Here Comes the Mail, Post Offices of Kewaunee County 9780615408026, 2010932760

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Here Cot11es the Mail

Post Offices of K'.ewaunee County Carl R. Kannerwurl, PhD Patricia E. _ Sh~e and Virginia Feld Johnson ..,,..

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,..

Here Comes The Mail A History of Kewaunee County Post Offices

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......... . .... . ...... . .................... .. ................... ..

Carl R. Kannerwurf, PhD, Patricia L. Sharpe and Virginia Feld Johnson

............................................. ................... ..

. t . . . _- - - - - - - - - - -

Silverdale Press

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

© 2010 by Virginia Feld Johnson All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical , including photocopying or recording , or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Manufactu red in the United States of America and printed by Sheridan Book Co. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication-Data Kannerwurf, Carl R. , Sharpe Patricia L. , Johnson Virginia Feld Here Comes the Mail, A History of Kewaunee County Post Offices Includes bibliographical references

ISBN 978-0-615-40802-6 Library of Congress Control Number 2010932760 1. Post offices. 2. W isconsin. 3. Kewaunee County All photos, unless otherwise noted, come from the files of the authors. Cover painting courtesy of Norm Johnson Cover design by Doug Hjorth

Forward t was early summer of 2002 that I met Dr. Carl Kannerwurf and Pat Sharpe for

I

the first time. Eight years later, I lost two good friends within two weeks.

C.R., as he was known to most, and Pat had a passion for stamp collecting. Their exceptional collections reflected postal history. When I met them , I was manager of the newly opened Kewaunee County Historica l Society Research Center and they were several years into the postal history of Kewaunee County. We connected. From then on, I saw C.R. and Pat on a nearly weekly basis between Memorial Day and Columbus Day. There was a great deal of respect between the Kannerwurfs and those of us who staffed the Research Center. In the years we worked together, C.R. and Pat, past director of Chicago's Hull House, taught us much about Kewaunee County, but we taught them

too. ~ 2005, just four years after opening, the Research Center won the

2005 Governor's Awar~ r Archival Achievement. C.R., a professor of electrical engineering at

Northwester~ niversity,

wrote a letter of recommendation. The ir Door

County home was closed , but P'at and C.R. returned from Chicago and stayed in a hotel in order to share in the award presentation. In December 2006, I learned Pat was dealing with a blood disorder. A year later, she was dealing with full blown leukemia. The Kannerwurfs' postal history was scheduled to be published in 2009 but health set the publish ing back. While preparing to make the trip north in May 2008, C.R. suffered an aneurysm deep within the brain. He never recovered and died in August. Pat's death occurred in early September. Our friendship

grew to

Christmas cards,

notes, emails and

then

phone

conversations. Pat and I spoke frequently during the summer of 2008. Just before C.R. died, she told me her doctors said her life would not be long. It was during the ca ll that Pat asked if I would finish the book. It was research that could not be lost. I told Pat that I did not have the expertise, but I promised to compile their postal history to the best of my ability. Pat told me their friend Bill Robinson would serve as an advisor.

- iii -

Pat was interviewed for an article in Connections, a newsletter of Executive Service Corp. of Chicago , Winter 2008. The article pointed out that when people say Door County, Wisconsin, most mean beaches, fish boils and vacations, however Pat thought of post offices. During summers at their Door County home, she and C.R., long time philatelists, noticed a number of buildings in adjacent Kewaunee County that they suspected had ties to postal history. Visits to Kewaunee County Historical Society's Jail Museum unearthed old photographs of post offices and they began to chronicle the county's postal history. The Kannerwurfs spent hours on the phone with archivists at the U.S. Postal Service in Washington , D.C. They visited the National Archives in Chicago, the Area Arch ives at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Northeast Wisconsin libraries and made cou ntless phone ca lls and wrote countless letters and emails. With leads from KCHS Research Center staff and others, they traveled Kewaunee County in search of people and photographs. They sea rched histories, poured over maps and court house records, scoured antique shops, used books stores and knew all the sta mp collectors. One discovery was a cover, or an envelope, mailed to surveyor Joshua Hathaway before Wisconsin 's statehood in 1848. As Pat sa id, "It was addressed to Hathaway 'In the Woods' and was actually delivered." Pat felt the field work was fascinating, but the hard work was yet to come . That was putting together the notes, documents, interviews and photos. The Kannerwurfs envisioned their book to be "useful to the philatelic world and yet interesting to the residents of Kewaunee County. " Pat's nephew Jim and nieces Margaret and Deborah, and Pat's treasured friends Marj and Naomi sorted and organized to make sure C.R.'s and Pat's work on such longforgotten post offices as Rushford, Zavis and Darbellay would come alive once more. What fo llows is the research of C.R. Kannerwurf, PhD and Patricia Sharpe. I tried to put it together following the notes I made when Pat and I spoke, and using the blueprint that I felt severa l draft pages suggested. The Kannerwurfs died too early but their research on Kewaunee County lives on. Virginia Feld John son

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of Patricia Louise Sharpe, Carl R. Kannerwurf, and to Virginia Johnson without whom none of this would have been possible. The Sharp(e) family would like to recognize the hard work, effort and dedication of Virginia Johnson . Had it not been for her, this book wou ld have never been completed. We are so pleased that Virginia was able to make her way through the mountain of paper work, post cards and pictures that we gave her; and then to be able to make sense of it all is an achievement of which she can be truly proud. Pat and C.R. would be most pleased and we can hear Pat say, "Vi rginia, this is really swell." Sharp Fa mil y

Acknowledgements

T

hroughout the Kannerwurfs' notes were names of people they meant to thank for the time so generously given for a brief conversation or an interview and for the use of photos and other documents. Pat and C.R. frequently noted the graciousness of the people of Kewaunee County. There are surely others who should be acknowledged but whose names were not found . Invaluable assistance came from Algoma Public Library Directors Rita Schiesser and Ann Schmitz, and Mary Bohman ; Algoma Record Herald , Harold Heidmann; Area Research Center-UW-Green Bay, Deb Anderson; Brown County Library, Mary Jane Herber; Caxton Books, Kubet Lu chterhand; Door to Door Books, Diana McAninch; Kewaunee County Historical Society, Jerry Abitz and the staff of the Jail Museum; Kewaunee Cou nty Historical Society Research Center, Mahlon Dier, Virginia Johnson, George Miller, Harold Nell, Frank Schmidt, Ken Wolske; Kewaunee Post Office, Theresa Van Pay; Kewaunee County Register of Deeds Office, Linda Teske, Mary Albrecht Julie Stack; Kewaunee Public Library, Linda Vogel; National Archives, Sally Schwartz, C.A. , Archivist , Old Military and Civil Records ; Photodynamix of Evan ston, IL; Steele Street Florists, Lynn Truckey and photographer Jason Hogue; United States Postal Service, Melody Selvage, Research Associate , Postal History; Wisconsin Postal History Society, Christopher Barney, Ken Grant, Bill Robinson; Allen and Linda Pagel Baumgartner, Don and Nellie DeBaker, Barbara Englebert Ch isholm, Mary Ann Defnet, Robert Haack, Doug Hjorth , Jag Haegele, Phyllis Haevers, Gordon and Judy Jesse, Mildred Bero Kinnard , Don Kleist, Jim and Joyce Lampeurer, Jim Meherer, John Pagel, Hazel Petrina, Ben Pelishek, David Pelishek, Rochelle Pennington, Mildred Kirchman Rabas, Harold Reckelberg , Lester and Jeanne Rentmeester, Jerry Seiler, Raymond Selmer, Zeb Shaw, Carol Sconzert Simonar, Glenn Stangel, June Kaye Treml , Donna Cmeyla Urban, Teresa Grundhoeffer Vandervest, Rod Vlies, Don Walters, Eunice Wiliquet, Jim Wolske and Harold Zeitler. Pat's nephew Jim Hook, her nieces Margaret Sharp and Deborah Sharp and her dear friends Marj Lundy and Neoma Stanhaus followed Pat's wishes and ensured that the research would not be lost. Bill Robinson patiently answered any questions regarding postal history, explained terms and provid ed his professional experience and guidance. Tom Duescher immed iately answered technical questions and graciously offered assistance. Doug Hjorth did the cover lay-out and Peter Sink assisted with page formatting. My husband Norm Johnson painted the picture of Ellisville for the cover. He has been most supportive of the completion of someone else's work. C.R. and Pat would have been as grateful as I am.

~VI~

Introduction

T

he most important task in this history was the determination of the number

and locations of all post offices appearing in the records of the federal

government. Wisconsin Postal History Society has prepared such a listing for all counties, beginning in 1821 when the first post office was established at Green Bay, then in the Michigan Territory, continuing during the era of the Wisconsin Territory and, finally , statehood in 1848. Depending on the manner in which one counts, Wisconsin Post Office Handbook, Revised #20 lists 45 post offices in Kewaunee County's nearly 160 years of existence. The handbook maintains that total accuracy of early Kewaunee County post offices is difficult as the post offices are hard to follow. It lists Boalt and Bolt, but neither Darbellay 1 and Darbellay 2 nor Sandy Bay 1 and Sandy Bay 2. WPHS listing of the 45 post offices depends on how one wishes to account for changes in spelling and for the changes in geographic location of some post offices. For instance, Handbook Revised #20 lists post offices with the same name in the same county, meaning there were offices with the same name, but at different times. It indicates the name changes from Luxembourg to Luxemburg, and Darbellay to Thiry Daems. Foscoro and Red River offices moved to or from Door County. Site documents indicate Rushfo rd and Royal Creek, however neither has its own such document. Rushford was established April 4, 1861 and discontinued July 31, 1863. James Pierce was postmaster. Royal Creek was established July 17, 1862 and discontinued on the same day as Rushford . Richard Gage was postmaster. Absences of Rushford and Royal Creek from such reports were explained by Dr. Kannerwurf in a letter on March 3, 2005 to Ms. Sally Schwartz, Archivist in the National Archives and Records Administration. Kannerwurf pointed out that few site locations were filed before the mid-1860's and that it was in 1862 that the Post Office Department

- vii -

began a concentrated effort to prepare comprehensive postal maps for existing post offices. It became mandatory in the establishment of a new post office. The system apparently found the Kewaunee County post offices already in operation by 1864. Such offices all have a first site location report processing date of October 16, 1864, regardless of when they had been established. Thus, both Rushford and Royal Creek terminated too early to ever file such a site report.

Rural Branches of Wisconsin Post Offices, Bulletin #21, Wisconsin Postal History Society, says that in 1989 Rio Creek was Kewaunee County's only rural post office. A rural branch is a postal subunit outside the corporate limits of the parent post office. Rio Creek was a personal unit wh ich did not postmark mail. The September 19, 1976 Kewaunee Enterprise described a personal unit saying that it did accept, dispatch, receive and deliver mail and issue money orders and sell stamps.

Wisconsin Postal Handbook, 1821-1971 , Bulletin #10 notes errors in U.S . Post Office Department records . Keweanee was changed to Kewaunee and Tisch Mills was changed to Marathon in Manitowoc County. Dates for Zavis post office were changed from 1879-1879 to 1878 - 1879. Rio Creek was discontinued on June 18, 1876 when it became a branch of Algoma.

Contracts and Classified Stations and Branches of Wisconsin, Bulletin #24, Wisconsin Posta l History Society, 1995, defines stations as subordinate postal units established within the corporate limits of a city or town where the parent office is located. Branches have the same definition but are outside the city or town where the parent office is located . Contracts are let to meet specific needs. The contract is between the Postal Service and private contractors. State Bank of Kewaunee at 205 Clark St. Algoma was Kewaunee County's only contract station. Establishment is not clear but the station was in existence until 1996. Bulletin #24 was an on-going project and not all informatio n for all post offices was available. Microfilmed files reproduced from report forms sent to the postmasters by the U.S. Post Office Department are found in the National Archives. These forms sought information for use in compiling postal route maps. Most of the site location reports cover

- viii -

the period from the mid-1860's to 1946. A few reports exist for the 1830's and the 1850's and for 1946-1950. Prior to 1837, the U.S. Post Office Department purchased its maps through commercial firms. During that year the department appointed a cartographer who began preparing maps for postal use. In 1862 the route maps were offered for public sale, a practice ended in 1955. Site location reports were eliminated at the same time . Site location maps found in this compilation were used by the U.S. Topographer to determine the location of post offices in relation to nearby offices and routes . Requested data included not only the Town, Range and Section, but also distance to creeks, rivers and railroads . Such location documents indicate that many of the early post offices were Special Offices, created in Section 733 of Posta l Laws and Regulations of 1887. These offices were supplied by special carriers who picked up mail at a convenient point somewhere on the nearest mail route. Remuneration was a sum equal to two-thirds of the amount of the sa lary for the postmaster at such an office. Before 1887, the Special Offices were supplied "without expense to the Department other than net proceeds." Those offices were not on routes under contract. In 1881, Pilsen was one of those offices. Contractor Andrew Bohman traveled two miles west to Ellisville to pick up mail on the MishicottCasco route , for a four-mile round trip. Pilsen Postmaster Andrew Mahlik requested that Pilsen be placed on a postal route, which would have been serviced through Henrysville to the west in Brown County. Kewaunee County's postal history provides a fascinating glimpse into the cultural history, the roads, the people and long-forgotten hamlets deemed important enough to support a United States post office. Carl R. Kannerwurf and Patricia L. Sharpe

-ix-

Kewaunee County post offices then in service, and some in neighboring counties, appear on this map printed just before the advent of Rural Free Delivery on November 30, 1904. Source is unknown.

