Histories: Trempealeau Co. Historical Accounts:
"History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin,
1917":
Chapter 10:
George H. Markham's Reminiscences
-As
transcribed from pages 208 - 211
George H. Markham is one of the oldest settlers in Trempealeau
County. He came to Independence with the Markham party in
1856, and has since continued to take an active part in local
affairs. His diary is replete with interesting incidents of the
early days, and his memory of those far-distant times is most vivid.
The family, then consisting of John Markham and wife and two sons,
George H. and Arthur A., accompanied by Walter Maule, a retainer, and
Charles F. D. Lyne, the tutor of the two sons, came to America in 1856,
embarking from Southampton. In originally planning their trip
they had purposed going to Canada, but had changed their destination
upon the advice of Rev. William Davis, whom members of the family had
met in France.
They landed in New York, went to Chicago by rail, thence to Milwaukee
by boat, thence to Watertown by train, and from there to Columbus by
stage. At Columbus they were joined by Mr. Davis. There
also they were met by David Wood, who offered to guide them to
Trempealeau Valley, where homesteads were awaiting.
Consequently, leaving john Markham and his wife and Arthur A. Markham
at Columbus, the remainder of the party, consisting of George H.
Markham, Walter Maule, Charles F. D. E. Line, William Davis, Mrs. Davis
and two children, started out to seek a new home, guided by David Wood,
still a resident of the county. The trip, which was made with an
ox team, was filled with interesting adventures. Through Portage,
Mauston and Sparta they found their way to Billings Ferry, over the
Black River, passing near the present site of the city of Melrose, and
thence entering the Trempealeau Valley near the present site of
Blair. The first settler encountered in the valley was William
Thompson. The first night in the valley was spent at the home of
Edmond Reynolds. A short stop was made at the home of Alvah Wood,
where David Wood remained. They found a poor bridge across Pigeon
Creek, and continued on to Hiram Stratton's, where a short stop was
made. Stratton accompanied them down the valley to the mouth of
Elk Creek, and assisted them in selecting a location. He also
assisted them in procuring some poplar logs near his place, and with
these logs they erected a cabin, 24 by 24, a few hundred feet south of
what has since been known as the Markham or English castle. A
shed for the cattle was built of poles thatched over with marsh
grass. Some marsh grass was also cut for the use of the cattle.
The remainder of the month of October soon passed, and before long came
the famous winter of the deep snow. Miles from the nearest
habitation, unaccustomed to the rigors of pioneer life, and with only
the crudest of equipment, the little party spent the long hard
winter. Both oxen died as a result of the poor food and inclement
weather. The people themselves would have perished had it not
been for two trips which George Markham took to Black River Falls with
a hand sled. On one of these trips, when the snow was four feet
deep, he stopped at the home of Gullick Olson, near the present town of
Blair, obtained there a pair of snow shoes, and within a short time
learned their use.
Mr. Markham remembers distinctly those settlers living along the
Trempealeau River between Independence and the Jackson County line with
whom he was acquainted. First came the home of Elder Moses
Ingalls and his two sons, Francis W. and Moses D. They were south
of the river. North of the river not far away was Hiram
Stratton. Above the present village of Whitehall was Alvah Wood
south of the river, then came William Van Sickle, Ed. Weeks, Cyrus
Hines, John Debow and Wessel Lowe north of the river, and then John
Hopkins, Simon S. Rice, Henry Lake, Herman Snyder, Chester Beswick,
John B. Dunning, Edmond M. Reynolds, William Welch and Gullick Olson,
all south of the river. Ebenezer Thurston was north of the
river. Then came Robert Thompson and Severt Johnson south of the
river. Messrs. Stirling and Culver were north of the river over
the line in Jackson County.
To this list David Wood, who accompanied Mr. Markham on his first trip
to the county, has made a number of interesting additions. The
Ingalls family, Hiram Stratton and brother Albert, and Alvah Wood,
father of David, settled in what is now Lincoln in 1856.
