The fat memoirs

228 Pages·1988·49.35 MB·English

by  Dave Engel

River City Memoirs
Published by
South Wood County Historical Corporation
540 Third Street South
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
Funded in part by
Consolidated Papers Foundation, Inc.
Wisconsin Rapids
Printed on
Consolidated Enamel Printing Papers
Consolith Gloss, Basis 80
Cover: Reflections
1988 Dave Engel
©
Other books by Dave Engel
River City Memoirs (1983)
River City Memoirs II (1984)
River City Memoirs III (1985)
The Age of Paper (1986)
Home Mission (1987)
John L. Sullivan is the Fat Man.

Table of Contents
Powers & Lang Map 6 Faro 64
Amable Grignon 8 Waiting at the Station 66
Oppor Ouisconsing 10 Hinterlands 68
Whitney Trespass 12 White Thunder 69
Fur Trader's Tale 14 Witter Hotel Barber Shop 70
Treaty of Cedar Point 16 Pittsville Desperado 72
Winnebago Cession 17 Halley's Big Dud 73
Usufructuary Rights 20 The Hermit 74
Indian Scare 22 Grand Rapids Special 76
Kingston's Trip 24 Pittsville Pow Wow 80
Firsts on Wisconsin 26 Corydon Purdy 82
Visions of Nekoosa 28 Passing of the Barn 85
Strong's Men 30 All American Boys 88
Hebron Township 32 Finery Village 92
View from Walker's Hill 34 A Paper City 93
Sun, Moon & Stars 38 Grand Avenue Bridge 94
The Otto Place 40 Geo. Hill & Co. 96
La. Red Devils & Al Ross 42 Johnson Hill's 98
Renting the Ferry Farm 44 Augie Miller's Saloon 101
The Wakely Barn 48 Link Meat Market 101
Early American 50 Trucking 102
Best Little Bagnio 52 Getting the Lard Out 103
Homicide 53 Getzlaff 104
Dazzling the Assemblage 54 Courthouse 106
Fire 56 Wood County Normal 110
Flood 58 School Days 112
E.P. Arpin's 1881 60 Homemade Lakes 115
College Life 62 Down at the Poor Farm 116
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Memoirs
Vi Palmer's Album 118 Before the Boom 169
Barnes Candy Kitchen 120 Day of Living Dangerously 174
Prentiss-Wabers 122 Krumrei: Working 177
Hopa Tree Capital 126 Envy of Third Street 178
McMillan's Journal 128 D.R. Mead 179
Benefaction 130 Stanton's Own Story 180
A McMillan Memorial 133 Consolidated-Massey 184
Virtue of Uselessness 136 Coater Boy 185
Otto Drug Store 137 George Mead's Daughter 186
Home Church Christmas 138 Harry Young 190
SSPP Sesquicentennial 139 Fred Braun: Your Valentine 192
Sisters of Notre Dame 143 A.J. Crowns: His Century 193
Christmas Conflagration 143 The Acting Bug 194
St. Philomena's 144 Lorena's Seckatary 196
Seneca Corners 146 Bea Klebesadel 198
Liberace's Stepmother 148 Ray Lecy, Principal 200
Emma Harroun 150 La Bamba 202
Eva Werner 151 The Longest Night 204
Mick from the Sod 152 Grandpa's Coat 206
Mary Miller: Her Story 153 Philleo Nash Celebration 208
Bohemian Settlement 156 Doc Lee 212
The Gee Boys 158 Mutability 215
All the World Wars 159 Index 216
Baptism of Fire 161 Tribune Bibliography 223
POW 164 The Fat Memoirs 224
Book of the Dead 167
Book of the Born 167
Nouveau Rapids 168
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Amable Grignon
Tlw f'irst settler here knew what he was getting Indian country in September or October. In large
into. canoes and barges, they carried hatchets, knives,
J\n l'Xpcrienccd French-Canadian trader whose ammunition (powder and lead), blankets, woolen
fomily had intermarried with Indians and who dress-goods, calico, and trinkets: beads, ribbons,
had lived seasonally along the Wisconsin River, and silver ornaments. Essential were traps- and
Amahlc Crignon (Ah-mah-bl Green-yo) was close liquor. "A few kegs or barrels of rum would often