Contents Here Comes the Mail The Hist ory of Post Offices in Kewaunee County List of Kewaunee County Post Offices .... .......... ......... ...... ........................... ... ... .... ......... 3 Chapter 1 .... .. .... .. .......... ....... ......... ...... ......... . .. .. .. ....................... .. ...... .. ...... ..7 Chapter 2 ................................... ......... ..... ... .......... ..... ... ... ... ....... ................. ... ... ........... 19 Post Office Histories - Post offices are presented under the 2010 Township location Town of Ahnapee Map ... ... .... ..... ... ... ... ......... ...................................... ... ........................ 27 Ahnapee/A lgoma ........................... ............................................................................. 28 Foscoro ................................................................................. ... ... ............... ................. 49 Kodan ........... ... ...... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ................................ ................ ............................ .... 53 Rankin ............... .... ...................................................................................................... 56 Woodside .................. ......... .. .... ....................... .. ....................... ... ... .. ........................... 62 Town of Carlton Map ... ... ... .. ..... .. .... ..... ............................................. ..... ....... ....... ...... .. .. 63 Carlton - Sandy Bay 1 ......... .. .. .. ................................................. ... .... ......................... 64 Norman ................ ...... ... .. ...................................... ... ....... ... ............ .... .... ... ... ... ..... .... ... 67 Sandy Bay II. ....... .......... .... ........ .. .. ............ .................... ......................... .. ... 71 Tisch Mills ........ ....... ..... .... .. .. ..... ..... ........ .. ................ .. .... .... ... .... .. ............... 77 Town of Casco Map ....... ...... .................................. .. ...... ............ ... .. .............................. 81 Casco Village .............................................................................................................. 82 Slovan ......................................................................................................................... 88 Town of Franklin Map ... ........................... ... ....................................................9 1 Boa lt. ......... ....... .......................... . ... ... ............. .......................................... 92 Bolt. ............... ... ........................................ ... ....... ......... ......... .................... 93 Curran .. .......... ............................................ .................. ..... ..... ........................... ..... ... 102 Stangelville ....................... ........ ... .. .... ................................ ..... ... .............. .... ... .......... 106 Town of Lincoln Map ............ . ... .. ..................................... . ..... ...... .................. 111 Euren ................... .... ........ .. ... .... . ... ....... . ............................. .. ....... ........ ..... 112 Gregor ............... ..... ......... ....... ....................... ... ... . ............. . ...................... 118 Lincoln ............. .. ......... ..... ............ ............................ .. .. .... ......................... 121 Rio Creek ....... ..................................................... ... ......... .......................................... 136 Rosie re ............................................................................................. ........................ 142

Town of Luxemburg Map .................................... .. ................ ...................................... 137 Luxembourg/Luxem bu rg Vil lage ... ..... ... ................................. .... .. .......... .. ............ ...... 139 Neuren ................... .... ............................ .. ...... .. ................. ........... ............ 145 Peot. ........... .... .... .... ............................ .. ...... ... ..... ..... .......... ............. ........ .148 Tonet ..... ... ............ ...... ... ............ .................... .. ..... ........ .............................. ..... .. ....... 151 W alhain ................... ... ................................. ... .. ....... ... ... .... .... ........... ......... ..... ........... 157 Town of Montpelier Map ........... .............. .. ...... .. ..... ........ .. ... .. .... .... ..... ................ ......... . 161 Ellisville .... .... ... .. ... ... ... ..... ...................... ... ... ... ..... ..... .. ... ...... .... ........ ......... ... ... .... ... .... 162 Montpelier ... ............ ... ...... ...... ... ... .......... .......... ... ...................... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ......... .. 165 Pilsen .......... .... .. ............... ...... ....................... ... ... ........ ....... .. ... .................................. 167 Town of Pierce Map .... .. ..................... ............. : .......... .... .. .......... ....................... .......... 171 Alaska ....... ............ .... ..... .. .......... ................. ...... ... .................. .... ............ ... .. ....... ....... 172 Casco Pier ................. ............ ................ ... .. ..... ................ .... ..................................... 178 Pierce .......... ................ .................... ............................. .................... ......................... 182 Rostok ....... ............... ... ................................... ............... ....... ............ ......................... 185 Royal Creek ...... .. ............... ......... ....... .... ........... .. .......... ............. .......... ... ..188 Rushford .... ..... .... .. ...................... .. .. ...... ........ ...... ..... ........... ....... ..... .......... 192 Town of Red Rive r Map .... .. .. .. ...... ...................... .. .. .. ........ ... .. .... .. ... .... ........ ... 195 Darbellay 1 - Th iry Daems........ ..... .......... ..... .. .. ... ... ............ ... ... ....... ............ ... ...... ..... 196 Darbellay II ..... ... ... ... ..... ... ..... .. .... .. ... ..... .......... ... ... ...... ... .... ....... ..... .. .... .. ... ...... .... ... ... . 201 Duvall .. ... ... ........ ... ..... ....... ... ..................... ......... .... ......... .. .... .. .... ............... .. ..... ......... 203 Dyckesville ... .. ... ... ... ... .......... .. ... .. .......... ... .... .... ........ .. ... .. .. ...... .. ... ... .... ........ ... ... ... ... .. 206 Red River ......... .. .... .. .... ... .. .... ... ................ ... ...... .. .. ... ... ... ... ....... .. ...... .... . .. ..2 11 Town of West Kewaunee Map .... .......... .... ............. .. ..... ...... ........... ............ .. ... 2 17 Caryville ... ....... .. .. .. ..... ... .. ... ...... .. ....... .. ... .................. ... ............. ....... .. ..... .. 218 Kewaunee City ................... ............. ..... ..... ... ... .. ..... .............. ................. .... 22 1 Krok .. ... .......... .. ..... ... ... .. ......... .. .... ... ................ .. .. .... ... ..... ..... .. ...... .. .... ... ... 241 Norman ... .. ...... .................................. ........................... ............................ 246 Ryan ............ ...... ... ..... ... .......... ... .......... .. ... .. ... ... ..... .. ... ... .. .... .... .. ...... ...... ..249 Zavis .. ............. .... .... .. .. .. ...................... ... ...... ........ .... ....... ... .. .. ....... ......... ..253 Railway Mail .. .... ... ....... ... .. ... ............. . .. .. .. ... .... .... ... ..... ... .... .. ........ ... ... .... ... ...257 Rural Free Delivery ........ .... ... ........ ... .... .. ...... .. .. ... ... .. ... .... .......... . .. .... .. .. ... .. .. ..263 Politics in the Mails .... ........ ...... ... ..... ........... ............. ....... ............ ... ....... .. ...... 275 Appendices Glossary ..... ..... ..... ........ ... ....... ..... .................... ..... ....... .. .. ..... .... .... ..... .... ... 277 Site Document Dates and Post Office Locations ......... ...... .. ...... ..... .. ...... .. .......... 279 Kewau nee County Postmasters .................. .... .... .... .. ...... ............................... 282 Bibliog raphy ...... .... ..... .... ........... ............................ .. .......... .... ......... .......... ... 286

-2-

Kewaunee County Post Offices Dates of Post Office Establishment and Closing

Post Office

Establishment

Closing

Ahnapee

09/4/1858

10/9/1897Name changed to Algoma

Alaska

06/2/1875

1 1/30/1904

Algoma

10/9/1897

Boa It

07/29/1862

07/2/1866

Bolt

02/28/1887

11 /30/ 1904

Carlton

03/10/1863

07/31 /03

Casco

09/06/1858

Casco Pier

02/17/1875

07/18/1877

Caryville

09/06/1856

10/11/ 1867

Curran

04 / 16/1890

11 /30/ 1904

Darbe llay I

03/16/1874

0 1/13/1875

Darbe llay II

07/07/1887

11 /30/ 1904

Duva ll

07/18/1890

11 /30/ 1904

Dyckesvi lle

07/13/1858

11 /30/1904

Ellisville

12/16/1872

11 /30/ 1904

Euren

02/11 / 1879

11 /30/1904

Foscoro

08/14/1871

02/02/ 1876

Reestab lished

02/28/1878

04/10/ 1894

Gregor

01/25/1899

11 /30/ 1904

Kewaunee

10/31/1854

Originally in Brown County

Kodan

08/26/1893

11 /30/1 904

Krok

0 1/08/1875

11 /07/ 18 78

Reestablished

06/03/1884

1 1/30/ 1904

Li ncoln

02/27/ 1863

09/11 /1865

...., 3....,

Name changed to Thiry Oaems

Moved into Door Co County

Reestablished

06/07/1870

09/11 / 1865

Reestablished

03/09/ 1904

11 /30/ 1904

Luxembourg

04/21 / 1880

10/12/ 1882

Luxembourg

01 /15/ 1883

10/01 / 1924

Name changed to Luxemburg

Luxemburg

01 /29/ 1923

Montpelier

08/18/1862

03/03/ 1890

Name changed to Stangelville

Neuren

06/27/1895

11 /30/1904

Norman

11/02/1874

11 /30/1904

Peot

02/14/1873

07/07/1 880

Reestab lished

07/10/ 1881

02/0201883

Pierce

05/24/1870

03/07/ 1871

Pilsen

04/27/1881

12/31 /1904

Rankin

05/13/1886

11/ 15/ 1902

Red River

06/07/1870

11/ 12/ 1873

Red River

11 /13/1873

12/03/ 1887

Rio Creek

06/18/1888

11/30/1904

Reestablished

12/29/1908

01 /04/ 1997

Rosiere

10/06/1861

04/10/1873

Reestablished

03/0 1/ 1875

11 /30/ 1904

Rostok

07/27/ 1899

11 /30/ 1904

Royal Creek

07/17/ 1862

07/31 / 1863

Rushford

04/04/1861

07/31 / 1863

Ryan

07/17/1868

12/ 14/ 1903

Sandy Bay I

09/06/ 1858

03/ 10/ 1863

Sandy Bay II

04/18/1873

09/ 15/ 1903

Slovan

07/12/1878

12/ 14/ 1903

Stangelville

03/03/1890

07/ 17/1930

Thiry Daems

01/13/1875

07/08/1881

Reestablished

10/04/1889

11 /30/ 1904

,. . , 4,....,

Was Duchateau, Door Co.

Name changed to Carlton

Tisch Mills

1877

Manitowoc County

Tonet

05/24/1887

11/30/1904

Walhain

09/06/1858

02/22/1868

Reestablished

03/15/1870

11 /30/1904

Woodside

03/13/1899

11/15/1902

Zavis

01/03/1878

06/10/1879

This courthouse picture postcard was sent in 1905 by one who was apparently quite impressed with the lawns and the facility which had been just been completely remodeled around the turn of the 20 1h century, only a few years earlier. John McClintock writes in A short History of Postcards in the United States that the years 1901 - 1907 were known as the "Postcard Era." The government granted the use of the word "postcard" to private printers in late 1901. Private citizens began taking photographs which were printed on paper with a postcard back. Writing on the address side was not permitted.

A

\

\

Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and, lastly, Wisconsin were the five states carved from the Northwest Territory of 1787. Some early settlements are plotted on the map from Historical Maps Online, University Library of the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampagne.

CHAPTER ONE ollowing the 1782 treaty with Great Britain establishing the boundaries of the

F

United States, an early task of the new Congress was defining the territorial

organization of land stretching beyond the original thirteen states. The result was the creation of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 establishing the Northwest Territory , northeast of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. Its northwestern boundary west

of

Lake

Superior was not well

defined,

1634 -

.. L A NOFAL L O F N I C OLET..-

19 34

as

the headwaters of the

Mississippi

River

were

not

then well known. As the eastern and

southern

portions

of

the

Northwest Territory

were

more fully explored , there was an influx of settlers. As the population grew, the Indiana and Illinois Territories were formed. Terrain ultimately known as the Michigan Territory was first visited by Etienne Brule in 1612 when he was in the Georgian Bay region. Later, in 1621 , Brule went northward into Lake Superior following the ra pids of Sault Ste. Marie. Governor Samuel de Champlain sent French explorer Jean Nicolet further west, following the Great Lakes water route in 1634. Nicolet's exploration continued of the French objective of finding the Northwest Passage to China, an effort leading to Nicolet's discovery of Lake Michigan. Recorded history tells us Nicolet carried a few items identified with Chinese culture , and when he reached the shores of Green Bay he

approached the Native Americans in an attempt to solicit information. Nicolet's landing in Green Bay was commemorated in 1934 when the U.S. government issued a stamp celebrating the 300th anniversary of the event. The 1984 commemoration stamp at right is courtesy of Bill Robinson. Early explorations failed to find the Northwest Passage to the Orient but they did lead to the establishment of such places as Sault Ste. Marie and Fort Michilmackinac, referred to as the most important trading center in the Northwest. Michilmackinac was the outgrowth of the French military post established in 1671 as St. Ignace, today a popular tourist destination. During the 1640's, fur traders Grosselliers and Radisson, who associated with Canada's Hudson Bay Company, followed Nicolet and visited Green Bay and areas to the northwest. At the creation of the Northwest Ordinance, the only settlements in what was to become Wisconsin were Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. Jacques Vieux located trading posts along the western shore of Lake Michigan at the present locations of Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Milwaukee as early as 1795. Thus , at the turn of the 19th century, with few or any roads in what would become Wisconsin, the water route from Kewaunee to Milwaukee was no doubt an unofficial route for written communications between the Vieux trading posts. Although it appears that historians do not have any hard evidence of this, circa 1800, it is clear that as the early surveying of northeast Wisconsin was in progress in the 1830's, water transportation was the method most often used between Green Bay, Kewaunee and Milwaukee and other settlements on Lake Michigan's western shore. The original Michigan Territory existed between 1805 and 1818 though expansions continued to 1836. Prolonged presence of some British outposts was instrumental in agitating the Indian tribes' hostility toward settlers. That led to very few settlements in

Michigan during the early years of the territory. Most hostilities halted with the end of the War of 1812, however settlements did not take hold until about 1818. An Act of Congress on April 30, 1836, effective July 4, 1836, created the Wisconsin Territory, formed from what was the section of the Michigan Territory primarily the west of Lake Michigan

and

stretching

to

the

Mississippi River. By July 4, 1836, approximately 328 post offices had been established in the Michigan Territory. Most of these were first noted in the 1830's. Very few have a first noted date between 1820 and 1829. At

the

establishment of the

Wisconsin Territory, only 19 post offices were transferred to the new territory. It is of particular note that the earliest post office making the transfer from the Michigan Territory was Green Bay, established on December 6, 1821. One more important shift was that of the second oldest post office, Prairie du Chien, established December 6, 1824. Other post offices of interest are Cheboygan, later Sheboygan, established April 18, 1836, Milwaukee established March 16, 1833 and Racine , formerly Root River, on April 12, 1836. The above cover was sent to Joshua Hathaway in Milwauky, MT, Michigan Territory by his nephew in Green Bay, then also in the Michigan Territory. An example of a Green Bay, Wisconsin Territory postmark appears in this cover addressed to Hathaway in Milwaukie. The May 7, 1838 red CDS indicates "Wis T. ". Mailing cost was 12 cents.

1836 and 1848 in the area that would become

Kewaunee

County.

