This file part of www.watertownhistory.org website
The Story of the
The building of roads
to open the country for settlement and military purposes was one of the first
concerns of the settlers and the government. Following old Indian trails, a
Milwaukee- Watertown wagon road was constructed in 1837. Later this was planked
and ultimately became Federal Highway 16 (sometimes locally called the “
Watertown Daily Times, 30 and 31 Dec 1986
The
first mention of a plank road for Wisconsin occurred in 1844 when a road was
proposed from Milwaukee to Prairieville (Waukesha) or Mequanigo (Mukwonago).
This proposal did not receive too much attention, and it was not until 1846
that the first of 133 plank road charters was granted. It was given to the
Lisbon and Milwaukee Plank Road Company by the territorial legislature which
authorized it to capitalize at $50,000. The road was to be constructed of
timber and plank, "so that the same form a hard, smooth and even
surface," from Milwaukee to Watertown or any part of the way.
Interest
in the proposed road soon lagged, but when residents of Watertown held a
"plank road ball" in the American House there in February, 1848, and
when extensive rains came that spring, making dirt roads almost impassable,
subscriptions of stock in the plank road company picked up and the total stock
issue of $50,000 was subscribed.
An
amendment to the road company's charter was approved by the territorial
governor on March 1, 1848, changing the name of the company to the Madison,
Watertown, and Milwaukee Plank Road Company, and authorizing an increase in
capitalization to $300,000. James D. Doty was elected president and Alexander
Mitchell treasurer.
On
August 8 the board let contracts for "grubbing," grading and clearing
ten miles of the road between Watertown and Oconomowoc, but interest tagged
again until a new meeting was called and Elisha Eldred was elected president.
Alexander Mitchell remained as treasurer; William A. Prentiss was elected
secretary. Eldred became the driving force behind the project
Contracts for the actual construction of the road were let in October of 1848,
and work was in full swing by the next month, though the amount of cash on
hand, due to the installment payment plan for stock subscriptions, was probably
between $12,000 and $13,000. The cost of a plank road was about $2,000 a mile.
Wisconsin residents were lacking in capital but this could be overcome by
having farmers along the route take small stock subscriptions and pay for them
in material and labor. Experience of plank road builders in central New York
state led Wisconsin promoters to expect 25%. if not 50% earnings on stock.
Plank
roads are basically just what the name implies. The first construction step was
the clearing and grubbing. In flat land the trees, stumps, roots, and other
obstructions were removed from the width of road.
After
the roadway was cleared, it was graded for a width of 24 feet between ditches.
The center of the road was raised six inches higher than the sides with a
gradual inclination to the ditches. Before the actual grading was done, the
roadway was ploughed to a depth of eight to twelve inches and thoroughly
dragged to pulverize the earth.
The
stringers, upon which the planks were laid, consisted of white oak boards, one
and one-half inches thick, eight inches wide, and not less than twelve feet
long. They were laid in trenches so that the upper surface of the stringer was
level with the earthen road bed. The outside stringer was set one and one-half
inches lower than the other, and eight feet in width was allowed between the
two, though in portions of the road near Milwaukee the stringers were laid 12
feet apart. The space between stringers was filled with earth to one-half inch
above the surface of the stringer.
The
one remaining step was the placing of the actual planks. They consisted of oak
boards three inches wide and eight feet long. They were placed on top of the
stringers and pounded down with a heavy maul until they rested on the stringer.
The planks were not nailed down or fastened in any other manner. This proved a
disadvantage when the road was engulfed by high water, as the planks would
float away. It was done because nails or similar objects would work loose and
injure horses' hooves.
The road mainly followed the old Madison Territorial road. In
Milwaukee there were two forks. Traced on a modern day map of Milwaukee
and vicinity, the north fork would begin at 12th place and Juneau avenue, the
south fork at 11th street and Kilbourn avenue. The two forks would come
together at what is now 15th and Highland boulevard. The road zig-zagged to
35th street and then followed State street into Wauwatosa. Crossing the
Menomonee river on the Harwood avenue bridge, the plank road continued westward
through Elm Grove on a route still known as the Watertown Plank road,
connecting with the Bluemound road at the Durkel house. Winding along the
Bluemound road to Goerke's corners and then northwest along County Trunk SS
over the Pewaukee and Fox rivers to Pewaukee, the planked thoroughfare
continued on the old U.S. highway 16 and crossed the Oconomowoc and the Rock
rivers before entering Watertown.
