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Trempealeau County, created in 1854 from Crawford and La
Crosse Counties, is named for Trempealeau Mountain, which is French for the
mountain "steeped in water." Located in southwest Wisconsin, the
county seat is Whitehall.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I EARLY WISCONSIN,1-16
Topography, 1-2; Sovereignty, 2-4; Boundaries, 4-6; First Men In,
6-8; Coming of the White Men, 8-9; Missionaries and Traders, 9-12; French Fur
Trade, 12-14; British Fur Trade, 14-16.
CHAPTER II GEOLOGY, 17-25
Rock Exposures, 17; Geologic Divisions, 17; Successive Stages of
Formation, 19; the Trempealeau Bluffs, 23-24; Recapitulation, 24-25; Natural
Resources, 25.
CHAPTER III ARCHAEOLOGY, 26-35
Distribution and Character of Antiquities, 26-27; Significance and
Authorship, 27-28; Platforms, 28-33; Antiquity of Man, 33-34; Recapitulation, 34-35.
CHAPTER IV GOVERNMENTAL JURISDICTION, 36-40
Spain, France, England, United States, 36; Territories, States ^d
Counties, 36-38; County Organized, 38-39.
CHAPTER V REIGN OF THE INDIANS, 41-51
Tribes, 41; Winnebago, 41-43; Dakota (Sioux), 43; Wabasha, 44;
Decorah, 45-47; Black Hawk, Tradition of Capture, 48-49; Modern Encampments, 49.
CHAPTER VI EXPLORERS AT TREMPEALEAU MOUNTAIN. 52-64
Description of Mountain, C2; Hennepin, Accault, Auguel, 52-54;
Duluth, 53-54; Perrot, 54-55; Le Sueur, 55; Linctot, 56; St. Pierre, 56; Marin,
57; Carver, 57-58; Pike, 58-59; Long, 59-61; Leavenworth, Forsyth and Ft. Snelling, 60;
Sawmill on Black River, 60; Cass, Schoolcraft, Doty, 60-61; Sawmill on the Menomonee, 61;
Long, Keating, Schoolcraft, 61; "Virginia," the First Steamboat, 61;
Beltrami, 61-62; Featherstonhaugh, Mather, Catlin, Kearney, Lea, 62.
CHAPTER VII EARLY SETTLEMENT, 65-69
Joseph and Augustine Rocque, Trappers, 65-66; Louis and Augustine
Grignon, Traders, 66; Gavin, Missionary, 66; Stram, Farmer, 66; la Bathe,
Trader, 66; Doville and Antoine Reed, 66-67; James A. Reed, 67; Reed's Followers,
67-68; L. H. and W. B. Bunnell, 68; Influx Begins, 68; Routes of Travel, 68.
CHAPTER VIII LOCALITY SETTLEMENTS, 70-105
Changes in Nature Wrought by Man, 70-72; Trempealeau, 72-78; Black
River Valley, 78-79; Beaver Creek Valley, 79-83; Frenchville, 83; Ettrick,
83; Galesville, 83-86; Trempealeau Prairie, 86-87; Dodge, 87-88; Arcadia, 88-91; Bumside,
Hale, Chimney Rock, 92; Lincoln, 92-93; Whitehall, 93-94; Pigeon, 94; Preston,
94; Albion, 94-96; Unity, 96; Sumner, 97; Land Office Records, 97-102; Tax Records, 102-105.
CHAPTER IX COUNTY GOVERNMENT, 106-128
First County Board, 106; Pre-Bellum Boards and Their Doings,
106-109; Commissioners and Their Doings, 109; Present System of Government
Inaugurated, 112-114; County Seat, Courthouse and Jail, 114-116; Asylum, 116-117; Alms
House (Attempted), 116-117; Roads and Bridges, 117-118; County Officers, 118-120;
County Supervisors Since 1872, 120-128 (Previous Boards Given Earlier in the General
Text of the Chapter); Organization of Townships — Trempealeau (Montoville) by La Crosse
County, Date Unknown, 106; Gale, 106; Preston, 107; Sumner, 107; Arcadia, 107;
Caledonia, 107-108; Lincoln, 108; Chase, 108 (Vacated, 109); Ettrick, 110; Bumside,
111; Hale, 111; Albion, 113; Dodge, 113-114; Pigeon, 113-114; Unity, 113-114; Chimney
Rock, 113-114.
