ing spelled "Hamburg." The residence of Andrew Nelson was designated as the place for the first town meeting, and April, 1858, was set as the time for it. It was ordered that the town of Bergen retain all the records and pay its own indebtedness.

The town of Coon was created at the same time, composed of township 14, range 5 west, formerly a part of Jefferson. The first town meeting was ordered held at the house of H. Gelbrunson, in April, 1858.

Harmony was re-arranged so as to embrace township 13, range 6.

On the 28th of December, 185, the town of Viroqua was divided, and Liberty was created. Liberty still retains the size and shape it then did, embracing the first twenty-four sections of land in township 12, range 3, west. The first town meeting of Liberty was to be held at the school house on section 9, in April, 1858.

On the 10th of November, 1858, township 13, range 2, was set off from Union, and its organization, as the town of Stark, was authorized. The first town meeting was to be held at the house of Morrison Wilson, in April, 1859.

A petition was presented from citizens of Bergen asking for the division of that town, but it was rejected by the board.

At the same session the organization of Coon was again authorized. It seems that Coon had failed to take advantage of the former act of the board, and had not elected town officers. This matter is treated at length in the chapter upon county government.

On the 23d of November, 1859, the board of supervisors ordered that the south half of township 13, range 7 west, be taken from the town of Bergen and annexed to Wheatland. And further that the north half of congressional township 14, range 7 west, be taken from the town of Bergen and attached to Hamburg.

On the 12th of November, 1861, the town of Genoa was created. The territory embraced by Genoa is probably best described by tracing the boundaries, commencing at the southwest

corner of section 16, township 12, range 6 west, thence south of the west line of the town of Sterling to the northeast corner of section 29, township 12, range 6 west, thence west on the section line to the Mississippi river, thence up the river to the north line of section 19, township 13, range 7, thence east on the section line to the northeast corner of section 24, township 13, range 7, thence south on the line to the township line between townships 12 and 13, thence east along that line to the northeast corner of section 5, township 12, range 6 west, thence south to the place of beginning.

During the same session of the board of supervisors, at which Genoa was created, changes were made in the boundaries of several towns. Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the north half of sections 9, 10, 11 and 12, township 12, range 6 were detached from the town of Wheatland and attached to Harmony. Sections 13, 14, 15 and 16, and the south half of sections 9, 10, 11 and 12, township 12, range 6 west, were detached from Wheatland and annexed to Sterling. The committee which recommended these changes was composed of John T. Brinkmann, Joseph M. Waddell and J. O. Parker.

For a number of years no change was made in the shape of the towns.

On the 12th of July, 1867, the north half of township 14, range 7, was taken from Hamburg and attached to Bergen.

At the November session of the board of supervisors in 1873, it was ordered that the following question should be submitted to the voters of the town of Genoa: Whether all the territory belonging to Genoa, lying on the south side of the Bad Ax creek should be taken from Genoa and attached to Wheatland. It seems that the proposition was rejected at the polls, for the change never went into effect.

All these creations and alterations have been necessary to bring the county into its present shape-as to sub-divisions. The county now has twenty-one civil towns. They are as follows, commencing at the northeast corner:

1

met; the fifth circuit, the counties of Iowa, Lafayette, Grant, Crawford and St. Croix. At that time Vernon county had not yet been organized, its territory being embraced in Crawford county.

In 1851 the territory now comprising Vernon was organized as Bad Ax county, and became a part of the newly organized sixth judicial circuit. Arrangements were made to hold the first term of court at Viroqua, the temporary county seat, in the spring of 1851. Accordingly circuit court convened for the first time in Bad Ax county, on the 9th of May, 1851, in a little log building which stood upon the site now occupied by the Odd Fellows and Masonic Hall, and H. D. Williams' building, in Viroqua. The building had been erected the previous year by Moses Decker, aided by the settlers in a "raising bee." It was 18x22 feet in size, one story high, and covered with oak shakes. The floor was made of hewn puncheons; the seats of the same with legs inserted; the desks and benches also of puncheons, nailed to the log wall. In fact, what was not made of the proverbial "shakes or puncheons" was almost unnecessary in the construction of a building or the manufacture of its furniture in those days. This cabin had been used for almost every conceivable purpose; dances, schools, church services, debating societies, terms of court and political conventions, each in turn honored the dingy little room with their gaieties or sober deliberations. The cabin was used for the purpose of a court house until about 1856, when it was superseded by a better building, and then torn down. The clerk of court during these years held his office in it.

Hon. Wiram Knowlton, of Crawford county, presided over the first term of court held in Bad Ax county, and was the first judge of the sixth judicial circuit. At the first term there was but little business to transact. In fact the only thing done was the admission of Lorenzo A. Pierce to the bar, upon motion of Francis J. Dunn. The county officers who had been

elected qualified before Judge Knowlton at this time.

The second term of circuit court for Bad Ax county was held, in November, 1851, in the same log cabin as the previous term had been held. By this time the little "court house" had been chinked up with mud for plastering. Judge Knowlton was still on the bench. At this term of court William F. Terhune, Thomas J. DeFrees, Norris W. Saxton and Rufus Dunlap were all admitted to the | bar.

The first case to come before the court was entitled Samuel H. Sheffield vs. George Dascey and John Allen, for trespass on the case, according to the old time method of pleading. The case was continued until the succeeding term of court, when it was dismissed. James Cadwell was one of the attorneys in this case--the only one revealed by the records.

The first grand jury was impanneled and sworn at this term of court, consisting of the following named gentlemen: Isaac Spencer, foreman; Andrew Briggs, Isaac Coe, Ransom Gillett, Eldad Inman, John Snyder, Samuel McMichael, John Graham, A. H. Older, Westfall Decker, Orrin Wisel, William Reed, Daniel Gardner, Lemick Graham, Nicholas Murphy, Charles Waters and William Spencer.

The petit jurors who were in attendance at this term of court were as follows: James Clark, John Longley, Cyrus Gillett, George Dascey, John Allen, William C. McMichael, Lewis Graham, Jacob Johnson, Henry Waters, Samuel Nelson, Andrew Henry, Everett Eaton, Barney C. Hutchinson, James McCormic, George P. Taylor, John McCullock, George Pike, C. B. Brown, A. Southwick, Michael Hinkst, James Foster, Nicholas Vought, William Coe, Nelson DeFrees and Oliver Langdon.

The first State case to be tried by the circuit court of Bad Ax county, was against Joseph and Joseph M. Heck, upon an indictment for assault and battery with intent to commit mur