Once
the work on the road was begun, it continued without any serious interruptions.
By 1849 ten miles of the road were in use near Milwaukee, and the portion
between Oconomowoc and Watertown was graded and grubbed.
In
September of 1849 the board closed the books to additional stock subscriptions.
Although there is no definite record of how many shares were sold, the
Milwaukee city directory of 1854 listed the capital stock at $105,460. At $10
per share, this would indicate 10,546 shares. These were sold to an unknown
number of stockholders, but by November of 1850 the total stock was held by 70
persons.
By
the end of 1850, 38 miles of the road were either planked or well graveled. In
June of '53 the road was finished to the bridge in Watertown. The new road was
58 miles long, the longest plank road in Wisconsin. Its reports were, without
exception, favorable, and it was labeled "one of the best laid roads in
the Union." The only disrupting influence on the road was excessive
rain. Low grades were often submerged and planks floated away. Generally,
however, the company was prompt in repairing these breaches.
The
cost for the 58 miles was approximately $103,000, not including toll houses,
bridges, etc. which would raise the total to almost $110,000.
The
road was highly successful. Before it was constructed the round trip from
Milwaukee to Watertown required four days in good weather, six days in bad.
Loads varied from 1,500 pounds to 2,000 pounds, depending on the condition of the
road. After completion of the road, the time needed for a round trip decreased
to three days and the average load increased to 3,000 pounds, regardless of the
weather. This combination of shorter time and larger loads cut freight rates
about 25%. For example, the cost of transporting building stone, from a quarry
4 1/2 miles to Milwaukee dropped from $9.50 to $7.50 per cord.
What
was hauled over the new road? Wheat was by far the leader in Milwaukee-bound
loads though wood and lime were brought here in fairly large quantities.
A
tabulation on the traffic for three days, Oct 31, Nov. 1 and 2, 1849 was
published in the Milwaukee Sentinel and Gazette of Nov. 8, 1849. The breakdown
for loads coming into Milwaukee was as follows:
|
|
|
Oct 31 |
Nov. 1 |
Nov. 2 |
|
Wheat |
Loads |
121 |
165 |
134 |
|
|
Bushels |
5,156 |
6,600 |
5,460 |
|
Barley |
Loads |
13 |
17 |
15 |
|
|
Bushels |
520 |
680 |
600 |
|
Flour |
Loads |
7 |
12 |
5 |
|
|
Barrels |
70 |
120 |
50 |
|
Corn |
Loads |
|
|
1 |
|
Potatoes |
Loads |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Wood |
Loads |
7 |
14 |
9 |
|
Lime |
Loads |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Traffic
going out of Milwaukee was just about double that coming in. The breakdown of
loads was as follows:
|
|
Oct. 31 |
Nov. 1 |
Nov. 2 |
|
Merchandise |
37 |
47 |
45 |
|
Family Goods |
13 |
17 |
18 |
|
Lumber |
15 |
33 |
16 |
|
Carriages |
28 |
51 |
49 |
|
Empty Wagons |
57 |
57 |
74 |
Not
only did haulers benefit from the new road, but stage travel increased three fold
and tolls from pleasure vehicles were reportedly enough to pay upkeep.
With
the completed road in use, the company erected toll gates at five mile
intervals. One gate was a short distance east of Hartland, and another between
Nashotah and Okauchee. This pattern allows for gates near
Watertown, at the crossing of the Rock River, near Oconomowoc, at the
bridge over the Fox River, and at the Dunkel house. The gates nearer Milwaukee
were constructed independently of the others, to benefit from the greatest
traffic. (As late as 1892 there was a gate where the plank road intersected
35th street, and another near what is now the County poor house.) Tolls
averaged $600 per week when the road was completed. The basic toll was l
cent per mile for every animal drawing a vehicle although the total fare for a
one-way trip over the 58 miles was 66 cents.
A
dividend to stockholders of 7% was declared on January 1, 1852 and others of
similar amount followed until 1855. There was no public notice of any dividends
in the following years, but in this period annual earnings were reaching 25%.
The
stockholders of the Madison, Milwaukee and Watertown Plank Road Company might
well have read the Milwaukee newspapers of February 25, 1851 with alarm. For on
this day the Milwaukee and Mississippi railroad was completed to Waukesha, a
sign of the far greater competition to follow. That competition was not slow in
coming, for the Milwaukee and Watertown railroad was completed to Watertown in
1855.
