7 R35 
 PV 1 
 
 THE 
 
 RESOURCES,,,,. 
 
 L/ivi 'VI LnuL I'vi A Vi ; 
 
 Manufacturing Capacity 
 
 OF THE- 
 
 LOWER 
 
 FOX RIVER 
 
 VALLEY. 
 
 ^■F:PI_iETOiT, wisoo3srsi3sr 
 
 By a. J. Reid, 
 
 Editor of the Appleton Post. 
 
 APPLETON : 
 
 REID & MILLER, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. 
 1874. 
 

 
 wzsoonsrsinsr. 
 
 IV. Furniture Factory, Lederer A Brewster. 
 18. Paper Mil', «. N. Richmond & Bros. 
 1. 19. Telulah Mineral .Springs. Hyde & HarrimaB. 
 
 20. Spoke Factory, Billings & Morrison, 
 
 21. Appleton Woolen Mills. 
 23. Tannery. 
 
 1. 23, Hul? and Spoke Factory, G«o. Kratss. 
 
 94. Saw Mill. Ko.-,b <fe Heatfi. 
 
THE 
 
 RESOURCES 
 
 AND 
 
 MANUFACTURING 
 
 CAPACITY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Lower Fox River Valley, 
 
 APPLETON, WISCONSIN. 
 
 By a. T. Reid, 
 
 Editor of The Appleton Post. 
 
 APPLETON : 
 
 Reid c^• Miller^ Steam Book and Job Printers. 
 
 1874. 
 
snniie PnolAir, lliuvlon < Bororldgo. It KKii.riUi >i -■" -, i ,11 
 

Introduction. 
 
 The object of preparing the following pages for public perusal 
 is to disseminate information respecting the resources and advan- 
 tages, for the establishment of great manufacturing industries, of- 
 fered by the Lower Fox River Valley, and by the City of Appleton 
 as its natural center. As regards these important matters it is 
 true that only vague and uncertain opinions prevail, at least 
 among that class which is most likely to make such characteristics 
 available for the creation of great wealth. If the desired object 
 is accomplished, there is every reason to beheve that the natural 
 results which are likely to accrue will be mutually beneficial to 
 those who are already, and such as may hereafter become, con- 
 cerned in the development of this valley. It can scarcely escape 
 the attention of any one who will familiarize himself with the in- 
 formation which these pages contain, that it is derived from solid 
 merit, and not from spurious or imaginary data. If the effect of 
 this effort is to cause something of surprise among business men, 
 that a locality possessing such superior advantages had never be- 
 fore become known to them, it may be accounted for upon the 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 grounds that no special effort has ever been made to bring this 
 place into public notice. But this does not, in the slightest de- 
 gree, change or modify the plain, patent facts, that the Lower Fox 
 River Valley possesses all the essential characteristics of material 
 wealth and greatness, and that its development will be attended 
 with important results, not only to this locality, but to the whole 
 country as well. It is proper to add, in this connection, that great 
 care and precision have been exercised in collecting the facts and 
 compiling the statistical information which these pages contain ; 
 and in the main they may be received as being entirely correct. 
 
THE 
 
 Lower Fox River Valley, 
 
 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 VALLEY. 
 
 The Lower Fox River Valley embraces a section of country 
 situated between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay, and is com- 
 posed of the counties of Winnebago, Calumet, Outagamie and 
 Brown. From north-east to south-west it extends a distance of 50 
 railes. and from north-west to south-east about 40 miles. This 
 territory embraces an area of about 1,280,000 acres. At present 
 about two-fifths of the whole amount is occupied by a magnificent 
 growth of timber — mostly hard-wood — and the remaining three- 
 fifths is made up of rich and fertile arable lands. The cultivated 
 portion is admirably adapted to the various departments of 
 husbandry, and here cereals and all other kinds of farm products 
 are raised in such quantities per acre as equal in extent the most 
 highly favored agricultural sections. The valley is intersected by 
 the 44th parallel of latitude, and its climate, therefore, is similar to 
 
 that vv^hich obtains in Southern Minnesota, Central Michigan, 
 
 9 
 
6 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 Central New York, and in the southern part of Vermont and 
 New Hampshire. From the time of its earliest settlement it has 
 been noted for its health-giving elements. Even in early times it 
 was free from sectional epidemics, and it has been ascertained 
 that the average mortality among the inhabitants is considerably 
 below the general average- The atmosphere is pure and bracing, 
 free from all malaria, and imparts to each inhabitant the freshness 
 and vigor of its own vitality. 
 
 As a place of residence the Fox River Valley presents every 
 attraction which is at all desirable. The scenery which borders 
 the majestically flowing stream, the variegated beauty of wood- 
 land and meadow and finely cultivated farms, the pleasant undu- 
 lations of valley and hillside, the roar of the cataract, the grace 
 and curve and dash of the swift-rushing current, all combine to 
 minister to the esthetic as well as to the practical wants of the 
 people of this valley. 
 
 Among its inhabitants the various nationalities are represented 
 in such proportions as tend to the development of great diversity 
 of employment and enterprise. The improvements which have 
 already been wrought, the investment of surplus capital in such a 
 manner as to utilize the material on hand, the establishment of 
 schools, academies and colleges, demonstrate that the people 
 have a correct appreciation of the highest mission of an enlight- 
 ened community. The population of the Lower Fox River Val- 
 ley, according to the last census, is as follows, by counties : 
 
 Winnebago 37>279 
 
 Calumet 12,335 
 
 Outagamie 18,430 
 
 Brown 25,168 
 
 Total 93,212 
 
 Since 1870 the immigration to this section of country has been 
 considerable, and, from reliable data at hand, it is fair to estimate 
 that the population has increased during this time at least 20 per 
 cent., which would swell the above figures, in 1 874, to over 1 20.000. 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 
 A MANUFACTURING CENTER. 
 
 There are certain natural advantages which every com- 
 munity must possess in order to achieve any considerable distinc- 
 tion as a manufacturing center, and which it is our purpose to 
 show obtain to a remarkable extent in the Lower Fox River 
 Valley. 
 
 I St. The facility by which the most economical natural agency 
 can be secured as a means of furnishing power. 
 
 2d. Upon the quality and extent of available resources in the 
 way of raw materials. 
 
 3d. The cost of transportation, which affects the cost of raw 
 materials and the value of manufactured products. 
 
 These propositions and their various subdivisions, as they relate 
 to this valley, it shall be the purpose of this work to elaborate and 
 explain. As the general result of the operation of these influ- 
 ences, it may be announced, that tbey determine the value of all 
 industrial products which represents the cost of the labor required 
 in preparing them for the consumer's use. 
 
 THE SUPERIORITY OE WATER-FALLS OVER 
 
 OTHER NATURAL AGENTS AS A MEANS OF 
 
 FURNISHING POWER. 
 
 The value of rapid streams to the manufacturing industries of 
 the world is almost beyond calculation. They afford advantages 
 for furnishing power superior to any other of the natural 
 agents. Steam is valuable and can be appropriated to a greater 
 variety of purposes, and to dispense with it would place us a long 
 way back on the road whereby we have emerged from barbarism; 
 but power thus furnished and communicated to machinery 
 involves a greater outlay than that supplied by falling water. 
 The apparatus required, and the material necessary in its pro- 
 duction, creates an expense which forms no inconsiderable item 
 in the annual disbursements of the manufacturer who uses it. 
 The iron muscles to which it imparts life and power may never 
 
8 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 weary, but they have to be replaced at an expense vastly greater 
 than that which is necessary in the utiHzation of water. Its gen- 
 eration is preceded by a consumption of material which in most 
 locahties is important. But the flow of water is ceaseless, in con- 
 sideration of which nature exacts no royalty, and with which the 
 spread of civilization does not interfere or lessen. The object of 
 this comparison is not to demonstrate the inadequacy of steam, 
 but to show the superior advantages possessed by water-falls as a 
 means of creating, or rather transferring, power for manufacturing 
 purposes. The value of steam consists in its universal applica- 
 tion; that of water in its special application. 
 
