TIEN R5W

Surveyed March 5, 1841

By N E Whiteside

*Map not readable through OCR

THE WISCONSIN DOMESDAY BOOK

FARMS AND FARMERS OF 1860

Prepared from United States, State and County Records for the

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN

Under the Direction of Joseph Schafer, Superintendant

WISCONSIN DOMESDAY BOOK-TOWN STUDIES 23



BANGOR



OCATION.-The town of Bangor, organized in 1856,
1L occupies township 16, range 5 west, in La Crosse
County. The town is bounded north by Burns, east
by Leon (Monroe County), south by Washington, and west
by Hamilton and Barre. The town of Sparta (Monroe
County) corners with it at the northeast, and La Crosse
River, which flows southwest through Sparta, touches
Bangor at the northern boundary in section 5.
SURFACE AND DRAINAGE.-The town lies in the Driftless
Area, which explains its fundamental physical characteris-
tics. Fish (or Wiant's) Creek in the east and Dutch Creek
in the west, affluents of the La Crosse, with their numerous
branches, together with Thompson's Creek in the north and
Bostwick's Creek in the southwest, water the town so fully
that nearly all sections are supplied with running streams.
Besides these there are numerous springs.
La Crosse River, the master stream of the region, here
flows in the trough of a nearly level alluvial valley about two
miles wide, skirted by higher bench land and bordered by
bluffs which rise gradually from 250 to 550 or 600 feet above
the valley floor. Penetrating the upland, from the valley's
rim and from the narrower valleys or coulees, are ravines of
varying width, produced by the erosion process which dis-
sected the original upland plain into its present form. Belts
of alluvial land border all the streams.
TYPES OF SOIL.-The principal types of soil are Wabash
silt loam in Fish Creek valley, Wabash loam in the valleys of
Dutch Creek and Bostwick's Creek, Waukesha sandy loam
and Waukesha silt loam in the level phase of La Crosse
valley, the steep phase of Knox silt loam on the gentler
slopes, Knox silt on the ridges and the rough, stony land on
steep slopes, hog-backs, and wherever the original soil mantle
has been much disturbed. All of these except the last are
adapted to grain and grass growing when not too steep, in
which case they are subject to gullying.1 The sandy soils are
light, yet not unproductive under careful tillage.
TIMBER.-The original timber covering of the land con-
sisted of the several varieties of oak, especially white, black,
and burr oak, some jack oak, and a little birch. There was
practically no heavy timber and the amount of prairie and
open land was considerable, especially in the valleys, as the
surveyor's notes show. This fact, coupled with the prevail-
ingly light but responsive character of the soil, explains the
rapidity of the process of farm making in the more desirable
'The coulees, like those of Dutch Creek and the other creeks, are narrow
valleys of alluvial from one-fourth to one-half mile in width. Then begins the
bench land and the slope toward the higher ground. Hamlin Garland makes his
father say to his grandfather (A Son of the Middle Border, p. 61) that those
whose farms are crowded against the hills have a hard time of it. He was
referring to the slopes just mentioned, which were inconvenient to till as well
as liable to wash away.