With
the coming of the railroad, the plank roads in general, and the Watertown road
in particular, passed into obscurity. Milwaukee newspapers contained
practically no mention of the road after the railroad was completed in 1855.
Many
of the stockholders of the plank road, however, were active promoters of the
railroad. Elisha Eldred, the president of the Watertown plank road, and
Eliphalet Cramer, a member of the board, were also members of the board of
directors for the Milwaukee and Watertown railroad. Other promoters and
stockholders of the plank road who were active supporters of the railroad
included Alexander Mitchell, Joshua Hathaway, William A. Prentiss, James
Rogers, Hans Crocker and Levi Blossom.
In
1863 the plank road was depicted as being in wretched condition. It was
"broken and dilapidated" and "dangerous to drive
over." It was transferred from private to public ownership after the
legislature of 1887 authorized such action.
Watertown
Daily Times 4 and 11 Dec 1999 (Tom
Schultz)
One
of Watertown's historical landmarks disappeared from the scene last Friday. It
was a quiet death and was probably witnessed by only a handful of people.
And, for the most part local residents probably didn't really recognize its
significance.
We're
talking about the old toll house, which was the end point for the old
Watertown Plank Road back in the 1850s. The toll house had stood at the same
location on East Gate Drive for nearly 150 years, collecting tolls from people
traveling along the route between Watertown and Milwaukee and all points in
between.
The
old toll house was located on the south side of East Gate Drive, a little ways
past the little inlet to the Rock River. The property has river frontage and
it's only a couple thousand feet east of Settler's Bay, also on the Rock River.
That
was the best possible way to travel back in those days. It reduced travel times
between Milwaukee and Watertown by about one-half. Before the road it took
about six days and after it was constructed the trip could be made in three to
four days. 
What
happened to the landmark? Well, first of all, it was never registered as a
national historic place, and it really had little value other than as a home to
the owners, Randy and Gloria Kuckkan. The Kuckkans, who are the owners of
Firehouse Lanes, Bar and Grill on North Water Street (another historical
building, but we'll get into that another time), had lived in the old toll
house for the past 25 years. Several years ago they made a decision to have the
building razed and the property used as the site for their new home.
That's
exactly what happened last Friday. The wrecking crew came in and razed the home
and construction of the new one is already under way.
Although
the home is not in the city limits and the original building is now gone, it
might be nice for the city and/or the Watertown Historical Society to see if
somehow there could be a small plaque erected that would note the significance
of the site.
You
know, after some generations, it's likely that site will become a forgotten
part of Watertown's rich history but, we'll leave that up to the Kuckkans and
the historical folks as to whether or not that is appropriate, and not just a
nuisance for the Kuckkans.
We
talked with Randy about the old home and he said there was really nothing of
significance that would tie the home to its original use as a toll house. By
the time they had acquired the building 25 years ago, any artifacts had already
been taken and preserved. For example, some of the original financial books of
the toll road are now at the Watertown Octagon House.
He
said the one thing significant was the fact that the boards were all nailed
with the old style square nails. He added the building appears to have had
several additions over the years.
Many
of our readers probably don't have a good knowledge of the old toll road, and
because of this change in the local landscape, this might be an excellent time
to review the history.
First
of all you have to envision that most travel out this way back in the 1850s was
through openings in the thick forest or a winding path through meadows.
This
was a pretty primitive lifestyle back then. Remember, Timothy Johnson first
came on the scene in 1836 and we're talking less than 20 years later. A lot of
people were coming out this way back then, but progress was slow.
Back
in 1853 when the toll road reached Watertown, we were officially chartered as a
city rather than a village, and our population was listed at 4,000, the second
largest city in the state.
The
old toll road started in Milwaukee and then traveled through Elm Grove
and Goerke's Corners (now the approximate location of 1-94 and Highway 18 in
Waukesha County), along County Trunk Highway SS to Pewaukee and then along the
old state Highway 16 right of way through Hartland, Okauchee and Oconomowoc
before arriving along East Gate Drive on the city's east side and ending at the
old toll house where the tolls were collected.
The
toll road back in those days was called the farmer's railroad. It was used to
bring produce and other products to this growing city. It was built before it
was feasible for railroads to be constructed out this far, and it certainly was
more economical that laying of tracks and operating a train.
But, the train wasn't too far behind.
The
story of the Watertown Plank Road goes back to 1846 when the Lisbon and
Milwaukee Plank Road Company received a plank road charter from the
Wisconsin territorial legislature with the road to be constructed between
Milwaukee and Watertown or any part of the way they deemed feasible.