CHAPTER X HISTORICAL PAPERS, 129-223
Recollections of Antoine Grignon, 129-136; James Allen Reed,
136-143; Irish Settlers, 143-150; Polish and Bohemian Settlers, 150-152;
Scandinavian Settlers, 152-159; The County in 1871, 159-162; Cruise of the Spray, 162-164; Early
Trempealeau, 164-166; Trempealeau Prairie, 166-167; Beaver Creek Valley, 167-169; Lewis
Valley, 169; Newcomb Valley, 169-171; Holcomb Cooley, 171-172; American Valley,
172; Rainey Valley, 172-173; Meyers Valley, 173-175; Trout Run Valley, 175-176; North
Creek Valley, 176-177; Bill's Valley, 177; Korpal Valley, 177; The Banner Robbery,
177-178; Williamsburg, 178-181; McGilvray's Ferry, 181-184; A Wisconsin Pioneer,
184-196; Early Osseo, 196-202; The Olson Lynching, 202-204; Winnebago Festivities,
204-205; Scotch Settlers of Glasgow and Decorah Prairie, 205-207; Wessel Lowe's
Experiences, 207; James N. Hunter's Reminiscences, 207-208; George H. Markham's
Reminiscences, 208-211; A. D. Tracy, 211-212; Antoine Grignon and the Indians, 212-218; Remains
of a Friench Post Near Trempealeau, 218-222; Organization Act of Trempealeau County,
222-223.
CHAPTER XI MODERN VILLAGES, 224-254
Population with Dates of Platting and Incorporating, 224; Arcadia,
225-231; Whitehall, 232-237; Galesville, 237-240; Independence, 240-245; Blair,
245-248; Eleva, 248-250; Osseo, 250-252; Strum, 252-253; Ettrick, 253; Dodge, 253;
Pigeon Creek, 253; Trempealeau, 254.
CHAPTER XII NEWSPAPERS, 255-260
Trempealeau Times, 255; Trempealeau Banner, 255; Galesville
Transcript, 255-256; Trempealeau County Record, 256; Galesville Journal, 256; Journal
and Record, 256; Trempealeau County Messenger, 256; Whitehall Times, 256; Whitehall
Times and Blair Banner, 256; Whitehall Tim.es-Banner, 256; Trempealeau
Representative, 256; Trempealeau Coimty Republican, 256; Arcadia Leader, 256-257; Arcadia
Republican and Leader, 256-257; Galesville Independent, 257; Trempealeau Free
Press, 257; Trempealeau County Democrat, 257; Galesville Republican, 257;
Independence News- Wave, 258; Independence Weekly News, 258; Independence Wave, 258; Trempealeau
Gazette, 258; Trempealeau Tribune, 258; Trempealeau Herald, 258-259; Arcadian,
259; Blair Press, 259; Osseo Blade, 259; Osseo Recorder, 259; Osseo News, 259; Eleva
Herald, 259; International Good Templar, 259; Wisconsin Good Templar, 259;
Anzeiger, 259; Der Nord Staed, 260; Booster, 260.
CHAPTER XIII RAILROADS AND TELEPHONES, 261-269
Location of Railroads, 261-262; La Crosse, Trempealeau &
Prescott, 262; Chicago & Northwestern, 263; Galesville Branch, 263-264; Green Bay
& Western, 264-265; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, 265; Mondovi Line, 266; Ettrick
& Northern, 266-267; Telephones, 267-269; Veitch-Luce Galesville Line, 267; The Utter
Fiasco, 267; The Waumandee Lime, 267; Arcadia Telephone Co., 267; Trempealeau
Valley Exchanges, 268; Western Wisconsin Telephone Co., 268; Osseo Telephone Co.,
268; Rural Lines, 269.