areas. The labor of clearing and breaking was comparative-
ly light. It became heavier in the more rugged sections,
opened later, since timber grew rapidly on all uncultivated
lands after settlement had put an end to the annual burnings.
BEGINNINGS OF SETTLEMENXT.-The earliest entry of land
in township 16, range 5 west seems to have been made in
1850, by Abial Morrison-the southwest quarter of section 5.
The first settlers, however, are said to have been a group of
five Swiss led by John Bosshard, who came to Bangor in
1851 from the Swiss settlement in Sauk County. Three of
them located in the valley of Dutch Creek, and the others in
the La Crosse valley.2 The progress of settlement was slow
until 1854. After that it was rapid. However, the year
1860 found the town with considerable government land still
untaken. It lay along the steep hill slopes and on the narrow
ridges, the least desirable land for farming. All of the best
agricultural lands were in private hands.
The special incentive to settlement in the town during the
fifties was the building of the La Crosse and Milwaukee Rail-
road, completed in 1858. It brought the entire La Crosse
valley, with its tributary valleys and coulees, within reach of
the lake port for marketing purposes.
PROGRESS OF FARM IAKING.-According to the census of
1860, only 5257 acres was included within the 30 existing
farms, which is less than one-fourth of the land in the town-
ship. Of the land in farms, 2204 acres was under cultiva-
tion and 3053 uncultivated. By the next census there were
115 farms, the area of land in farms had increased to 16,852
acres, while the cultivated had risen to 7937 acres. In 1880
practically all the land of the township was included in
farms, and the improved--11,412 acres-was more than the
unimproved-11,103 acres. The process of bringing the
lands under complete subjection, therefore, occupied ap-
proximately twenty-five years. But the best and most acces-
sible lands were in use within ten years after immigration
had fully set in. The censuses of 1885 and 1895 showed a
slight decrease in number of improved acres, but the census
of 1905 reported a cultivated acreage of 12,716 or an aver-
age per farm of 110.5 acres, and an uncultivated total of
11,201 acres or an average per farm of 97.4 acres. There
were only 115 farms in the town at this time, and the average-
sized farm was 208 acres.
CLASSIFICATION OF FARMS ACCORDING TO AREA.-Classi-
fying for the three census periods of 1860, 1870, and 1880
for sizes of farms, we get the following results: In 1860 all
but 5 of the 30 farms in the town had 100 or more acres.
None were under 20 acres in area, 2 were between 20 and 49
'History of La Crosse County, Wisconsin (Chicago, 1881), 719.



acres, 3 between 50 and 99 acres, 11 between 100 and 174
acres, and 14 between 175 and 499 acres. No farm held more
than 500 acres at any of the three census periods. In 1870
there were 7 farms under 20 acres, 4 between 20 and 49
acres, 10 between 50 and 99 acres, 48 between 100 and 174
acres, and 48 between 175 and 499 acres. In 1880 there
were 2 farms in the class under 20 acres. There were 8 in
the second class, 8 in the third class, 44 in the fourth class,
and 61 in the fifth class.
As there was a considerable amount of rough land in
Bangor as a Driftless Area town, a classification of acres
actually cleared at different census periods is also important.
In 1860 there were 5 farms having 40 acres or less of culti-
vated land, in 1870 there were 48 farms in that class, and in
1880, 27. In the class of 41 to 60 acres of improved land there
were at the three periods 9, 16, and 18; of 61 to 100 acres,
10, 31, and 41; and over 100 acres, 6, 20, and 37.

GENERAL PRODUCTIONS.-The relative excellence of the
lands for wheat is shown by the fact that Bangor's thirty
farms produced, in 1859, 13,088 bushels, which was 436
bushels per farm on the average-the highest rate among the
towns compared, with the exception of Pleasant Springs in
Dane County. In 1869 Bangor's average per farm, 642
bushels, was the highest by a good margin of all towns com-
pared. In 1879 the town again stood first, with 411 bushels
per farm. Of other market cereals, Bangor grew in 1859 no
rye or barley. In 1869 her barley yield per farm stood at 105
bushels, next to that of Mount Pleasant, which was highest;
and in 1879 the town produced a few bushels each of barley
and rye. Hops were grown in 1869 by nine farmers, to the
aggregate amount of 24,607 pounds. Ten years later five
farmers were still growing hops. They produced 14,800
pounds. No tobacco was grown in the town in those years.
Oats averaged 588 bushels per farm in 1859, 237 in 1869,
and 285 in 1879; corn, 303 in 1859, 75 in 1869, and 193 in
1879. Of hay there was less than 6 tons in 1859, 14 tons in
1869, and 17 tons in 1879. The drop in production of oats
and corn between 1859 and 1869 was probably due partly to
the increasing devotion to wheat raising during the war and
in the period of high prices after the war, and partly to the
fact that the lands opened up after 1859 were less favorable
to corn and oats than the alluvial valley soils and the more
level bench lands on which the earlier farms were made.
In average livestock valuation Bangor stood first in 1859,
eighth in 1869, and eleventh in 1879. The difference, how-
ever, seems to have been caused by increases in the other towns
rather than by any decline in livestock production in Bangor,
which maintained a fairly consistent record through the three
census periods. The average number of milch cows remained