It

is

of

significant interest that there was a post office established December 12, 1840 named

Kewanee/Kewannee/Kiwannee

located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. At right is a photocopy of a cover sent from this post office on June 1, 1842. Five years later, on April 28, 1847, this post office became known as Genesee. That was a full five years before the approval of Kewaunee County's first post office. It was the flow of what eventually became the Kewaunee River that was the most prominent feature in the geographic area forming Kewaunee County. Fo rmer New York resident Joshua Hathaway surveyed the river and the land in the 1830s. In Volume 1 of the Collection of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Hathaway reviews the names of some geographic features in Wisconsin where his work made use of Indian names. In his 1834 notes he gives the sources for the Kewaunee River and the Wolf, eventually Ahnapee, River names: "Ke -wau-nee River, on Lake Michigan, east of the head of

Green Bay, signifies Prairie Hen. It was formerly known as Wood's River in the sketch maps; please give to the writer the credit of ascertaining and restoring this euphonious name by his Field Notes in 1834. Kewaunee is doubtless a Chippewa word-accent on second syllable. 'The next and only river of any magnitude, north of the last mentioned, is the Mukwan-wish-la-guon-accent on first and third , and half accent on last syllable. Muk-wan signifies Bear-the whole, Bear's Head. The present settlers in that region are striving to substitute the name Wolf River; bad success to them-we prefer a bear's head to a whole wolf." It appears that this material was submitted to the Early Records of the Society on July 10, 1849, however if the date is correct, it prompts other questions. Kewaunee County's recorded history tells us that while lumbermen were coming and going from Kewaunee, what now is Algoma was first settled on June 28, 1851. These men came earlier in that spring to view the land and build cabins. It is known that Major Joseph McCormick and a party of men were in what is now Algoma in 1834, but there is no evidence that whites were living there among the Potawatomies in 1849. Although the opening of the Wisconsin Territory did not have the inrush of speculators found for some similar events, there was interest among men from New England and New York. Lack of interest was partially due to the panic of 1836, but then false reports of gold being found in the Kewaunee River led to land parcels being purchased sight unseen. Kewaunee on Lake Michigan was much more accessible than Green Bay at the bottom of the bay of Green Bay. There was no Sturgeon Bay ship ca nal and the passage through Death 's Door was treacherous. Reaching Green Bay meant a significantly longer voyage. Early Kewaunee County land purchases were primarily near the mouth of the Kewaunee River and along the river away from Lake Michigan. Land was also purchased in what would years later become the southeast corner of Carlton Township where the land showed promise for agricu ltural development. Surveyor Joshua Hathaway and his friend s bought much of this land. Noteworthy are the purchases by James Doty who , in 1841, became Wisconsin's second territorial ~11"'

governor. Doty's early efforts to establish a town at Kewaunee were not successful primarily because the few Lake Michigan communities south of the Kewaunee River would not support the proposal, holding the opinion that the Kewaunee area could not support agriculture. It is possible that those communities might not have wanted additiona l competition for lake shore water traffic. With the exception of occasional fishing camps along the Lake Michigan shoreline, the principal support of settlements had to come from the lumber mills necessary to the timber industry, the chief motivation for the early land purchases along the Kewaunee River. Hathaway sold water rights to W. Montgomery and in 1837 hired Peter Johnson to build a sawmill. Mill owners failed to provide support during the winter months and the workers barely escaped death by going on foot to Green Bay. An unfinished mill and cabins had been deserted for six years when John Volk, who arrived in Chicago in 1834, became aware of Hathaway's search for a developer for a sawmill on the Kewaunee River. When Volk and a friend made an extremely difficult trip to the site of the original sawmill in February 1843, they found the buildings in a state of ruin and a dam that was no longer functional. Nevertheless, after Volk accepted Hathaway's terms for developing and operating the mill, work began in 1843. Several months later some timber was finally being sent to Hathaway by boat. Although he was able to get the mill in operation, Volk faced significant problems. Timber was to be floated downstream, but a constantly shifting shoreline made it difficult to get the logs floating into Lake Michigan . There was no pier or a safe harbor entrance and without shelter ship captains did not want to risk a Lake Michigan storm while anchored off Kewaunee. Ships took lumber to Ch icago and returned with supplies and workers for the mill. It was during those trips that Volk learned about other timber land approximately 60 miles north of Kewaunee at a river and waterfalls known as Oconto Falls. Th e Volks left for Oconto Falls and by the fall of 1846 they had built a house which was followed by a mill the following winter. Since the City of Oconto was not yet in existence, Volk found it necessary to travel to Chicago during the summer to secure

supplies. Illness forced a several week delay in his return . During that time he sold his shares in the Oconto mill and , upon his return, moved his fami ly back to Kewaunee where he built a second mill on the Kewaunee River about a mile farther upstream from the first mill. W ith the arrival of his brother in the sp ring of 1848, Vo lk made the decision to buy the town plat and construct a steam mill at the mouth of the river. Volk discussed the question of

~/"""-If IJ1r r

building a pier at Kewaunee in a letter to Joshua Hathaway on January 19, 1848, at right. Volk's letter was mailed at Green Bay on January 20, 1848. His chief concern appears to be the necessary resources or support in

:

~"". i.A..7 '1~.;:~

)~~Jt-a­ fi9~ a/-"/t),~,-;ty~

£ ~j}~ i.e //...,i -1",;///=- l""' ~

- ""'""""''-r.._,,....;i;.. · ,,,f'Lft 1~tt- ..1IL. '~

correcting problem at the mouth of the river. Nevertheless, the Volk brothers

/""' $~A~ ~

built a pier in 1850 or 1851. The existence of the pier made regular ship traffic possible. That meant people, lumber, freight and, eventually, mail. The pier also meant the Kewaunee area was able to develop without the need for other close communities. A survey map of the mouth of the Kewaunee River drawn by the U.S . Army engineers in 1836 is on the following page. It emphasizes the problems in crossing from the river to the lake or going in the opposite direction, a major problem for the Volk mill since 1843 and one that continued for river traffic in general for several years into the future, At its narrowest open ing from the river, the lake water depth was 2 to 4 feet and it remained so for nearly 50' into the lake. Beyond the narrow neck, upstream river depths reached a 12 to 15 foot maximum for a narrow width at the center of the river. Lake storms and seasona l weather changes easily shifted the narrow sand bank along the Lake Michigan shore line.

16.'.IO

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-48-

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;

Foscoro

F

oscoro's postal history is somewhat obscure. Much of it comes from

contradictory newspaper articles.

Wisconsin Postal History Society Bulletin #23 establishes the Foscoro post office on August 14, 1871 and lists George Rowe as postmaster. It reports that the office was discontinued on February 2, 1876 before being reestablished on February 28, 1878 with Charles Fellows as postmaster. Bulletin #23 indicates Fellows moved the office to Door County on April 10, 1894 where it was discontinued on November 15, 1902 when its papers were sent to Algoma. Foscoro was described in 1891 by Wisconsin State Gazetteer as being a village on Stony Creek in Kewaunee County, 18 miles north of Kewaunee, and 6 miles northeast of Ahnapee, which was the nearest banking and shipping point. While the post office was in Kewaunee County, it was located in Section 6, Town 25N, Range 26E in the Town of Ahnapee. During its Door County years, it was located in the SW % of Section 32, Town 26N, Range 26E in the Town of Clay Banks. Clay Banks is the Door County Town immediately north of Ahnapee Town. An Ahnapee Record article noted as from 1874 indicates that Captain Charles Lewis Fellows established a telegraph and post office with the name Foscoro and served as postmaster for 23 years until the office was discontinued. Another undated article reports that Fellows had a store at Clay Banks in Door County and also owned the pier, post and telegraph offices there. He did not serve as Clay Banks postmaster. The "News from Clay Banks" in the Ahnapee Record noted on April 4, 1878 that the "post office at Foscoro was opened March 20th. " In June 1889, the Ahnapee Record carried an article te lling about the newly appointed Post Office Inspector of the district who had just returned from Bloomington, Illinois where he had been undergoing the civil service examination. Fellows told the editor that the exams were "no child's play" and that in order to pass one must have his wits about him.

,..., 49

~

Years later, the February 11, 1898 Algoma Record called for the discontinuance of the Foscoro post office saying there was no longer a settlement there and only two or three families were living in the immediate vicinity. It was suggested that many more people would be served by a post office one mile south and a mile

"'

and a half west of Foscoro. A December 7, 1900 issue of the same

paper

noted

that

the

Foscoro post office would

be

closed at the end of the month. of

the

people

who

patronized

the

Foscoro

office

Most

would be serviced at Carnot, in Door County, the next nearest post office. In the History of Foscoro (Stony Creek), historian Oscar Berg writes, "For

some years it wasn't known whether Foscoro was in Clay Banks Township or in Ahnapee, but nearly all business activity there was definitely in Ahnapee, while the post office, which was served by stage coach, and telegraph office were no doubt in Clay Banks in Door County. Other businesses such as the sawmill,

above,

boarding

house,

warehouse and most log residences were in Ahnapee (Kewau nee County), just south of Stony Creek. " It is likely that Charles Fellows operated the post office from his above home, courtesy of Don Kleist. ~

50

~

The house at the left is at the site of the old Foscoro post office.

Foscoro Postmasters and Oates of Appointment

George A. Rowe

August 14, 1871

Charles Fellows

October 1, 1872 until discontinuance on February 2, 1876

Charles Fellows

Re-establishment on February 28, 1878 until relocated to Door County April 10, 1894.

Foscoro Postmaster Compensation

1871

$12.00

1873

$12.00

1875

$4.33

1877

Not Listed

1879

$31.08

1881

$25.97

1883

$42.17

- 51-

1885

$40.94

1887

$44.08

1889

$40.67

189 1

$30.38

1893

$37.88

1895

$34.30

Charles Fellows' request for the

reestablishment

of

the

Foscoro post office in 1878 is on the previous page. At rig ht is Fellows' accompanying map. Wh ile

the

authors

were

unable to fi nd examples of mail to or from the Foscoro post office, below is a 1910 postcard from C.L. Fellows to Albert Hitts of Sawyer, now Sturgeon Bay's west side. Roads did not appear passable in early March 1910 and Fellows needed butter.

~

52

~

Kodan ocian post office was established on August 26, 1893 and was

K

closed November 30, 1904 with the advent of Rural Free Delivery

when mail service came from Algoma. Wenzel Ullsperger who served as Kodan's only postmaster in its eleven years of operation conducted the post office in his store. Ahnapee Town 1893 Tax Rolls describe Ullsperger's property as "commencing at the SW % of Section 5, T25, R25 running east 10 rods, north 8 rods , west 10 rods, south 8 rods

to

the ~

containing agreeing

place

of

beginning,

acre, " a description

with

Bulletin

#23

from

Wisconsin Postal History Society. Kocian

post office was at the

intersection of County Highways D and M in Ahnapee Township. The building at the northeast corner was the cheese factory while the building behind it to the north was the Kocian store and post office. indicates,

As the

these

current photo.---=====================:!.,

buildings

remain

standing. A number of pictures from the files of Algoma Record Herald and historical records of Kewaunee County Historical Society, from the turn of 1900 and continuing over the next 100 years, show the store and post office at different points in time. A map with Kodan 's location included

with the 1893 site document is on the preceding page. According to the February 14, 1889 Ahnapee Record, "An effort is being made to have a post office established at Wenzel Ullsperger's store and cheese factory five miles northwest of this city in what is commonly known as the Blahnek district. The inhabitants of that locality have undoubtedly a valid claim for an office as it is in a populous neighborhood and three miles removed from any other post office." More than four years passed before the same newspaper reported on November 30 , 1893 that the new post office was in operation: "Kadou is the name of the post office recently established in the town of Ahnapee, some 5 miles west of this city. Wenzel Ullsperger is the postmaster, and the office was named after the town in Germany in which that gentleman was born. The first mail for this new office was sent out from here by the Red River route, last Tuesday, the new office being on that route." Before discussing the site reports , the following quote from the Ahnapee Record is of interest: "Mr. Ullsperger, who was born at Kodau , Bohemia, wished to have his post office named after his birthplace and so requested this of the U.S. Post Office Department, but when Mr. Ullsperger got his office name stamp, it was spelled Kodan instead of Kodau. It is claimed Mr. Ullsperger made use of all the cuss words and expressions he knew of to make known his displeasure, but found out he couldn't do anything about it and Kodan it remained. Perhaps in our language of today, Kodan sounds better than Kodau. " In an article on June 25, 1981 , Algoma Record Herald described the settling of the place now called Kodan. The paper said that when the Post Office Department sent the rubber stamp to be used at the new post office, the "u" was turned upside down and the place has been Kodan ever since. Adding to the confusion is the script of the era. A look at it reveals that a "u" or an "n " are easily misinterpreted by typesetters. Kodan's first site document was processed in August 1893, identifying the post office location as in the SW corner of the SW % of the SW 1/4 of Section 5, Township 25N, Range 25E on Route 25407 on which mail was carried three times per week. Kodan post office was 3 Yi miles from Forestville to the north and 4 Yi miles from Rankin to the

-54-

south. Population to be supplied was estimated at 100 on the report verified by Kewaunee Postmaster John Rooney. Clearly the first site report has the "proposed office" called Kodan . In the line of instruction along the left edge which is "Be careful to answer inquiries fully and accurately or the case will not be acted upon ," the words "fully and accurately" have black, hand written rectangular lines drawn around them , but attention is not called to any entries on the report form or map. A second site report was processed by the Post Office Department Topographer's Office and dated November 1894. Information was essentially the same as on the map, thus the reason for the second site report is not clear. The Topographer's Office plainly used the name Kodan. The postmaster's hand written name is Koda?, ending more as ss than n or u. It is difficult to explain the name change by the Post Office Department.

Kocian Postmaster Compensation

1891

Not listed

1893

$14.35

1897

$1862

1899

$29.51

1901

$32.42

1903

$40.39

Although Kodan post office was in existence for over ten years , mail sent from or to Kodan has not been available for examination. Koda n's proximity to Ahnapee/Algoma and the increasing quantity of mail processed in the 1890's would suggest that some processed mail should exist, yet Helbock reports it as scarce.