 The Hon. Wm. I). Kelley, in demonstrating to a Southern 
 audience the impractical and unwise policy of slavery, stated that 
 a dozen men and dogs had often followed for days on the track 
 of one lame negro, while vv^ater-power equivalent to the muscular 
 force of a thousand negroes ran to waste unregarded beside them. 
 We smile at the policy thus forcibly exposed ; but might not this 
 smile, in view of the vast and almost unlimited water-power which 
 is still unappropriated in this beautiful valley, be broadened into a 
 laugh, and turned against ourselves? Surely this would be a just 
 proceeding if, although failing in means to fully appropriate these 
 natural advantages for the creation of wealth, we should neglect 
 to acquaint others with these facts who have both the means 
 and the desire to turn them to the best possible account. To do 
 this fairly and faithfully is the purpose of presenting to the pubhc 
 the facts herein contained. 
 
 THE WATER-POWER AFFORDED 
 BY THE LOWER FOX RIVER. 
 
 One of the chief features of superiority which this valley pos- 
 sesses, and which is destined to make it, sooner or later, the great 
 manufacturing center of the West, if not the entire country, is the 
 not only unsurpassed but unequalled water-power afforded by the 
 Fox River. What part of the universe with which he lias to do 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 9 
 
 has not man in his vanity offered some improvement on the 
 original design ? The Fox River water-power, however, is an 
 exception which lies beyond the domain of criticism. Its flow is 
 as ceaseless as the attraction of gravitation is constant ; its supply 
 as regular and uniform as the change of seasons ; its volume suf- 
 ficient in extent to furnish investment for three hundred miUions 
 of capital, and employment for one quarter of a million of me- 
 chanics and laboring men. While other streams are crippled in 
 power by droughts, and rendered furious and dangerous by freshets, 
 the Fox River is always the faithful servant of industry, and is 
 never disturbed nor rendered unreliable by the action of the ele- 
 ments upon it. This stream has its source in Lake Winnebago, 
 an immense area of water, of not less than 350 square miles in 
 extent. It also has connection with Lake Poygan, which is about 
 30 miles in circumference, and with Lake Butte desMortes, of some- 
 what less dimensions. These reservoirs are so vast in extent that 
 droughts and freshets have little effect upon them, and the fluctua- 
 tion of water discharged through their outlet is never greater than 
 three feet. We look in vain for such a rare combination of ad- 
 vantages elsewhere in this country. The Mississippi, Genesee, 
 and Merrimack Rivers are important streams on which numerous 
 and extensive industries have been established, but none of them 
 possess the incomparable excellencies of the Lower Fox. Their 
 supply is furnished by small streams which ramify mountainous 
 regions, and upon which both droughts and freshets produce 
 immediate and at many times disastrous effects. The Lower Fox 
 River is an isolated case where the natural relation is such that a 
 considerable proportion of the maximum flowage is converted in- 
 to a reserve supply by which an approximate uniformity of vol- 
 ume is preserved. The value of this advantage is not easily 
 calculated, in that it renders the power thus created more relia- 
 ble than can be otherwise obtained, besides guarding against the 
 dangers of inundation and the serious effects resultant from 
 droughts. The flowage of water at its lowest stage, as will be 
 shown, is always ample not only to subserve the purposes of navi- 
 gation, but large manufacturing interests as well. 
 
 The height and power of water-falls on the Lower Fox River^ 
 between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay, are as follows : 
 
JO LOWER FOX RIVEK VALLEY. 
 
 Names of places, H. ight of fall. Horse-po^er. 
 
 Neenah and Menasha lo , 3,ooO' 
 
 Appleton 38 11,500 
 
 Cedars ., 10 3,ooC' 
 
 Little Chute , 38 11,500 
 
 Kaukauna 40 i4r5oo 
 
 Rapid Crosche 8 2,300 
 
 Little Kaukauna 8 ,. , 2,300- 
 
 Depere , 8 2,300 
 
 Total 150 50,400' 
 
 In addition to the above it may be stated that these figures^ 
 represent the amoant of power which is available at all seasons of 
 the year, as the estiniate is based upon the minimum flowage of 
 water, which is 150,000 cubic feet per second. The figures 
 representing the other extreme might also be given, so as to 
 create still more favorable impressions, but calculations upon this 
 basis would, at certain seasons of the year, be attended with dif- 
 ficulty beyond a certain limit ; and the object of presenting this 
 information i« to furnish reliable data for practical operations. 
 Of the amount of power represented by the above figures, not- 
 withstanding the numerous industrial establishments that are in 
 oi)eration in this valley, and the millions of dollars in products- 
 which they are distributing over the world every year, not more 
 than ten per cent, of the whole amount is appropriated at the 
 present time in forging iron, in fashioning textile fabrics, in con- 
 verting timber into building materials, wagon stock, barrel stock, 
 and furniture > m changing cereals into bread-stuffs, and various- 
 other kinds of crude materials into articles which the country is 
 already looking to us to supply ; the remaining force of this 
 mighty agent sweeps onward to the sea, impatient to be harnessed 
 by man's genius, and invited by it to promote great industries, 
 and subserve the wants of civilization. 
 
 The matter can be regarded in another light r Power is value 
 when it can be made available. A given amount of }x>wer con- 
 tained in a water-fall is at least equivalent in value to the same' 
 amount of power invested in j^erishable bone and muscle. The 
 power that is running to waste beside us io, therefore, equivalent 
 to the muscular force of fifty thousand horses. It is true that the 
 horse may do man's biddinr on a wider area, but there is a limit 
 
"LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. It 
 
 to his endurance, and it costs something to create the power which 
 he is competent to exert. But it will answer the purpose of this 
 ■comparison to call their value equal. An average horse is com- 
 petent to earn for its owner at least fifty cents per day. Fifty 
 thousand horses, therefore, would be competent to earn ^25,000 
 •every day j and in one year they could create value to the extent 
 •of over ^8,000,000. And yet this vast amount of power hurries 
 past us every year and becomes buried in the bosom of the sea. 
 These figures may be startling, but the conclusion is warranted by 
 the facts whilh precede them, 
 
 A pertinent question in this connection would be, what course 
 would the people of the Fox River Valley be likely to pursue if 
 this vast power and its attendant value were invested in so many 
 horses rather than in water falls. Would they be likely to say, 
 because we have not the means or apparatus for employing them, 
 we will, therefore, let them reniain idle. We will not even place 
 them in the market and advise capitalists how an investment of 
 their means in these possessions would be a profitable transaction 
 for the buyer and seller,? That no such fatal mistake may be re- 
 corded against us, is the object of presenting information perti- 
 nent to the material interests of this valley. 
 
 AVAILABLE RESOURCES. 
 
 The story of the advantages which this locality possesses is not 
 yet half told. There still remains to be explained the resources 
 of this beautiful valley, upon which the perpetual smiles of the 
 Almighty seem to rest. 
 
 The fertility of its soil alone is an element of wealth that can 
 be reckoned with the most flattering results. A few general 
 statistics will enable the reader to approach nearer to reliable 
 information. In the following, such counties are named as are 
 contained in the valleys of the Upper and Lower Fox, and are 
 contiguous to this stream. They annually produce in value 
 agricultural products as follows : 
 
12 LOWER FOX EIVER VALLEY. 
 
 VALLEY OF LOWER FOX. 
 
 Counties. Acres of improved land. Total value of farm products. 
 
 Brown 51,884 $860,127 
 
 Outagamie 74,886 904,021 
 
 Calumet 62,194 776,848 
 
 Winnebago 152,819 2,210,718 
 
 Total 341,783 M,75i,7i4 
 
 VALLEY OF UPPER FOX. 
 
 Counties. Acres of improved land. Total value of farm products. 
 
 Green Lake 97,149 ^4,536,438 
 
 Waushara....; 59,76o 843,228 
 
 Marquette 62,219 697,709 
 
 Columbia 251,814 2.913,397 
 
 Total 470,942 $5,990,772 
 
 341.783 . 4,751,714 
 
 Grand Total 812,725 $10,742,486 
 
 These figures are according to the census report of 1S70, and, 
 in view of the rapid development and increased productiveness of 
 the country since that time, we may add at least 20 per cent, to the 
 above figures, thus making the total annual value of the agricul- 
 tural products of the Fox River Valley over ^12,000,000. 
 
 The amount of timbered land in the same territory, leaving 
 out every acre that is otherwise unimproved, is as follows : 
 
 Counties. Acres of woodland. 
 