Interest
in the road grew a great deal in 1848 when some heavy spring rains made travel
on the old dirt paths almost impossible. Construction actually began in
November of 1848 at a cost of approximately $2,000 a mile. Funds were
raised through the sale of stock in the company. Imagine, that was $2,000 a
mile and today a freeway costs several million dollars a mile and that's only
if there's smooth sailing and no bridges.
The
total cost of the 58 mile road was $110,000 and it was completed in 1853.
The
center of the road was about 6 inches higher than the sides. Before grading,
the roadway was plowed to a depth of 8 to 12 inches and was thoroughly dragged
to make the dirt more solid.
The
plank road was built like a sidewalk or a wooden floor. The stringers
were 8 inches wide, 1 1/2 inches thick and 12 feet long, all of white oak. They
were set 8 feet apart. The outside stringer was about 1 1/2 inches lower than
the other. The space between the stringers was filled with dirt about a half an
inch above the top of the stringers, and then the surface boards were placed.
Only
one-half of the road bed was planked. The half used for a turnout was
left in dirt. The oak planks were placed on top of the stringers and on top of
that was a half an inch of dirt. The planks were pounded down with a heavy mall
until they rested on the stringers. The planks were not nailed. This was
because the spikes would eventually work loose and be damaging to the hooves of
horses.
A
lot of farmers along the way purchased shares of stock in the plank road and
paid for them with donated material and labor.
Work
on the plank road went along at a rapid pace for that era. By 1848, 10 miles of
the road near Milwaukee were completed and clearing was under way all the way
out to Oconomowoc. By the end of 1850, 38 miles were either planked or graded
and in June of 1853 the entire road was completed. It was the longest plank
road in Wisconsin and it was a real boon to the area. It cut travel between
Milwaukee and Watertown to three days as compared to up to six days before the
road. And, all it cost was about one penny a mile. Every five miles there was a
toll booth.
An
old toll gate book from this house is preserved at the Watertown Octagon House.
It showed traffic on the plank road was divided into three categories. One was
passenger vehicles, another was freight vehicles and the third was animals.
An
entry for July 1, 1853, showed 11 passenger vehicles, each drawn by one animal,
at 5 cents per vehicle; 39 freight vehicles, each drawn by a single animal, at
10 cents per vehicle; one freight vehicle pulled by four horses, 15 cents;
three horses pulled or ridden, 3 cents each; and several other animals. All in
all, it was a pretty good day with receipts of $4.71. The highest weekly total
in that book was revenues of $89.03. Just about every day had note of a
stagecoach traveling on the road. The stagecoaches were not charged which leads
us to believe they were probably owned by the toll road company.
Back
in the era when the road was constructed, that area from what is now Lindberg's
by the River east to the toll house was a village all by itself. The whole city at that time consisted of settlements
and this one on the city's southeast comer was the largest.
On
the southeast corner of Oconomowoc and Concord avenues was the historic Boston
House, a well-known business. It included a large dance hall. Travelers
over this section of the plank road always looked forward to a stop at the Boston
House.
Other
places of interest in that settlement were the Wisconsin House, another
hotel located across the plank road from the toll house and now state Highway
16, Rasch Brewery, Wenzel Quis' store, and the Kadish store.
Part
of the road which traveled through the city was also planked. Watertown's Main
Street back then was a tamarack swamp as was much of the territory over which
the road traveled and the planks were necessary for travel.
As
we were reading a little history on the toll road we were surprised to see the
road extended to Madison at one time. We didn't recall that leg of the road.
The report we read indicated travel was much lighter on that segment because of
the few settlements between Watertown and Madison.
Things
were going quite well on the plank road until the trains arrived. It was
reported that back in February of 1851 the trains were in Milwaukee's Menomonee
Valley, and four short years later the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad entered
Watertown. That changed the whole dynamic of travel.
Both freight and passengers could be moved much faster by rail than by the
Watertown Plank Road.
As
we mentioned earlier, there were some Watertown investors in the plank road
venture. Among them was John Richards, builder of Watertown's famous
Octagon House. He was one of the directors of the company. William A.
Prentiss, a cousin of Watertown's first mayor, Theodore Prentiss, was also
a stockholder.
The
name
So,
there you have the basics on the
Books Found Listing Tolls on Plank Roads
Watertown Gazette, 09 10 1936
In pioneer days, when
roads consisted either of mere openings through the forest or rutted trails
across prairies, private companies built roads of plank. The only two toll books known to be in
existence in Wisconsin which were used in connection with the early plank roads
have been brought to the attention of the state historical society.