Of those in what is now Preston Mr. Wood believes Sivert Johnson to
have been the first in 1854, followed in 1855 by Gullick Olson, Lars
Olson Bjorgo Olson, Sigbjurne Ellickson, Peder Pederson, Gullick A.
Storlee, Bengt Danielson, Nels Halverson, and Jacob Tenneson.
Ebenezer Thurston, Robert Thompson, Edmond M. Reynolds, John b.
Dunning, Henry Lake, Simon S. Rice and john Hopkins, with his
sixteen-year-old son James, arrived in 1855, and Wessel Lowe, Herman
Snyder, Chester Beswick and probably William Welch came in 1856.
Others who took land in 1855 and became residents here were William A.
Conger, Hiram Walker, Isander P. Armstrong, George W. Malory and
Richard Porter, the last named of whom died a short time after his
arrival.
While the little Markham colony was spending the winter of 1856-57 at
Independence, John Markham and his wife and son Arthur A. had started
for their new location. They were met at Stirling's, near the
county line, by George H. Markham. Near the Culver home, with the
assistance of Culver, they built a raft and thus made their way down
the Trempealeau River to the mouth of Elk Creek. The next summer
was spent in breaking the land, but no crops were raised except
vegetables.
Settlers came in but slowly. In the summer of 1857 Giles Cripps
and family arrived and settled three miles up Elk Creek, the first
settlers in that valley. No more settlers arrived that year.
In 1858, George Hale, accompanied by a friend, arrived at the Markham
home on April 30. On their trip up the river they had lost their
guns. The Markhams took them ten miles down the river in boats
and they recovered the missing firearms. In the fall George Hale
brought his mother and located nine miles up the valley, being the
first settler in the township which now bears his name. It was
this year that George H. Markham and Charles F.D. Lyne blazed the first
trail between Independence and Arcadia along practically the route of
the present wagon road, the trip being made for the purpose of allowing
Mr. Markham to cast his first vote. The river and creeks were
swollen and had to be crossed in several places. In order to
accomplish the passage it was necessary to construct temporary bridges
across which the oxen were led and across which the wagon was carried
after being taken apart.
In 1859 came David Watson, who settled still further up the valley near
the present site of Pleasantville. In 1860 came a great influx of
population.
Of these first settlers John Markham and his wife died here and are
here laid to rest. George H. and Arthur Markham have since
continued to live here. Charles F. D. Lyne first took a claim
nearby, then left for Missouri and for many years was assistant rector
of St. Joseph's Parish, St. Joseph, in that State. Walter Maule
never married. He took a claim near the mouth of the cooley which
has since born his name, and spent the rest of his life here. He
died in 1898 and is here laid to rest. His brother George is
still here.
Giles Cripps died here and is here buried. George Hale moved to
Carrington, N. D. David Watson stayed a dozen years or so and
then went to Michigan.
Before the war there was a large settlement in Burnside Township.
Peter Sura and Lawrence Bautch, the first of the Polish people,
arrived, and soon influenced many of their countrymen to settle in the
same locality. About the same time came George Parsons, Talcott
Moore, James Reid, John Reid, Reuben Meggs, George Meggs, William
Cramer, Hamlet Warring, Dr. James Kelly and his two sons, John and
James, Lowell Fay and his two sons, Henry and Aaron, Thomas Bennett,
George Bach, D. C. Cilley, H. W. Rumsey, H. P. Rumsey, E. A. Bently,
Michael White, George Bartlett, Robert Brookings, William Nichols and
others and obtained farms.
Alfred and Harrison Rogers, and Abraham and Samuel Coy, settled near
New City, and up Travis Valley settled Dr. Joshua Travis, an Indian
herb doctor; Jessie Kidder, Lovell Kidder, Albert Spaulding, Elias
Spaulding, Frank and L. D. Tubbs, Theodore Hutchins, John Raymond and
____ Vance with his two sons, Irving and Washington. There also
lived Elder Isaac Hickey, of the Mormon faith, around whom was gathered
a scattered settlement of his own belief.
Martin Borst, an early settler in the Borst Valley, soon acquired a
large tract of some 1,600 acres of the best land in that valley.