 Brown 88,302 
 
 Outagamie 107,861 
 
 Calumet 88,424 
 
 Winnebago 53,749 
 
 Green Lake 43,090 
 
 Waushara _. 35,^60 
 
 Marquette 97 ,008 
 
 Total 5i3,994 
 
 The proportion represented by these figures is magnificently 
 timbered land, and embraces nearly 40 per cent, of the entire 
 area of the territory of which this valley is composed. As the 
 result of careful thought and investigation, Horace Greeley an- 
 nounced in one of his papers on agriculture, that an average of 
 15 per cent, of the area of the country would afford an ample 
 supply of timber for the miscellaneous wants of the people. 
 
LOWER KOX KJV£R VALLEY. I3 
 
 Upon this basis there may be appropriated, with safety, 25 per 
 cent, of the timber which is still standing in this valley, for 
 manufacturing purposes, or nearly 150,000 acres. Placing the 
 average quantity per acre at 5,000 feet, which is not an excessive 
 estimate, we have 750,000,000 feet of timber in this valley, 
 which is awaiting the further establishment of manufacturing 
 enterprises here, to convert it into materials for which the de- 
 mand is constantly increasino;. And, of course, the most exten- 
 sive and profitable returns must be realized by the establishment 
 of new industries, by which these materials can be manufactured 
 in the locality where they exist. 
 
 A GRICUL TURAL PR OD UCTS. 
 
 But we have as yet only glanced at the resources which, if not 
 
 in our immediate possession, are still at our command. The 
 
 amount of cereal productions of the several States and Territories, 
 
 for which, when properly improved, the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers 
 
 will afford the cheapest and most feasible line of transportation, 
 
 is almost beyond the limit of comprehension. By consulting 
 
 the United States Census Reports of 1870, we find the following 
 
 information on this point: 
 
 States. Bushels of cereals. 
 
 Wisconsin » 63,790,671 
 
 Minnesota 35o97>563 
 
 Nebraska 8,569,371 
 
 Kansas 23,708,260 
 
 Missouri 97,757,086 
 
 One-half of Illinois 94,384,312 
 
 Iowa 121,842,485 
 
 Total 445,449,748 
 
 In order that we may get an approximate estimate of the 
 aggregate product of 1873, we may increase the above figures at 
 least one-half, in view of the enlarged and more prolific yield 
 of that year, as well as the increased proportion of arable lands 
 in each of the States enumerated. As the result of this calcula- 
 tion it appears, therefore, that the cereal product of 1873 
 amounted to nearly 700,000,000 bushels. Allowing that the 
 inhabitants of the States above named, which aggregate 7,259,545, 
 consume, per capita, on an average, 1 2 bushels, there still remains a 
 
 surplus, to 'be exported every year, of seven -eighths of the whole 
 
 3 
 
14 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 product, or about 600,000,000 bushels. (Included in theaboveex- 
 ception is also the amount that is deemed sufficient for seed.) This 
 statement of facts exhibits, in a forcible andstriking'degree, wliat 
 immense resources are at our disposal in the way of agricultural 
 products. And if only a fractional part of this vast amount is 
 utilized here, we can readily see how the Lower Fox River Val- 
 ley may become the grand center for the converting of cereals 
 into breadstuffs for the entire country. 
 
 WOOL. 
 
 With reference to the manufacture of all kinds of woolen 
 fabrics, there is not a point in the whole country, developed or 
 undeveloped, which possesses as superior a combination of ad- 
 vantages as this valley. It is respecting our convenient and inti- 
 mate relations with the great wool-growing sections of the countr)' 
 that will be treated of in this connection. The great bulk of this 
 important product is now manufactured on the Atlantic coast. This 
 unnatural and forced condition of things will become apparent, 
 when the fact is stated, that the center of the wool-growing sec- 
 tion is at least 1,500 miles distant from the various points along that 
 coast. Or perhaps the estimate will occupy a safer basis by 
 stating that at least one-half of the aggregate amount of wool 
 grown in this country, before any expense is involved in the way 
 of freight, occupies a natural position at as great a distance from 
 the sea-coast as is expressed by the above figures. And yet the 
 great mass of this comrtnodity, aside from the inconsiderable pro- 
 portion which is utilized by establishments of hmited capacity, in 
 the manufacture of the coarser fabrics, is annually shipped on 
 expensive lines of transportation, thousands of miles, to different 
 points where the proper facilities exist for converting it into the 
 various forms of textile fabrics, with which to supply the demands 
 of the country. It is unnecessary to speak of the increased cost 
 of these goods when delivered again to the consumer, occasioned 
 by the tax imposed by the expensive transportation of the crude 
 materials to the East, and the shipment of the manufactured 
 wares back to the West. And yet these operations must continue, 
 until some point which is adjacent to the wool-growing regions of 
 the West, and which possesses the natural advantages to carry on 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 1 5 
 
 great manufacturing enterprises, is developed and rendered 
 
 available for the successful and practical prosecution of this 
 
 great industrial woi<k. The following statistics will show the 
 
 extent of the wool product in the various States which 
 
 naturally look to the Fox River Valley as the nearest 
 
 manufacturing point. 
 
 states. ■ Pounds, 
 
 Missouri 3,649,390 
 
 Tennesse 1,389,762 
 
 Mississippi 288,285 
 
 Lousiana 140,428 
 
 Arkansas 214,784 
 
 Indiana 5,029,023 
 
 Illinois 5739.299 
 
 Iowa 2,961,043 
 
 Michigan 8,726,145 
 
 Wisconsin 4,090,670 
 
 Minnesota 401,185 
 
 Kansas 335.075 
 
 Nebraska 74,665 
 
 One-half of Alabama 190,626 
 
 Texas , 625,624 
 
 Total 33,761,924 
 
 By consulting a map it will be seen that the geographical 
 position of the States above mentioned is such that this val- 
 ley is, or soon will be, connected with them by a reliable 
 water-channel which will afford cheap transportation for this 
 product, as well as the various kinds of crops. Concerning the 
 advantages of this relation to manufacturing industries in this 
 valley, real and prospective, we shall ti'eat under the appro- 
 priate heading, in a subsequent part of this work. From 
 what has been already said, however, it will appear that the 
 manufacture of wool, along the line of this stream, into the 
 innumerable classes of fabrics for which it is adapted, is an 
 undertaking that will be sure to be attended with greater 
 profit than will be likely to reward the establishment of this 
 industry anywhere else in the country. 
 
 COTTON. 
 
 The manufacture of cotton in this valley is a subject worthy 
 
 of the extended consideration of the capitalist. By means of 
 
 the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, as now 
 
 contemplated by the government, we shall be placed in con- 
 
1 6 LOWER F-OX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 venient relations with the Mississippi States, which embrace 
 the most prolific cotton sections of the entire South. This 
 important product is raised in greatest aHurtdance in Eastern 
 Arkansas, Western Mississippi, and in the North-eastern part 
 of Lousiana, which section is divided by the great " Father of 
 Waters." And it is a fact, which investigation will support, 
 that the cotton raised in at least one-half of the vSouthern 
 States can be delivered at various points along this valley at 
 a much less cost than is involved in laying it down at the 
 manufacturing centers of New England. Let him who 
 doubts this conclusion simply consult a majD, notice the inti- 
 mate relation which we sustain to the vStates enumerated 
 below, and the never-failing water-channel by which they 
 can be I'eached, and the products of their soil obtained at the 
 least cost, plus their purchase price. Then let him compare 
 the merits of this route with the course which the cotton crop 
 must take if shipjDcd to New England, and the doubt will be 
 dispelled. It is true that the former line of transj^ortation, as 
 compared with the latter, is more direct, and the distance is 
 not more than one-third as great. The advantage of turning 
 these shipments in a different direction will again appear when 
 the generally conceded fact is stated, that the route of vessels 
 bearing this product to New England, along and around the 
 coast, is an exceedingly circuitous and dangerous one, and at 
 some seasons of the year these voyages are attended with 
 great loss. The result of this is to make insurance higher 
 and the cost of transportation much gi"eater than it would 
 otherwise be. But in the route described by the Mississippi 
 and the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, we see that these difficul- 
 ties are so greatly lessened as to almost entirely disappear. 
 Below we subjoin statistics of the cotton crop of such States 
 
 as come within the range of the calculation presented above : 
 states. Bales of Cotton. 
 
