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BARABOO 
 
 And Other Place Names 
 In Sauk County, Wisconsin 
 
 By H. E. COLE 
 Baraboo, Wis. 
 
 The Baraboo News Publishing Co. 
 
 BARABOO. WISCONSIN 
 December. 1912 
 

 
 JAN 
 
 -J «9t8 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 iLACES are named for 
 various reasons. Fre- 
 quently the name of 
 a person is commem- 
 orated, many appella- 
 tions are of Indian 
 origin, again a name is often applied 
 because of some natural characteristi c 
 or object of the locality. 
 
 Once Governor Doty of Wisconsin 
 pointed to a river and of an Indian asked 
 its name. The Indian supposed the gov- 
 ernor meant the water in the river and 
 not the name of the stream and res- 
 ponded "Nee-nah". The Indian word 
 for water is "nee-nah" and to this day 
 the river is called Neenah. 
 
 There was once a Frenchman at 
 Portage by the name of Paquette and 
 when the people of the village now 
 known as Poynette desired the govern- 
 ment to establish a postoffice, Uncle 
 Sam asked what the name should be. 
 
 PAQUETTE 
 
 or 
 POYNETTE 
 
 when scrawled with a goose quill pen 
 might easily enough have the "A" look 
 like an "O"', the "Q" like a "Y" and 
 
 [5] 
 
the "U" like an "N". So it was when 
 the would be postmaster sent the name 
 down to Washington. The clerks had 
 never heard the name Paquette and 
 so decided the name was Poynette. 
 When the name of the office came back 
 to the Columbia county hamlet the citi- 
 zens thought it was a great joke and let 
 the matter rest. The place is called Poy- 
 nette to this day. 
 
 Not only are names sometimes ap- 
 plied in an unusual manner, but place 
 names are often changed for trivial rea- 
 sons. A study of the origin of the place 
 names in a community is an interesting 
 one. On account of its importance the 
 name Baraboo is here given first place, 
 followed by the other names in the 
 county. 
 
 [6] 
 
BARABOO 
 
 Whence came the word Baraboo? It 
 was first applied to the river, then to the 
 rapids, bluffs and valleys and later to 
 the town and city. There are many con- 
 jectures and uncertainties surrounding 
 the appellation and it is very doubtful if 
 the mystery will ever be cleared. 
 
 In W. H. Canfield's "Outline 
 Sketches of Sauk County" published in 
 1873, he says: 
 
 "John de la Ronde, a Frenchman 
 who settled at Fort Winnebago, May 5, 
 1828, and now living with his Winne- 
 bago wife upon the banks of the Bara- 
 boo river, six miles from Portage, says 
 the river received its name from a Cap- 
 tain Barebeauy, who was in Moran's ex- 
 pedition against the Indians, and who 
 wintered at the mouth of the stream. 
 
 "On a 'Sixpenny map of the Uni- 
 ted States' brought from Glasgow, Scot- 
 land, by John Dickey, in 1842, a river 
 bearing the name of Belle Chasse oc- 
 cupies a position nearly where the Bara- 
 boo river is situated. Mr. Dickey thinks 
 the map was published in 1817. Its Eng- 
 lish would be 'beautiful chase, '—fine 
 hunting grounds. 
 
 "Upon Farnam's map of the Terri- 
 tories of Michigan and Ouisconsin, pub- 
 
 [7] 
 
lished in 1830, it is called Bonibeau's 
 Creek. 
 
 "upon the map of Long's Second 
 Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 
 1823, it is called Mahlenak. 
 
 Morse & Brees' Map of Wisconsin, 
 published in 1844, is the first to call it 
 Baraboo." 
 
 The Winnebago Indian name is 
 Ocoochery, signifying "plenty of fish." 
 
 The information is sometimes given 
 that there was once a large sand bar in 
 the Wisconsin river at the mouth of the 
 Baraboo river and that at that time the 
 latter stream was known as "Beau" or 
 something of that nature. This word 
 
 preceded by the word bar makes Bar- 
 beau which is easily expressed as Bara- 
 boo. 
 
 According to an article by William 
 Hill in the "History of Sauk County," 
 published in 1880, Baraboo is derived 
 from a French surname. Aside from the 
 mythical old Frenchman, "Barabeau," 
 to whom legend assigned a shanty at the 
 mouth of the river in days prior to the 
 settlement of the valley, a number of 
 names of real personages give hints of 
 the name Baraboo. The Barbou fam- 
 ily was, perhaps, the most cele- 
 brated family of printers of France from 
 the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. 
 
 [8] 
 
The same author hints at the name being 
 given in honor of Lieutenant General de 
 la Barre, of the eighteenth century and 
 Colonel Isaac Barre, who was a friend 
 of Wolfe and saw him die at Quebec. 
 
 At the time the county history was 
 published Professor Henry of the Smith- 
 sonian Institution said that it might 
 have come from French Barbue — cat- 
 fish — a not uncommon designation of 
 rivers and creeks by the eaily voyageurs; 
 or from Barbeau — carp or sucker. What 
 is now Putman's creek in Essex county, 
 New York, was Riviere a la Barbue of 
 the French and is so set down on M. de 
 Levy's map of 1748, and in Pouchet's 
 Memoir of the war of 1755-60. Other 
 examples are given and he says that the 
 transition of Barbue to Baraboo is easy. 
 
 Mr. Hill found that the term Bar- 
 beau was synonymous with Barbel, a 
 large, coarse, fresh-water fish having 
 several barbs of beard-like feelers pend- 
 ant from the leathery sucker like mouth, 
 which gave it the name. At that time 
 the Baraboo river was rich in sturgeon 
 and catfish as recorded by Archibald 
 Barker. In the spring of 1841, while 
 running down the Baraboo river, Mr. 
 Barker says: 
 
 "In company with Ed. Kingsley, 
 going down the lower Baraboo Rapids 
 each on a crib, I hallooed to him to look 
 
 [9] 
 
— that somebody seemed to have made a 
 dam of stone across the river. As we ap- 
 proached we saw it was the backs and 
 tails of fishes. We were soon among 
 them and found they were sturgeons. I 
 killed three with a handspike. In jump- 
 ing into the water to get them I was 
 knocked down by others running against 
 my legs. For a short distance the river 
 seemed to be jammed full of them." 
 
 Mr. Hill was of the opinion that 
 "Riviere a la Barbeau" should in the 
 case of Baraboo be interpreted "Stur- 
 geon River." It strengthens this con- 
 clusion that the Winnebago name of the 
 river, Ocoochery, signifies "plenty of 
 fish." 
 
 Bearing upon this subject Louis 
 Claude wrote March 12, 1872, as follows: 
 "The name 'Baraboo' is now up for 
 final judgment, and although the abun- 
 dance of 'suckers' both aquatic and ter- 
 restrial, which it appears has always 
 distinguished this valley lends so great 
 a weight to the 'Barbeau' theory that I 
 will not 'carp' at it, still I beg to offer 
 the following mite of suggestion — it can 
 hardly be called information — viz; Fif- 
 teen years ago, I brought here a map of 
 the date of about 1837, which a small 
 but dishonest boy sold me (emphatic- 
 ally) on the cars for one of 1857. On 
 this map the Baraboo river is marked as 
 
 [10] 
 
Barivaut's or Baribaut's Creek. I have 
 always believed the above to be the cor- 
 rect derivation." 
 