"' 5 5 "'

Rankin an kin post office began service May 13, 1886 and was discontinued

R

November 15, 1902, with mail service then coming from Algoma. During its

years of service, the Rankin post office filed four site documents. The first location was in the NE % of Section 31, Township 25N, Range 25E in Ahnapee Town on Route 25357 from Casco to Ahnapee. Rankin known

as

was

originally

Kuke's

until, according

to

Corners George

Wing in the story of The

Ghost of Oettmann's Swamp, Congressman

Joe

Rankin

"gave the hamlet a post office and his loyal Democrats, as they were, gave it his name." Fred

Plinke

was

appointed the first postmaster May 13, 1886. Algoma Record, May 27, 1886:, reported on the new office saying , "The efforts of Fred Plinky and others to secure the establishment of a post office at Kuke's Corners about three miles west of this city (Ahnopee) have at last been crowned with success. The new office has been named Rankin , in honor of the late Jos. Rankin." Mallie was the name for the proposed post office as the above document indicates. It was rejected without explanation. Population to be supplied was estimated at about 500. A second site document was filed in Nove mber 1892 by Postmaster Plinke to secure Post Office Department approval for relocating the Rankin post office to the NE corner of th e S Yi of the N Yi of the SE Yi of Section 31 in Township 25N, Range 25E. It is also noted that this location would be 3,620' on the south side of the new Ahnapee and Western Railroad tracks.

Following Bernard Eggert's appointment as the new postmaster a third site document was filed in May 1897. The new post office location was the NE% of the SE% of Section 31 in Township 25N, Range 25E. At that point, the post office was supplied at the Ahnapee and Western Railroad station, a distance of one mile. Rankin's fourth and final site document was processed on November 7, 1899 just prior to the appointment of Peter Entringer as postmaster. Its new location was simply stated as the NE % of Section 31, Township 25N, Range 25E. Route 39496 was 1h mile from Railroad Station #0 to the Rankin post office. Mail was carried three times per week. About four months earlier, on July 14, 1899, Algoma Record told readers, "Pete Entringer is now carrying mail from Rankin Post Office to the Ahnapee and Western depot three times a week. He was employed by the contractor Gardner Coweles, Algoma, Iowa." This last move put the post office about % mile east from its previous location, however the response to the request for population being supplied was "no change." In view of the modest reduction in postmaster compensation for the final years of operation, this was a good response. As early as February 28, 1902, the Algoma Record was lamenting the poor postal service at Rankin when it pointed out that there were great opportu nities to better the service. While Rankin was only six miles from Algoma, mail sent to Algoma from Rankin went to Green Bay and then back to Algoma, a distance of sixty miles which took a coup le of days. The paper noted that the people of Rankin shou ld make a vigorous protest against such service. It was suggested that since mail carried to Two Rivers went by stage, the stage could go through Rankin , making Two Rivers' service a trifle longer but thereby securing daily service for Rankin. On October 24 the paper announced that Rankin would have daily mail service beginning the following June 16. Apparently the lobbying worked. In June 1904, the newspaper again delivered the postal news when it told its readership, "Postmaster Entringer has received word from the Post Office Department

that the post office will be discontinued on November 15 when Rural Free Delivery will be put into service. The farmers through the vicinity are rejoicing over the good news." St. John's church has been Rankin's most prominent institution for nearly 150 years. All that remains of Rankin commerce is the current S & K's at N 7551 County Highway D, once the site of a Rankin post office.

Rankin Postmasters and Dates of Their Appointments

Fred Plinke

May 13, 1886

Albert Kirchman

June 15, 1896

Bernard Eggert

May 18 , 1897

Peter Entringer

November 16, 1899

Postmaster Compensation

1887

Fred Plinke

$22.96

1889

Fred Plinke

$28.95

1891

Fred Plinke

$35.25

1893

Fred Plinke

$32.92

1895

Fred Plinke

$22.46

1897

Albert Kirchman, Bernard Eggert $13.95

- 58-

At

the

commercial

1899

Bernard Eggert, Peter Entringer

$19.50

1901

Peter Entringer

$17.25

right, Rankin

is

a

cover

,\I L1tt.,~

~f'RE:D.

in

1898.

.

GENERAL,.MERCHANOISE .._ ruu.

postmarked

If.

PLINKE:.;.

l:J\ t . .\

"

't t 4 -..: C-1>11.E '.'\t .... \\ , ...

11\ ../ \

Merchant-cheesemaker Fred Plinke was engaged in the typical

businesses

for

crossroad communities of the era.

A Rankin 1895 CDS appears on this postal card sent by St. John 's pastor to a Sheboygan pastor. When Fred Plinke submitted his

1892

map,

building locations.

he

included

WOODSIDE oses Shaw was Woodside's only post office during the three years and

M

eight months of its operation. It was established March 13, 1899 and was

discontinued

on

STATEMENT.

November 15, 1902 when its papers were sent to Algoma. Shaw's application for

a

post

office

locates the proposed office in the SE 1;4 of Section

12,

Town

25N, Range 25E in the

Town

of

Ahnapee. As the site document

indicates,

Woodside

was

named with the opening of the post office. It is a name that has remained for the area for over 100 years. Woodside post office was 3 miles from Foscoro and 4 miles from Ahnapee. Motivation for its open ing was that residents near Silver Creek had been using Foscoro service which became less convenient when Postmaster Charles Fellows moved the Foscoro post office from the south side of Stony Creek to the north side on April 10, 1894. Although the move was only a distance of a few hundred yards, the Foscoro post office moved across the county line into Door County. As the Stony Creek sawmill became less active over the years, fewer people were in the Foscoro community and the families at Woodside preferred to have their own post office.

Zebina Shaw and his family came to Ahnapee, then Wolf River, in the fall of 1855. Shaw was a ship captain and, using David Youngs' vessel Amstic, transported timber for the 1856 construction of the pier at Wolf River. A short time later Captain Shaw bought the Silver Creek farmland that has been in the Shaw family ever since. During the early years, Shaw carried the first mail between Ahnapee and Two Rivers. Moses Shaw was one of Zebina Shaw's sons and during his years as Woodside postmaster, the post office was in the Shaw home. Mail at the time was delivered to different localities via stage coach. The 1898 site documenttells us the Woodside post office was on Route 39642 from Algoma to Sturgeon Bay where mail was carried three times per week. Carnot was the nearest post office not on the route. Silver Creek was the nearest creek, 1/8 mile from the Shaw home which was on the north side of it. Population to be supplied by the proposed office was 150 - 200. While the document is dated October 1898, the postmaster appointment was not recorded until March 1899, about six months later. An article appearing in the April 14, 1899 Algoma Record states: "WOODSIDE: The new post office at this place is now open for business and began receiving and dispatching mail the 1o th of this month." At the right is a current photograph

of

the

Shaw

home north of Algoma. The south side of the home at 9093 County Trunk S served as the post office. Mail sent from or to th e Woodside Post Office has not been examined. The short time of service and sma ll

amount of postmaster compensation indicate that relatively few pieces of mail were being processed per year.

Postmaster Compensation $1.36

1899 1900

Shaw's map places the post office at the intersection of County Highways S

$26.72

1t."' 1'1QUUldli IJ.a.t

o•• t.Md •II• of ,,..

propot.&

(11'

nUUnt Pod

~. M ~htfjSP., l4

W..t otp.cu, ,,m:i llu loT/c "" 11Na-,,..,. tJr TU:u~# /Jo nl.4~ on. thU dlopa:m., .tbi. to lh. Pole- Offk,o [hpu..rl.1,.,.ttt..

I

..

Woodside 1899·

to

b~ -,.~- a.t

and U. His map appears to be in error as he places Foscoro in Door County. Years earlier

the

actual

county

line

was

uncertain.

Rural carriers Adolph Feld and Norman

Shaw

photographed sorting

were mail

in

Algoma post office on the day of Shaw's retirement in 1958. Shaw is the grandson of early settler to the area known as Woodside, Capt. Zeb Shaw.

Town of Carlton Post Office Locations and

First Year of Operation

Tisch Mills straddles the Kewaunee-Manitowoc County line. Its main intersection is on the section line bisecting Sections 31 and 32.

Carlton - Sandy Bay 1

W

hat became the Carlton post office was originally established as Sandy Bay, founded by Guido Pfister, whose name lives on in Milwaukee.

Known as Sandy Bay 1 in this history, the post office began on September 6, 1858 with Lyman H. Perkins as postmaster. Elisha Dean was the postmaster when the name was changed to Carlton on March 10, 1863.

Carlton

post

office

was

discontinued on July 31, 1903 when its papers were sent to Kewaunee. Wisconsin State Gazetteer, 18911892, describes Carlton as a post village in the NW % of Section 7, Town 22N, Range 25E in Carlton Township , Kewaunee County. Carlton was 5 miles south of Kewaunee , the co unty seat and banking location, and 20 miles north of Two Rivers, the nearest railroad station . Stages were traveling daily to Ahnapee, Kewaunee and Two Rivers for fares of 50 cents and $1.50 and the population of 50 had daily mail service. Carlton

was

a

thriving

hamlet

- . .. ull!Lmwm•oo. Ci.IL'l'WI, Til.

centered on the store above, the site of the post office. Wood products were brought in from the surrounding area and shipped from the old pier. Most Carlton postmasters were associated with the store or pier.

u .. ~9\lllltoa.,.

In

an

article

about

Bach,

Kieweg & Co. in the September 9, 1891

New Era, the store was

reported to have daily mail addition telephone

to

telegraph

services.

John

in and J.

Borland established the store as early as 1865. It appears that the post office then operated at the pier or on property belonging to Mr. Perkins, which was close to the pier. Above is an example of an outgoing 1890 Carlton CDS with a Manitowoc received postmark. The return address is that of Bach, Kieweg & Co.

Postmasters and Dates of Appointment Elisha Dean

March 10, 1863

Edward Bach

January 7, 1869

Frederick Batch

January 27, 1875

Alfred Arpin

May 23, 1893

Charles Pete rs

June 14, 1895

The post office was reestablished Aug. 21, 1897 Peter Rudebeck

May 29, 1903

until the mail went to

Kewaunee on July 31 , 1903.

Postmaster Compensation and Post Office Net Income 1863

$4.36

$ .56

1865

$21.79

$37.67

1867

$39.00

$41.24

1869

$52.00

$26.70

187 1

$34.00

1873

$47.00

1875

$51.81

1877

$39.87

1879

$41.17

1881

$42.29

1883

$82.92

1895

$85.83

1887

$80.85

1889

$98.61

1893

$111.34

1895 1897

$93.65

1899

$80.16

1901

$127.51

1903

$65.81

The registry bill in the photo at the top right for Martin Thor's registered package on March 24, 1884 is an example of registered mail received by Postmaster Bach at Carlton from Warren Mills, Wisconsin. The card was returned to Warren Mills, in Monroe County, as required. Note the Carlton receipt date stamp. When Carlton post office faded into history with the advent of Rural Free Delivery, Rev. Kubale was one of many who sent a card such as the one at right to note the change in his address effective December 1, 1904.

-d...L.Ll

I

I t /(

_ ,, _

Norman

N

orman post office was established March 27, 1874 with John Schultz

appointed postmaster a few weeks later on April 13. An article appearing in

the New Era on November 24, 1874 reported that the post office received its mail from Kewaunee. It was discontinued on November 30, 1904 with the advent of Rural Free Delivery when mail service came from Kewaunee . .--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--...,

Commonly referred to as Norman I, the first post office was located in the Town of West Kewaunee in Section 30, Town 23N, Range 24E. It was later moved to the SW 1/,i of Section 16, Town 22N, Range 24E in the Town of Carlton and has been called Norman II. Norman II opened on

June 24, 1882 with

Michael

Weiner as postmaster. Norman II was a

special

office

meaning

the

postmaster would carry the mail at no expense to the government. Three years after the New Era 's article, the Enterprise on August 4, 1877, printed a letter from Bohemian settlers in Carlton. They wrote, "Some time ago a post office in the western part of the town of Kewaunee, known as Norman , was discontinued, and a new post office was at that time established in Carlton, and the P.O. Department saddled the name of 'Norman' upon the new office. The people who receive their mail matter at the new office in Carlton are nearly all immigrants from the city of Klatovy, in Bohemia, and they united in a petition to the department to name the office Klatovy. The request was denied for the reason that

Klatovy is not an easy word to spell in English, and the post office goes by the way of Norman ." The second post office had the same name as the first. According to the June 22, 1883

E . DE C KER . C A SCO, W IS.

Enterprise, the Norman post office in the Town of Carlton, which had been in Nick Pelnar's charge, was moved to Michael Weiner's place when

Weiner

was

appointed

postmaster. Pelnar was operating a public house about one-mile east of Norman in the SE % of Section 17 in Town 22N, Range 24E. At the time of the paper's publication , an effort was being made to have the post office removed John

again.

Dishmaker was the

new

applicant for the postmastership. As

the

explains,

letter

at

Edward

the

right

Decker

attempted to use his inf luence with Senator Philetus Sawyer to block Weiner's appointment in a letter written nearly a year earlier in July 1882. It is possible that there was a relocation effort at the time. Reporting on Norman in September 1891, the New Era said that Thomas Sefcik who kept a dance hall, public house and post office there was said to be very popular and the life of the place. Sefcik served as Bolt's postmaster from 1893 to 1897.

~

68

~

As the photo from an early post card above and this 2007 camera illustrate,

shot

few

changes were made to the

one-time

Norman

post office in the last 100 years.

Below

is

a

cover

mailed on January 26, 1896 from the second

Norman post office. It is cancelled with a bull's eye.

I.

t

Michael

Weiner

and

contractor Anton Bohman both

signed

the

map

indicating the site of the proposed was

office

when

it

moved to the SW

corner of Section 16 from the SE corner of Section 17. John Schultz' request for a special office is below.