CHAPTER XIV PLACE NAMES, 270-281
Townships, 270-271; Incorporated Villages, 271-272; Platted
Vilages, 272-273; Trading Centers, 273-274; Principal Streams, 274-276; Lakes,
276-277; Geographical Landmarks, 277-279; Valleys and Cooleys, 279-281.
CHAPTER XV BIOGRAPHY, 282-801
(For Index, see Biographical Index in Back of This Volume)
CHAPTER XVI BANKS AND BANKING, 802-810
First Banks, 802; Bank of Arcadia, 802-803; John O. Melby &
Co. Bank of Whitehall, 803-804; Bank of Galesville, 804-805; Home Bank of Blair,
805; State Bank of Osseo, 805; Farmers' and Merchants' State Bank of Galesville,
805-806; Bank of Ettrick, 806; Citizens' State Bank of Trempealeau, 806-807; Farmers' State
Bank of Arcadia, 807; First State Bank of Dodge, 807; Farmers' and Merchants' Bank
of Independence, 807-808; Farmers' Exchange Bank of Osseo, 808; First State Bank of
Strum, 808-809; Peoples' State Bank of Whitehall, 809; First National Bank of
Blair, 809-810; State Bank of Independence, 810; Bank of Eleva, 810.
CHAPTER XVII DAIRY INTERESTS, 811-816
Story of the Growth of Dairying, 811-812; Statistics of the
Individual Creameries, 812-815; Statistics of the Cheese Factories, 815-816; Values, 816;
Butter and Cheese Made on Farms, 816.
CHAPTER XVIII NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCHES, 817-8.35
The Norwegians, 817-818; Story of the Individual Congregations
from Dr. O. M. Norlie's "Norsk Lutherske Menigheder I Amerika,
1843-1915," 818-828; French Creek, Tamarack, Hardie's Creek, Fagerness and South Beaver Creek
Congregations by Rev. C. B. Bestul, 828-833; Whitehall and Pigeon Creek Congregations,
by Rev. Einar B. Christophersen, 833-835.
CHAPTER XIX CATHOLIC CHURCH IN TREMPEALEAU COUNTY. 836-851
Catholics in American History, 836-838; Sacred Heart and St.
Wenzeslaus' 838-839; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 839-843; St. Bridget's, 843-845; St.
Michael's 845-846; St. Peter's and St. Paul's, 846-848; St. Mary's, 848-849; St.
Bartholomew's 849-850; St. Stanislaus', 850-851; Summary, 851.
CHAPTER XX OTHER CHURCHES, 852-863
German Evangelical Lutheran, 852; Swedish Lutheran, 852;
Evangelical Association, 852-854; Congregational, 854-857; Presbyterian, 857-860;
Methodist Episcopal, 860-861; Baptist, 861-862; Episcopal, 862-863; Independent, 863;
Union, 863.
CHAPTER XXI BENCH AND BAR, 864-866
Judges and Lawyers of Trempealeau County.
CHAPTER XXII SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF PIGEON, 868-882
Preliminary Observations, 868-871; Man-Made History, 871-876;
Pigeon Falls, 877-880; Political History, 880; General Development, 881-882.,
CHAPTER XXIII MORE HISTORICAL PAPERS, 883-908
Trempealeau Mountain Park, 883-884; Gale College, 884-888; Arcadia
in 1876, 888- 889; Pioneer Schools, 889-890; Galesville Fair, 890-891;
Agricultural Development, 891-893; Orchard and Its Advancement, 893-895; First Meeting in
Sumner, 895; Trempealeau Municipal Improvements, 896; Independence Municipal
Improvements, 896-898; Early Burnside Records, 898-900; Early Adventures, 900; Flood of
1876, 901; Borst Valley, 901-905; Green Bay & Western Railroad, 905-908; Risberg
Accounting System, 908.
CHAPTER XXIV SOURCES, 910-913
Trempealeau County Historians: George H. Squier, 910; Benjamin F.
Heuston, 910; George Gale, 910; H. A. Anderson, 910-911; Eben D. Pierce, 911;
Stephen Richmond, 911-912; F. Curtiss-Wedge, 912; Historical Staff on Present Work,
912-913.
SOURCE MATERIAL (Chapters X and XIII)