WISCONSIN



DOMESDAY BOOK--TOWN



ST U DIES 28











24 WISCONSIN DOMESDAY BOOK-TOWN STUDIES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_



about the same, that of other cattle increased slightly, while
sheep and pigs varied a little. The Bangor farmers of the
early period, being primarily wheat growers, do not appear to
have taken full advantage of the outrange furnished by un-
occupied grass-covered ravines, hill slopes, and ridges in
order to raise large herds of cattle. The largest herd on any
farm in 1860 was 45 head-15 cows and 30 other cattle. In
1870 the maximum number of cows was 15, the maximum of
other cattle 20; while in 1880 one farm had 15 cows and 23
other cattle, and another 8 cows and 35 other cattle. The
largest flock of sheep in 1860 was 60; in 1870, 51. In 1880
sheep were a negligible factor. Swine, however, had advanced
strongly. One farm had 90 head, several others 70 each,
whereas the largest number in 1860 was 32, and in 1870, 11.
The record of cows, as given above, will control the record
of dairy productions, which in 1859 consisted of 6050 pounds
of butter and 3150 pounds of cheese; in 1869, of 24,235
pounds butter and 275 pounds cheese; and in 1879, of 14,525
pounds butter and 25 pounds of cheese. Since the number of
milch cows in 1880 was greater than in 1870, it is probable
that a portion of the milk was made up into cheese at factories.
The state census of 1885 credits Bangor with 58,100 pounds
of cheese and 35,950 pounds of butter.
By that time, therefore, the dairy business was well es-
tablished. The number of milch cows was not given sepa-
rately in that census, but the total of cattle and calves on hand
was 1344, just 200 less than in 1880, when the cows num-
bered 545 and other cattle 999. Doubtless the number of
cows had not decreased, and it had probably increased con-
siderably under the cheese making regime. In 1895 the
town had 1001 milch cows. It had one cheese factory and
one creamery. The butter product was given as 60,750
pounds, cheese 14,000 pounds. By 1905 the number of milch
cows had risen to 1614. The butter product (from home
dairying) was 17,220 pounds; the creamery product from
1400 cows, 220,000 pounds of butter; and the cheese factory
product from 550 cows, 233,000 pounds of cheese.
SPECIAL PRODUCTIONS.-Special crops are not extensively
developed in Bangor. Hay was produced to a moderate ex-
tent, according to the census of 1905. At that time 2837 acres,
producing 4431 tons valued at $21,875, was reported; also
a small amount of tobacco, 10,000 pounds valued at $650, and
small amounts of potatoes, 4201 bushels valued at $1023, and
apples, 2049 bushels valued at $644. Cucumbers, melons,
strawberries, and small fruits are grown successfully but not
to a great extent. Truck crops, which include early and late
potatoes, cabbage, melons, radishes, celery, beets, sweet-corn,
peas, beans, and rhubarb, are also grown in small amounts.
Much more could be done along these lines and also with
sugar beets.

VALUE OF PRODUCTIONS.-The value of all farm produc-
tions in 1869 was $117,859, and the average per farm was
$1083. Since only 109 farms reported incomes, this would



bring the actual average up to $1081. In 1879 the total was
$118,010 and the average per farm $959. At the first period
there were 45 incomes of $1000 or over, the maximum being
$3720, made out of livestock and general farming. Thirty-
three were between $600 and $999, 18 between $400 and $599,
and 10 between $200 and $399. There were 3 incomes of less
than $200. In 1879 the maximum income was $1856, made
largely from wheat, and there were 11 others of $1000 or
more. There were 26 of the second class ($600 to $999), 44
of the third class ($400 to $599), and 24 of the fourth class
($200 to $399). Incomes falling below $200 rose to the num-
ber of 20. In 1904 the average farm income was practically
the same as in 1879 ($940). The number of cows in 1905



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FIG. 3. TowN OF BANGOR, 1915
After a drawing lent by the W. W. Hixson Company


was 1614 as against 545 of 1880. At the later period the
average value of dairy productions per farm was $469 and of
other livestock $211. Crop incomes averaged $132 per farm.
In 1920 the number of cows had further increased to 2035, the
average value of dairy productions to $1418 and of other live-
stock to $1062, crop incomes to $334, and total farm incomes
to $2814. Allowing for high prices at this period, there was
a real increase in total incomes derived mainly from dairy and
other livestock productions.