~

70

~

Sandy Bay II

C

harles Ulmer was postmaster when the second post office to be named Sandy Bay began service on April 18, 1873. Sandy Bay II post office was located in

the NE % of Section 25, Town 22N, Range 24E in Carlton Township. Wisconsin State Gazetteer, 1901-1902, describes Sandy Bay as a post village in Kewaunee County, 8 miles south of Kewaunee, the county seat, and 15 miles north of Two Rivers, the nearest railroad station. Kewaunee was the nearest banking point and stages traveled daily between Two Rivers and Ahnapee. Sandy Bay's population was 90. Sandy Bay 1, the first post office with the name, opened in 1858 so the return to the name Sandy Bay was not surprising since the Lake Michigan shoreline from Two Creeks in Manitowoc County to Kewaunee remained essentially unchanged since the last ice age. It was described as follows in the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Bulletin XVII, Scientific Series No. 5, 1907: "For several miles along the border of Carlton and Kewaunee townships, the lakeshore is a fresh clay bluff, 20 to 40 feet high at first, but becoming 50, 60 and finally 80 feet high near the town of Kewaunee. As usual this consists not simply of red till , but often of lam inated clays and beds of sand, which occu r both at the surface and at va rious horizons in the red clay formation. The stream terraces which mark every large ravine have their isia l value here, in strongly suggesting that old high-level stages of the lake existed in this region, although the old shorelines themselves have been consumed by Lake Michigan." Sandy Bay II post office was established 15 years after the first Sandy Bay post office, by then known as Carlton, 3 miles to the north and also at the Lake Michigan shoreline . Sandy Bay II was approximately 1Yz miles north of the Manitowoc County line. Its stated location in the NE % of Section 25, Town 22N, Range 24E is approximately 50% under the waters of Lake Michigan on the maps, as is most of the NE and SE% of Section 25. A better description for this post office location would have been the SE % of the NW % of Section 25. Mail came three times each week on Route 13096, the route ~

71

~

from Two Rivers to Kewaunee. Nero, in Manitowoc County, was the nearest post office on the same route, a little over 3 miles to the south. Sandy Bay II post office was at the north side of mouth of Bon Creek, the nearest creek. When Sandy Bay II was proposed, the population to be supplied was stated to be between 400 and 500. It is interesting to note that the popu lation was reported to be 90 just after the turn of the 20 1h century. A September 1891 Kewaunee New Era article reported on Sandy Bay, once a promising burgh but being somewhat neglected at the time of the article. The paper went on to say that the pier had rotted away, few boats entered the harbor, and the store, saloon and hall were deserted, however Gust Clemm was still operating his small cheese factory and John Waegli was still the postmaster.

Postmaster Appointments

Charles Ulmer

April 18, 1873

John McNally

March 16, 1874

John Waegli

July 17, 1885

Postmaster Compensation

Charles Ulmer

1873

$12.00

John McNally

1875

$33.91

John McNally

1877

$25.49

John McNally

1879

$17.26

John McNally

1881

$15.86

John McNally

1883

$23.95

John Waeg li

1885

$28.47

John Waeg li

1887

$39.10

John Waeg li

1889

$40.23

John Waeg li

1891

$34.42

John Waeg li

1893

$44.05

John Waegli

1895

$79 .76

~

72

~

John Waegli

1897

$68.43

John Waegli

1899

$50.36

John Waegli

1901

$48.1 0

John Waegli

1903

$10.91

OJ4 •:iuly

~

pkr a"4 cruk

~...,,

#ltw.ur:wt. ll'u.

Sandy Bay II post office was discontinued

September

15,

1903 when its papers sent to Kewaunee. The closure came

only six weeks after that of the Carlton post office. Above is an early 201h century postcard

picture

showing

the

location of the pier and Bon Creek. The post office was at the top of the bank on the left, or north, side of the creek. An adjacent photograph is a 2007 picture of the same area. About two miles north of the south Kewaunee County line on Highway 42, there is the intersection with Sandy

Bay

Road

which

winds

southward for about a half mile. It intersects with the Lakeshore Road at Bon Creek which is where the Sandy Bay community was located. Structures no longer exist.

Examples of mail sent from Sandy Bay II appear below. The manuscript cancel and postmark information in a dark magenta ink give the mailing date as February 16, 1879. The second cover, with a CDS. was mailed thirteen years later on October 29, 1892. More examples of covers and postcards were found for this post office than for any other office terminated November 30, 1904 or earlier. About 75% of this mail was part of what is referred to as the Warner correspondence. The latest date for an example of a manuscript cancel is May 1883 while the earliest date for an example of the CDS is June 1884. Examples chosen for illustration here were selected for the stronger color of the postal markings.

\v·· '.~ 'r

J

Augu~

1891,

on

the

backstamps at right, indicates the piece of mail was received at Sandy Bay, Rowleys Bay and, lastly, Sheboygan.

·"

t "'\ ~"

~~

,

.

- ..

. J

J

I

I

I

I

I

An 1884 Sandy Bay postmark and a target cancel are a part of this cover sent to Miss Helen Warner at Ahnapee.

Miss Helen Warner was the recipient of this 1890 postcard from Sandy Bay. John McCl intock tells us such government postca rds were imprinted with a one cent stamp. Sandy Bay's killer was a small circu lar grid at that time.

"-' 75 "-'

/RA.nrr.u \

Sandy Bay's location map indicates its proposed site clearly showing Nero in Manitowoc County, the first Sandy Bay post office, by then ca lled Carlton, and Montpelier post office which was eventually moved a mile south and renamed Stangelville.

Tisch Mills

T

isch

Mills

straddles

the

Kewaunee-Manitowoc

County

line

in

the

southwestern part of the Town of Carlton . Its post office was always on the

Manitowoc side of the road. Tisch Mills, today and historically, is a significant part of Kewaunee County and is worthy of discussion. Tisch Mills post office opened in 1884. In her Tisch

Mills'

history,

appearing in the March 4, 1973 edition of the Kewaunee Mrs.

Enterprise,

George

Pribyl

discusses early mail in the

southern

end

of

Kewaunee County. She wrote that clipper ships brought mail from Milwaukee to Two Creeks, to a post office known as Nero. Mail was held for a weekly horseback ride by Mr. Parma who took the mail to the County Line House for pickup. In 1884 the post office was transferred to F.W . Stangel's store, above. Stangel was postmaster, a position he held for 40 years before being succeeded by Anton Olson. In September 1891 the New Era reported that Tisch Mills was supplied with mail three times a week on a route wh ich ran betwee n Krok in Kewaunee County and Cooperstown in Manitowoc County. An earlier attempt was made in 1877 for the post office at Tisch 's Mills, an earlier name for Tisch Mills. Kewaunee Enterprise, May 26, 1877, offered the followi ng: "In the last 'Enterprise' the name of the new Post Office at Tisch's Mills was given as Staus. We are informed that it was an error and that the name of the office is Pilsen. Everybody

living in that vicinity is greatly pleased; and we are informed that the supply of Pilsen beer at that point is only limited by the capacity of Anton Langenkamp's brewery." Continuing from the June 25, 1877 issue of the Enterprise , "Mention was made a few weeks ago of the establishment of a new post office in the town of Mishicott, on the line between Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties, at Tisch's Mills. The post office was first named Carlton Mills. Then some of the folks around there thought they wou ld rather have it called Staus, so they wrote to the postmaster General and he called it Staus. Then some other folks thought it would be nice to have it called Pilsner, and the Department was duly petitioned to call it Pilsner. Then Mr. Key (Postmaster General David McKendree Key) got mad and wrote back that he thought there was too much fooling going on about naming the post office from which it was not likely they wou ld ever be able to collect an assessment for campaign purposes. Besides that, it would be more than his situation would be worth to call it Pilsner. Staus was bad enough , but Pilsner was worse. Rutherford , he explained, got tight once on some Pilsner bee r wh ich he got from a Bohemian friend of his at Fremont who had obtained from the old country, and went home, kicked over the cook stove, hugged the hired girl, and stood on his head on the front stoop. On that account Mrs. Hayes resolutely refuses to permit any other beverage than water to be used at state dinners at the White House, and the mere mention of Pilsner as the name of the new post office threw her into hysterics. A Cabinet meeting was called, and it was determined to discard both Staus and Pilsner and adopt the original name, Carlton Mills, and the President instructed the P.M. General to write that if anyth ing more was said about it he would change the name of the Postmaster, Joseph Stangel, to John Jones, or maybe remove him and appoint somebody from Ohio, if he can find anybody down that way to whom he has not already given a government office. So it is settled that the new post office is to be henceforth known as Carlton Mills." A brief comment on the name change back to Tisch 's Mills ap peared in the July 14, 1877 issue of the Enterprise. 'When Postmaster Key sa id he wouldn't change the name of that Carlton Mills-Staus-Pilsner post office again fo r any man alive, we thought he meant it but you can't depend on any of these public men now -a-days. He has gone and

changed it to Tisch 's Mills. It is a good name, however, and we won't make any fuss about it, but the thing has got to stop right here." In another discussion about post office names from the August 4, 1877 Enterprise, the editor reviews the naming problems for both Norman and Tisch's Mills. Tisch's Mills' reports follows: "A post office was established on the south line of the county, in the midst of a people who came from the neighborhood of the city of Pilsen. They were unanimous in desiring that the post office be called Pilsen, but their wishes were ignored , and the office became known as Tisch's Mills. The Bohemian residents of Kewaunee County are an industrious, law-abiding people, and ready at all times to uphold the institutions of their adopted country. Why should they be denied so simple a thing as the commemoration of their place of birth in the naming of a post office in their midst - a privilege which we believe has been accorded to the people of all other nationalities. By what law, or under what authority, does the Department give an objectionable name to a post office in opposition to the expressed wish of the very people for whose convenience it is." An example of a postcard sent to Tisch Mills from Kewaunee via RFD in 1915 is at right. It is addressed to Mr. Pelner in care of R. Stangel. Below is a 1910 postcard

sent from

Luxembourg to Agnes Lodel at Tisch Mills, also via RFD. Both have CDS postmarks and grid cancels.

,._, 79 ,._,

Frank W . Stangel proposed the Tisch Mills post office and served as its long time postmaster. Stangel's store was at the southeast corner of the intersection in Tisch Mills. In recent years Stangel's store was moved a bit south of the intersection to allow for the building of a new bank. Tisch Mills is noted on the Stangelville site map, prepared by Postmaster Frank J . Stangel, the postmaster at Stangelville. Two Stangels named Frank, postmasters in villages a few miles apart, caused some obvious

confusion.

Tisch

Mills'

village

center is the subject of the 1910 postcard below. Stangel's store is on the right.

I.

I

I

I

I I

Town of Casco Post Office Locations And

First Year of Operation

-----i ~==~ ff}

j 1.'!0

"' 81 "'

Casco

W

isconsin State Gazetteer, 1891-1892, places the village of Casco 12 miles west of Kewaunee, 22 miles northeast of Green Bay, the nearest

railroad station, and 11 miles southwest of Ahnapee, the nearest banking point. At the time stages traveled daily to Ahnapee, Green Bay and Kewaunee and the popu lation of 150 rece ived its mail daily. Casco post office was established in Section 17, Town 24N, Range 24E on September 6, 1858 with Lucy

A. Decker as postmaster. By 1870,

Edward

postmaster.

Decker was An

article

appearing in the August 14, 1908 Algoma Record pointed out that

the

Hon.

Edward

Decker was the state's oldest postmaster both in age and length

of service.

He was

serving his 52nd year, however ~""-------------------~ if records are correct, Decker would have been in his 38 1h year. Early records indicate that Casco post office most probably was in Decker's huge barn across the road from his large home, often referred to as the Casco White House pictured above. Following the advent of the Ahnapee and Western Railroad, the post office operated in the building housing Decker's Bank of Casco and th e railroad depot

at right. Originally constructed for use as a magazine and toy factory , the bu ilding eventually became part of the Hanmann milling property. Mail carrier Joe Koss is leaning against the postal boxes in the photograph taken of the interior of the depot. Casco's current post office, below, is on the site of the White House, which burned in the 1960's. It replaced the building shown here in the 1960's.

Zip code 54205, now with 9998 as additional digits, is still in service. Casco had the distinction of being a Wisconsin post office offering the millennium

postmark

reading

"Postmark of the Century." Such cancels were offered to those affixing correct postage to a piece of mail addressed to oneself and mailed to the postmaster of one of the millennium selected

stations.

The

towns offered the

postmark for a 60 day period following December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000.

Casco Postmasters and Dates of Appointment Lucy Decker

September 6, 1858

Stillman Decker

April 11, 1866

Stephen Brown

December 13, 1867

John Arendt

September 24, 1868

R.A. Carey

April 28, 1870

Edward Decker

June 13, 1870

Henry Tisch

May 29, 1871

John Winterbottom

August 8, 1872

Clinton B. Fay

March 25, 1874

David Curtin

December 13, 1875

A complete last of Casco's postmasters was not available at print time . Nearly 100 years are missing from this list.

Julia Sh imek

April 28, 1973

Phyllis A. Lynn

August 31, 1985

Sandra L. Fullerton

January 22, 1996 Officer-in-Charge

Thomas Buschmann May 17, 1996 Officer-in-Change Judy Jadin

September 4, 1996 Officer-in-Charge

Robert D. Barta

November 23, 1996

Denise A. Schleis

July 1 , 2005 Officer-in-Charge

Sandra Fullerton Nieforth August 8, 2006 Brian L. Hubbartt

July 20, 2009 Officer-in-Charge

Lisa A. Riemer

September 10, 2009 Officer-in-Charge

Marsha M. Seiler

April 24, 2010

-84-

Casco Postmaster Compensation and Post Office Net Income 1859

Not Listed

1861

$10.81

$14. 16

1863

$ 18.36

$29.35

1865

$22.27

$37.54

1867

$15.00

$20.52

1869

$21.00

$20.28

1871

$21.00

1873

$21.00

1875

$42.40

1877

$21 .12

1879

$29.64

1881

$59.30

1883

$66.93

1885

$63.50

1887

$78.56

1889

$94.84

1891

$149.51

1893

$107.00

1895

$214.05

1897

$166.82

1899

$184.26

190 1

$211.92

1903

$311.02

1905

$409.43

Below is a cover from what is known as the Warner corresponde nce. Mailed from Casco to Ahnapee on May 6, 1879, it is an example of a manuscript cancel. Lillian McNally is in the return address, which indicates Lillian was a Casco teacher in 1879.

FROM I

I

J, ~

/ Postma rked Casco

,-

;21~ t l !" '-/

~

'/,{, ;(}, ( 1:;'>yJ.; '

at

1939,

return

the

address

indicates R.R. 1, an area served by the

BEEKEEPERS SUPPLIES

Euren

office

post

prior to Ru ra l Free Delivery. Casco, Box 60, R. this

#2 appears more

recent

address. rectangular

in

A cancel

kills the stamp.

POST CARD.

Van

A TIMELY NOTICE

·VAN CAM

cannery

Camp's

Algoma

appeared

to

be

reminding F.J. Fencil of the pea planting season ahead when the firm sent th is post card in 1906.

