An Account of The Early Settlers of Juneau County

New Lisbon newspaper dated Feb. 28, 1952
(Written by Don Leicht, Madison, it was compiled
mostly from files at the State Historical Society.)

J. H. BREWSTER settled about the year 1854 near this city.  In that year, Joseph NUTTALL's neighborhood,  the following settlers commenced home life in the wilderness:  Jake SANBORN and father,  Jack WHITE,  Joe BONNOM,  N. H. SOUTHWORTH and a Mr. HUBBARD.

Most of the male population of the early days worked in the woods in winter, on the log drive in the spring and ran lumber rafts to the southern cities after the mills had manufactured it.  This was about the only way money could be obtained to buy clothing and groceries.  There was, however some revenue picked up from the sale of cranberries.  Late in the fall of 1854, John McNOWN, not having succeeded in getting as good an offer at Portage City, as he considered his berries worth, took them to St. Louis by wagon.

New Lisbon was known as Findley's Mill for a short time, so named in the spring of 1846 when J. H. FINDLEY and Wm. ARMSTRONG came from Winnebago Portage (later Portage City and still later Portage) and purchased the mill property here.

ADAMS.--Population 6,467.

This County lies on the Wisconsin, and is also watered by the Lemonwier, Neceda, Yellow, Roche a Cre, and numerous smaller steams. The valley of the Lemonwier contains as good land for agricultural purposes, as any in the State. The valley is some forty miles long by twenty in width, is gently undualating, intersected by many beautiful streams of the purest soft water; and what adds much to the value of the land is the existence of water everywhere at a depth of to twenty feet below the surface.

The timber consists of black, white, and bury oak, with an occasional mixture of popular, maple and basswood, oak openings predominate, yet there are many groves of dense forest. The soil there is warm, quick, and exceedingly productive. Pine of excellent quality is cut on the upper waters of the Lemonwier and Yellow Rivers, which has brought into existence numerous saw mills on the lower waters, and numerous thriving villages are springing up around them.[p.47]

Between the Yellow and Lemonwier Rivers, the country is level, in the rest of the county generally undulating, and good for agriculture. There is much good subject to entry, and it will not be long before Adams county will contain a large population. The land office for nearly the whole of this county is at Steven's Point.

Germantown, on the Wisconsin, at the mouth of the Yellow River, is the county seat, and has a good location for future prosperity. It is in the centre of a fertile district which is rapidly settling. Eight saw mills on the Yellow River, and all doing a prosperous business, send their lumber down the River to the Wisconsin, at this place.

Mauston, on the Lemonwier, is the largest village, having the usual indications of growth in its hotels, stores, shops, &c. It is located at one of the best water powers on the river, on which are a saw mill, lathe and picket mill, &c. A flouring mill is soon to be erected. Most of the pine from above is manufactured into lumber at this point. Maugh's Mills is the name of the Post Office.

Quincy, Cascade, Dell Prairie, Neceda, Dustin's Mills, and Wauceda, are all new and flourishing villages.[p.48]

The County is healthy, and affords good inducement, not only to the farmer, but to the mechanic of almost every kind.

The La Crosse and Milwaukee Rail Road passes through this county, following up the west side of the Wisconsin River to the Lemonwier, and up the Valley of this River to Monroe County.

By an act of the Legislature passed during the session of 1855, this county is divided by the Wisconsin River, making the County of Juneau on the west side, subject to approval by the voters of the County in November. There is little doubt the County will be so divided.

source: S. Handbook of Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, 1856