Surveying impact still being felt

These are some of the old surveyor's stakes and equipment collected by Chippewa County surveyor Dennis Mickesh during his work in the county. First surveyors used rockpiles and hedge rows to describe points as noted in some early records.

     United States' population was beginning to surge by the late 1840's. Westward expansion was at its peak. Wisconsin would be admitted to the Union May 29, 1848, as the 30th state, through its southern boundary would be disputed. The logging industry was thriving in the Chippewa Valley - federal land surveyors were trying (in vain) to keep up with it.
     Since Harding Perkins established the area's first saw mill in 1822 on Wilson Creek at what later would be Menomonie, other mills began springing up along the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers until there were dozens. Loggers raked off the virgin timber faster than surveyors could account for the land.
     Surveying had begun in Wisconsin in 1832 while it was part of the Michigan Territory. Wisconsin became a separate territory in 1836. The early surveys were concentrated in its southern portion. The job wouldn't be finished until 1865.

Land Ordinance passed

     The first surveys in the Northwest Territory, of which Wisconsin was part, were begun in the late 1780s after passage by the Congress of the Land Ordinance May 20, 1787. This measure was followed by the Northwest Ordinance two years later which provided for limited territorial government. The lands to be surveyed in this region extended from the Ohio to the Mississippi rivers north of the Kentucky River.
     Perhaps unknowingly, later residents of Wisconsin would enjoy the benefits of the work of some 40 surveyor-contractors, who at the rate of $3 per mile, which had to cover all their expenses and wages of helpers, trekked through the territory. They worked furiously (some carelessly) preparing for the sale of the lands and to earn their pay. Out of their work would develop a system of government, a university, schools and a pattern for laying a network of roads.

Indians relinquish land

     Before the survey could be completed in the northern part of the state, title to the lands had to be settled with the Indians. By 1848they would relinquish most of it. Homesteaders were coming to the Chippewa Valley in numbers by this time to stake their claims. They wouldn't be able to purchase the land they claimed, however, until July 1, 1857, when the Eau Claire Land Office opened.
     While many surveyors participated in the plotting, a young contractor named Henry A. Wiltse laid the groundwork by running a line, known by surveyors as the Fourth Principal Meridean, north almost through the center of the state. Wiltse contracted for the job in the summer of 1847. It was an unusually wet year and the 200-mile stretch would prove to be a test of survival for his small party.
     Loading his men with all the provisions they could carry, which included only the clothes on their backs and a single blanket, Wiltse's party set out in June. The job would take two months.

Solar compass used

     Using a solar compass invented by William Austin Burt in 1835, they did not have to fear magnetic iron deposits that could throw them off course with a magnetic compass. Instead, they fought rain and hoped for sunshine with which to operate the compass. The weather failed them. For one four-week stretch none of the party had dry clothing day or night, and to make matters worse, it was unbearably hot - ideal conditions for insect breeding.
     Upon his return to civilization, Wiltse would describe the ordeal. He told of the "dreadful swamps" which his party waded through in muck up to their armpits, the rapid creeks and rivers at their highest water stage over which they crossed and the "constant clouds" of mosquitoes.
     "Consider that we were all the while confined to a line, and, consequently, had not choice of ground; that we were forced to follow that line wherever and through whatever it chanced to carry us, and you can form some idea of our peculiar, if not suffering situation," he said.

Provisions exhausted

     Help back by rain, Wiltse's party would suffer another privation before they were through - their provisions would run out. Exhausted and hungry near the end of their task, they trekked for three days without food.
     The Fourth Principal Meridean, which they marked, ran through what would become Chippewa County, then later Taylor County. Other surveyors would use this line to obtain their range and township coordinates.

Plotted into townships

     The early surveyors plotted the land into six-mile squares (or townships), providing for township government. These were further divided into "sections". Later, may roads would be built on the lines separating these units. The ordinance provided for sections 16 and 36 (sections in each township were all numbered alike) to be used for development of schools.
     Unlike land boundaries in the East, many of which were described in terms of metes and bounds, the rectangular survey in the Northwest Territory had many advantages. For one, it simplified land descriptions. Given the range and township coordinates, boundaries of any plot of land could easily and accurately be determined with few disputes. When roads were constructed, and they were usually built on township and section lines, access was better than in the East.
     While the Wisconsin Territory was struggling to become a state the rest of the nation was growing rapidly. In the East, the period before 1850 was marked by growth of industrialization. Men discussed such things as working conditions in factories, low pay and a movement to reorganize labor unions. The unions had been strong in the 1830s before the depression of 1837. They would not achieve significant status again, however, for about 80 years or until the FDR era.

Reform era subsides

     The great reform movement of the 1830s was also subsiding. Prison conditions, prohibition, women's rights and reforms in education were less on the minds of people. The big issue was slavery.
     Before this question was settled, it would split the Democratic Party into the "Barnburners" (anti-slavery) and the "Doughfaces" (pro-slavery). The Republican Party, known as the Whig Party, would undergo a similar crisis, dividing into the "Cotton Whigs" and the "Conscience Whigs". Bitterness over the issue would eventually lead to a great civil war.
     Democrat James K. Polk, a U.S. Senator from North Caroline, was elected president in 1844 (he served one term) in a close race with Sen. Henry Clay, receiving 1.3 million votes to Clay's 1.2 million. During his presidency, characterized by the term "manifest destiny" or westward expansion, he sent U.S. troops to wrest control of Texas from Mexico in what was called the Mexican War. Seven hundred men from the Wisconsin Territory volunteered to fight, but the war was over before they could be sent.

Thousands of immigrants

     The late 1840's were also marked by a large influx of Irish and German immigrants into the country. By 1855, more than 500,000 German immigrants, many becoming farmers in Wisconsin, had entered the country. Most of the Irish preferred to remain in the Eastern cities.
     By the end of the decade, there were fewer than 22 million residents of the United States (not including those in the territories); at the turn of the century, there would be 76 million. Most Americans were farmers, and for some life was getting a little easier.
     Some western farmers, mostly the larger ones, were being introduced to farm machinery that could replace hours of labor. By 1845 many were using Cyrus McCormick's reaper which could do the work of 10 men. Of course, the machinery was still powered by the horses.
     Machinery was even luring some women, those who could afford it. Many dreamed of having one of Elias Howe's sewing machines for which he got a patent in 1846.

Age of technology

     There was little doubt in mens' minds that the age of technology was upon them. The best evidence of that was in a new and growing industry - the railroads. Everyone knew the trains would be in the future mode of travel.

--Sam Daleo

Extracted from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Special Publication, Our Story 'The Chippewa Valley and Beyond', published 1976
Used with permission.