MANUFACTURES.-According to the census of 1860 the
village of Bangor, located on the railroad in sections 4 and 5,
had several stores, a blacksmith shop, and a gristmill. In
1864 a woolen mill was established on Dutch Creek near the



village of Bangor. The gristmill, which was built in 1853
and 1854, was also on Dutch Creek.'

VILLAGES, POST OFFICES, SCHOOLS, AND CHURCHES.-
In 1857, according to the county map, the settlements were
mainly in the two larger coulees of Dutch Creek and Wiant's
Creek, in each of which was a school. A few families were
living in that portion of Bostwick's Creek valley which lies
in the town of Bangor, and there were scattering settlers on
the prairie and marsh lands of the La Crosse valley in the two
northern tiers of sections. If the villagers and the temporary
residents could be subtracted, we would have a farm popula-
tion at that date of probably not to exceed 300.
A post office was established in the town in 1854, with
Richard Wheldon as first postmaster. The first school was
taught for a period of three months in the winter of 1853-54,
by William Carl, on the site of the present village of Bangor.
The building in which the school was taught was also used as
a church.4 The 1906 plat book for the county of La Crosse
shows schools for town 16, range 5, on sections 31, 16, 35, and
12, and churches on sections 1, 3, 5, and 12.

POPULATION CHANGES.-The early settlers of the town, in
addition to the small group of Swiss mentioned, consisted
partly of Americans, partly of Europeans. In 1860 more
heads of families were of foreign birth than of native. Wales
contributed 10, Norway and Baden each 7, Switzerland 3,
England 3, Hanover, Saxony, Hesse, Wiirttemberg, and
Bavaria each 1. Of the native group, New York's con-
tingent was 11, Vermont's 10, and there was 1 each from
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and
North Carolina. In the count we have included only the
farmers (55 in number) and the resident merchants, a mill
owner, and a clergyman. The total population at that census
period was 751, but a large proportion consisted of railway
and other laborers, some of whom were doubtless transients.
In 1870 the aggregate population of the town was 1151. By
that time, no doubt, the farm population was much more
numerous. In 1885, according to the state census, the farm
population was 731, which increased to 778 in 1895. There-
after it declined to 695 in 1905, and to 669 in 1920.
The census taker of 1870 found 680 Americans and 471
foreigners in the town, but there were three times as many
foreign families as there were American families. Many
children of foreigners, therefore, must appear in the count of
natives. In 1885 the Americans numbered 509, the foreigners
222, but the foreign families numbered 91 and the American
78, which shows that the original immigrants were disappear-
ing (probably by death) and their American born children
were heading families of their own. A great change occurred
between 1885 and 1895, when the American families dropped
to 40 and the foreign increased to 124. This means, no doubt,
that many American families emigrated during the decade,
History of La Crosse County, 720, 728.
'Ibid., 720 724.



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24 WI S C O N S I N



DOMESDAY BOOK--TOWN



STUDIES



I













WISCONSIN



D OM E S D A Y



BOOK-TOWN



STUDIES



and their farms were purchased by foreigners. The last
quarter-century shows a strong tendency toward native su-
premacy. In 1905 there were 60 American families and only
64 foreign, while in 1920 the native outnumbered the foreign
exactly two to one (82 to 41). The total number of foreign
born in the town in 1920 was 85. Yet, the names of farm
owners are prevailingly foreign, and the above figures mean
simply that the present population consists for the most part
of the children and grandchildren of foreign immigrants, with
a sprinkling of natives belonging to the older American stock.
Among the foreign elements the Welsh, Germans, and
Norwegians are the most important, though the Swiss and
also the Irish have had representative families in the town
from the beginning and there are a few of other nationalities,
as the population chart shows.



YEAR



1850
1860

1870
1885


1895
1905
1920



To-
TAL



751



BANGOR-POPULATION STATISTICS



AMERICAN



Wis-
con-
sin

181



1,151480
731* ...



