Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:21:19 -0600 From: sara m steele <smsteele@wisc.edu> Subject: Local History Time line Publication Message-id: <4EBBF9FF.6010503@wisc.edu>
Hi
Has your History Society published a local history time line? If so,
what years are covered? What do the items look like and what content
areas are included (businesses, farming, military, schools, churches,
etc.? Was it organized chronologically by years or was it organized by
subject matter? How did you expect it to be used?
This question came to mind as I was responding to the question about the
last stages of producing a book. I have stayed clear of doing a general,
comprehensive book called "The History of Cottage Grove" because I like
detail and it is impossible, even with as small an area and population
as our township and village, to be both comprehensive and detailed. For
example, in a comprehensive book raising tobacco would only get one
sentence--"Tobacco was a main cash crop from about 1900 until about
1980. In our specific topic report we told the story with photos of how
tobacco was raised.
Then I remembered. A few years ago I had started a general history
using a time lines format with only a little detail. (See the two
examples below.) The format permitted some detail, but still could have
become very long covering covering more than 200 years (1824 until 2000).
Although it would be an excellent reference, it would be difficult to
find what you were looking for unless you knew approximately when
something had occurred. So I set it aside.
Examples: The 1830s items summarized info we had collected from a
variety of sources. The 1910 items were taken from 1910 news columns.
1830s
1824Ho-chunk (Winnebegos) transfer land which includes C.G. by means
of treaty thus preparing the way for the government to sell land.
1832Illinois and Wisconsin militia chase Chief Black Hawk and 1,000 of
hisfollowers across Cottage Grove township on way from Hustiford to
WisconsinHeights. Although a small war with Indians who were not native
to Wisconsin, the victory made potential settlers feel safer.Black Hawk
was not a WisconsinIndian.His band had been moved off its lands in
Illinois and he was trying to regain them.
1834The North West territorysurvey establishes township and section
boundariesand sets the means of describing land when sold.Since then
Cottage Grovehas been known as Town 7,7 North. Range 11 East (T. 7- 7
N-R.11 E)
.1838The federal road from Madison and Milwaukee is completedabout where
BB is today.It was meant to link to the Ft. Howard (Green Bay) and Ft.
Crawford (Prairie du Chien)military road.The two forts had been
established in 1816 in the two areas where the fur traders came to ship
their furs by water to France..
1838Work begins on first capitol building at Madison.The lakes are
still knownby numbers---First, Second, etc.--rather than names.
1838First Cottage Grove land was purchased by Philip Kearney,eastern
army officer and landspeculator who did not live on the land.He reached
the rank of General and died inthe Civil War.He and his father bought up
hundreds of acres with the help of a Beloit Lawyer.
*- - - - -*
1910The hotel barn burned killing two horses.Irvin Witte is so anxious
to tell people that there are horses in the barn that he puts his head
through the window without opening it.
1911Cottage Grove State Bank began operation south of the tracks on Main
Street.
1912 Witte and Steinhauer became Witte, Korfmaker and Farr.They
soldmotorcycles.
1912Sam Kennedy was killed when the morning train spooks his team as he
is returning from taking his niece to teach at Vilas.1913Witte,
Korfmacher and Far acquire its first car, a second hand Model T Ford
with carbon headlights.It was put on jacks every night to save
itsheadlights.
Sara Steele
Cottage Grove Text Archivist