springs of pure water, plenty of deer and grouse."

TOWNSHIP 13 north, range 5 west (northern and central part of Jefferson), was surveyed July, 1845, by Samuel D. Dixon, assisted by Napoleon Graham, B. C. Russell, chainmen, and James Bailey, Eli Derr, markers.

TOWNSHIP 12 north, range 5 west (sections 1-9, 16-18, of the southern part of Jefferson, 10-15, 22-27, 34-36, the northwestern and central part of Franklin, 19-21, 28-33, the north eastern part of Sterling), was surveyed in 1846 by A. E. Whiteside, deputy surveyor, assisted by U. Gales, B. L. Eaton, chainmen, and A. Hetzler, marker. Mr. Whiteside's notes are as follows: "The soil of this township is third-rate, rough, hilly and broken, sparsely timbered with black and white oat. There is, however, in the southeast corner a small portion of beautifully undulated prairie, second rate soil, and fit for cultivation. The township is well watered by the finest quality of springs; tops of the highest hills are covered with rocks, flint and iron rust."

TOWNSHIP 11 north, range 5 west (sections 1–3, 10– 5, the southwestern part of Franklin; 4-9, 16-18, the southern part of Sterling), was surveyed July, 1843, by A. L. Haren, assisted by C. C. Carter, Austin Wilder, chainmen, and Louis Davis, marker. Notes of the surveyor: "The surface of this township, with the exception of a few sections in the southwestern part and sections 24 and 25, in the eastern part, is rolling, first-rate land. The soil is sandy loam, excepting the prairie; it is thickly timbered and brushy. The eastern part is watered by spring brooks, which run into the Kickapoo river. The southwestern part of the township is very broken, well timbered and watered by streams of pure water, which run into the Mississippi." TOWNSHIP 14 north, range 6 west (Hamburg), surveyed by A. L. Brown October, 1846, assisted by William H. Weidman, William Higgins, Joseph Fales, Joel Higgins, chainmen, and John M. Smith, Reuben W. Ford, mark

ers.

"The best land in this township," says the surveyor, "is in the third bottoms (socalled) on Raccoon creek, which are located about forty feet above the creek, are dry and level. Other parts of this bottom are much lower, and where not marshy subject to inundations. After leaving the bluffs on the north side of the creek the land is a high, rolling ridge; in some places well timbered, and generally second-rate. Some of the long ravines which make toward the creek are well adapted to cultivation, with timber convenient and the purest water. The cliffs are generally about 250 to 300 feet high, terminating toward Raccoon creek in precipices of sandstone in almost every picturesque form imaginable. Along the sides of the steepest hills may be found many curious silicious and calcareous formations, but no appearances of anything more valuable."

TOWNSHIP 13 north, range 6 west, (main part of Harmony) was surveyed by N. C. Whiteside, assisted by U. Gales, A. L. Eaton, chainman and A. Hetzler marker. Notes: "This township in general is hilly and broken, the soil third rate and poor. There is however a portion of it on the north and a small portion on the south, rolling and second rate and well supplied with white and black oak timber. The remainder of the timber on the hills is scattering burr, white, black and jack oak. The river through this township affords many valuable hydraulic privileges, and is abundantly supplied with fine fresh water, springs outbreaking from the base of the hills."

TOWNSHIP 12 north, range 6 west, (sections 1-4, and northern half of 9-12, is the southern part of Harmony; 5–8 and 17 and 20, is the eastern part of Genoa; 29-31 the northeastern part of Wheatland; southern half of 9-12 and sections 13-16, 21-28, 33-36, the northwestern and central part of Sterling). This township was surveyed by N. E. Whiteside, in 1845. He was assisted by U. Gales, A. L. Eaton, chainmen, A. Hetzler, marker. "This township," says Mr. Whiteside, "as regards its soil is

TOWNSHIP 11 north, range 6 west, (sections 1-4, 9-16, the southwestern part of Sterling, 5-9, 17, 18, the southeastern part of Wheatland) was surveyed by A. L. Haren, who commenced this survey July 18, 1843, and completed it July 31, the same year. He was He was assisted by C. C. Carter, Austin Wilder, chainmen and Louis Davis, marker. Notes: "The northeast part of this township is extremely broken and hilly. The bluffs of the creeks, springs, brooks and dry ravines are from 250 to 350 feet high, and have an elevation from 20 to 30 degrees."

