- mation may be furnished a* will enable the author then to do amplejusticetoallportions of the Territory. It is properto add here, that the author hasmadefree use ot suchpublications as he could find, containing any thing to suit — his purpose whether in books, magazines, or newspapers; but has been careful to admit nothing unless entitled to thefullest credit. Milwaukee, January, 1844. WISCONSIN, &c. The Territory of Wisconsin, as established at present, is bounded as follows : commencing in the middle of Lake Michigan, in north latitude forty-two degrees and thirty-minutes thence north along the ; middle of the Lake to a point opposite the main chan- nel or entrance of Green Bay thence through said ; channel and Green Bay to the mouth of the Menom- onee river; thence through the middle of the main channel of said river to that head nearest the Lake of the Desert: thence in a direct line to the middle of said Lake thence through the middle of the main : channel of the Montreal river to its mouth thence ; with a direct line across Lake Superior to where the Territorial line of the United States last touches said Lake northwest; thence along said Territorial line to a point due north of the head waters or source of the Mississippi river, supposed to be in longitude ninety- six degrees and two minutes west from Greenwich : thence due south to the head waters ofthe Mississippi : thence along the middle or centre of the main channel of said river to latitude forty two degrees and thirty minutes north thence due east to the place of begin- ; ning. It therefore embraces all that portion of the U BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT. United Slates lying between the State of Michigan on the east, and the Mississippi on the west, which sepa- rates it from the Territory of Iowa; and between the State of Illinois on the south and the British posses- sions on the north; extending from forty-twoanda half, to the forty-ninth degree of north latitude, and embra- cing about ten degrees of longitude. Taking the length of a degree of latitude and longitude in this part of the globe, it is ascertained that Wisconsin is about five hundred and fifteen miles from east to west, and four hundred and forty-nine miles from north to south, measuring from the extreme points. But the average or mean extent of the Territory in longitude is only about four and one-third degrees, or two hun- dred and six or seven miles, showing a superficial area of about ninety-three thousand square miJes or sections, or nearly twenty-six hundred townships of six miles square each. Wisconsin is,therefore,morethanone-half larger than Virginia, (the largest state in the Union,) and more than twice as large as the State of New- York. This calculation, however, is only an approx- imation to the truth, for so little is accurately known of the course of the JVIenomonep, Montreal, and a part of the Mississippi rivers, that no accurate estimate can be made of the extent of territory embraced within the limits of W^isconsin. The Menomonee has been as- certained to have a course very different from what was supposed, at the time it was selected as a part of the boundary and a revision of that portion of the ; boundarybetween Michigan and Wisconsin which lies between Green Bay and Lake Superior becomes ne- DISPUTED BOUNDAUlErf. ( viessarv; and will probably'' soon receive the action ot Congress. A survey was made in 1840 and 1841, by Captain Cram, and it now only remains for Congress to decide upon the exact boundary. The Wasecota, a branch of the Menomonee, is ascertained to have its source nearest the Lake of the Desert, and will there- fore probably be established as part of the boundary. Wisconsin being a part of the •• Territory of the United States northwest ofthe Ohio river," claims, and indeed, Congress has by direct action, confirmed to her* all the rights and privileges secured by the ordi- nance of Congress of July 13, 1787, one of which is, '•that Congress shall have authority to form one or two States in that part ofsaid territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan"; thereby fixing unalterably (without common consent) the southern boundaries of Michigan and Wisconsin. Notwith- standing this plain provision ofthe ordinance, which is declaredto be "articles ofcompactbetween the original States, and the people and States in the said territory, and forever to remain unalterable unless by common consent," yet Congress in establishing the boundaries ofthe State of Illinois, extended that State about sixty miles north of the line thus unalterably established by *In the act establishing the Territory of Wisconsin, section twelve, where it is expressly declared ''that the inhabitants of thesaid Territory shallbeentitled to enjoy, all and singular the rights and advantages cranted and secured to the people of the territory of the UniTed .States northwest of theOhioriverby the articlesofcompact contained in theordinancefortliegovernuient of the said Territory, passed on the thirteenihday of July. 