 Missouri 1,246 
 
 Arkansas 247,968 
 
 Louisiana 350,832 
 
 Tennessee 181,842 
 
 Mississippi 564,938 
 
 Texas 350,628 
 
 One-half of Alabama 214,741 
 
 Total 1,912,195 
 
"LOWER FOX RTVER VALLEY. 1^ 
 
 All of these States, except the two hist mentioned, border 
 ion the Mississippi River, which, with its tributaries, offers 
 ithe cheapest and most natin-al outlet for the cotton and all 
 other crops of the Southern States. The latter two, although 
 not so fiivorabl}' situated, are more accessible from this vallev 
 than from any of the manufacturing cities of New England, 
 
 By changing the place for the manufacture of this product, 
 let us see about what can be saved in the way of freight everv 
 year. The total quantity of cotton above indicated, when 
 •converted into another denomination, amounts to 382,439 tons. 
 The distance of the cotton producing center we have de- 
 scribed, from the manufacturing towns of Connecticut and 
 Massachusetts, around the coast, is not f.ir from 3,000 miles. 
 The distance of the same center from the Fox River Valley 
 does not exceed 1,000 miles. The comparative cost of mov- 
 ing products by the different methods ma}^ thus be stated, ac- 
 cording to standard authority : 
 
 dassiflcalion. Cost in iiiillt; per ton, per mile. 
 
 By Railroad 12. 5 
 
 By Otxlinary Canak -• 4.5 » 
 
 By Lakes, Rivers and Ship Canals 3. 
 
 By Ocean Voyage - 1.5 
 
 It appears, therefore, from these figures, that the cost of 
 shipping a ton of cotton from the assumed point, around the 
 coast, is $4.50; and that the cost of moving a like quantity to 
 this valley is $3.00; while the matter of insurance, which 
 operates in favor of the latter route, makes the disparity all 
 the greater. Hence it follows that there may be saved oil 
 each ton of cotton $1.50, by turning its course towards the 
 new manufacturing center; and on the aggregate annual pro- 
 duct above quoted we see that this proportion develops into 
 the fabulous sum of $537,6^8, or a sufficient amount to distri- 
 bute the manufactured goods to consumers living within a 
 radius of 500 miles. The outcome of this arrangement of 
 facts is, that in the manufactuj-e of cotton fabrics with which 
 to supply the people of this coimtry, west of Central Ohio, 
 we cannot only compete with the producers of Nev\' England, 
 but we can furnish this class of goods much cheaper than 
 
S8 LOWEn? FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 they can, because, as we have seen, our facilities for securing: 
 rawr materials are superior, and our advantages for manufac- 
 turing at least equal to theirs, leaving the cost of delivering 
 these goods in our favor, w^hich is a material surplus that can 
 be shared with profit by the producer and consumer. Nay, 
 more, we can still approach the East from the extremity of 
 this radius and meet our Eastern competitors half way, and 
 there undersell them in the market, by virtue of reasons which 
 will hereafter be explained ; while in that vast couHtry situ- 
 ated west of the Mississippi, we can maintain an absolute 
 monopoly in this business, from which our competitors may 
 be shut out on account of the intervening distance. In the 
 light of the foregoing, it must appear to every mind that the 
 manufacture of cotton in the Fox River Valley is entirely 
 practical and feasible, and is an enterprise which must at least 
 be undertaken within the limits of the present generation. 
 
 T/MB£J^. 
 
 , Reference has already been made to some of the resources 
 at our command in the way of timber. Figures have been 
 presented to show the large quantities which still remain in 
 this valley for manufacturing purposes, exclusive of the 
 reserve I'equired to fairly supply the country ; but this is not a 
 tithe of this kind of material which we may appropriate if 
 we desire. Beyond the limits of our beautiful valley, to the 
 north and west of us, are immense virgin forests where no 
 traces of the innovations of industry are seen, and whose 
 silence is yet unbroken, save by the voice of the storm-king 
 in his ftiry. Of the extent of these resources some idea may 
 be had by consulting the following statistics, which ex- 
 press the amount of hard timber available for manufacturing 
 purposes. The first four counties are situated on the bay 
 shore, and the material may be moved on bay and river to 
 any desired point in this valley, upon the least expensive lines 
 of internahtransportation. The next six are opened up by 
 the extension of the Wisconsin Central Railroad through 
 them, and the resources thereof thus rendered tributary to 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 1 9 
 
 this valley. With the county last mentioned we also have 
 railroad communication. The counties referred to, with their 
 respective amounts of hard timber, are as follows: 
 
 Counties. Acres. 
 
 Oconto 1,400,000 
 
 Kewaunee 36,000 
 
 Menominee 76,000 
 
 Waupaca » 89,000 
 
 Portage 29,000 
 
 Wood 80,000 
 
 Marathon 1 ,250,000 
 
 Chippewa- 1,000,000 
 
 Ashland 500,000 
 
 Bayfield 310,000 
 
 Manitowoc - 86,000 
 
 ToTAl, 4,856,000 
 
 Multiplying these figures by 5,000, the estimated average 
 number of feet per acre, and we find the result to be 24,280,- 
 000,000 of hard-wood timber. Deducting 15 or even 20 per 
 cent, as before, as a sufficiency of woodland for protection 
 against winds, and as affecting the climatic and sanitary con- 
 ditions of the country, and the varied wants of its inhabitants, 
 and we find that there still remains nearly 20,000,000,000 feet 
 of hard-wood timber, which is at such a convenient distance 
 from this valley, as that the question of its availability for the 
 support of industrial interests here can be a matter of no 
 doubt whatever. 
 
 But even these figures convey an imperfect idea of the 
 value and extent of our forest resources. We again summon 
 figures to our aid in order to express the quantity of pine 
 timber contained in Northern Wfsconsin. It is proper to 
 state that neither the census reports nor official documents of 
 any kind furnish any information respecting the amount of 
 pine stumpage in the country. But the figures presented 
 below, although not from these sources, are from reliable 
 authority; and, while they may not be absolutely correct, they 
 express a quantity which approaches very closely to the 
 actual amount. On the various streams in Northern Wiscon- 
 sin the quantity of pine timber is respectively as follows: 
 
20 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 Kivei's- Feet of Pine. 
 
 Chippewa 6,000,000,000 
 
 Wolf 1,250,000,000 
 
 Wisconsin 2,500,000,000 
 
 Oconto " 1,000,000,000 
 
 Pcshtigo ' 1,500,000,000 
 
 Menominee - 3,500,000,000 
 
 ToTAi, — ■ 1 5,750,000,000 
 
 The Menominee River divides Michigan and Wisconsin^ 
 and a considerable quantity of the pine on this stream is- 
 situated in the former State, but it is properly classified with 
 the last item, notwithstanding. By noticing the course of 
 these streams and their relation with each other and the 
 Lower Fox River, it will be seen that these vast resoin-ces 
 are all tributary to this valley, and the fact that they can be 
 shipped upon water routes to and from this point, renders 
 the manufacture of them in this x'egion an undertaking which 
 presents naught but the most favorable features. But while 
 the manufacture of lumber in this valley is already an impor- 
 tant industry, and promises to develop into far greater pro- 
 portions, still it is not maintained that this valley, favorably 
 situated as it is, should have a monopoly of that business, to 
 the support of which these inexhaustible resources should 
 contribute exclusively. Large quantities should necessarily 
 be manufactured in the more immediate lumber regions, and 
 find an outlet through various other channels to supply the 
 demands in the different parts of the country. This is 
 especiall}^ true with reference to the important proportions to 
 be utilized "as building materials proper. But the object of 
 presenting these facts is, to show the vast quantities of forest 
 products which are situated at a convenient distance from 
 this valley, and which may be had in such installments as may 
 be demanded, however extensive that may be. There is 
 
 scarcely an industry that can be established but that requires, 
 in one way or another, timber in some form, and it is in this 
 view of the case that an abundance of materials of this kind 
 is most valuable. 
 