 There is a statement in the same 
 History of Sauk County from Hon. J. 
 Allen Barber that in 1649 and 1650 the 
 Hurons and their allies, who had been 
 converted to Christianity by Father 
 Brebeuf, were overthrown by the Iro- 
 quois, and part of them fled to Wiscon- 
 sin on their w-ay to the Mississippi. 
 They were met and driven back by tlie 
 Sioux. In 1659 — 60 the French traders 
 found them stationed about six days' 
 journey southwest of Lake Superior, or 
 not far from what is now called Bara- 
 boo. Very soon after that period they 
 had returned to Green Bay. As they 
 were Christians, may they not have 
 given the name of their religious teach- 
 er, whose memory they would honor, to 
 their temporary residence near the por- 
 tage? The word 'Brebeuf might possi- 
 bly leave its shadow behind in the form 
 of Brabo or Baraboo. 
 
 John T. de la Ronde was a ready 
 writer and gives the following as the 
 origin of the name Baraboo according to 
 his narrative in the Wisconsin Histori- 
 cal Collections. In speaking of his jour- 
 ney through this region he says: "I may 
 mention what I learned from the Per- 
 rish Grignon, older than his half-broth- 
 
 [11] 
 
er, Augustine Grignon, derived from 
 his grandfather, Charles Ivanglade: That 
 when Captain Moran defeated the Sauks 
 and Foxes at the Butte des Morts, in 
 the last century, they fled to what is 
 now known as Sauk Prairie; and when 
 Moran heard of their new location, he 
 drove them down the river, leaving a 
 force under an officer named Rabault, 
 and from him Rabault or Earaboo river 
 received its name. 
 
 W. H. Stennett in "A History of 
 the Origin of the Place Names on the 
 Chicago & Northwestern Railway" says 
 Baraboo was named for Jean Baribault, 
 an early French trapper and settler. A 
 river of this name was by Miss Julia A. 
 Lapham asserted to have been named 
 for Capt. Barabeary, who was alleged to 
 have been an officer in Moran's expedi- 
 tion against the Indians, but there does 
 not seem to be any real evidence to sus- 
 tain the story, as it is very certain the 
 river was named after Jean Baribault, 
 who lived on this stream before Moran's 
 expedition was ever thought of. 
 
 Mrs. Kinziein "Waubun" spells the 
 word "Barribault, ' ' but does not say why 
 the river is so named. The same refer- 
 ence is made in Wisconsin Historical 
 Collections. 
 
 Henry Gannett in his volume on 
 "The Origin of Certain Place Names" 
 
 [12] 
 
says that Baraboo was named for Jean 
 Baribault, a French settler. 
 
 In the Wisconsin Historical Collec- 
 tions, B. W. Brisbois says that Bari- 
 beau or Baribault was the name of an 
 old Canadian French trader, who had 
 his trading^ post on what is now known 
 as Baraboo river, and which stream took 
 its name from him. As M. Brisbois. 
 Sen'r knew him well and often spoke of 
 him, he must have traded there the lat- 
 ter part of the last century or early in 
 this. Mr. Brisbois does not know what 
 became of the trader or anything further 
 of his history. 
 
 K. Estabrook of Omaha wrote on 
 March 15, 1872: "Governor Doty told 
 me as many as twenty-five years ago 
 that when he was one of the judges of 
 the territory of Michigan (embracing 
 Wisconsin) he used to travel from Green 
 Bay to Prairie du Chien by canoe up 
 the Fox river, across the portage and 
 down the Wisconsin; that one of his 
 stopping places was the trading post of 
 a Frenchman named Barabeau at the 
 mouth of the river now known as the 
 Baraboo, that the river took its name 
 from this trader." 
 
 His brother, Capt. M. H. Esta- 
 brook, commanded the steamboat, Sam 
 Ward, on Lake Superior. In walking 
 
 [13] 
 
through the old French village, now 
 Sault Ste. Marie, he saw a sign to a 
 trading house on the main street, 
 
 P. BARBEAU. 
 
 On May 12, 1872, B . W. Brisbois 
 wrote from Prairie du Chien that Bari- 
 baut had a permanent trading station 
 where the county seat is now located, 
 about 12 miles west of the Wisconsin 
 portage. When the place was settled the 
 American people could not well pro- 
 nounce the name Baribaut and to come 
 as near as they could to the name, it 
 was changed to Baraboo. 
 
 James G. Soulard wrote from Ga- 
 lena on May 26 of the same year: "l re- 
 ceived my information in boyhood from 
 Pierre Baribeau (which Brisbois spells 
 Baribaut) whose name was spelled in 
 my father's account book Pierre Bari- 
 bault. He was a carpenter and worked 
 many years for ni}^ father in St. lyouis, 
 Mo., in that capacity. He was a truthful 
 and remarkably honest man, and a na- 
 tive of Montreal, Canada, or of that im- 
 mediate neighborhood, and established 
 and kept for many years a trading post, 
 as explained by my friend Brisbois. Bar- 
 ibeau's statements were made to me in 
 
 [14] 
 
the years 1808 to 1810 in St. lyouis. 
 Baribault went to Wisconsin probabl}^ 
 in 1800 or before." 
 
 On John Farmer's map of the Ter- 
 ritories of Michigan and Ouisconsin 
 printed in 1830, the name of the river is 
 Bonibau's creek. 
 
 S. Augustus Mitchell's map of 
 Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Philadel- 
 phia, 1831, the name is Bonibau's 
 creek. 
 
 On another map by the above map 
 maker, Philadelphia, 1835, the name is 
 the same. 
 
 On a map printed in 1836 by Phelps 
 & Squire of New York and now in the 
 Sauk County Historical society, the 
 name of the river is given as Bonibau's 
 creek. 
 
 In General William R. Smith's his- 
 tory of Wisconsin, published in 1838, 
 the name of the river is given as Boni- 
 bau's creek. 
 
 On a state map of Wiskonsan, 1840, 
 (?) the name is Baraboo. 
 
 On a state map of Wiskonsan, 1844, 
 the name is Beribeau river. 
 
 Miss Louise Phelps Kellogg, of the 
 State Historical society, adds the follow- 
 ing account concerning the Baribeau 
 family found in Tanguay's Genealogi- 
 cal dictionary: 
 
 "The first of the name in Nev/ 
 
 [15] 
 
France was Francois Baribeaii, who was 
 born in 1624, (probably in France altho 
 the record does not say so) was married 
 in 1669 and died at Batiscan, leaving a 
 number of children, who spell the name 
 in various ways; Baribaut, Baribault 
 and Baribeau. (The pronunciation is the 
 same in every case and should be given 
 long o, like o in robe). Francois' sons 
 were lyouis, Jean (l), Pierre, and Fran- 
 cois, junior, some of whom lived at 
 Batiscan, but others at Ste. Anne de la 
 Pirade. Of the third generation there 
 were Michel and Jean Baptiste, sons of 
 lyouis; Jean (2), Francois Antoine, 
 Francois (2) Joseph, sons of Jean (l). 
 Michel had a son of the same name; and 
 Jean Baptiste three sons, Pierre, Joseph 
 and Francois. Jean (2), had a son lyOuis 
 Joseph, Francois (3), a son of the same 
 name; Francois Antoine, a son named 
 Jean Baptiste, and Joseph a son of the 
 same name. 
 
