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Wautoma |
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This is a pleasant, quiet little village, the county seat, situated nearly in the center of Waushara County. Its population is about 500. Besides a genral trade of some amount, it has a grist mill, run by water-power, Aug. Weishner, proprietor; two wagon manufacturers, J. & T. McKeague and Charles KIngsley, respectively, proprietors; a glove and mitten manufactory, S.M. Olds, proprietor. Wautoma has no railroad, but has communication with the iron band through a line of stages from Plainfield to Berlin.
The original settler upon the site of the village of Wautoma was Phillip Green, in the winter of 1848-49; he built a log house, which was used as a tavern. Soon after, Mr. Atkins purchased his claim, and, later the Shumway Brothers, who settled in the early part of 1850. The county was then rich in pine, and the later improved the water-power, built a saw mill and store house, and christened the settlement, "Shumway's Mills." The next year John Bugh opened a farm a mile and a half from the village, and is identified with its growth. F. Munson bought a stock of goods from Ohio in 1852 and opened the first general store in Shumway's storehouse. In 1853, from Dane County, came David L. Bunn, present County Judge, and established a store. About the same time, L.L. Soule located himself and family upon the land where his residence now stands, and, as he expresses it, "built a house around them." His law office was over Judge Bunn's store. Mr. Soule has resided here since, having been District Attorney ten years, and a man of prominence in business and his profession. The first hotel was the Wautoma House, N.W. Boynton, proprietor.
The original plat of the village of Wautoma was recorded December 24, 1853, S.W. Hall, surveyor,and William Everhard, proprietor. The latter had purchased the Shumway claim, which included the land platted. G.W. Smith purchsed of him a half interest in the village property, and the two built a grist-mill, which was in running order by the winter of 1854. This year was an important one for Wautoma. She received several accessions to her population, among other arrivals being that of Dr. Moses Barrett, a physician, afterward County Treasurer, and the recipient of many public favors. Marble & Curtis established another general store. The county seat, which for the past three years - since the organization of the county , in fact - had been located at the village of Sacramento, on the Fox River, three miles from Berlin, was changed by the vote of the poeple to Wautoma. There has been no reversal of the popular vote which located Wautoma as the county seat. This decided, the village grew as rapidly as others in the vicinity up to the time that it failed to obtain connection by railroad. Now it has a population of some five hundred, as stated, has a fair general trade, four manufactories, a hotel, a village school, two churches - the Congregational and M.E. - two lodges of A.F. & A.M. and a flourishing weekly newspaper, controlled by J.T. Ellarson, who also in proprietor of the Plainfield Times.
In March, 1859, the Waushara Argus was established, as the Waushara County Argus, by Pulcifer (D.H.) & Co., at the village of Pine River. IN May it was removed to Wautoma, but without change of proprietors. J.W. Rist & Co. became the proprietors in the fall of 1859. Up to March 1, 1863, when the name of the paper was changed to the Waushara Argus, the different proprietors had been: W.C. Webb, 1860, Hall & Stoers, 1861; A. P. Lackerby & Stoers, 1862. In 1865, W.S. Munroe succeeded Mr. Lackerby and the control of the same passed from his hands into those of R.L.D. Potter in 1867. In 1872, Mr. Munroe became sole proprietor again. Thus he continued until August 13, 1880, when J.T. Ellarson became editor and proprietor. He still continues to act in the latter capacity, but in September, 1881, S.A. Jewel became editor. The Argu is a good county paper, and is a stanch Republican in politics.