EARLY HISTORY
Relative to Juneau County In Early Days
But Few Settlers Here in 1850 -- First State Roads
Established -- Names of Commissioners
The Mauston Star
Mauston, Wisconsin, February 28, 1907
Few settlers came to this county previous to 1850, but they had written to
their friends in the East and were expecting them, and wanted roads.
As the legislature at that time did all business, such as laying out roads, organizing towns, school districts etc., the people applied there to have some roads.
By an act passed by the legislature and approved Feb. 9, 1850, C. J. Marsh, R. V. Allen and Daniel Comfort were appointed commissioners to lay out and establish a state road from Hamilton, Marquette county through the Menominee purchase to the narrows of the Dells on the Wisconsin river. That road got the people as far as the old Dells bridge of Skyler Gates.
Another act passed and approved on the same day, applied to this county, and was in three sections affecting three state roads.
Section 1. Clark Whitney, Andrew Dunn, and Harris Searles were appointed commissioners to lay out and establish a state road from Wyocena in Columbia County and Winnebago. Portage on the east side of the Wisconsin reiver, by the Elbow in the Dells on the Wisconsin river, thence to the upper mills on the Lemonware (sic) thence to Prairie La Crosse on the Mississippi.
Section 2. Harris Searles, Robert Campbell, and Thomas Weston were appointed commissioners to lay out a state road from Prairie La Crosse on the Mississippi river to Shanrette on the Wisconsin.
Section 3. Jacob Spaulding, James Perry, and Harris Searles were appointed commissioners to lay out and establish a state road from the Falls of Black River in Crawford County to the upper mills on the Lemonware in Adams.
The upper mills referred to above were later known as Scott & Buckley mills in town of Clearfield. This road mentioned in first section is the first state road to go through the county and the present Mauston and New Lisbon road. Jackson county is now the part of Crawford above referred to.
contributed by Jackie Hufschmid