778
695
669



503
541



Other
States


262

200




39
43



Total Ger-
many



44.1

6O0
509


548
542
584



68

88
73


70
68
39



FOREIGN



Ire- IScan-lSwit- IWaleal Other



land dina- I ser-



11



41



via

72

101
59


101
41
19



land

11



62



66 151
59. .



15 13
11.....



Lands


52
Eng-
land 27
54
90
Great
Britain
56
18
10
16



Total 'Amer-
ican



308

471
222


230
153
85



51
78


40
60
82



FAMILIES



For-



eign



59 81 140



156
91


124
64
41



Village excluded.


SOCIAL HISTORY OF BANGOR

ANNA M. JENKINS

Bangor was first brought under town government as a part of
the town of Pierce in 1852. Sections were withdrawn for the
organization of different townships until 1856, when its individual
organization was effected. It is located in the eastern part of the
county and is unsurpassed for the fertility of its well watered and
well wooded valleys, such as Dutch Creek, Fish Creek, and The
Prairie. Nestling back from these broader valleys are many nar-
rower ones fittingly designated as "coulees" by our own Hamlin
Garland.
Early in the history of the state, companies of men looking
about for a suitable place in which to begin a home saw these
valleys and found them good to look upon. Here they decided to
locate and build the home altar to which they could bring their
families. Several distinct classes of settlers were among those who
found homes in this fair domain-people from the East who were
anxious to locate in more sparsely settled regions, natives of Switzer-
land who immigrated here from Sauk County and directly from
Switzerland as well, sturdy Bohemians who had heard of the "prom-
ised land" of opportunity and had come to make their homes here,
stalwart Norwegians locating in the deepest coulees because of the
homelike appearance of the steep hillsides, and the idealistic Welsh-
men from the rugged slopes of Wales. Each group built for itself



its own type of civilization and drew unto itself all those of like
ideas. Today those different types of civilization are blended and
merged into a distinctively American town.
Among the Swiss settlers we find such names as Bosshard,
Reudy, Wolf, Darms, and Zimmerman. Bosshard and Reudy set-
tled south of the present site of the village of Bangor in the Dutch
Creek valley, and Zimmerman and Darms located claims two and
one-half miles east of the village. These settlers brought with them
the sturdy honesty and thrift of their forbears in Switzerland, and
with them, too, they brought the love of freedom which courses
through the veins of every true son of Switzerland. Their industry
and thrift made their broad acres blossom as the rose, and today
the farms which they developed are pointed out with pride by the
descendants of these first settlers. A number of the farms are now
owned by the third generation of the family that filed the claim.
Later other Swiss families, attracted by the reports of their friends
and relatives, came here and located in various parts of the town-
ship. Christian and Jacob Hatz, brothers, located on farms in
Dutch Creek valley, and their sons, both named John, are prominent
in the government of the town and the county.
The first white child born in the township was John Bosshard,
son of the original first settler Bosshard. His son, John Bosshard,
Jr., is now one of the progressive business men of the village and
has served as village president. He tells an incident in the life of
his father which pictures the handicaps of pioneer life. In those
days bands of Indians roamed about and camped in convenient
places on the banks of creeks. One day Baby John was missing.
His mother searched for him in his usual haunts, but he was not
to be found. Finally the thought of the Indian camp occurred to
them, and there they found him. He had strayed out of his mother's
sight, and the Indians had picked him up and taken him with them.
Otto Bosshard, a brother of John, is a prominent attorney at
La Crosse, has served the state as senator at Madison, and in politi-
cal circles has won for himself an enviable reputation for sterling
worth and unswerving loyalty to the state's best interests.
These Swiss settlers organized a Freethinkers' association which
was known as the Concordia Society. This society held a promi-
nent place in the social life of the community for many years, and is
still in existence. Concordia Hall, which was dedicated to the use of
the society, still stands and is in good repair. The society had its
physical training department, the Turners, its musical and dramatic
department, and a school in which German and English were taught.
The first teacher was a Mr. Copling; later Mr. Steinberger, a
scholarly man and a Freethinker, taught the school for many years.
Some of his descendants, the Reudebusch family, now live at May-
ville, Wisconsin.
Joseph Hussa, a Bohemian, came to Bangor between 1858 and
1860, and built a brewery. After his death his sons carried on his
business under the name of the Hussa Brewing Company. After
the eighteenth amendment was passed the Hussa Brewing Company
became the Hussa Canning Company, and the plant is doing a big
business and furnishing work for many people.
Numbers of early Welsh settlers came from the East and others
came directly from Wales, settling in what is now the village of
Bangor and vicinity and in the Fish Creek valley. William Price
bought the claim of Darms, who had settled east of the village, and
John Williams bought the claim of C. Buol, who moved to Dutch