TOWNSHIP 14 north, range 7 west, (the main part of Bergen) was surveyed by A. L. Brown, who commenced the survey Dec. 27, 1846, and completed it Jan. 4 1847. He was assisted by Wm. H. Weidman, Joel M. Higgins, Joseph C. Haley, chain men, and Joshua M. Smith, Reuben W. Ford, markers.

TOWNSHIP 13 north, range 7 west, (sections 1-18, the southern part of Bergen, 21-28, 33-36, the northern part of Genoa, was surveyed by W. E. Whiteside, assisted by U. Gates, A. L. Eaton, chainmen, and A. Hetzler, marker, no dates given.

TOWNSHIP 12 north, range 7 west, (sections 1-4, 9-16, 21-24, is the central and southwestern part of Genoa, 25-28, 33-36, is the northwestern part of Wheatland), was surveyed in the first quarter of 1816, by N. E. Whiteside, assisted by U. Gales, A. L. Eaton, chainmen and A. Hetzler, marker. "This township," says the surveyor, "is measurably unfit for cultivation, being hilly and broken. Soil mostly third rate and poor. In general, the timber is of an inferior growth of burr, white

and black oak. The hills fronting the Mississippi and Bad Ax rivers, are in places entirely shorn of vegetation, covered with rock, flint and iron rust. It is in all parts well supplied with springs of finest quality. The bottom of Bad Ax river (although wider in this town. ship than any place else, is limited and mostly low and wet. The Mississippi river above and be'ow the mouth of Bad Ax, has little or no bottom, bounded by a perpendicular ledge of sandstone, ranging from 3 to 10 chains from the river and falling abruptly from the base of the perpendicular, to the water's edge, covered with large tumbling rocks, scattering burr, white and black oak trees."

TOWNSHIP 11 north, range 7 west, (sections 1-4, 9-15, the southwestern part of Wheatland).-The survey of this township was commenced Sept. 28, 1843, and completed Oct. 10, 1843, by A. L. Haren, assisted by S. P. Folsom, S. N. Laster, chainmen, and L. Davis, marker.

LAND DISTRICTS.

The first land offices in Wisconsin were established under an act of Congress approved June 26, 1834, creating additional land districts in the States of Illinois and Missouri, and in the territory north of the State of Illinois. The first section provides "that all that tract lying north of the State of Illinois, west of Lake Michigan, south and southeast of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers, included in the present territory of Michigan, shall be divided by a north and south line, drawn from the northern boundary of Illinois along the range of township line west of Fort Winnebago to the Wisconsin river, and to be called-the one on the west side, the Wisconsin land district, and that on the east side the Green bay land district of the territory of Michigan, which two districts shall embrace the country north of said rivers when the Indian title shall be extinguished, and the Green bay district. may be divided so as to form two districts, when the President shall deem it proper ;" and by section three of said act, the President was

authorized to appoint a register and receiver for such office, as soon as a sufficent number of townships are surveyed.

An act of Congress, approved June 15, 1836, divided the Green bay land district, as established in 1834, "by a line commencing on the western boundary of said district, and running thence east between townships 10 and 11 north, to the line between ranges 17 and 18 east, thence north between said ranges of townships to the line between townships 12 and 13 north, thence east between said townsnips 12 and 13, to Lake Michigan; and all the country bounded north by the division line here described; south by the base line, east by Lake Michigan, and west by the division line between ranges 8 and 9 east," to be constituted a separate district, and known as the "Milwaukee land district." It included the present counties of Racine, Kenosha, Rock, Jefferson, Waukesha, Walworth and Milwaukee, and parts of Green, Dane, Washington, Ozaukee, Dodge and Columbia.

An act was approved March 3, 1847, creating an additional land district in the territory. All that portion of the public lands lying north and west of the following boundaries, formed a district to be known as the Chippewa land district commencing at the Mississippi river on the line between townships 22 and 23 north, running thence east along said line to the fourth principal meridian, thence north along said meridian line to the line dividing townships 29 and 30, thence east along such township line to the Wisconsin river, thence up the main channel of said river to the boundary line between the State of Michigan and the territory of Wisconsin. The counties now included in this district are Pepin, Clark, Eau Claire, Dunn, Pierce, St. Croix, Polk, Barron, Burnett, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Taylor, Chippewa, and parts of Buffalo, Trempeleau and Jackson.