 So the family widens and the plau- 
 sible conclusion is that there was a 
 Frenchman by the name of Baribeau 
 who established himself as a trader on 
 the Baraboo river early in the last cen- 
 tury or near the close of the century be- 
 fore. When Dr. Reuben Gold Thwaites 
 <f Madison edited the Mackinac Register 
 he found that Sieur F. Baribeau (pro- 
 nounced Baraboo) voyager, v/as god- 
 
 [16] 
 
father at the baptism of a female neo- 
 phyte, July 22, 1847. There is nothing 
 to indicate which one of the Baribeaus 
 came to Wisconsin, and had a trading 
 post at the mouth of the Baraboo river. 
 Tanguay's record does not come beyond 
 1791; and all it proves is that there was 
 a well known family of that name and 
 that the "f. Baribeau" mentioned in the 
 Mackinac Register (1747) was probably 
 Francois, the progenitor of the family. 
 Francois (3) was married in 1742 at 
 Montreal, and was probably the signer 
 at the baptismal service as written in 
 the register in 1747. 
 
 One writer says that Baribeau was 
 a young man, only seventeen years old, 
 when he sought the Wisconsin wilder- 
 ness to secure pelts for the Hudson Bay 
 company and later for the American 
 Fur company. Portage was the nearest 
 settlement and when speaking of him it 
 would be natural to say down at Bari- 
 beau's or Baraboo's. Hence the name 
 appeared in various ways on the early 
 maps and in the early annals of this 
 region. 
 
 From whence this Frenchman came 
 or whither he went there is much un- 
 certainty. Of him we know so little that 
 he is a veritable man of mystery . 
 
 ri7] 
 
OTHER PLACE NAMES 
 
 Ableman — Village named for Col. 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer Ableman. The 
 place was once called Ablemans Mills, 
 Rock Springs and Excelsior. The name 
 of Rock Springs was given from the 
 springs at the base of the rocky bluff, 
 and Excelsior from the seal of New 
 York. See Excelsior. 
 
 Adams — See Baraboo. 
 
 Babbs Prairie — Level tract near 
 Reedsburg, named for James W. Babb 
 and son, John, who settled on the prairie 
 in 1845. 
 
 Badger — In connection with these 
 pages on Sauk County place names it is 
 interesting to note why Wisconsin is 
 called the Badger State and the residents 
 Badgers. Dr. R. G. Thwaites in his 
 "Stories of the Badger State" says: "In 
 the old lead mining days of Wisconsin, 
 miners from southern Illinois and still 
 farther south returned home every win- 
 ter, and came back to the 'diggings' in 
 the spring, thus imitating the migra- 
 tions of the fish popularly called the 
 'sucker', in the south-flowing rivers of 
 the region. For this reason the south - 
 winterers were humorously called 'Suck- 
 ers.' On the other hand, lead miners 
 from the far-off Eastern states were un- 
 
 [18] 
 
able to return home every winter, and 
 at first lived in rude dugouts, burrowing 
 into the hillsides after the fashion of the 
 badger. These burrowing men were 
 the first permanent settlers in the mines 
 north of the Illinois line, and called 
 themselves 'Badgers.' Thus Wisconsin, 
 in later days, when it was thought 
 necessary to adopt a nickname, was by 
 its own people dubbed 'The Badger 
 State.' " 
 
 Badger Valley — Vale nine miles east 
 of Spring Green, named for animals 
 once numerous there. 
 
 Bald Bluff — Hill in the eastern part 
 of Greenfield. Years ago there was no 
 timber on the land but since the coming 
 of the early settlers trees have covered 
 the hill. From this elevation or from 
 that region several streams have their 
 origin and among them are Jackson, 
 Sibertz, Calydon, Clark and Palmer 
 creeks. 
 
 Ball Prairie— Small level tract in the 
 western part of the county, named for 
 resident. 
 
 Baraboo — City, town, river, valley 
 and bluffs. See first article. The town 
 of Baraboo was originally in the north- 
 western part of the county. See map. 
 
 Baraboo — The county seat which, on 
 the maps and in the early accounts, was 
 spoken of as "On the Baraboo", similar 
 
 [19] 
 
to saying "On the Wabash" or "On the 
 Lemonweir. ' ' Afterwards it was ' 'Bara- 
 boo Rapids" and "Baraboo Mills." 
 When a plat was made by Charles O. 
 Baxter for Prescott Brigham, Mr. Brig- 
 ham decided to call the place Adams as 
 he held John Q. Adams and the Adams 
 family in Massachusetts in great esteem. 
 Soon after George Brown made a plat of 
 his property and called it Baraboo. 
 Much of Brown's land was south of the 
 river. On January 14, 1849, the board 
 of county commissioners ordered the 
 plats of Adams and Baraboo to be called 
 Brooklyn, but the villages continued to 
 be separate until May, 1866, when a 
 village charter was obtained uniting the 
 two under the present name. At the 
 suggestion of the postal authorities in 
 1852 the name Adams was dropped and 
 the postoflfice was afterwards known as 
 Baraboo. As to the origin of the word 
 Baraboo see first article. 
 X^ Bassinger Island— Island in the 
 Wisconsin river opposite section nine in 
 the town of Merrimack, named for Dr. 
 Samuel H. Bassinger, formerly of Prairie 
 du Sac and member of the legislature. 
 Bear Greek— Town and stream in 
 the southwestern part of the county so 
 called on account of the prevalence of 
 bears in that vicinity in the early da3^s. 
 
 [20] 
 
The town was named after the stream. 
 The Winnebago word for Bear Creek is 
 Hoonge-Nee-Shun-ick. 
 Bessemer— See North Freedom. 
 Big Creek —Stream in the town of 
 La Valle. Name suggested from the 
 size of the stream. 
 
 Big Hollow— The name of a can- 
 yon or valley three miles long atid three 
 miles wide in the town of Spring Green , 
 named for size. There are a number of 
 these so called hollows along the bluffs. 
 
 Black Hawk— Discontinued post- 
 office in the town of Troy named for the 
 Indian Chief, Black Hawk, leader of the 
 Indians in the Black Hawk war. After 
 the battle near Sauk City the Indians 
 fled through the wilderness near where 
 the hamlet is located. 
 
 Blakeslie Prairie— Level tract of 
 land in Ironton, named for early resi- 
 dent. 
 
 Bloom— See North Freedom. 
 
 Bluff Postoffice— A discontinued 
 postofSce on the East Sauk road, town 
 of Sumpter, near the bluff. 
 
 Brooklyn— One of the original 
 towns in the northeast portion of the 
 county. See map. It was named by 
 R. G. Camp for Brooklyn, New York, 
 that city being named for Breuckelen, 
 Holland. The name signifies "broken 
 up land" or "marshy land." 
 
 [21] 
 
Calydon — When the United States 
 geological surveyors were at Diirwards 
 glen at the time of making the contour 
 map of this region they asked B. I. Dur- 
 ward, the poet-painter who resided there, 
 for the name of the stream flowing 
 through the glen. He replied, "the 
 Calydon." It comes from Caledonia and 
 is the poetical expression of the word. 
 "Oh Caledonia, steru and wild," 
 
 says Scott in the "Lay of the I^ast Min- 
 strel " 
 
 "Not thus in Ancient Days of Calydon," 
 
 he also sings in the "L,ady of the Lake." 
 