Creek valley and later located west of the town of Bangor in Hamil-
ton, where the Buol brothers now own acres and acres of the richest
farm lands of the county.
John Wheldon was the first settler of the village, locating on
a farm upon which, one year later, was laid out the village of Bangor.
Later, other additions were made to the village. In casting about
for a name for the little settlement, John Wheldon, filled with his
love for "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (old land of my fathers), which
is every true Welshman's heritage, suggested the name Bangor, and
it was at once adopted for town and village alike. The Wheldons,
through their efforts, had the first post office opened at Bangor;
it was kept in John Wheldon's log house-the first one in the village.
Richard Wheldon, John's youngest brother, was the first postmaster.
Later, John Wheldon served as postmaster. It was necessary to
have the mail brought across the river from Burns, as the stage route
was on the north side of the river. It has been said that the citizens
of Bangor made an earnest effort to have the Chicago, Milwaukee,
and St. Paul Railroad locate on the north side of the river, but for-
tunately for them their efforts were of no avail. The old Wheldon
homestead, with beautiful modern buildings, is now owned by Robert
and Griffith Wheldon, sons of John, the founder of the village of
Bangor.
The second house in the village, also of logs, was built by David
J. Jenkins, who arrived in the fall of 1853. In 1854 he and John
Wheldon built the flour mill on Dutch Creek, which he ran until
1870. After several changes in proprietors the mill came into the
possession of John Bosshard and remained so until June 11, 1899,
when the modest little Dutch Creek rose in its wrath and by a
mighty flood washed away the mill and even the site. Both D. J.
Jenkins and John Wheldon took an active part in the government
of the little hamlet, both in turn holding the offices of town super-
intendent of schools, clerk, and justice of the peace. Jenkins in
his capacity of justice performed many a marriage ceremony, his
smallest fee being a half-bushel of turnips. As town superintendent
of schools, so the story runs, he had a unique way of determining
the qualifications of a teacher. A young man, a candidate for the
necessary credentials for teaching, was told to come to the mill
office. He promptly did so and spent the afternoon visiting with
the genial proprietor of the mill, without, however, any reference
being made to the object of his visit. When the young man was
about to leave, Mr. Jenkins said, "Well, you'll do all right." The
young fellow proved to be a very successful teacher. Such a primitive
method of determining the fitness of a candidate is a far cry from
the methods of the present day, when the pendulum has swung away
from native intelligence and ability to diplomas, certificates, and
degrees. When the office of supervising teacher of rural schools
was created in the state, the position in La Crosse County was filled
by Anna M. Jenkins, a niece of D. J. Jenkins; another niece, Mrs.
Blanche J. Chamberlin. is the present county superintendent of
schools-the first woman to hold that position in La Crosse County.
Evan Jones, with a family of four sturdy sons, came to the
town in 1852 and settled on a claim just west of where the village
now stands. This property has never left the family and is now
owned by two of his grandsons.
The Welsh people are naturally religious, and early in the
history of the village a Welsh Congregational church was founded.
This church was the scene of many a soul stirring "Eisteddfod," a



