History (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ...Fox rivers in 1868 and 1869. This imperfect reconnaissance of the steamboat history of a few of Wisconsin s smaller streams is sufiicient to indicate the hopeful spirit of the pioneers in their attempts to utilize the interior waters of the state. Bosrs on THE SMALLER Lanes Lake Winnebago, the Madison lakes, and many other smaller lakes of the state, were known to steamboat navigation, for both business and pleasure, long before the days of gasoline launches and electric power. Today, not only are these interior lakes and rivers thickly populated with pleasure craft of the smaller sort, but so also are the Lake Michigan and Mississippi ports upon either side of the state. If such craft could have been available to the early pioneers, the commerce of the waters would have been greatly increased, and many a hard hand-to-hand struggle against a stubborn current would have been made easier. TERRITORIAL ROADS--PLANK AND TOLL ROADS--A LoNe STEP IN THE ADVANCE or TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. As population increased and settlement sought the rich lands of the interior, the necessity for new and better means of communication, and of transportation for produce and supplies, rapidly grew. Early efforts to meet these changing conditions of a larger and growing field came in the laying out of military and territorial roads. At first these roads were roughly improved by corduroy, across the swamps. This was done by laying down logs and poles crosswise of the roadway, to prevent the teams and wagons from miring. It served that purpose, but it was a rough, hard road, upon man, beast and wagon. The next step was the chartering of plank roads, and the improvement of various difficult spots in the highways, through chartered companies....