 Caledonia is an ancient name in vScot- 
 land, the native land of Mr. Durward. 
 
 Cahoon Mine — Iron mine opened 
 in 1911 about two miles south of Bara- 
 boo and named for former Assemblyman 
 Wilber Cahoon. 
 
 Carr Creek and Carr Valley— 
 Stream and vale in Ironton named for 
 David Carr. 
 
 Casseli -Discontinued postofiice in 
 the town of Troy. See Casseli prairie. 
 
 Casseli Prairie — Level tract in town 
 of Troy, named for Dr. J. N. Casseli. 
 
 Chapman Lake — Small body of 
 water in Fairfield, named for Parkman 
 Chapman. 
 
 Christiehood Prairie— Level tract 
 of land between Baraboo and North 
 
 [22] 
 
Freedom, named for James Christie. 
 
 Clark Creek — Stream which enters 
 the Baraboo river in Glenville, about a 
 mile southeast of Baraboo, named for 
 Judge A. M. Clark. 
 
 Cliff House — Abandoned hotel and 
 discontinued postofnce on the north 
 shore of Devils lake. It was originally 
 called Minnewaukan after a lake by 
 that name in North Dakota 
 
 Climax — A railroad siding between 
 I^a Valle and Wonewoc. The farmers 
 in the neighborhood called it Poor Dickie 
 and finally it simmered down to the 
 meaningless word, Podunk. The place 
 is sometimes called Crossmans crossing, 
 for a land owner there. 
 
 Clinton Square— Paik in Lyons 
 named for Governor DeWitt Clinton of 
 New York. Governor Clinton was one 
 of the projectors of the Erie canal and 
 W. H. Canfield was a surveyer on the 
 new water-way. Afterwards, in 1846, 
 Mr. Canfield, deputy district surveyor 
 for Sauk county in the territory of Wis- 
 consin, made a plat of Lyons and named 
 the public square or central park for the 
 Empire state executive. 
 
 Collamer — See Merrimack. 
 
 Congress Flail — Glen between Del- 
 ton and the Wisconsin river named by 
 the Topping family about 1850 from the 
 form of the first chamber r.t the entrance. 
 
Coon Bluff — Elevation in Dellona 
 where the animals are numerous. 
 
 Copper Creek — Stream in Wmfield 
 named because copper ore was found 
 there. The ore came down from the 
 north in glacial times and was known 
 as ''floating ore." The land was held 
 by the government for a long time on 
 account of the supposed mineral wealth 
 and in the meantime much of the ore 
 was hauled away. 
 
 Cramers Corners — See Plain. 
 
 Crawford Creek — See Draper Creek. 
 
 Crossman — See CHmax. 
 
 Dawn — Summer home of the Ker- 
 foot family on the Wisconsin river near 
 Kilbourn. When S. H. Kerfoot, Sr., 
 and bride came from Virginia to Lake 
 View, Chicago, they called their home 
 Dawn, as symbolical of the beginning 
 of their married life. The Wisconsin 
 home was named in memory of the Chi" 
 cago residence. 
 
 Dead Mans Spring— On section 21, 
 town of Excelsior. In 1846, a man 
 died near a spring and it was afterwards 
 named Dead Mans spring, by James 
 Babb. The man who died there was a 
 surveyor. His name has been forgotten. 
 
 Dell Creek — A streim in the north- 
 east portion of the county. The word 
 Dells, as applied to the region of the 
 Wisconsin river above and below Kil- 
 
 [24] 
 
bourn, comes from the French, Dalles, 
 meaning the narrows of a river or 
 between the cliffs. No doubt the place 
 was given the name by early Frenchmen 
 who came to this region. From the 
 word dells we get L,ower Dells, Upper 
 Dells, Dell Prairie, Fern Dell and Dell 
 creek. Delton, as applied to the town 
 and village, is a contraction of Dell 
 Town. Dellona, the name of a town, is 
 from the same source. DeU creek was 
 named from the number of dells along 
 the stream. The name appears as 
 early as 1845 as shown by the govern- 
 ment plats of the survej^s. 
 
 Dellona — One of the towns. See 
 Dells. 
 
 Dellona — Discontinued postofiice in 
 the town of Dellona. See Dells. 
 
 Delton — One of the towns. See 
 Dells. 
 
 Delton — Village in the town of Del- 
 ton, platted by Edward Norris and 
 called Norris, for himself. When the 
 postofiice was established it was called 
 Loretto, the first name of Mrs. Norris. 
 Afterwards the name was changed to 
 Delton. 
 
 Denzer — Discontinued postofiice in 
 Honey Creek, named for William Den- 
 zer. 
 
 Devils Lake— Going back to the 
 days of the Indian this body of water 
 
 [25] 
 
was called Minnewaukan or n'vil Spirit 
 lake. The lake has unusual echoing 
 powers and for this reason the Indians 
 supposed the bluffs were infested with 
 spirits. The belief is current that the 
 Indians were afraid to camp there be- 
 cause of the evil spirits in the hills. 
 When I. A. I^apham visited the lake in 
 the fall of 1849 he wrote in his field 
 notes, now in the Sauk County Histori- 
 cal society; "The lake is vulgarly 
 called Devils lake from the wild, rocky 
 place in which it is found." The first 
 recorded visit of any person to the lake 
 is James S. Alban, the first permanent 
 settler in Sauk county. While wander- 
 ing through the hills in 1839 he caught 
 a glimpse of its sparkling surface through 
 the trees. On the early maps it is called 
 L,ake of the Hills or Devils lake. 
 
 Devils Lake— Station formerly called 
 Kirkland, for Noble C. Kirk. When 
 the Cliff House was occupied the post- 
 office there was called Devils Lake and 
 at the sam.e time the railroad called the 
 station at Kirkland, Devils Lake. This 
 was confusing to the postoffice and rail- 
 road company so the postoffice at Kirk- 
 land was changed to Devils Lake when 
 the one at the Cliff House was discon- 
 tinued. 
 
 Devils Nose — The eastern extremity 
 of the south range of bluffs, named by 
 
 [26] 
 
the employes of the Chicago & North- 
 western railwa^^ who built the road. 
 
 Draper Creek— A stream which 
 flows into the Baraboo river at the 
 pumping station named for John Draper. 
 It was formerly called Crawford creek 
 for James Crawford. 
 
 Eagle — One of the original towns in 
 the county, named probably for national 
 emblem. See map. 
 
 Excelsior — One of the towns, named 
 by Col. S. V. R. Ableman. The name 
 appears in the seal of the state of New 
 York, the native commonwealth of Col. 
 Ableman . 
 
 Excelsior— See Ableman. 
 
 Fairfield — Town, probably named for 
 Fairfield, Massachusetts. The town 
 was first named Flora by Timothy 
 Adams for an old sweetheart. The 
 residents did not like the name and a 
 petition was circulated by John Craw- 
 ford which resulted in a change. The 
 counties and towns of New England 
 named Fairfield were so called from the 
 beauty of their fields. 
 
 Featherston Creek— Stream in 
 Ironton, named for Thomas Feather- 
 ston. 
 
