Early History of Jenny

The Merrill Advocate
Merrill, Lincoln Co., Wis., Tuesday, February 25, 1902
EARLY HISTORY OF JENNY
How Mosinee, Wausau, Grandfather Falls and Merrill Were First Named
THE FIRST SETTLERS IN MERRILL
Hon. John C. Clarke of Wausau, Writes The Advocate the Early History of this Section of the Country
Opening of the First Hotel, the First Great Social Event to Take Place
The Guests Nearly All Drunk
Small Pox Death to the Indians
In the year 1831 or 1832 a party of voyageurs or rather fur traders in the employ of the American Fur Company were on an exploring trip to the northward. They started from Dunbay's Trading Post due north through the dense forest and when about opposite the now called Mosinee, they heard a loud, roaring sound to the west of them which, on investigation, proved to be a heavy fall of water. From the roaring sound they named it Toro, the French name of bull. They continued on north and found a bigger or larger fall of water which they designated Big Bull Falls and changed the name of the first falls to Little Bull, thence onward to the north they came to the famous falls which they named Grand Pere or Grandfather, which in high water are terrifically grand. The rapids or riffles at other points on the river were too insignificant to be named by them. These voyageurs established trading posts at different points on the river on their trip, one at Big Bull and one at Scioto-Is-Sibi, the Chippewa name for Prairie River. The ruins of this post were on the west bank of the Wisconsin River, where now is the Illinois and Wisconsin Lumber Company's mill, which place in my day was a great resort for the Indians.

In the early forties there was engaged on the river, lumbering, on Hiram Pearson and his brother, John, who had a son, Alex Pearson. This Alex Pearson was cruising about the river and went up as far as Grandfather Bull, and he thought that, as the Bull family had occupied the prominent falls they ought, as a large family, to have some progeny, so he named the rapids where the dam is in your city, Jenny Bull. On the early day maps the falls at this point were called and known as Bolleaus Rapids, named after the French trader, who was stationed there.

Now we must go back to the early lumbering days to get an understanding of the situation. The head men who logged and ran logging camps, each for himself, made a logging claim, covering many miles of land with the streams thereon. The country was all heavily timbered, with very few if any bare spots south of Stevens Point. The first claim at and about Big Bull was made by the mill men. From Bates Islands by Cole, from there to Trap Rapids by Burt Hayes, subsequently he claimed the Pine River country until Grundy and Courthorst built the mill and put in the dam there. B. F. and E. Berry claimed from Trap to the mouth of Pine, Bethuell Draper and Campbell claimed from there to Jenny, or mouth of Prairie River, Henry Goodrich and Levi Fleming claimed Prairie River from its mouth to its source, Patrick Feheley claimed from Prairie to mouth of Copper and opened up the Newcomb farm, and Lemauel Larkin claimed the balance to Grandfather. These men opened up clearings, cut out roads and raised crops for their business. Of course, when these men quit, others have taken their place on a small scale, but these conditions existed from 1843 to about 1856.

In 1847 Andrew Warren, Jr., came to this country from Mineral Point, he was there known as the "rusher" and the name came here with him. He came with a stock of goods and opened his store at the Point, while there he made the acquaintance of Alex Pearson and with him came to Jenny and was farsighted enough to see the chances and opportunities there. He made his claim there and soon entered the lands and commenced to clear land and to build the mill, which in the year 1849 commenced to saw lumber. It was at that time and for many years after the best equipped saw mill on the river. He brought a millwright, Putnam, and a blacksmith and machinist, McCoy, from Sauk County to erect the mill and put it to running and they run it for two years. Then Warren run it for some two or three years when it was leased by Goodrich and L. A. Jones and afterwards purchased by B. T. Cooper and O. B. Smith, who for several years run it and did a very extensive business. The property then went into the hands of Harrison Combs and F. M. Andrews and from them T. H. Scott came into possession, and by his influence the railroad was built to Jenny and the name changed to Merrill, in honor of S. S. Merrill, who was at that time general manager of the C. M. & St. P. Railway.

We will take another phase of Jenny. In the fall of 1848 I hired out to O. B. Smith and Isaac Gunsolly to cook in their camp. On October 22nd the snow came and lasted until in April. the camp was located where A. C. Norway's house, on the bank of Prairie, now is. I was a resident of Jenny until the fall of 1855, having as river pilot and jobber run many a fleet of lumber from there to the markets on the Mississippi River. The last trip was made in 1866 for the Norway Brothers. Since then my vocation, or occupation, in my business life, has given me knowledge of what I write. The first house was built in Jenny by A. Warren, Jr., and stood about in front of the now Lincoln house; it was used as a mill boarding house. The first hotel was built and kept by Alex Watson in 1854. This house stood near the bank corner, near Poirier's. It was burned down in 1856. In 1857 Cy Strobridge built the hotel on the ground where Poirier's saloon now is. In 1858 Z. Space built the Clarion house. Dan Kline and Frank White built their houses in 1859. A small school house was built up the road, west and there the burying ground was until dug away for the railroad. T.P. Mathews became a resident there in 1856 or 1857. Gid Young and Omar Russell moved there about 1856. Henry Kyes moved there about the same time. The first store was kept by Warren and then by successive mill proprietors up to the advent of the railroad and Merrill commenced to put on city airs and fashion.

Would say what I have heard stated many times about Indian Jack Bates and Mong, his sister, of their great ages and they were looked on by many as antiquities of the dim past. In the winter of 1846 and 1847 the scourge of small pox was raging through this country and it got among the Indians. Many of the whites died of it and hundreds of the poor Indians also. When it would break out in an Indian camp the Indians not afflicted would flee away, leaving the sick, weak, and old, behind to care for themselves. There was a camp of Indians on the bank of the Wisconsin River near the Prairie house, the well Indians all left and put out leaving an old Indian and his squaw and a daughter, who was the mother of Jack and Mong. When the whites heard of the matter some four men went down and found the old Indian and his squaw dead, also the mother of the two children. The men came back and reported, and Harvey Bates and Patrick Fehaley went down the same day and got the children. Bates took Jack to raise and Fehaley took Mong. The children then were not over two years old, and the famous Indian Pete that is about Tomahawk is only four years older than Jack Bates was. I have known them ever since that time.

One of the most noted events in the social life of Jenny was the opening of the Watson Hotel in January, 1855. It was a great day. A big turkey feast with plenty roast beef and all the vegetables used in primitive life. It was strictly a stag party with liquor galore. The guests to the party came to the number of between three and four hundred from all over the pinery. Such a time was never before known. It took some of the guests three or four days to get in condition to go home. Alex Watson was a genial old Scotchman, kind hearted, who never was known to refuse a favor to any one if it was in his power to grant it. When he left Jenny he went to Lake Superior and died on Ontonogan. J. C. Clarke.

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