'n. thousand sevenhundred and eighty-seven." S DISPUTED BOUNDARIES. the ordinance. This is claimed to be obviously unjust and contraryto the spirit and letter ofthe conipact with the original States. The subject of reclaiming this portion of our territory has been agitated in the Legis- lative Assembly, and it is probable that Wisconsin will insist upon her rights when she is admitted into the Union as an independent State. Michigan was compelhu 'ij\f superior influence to submit to a com- promise by which she obtained, besides other valuable considerations, a much larger portion of territory than that in dispute and Wisconsin may from the same : cause be obliged to submit to wrong for want ofability to enforce her rights. It is also contended by many that the portion oi country set offto Michigan on Lake Superior, between ihe straits of Mackina and the Montreal river, as a compensation in part, for ihe strip of land given to Ohio from her southern border, should also have con- stituteda portion of Wisconsin; andespeciallyas Michi- gan never made the least claim to it, and as the con- venience ofthe inhabitants (when it becomes inhabited) will be best consulted by uniting them with Wisconsin. The validity ofourclaim to this territory however,may- be questioned : for it cannot be made out as clearly as in the case ofthe territory given to Illinois. The ditiiculties which it has been apprehended might at some future time arise between the United States and Great Britain relative to that portion ofour northern boundary lying between Lake Superior and the Lake of the Woods, have been prevented by the ••^ctllomcnt ofthat question in the treaty of 18'12, usually TOPOGRAFHY. 9 known as •• Webster's Treaty." Great Britain claimed all that portion of our Territory lying north of the St. Louis river, while we claimed that the Kamanistaquia, or Dog river should be the boundary. By the treaty, an intermediate route was agreed upon: and here again it is contended that the general government has given away a portion of the territory which should properly have belonged to Wisconsin. It is not probable that Illinois, Michigan, and Great Britain will be very ready to surrender the territory now claimed by them, and hence it becomes an impor- tant question to determine in what manner these dis- putes shall be settled. As in all cases of a similar na- ture, we may expect some difficulties to arise. It has been proposed in the Legislature to abandon all claims of this kind, upon condition that Congress shall con- struct certain works of internal improvement which are at present very much needed : and if the whole subject can be thus easily disposed of, it is undoubtedly the best policy for the United States to accept of this very reasonable compromise. It is to be hoped that these questions of boundary may be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned, before they become of such importance as to create much excitement, trouble or difficulty in their adjust- ment. There are no mountains, properlv speaking, in Wisconsin the whole being one vast plain, varied ; only by the river hills, and the gentle swells or un- dulations of country usually denominated '-rolling.*' 10 TOPOGRAPIIV. This plain lies at an elevation of from six to fifteen hundred icet above the level of the ocean. The high- est lands are those forming the dividing ridge between the waters of Lake Superior and the Mississippi- From this ridge there is a gradual descent towards the south and southwest. This inclination is inter- rupted in the region of the lower Wisconsin and Nec- nah rivers, where we find another ridge extending across the Territory, from which proceeds another gently descending slope, drained mostly by the waters of Reck river an^ its branches. These slopes indi- cate,and are occasioned by the dip or inclination ofthe rocky strata beneath the soil. The Wisconsin hills and many of the bluffs along the Mississippi river, often attain the height ofthree hundred feet above their base, and the Blue Mound was ascertained by Dr. Locke, by barometrical observations, to be one thou- sand feet above the Wisconsin river at Helena. The surface is further diversified by the Platte and Sinsin- awa Mounds, but these prominent elevations are so rare that they form very marked objects in the land- scape, and serve the traveller in the unsettled portions ofthe country, as guides by which to direct his course. The country immediately bordering on Lake Superior, has a very abrupt descent towards the lake hence the ; streams entering that lake are full ofrapids and water- falls, being comparatively worthless for all purposes of navigation, but affording a vast superabundance of water power, which may at some future time be brought into lequisition to manufacture lumber from the immense quantities of pine trees with which this part of the Territory abounds.