The

lower

postmark

indicates the card was received in Casco. Holy Trinity's Rev.

Kabat

sent the rejection letter at left following a meeting regarding church pews. Both the cover and letter are dated 1908. At the bottom is a 4 line Doane

cancel

October 14, 1910.

.ef.1

/

rc~yv£c{Pdf;

~-'"''

Wtr ?N?.h-H-a/i / J,:~.k. ~

~

87

~

postmarked

Slovan

J was

oseph Ouradnik postmaster

when Slovan post office

was

established on July 12,

1878.

Wisconsin

Postal

History locates the office in the SE Yi of Section 21, Town 24N Range 24E in Casco The

Township. office

was

discontinued

on

December 14, 1903 when Rural Free Delivery service came from Casco. Wisconsin State Gazetteer, 1901-1902, reports that Slovan's population of 250 was serviced by stages running between Ahnapee, Kewaunee and Green Bay. Mail arrived daily. Slovan was near the railroad stop for the old Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western railroad, a prominent landmark along the Kewaunee River. Above is a 1910 era picture postcard depicting the Clyde hill, the road from the station at Clyde to Slovan. The road, which saw so many mail wagons, led to the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western stop at Clyde Station at the bottom of the hill. Kewaunee River is barely visible at left center.

"' 88 "'

Joseph

Ouradnik

operated

the

Slovan post office in his store on the corner opposite St. Adalbert Church at the junction of the present County Trunks E and T. When Ouradnik's store burned during the winter of 1891 , the Enterprise reported that Ouradnik was

not discouraged by the fire and that he would rebuild . He built the above faci lity in 1894 and sold it to August Ripley soon after. Ouradnik, and August Ripley who purchased the building from him, were Slovan's only postmasters. Ouradnik's 1894 store still stands in Slovan as shown in the above photo. Changes have been few in the last 100 yea rs.

Slovan Postmasters and Dates of Appointment

Joseph Ouradnik

July 12, 1878

August Ripley

July 31, 1895

"' 89 "'

Slovan Postmaster Compensation

1879

$3.28

1881

$10.34

1883

$20.00

1885

$28.95

1887

$43.92

1889

$39.26

1891

$40.63

1893

$68.41

1895

$83.22

1897

$61.35

1899

$57.25

1901

$55.31

1903

$43.1 3

Sent to Jos. Skala Sr. in Kewaunee, this one-cent postal card has a 1901 Slovan CDS. Frequently ca lled a "gove rnment card, " it was mailed within days of U.S. government permission to private printers for use of the word "post card ."

"""''"1 7"

-

~111:1 iii•li t9i ii•J #;1~,, ! j) lffi!~ 'Dll.9 61DI> I&

D'>"'- TJ-IE

A DDRESS 0'-11.:4

Town of Franklin Post Office Locations and First Year of Operation

Bo alt ulletin 23 of Wisconsin Postal History Society describes Boalt post office as

B

"Established July 29, 1862 with Iver Butler as its only postmaster. It was

discontinued July 2, 1866. Its location is unknown but possibly the same location as Bolt." This is an error. As recorded in the 1864 - 1865 site document, Boalt was located in the Town of Franklin , Township 22N, Range 23E, in the NW % of Section 14. However, the site document description does not match the accompanying map sketch , on the following page, clearly illustrating the location in the SW % of the SW % of Section 14. A Kewaunee County map for the Town of Franklin confirms the position in Section 14, but unfortunately there are two problems with the map. It is dated 1858, four years before the establishment of Boalt post office. It is possib le the date was that of the origina l map preparation, but that there was some "updating" of early reprints as it was 1876 before the first major county ownership map appeared . A second issue is that the post office at the Boalt location was named "Montpelier," wh ich was an error. Montpelier post office was 2 % miles due north of Boalt, just north of the Franklin -Montpelier town line. Montpelier was established on August 18, 1862, twenty days later than Boalt. Montpelier, however, is noted on the 1864 Boalt site document on the following page. Without a doubt, the 1865 site document map indicates the road to Montpelier. Another questionable issue involves the spelling of the postmaster's first name. Documents of 1862 - 1866 were almost always hand written, leading to the possibility that the postmaster could have been either Iver or Ives Butler. One named Iver Butler served on the county's first petite jury. Lewis Butler was the deputy for Iver Butler accord ing to the 1864 site document.

"' 92 "'

Several historical articles

. ·~· . (No. SO.)

POST

OFF~OE

.

for the period indicate that the DEPA RTMENT,

name Boalt was chosen to

OONTllJ.OT OFT/OX,

~~·--·~-"-1~

'.r!'.. Sm:

honor Charles Griswold Boalt, an

early

citizen.

prominent

Boalt,

who

county had

in

background engineering

a

civil

and

general

business experience, arrived in Mayville, Wisconsin in 1854 and

in

1859

relocated

to

Ahnepee. By 1864 he had purchased

one-half

of

the

Ahnepee Town plat and was elected

Kewaunee

County

judge. Honoring

a

prominent

citizen with a naming was a fairly common practice of the period , thus Boalt became the county's tenth post office in 1862.

1865

C. Q. Boa.It, -- ',.

~

93

~

In

completing

the

site

document, Butler noted that the nearest post office on his route to the north was Montpelier. To the south, it was Mishicott at a distance of 11 miles. The nearest post office off the route was Cooperstown,

7

miles

in

a

westerly direction. Boalt's mail

I

I

· ._--~--- · : i l i -- ·..,..,-··--r--r·-

;•

_t~ ·;- ··r- ·

1•

I!

1 \ 1

j

i \'.>

,

1

!

~· _..._: ''"'J

·' ·,_

route is drawn on the map at the right.

I

.

-to--·

;

Bolt post office, with a similar name, will be discussed in the following section. Bolt went into service nearly 21 Boalt

at

Town

! !

l n~

.!

!"

:

·

j -

i

-+!..!--!- .. ; ; : I

I

! - . !.

I

·-+-4-'-i--4-~~-----..-1--+-.,__..,..-~--...-

l

i

,,.__ ,._.!.

years after of

Franklin

location . Information

concerning

postmaster compensation or the net income for the post office for the years 1863 and 1865 was not supplied by the U.S. Post Office Department. The authors are unaware of any example of a cover or post card processed at the Boalt post office which closed after just four years of service.

Boalt is listed on Star Route 13069, the route from Mishicott to Casco. Mail was carried once per week on the 27 mile trip. A note in the document indicates Boalt was discontinued in July 1866.

..

Boalt post office closed 140 years ago. Above is the site as it looked in 2007. Th ere is nothing to mark the community that lives on only in the annals of history.

Bolt olt is described in the 1891-1892 Wisconsin State Gazetteer as a location in

B

Kewaunee County, southwest of Kewaunee, the judicial center and nearest

banking point. Bolt was 18 miles from Two Rivers, the nearest shipping point. Tri-weekly mail served the community. Bolt post office opened on February 28, 1887 in the SW% Section 27, Township 22, Range 23 of Kewaunee County on Route 86385 from Mishicot in Manitowoc County to Casco. Town clerk Jacob J. Tesar was the first postmaster. At its beginning, Bolt residents could expect mail to be carried twice a week. Since Bolt was not on the direct route, East Gibson in Manitowoc County was the nearest post office supplying the mail. Tesar's original site document indicates the population to be supp lied was 900. Four to five years later when N.M. Knudson was postmaster and mail was delivered tri-weekly, the Wisconsin State Gazetteer listed Bolt's population at 50. The 1887 data appea rs to I

be questionable. Wisconsin

Postal

History

Society locates the office in the SW % of Section 22, Town 22N , Range 23E in the Town of Franklin. As the map illustrates, Bolt post office was not located where Boalt was established nearly 25 years earlier. The second post office was approximately two miles south and one

mile

west

from

the

Boalt

location. Kewaunee Enterprise on July 24, 1885 suggested that a new post

.. ~, "'...

office was being considered for the Town of Franklin when it observed, "Mr. Michael Shea, of Franklin, paid this office a brief but pleasant call yesterday afternoon. From him the Enterprise learns that application ha s been made for the estab lishment of a mail route from Heitman's place to Carlton, via the Tish (sic) Mills and Carlton post offices. The inhabitants in the Town of Franklin have long been in need of a post office in their midst as many have here to fore been obliged to go as much as six miles to the nearest post office for their mail, and now that the right steps to secure one have been made, the Enterprise , for one, hopes that their efforts will be successful. Should the new route be

established, as there is no doubt it will, the new post office will be kept by H. Heitman and will be called either Franklin or Twin Lake." Apparently this effort was not immediately successful or was tempora rily postponed since the Enterprise did not publish the following note until March 4, 1887: "The new post office which has just been established in the Town of Franklin is called Bolt and the postmaster appointed is J.J. Tesar, the present clerk of the town." Six years later, on April 13, 1893, the Enterprise offered the following comme nt: "The post office in the southern part of this county commonly known as Bolt was named in honor of Judge C.G. Boalt, formerly of this city, and should be spelled Boalt. " The phrase "of this city" is not clearly understood as Judge Boa It was certain ly one of the best known and most prominent citizens of Ahnapee, residing there from 1859 until his death in 1897. The Bolt post office was discontinued on November 30, 1904 whe n mail service came from Stangelville.

'"'-' 98 '"'-'

Postmasters and Dates of Appointment

Jacob J. Tesar

February 28, 1887

Nels M. Knudson

May 1, 1888

Frank Spevacek

March 28, 1892

Thomas Sevcik

July 19, 1893

Lorenz Chada

July 1, 1897

Postmaster Annual Salaries

1887

Jacob J. Tesar

$1.85 from March 4, 1887

1889

Nels M. Knudson

$18.11

1891

Nels M. Knudson

$32.22

1893

Frank Spevacek

$36. 14

1895

Thomas Sevcik

$41.76

1897

Lorenz Chada

$55.71

1899

Lorenz Chada

$57.65

1901

Lorenz Chada

$67.04

1903

Lorenz Chada

$56.77

Below is the ham let of Bolt at the intersection of Manitowoc Road and Bolt Road in the Town of Franklin. For several years before and after the turn of 1900, the SW % of the SW% of Section 27 was owned by Postmaster Lorenz Chada.

A 'al

~~ ~ ~

photo

postcard sometime

ea rly in the 1900's shows

Lorenz

Chada's

white

building

wh ich

served

as

the

store, post office, hotel and saloon.

Joseph Bayer of Bolt was the addressee on the above government postal card mailed in the early morning of February 16, 1902 from Chicago. It was back stamped at 2:30 PM the same day in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The final back stamp is February 17 at Bolt. Although this is a "penny" postcard, it most likely was carried by C&NW railroad mail to Green Bay and possibly by stage coach or, in part, by a GB&W train to Kewaunee. It is also possible that the postcard was dropped off at an earlier stop such as

Luxembourg

and the journey then completed by one of the regular postal

route

carriers.

RFD

was not in service then.

,..., 100,...,

One point of interest is the excellent flag cancel on the postal card . Green Bay was one of the first Wisconsin post offices to use this type of machine cancel. Various types of such cancels were used between 1899 and 1925. Green Bay's is an example of the first type used from 1899 to 1903, listed in reference literature as B 14.

• ,-

Lorenz Chada's former building is all that remains of the Bolt of 100 years ago. Today's crossroads bear no resemblance to the thriving postal village of 100 years ago.

,.., 101 ,..,

Curran

C

urran post office, in the Town of Franklin , according to the 1890 site

document, was located in the SW % of Section 20, Township 22N, Range

23E. More accurately, it was in the SW % of the SW % of Section 20 where today's County Highways KB and V, also called Curran Road , intersect. It is in . the NE quadrant of the intersection where a store existed at the beginning of the post office's operation , more recently referred to as the Paider Store. Nick Murphy, who had a store on the spot, was also the postmaster. A photograph of the current store is at right. Curran post office was 2 miles south and 1 mile north of Bolt, the nearest post office. To the northwest was Finteng , 3 miles away but in Brown County. Cooperstown was 5 miles in a southwesterly direction. Population to be supplied was stated to be 700. The office was discontinued on November 30, 1904 with the advent of Rural Free Delivery when mail service came from Stangelville. Kewaunee Star on May 2, 1890 made an announcement about the impending new mail route in the Town of Franklin: "It is with no little satisfaction that we are able to announce that the petition asking the government to establish a tri-weekly mail route between this city (Kewaunee) and Cooperstown, Manitowoc County, has been granted and that the Postmaster General is now inviting bids for carrying the mail over the route named , which will be received up to May 10 1h. The new route will go into effect July first, and in leaving here will go to Krok via Stangelville, Bolt and Curran, the latter being a

,. . , 102,....,

new post office to be established in the southwest corner of Section 20, Town of Franklin , in the store building owned by Mr. Nick Murphy, who will also be postmaster. The new route will be a very important one as it will pass through a fine and thickly settled portion of this county, and our Franklin readers are to be congratulated upon their success in having secured such mail arrangement which will give them direct communication with the county seat. "

Ahnapee Record, May 27, 1890, contains the following from its Bolt correspondent: "We are glad to have to announce that our neighbors on the western side of the town have just secured the establishment of a new post office in that locality with Mr. A. Murphy Sr. as postmaster. The name, as we understand , will be Curran. " Government records give the official date for the establishment of the Curran post office as April 16, 1890. According to the June 13, 1890 Kewaunee Star, the new post office was named in honor of John P. Curran , a celebrated Irish orator, born 1750 and died in 1817. In submitting the site document on March 31 , 1890, Nicholas Murphy noted that the name

"Grattan "

was

also STATEMENT.

preferred by a number of residents and left the final decision up to the Post Office Department, subsequently

which rejected

the

/J

d

...[fu)AM.11. ....~f.~11&1J.1.l!1.J:.:!:

. :._..

Select ·a short name for thoproposed ollioo, wbicb, wbenwritten,~ ~will not r~emble the nnme cf ftny- other post offic~ in thoS~te, ~' Uwill be&1uattd lo th

J.Ot..qmler ~non .. ~......, To~ ucJrJ.4. (Nor!b,~r ~nib), .~..,...:.:.'; oC

Ran~ t~&.aJ!ifJ.11 or Well),...:.•..•., in theCoonlJ oC'f.)}~.i'l!!/J!.."&,.....,~leof JJIJjfd;rt.iflfl!:.:.. j

name.