An act of Congress, aproved March 2, 1849, changed the location of the land office in the Chippewa district from the falls of St. Croix to Stillwater, in the county of St. Croix, in the

proposed territory of Minnesota; and by section two of the act, an additional land office and district was created, comprising all the lands in Wisconsin not included in the districts of land. subject to sale at Green Bay, Milwaukee, or Mineral Point, which was to be known as the Western land district, and the President was authorized to designate the site where the office should be located, Willow river, now Hudson, was selected. The district was usually known as the St. Croix and Chippewa district, and included St. Croix, La Pointe, and parts of Chippewa and Marathon counties.

By an act of Congress, approved July 30, 1852, so much of the public lands in Wisconsin as lay within a boundary line commencing at the southwest corner of township 15 north, of range 2 east of the fourth principal meridian, thence running due east to the southeast corner of township 15 north, of range 11 east, of the fourth principal meridian, thence north along such range line to the north line of the State of Wisconsin, thence westwardly along said north line to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east of fourth principal meridian, thence south to the place of beginning, were formed into a new district, and known as the Stevens Point land district, and a land office located at that p'ace. The boundaries enclosed the present counties of Juneau, Adams, Marquette, Green Lake, Waushara, Waupacca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Lincoln, and Shawano.

WISCONSIN LAND DISTRICT.

It will be remembered that the Wisconsin land district, by the organic act of the territory, was to be extended north of the Wisconsin river" when the Indian title should be extinguished." Now, as that event took place in 1837, it follows that when what is now Vernon county, was surveyed into townships by the United States surveyors in the years 1839, 1840 and 1845, it was in the Wisconsin land district, the land office being at Mineral Point. It was usually called the "Mineral Point land district." The surveys into sections and quarter sections

Among the questions which naturally interest the citizens of Vernon county of to-day is this: "Who was the first settler within its limits?" There is a curiosity always manifested by those who come after the pioneers, to leave his name, where he settled and the date of his arrrival. Especially is the time of his coming a matter of interest. The county itself, so far as the people constitute it, begins then, although its formation and organization date a number of years thereafter.

THE FIRST SETTLERS.

The town of Franklin has the honor of being the one in which was located the first sett'er. His name was John McCullough.

The exact date of his coming is unknown, only that it was in the spring of 1844. He built a house on the west half of the southeast quarter of section 25, township 12, range 5 west, during the summer of that year. It was near what was afterward Bad Ax, now Liberty Pole. The place is now owned by Thomas Sheridan. He also did some breaking, and made other preparations to bring on his family, which he effected in the following spring.

The section upon which McCullough located was not afterward entered by him, nor any part of it. Orrin Wisel entered forty acres of it June 17, 1848, Charles Wiedeman, a quarter section, Nov. 13, 1849; Alexander C. Davis, eighty acres, Nov. 19, 1849; H. L. Dousman, forty acres, May 2, 1850; Jacob Higgins, forty acres, July 17, 1851; Julia Hart, forty acres, April 1, 1852; Thomas J. Gosling, a quarter section, July 27, 1852; Thomas J. Gosling, forty acres, Oct. 23, 1852, and Francis Sanford, forty acres, Aug. 11, 1855; in all 640 acres; the entire section.

McCullough remained on his place until the year 1852, when, in company with a number of others, he started for California. He arrived there safely, and, after a sojourn there of a year, he wrote his brother that he was on the eve of returning home; that he would start in a day or two, but he was never after heard of. The general impression is that he started on his homeward trip and died on the plains.

The next to make claims and erect a cabin (for houses in those days were little else), were two brothers, Samuel and Hiram Rice. This was in the spring of 1845. They settled at what was afterward Bad Ax, now Liberty Pole, in the town of Franklin, near McCullough. Samuel Rice brought his family with him. Mrs. Rice was a most excellent woman; a devoted Christian. She died in the fall of 1847.

McCullough and the Rice brothers were soon followed by Henry Seifert, George P. Taylor and George Pike. Seifert was a bachelor. He settled at the place afterward known as the "Dowhower farm," but now owned by Benjamin Williams, on section 18, township 12, in range 4 west, in the town of Franklin. Taylor located on section 30, township 12, of range 4 west, also in the town of Franklin. The place is now owned by J. C. Adkins. Mr. Taylor is not now a resident of the county.

Harvey Sterling came to what is now the town of Sterling in July, 1846, and settled on section 10, in township 11, of range 6 east. His family, consisting of his wife and two sons, Lewis and Le Grand, came on in the spring following. Le Grand Sterling is still a resident of the county.

In the same month (July, 1846), that Harvey Sterling settled in what is now the town of