25



I--- l ll --










26 WISCONSIN DOMESDAY BOOK-TOWN STUDIES



festival of song and poetry. This festival attracted the Welsh
people from all parts of the county, many of them coming in wagons
drawn by ox teams. The rafters of the church rang with the volume
of sound that poured from the throats of these Welshmen, born
with a natural gift of song. Evan L. Evans, John R. Jones, Edward
R. Jones, Evan Jenkins, Thomas Eynon, John Jones (Dr. Jones),
David Jones (commonly known as Singer Jones, in order to pre-
serve his identity among so many of the same name), John Davis,
David Johns, and many others were among the Welsh settlers who
settled in the Fish Creek valley and transplanted a bit of Wales
among the hills of La Crosse County. Many of their descendants
live upon the farms developed by their ancestors. Dr. Owen Evans,
a practicing physician of the village of Bangor, is a son of Evan L.
Evans, and another son, Oswald, is postmaster of the village of
Rockland in an adjoining township. John Jones, known as Dr.
Jones because of his power as a healer of broken bones, handed
down his gift to his son, William Jones, who for many years alle-
viated the sufferings of the afflicted with his oils and ointments.
His son, in turn, Dr. Walter Jones, fully equipped with the best
training available at home and abroad, brave with degrees and
diplomas and possessed of the family gift of healing, is winning
for himself fame and fortune in the city of La Crosse.
For a time the Welsh of Fish Creek worshiped with the Bangor
Welsh, but later built a Congregational church of their own in
Fish Creek. Later a company withdrew from this church and
founded the Welsh Presbyterian church, which still holds occasional
preaching services. It has been said that the church bells of Fish



Creek rang "John Jones, John Evans, John Williams," but today
there are many new settlers in the valley who could not respond
to such a summons.
Among the eastern people who settled in the village and town
were the Darlings, Elijah Hooper, Arthur Page, and C. W. Macken-
zie. Arthur Page bought a farm in Dutch Creek, and two of his
sons, Waldo and Willis, have a grain elevator and warehouse in the
village. C. W. Mackenzie settled on a claim in 1853, and in 1854
brought his family to the home which he had built. One of his
daughters married Dr. A. B. Newton, the first practicing physi-
cian of the village, and his granddaughter Cordelia, Mrs. Grant
Rogers, now owns the beautiful farm home which with foresight her
grandfather chose from all the acres about him, because of the
charming site for a dwelling place. Mrs. A. B. Newton and Emma
Mackenzie still live in the village. Abner Darling located in 1855
on a farm in Dutch Creek, and lived there until 1876, when he came
to Bangor and became the proprietor of the Bangor House, the
second hotel in the village. The first hotel was the Eagle Hotel,
run by Henry Johns.
The Bangor Woolen Mills were built and owned by John Sheydt
and John Reudy, and for many years did a thriving business. Later
Sheydt sold his interest to Otto Bodmer, and the firm kept the
name Bodmer and Reudy after Reudy's death.
From these beginnings-and the persons mentioned are only a
part of those who settled in the town and village-has come the
present town of Bangor with the incorporated village of the same
name. The pretentious, comfortable homes, well tilled fields, and



sleek herds of blooded cattle testify to the richness of the soil of
the farms and to the prosperity of the farmers. As a result of this
prosperity, schools and churches are maintained, and from the six
one-room schools of the town come the recruits for the high school
which has been established at Bangor village.
The village now has a population of nearly a thousand people.
The high school building with its new gymnasium, erected at a cost of
approximately $15,000, is the pride of the village and helps in the
training of an ever increasing number of young people who are
coming to realize that a high school education is the birthright of
every American girl and boy.
There are four churches in the village-the Catholic, Lutheran,
Presbyterian, and Baptist. Both town and village are largely
Protestant, the Catholic church here being of comparatively recent
origin in the town. All churches are in a thriving condition.
The industries of the village are such as will best minister to
the needs of the surrounding farming districts. The Hussa Can-
ning Company last year had an output of between 115,000 and
125,000 cases of peas, pickles, and sauerkraut, using about two
and three-fourths million cans. Their acreage for the coming year
is in the neighborhood of 1180 acres.
The village is equipped with electric lights and a fine sewerage
system. Two railroads-the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, and
the Chicago and Northwestern-run through the village, making
it really a suburb of La Crosse. These facts make of Bangor a
very desirable location, and there are rarely empty houses in the
village.



26 WISCONSIN



DOMESDAY BOOKI-TOWN



STUDIES