Wisconsin

Gazetteer,

1901- 1902, indicates Curran was

Tbe pro~ office tobe 111.ll!d

a

post

office

in

Kewaunee County, 16 miles

~will be on ~m ronteNo. ............................, belllglheronlt f!om ~U'C'.Ml._f, ......................... to X!/)J//..111.m.di!/:....................•.., on 1'hichthem&il ii now carried ••••. ,•...••.•..••MM.I/I. lil»M per w!Ok. 1 1 Will ii b&dirl ne• ptocccda. . 1$o Clltel'ul to dcsig:nnio ; he ~~ office~ by their \t uo official nnm1•; .nnd. 0.0111•e nnd occorAtcly, or tltc ct11e 1pill 11Q1. hfJ ortc1l u7>Qn. Itespeetfully, your obeilicul ecrvnnt.1

.

. I

1

.

""/

;r;,.

C .

~

/ /,

. / · ·/

,

•

•

na /Joined ~riea foll/

~ ~ · ~~

•

•

~

~

F1rll ..lluilta•t Po1Lma1ror G~al.

To Mr. .-24'."~.LU..c - .. - '/7d"{'~0.--··--.,,(h--· · -··--·..···---..-· ......-.r..- .. :are of the Po!tml\Ster of ·--~·~dC!&W~::~&sLr_!:Z:Z.d.- .. who wj.11 pleaso ~r1~1im

~~~f.~ ·~Vr

' ··

When Kewaunee postmaster Frank Kwapil applied in 1870 fo r the post office that would become Alaska, the name Pierce was requested . In response, the Post Office Depa rtment wrote that some other name had to be chosen as Pierce post office already existed in Section 2. Noting the short distance between Hoppe's Pierce site and that of Alaska, an attempt to name two post offices Pierce at the same time leads to speculation. Was communication so primitive that prominent men within a few miles of each other had no idea of what was happening? Was there some kind of rivalry? Following is the top portion of the site document with th e note from the Post Office Department.

~

183 ,..,

Today the site that was once both Pierce and Royal Cree k post offices is a cornfield on the west side of Rio Creek Road just south of its intersection with Highway 54.

,..., 184-

Rostok

J

oseph W. S. Skala was postmaster when Rostok post office was established July 27, 1899. As the nearest postmaster, Alaska Postmaster

Teske signed the papers for the proposed Rostok office. It was in service until November 30, 1904 when RFD service came from Kewaunee. Skala was the only postmaster. The Post Office Department did not supply any information concerning the postmaster compensation for the years 1901 and 1903. Kewaunee Enterprise of December 2, 1898 reports, "J .W. Skala has been circulating a petition for a new post office to be called Pierce and located at what is known as the Pierce House. Having secured a sufficient number of signatures he has forwarded the same together with his application to the Postmaster General and is awaiting a decision in regard to the matter." Eight months later on August 18, 1899, Algoma Record noted , "A new post office has been established at Rostok, this county, and Joseph Skala appointed postmaster. Rostok is about three miles this side of Kewaunee." No explanation was found for the change of name from Pierce to Rostok. No hint is given in the site document. It may be that the Post Office Department had become somewhat disenchanted with the Pierce name since the attempt to restart the original Pierce post office in 1890 had not been successful and was discontinued in 1895. In a review of village names on June 25, 1981, Algoma Record Herald reported , "Rostok, after a place in Bohemia by early settlers among whom were Wodsedaleks." The 1876 plat map shows that this family owned the NW % of Section 5 of Pierce Township and more land in the eastern half of Section 5. The name Rostok neither appears on the 1876 plat map nor on the 1895 plat map with the revised county geography for Pierce Township. Thus, it appears that the post office name determined the location identification for the twentieth century. Site documents give the official post office location as the NE % of Section 6, Township 23N, Range 25E on Route 39391, being the route from Kewaunee to

,..., 185,...,

Algoma. Kewaunee to the south, Alaska to the north and Slovan 6 miles west were the nearest post offices. Wisconsin Gazetteer, 1897-1900, indicates Rostok is 3 miles from Kewaunee, the cou nty seat and nea rest s hipping and banking point. County records show that

Joseph

Skala

owned, in the NE % of

un

the NE % of the NE % of Section 6, one acre that was at the crossroad boundary of Sections 5 and

6.

The

three

buildings in the photo, including

the

Pierce

House in the center, belonged to Postmaster Skala. A closer look at the bench to the right of the door reveals the name "W.J. Marek. " Rostok was one of the last rural post offices

created

in

Kewaunee County. Its

site

document

reflects the change in

name

from

Ah napee Algoma.

to It

also

reflects the size of the Town of Pierce with the creation of Luxemburg Town in 1883 and it indicates the need for a post office saying that the area was thickly settled by farmers, comprising "about 60 families or more." The document mentions an unnamed creek flowing about one mile

~

186

~

to the north . That creek enters Lake Michigan at the site of the Green Bay water intake. In passing it is interesting to recall that in 1945 this property was sold to Leo and Rose Vanderbloemen who opened Butch Van 's Supper Club at right. It is rather rare to be able to compare a nineteenth century rural post office building to a well-known structure that was in service in the latter half of the twentieth century. The structure underwent major changes by 1993 and is now the home of Pots R Us, a business. Mailed from Rostok to Jos. Skala on July 3, 1902, the postcard has a DLDC postmark.

Its

Kewaunee

receiving CDS is on the front

because

the

message covers the entire back. A duplex cancel is applied to the Jefferson portrait. Rostok is located at the intersection of today's Highway Road.

42

and

Joseph

First Skala

submitted the map below with the proposal for the Rostok post office.

L _:._. Ll...L..._;

~

187

~

Royal Creek

U

nited States Post Office Department records describe Royal Creek as "established July 17, 1862 with Richa rd Gage as its only postmaster. It

was discontinued July 31 , 1863. Its location is not known. " Historical records in Kewaunee County neither connect Richard Gage with any post office nor does the name Royal Creek appear. Nevertheless, the following information is from the archives of the U.S. Post Office Department for the year 1863, clearly indicating there was such an office.

Postmaster Compensation

1863

$1.41

Post Office Net Income

1863

$0.62

These amounts for the seven last months of service are insig nifica nt and imply little use was made of this post office. Possibly the population supplied was a small number of families and/or the distance to walk, or ride to it in a horse drawn conveyance, was not convenient, or nea rly impossible for extended periods of time. There is no clear reason to account for only one yea r of service. Royal Creek does not have a site document sin ce it was disco ntinued more than a year prior to the Post Office Department's mandatory obligation of submission of requ ired information to Washington. During this time period , Richard Gage owned three 40-acre parcels of land in Section 2 in the old Pierce Township, (a), SW % of the NE %, (b) SE% of the NE % and (c) SE % of the NW %. Gage only appears in the following 1862 tax assessment rolls , a portion of which is shown below. He had a valuation of $40 on the first two properties and $50 on th e third property, indicating improvements and possibly the site of the post office.

"' 188 "'

!umri Tm falniliou. ~u1JiJJ.. till.

DF.SCRirl'IONOF LA.ND.

01\'XERS.

1

N. F.. qu1rter of N. R quarter.

f#

J/,lf ,/"lJ . b l!

.fl

/~d/I J-o

7

~

J~~

N. W. quirter or N. R. quarter.

Ill.

f;~

S. W.qurte: of~. K qlllrter.

ht J~ If .t~

S. E. qMrter of N. E. quarter.

f (/

f/I.' @.

~!'~~

ft

$. / I

6!1"

i/ fl ,.

~I/I

.r11 . ,,

II

N. W. qlllrter of' l W.qumer.

f ~ f1ttJ 4Yt

S. W. q111rter of' X. W. ljlllrltr.

!I

lt ~I!

S. E. qurter of ii. W.qU1rter.

,/(!

I~ PP ,t//

"'-M"'•

I. .

I

&1111

~n~iJJ. till.

..

/~Ill

X. K quuter or N. W. quarler.

, . t' ............ JQ W

rmtr EqntliiJ. li11.

, ,

J'b ''

I

J/i All JJ

''

~,

It is believed , however, that the acreage in (b), the one that is farthest to the east, is where Gage wou ld most likely have constructed his bu ildings and living quarters as it was where early roads developed. It is interesting to note that seven years later, in 1870, the site document for the location of the Pierce post office also gives the same legal description as in (b ). A map including the Gage land is on the following page. Though it is close to the first Rio Creek post office established in 1888, the name Royal Creek could not be found in any nineteenth century literature or maps. The nearest stream is Rio Creek. It is possible the name was supplied by Richard Gage from a previous location in his life, as was done by many of the first Kewaunee County

postmasters.

It

is, however,

possible

the name

Rio

Creek was

misinterpreted, hence Royal Creek, or that Royal Creek became Rio Creek. Very little is known about Richard Gage himself . George Wing comments that in 1858 Gage ran for district attorney and rece ived fewer votes than th e other candid ate. Both men lost, however, because neither was an attorn ey. Win g recalled that in 1862 the only Gage to appear on Kewaunee County census of the era was

-189-

W illiam Gage who appears on the 1860 Montpelier census though Virginia Johnson's An-An-api-sebe li sts Richard Gage as an employee at Hall 's Mill in the mid-1850's.

The authors were unable to find and were never made aware of any item mailed to or from Royal Creek. Volume 3 of the Helbock service listing of all U.S. post offices gives a rarity rating of 9 for Royal Creek. While a few Kewaunee post offices were given a rating of 8, on ly one other - Darbellay 1 - was rated at 9, implying that no item of mail has ever been found. Richard Gage and the Roya l Creek post office were clearly pa rt of the postal system as the following list of postmaster appointments illustrates.

('' '•

..r~~ ,61tf.,./Lf!

y

../hw · ~/"7 .£U'

Ahnepee's site document lists

I

, {( IJ.i&MCd o n "ho11l1l uot u .., 0 11 n u y n 1-nll ru u i.a now u u de.r cont:rne t, onl y " " Spacl nl omec •• ca n bo Mlnbll• l hN"C, h1 LI(' ,. ur p ll~ll wllb n ut.ll f1."'(tl ll ttnm o CQOVenlcl)J roto l Oil lho n e1u ..a l mall roul O by fl. !J

I t\! h·w111i1111 t>nl'Or 10

October

1875

2,

the

identifying

post

office as in the SW % of Section 34, Township 25N, Range 23E

~;~ r:~~~-~; ~v,;1 ;~11\"~\j :;-;~1~ 1~~"',~~ecg~~,.'(n!:a~Ll~'i.r'WJ o tlJe omo uO\ or the Mlhu·y o r Lho poatrou

~

Yuo t1houl d ltiform th o coutroc lor. or ~reo n pcrrbrm.l og eervleo for him, of t bl.• 11pphcaU m ul rt""luiic him lo Ncec1.1 10 lhc \oclo.cd cerllOcnle n..- lo lbo pr•eUc.obl1Ll7 o f • u ppl)'-lna lhe p t >Ok>d omcu \Ylth moll. au(I reht.r n l b • •ome lo lh• .0.po..rlihUll . \ _.. Very rcapeclfUJly, \

!-

~ ~

J- .6 . ~::::::=:.

. T...i Mr.

r..1...!.o'~.'$...•..~;:-...• ..'..~.'..~....... . ,.,

.'.':..

1·n1-. or lltfl roa lmna lrr o r

--~--P--/~..

.....

···--·-- ·-"--··-··

on

Route 25367. Lincoln, 5 miles

%

northeast, nearest

to

the

was

the

post

office.

Casco was the nearest post

office

to

the

southeast, at 6 Yi miles and Dyckesville, to the northwest,

was

the

nearest off route post office. The post office at this

location

was

discontinued on July 8, 1881 . Eight years later, on October 4, 1889, Thiry Daems was reestablished on with Louis Boucher as postmaster. Bencher submitted a new site document with a new location in the SE % of Section 27, Township 25N , Range 23E, the site across the road from St. Odile's Church on Route 25407 from Ahnapee to Red River. Noting Red River on the route is confusing since the Red River II post office had been discontinued on December 3 , 1887. Darbellay at a distance of 2 1i miles was the ~

198

~

nearest post office on the northwest side . Th is too is confusing as a second post office named Darbellay was established July 7, 1887, also by Joseph Wery, and referred to here as Darbellay I. Kewaunee's New Era, November 13, 1891 , places the post office in Louis Boucher & Sons store in what today is Thi ry Daems.

Postmaster Appointments

For Darbellay I

Joseph Wery

March 16, 1874

For Thiry Daems

Constant Thiry

January 3, 1875

Louis Boucher

October 4, 1889

John B. Boucher

November 3, 1903

The post office was discontinued November 30, 1903 with mail sent to Luxemburg.

Postmaster Compensation

Darbellay

1875

Not listed

Thiry-Daems

1875

No return s

1877

Constant Thiry

$4.1 8

1879

Constant Th iry

$0.59

1881

No returns

1883-1889

Not listed

1891

Lou is Boucher

$22.08

1893

Louis Boucher

$25.51

1895

Louis Boucher

$28.87

1897

Louis Boucher

$26.09

1899

Louis Boucher

$25.47

1901

Louis Boucher

$28.50

1903

Louis Boucher

$42.65

~

199 "'

A rarity of 9 is assigned to the post office at Darbellay 1. It is possible that an example of mail from this post office does not exist. It is more likely that Thiry-Daems mail does exist, but it has not co me to the attention of the authors. Thiry Daems today is at right.

'

I

I,

. .''

?_;_~.,

~ flt''' a '

1809

~· •

. j

...,1-1.~~"'

The

•

J

l ..~:1.~~.:::~E~~~::::~:~.~11s~:~:NS. ~

Topogra pher's

map for Thiry Daems in 1889 is circular. At the

'Tbo-.u"-1nd·n.ioir~do1111d ti. ~u.lly ~by i>lyJ-zdou

OS' bc\-wooa lhe r:i:tilo d.rd• at :tio t d•a1:wu;.-.,. •ftd la U&• n.-bt d11ccdoo flom the-~ on, a.nd t u.mcs p!ahalT wriltm. ..tt II •""1u\d br ~ to dcU1at.ta u cf!iQ wl:lda it O'HT 10 Crom the propoMd m-. plAc:e the \u"kloo( tile 10-a:llectrclt, writo the u.mo of aa.ch ofRc•. a.c.d •t:&h~ Lt dktane:e &om tbe propowd. co.e. ".J'Jnw pWJn hae. ~tho llrclo t-O hWl~te 1'i1~ proin.ltteftL rw.da, t0all routu. •od tarp

rb1ic:

i"'•nt. ' ~ll wr1tin; \lpo.tl tlua

1..ocath>ta Papor anut ~ pWn, 1ua!. with pcio •ud

center

is

the

representing

dot the

in~

proposed Instructions

post were

office. that

post offices be indicated by dots between the mile circles in the appropriate direction. Names were to be clearly written. Proposed office Thiry Daems is at the center. It was replaci ng Darbe llay to the northwest. Tonet was

the

nearest

post

office about two miles southeast. ~

200

~

DarbeIIay II arbellay II post office began seNice on July 7, 1887. Joseph Weng

D

(Wery) was its only postmaster. Location data from the site document