The two toll books
were used from 1851 to 1854 at gate No. 7 near Watertown on what is now highway
19. They still carry an interesting
story in spite of the fact that they had been used as scrap books for newspaper
clippings by their owners, Nellie and Jennie Needham, one of whom was born in
the toll gate house.
A charge of 5 cents
was made for a vehicle drawn by one horse and of 10 cents for a freight vehicle
drawn by two horses. A shilling was charged for three horses or other animals
and 15 cents for four animals. No charge seems to have been made for passengers,
for foot travelers or according to the weight of loads.
The amount of
business varied from $5 to $100 a week, with the heaviest week being that of
Oct. 15, 1854, when $99.16 was taken in.
Watertown Plank Road
Johnson's Rapids (Watertown), Ixonia and Pipersville
[Derived from the book "Heritage of Ixonia.
1976. The Bicentennial Year" ]
Benjamin
Piper
was an adventurist pioneer who left New York in 1835 and settled on a parcel of
land that he claimed near Milwaukee. At that time Milwaukee consisted of five
or six frame dwellings, a small tavern, fifteen or twenty log cabins and one or
two grocery stores. The following spring he went to New York for his family, to
live with him on the land he claimed. In 1837 he ventured to the Rock River
country which brought him to Watertown where he found a few log huts along the
river occupied by settlers who were also seeking prospects (land to be
claimed). He then made a claim on some land above Johnson's Rapids,
located near the present sight of the Bethesda Lutheran Home in Watertown.
He then went back to his home and family near Milwaukee. A few months later he
revisited his claim in Watertown with his two sons Harrison and Elijah.
They built two log cabins, one for an old friend, a Mr. Adams, and one for
himself. Having gone back again to his family near Milwaukee, he disposed of
his claim there, brought his family and settled in section 30, which was then
known as Watertown. He purchased land from the U.S. government on August 20,
1839, (now known as the Claude Hauser farm) and was considered the first
settler in the southwestern part of the township now known as Pipersville,
which was named after the Piper family.
In
1837 a road opened from Johnson's Rapids to Milwaukee called the Plank
Road. Mr. Piper was impressed with this road and built an inn on
his property serving the farmers that hauled grain they raised to the nearest
market, which was Milwaukee. The Plank Road was a highway on which a team could
haul twice as much as it could on a muddy wagon trail. Farmers brought small
loads of grain to a large platform which Mr. Piper built. Here they were
combined into larger loads and hauled to Milwaukee on the Plank Road. Many
times buffalo robes were used by the farmers who slept on the floor by the fire
place because the inn was so crowded. Mr. Piper was an unofficial postmaster,
and it is said that Mr. Piper used a wash stand drawer in a back room as post
office facilities.
Jonathon
Piper
came to Pipersville in 1847. Depending on power furnished by the dam which
extended across the Rock River to a small island, he soon built and operated a
saleratus factory just south of the present bridge . . .
.
. . The coming of the railroad was responsible for the location and growth of
Ixonia. Ixonia Center was the common name given at that time. In its
infancy there were two stores, a saloon, one blacksmith shop, one turning shop,
two shoemakers, a cheese factory, a grain elevator, a church and a public
school.
In
1922 the plank road was relocated from its location south of the
railroad tracks to the north of the tracks. It has been the main route through
Ixonia from its very beginning and was later called Highway 19. A street
leading to the north from Highway 19, in the village was another established
busy street. In 1924 Highway 19 was widened to 24 feet and paved.
A curb, gutter, and storm sewer were installed. The storm sewer being financed
100% by the state because it was a state road at that time. The village homes
and businesses were established on both sides of the two streets, now called
Marietta Avenue and North Street. The village experienced heavy traffic from
the east to the west passing through continuously until 1956, when Highway
16 was rerouted to bypass the town . . .
.
. . To open the country for settlement and military purposes, new routes for
traveling became a necessity. Many old Indian trails were replaced by wagon
roads. A wagon road which today creates a special interest to the Ixonia
township is the road constructed in 1837, which was later planked and called
the Plank Road. On a historical marker erected in 1956 located approximately
one-half mile east from the center of the village, the following information
may be read. "In 1917, the Wisconsin Highway Commission engineers
recommended and inaugurated with the Legislature's authorization, the first
statewide system of identifying highways by number. This highway was designated
State Trunk Highway 19 (later U.S. 16) and was the first to be marked and
signed by numerals. The now familiar number system was later adopted by all
other states and many foreign countries" . . .