 Flora- See Fairfield. 
 
 Franklin — Town, named for Benja- 
 min Franklin or geographical division 
 of the same name in another state. 
 
 [27] 
 
Freedom — Town, the name no doubt 
 is patriotic. Freedom was formerly a 
 part of other towns and the residents 
 worked hard to be separated. When 
 the new town was formed the word 
 Freedom may have been used as typical 
 of their efforts. 
 
 Garrison —Abandoned village and 
 discontinued postoflice at the Lower 
 Narrows of the Baraboo river, named 
 for Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Garrison, 
 residents there. 
 
 Giddings — Discontinued postoffice, 
 section one, town of Excelsior, probably 
 named for Joshua Reed Oriddings, an 
 American statesman. 
 
 Glenville — Region southeast and 
 near Baraboo, named by C. L,. Pearson 
 for the glen like appearance of the local- 
 ity. The little red school house was 
 once the name of the section. 
 
 Gordon — A telegraph station estab- 
 lished between Reedsburg and I,a Valle 
 when the Chicago & Northwestern 
 built a second track. The origin of the 
 name is unknown unless it be for Will- 
 iam W. Gordon, president of a railroad 
 in Georgia. 
 
 Greenfield — Town named by Nathan 
 Dennison for Greenfield, Massachusetts, 
 his former home. Greenfield, Massa- 
 chusetts was named for a river which 
 
 [28] 
 
intersects it. Before its incorporation 
 as a town the settlement was known as 
 "Green River District." 
 
 Hacketts Corners — See North Free- 
 dom. 
 
 Haraszthy — See Sauk City. 
 Harrisburg — Discontinued postoffice, 
 
 section sev^enteen, town of Troy, named 
 for John W. Harris. It was originally 
 spelled Harrisburgh. 
 
 Hay Creek — Stream near Reedsburg 
 where the early residents cut hay, hence 
 its name. 
 
 Haystacks — Elevations in Dellona 
 having fantastic shapes, as the name 
 implies. 
 
 Hill Point— See Tuckerville. 
 
 Hubbell Prairie — Level tract of land 
 in La Valle, named for early owner. 
 
 Hulbert Creek — Stream in the town 
 of Delton, named for Joel Hulbert. 
 
 Honey Creek — I. A. Lapham in his 
 History of Wisconsin, published in 1836, 
 says the stream is called Naumatonan or 
 Honey Creek. The former name is 
 probably Winnebago but its meaning is 
 unknown. The name of Honey creek 
 was applied to the stream on account 
 of so many wild bees with rich stores of 
 honey being found there by the early 
 settlers. Honey creek is the largest 
 stream wholly within the county. 
 
 [29] 
 
Honey Creek — Town named for the 
 stream. The town was originally much 
 larger. See map. 
 
 Horse Bluff — An elevation just west 
 of the village of La Valle named in a 
 peculiar way. H. C. Palmer relates 
 that in an early day several hunters were 
 camped there and while seated around 
 the blazing fire, smoking their pipes, 
 they were startled by the neighing of a 
 horse. Very soon a pony, saddled and 
 bridled, came trotting into the camp. 
 For two days a search was made for the 
 owner without avail. The only white 
 men known in that vicinity at the time 
 were James W. Babb and his son, John, 
 on Babbs Prairie. The mystery was 
 never cleared and since that day the ele- 
 vation has been known as Horse Bluff. 
 
 Humboldt — Discontinued postoffice, 
 section thirty-five, town of Ironton, 
 probably named for the geographer, 
 Baron Alexander von Humboldt. 
 
 Ironton — Town and village, named 
 by Jonas Tower on account of the 
 presence of iron. Early surveyors re- 
 ported iron on account of the variation 
 of the needle. 
 
 Iroquois Mine —An iron mine in the 
 town of Freedom, first called the Sauk 
 mine for the name of the county. It 
 was originally owned by the Iroquois 
 
 [30] 
 
Iron Co. which operated the Iroquois 
 Furnace company. When the Oliver 
 Iron Mining company purchased the 
 plant the name was changed to Iroquois 
 for the name of the furnace. The word 
 Iroquois is from one of the five great 
 Indian nations which once inhabited 
 central New York, and is said to come 
 from "hiro", I have said, and from 
 "koue", a vocable, which expresses, joy 
 or sorrow, according to the rapidity 
 with which it is pronounced. 
 
 Jackson Creek— A stream which 
 enters the Baraboo river near the Jackson 
 bridge in Greenfield and is usually 
 called Jackson creek for J. Jackson, an 
 early settler. On the United States 
 topographical map issued about 1897 
 the stream is called Rowley creek, the 
 name being that of another resident. In 
 territorial times the stream, or at least 
 the upper portion of it, was known as 
 LrCambros creek. Leambro lived with 
 a group of Indians at the headwaters of 
 the cteek. He was a Frenchman and 
 had a squaw for a wife. 
 
 Jonesviile —Discontinued postoffice , 
 northeast corner of section nineteen, 
 town of Spring Green, named for 
 Thomas Jones, the first postmaster. The 
 office stood on an Indian burying ground 
 which has since been eaten away by the 
 Wisconsin river. 
 
 [31] 
 
Karstetter Prairie — Level tract of 
 land in La Valle, named for early owner. 
 
 Kings Corners — Discontinued post- 
 office in the town of Sumpter, named 
 for Solomon King. The village plat was 
 called New Haven. 
 
 Kingston —One of the original towns, 
 named for Kingston, New York, the 
 home of the King family, early resi- 
 dents in the town. See Sumpter. 
 
 Kirkland— See Devils Lake. 
 
 Kirkwood — Railroad siding west of 
 Baraboo. Stennett says the name was 
 given for N. C. and Timothy Kirk. 
 
 La Bars Pond — See Mirror lake. 
 
 Lake of the Hills — See Devils lake. 
 
 La Rue— Village site platted in the 
 
 town of Freedom and named for W. G. 
 
 / La Rue, a former resident of Baraboo, 
 
 who was instrumental in locating the 
 
 vast beds of ore in the region. 
 
 La Valle — Town and village. The 
 name means "the valley." There is 
 some dispute as to who should have the 
 honor of applying the term. See Mars- 
 ton. 
 
 Leach Creek — John Brink named 
 Leach lake and creek from the fact that 
 the water leached or percolated through 
 the soil. Brink was a United States sur- 
 veyor from Crystal Lake, 111., and when 
 he made the subdivisions of Fairfield he 
 
 [32] 
 
camped near the creek. 
 Leach Lake — See Leach creek. 
 Lsambro Creek— See Jackson creek. 
 Leiand — Discontinued postoffice in 
 the town of Honey Creek, named for 
 Cyrus Leiand, member of state legisla- 
 ture. 
 
 Lime Ridge— Village in the town of 
 Ironton, named for a lime ridge about 
 a mile west of the place, where the first 
 postoffice was located. 
 
 Litchfield— Portion of the plat of the 
 city of Baraboo, named by R. G. Camp 
 for lyitchfield Conn., which in turn was 
 named for Litchfield, England, 
 
 Little Prairie — Level tract in town 
 of Troy, named from the small size of 
 the prairie. 
 
