Histories: Trempealeau Co. Historical Accounts:
"History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin, 1917":
Chapter 8:
Black River Valley
-As transcribed from pages 78 - 79
The Black River Valley in Trempealeau County embraces the
eastern part of Caledonia Township, and Decorah Prairie in Gale
Township. Tradition ascribes Indian village sites to Decorah and Red
Bird, Winnebago chiefs, in this immediate region. The first white
settlers were sturdy Scotchmen.
Caledonia early received settlers in that portion lying along the
Mississippi adjacent to Trempealeau. James D. Olds was the first to
take a claim in that portion lying properly in the Black River Valley.
He came to Trempealeau on May 6, 1851, and walking out on Caledonia
Prairie, selected a claim in Section 7, in what is now Caledonia
Township. He cut logs, rolled them up for the body of a cabin, and
marked out a claim, cutting the name and date on the log.
The first man actually to settle in the locality was William Cram, who
started building a cabin south of the Olds claim, in May, 1852.
In 1853 came Joshua Rhodes, accompanied by William Hanson, who lived
with him for a while. During the same year came Rufus Comstock, who
settled on the claim of James D. Olds. The same year William Olds came
in and purchased William Cram's place. Alexander McGilvray, who had
reached Trempealeau in 1852, moved his family to the banks of the Black
River.
Bostwick Beardsley led the vanguard in 1854 by settling on Section 28.
There were numerous other arrivals about the same time. He found in the
neighborhood, John, Richard and William Nicholls, Charles Holmes, B. B.
Healy and Alexander McGilvray.
This year marked the opening of McGilvray ferry. The ferry was started
by Alexander McGilvray. In the summer of 1854, J. D. Olds purchased
property at the ford, and built a store and blacksmith shop, and opened
a farm.
From this settlement, the pioneers spread onto Decorah Prairie further
up the river, where a flourishing Scotch settlement was founded.