.
. . In the early 1900's, new road beds were made by pulling a heavy reversible
road machine by a team of six horses; and to maintain them, a small grader
drawn by two horses was used. The winters were extremely difficult in the
pioneer days. The deep snow in the roads was avoided by making a trail off the
road, around the banks, and through the fields, cutting the fences when it was
necessary. Again manual labor and shovels were used to take away the snow to
such an extent that the road equipment available in those days could then
handle it. When the snow built up between the wagon tracks, a one horse walking
plow was mounted to the side of a bob sled runner, turning the snow out of the
track. This also loosened the snow for better driving conditions. After the
snow disappeared, a mud problem was created by the freezing and thawing
conditions. Often times stones were filled in some of the mud holes in the
roads and road drags were used to level off the road beds.
With
the intent to improve the Watertown Plank road, a stone crusher was purchased
in 1914. A year later the east end of the plank road to the village was
surfaced with crushed stone and oil. In 1917 the west end was surfaced in the
same manner. One half of the expense of both projects was funded by the state.
The distance to improve these two sections of road was determined by the amount
of funds available. In 1922 the highway was relocated from south of the
railroad tracks to the north side, now a street through Ixonia. More stone
crushers were purchased and soon disposed of because of continuous break downs
. . .
Information from 1948 Milwaukee Sentinel article by August Derleth
Additional
annotates by Bill Jannke
Because
of its proximity to Milwaukee the growing settlement of Watertown seemed a
logical terminus for a road as well as for a railroad. During the decade of the
1840's the Territory of Wisconsin, moving toward statehood, drew settlers from
the east and from foreign countries. It became necessary to construct
serviceable roads in place of the wild trails which were often impassable and
imposed much hardship on travelers in Wisconsin.
The
first agitation was, naturally, for such water traffic was possible, and for
construction of canals to further that traffic . But waterway travel was not
practical into many parts of Wisconsin, and it did no permit the movement of
large numbers of people and their belongings. The next agitation was for plank roads, and the first of these roads
was constructed to Watertown from Milwaukee in 1847, at a cost of $119,000.
This was a toll road, and a toll house stood in Watertown after its completion
in 1850.
Meanwhile,
however, even as plank roads were being built, the iron horse was preparing to
invade Wisconsin. In the very year of the beginning of the Milwaukee-Watertown plank road, a charter
was granted to the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad Co. By 1855 the Milwaukee
road had reached Watertown. And in November, 1859, the Janesville and Fond du
Lac branch of what is now the NorthWestern Road, ran its first train into
Watertown.
The
coming of the railroad was accompanied by an amusing incident when Michael
O'Hara, the engineer of a locomotive approaching Watertown, not convinced that
the two mile bridge east of Richards' Cut near Watertown would support his
locomotive, started the engine, then jumped off at the head of the bridge,
letting the locomotive go over alone to be caught on the far side by the
waiting firemen.
The
Plank road and the railroad connection Watertown with Milwaukee played an
important part in the growth of the settlement along the Rock River. The
waterpower at the site was soon harnessed for other saw mills and for factories
to make carriages, barrels, wagons and firkins. Even before these connecting
links to the port city of Milwaukee, Watertown was being settled by German
immigrants, many of whom were political refugees who had been university
students and men in professions for which there was as yet no need in a new
settlement like Watertown. As a result, for many years everything these men
turned their hand to was a failure; they could not make shoes, they could not
manufacture cigars, they could not even brew. When they
congregated at the Buena Vista House, they habitually conversed not in German,
but in Latin, as a result they were locally known as "Latin
Farmers."
The Plank Road Barn was originally located
along the Watertown-Milwaukee Plank Road a short distance east of its present
site on the grounds of the Octagon House.
Moved to the grounds in the 1960s, it now
houses a collection of pioneer tools and farm implements.
Page compiled by Ken Riedl
Cross References:
No
1: Daniel Jones was one of the originators of
the Plank road, between Portland and Oconomowoc, and it was a good investment until the railroads came through. They ruined the business and I lost what I
had in the enterprise.
No
2: 1871 note on road condition: On the
Watertown road but it is quite sticky.
No
3: Mud Tavern hostelry on plank road
No. 4: 1998, Covered wagons once
again rumbling down the old Watertown Plank Road.