 Loddes Mill — Discontinued postoffice 
 in the town of Prairie du Sac, named 
 for Martin Lodde. The postoffice was 
 once called Rowells Mills for Henry 
 Rowell. 
 
 Log Town — See Plain. 
 LorettO — Discontinued postoffice in 
 the town of Bear Creek, named by Rev. 
 Fr. T. A Byrne for Loretto, Italy. It 
 is sometimes spelled Loreto. 
 Loretto — See Delton. 
 Lower Narrows— See Narrows. 
 Lyons— Suburb of Baraboo named by 
 Harvey Can field, for Lyons, New York- 
 
 [33] 
 
where he once resided. lyyons, New 
 York, was named for Lyons, France. 
 
 Manchester — Abandoned plat and 
 village where the city pumping station 
 is located, named for eastern city. 
 
 Man Mound Park— A park in the 
 town of Greenfield, named for large 
 Indian effigy mound shaped like a man, 
 the only known man mound in the world. 
 
 Marian Park — A park at Prairie du 
 Sac, named by W. H. Jacobs for his 
 daughter. 
 
 Marston — Town formerly in the 
 northwestern part of the county, no 
 longer on the maps, probably named for 
 some resident or eastern town by the 
 name of Marston. There was a post- 
 office called Marston which was changed 
 to Iva Valle on account of it being simi- 
 lar to Mansion in the next county. 
 
 MattS Ferry — See Merrimack. 
 
 Merrimack — Town and village, nam- 
 ed by Mrs. J. G. Train for the county of 
 Merrimack in New Hampshire. It 
 should be spelled with the final k, the 
 same as the New Hampshire name. The 
 villag,e of Merrimack was first called 
 Matts ferry for Chester Mattson who 
 operated a ferry there. When the post- 
 office was established it was called Colla- 
 mer for the postmaster general. The 
 name was afterward changed to Merri 
 
 [34] 
 
mack. Gannett says the Indian word 
 Merrimack means "sturgeon" or "swift 
 water". 
 
 Minnewaukan — See Devils lake. 
 
 Mirror Lake — Once known as the 
 "upper" or LaBar's pond. It was 
 formed in 1860 by the erection of a dam 
 near the village of Delton. As the 
 people came to visit it for pleasure or 
 fishing, the remarkably clear reflections 
 attracted attention and exclamation, 
 "what a mirror," and the like. In this 
 way the name gradually changed. It is 
 said that Mrs. C. A. Noyes of Kilbourn 
 is credited with first applying the name. 
 
 Narrows Creek — A stream which 
 flows through the narrows and into the 
 Baraboo river at Ableman. 
 
 Narrows Prairie — A level tract 
 west of Ableman, named for Narrows 
 creek which flows through the prairie 
 and quartzite narrows. 
 
 Narrows, Upper and Lower — 
 Narrow gorges in the quartzite hills 
 where the Baraboo river enters and 
 emerges from the canoe shaped Baraboo 
 valley . 
 
 New Buffalo — Town once in the 
 northeastern part of the county but no 
 longer on the map. Many of the resi- 
 dents came from Buffalo, New York, to 
 New Buffalo. 
 
 r35] 
 
New Haven — Abandoned village 
 plat in Sumpter, named for New Haven, 
 Conn. See Kings Corners. 
 
 Norris— See Delton. 
 
 North Freedom — Village located in 
 the northern part of the town of Free- 
 dom, hence North Freedom. Where 
 the roads meet in th e center of the sec- 
 tion was originally called Hacketts cor- 
 ners from the families residing there. 
 When the railroad was built two plats 
 were made, one called Bloom for George 
 W. Bloom and one called North Free- 
 dom. Afterwards Bloom station was 
 changed to North Freedom. Iron ore 
 used for paint was later discovered and 
 the name became Bessemer in honor of 
 Sir Henry Bessemer, who invented the 
 process of reducing iron ore. The name 
 of North Freedom was later decided 
 upon. 
 
 Oliver— Village site, platted in the 
 town of Freedom in 1911 and named for 
 Henry W. Oliver who was engaged in 
 the mining industr\^ 
 
 Otter Creek — A stream in the towns 
 of Sumpter and Prairie du Sac, so 
 named for the animals which once in- 
 habited the stream. 
 
 Otterville — An abandoned postoffice 
 near the head v/aters of Otter Creek. 
 
 Palmer Creek— Stream in Green- 
 field, named for Isaac Palmer. 
 
 [36] 
 
Parfreys Glen — Beautiful glen in 
 Greenfield, named fot Robert Parfrey. 
 There was once a mill and distillery 
 there. 
 
 Pecks Prairie — A level tract east of 
 and adjacent to the city of Baraboo, 
 named for Eben Peck. 
 
 Pewits Nest — A water-fall and 
 gorge on Skillet creek. W. H. Can- 
 field says in his "Outline Sketches' ' 
 that the place received its name in 1843 
 from the circumstance of an ingenious, 
 eccentric mechanic building a workshop 
 in a recess of the solid sand-rock, ten 
 feet above a deep pool of water, con- 
 fined within the walls of this canyon, 
 dug out by the plunge of water over a 
 fall of eight or ten feet in height. The 
 approach to it was either through a trap- 
 door in the roof or a trap-door in the 
 floor. If through the roof it was by 
 climbing down the rock wall to it; if 
 through the floor it was by a floating 
 bridge upon the pool with a ladder at 
 its end leading to the trap-door in the 
 floor . The shop could not be seen from 
 the mouth of the canyon or from the 
 top from any direction save one. Hence, 
 by the early settlers it was dubbed 
 "Pewits Nest". 
 
 Pine Creek— A stream which flows 
 into Skillet creek, named for the timber 
 on its banks. 
 
 [37] 
 
Plain — Village in the town of Frank- 
 lin, once called Cramers Corners because 
 Solomon Cramer, John Cramer and 
 Adam Cramer owned the land. A num- 
 ber of rough buildings were put up at 
 the corners and the place became known 
 as Log Town. J. H. Carpenter of 
 Spring Green says the place was called 
 Plain because the inhabitants were plain 
 people. 
 
 Pleasant Prairie— See Websters 
 prairie. 
 
 Plum Greek — Streim in Woodland 
 named for wild fruit once abundant in 
 the locality. 
 
 Plummer Lake— A lake in Fairfield 
 named for Edward Plummer. 
 
 Plum Valley —See Plum creek. 
 
 Point Sauk— The highest land in 
 Sauk county, being about 1,620 feet 
 above sea level. The point was named 
 by the United States Geographic board 
 in 1907 and is located on the P. Fitzsim- 
 mons farm, near the center of section 
 15, town of Greenfield. 
 
 Podunk— See Climax. 
 
 Poor Dickie — See Climax. 
 
 Prairie du Sac — Town and village, 
 named for the Sac or Sauk Indians once 
 residing there — Prairie of the Sacs or 
 Meadow of the Sauks. 
 
 Prentice Creek — Stream in Green- 
 
 [38] 
 
field name for Alexander Prentice. 
 
 Ouiggle Creek — Stream in Merri- 
 mack, named for D. M. Quiggle. It 
 was once called Searl creek for H. 
 Searl who built a mill there. 
 
 Quisisana — Resort on the Wisconsin 
 near Kilbourn, "Here you find health." 
 The name was given by Mrs. L,ydia 
 Ely, Kilbourn. 
 