and tax records indicate Darbellay II was in the SW% of the SW% of Section 21, Township 25N , Range 23E. The mail, on Route 25452 from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, was carried six times per week. Dyckesville, three miles northwest, was the nearest post office on the route. Lin coln was the nearest post office not on the route at 5 1h miles to the northeast. Estimated population to be supplied was about 700. Darbellay II site report was dated November 25, 1885. Its map report was dated December 10, 1885, and the U.S. Topog rapher's hand stamp for the Post Office Department is dated August 6, 1887. An explanation for the 18 month time discrepancy from submission of the report to the establishment of the post office has not been found . Kewaunee Enterprise , July 15, 1887, contai ned the following announcement: "The Darbellay post office in the Town of Red River wh ich was discontinued some eleven years ago, has recently been reestablished and Mr. Joe Wery, the general town clerk of that town, has been appo inted postmaster." In December the paper noted "Joseph Wery, Esq. has been appointed postmaster of the new Darbellay post office in Red River. " Darbellay II post office was located at the same place reported for Darbellay 1, which is not su rprising since the same postmaster applied for both, although the postmaster's name appea rs as both Wery and Weng . An item in the November 10 , 1887 Ahnapee Record reports, "On Tuesday evening Wi lliam White received advice from the post office department to the effect that the Red River mail route had been changed and that hereafter the western terminus would be Dyckesville instead of the Brussels post office . One new post office - Darbellay - has been added to the route and the distance increased five and one-half miles. The pay for ca rrying the mail has

~

201

~

also been increased from $300 to $350. The change will go into effect the 17th of November." It is not surp rising that a post office in the Town of Red River was named for Louis Darbellay, a resident of Kewaunee . Darbellay was in charge of relief work following the great Peshtigo Fire of 1871. He was appointed a federal postal inspector in 1867. Postmaster Compensation for Joseph Weng 1887

Not listed

1889

$27.39

1891

$ 16.82

1893

$ 17.18

1895

$21.41

1897

$22 .98

1899

$22.88

1901

$30.34

1903

$34.86

Darbellay II was discontinued November 30, 1904 with RFD when mail went to Luxembourg. Although the post office operated for 17 years, a sample of an item mailed from Darbellay II has not been located. Joseph Weng is listed in the 19011902 business directory as postmaster and general store proprietor in Darbellay. It is his store that is most likely where post office business was transacted . Wery's Darbellay store is long gone. The adjacent photo is a 2010 shot of the northeast corner of the

intersection

of

Kewaunee County Highways Sand SS, described as Darbellay in federal posta l site documents.

- 202 -

Duvall

W

illiam Barrette was named postmaster when the Duvall post office was established in 1890

in the Barrette store on one acre

.............- ......""'

,

1 /j

it'' ._. __l/,;..JliL______.. --·

1

.

on the northwest corner of the NW % of the NE % of Section 9 across

from the Vilatte church. Red River Town's 1890 tax rolls give the same legal description to the one square

acre

William

Barrette

owned. History tells us the Duvall post office was named for Kewaunee businessman Joseph Duvall, Esq. who

obtained

Barrette's

appoi ntment, however at rig ht is the portion of the site document signed by Joseph Wery, postmaster of Darbellay. Barrett was appointed on July 18, 1890. On September 11, 1890 the Ahnapee Record announced, "A new post office has been established in the town of Red River, this county, lately. It has been named Duvall and Mr. William Barret is the postmaster. The new post office will be served from the Dyckesville post office ." It goes on to say, "The Enterprise is in error on the name of the post office. It should be Duvall as it was named in honor of Joseph Duvall of Kewaunee." W isconsin Postal History Society, Bulletin #23, confi rms Duvall post office was established July 18, 1890 and says that it was discontinued November 30, 1904, with RFD mail service from Luxemburg .

,..., 203,...,

Kewaunee's New Era, August 26, 1891, described Red River as almost exclusively settled by Belgians a "tough, hardy peop le with peculiar habits, kind hearted and strictly honest." The paper continued saying that Duvall was the site of St. Mary's Catholic Church, a red brick school and a large county store operated by William Barret who was also the postmaster. Les and Jeanne Rentmeester in Our Marchant Relatives tell us that William Barrette, Jr. succeeded his father as Duvall postmaster. United States Postal Service Corporate Information Services lists the appointment as April 15, 1898. The authors were unable to locate a Duvall postmark which Helbock rates as 5, indicating that postmarks are scarce.

Postmaster Compensation

1891

$55.68

1893

$99.79

1895

$90.13

1897

$100.65

1899

$89.71

1901

$94.06

1903

$85. 85

Duva ll's proposed post office is shown in Section 9 of the map at the left. Dyckesville,

Rosiere

and

Namur post offices were already in existence as the map indicates.

- 204-

Duvall's post office was on the south side of the current Highway X, just beyond the white house in the picture above. This postcard photo of Duvall was taken 100 years ea rlier than the picture above. It shows the same intersection but faces northeast. The saloon on the left has been replaced by the white building above.

"' 205

~

Dyckesville isconsin State Gazetteer, 1891 - 1892 says, "Dyckesville is located

W

on Green Bay in western Kewaunee Cou nty, 20 miles northwest of

Kewaunee, the county seat, and 18 miles northeast of Green Bay, the nearest railroad station and banking point. It contains a church and school district. Mail service was daily and stages traveled to Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay and Ahnapee. Population was 50 and the postmaster was Joseph Stage. Dyckesville post office operated from July 13, 1858 to November 30, 1904 when it closed with the establishment of Rural Free Delivery. Dyckesville was named for early businessman Louis VanDycke who in 1859 opened a store at what wou ld become Dyckesvi lle. VanDycke also built a pier, operated a sawmi ll and shingle mill, served as town treasurer and was its first postmaster. Theophile

Duchateau

was

appointed postmaster at Dyckesvi lle in

1874

after purchasing

DeGrandgagnage's

home

Pascal and

converting it to a sa loon and post office. Joseph Stage erected the building at right in 1871 to house his hotel, bar and post office. It served as Stage's stage coach stop and he called it "The Stage." It was during Stage's tenure that the Red River post office was transferred to Dyckesvill e. Van's Lumber and Hardware purchased the property and razed the building in April 1977. Kewau nee's New Era reported on June 8, 1892 that, "Jos. Stache postmaster and prop rietor of the sa loon at Dyckesville is reported as very sick, and fears are entertained for his recovery." When Victoria Stach took over as postmaster in 1893

,..., 206,...,

the post office remained in Stage's hotel and saloon, most like ly in the hotel portion as women rarely entered saloons at that time. It is possible that Stage, Stache and Stach are spelling s for the sa me surname and that Victo ria was a close relative of Joseph. Victoria Stage appears as the proprietor of the hotel in the above cover. Curiously, it was date stamped in October 1898 and again in April 1899. Les and Jeanne Rentmeester in Our Marchant Relatives write that in 1870 Victor DeGrandgagne was the contracto r for the Green Bay to Sturgeon Bay mail route, which paid $900.00 per year for daily delivery and $575.00 for bi-weekly delivery. He delivered mail to Pascal DeGrandgagne at Dyckesvi lle and to Dennis Befay at Duchateau in Door County. Rentmeesters continue to write that Victoria Henquinet replaced Victori a Stach as postmistress in 1900 and that Ca mille Stage beca me postmaster a year later. When the Dyckesville closed on November 30, 1904, mail responsibility was transferred to Luxemburg .

Dyckesville Postmasters and Dates of Appointment

Lewis Van Dycke

July 13, 1858

Pascal DeGrandgagne

November 20, 1868

Theophi le Duchateau

July 1, 187 4

Frank Martin

March 3, 1882

Joseph Stage

July 2, 1886

Victoria Stach

July 15, 1893

Victoria Henquinet

June 1, 1900

Camille Stage

November 18, 1901

"' 207 ,...,

Postmaster Compensation and Post Office Net Income 1859

$9.75

$7.33

1861

$15.69

$17.83

1863

$31.74

$19.70

1865

$42.11

$95.90

1867

$76.00

$52.43

1869

$53.00

$40.96

1871

$48.00

1873

$48.00

1875

$24.71

1877

$31.34

1879

$26.40

1881

$35.42

1883

$30.12

1885

$14.27

1887

$61.09

1889

$103.40

1891

$140.55

1893

$125.46

1895

$136.54

1897

$128.60

1899

$136.26

1901

$147.78

1903

$128.94

- 208-

Below is a Registered Letter postmarked at Dyckesville from Frank Monfort to A Kimballe in Green Bay. Mailed in 1902 during Camille Stage's tenure as postmaster, the cover's stamp, cancel and postmark all appear in the lower left.

,;, ,

•

"' .,, I,,,,._

.: f

l

/

~

.......

b/ ·a

,,._, ~ r

lr~/:r

~#ti :r:f (, ~1...U-"'t J'2u_,Z.

u r 'dt'.{T~i, 1

Part of the Warner correspondence, this post card was manuscript cancelled at Dyckesville in 1886 while Joseph Stage was postmaster.

- 209-

At right is the message written May 12 when Will in Red River wrote to Alice Warner commenting that Joe Allard and family were moving to Green Bay, that William Kelly had rheumatism and that Gamble took horses to Red River for pasturing . Dyckesvi lle's

nearest

postal

office

neighbors were Rouseau, which was Rosiere, and Casco and Duchateau. Duchatea u was in Door County and relocated to become the first Red River post office in 1874.

,...,z1 0 -

Red River ewaunee Enterprise on June 22, 1870 reported , "Constant Martin, Esq.

K

requests that after the

1 st

of July his post office address will be Red

River, Wis., instead of Dyckesville as heretofore." Corporate Information Services of United States Postal Service dated April 5, 1994 indicates Constant Martin was appointed on June 7, 1870. Martin was the only postmaster of the first post office to be ca lled Red River. The post office was located on Martin 's property in the NW % of the NW % of Section 32. Martin's property included the area around Martinville School, which remains sta nding

and

remodeled

as

a

dwelling. Red River's first post office site was no doubt in Martin's home on today's Thiry Daems road just east of the school.

Postal

Records indicate the first Red River office was closed on November 13, 1873. On December 16, 1873 the Enterprise reported that "the Red River post office in the town of Red River has been discontinued, and the name of the post office known as Duchateau, in the same town, has been changed to Red River. " The Enterprise mistakenly id entified Duchateau as being in Kewaunee County; Duchateau was over the cou nty line and in Door County. It was, however, the second post office to be named Red River. Strangely, the Enterprise carried an identical article the following March. Theophile Duchateau was the Dyckesville postmaster at the time. Perhaps that expla ins the error.

,..., 211 ,...,

Les and Jeanne Rentmeester, in Our Marchant Relatives, write that it was Charles Scofield who transferred the Duchateau post office from the Marchant Hotel in the Town of Union in Door County to his mill , on the postcard below, renaming it Red Rive r post office. Two post offices named Red River made for some confusion, but, according to the same issue of the Enterprise, the following year Martin closed his

post

office

and

relocated his business to Green Bay where he became Brown County Superintendent Schools.

of Whether

Martin discontinued his post

office

or

the

gove rnment closed it is open to speculation. Thomas replaced

Smith Charles

Scofield as Red River's postmaste r in 187 4. Red River post office was transferred to Dyckesville in 1887.

Red River Postmasters and Dates of Appointment

Charles Scofield

November 13, 1873

Thomas H. Smith

Dece mber 15, 1874

Charles Scofield

February 13, 1879

David F. Gibson

December 14, 1881

Postmaster Compensation

1871

$12.00

1873

$12.00

1875

$5 1.17

~

212

~

1877

$74.81

1879

$64.05

1881

$47.38

1883

$47.52

1885

$56.41

1887

$53.08

~a ~

~· ~

At left is a cover postmarked by the Red River post

office

January

on

10. The

year is not noted. "CJM"

seems

to

indicate that it was mailed from Martin's post office.

An

1886

cover mailed from Ahnapee

to

Red

River illustrates a t

sawtooth , 4-PARTllENT,

rods east of the Ryan school building, which today is owned by dairy farmer Carl Pagel and used as a repair shop. Caryville post office was the first office on the site and was in the Cory home. Ryan post office followed. Mail to Caryville was carried by stage from Green Bay to Casco twice a week. As typical of early post offices, the first site document was not filed until October 14, 1864. This site

report

as

well

as

1864

Kewaunee County records indicate that the post office's location was NW% of NE% of Section 4, Town 23N, Range 24E, one mile west of the Kewaunee River. Casco, 5 miles to the northwest, was the nearest post office. Kewaunee was the closest post office to the southeast at 7 miles away. Ellisville was the nearest office off the route at 8 miles distant in a westerly direction. Regrettably, the site report map on the following page shows only the flow path of the Kewaunee River from Section 3 to Section 13. No other features, not even post offices, are shown. Abner Cory was one of Kewaunee County's prominent citizens during its formative years. He was the first county judge and his name was given to this central area of the county. The Town of Caryville comprised most of what is now West Kewaunee and parts of Montpelier and Casco Towns.

- 218-

Changing the name of Caryville Town was discussed in the March 27, 1867

Kewaunee Enterprise. "A bill has

ll!AGlUM shC>\\in£ilte sil~ofthe £..7 ~ _PoslOllict. CountyoL ?t'~ Statcof ::_'?~,,..._.;..:,..

been introduced in the legislature to

affil1%"uld,1,t,t,d,,..1'4d-,Jdu-7'A'e/uojiNa4 t>l;~:wlfr~!>

divide the town of Caryville into

~i'f'Jl«J";.m,a~,/4~,tv./k.111_°