to both white and Indian leaders at the turn of the get the trader more furs than any of his other
I ~ll h century. goods," said Grignon.
The trader penetrated to the remote parts of the
De Langlade connection
country and dispersed his trappers into the inter
Family history, provided in part, by descendant
ior. At his trading quarters, he collected furs dur
J\nona Schmidt, 1521 Saratoga SL., takes Ama
ing the fall, winter and spring. When spring trap
blt•'s line back to /\ugustin de Langlade, who
ping was over, his boats loaded with fur, he would
nwvPcl from France to Mackinac in the I 720's and
depart for the fur company's headquarters.
hPgan trading with the Ottawa Indians.
l~ven as the fur trade here waned in the late
Augustin married Domitcllc Nassawaquet,
1700s and early 1800s, competition was in
claughll•r of an Ottawa chief'. Their son. Charles
tense between Americans, British and French
M itlwl d<· Langlade, became a first settler of Green
Canadians.
lh1.v in 17-IG.
War of 1812
In I ht• French and Indian Wnr. de Langlade led
his Indian troops agaim;t the British. During the Since the opening of the Ohio Valley in the
Hl'volutionary War. he fought on the British side 1790s, according to Berg, Americans had sought to
against llw Americans. ln each case, he chose to settle on Indian land. To the Indians, the British
dt•fend ··native' American" int.crests against were a source of support against the Americans.
intt•rlo1wrs. The Grignons allied with the British, according
to information in the Porlier/Grignon/Lawe pa
The Grignons
pers, State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Ama
!\ daughter of Charles cit• I .anglade, Louise
blc served as a corporal in the Green Bay detach
I >ornitt•ll<•. h. I Ti9. became the second wife of Pie
ment. ln 1817, under engagement with Duncan
lTP(;rignon. h. 1740. a French-Canadian voyageur
Graham ("Fur Trade in Wisconsin"), he traded on
trading around I ,nkc Superior. the St. Peter's River.
/\c('ord i ng to in formation provided by John
Hudson Bay Co.
Hl'rg, n d<• Langlade and Grignon authority, Pi
('IT<'s first wift• was H Menominee with whom he F.J. Turner, in "The Character and Influence of
had l.lin•t• children. Only one. Pcrrishe, lived to the Indian Trade in Wisconsin," places Amable at
adulthood. Lac qui Parle, Minn., in L8L8; the next year, at
With his second wife. Louise. Pierre had nine I ,ake Athabasca; and the third, "in the hyperbo
ehildren: Pierre Antoinr ( 1777), Charles (1779). rean regions of Great Slave Lake."
/\ugustint· (178()). Louis (178:!), Jean B. (1785), The following spring, at the Lake Winnipeg ren
l>omitPllP ( 1787). Marguerite ( 178~)), Hippol.vte dc~vous, according to "Fur Trade in Wisconsin,"
c Paul. I /~!OJ and Amnblc. bom in I 7~J5, just after "he had the fortune to please the governor of the
his l';1tlwr·s cknth. Hudson's Bay Co. and was, for t,he following year
All ol' t.lw boys but ,Jean 11. were' to become fur ( 1818), sent to Athabasca."
'!'he next year, Amable renewed his engagement
lrctd<'l"S.
and was stationed at the Great Slave Lake. While
Fu1· trade there, because of his well-known "resolution," he
Tlw "l{Pcollcctions of Antoine (:rignon" in State recci ved orders, said "Fur Trade," to arrest traders
11 istoric<il SociNy Proceedings 191-1, suggest tlw of'the North West Company.
t·.,·dl·s in llw lif1• of the fur trnckr. His contract of May 1, 1819, with the Hudson
It wns ntstomar.'· thal fur trndc•rs leave for Bay Co., is on file at the State H istorica1 Society, in
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