 The final value of timber, like everything else, depends 
 tipon the amount of labor expended upon it. The value of a 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 21 
 
 pine log is much greater than that of the crude material. 
 And, again, the value of these products when fashioned into 
 the symmetrical proportions of the almost innumerable 
 variety of wares to which they are adapted is many times multi- 
 plied. It is industries that perform the office last indicated, 
 that can be established and operated in this valley with the 
 greatest profit. So far, this region is the natural manufactur- 
 ing center for the Western States. It is the intermediate 
 point between vast forests, the resources of which are so 
 extensive that although man may calculate their quantity and 
 value, he can scarcely comprehend them ; and populous cities, 
 villages and vast agricultural districts of which the country 
 east and south of us is composed. As we have learned, it 
 possesses all of the natural advantages to enable industrial 
 operations of this class to be prosecuted at the least known 
 cost, and, by virtue of the cumbersome dimensions of forest 
 products, and the expense involved in transportation, renders 
 their extensive manufacture elsewhere practically impossible. 
 Hence it appears that the Fox River Valley, sooner or later, 
 must take on the character which has been indicated, and for 
 which nature has admirably designed it. And the generation 
 which inaugurates this development is one that will be well 
 known in the history of modern civilization. 
 
 IRON. 
 
 The relation which this valley sustains to sections of coun- 
 try rich in mineral deposits, is worthy of extended considera- 
 tion. Of course it seems idle to speculate upon the extent of 
 these resources, for the world does not j^resent an area of ter- 
 ritory, equivalent in dimensions, beneath which are deposited 
 such vast stores of minerals as the regions of country bordering 
 on Lake Superior. Probably no other characteristic has 
 contributed so largely to the development of the Western 
 States as the Immense iron deposits in this section. It has 
 come to be a generally received fact, that no other material 
 is so essential to modern civilization as this. It is by its use, 
 in manifold forms, that man is enabled to achieve dominion 
 over nature, and is the kev which unlocks her laboratory and 
 
 4 
 
2 2 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 reveals the hidden richness secreted there. The existence of 
 
 this metal in the Marquette district v\^as discovered as far 
 
 back as the year 1830, but it was not until fifteen years later 
 
 that the manufacture of it was commenced, and then onl}' in 
 
 a small way. New discoveries continued to be made and the 
 
 value of the deposits demonstrated, but the first shipments of 
 
 the raw material or manufactured product were not made 
 
 until the year 1856, and about this time the development of 
 
 the interests really began. 
 
 Of course it is impossible to ascertain the extent of these 
 
 resources, as that can only be done by operations continued 
 
 to infinity. However, some intelligible idea may be gained 
 
 of the amount which the iron mines have already produced. 
 
 The following is a statement in gross tons of the aggregate 
 
 yield in ore of the Lake Superior iron mines, from 1856 to 
 
 18^3 inclusive: 
 
 Tons. 
 
 1856 - 7,000 
 
 1857 21.000 
 
 1858 ■ 31,038 
 
 1859 65,679 
 
 i860 116,908 
 
 I86I 45.430 
 
 1862 1 15,721 
 
 1863 185,257 
 
 1864 235,123 
 
 1865. 196,256 
 
 1866 296,972 
 
 1867 466,076 
 
 1868 507,813 
 
 1869 633,238 
 
 1870 856.471 
 
 I87I 813,379 . 
 
 1872 952,055 
 
 1873 1,167,379 
 
 ToTAi 6,712,792 
 
 The quantity of pig iron manufactured from this crude 
 material, will probably reach fifty per cent., in tons, of the 
 gross amount. A considerable proportion has been shipped 
 to furnaces in various parts of the countrv, while 428,8^6 tons 
 have been manufactured in the iron region. The total value 
 of this ore, expressed by the above figures, is placed at 
 $55^743.666. 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 23 
 
 Notwithstaiuliiig- this immense annual product, which is 
 materially increased each successive year, the fifty mines 
 which are in operation there, and which produce an average 
 of nearly 25,000 tons of ore per year, have scarcely made a per- 
 cejitible scar on the vast and inexhaustible deposits which are 
 known to exist in that region. Indeed, many of the richest 
 tracts of the iron territory are far remote from the scene of 
 present operations, and no part of their products have yet 
 been removed, other than what has been necessary to estab- 
 Isih their value, and warrant the investment of capital. 
 
 The next point which naturally presents itself for considera- 
 tion is, whether or not the manufacture of this material in 
 this locality is likely to be practical and profitable. It can- 
 not escape the attention of any one who will notice the 
 geographical relation of the Lower Fox River Valley, and 
 the Lake Superior country, that we are connected with the 
 immense iron districts by a reliable line of water transporta- 
 tion, which, in a very short time, will be competent to receive 
 vessels of six feet draft. By reason of the advantage thus 
 afforded, together with the limited distance which separates 
 the two sections, as can be conclusively proven, we can pre 
 pare iron cheaper in this valley than it can be produced 
 either in the great iron districts of Lake Superior or Penn- 
 sylvania. It is well known that the manufacture of charcoal 
 iron in the vicinity of Marquette is attended with serious 
 difiiculty. Extensive operations of this kind for the past 
 twenty years have been attended with such a great consunap- 
 tion of fuel, that the supply in that immediate vicinity is not 
 only greatly diminished, but pretty well exhausted. 
 Indeed, the question is, already, if it is not more pi'ofitable to 
 import fuel from the great coal fields of Pennsylvania and 
 Ohio than to continue the further use of charcoal; and the 
 solution of it has already been found by actual experiment. 
 Upon this basis we present a comparative table of the cost of 
 a ton of pig iron laid down in Chicago from Marquette and 
 Pittsburgh, followed by the cost of a ton of charcoal pig iron 
 manufactured at Appleton, in the Lower Fox River Valley: 
 
24 LOV.EK FOX RrVER VALLEV. 
 
 FIG IRON. 
 
 PITTSBURGH. 
 
 One and one-half tons ore Sr8 oa 
 
 Two tons coal, at four dollars per ton 8 Oo 
 
 flux -••• I oo 
 
 Labor " •• 3 oo 
 
 Incidentals - •" ' I oo 
 
 Freight to Chicago •• - — •" 7 00 
 
 ToTAl - ' ' $38 00 
 
 MARQUETTE. 
 
 One and one-half tons ore- ••-■••- $8 00 
 
 Two tons coal, at srx dollars per ton 12 00 
 
 Flux •'-•'•■•• •■'•■ — I 00 
 
 Labor - 300 
 
 Incidentals - i 00 
 
 Freight to Chicago - j 00 
 
 Total $2800 
 
 It will be borne in mind that in the above estimate anthra- 
 cite coal is reckoned as the fuel, whereas in the follow- 
 ing, charcoal is substituted instead, thus advancing the value 
 of a ton at least $10. 
 
 APPLETON. 
 
 One and one-half tons of ore $12 00 
 
 120 bushels of charcoal, at Sets, per bushel 9 60 
 
 Flux- 
 
 Labor 
 
 Incidenalts • • 
 
 Freight to Chicago 
 
 
 20 
 
 4 
 
 00 
 
 I 
 
 00 
 
 2 
 
 00 
 
 Total ^28 80 
 
 The inarket price of a ton of iron manufactured by the use 
 of anthracite coal, is from $40 to $45; while the price of 
 charcoal iron ranges from $50 to $60. Taking the figm-es least 
 favorable to Appleton, and we find the relative profits of the 
 manufactures, over and above the cost of production and 
 transportation, at the three points mentioned, to be as follows: 
 
 Marquette • $17 00 
 
 Pittsburgh 7 00 
 
 Appleton 21 20 
 
 Or if we figure the cost of producing a ton of charcoal pig 
 iron at Marquette, the advantage is still in oin- favor. The 
 itemized cost is as follows: 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. SJ 
 
 One and one-half tons of ore $8 oo 
 
 1 20 bushels of coal, at lo cents ' 12 00 
 
 Flux 50 
 
 Labor 5 00 
 
 Incidentals i 00 
 
 Freight to Chicago 3 00 
 
 Total - S29 50 
 
 Upon this basis wc sec that the manufacture of charcoal 
 iron realizes a profit of nearly one dollar per ton more in this 
 valley than in Marquette. No estimate of this kind can be 
 made for Pittsburgh — anthracite coal being used there alto- 
 gether. Of course all of these estimates are made upon 
 market quotations previous to the late panic. Calculations 
 might be made upon the cost and selling prices vvrhich now 
 obtain, and the same proportion in favor of Appleton would 
 still be preserved. 
 