 Reedsburg -Town and city named 
 for D. C. Reed. The city was origin- 
 ally spelled Reedsburgh. 
 
 Rattlesnake Knob— An elevation in 
 the town of Dellona inhabited by rattle- 
 snakes. 
 
 Rebock Prairie — Level tract of land 
 in La Valle, named for early owner. 
 
 Riches Postoffice — Discontinued 
 postoffice in the northeast portion of the 
 town of Troy, named for Robert Riches. 
 
 Rock Springs— See Ableman. 
 
 Rosalietown— Deserted hamlet on 
 the Wisconsin river between Merrimack 
 and Prairie du Sac, named for Mrs. 
 Rosalie Naffz, wife of Charles Naffz. 
 
 Rowells Mills — See Loddes Mill, 
 
 Rowley Creek — See Jackson creek. 
 
 Russells Corners — Discontinued 
 postoffice in Fairfield, named for John 
 B. Russell. 
 
 Sandusky — Postoffice in the town of 
 Washington, named by William Dano 
 and Joshua Holmes for Sandusky, 
 
 [39] 
 
Ohio, their former home. Gannett says 
 the name is derived from the Indian 
 outsandouke, "there is pure water 
 here," or from sa-anduste, "large 
 pools of water." Another authority- 
 gives the meaning as "cold spring." 
 
 Sauk — The county, from the tribe of 
 Sauk or Sac Indians. When the 
 county was organized January 10, 1849, 
 the word Sauk was familiar, the Indians 
 having formerly dwelt at Prairie du Sac 
 where they had quite a village. They 
 lived in Michigan, according to the 
 earliest records, were driven to Wiscon- 
 sin, then across the Mississippi river, 
 afterwards into Iowa, Kansas and at 
 last to Indian Territory. Carver visited 
 the village at Prairie du Sac in 1766 and 
 wrote that the Indians had comfortable 
 houses. The word Sac. Sauk and 
 Saukies are synonymous and Ozaukee 
 is the Chippewa form for the tri- 
 bal name of Sauk. According to Leg- 
 ler the word is commonly asserted to 
 mean "people living at the mouth of a 
 river," while Gannett interprets it as 
 signifying "people of the yellow earth." 
 In 1849 Alfred Brunson wrote that 
 Sauk county received its name from 
 Sauk prairie within its limits. 
 
 Sauk City— Village first called Har- 
 szthy for Count Augustine Harszthy, 
 
 [40] 
 
one of the founders. The name was 
 difficult to remember so it was changed 
 to Westfield but as the word city, when 
 attached to names of places, was popular 
 then, it was later called Sauk City, 
 after the name of the county . 
 
 Sauk Prairie —See Sauk county. In 
 his history of Wisconsin published in 
 1846, I. A. Lapham says: "The prai- 
 rie is about eight miles wide and extends 
 eighteen miles along the Wisconsin. Its 
 name is given in allusion to its form, 
 being that of a sack or bag and not 
 from Sauk, the tribe of Indians." 
 
 Saukville — Section between Prairie 
 du Sac and Sauk City, now included 
 within the limits of the villages. 
 
 Searl Creek— See Quiggle creek. 
 
 Sibertz Creek— A stream in the 
 eastern part of Greenfield, named for 
 Jacob Sibertz. 
 
 Skillet Creek— Captain Levi Moore 
 built a cabin near Skillet Falls and 
 named the stream and falls from the 
 waterworn holes in the soft sand-rock 
 because they looked much like iron ves- 
 sels called "skillets." 
 
 Skillet Falls— See Skillet creek. 
 
 SligO — An early Irish settlement in 
 Winfield, named for Sligo in Ireland. 
 
 Spring Creek — In Winfield, named 
 for the many springs along its course. 
 
 [41] 
 
Spring Green — Town and village. 
 There is much uncertainty and there has 
 been much discussion es to the naming 
 of Spring Green. The Spring Green 
 News of July 10, 1902, says that ac- 
 cording to the late Samuel Huntley the 
 prairie was the first in the spring of the 
 year to show vegetation, hence the town 
 was known by that name many years 
 previous to the existence of the village. 
 Some believed the name came from 
 Garwood Green, the second postmaster, 
 but this is not likely as the town was 
 named Spring Green some years before 
 the village, where the postoffice was lo- 
 cated. J. F. Morrow writes to the Bar- 
 aboo News as follows: "Mary Williams 
 named Spring Green, all old settlers 
 know this. There was a spot on the 
 south side of the bluffs that always 
 'greened up' sooner in the spring than 
 did the prairie under which is a stratum 
 of cold clay that keeps it back. Mrs. 
 Williams could see this from her house 
 which stood until some years ago north- 
 east of the town, and no doubt, after the 
 long, lonesome winters, viewed this 
 spot in an exaggerated way. As Spring- 
 Green lies in the bend of the river the 
 cold ice water keeps the vegetation 
 back, but when it comes it comes with 
 a rush." 
 
 [42] 
 
Sumpter — Town once called Kings- 
 ton. When Fort Sumter was fired 
 upon the name of Kingston was changed 
 to Sumpter on account of there being 
 another Kingston in the state. The 
 name Sumpter was wrongly spelled on 
 an early map and the letter "p", is 
 still inserted. Fort Sumter was named 
 for Thomas Sumter of the Revolution- 
 ary war and the word means a pack- 
 horse or the driver of a pack-horse. 
 
 Stead Prairie — Level tract of land in 
 Baraboo valley, named for early owner. 
 
 Troy — Town named by Johnathan 
 W. Harris for Troy, Richland county, 
 Ohio, his former home. Troy is the 
 name of a city in Asia Minor. 
 
 Tuckerville — Discontinued post- 
 office in the town of Washington named 
 for William Tucker. The vicinity is 
 now called Hill Point, from a hill lo- 
 cated there. 
 
 Twin Creek— Streams in Winfield, 
 so named because there are two alike. 
 
 Upper Narrows— See Narrows. 
 
 Valton — Postoffice in the town of 
 Woodland, probably a contraction of 
 Vale Town or Valley Town. 
 
 Washington — Town , probably 
 
 named for first president and not for 
 
 Washington Gray, a resident of the 
 
 town 
 
 Websters Prairie — Level tract be- 
 
 r43] 
 
twecn Baraboo and Delton, named for 
 H. H. Webster. On the early maps it 
 was called Pleasant prairie. 
 
 Westfield — Town, named for the 
 village of Westfield, now lyOganville. 
 C. P. lyOgan came from Westfield, New 
 York, and gave the name to the village. 
 The original Westfield was in Massa- 
 chusetts, so named because on the west- 
 ern boundary of an early survey. 
 
 Westfield— See Sauk City. 
 
 White Mound— Postoflfice in Frank- 
 lin, named for a hill called White 
 Mound. 
 
 Wilson Creek — A stream in the 
 southwestern part of the county named 
 for Thomas Wilson, a Scotchman, who 
 came to Helena to work in the shot 
 tower. He crossed the Wisconsin river 
 as early as 1838 to explore the country 
 and moved into Sauk county in 1840. 
 
