Politics comes with lumbering growth

The Dells Dam on the Chippewa River at Eau Claire created some of the biggest political debates of its time when lumbermen at Eau Claire sought to have it built over objections of Chippewa Falls lumbermen. They said the dam would prevent navigation upriver to Chippewa and make rafting lumber impossible. Several reported bribe attempts by Eau Claire interests ffailed to sway the state government and it wasn't until many years later that the City of Eau Claire was granted rights to build it.

     Politics were very much a part of life for the lumberman. It involved getting tax breaks, delaying safety measures in the mills and, generally, at least one lumberman each term served in the state legislature.
     However, there were no greater political battles than those which came about in a conflict between lumber interests themselves.
     One known as the Dells Dam issue, involved logging interests in Rau Claire and Chippewa Falls. The other, between up-river loggers and the Beef Slough Log Driving Company, took place over a number of years.

Opposed by Chippewa interest

     On the former, there were efforts for years by Eau Claire mill owners to build a dam across the dells on the Chippewa River.
     Eau Claire interests felt it was necessary to raise the level of water at this point to construct booms and piers to hold and sort logs.
      Chippwa Falls interests felt the project was only a scheme by Eau Claire to build up the industry in the lower town at the expense of Chippewa Falls.
      They maintained the dam and associated features would cut into their property, but mostly would destroy heretofore free navigation on the river. It would make rafting from Chippewa out of the question.
     The first effort came in 1860 when both houses passed a bill approving construction. However, Thaddeus Pound from Chippewa, an influential man in Madison, worked to have Gov. Randall veto it because the bill contained no provision for locks to allow boats to bypass.

Lost for third time

     In 1870 the Dells bill lost for the third time. But the following year Eau Claire interests pushed through another one carefully drawn up. There were rumors at the time that Eau Claire supporters had used bribes in the legislature. hearing of these, Gov. Fairchild vetoed it. Later it was reported that legislators indeed had rolls of bills from $100 to $1,000 slipped into their pockets.
     Finally, in 1875, the legislature approved the project which came as an amendment to the charter of Eau Claire. It dealt with the city's efforts to secure as a municipality the right to build the dam which had so long been sought by lumbermen as individuals. The fight continued into the courts but the city did eventually construct the dam, and to this day the city still holds the legal charter for it.

Beef Slough problems

     While the Dells dam issue was fought with words and bribes in the legislature and the courts, the Beef Slough controversy was one which could have erupted in violence. As it was, an armed outbreak was only barely avoided.
     It came about because lumbermen on the Mississippi had purchased land called the Beef Slough on the lower Chippewa River, an ideal holding place for logs from further up on the Chippewa and its tributaries.
     Beef Slough Log Driving Company started to buy huge amounts of logs from jobbers on the river and Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire mill owners were concerned about the heavy toll of timber being driven past their mills and eventually down the Mississippi to larger sawmills.

Defeat first effort for charter

Sorting of the logs required balance, and many techniques of modern-day log rolling date to the days of log sorters and log drivers on area rivers. Here sorters identify logs belonging to the respective mills and direct them up a chute which carried them to the sawyers.

     At this time, Eau Claire and Chippewa loggers, with help from Pound, defeated an effort for the Beef Slough group to gain a special charter.
     After the bill failed, the victorious Chippewa River millmen sent their employes to close the entrance to the slough.
     Beef Slough interests had the action condemned as blocking free navigation on the river.
     A few days before the Legislature adjourned, backers of the Beef Slough group managed to have a rider attached to a gas light bill and gained a charter which gave them power and rights to use the river to drive logs.
     Millowners at Chippewa and Eau Claire decided not to pass logs with the Beef Slough marks on them down the river, saying they didn't have facilities to sort them.

Threatened to cut log booms

     The angered Beef Slough owners had their loggers in the woods and ordered that every boom containing logs with the Beef Slough logging marks cut so the logs could pass downstream. They managed to get this done at Jim Falls when about 100 of their men confronted about 100 others who were guarding the booms.
     Beef Slough loggers marched on Eau Claire but, through efforts of William Carson, any actual fighting was nipped and the men moved on.
     The stormy issue came to an end as Beef Slough interests neared bankruptcy only to be rescued by Frederick Weyerhaeuser who bought out the company and went on to build his powerful Mississippi River Logging Company

- Arnie Hoffman

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