 It will scarcely be necessary to append the remark, after 
 what has already been said concerning the extent of our 
 timber resources, that there is an ample supply ot fuel at our 
 command to develop this industry into gigantic proportions. 
 
 It is known, also, that the Penokie Range, in North-western 
 Wisconsin, which, ownng to its hithei'to isolated condition, has 
 been developed little or none, contains immense and inexhaust- 
 ible beds of iron ore averaging 60 per cent, of pure metal, 
 according to the Geological Reports of David Dale Owen. 
 This rich district will soon be rendered accessible by the ex- 
 tension of the Wisconsin Central Railroad through its very 
 heart. Recent investigations in the Menominee district, a sec- 
 tion of country situated on the western shore of Green Bay, 
 in this State, have been accompanied with very gratifying re- 
 sults. A considerable proportion of that territory is fairly 
 underlaid with extensive beds of iron ore. The quality of 
 this material was thoroughly tested during the winter of 1873, 
 and the result shows as large a percentage of pure metal as 
 has ever been produced in older and more famous mineral 
 districts. This iron range is not more than 60 or 70 miles 
 north of the city of Appleton, the center of the Fox River 
 Valley, and its products may be poured into the lap of indus- 
 
i6 LOWER FOX RIVER N'ALLET. 
 
 try at this point, and utilized to the greatest possible advan- 
 tage. 
 
 But notwithstanding the favorable features which the con- 
 sideration of this question has ah-eady presented, it is not the- 
 simple manufacture of pig iron in this valley which should 
 be regarded as of the greatest importance. The focts pre- 
 sented above argue still more forcilily in tavor of the manu- 
 facture of this material into the innumerable wares for which 
 it is adapted. The operations of foundries, machine shops, 
 car works, rolling mills, cutlery factories, agricultural works, 
 and various other kinds of establishments for the utilization 
 ol this material, may be carried on with greater profit here 
 than elsewhere, for reasons so inanlfest as to require no 
 tlemonstration. However,, the most potent one may be suc- 
 cinctly stated as follows: 
 
 The Fox River Valley is made up of an area of territory 
 which yields prolific returns to the industry of the husband- 
 man. Here, breadstufis and every substantial article of food 
 demanded by factory operatives are raised at our very doors. 
 and can be secured at prices which involve no part of the cost 
 of transportation. But as regards the mineral producing 
 regions of Lake Superior we find the case to be quite dif- 
 frent. There, little or nothing is raised in the way of agri- 
 cultural products. This class of supplies, as well as all others, 
 are all imported at a considerable expense, which adds ma- 
 terially to the purchase price exacted from the consumer. 
 The manufacturer, of course, shares with him in this disad- 
 vantage, and hence we see that so far as the iron industry, in its 
 various branches, is concerned, the Fox River Valley ofTers 
 "superior Inducements to its extensive development. 
 
 COPFEM. 
 It may be of interest to the reader to know somewhat of 
 the extent of the copper product of Houghton, Keweenaw 
 and Ontonagon Counties, which embrace these prolific 
 mineral districts. The aggregate annual product of the 
 mines in these several counties, from 1845 *^'-' '^74i ^* '^^ 
 follows : 
 
1.(m'EK KOX RIVfR V ALL'S Y. 21) 
 
 Tons. 
 
 'i845 t" '854 7.642 
 
 085410 1858 ...,...., 11,312 
 
 1858 4,100 
 
 9859 4,200 
 
 1 860 6,000 
 
 1861 7:500 
 
 1862 9,962 
 
 1863 8,549 
 
 1864 8,472 
 
 1865 10,791 
 
 1866 10,376 
 
 1867 11,735 
 
 1868 13.049 
 
 1869 15.288 
 
 1870 16,183 
 
 1 87 1 16,071 
 
 1872 - 15,166 
 
 1873 18,638 
 
 Total •• * i95)033 
 
 From this quantity of the crude material there have been 
 manufactured, during; this period, 149,985 tons of ingot cop- 
 per, which represent a value of $84,503,820. The average 
 annual product for the past five years has been something 
 over 13,000 tons, which is equivalent in value to nearly $7,- 
 500,000. Extensive operations have recently been instituted 
 in that district, and it is probable that the product of 1874 
 will exceed that of any previous year. Of the utility of this 
 material there is no question. It is required to be used in the 
 composition of a great variety of articles, large and small, 
 which form the product of extensive manufacturing indus- 
 tries. And the advantage of the vast supplies contained in 
 this territory, which is easy of access, and can be reached over 
 chedp water-ways, must be of material coKsequencc t(> the 
 future interests of this valley. 
 
 Before leaving this division of the subject, it is appropriate 
 to remark, that the famous mineral districts of Lake Superior 
 also abound in silver, plumbagcj, and immense slate and 
 marble beds, all of which are tributary to, and will serve a 
 purpose in, the grand era of development which must, sooner 
 or later, be inaugurated in this valley. 
 
28 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 LEAD. 
 
 It may not, perhaps, be generally known, but it is neverthe- 
 less true, that this valley sustains natural relations of an inti- 
 mate character with lead districts of vast extent. This terri- 
 tory borders on the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, 
 and embraces about eighty-five townships — eight in Iowa, 
 fifteen in Illinois, and sixty-two in the south-western part of 
 Wisconsin. In many of the mines that are in operation, the 
 ore crops out at the surface, and in numerous places extends 
 to the depth of 150 feet. The development of these mines 
 was commenced as far back as 1821, but for the first few 
 years the operations were very meagre. The total amount 
 of lead obtained in this district, since mining operations were 
 
 instituted, is as follows: 
 
 Tons,. 
 
 1821 to 1831 30,000 
 
 1831 to 1841 — •••• 69,500 
 
 1841101851 ~ 270,000 
 
 1851101861 202,500 
 
 1 861 to 1 87 1 105,500 
 
 Total kor 50 years 667,500 
 
 At four and one-half cents per pound, the total value of 
 lead produced by these mines is not far from $61,000,000. It 
 .has been impossible to obtain statistics of the amount pro- 
 duced during the past two years, but, taking the average 
 yield of the past decade as a basis, the amount marketed dur- 
 this period would be about 21,000 tons. As we have inti- 
 mated, these districts are intersected by navigable streams 
 connected with the Lower Fox River, from which it appears 
 that this metal may be obtained in such proportions as may 
 be desired, at the least possible outlay. The intervening dis- 
 tance being less than 200 miles, it follows that the process of 
 its manufacture may be carried on in this valley with appar- 
 ently great advantage. 
 
 ADVANTAGES OF CHEAP TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 In the foregoing j^ages the effort has been made to explain 
 some of the advantages which this valley possesses, and 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 29 
 
 which every locality must possess in order to achieve any con- 
 siderable distinction as a manufacturing center, viz., a con- 
 venient relation to an abundance of all kinds of raw materials, 
 with which to supply great diversified industries, and plenty 
 of natural power to accommodate extensive manufactui-ing 
 interests. But in addition to this, as was hinted at the out- 
 set, the cost of shipping raw materials to the place where they 
 are manufactured, and the prepared products to the points of 
 general distribution, is an item to which great importance 
 attaches. The advantage of being situated on a reliable line 
 of water transportation, can scarcel}' be estimated in dollars 
 and cents, such as the great water-path across the continent 
 will afford, of which the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers will 
 form an important part, when improved, as now contemplated 
 by the government. But, when we attempt to calculate the 
 results which mav really be expected from this source, we 
 are met with the difficulty of having an incomplete basis on 
 which to make the estimate; because the proportion which 
 may be supposed to exist, between the present status of the 
 .industrial interests of this valley and that which has been 
 anticipated in the foregoing, and which the array of facts fully 
 justifies, is almost as one to infinity. Still we will venture to 
 proceed from the point to which these interests have already 
 attained. From careful calculation it has been ascertained, 
 that the industrial establishments in the Lower Fox River 
 Valley pay an annual tribute to railroad corporations, upon 
 manufactured wares, to the nearest wholesale point, of not less 
 than $1,350,000. The total amount of freights on the same 
 products shipped by water would not exceed $300,000. Ad- 
 mitting that business dispatch requires one-half of this 
 amount to be shipped by rail, and our manufacturers may still 
 realize a saving of at least one-half million of dollars by 
 reason of the facilities afforded by the water channel on 
 which they are situated. In addition to this the competition 
 for freight thus created necessitates a reduction in the rates 
 of shipping by rail of at least 50 per cent, during seven or 
 eight months of every year. We, therefore, find the general 
 effect of our favorable situation to be, to -enable our manufac- 
 