 Wisconsin — When a new country 
 is discovered the first objects to be 
 named are the bodies of water, streams, 
 elevations and other natural features. 
 The first name in this section of the 
 state to appear on any map was the 
 name of the river which bounds Sauk 
 county on the northeast and southeast 
 — the Wisconsin. The name was spelled 
 far differently two hundred or more 
 years ago and it is interesting to note 
 
 [44] 
 
some of the changes which the word has 
 undergone. 
 
 In 1673 Marquette and Joliet discov- 
 ered the river and Joliet wrote it Riviere 
 Miskonsing. 
 
 Henry E. Legler says in his 
 "Origin and Meaning of Wisconsin 
 Place Names" that on a map supposed 
 to have been made by Engineer Fran- 
 quelin (I68I) he calls Wisconsin 
 "Miskous". 
 
 Marquette spelled it Meskousing. 
 
 Franquelin's map, 1688, R. Ouiscon- 
 sing. 
 
 Coronelli map, 1688, Ouiscmising. 
 
 Hennepin, 1683, R. de Ouisconsins. 
 
 Hennepin, 1697, R. Ouiconsing. 
 
 Hennepin, 1697, Riviere Ouisconsing. 
 (Engraved for Book.) 
 
 I,a Hontan, 1709, R. d. Ouriconsing. 
 
 L,a Hontan, 1703, Ouisconsink. 
 
 All these in time crystalized into 
 Ouisconsin, this orthography being used 
 on Mitchell's Travelers Guide, 1634, and 
 by Phelps & Squire, 1836. Copies of 
 the last two named maps are in the 
 Sauk County Historical society collec- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. lyCgler further says: "As wi'h 
 other geographical names derived from 
 Indian sources, the real meaning of the 
 word Wisconsin (Chippewa origin, is so 
 
 r45] 
 
obscure as to be in dispute. The pop- 
 ular translation is 'wild, rushing chan- 
 nel,' a definition that accords well with 
 the nature of the stream, but which 
 nevertheless is of doubtful authenticity. 
 Another rendering, 'the gathering of 
 the waters', is pronounced absurd by 
 students of the Algonquin tongue. Mrs. 
 Charlotte Ouisconsin Van Cleve, in her 
 'Three Score Years and Ten', says that 
 the Indians termed the stream Nee-na- 
 hoo-na-ninka (beautiful little river). 
 
 "It is claimed by Consul W. Butter- 
 field that the name is derived from the 
 physical features of its lower course, 
 where are observable the highlands or 
 river hills. 'Some of these hills present 
 high and precipitous faces toward the 
 water. Others terminate in knobs. The 
 name is supposed to have been taken 
 from this feature, the word being de- 
 rived from Missi, "great," and Os-sin, 
 "a stone or rock." ' 
 
 "The word Wisconsin is the resul tof 
 considerable change from the first ren- 
 dering. On Marquette's genuine map, 
 where the stream is indicated for the 
 first time, no name is put down. Joliet's 
 map gives it as Miskonsing. Friar 
 Hennepin wrote it Onisconsin and 
 again Misconsin, and the French traveler 
 Charlevoix, who visited this country 
 early in the eighteenth century, gave his 
 
 [46] 
 
preference to this form: Ouisconsing. 
 It was not long before the final letter 
 was dropped, and this form was re- 
 tained until the present English spell- 
 ing superseded that of the French. 
 
 "From its source in Lake Vieux De- 
 sert on the northern boundary line, the 
 stream flows through this state for four 
 hundred and fifty miles. Its descent 
 from the lake to where, at Prairie du 
 Chien, it debouches into the Mississippi, 
 is about a thousand feet. From the 
 famous portage that has played such an 
 important part in Western history, 
 where the Wisconsin turns to the south- 
 west, the current is exceedingly rapid, 
 and the distance to the mouth a hun- 
 dred and eighteen miles." 
 
 The same authority says Wisconsin 
 means "muskrat house." 
 
 Dr. R. G. Thwaites in his "Wiscon- 
 sin" says that the meaning of the ab- 
 original word thus variously rendered is 
 now unknown. Popular writers de- 
 clare that it signifies "gathering of the 
 waters," or "meeting of waters," hav- 
 ing reference possibly, to the occasional 
 mingling of the divergent streams over 
 the low lying watershed at the Fox- 
 Wisconsin portage; but there is no 
 warrant for this. In order to preserve 
 the sound in English, it became nee- 
 
 [47] 
 
/ 
 
 essary on the arrival of the Americans 
 to modify the French spelling. At 
 first it was locally rendered "Wiskon- 
 san" (which is closely phonetic,) then 
 "Wiskonsin"; but congress seemed 
 to prefer the hard c, and this was re- 
 tained in place of k, despite the protests 
 cf Governor Doty and many territorial 
 newspaper editors. Thus the official 
 spelling became Wisconsin and the ter- 
 ritorial legislature on January 30, 1845, 
 approved by resolution the act of con- 
 gress nine years before, concludes the 
 historian. 
 
 The territorial legislature, January 
 30, 1845, passed a resolution declaring 
 the name of the territory, "Wisconsin," 
 The same orthography was used by con- 
 gress in establishing the territorial gov- 
 ernment. The act by congress was 
 approved April 20, 1836. 
 
 W. H. Stennett of Chicago says that 
 Wisconsin comes from a Sauk Indian 
 word having reference to holes in the 
 bank of a stream in which birds nest. 
 
 Wilson Creek — Discontinued post- 
 office in the southwest corner of Troy, 
 named for Thomas Wilson. 
 
 Winfield— Town, named for General 
 Winfield Scott. 
 
 Witwen — Discontinued postoffice in 
 the town of Troy, named for G. and J. 
 P. Witwen, who built a mill there. 
 
 [48] 
 
Woodland — Town. There is some 
 doubt as to the origin of the name but 
 probably named on account of the abun- 
 dance of timber. 
 
 Woodlawn — Discontinued postoffice 
 in the town of Washington, named for 
 Dr. William A. Wood. 
 
 [49] 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 
 Many letters were written to persons 
 in various parts of the county and coun- 
 try in order to obtain the information 
 in these pages. To all these thanks are 
 due. The following books have also 
 been consulted: 
 
 Origin of Certain Place Names in the 
 United States, by Henry Gannett, 1905. 
 
 A History of the Origin of the Place 
 Names Connected with the Chicago & 
 Northwestern Railway, by W. H. Sten- 
 nett, 1908. 
 
 Outline Sketches of Sauk County, by 
 W. H. Canfield, 1861. 
 
 History of Sauk County, 1880. 
 
 Origin and Meaning of Wisconsin 
 Place Names by Henry E. Legler, 1903. 
 
 Wisconsin Historical Collections. 
 
 [50] 
 
SAUK COUNTY, WIS. 
 
 The territorial legislature of Wisconsin passed an act to establish 
 the county of Sauk and defined its limits as indicated by the heavy 
 lines around the outside. It will be noted that the Wisconsin river 
 formed a part of the original plat as it now does. The act was approved 
 January 11, 1840, and the county commissioners on January 10, 1849, 
 divided the county into six towns — Honey Creek, Prairie du Sac, 
 Kingston, Eagle, Brooklyn andBaraboo. The limits of the six towns are 
 also indicated by the heavy cross lines, while the light lines give the 
 boundaries of the towns as they are at the present time. A portion 
 of the original area was afterward cut off and put into Richland 
 county. 
 
 
A 
 
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