 5 
 
30 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 turei's to add to their annual profits 75 per cent, of the whole 
 amount, which they would otherwise be compelled to pay 
 out for freight every year. Data have been presented else- 
 where to show that the manufactured wares of this valley 
 may be increased ten-fold. Upon this basis the privileges of 
 the water route mentioned would enable the industries of 
 this valley to realize an annual saving in freights alone of 
 
 $9475'Ooo- 
 
 But these facts have been wholly applied to the shipping 
 of manufactured goods. The same advantages, of course, 
 operate with equal force in our favor in the securing of raw 
 materials. Elsewhere we have traced out the natural and 
 logical results of cheap transportation offered us, with refer- 
 ence to the cotton product of the South, and have shown 
 how hundreds of thousands of dollars may be saved every 
 year, by changing the manufacturing center from its present 
 location to the Fox River Valley. Regarding this product 
 alone, we have seen that a pretty strong case is made out in 
 our favor, by reason of our favorable situation. The same 
 causes which render this change one of such vast economy, 
 produce even more beneficial results when applied to the 
 various products, which have been previously mentioned, and 
 are raised in the several States that naturally look to this 
 route as the cheapest outlet for their surplus productions. A 
 very large proportion of these materials ai'e of such a de- 
 scription that they will not admit of transportation to a great 
 distance, for the purpose of having the manufacturing process 
 performed upon them — being so cumbersome that consider- 
 able of their value would be consumed in the cost thus in- 
 volved. Or, to state the case differently, the profits of the 
 manufacturer will be inversely as their distance, and the 
 expense of the consumer in a direct ratio. 
 
 By referring to the map herewith published, and noticing 
 the various connections that are indicated, the conclusion is 
 irresistible, that this water-route must become the great 
 national highway for the transportation of produce between 
 the East and West; and that it will in the future, as it has in 
 the past, engage the attention of leading statesmen and 
 
LOWER FOX RlVfiR VALLEY. 3 1 
 
 capitalists. It is the cheapest and most natural outlet for an 
 immense tract of country, growing in population with start- 
 ling rapidity, its climate and soil unsurpassed, and rich in 
 natural resources beyond expression. It contains what may 
 justly be called the granary of the world, timber without limit, 
 inexhaustible deposits of useful and valuable minerals; 
 abounds in production^ adapted by nature to be fashioned in- 
 to manifold forms of textile fabrics. Yet we have seen that 
 a very large proportion of these products have not been able 
 to reach a paying market, because the tariff on i-ailroads 
 trenches to such an extent upon the cost of production. But 
 nature, in her bounty, seems to have provided us with a water- 
 way by which this difficulty can be entirely overcome. 
 
 We have it upon good authority that, during the decade 
 from 1S55 to 1864, inclusive, the Eric Canal, which is the 
 enterprise of a single State, saved to the country, in the way 
 of freights, $133,637,045.97, or nearly three times the cost of 
 its construction. And yet in population, productiveness and 
 all of its material features, the country west of the Mississippi 
 is to-day vastly in advance of the territory west of the lakes 
 at the time when the effort was put forth by the " wise men 
 of the East" to connect those inland seas w^ith tide water. 
 Time has demonstrated the wisdom of that grand scheme, in- 
 augurated nearly 60 years ago, by De Witt Clinton, from 
 which the commerce of the country has realized an aggregate 
 saving, as compared with railroads, of probably not less than 
 $300,000,000. The improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin 
 Rivers is simply an extension of the Ei"ie Canal, only on a 
 grander scale, to the Mississippi River. From this enterprise 
 we may expect similar results to flow, which shall be com-, 
 mensurate with its great capacity. 
 
 The superiority of this route over other water-ways to the 
 East is quite apparent. It describes a more direct line to the 
 great agricultural centers of the West, which furnish the 
 great bulk of shipping commodities. It has less canal and 
 lockage than any other, and for this reason the passage ot 
 boats may be greatly accelerated. It connects with the lake 
 at Green Bav, a point which is 300 miles nearer the seaboard 
 
X2 LOWER VOX RIVER VALLEY. 
 
 than Chicago, or any other place on the southern end of 
 Lake Michigan. This gives to it a decided advantage over 
 the Illinois River, which probably ranks next in importance 
 as a door of exit for the commerce of the West to reach tide- 
 water. Moreover, the capacity of the latter is not naturally 
 as great, nor can it ever be improved to that extent of which 
 the former is susceptible. Wc see, therefore, that hundreds 
 of thousands of dollars may be saved every year by directing 
 the tide of commerce through the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers 
 and the chain of lakes. The improvement of the Huron 
 and Ontario Canal, also, — being an enterprise that is already 
 in progress, — will serve as an important link ia this great com- 
 mercial thoi-oughfare across the continent. This project will 
 shorten the water-route between Montreal and New York, 
 by a considerable distance, and will prove to be of conspicu- 
 ous account in the great system of cheap transportation, in 
 which both the people of this country and the Dominion of 
 Canada are now deeply intei'ested, and which will be thor- 
 oughly perfected ere the lapse of many years. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to consider these advantages as they 
 relate to the manufacturing interests in this valley. If this 
 route saves millions in the transportation of agricultural pro- 
 ducts every year, as we have seen, it will also offer the same 
 facilities to various other classes of industries, the value of 
 which cannot be expressed in any lesser denomination. Ac- 
 cording to the report of the Congressional Transportation 
 Committee, the annual saving to the country which will fol- 
 low the completion of this improvement, will be fully $60,- 
 000,000. It is not easy to imagine the wonderful effect of the 
 retention of this additional vast surplus among the industrial 
 classes of the West. Agriculture, manufactures and com- 
 merce would be stimulated to a degree hitherto imknown, 
 and a more complete davelopment of all our varied re- 
 sources would follow with marvelous rapidity. 
 
 The objection may be presented in this connection to the 
 effect that the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin 
 Rivers, to the full extent . we have assumed, is not yet an 
 established fact, and that the claims of other water-ways, con- 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 33 
 
 necting the Mississippi with the seaboard, may possibly di- 
 vert attention from this channel, and arrest the more 
 favorable consideration of the government. There are several 
 reasons which interpose to prevent any such results. First, 
 the estimated cost of improving the several routes, which in 
 some sections may be regarded as rival lines to that described 
 by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, is respectively as follows: 
 
 To improve Mississippi River below Cairo $10,000,000 
 
 Same above 20,000,000 
 
 Canal at mouth of that river [5,000,000 
 
 Improvement of Ohio River 25,000,000 
 
 Improvement of James River and Kavvana Canal... 50,000,000 
 
 Improvement of Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers 20,000,000 
 Construction of a canal from Mississippi River 
 
 over mountains to Georgia 35,000,000 
 
 Improvement of Red, White, Arkansas and 
 
 Ouchita Rivers 25,000,000 
 
 ToTA 1 200,000,000 
 
 As will be noticed by the accompanying map, the estimate 
 of improving the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers is only a trifle 
 over $4,000,000, so that, on the score of economy, the last 
 named route is by far the most advantageous of any that 
 have been mentioned. Even admitting that the improvement 
 of the other streams is warranted by public necessity, it fol- 
 lows, nevertheless, that the completion of the cheapest one 
 should be the first to be accomplished. It is quite evident 
 that all of this great woi'k cannot be done at once, nor can the 
 immense expenditures which it would occasion be afforded. 
 And, moreover, the government has already assumed the 
 responsibility of this improvement, and the actual work is 
 already in operation. It expended $145,000 to secure the 
 navigable franchises of this route from the Green Bay and 
 Mississippi Canal Company; and last year an appropriation 
 of $300,000 was made and expended in putting in necessary 
 improvements.^ This year a like appropriation has been made, 
 and will be laid out in the prosecution of this work still 
 further. We sec, therefore, that the government has already 
 expended $645,000 upon this route, while the other routes 
 have reached no further advancement than simple proposi- 
 tions to Congress. And we have no right to presume that 
 
■J^ COWER FOX RIVER VALLFf. 
 
 the government will abandon the improvement of the cheap'^- 
 est route, upon which it has already expended so large an 
 amount, and institute operatioiis elsewhere ta secure the same 
 object at a much greater cost. Hence, it appears, that capita! 
 invested upon this stream, with the important consideration of 
 cheap facilities for transportation, will certainly enjoy all of' 
 these advantages at the earliest date that is expedient and, 
 possible. 
 
 ADDITIONAL REASONS, 
 
 OPERATING IN FAVOR OF THE FOX RIVER VAL.LEY AS 
 A MANUFACTURING CENTER. 
 
 The wages of operatives are much less in this valley tham 
 in Eastern cities, and this difference will be continued through 
 all time. For obvious reasons the expenses of living are 
 much less here than there. This locality is made up of and 
 surrounded by the richest agricultural districts which the 
 country affords. In this territory is produced every staple 
 article of food in sufficient abundance, not only to supply 
 local consumption, however great that is or may become, but 
 to I'ender the aggregate surplus of such vast extent as that 
 it can only be be computed by hundreds of millions of bushels.. 
 This advantage is important, and one that is by no means 
 shared in common by the manufacturing cities of this country^ 
 which have achieved distinction as such. It is doubtless true 
 that a sufficient quantity of perishable products is raised in 
 the New England States to supply operatives engaged in its 
 industrial cities, as well as other classes of inhabitants; but it 
 is also true that a great proportion of breadstuffs and other 
 substantial articles of food, annually consumed, are imported 
 from the agricultural districts of the West, which constitute 
 the very surplus of that region of country with which, as we 
 have seen, this valley holds such intimate relations. Of course 
 the price of these products when they reach the Atlantic coast and 
 the neighboring cities are considerably increased, and as a conse- 
 ;iuence the operative must receive greater wages, in order to 
 ^e able to supply himself with these necessities, than if he 
 
1.0"WT;R "FOX RIVER VAULEY. 3| 
 
 "were employed a thousand miles West, Assuming, how- 
 ever, that the employer and employee share mutually in this 
 disadvantage, it appears ' that the jwofits of each are 
 very much less than those of their Western competitors, at 
 least upon that proportion of their products which seeks a 
 market west of Central Ohio, This is only one of the many 
 causes which operates against the Eastern manufacturer,^ 
 when he crosses a given line with his products approaching 
 the West; and the capitalist who engages in useful industries 
 in this valley, need not fear Easter7"i competition-. Cheaper 
 materials, cheaper labor, and superior natural advantages 
 'will protect him ; and his entei-prisc will be rewarded with 
 :greater profit than is enjoyed by Eastern exporters. 
 
 We need scarcely refer again to the fallacy of the system which 
 now obtains, of shipping millions of tons of raw products 
 to the East every year, to be manufactured there and then 
 returned to the Western States to supply the people with the 
 necessary elements of consumption. Hundreds of thousands 
 of men are now engaged on land and sea in this mightv 
 work of transportation; and the truth is quite apparent, that 
 they are paid by means of a material addition to the selling 
 price of the manufactured wares which they are engaged in 
 moving. The immediate and inevitable result is, that the 
 profits of the manuficturer are greatly lessened, and the 
 expense of the consumer considerably augmented. It will be 
 generally received, that an}- policy which will save this im- 
 mense tax upon the industrial classes, is founded upon the 
 unost excellent tenets of political economy: and its practical 
 realization may be found in the development of manufactur- 
 ing interests in the producing regions, to that extent as to sup- 
 ply the demands of consumption, and thus do away with the 
 necessity of transportation to luid from the seaboard. He, 
 indeed, is a poor reasoner who will assume to enter an ob- 
 jection here, that such an arrangement would destroy or lessen 
 the commerce between the States. On the contrary, it would 
 greatly increase the legitimate traffic. Capital and labor, 
 which are now thus employed, and which derive profit from 
 a tax imposed upon the class which they assume to benefit, 
 
36 LOWER FOX KIVER VALLEY. 
 
 would become engaged in enterprises of great consequence, 
 and whose profits would proceed from an absolute creation of 
 value. This new and improved condition of affairs would 
 swell the tide of commerce, and one that would be legitimate 
 and necessary. On account of its natural advantages that 
 have been treated, few can any longer doubt that the Fox 
 River Valley is the place where this grand development of 
 enterprises should be made. 
 
 WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BONE. 
 
 In the previous pages we have endeavored to show what 
 the advantages of this locality are, and why, and how they 
 should be improved. But it would not be the fair thing to 
 do, to close the books without, at least, indicating the proper 
 credit for the enterprise which is manifested and the advance- 
 ment which has been made. A few figures will best explain. 
 The various counties embraced in the Fox River Valley 
 annually manufacture products which amount to the following- 
 respective values: 
 
 VALLEY OF LOWER FOX. 
 
 Counties. Dollars In products. 
 
 Brown $2,076,410 
 
 Outagamie 1,108,292 
 
 Calumet 157,260 
 
 Winnebago 5,209,947 
 
 TOTAI 8,551,909 
 
 VALLEY OF UPPER FOX. 
 
 Counties. I^ollars iu products. 
 
 Green Lake 890,123 
 
 Waushara 271,494 
 
 Marquette 233,177 
 
 Columbia 713)139 
 
 Total 2,107,933 
 
 8,551,909 
 
 Grand Total ;gio,659,842 
 
 It is proper to add that four years have elapsed since these 
 figures have been compiled, during which time it is safe to 
 estimate that the armual amount of our manufactured pro- 
 ducts have increased at least one-half, in which case they 
 
LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 37 
 
 would represent a value of $20,ocx>,ooo, which is by no 
 means a discreditable exhibit for a locality which has only 
 just passed its majority. This degree of development, to 
 which we have attained, is entirely due to western nerve, and 
 muscle, and brains, unassisted by capital. It has been accom- 
 plished by a generation of pioneers who began with nothing ; 
 who substituted industry for every other element that is used 
 in the creation of wealth; who recognized the advantages of 
 the country and their adaptation to manufacturing enterprises; 
 who began in a small way and developed into respectful pro- 
 portions; who have put forth their efforts to overcome 
 nature's resistance to man, and make her resources subservient 
 to a higher and nobler purpose ; and they have been rewarded by 
 her with bounteous liberality. The lesson of their experi- 
 ence is just sufficient to demonstrate how profitable the estab- 
 lishment of industrial enterprises in this valley may be made, 
 by the assistance of capital and its concomitants. The demand 
 for our products is increasing and unlimited, the supply of 
 materials vast and inexhaustible, and the facilities for securing 
 and manufacturing them are unexcelled in this or any other 
 country; and, indeed, every inducement presents itself to 
 encourage and warrant the continued and more rapid develop- 
 ment of these resources. 
 
APPLE TON. 
 
 All that has been said in the preceding pages relative to 
 the Fox River Valley — its advantages and its prospects — will 
 apply with equal and even more direct force to the city of 
 Appleton, because it is the natural center of that important 
 region which has been described. Although there are other 
 cities situated in this valley, which possess, in some degree, 
 great natural advantages like ourselves, still there are none 
 whose present prosperity is more rapid, or whose prospective 
 development is as promising as that of Appleton. It pos- 
 sesses all of the natural characteristics necessary for a manu- 
 facturing city of great distinction, and while it is no part of 
 the object of this work to detract from the merits of neigh- 
 boring cities, which share in common with us, to a great ex- 
 tent, the rich heritage by which nature has distinguished this 
 locality, it is nevertheless true that it maintains a position of 
 marked superiority over its rivals, by reason of both its 
 natural characteristics and the improvements which have 
 already been made. These considerations are of primary 
 and great importance to the business man who is seeking 
 profitable investment for his capital. While other advantages 
 calculated to minister to his esthetic tastes, enter into and 
 oftentimes determine his decision, it is the material features 
 
;ketch and data 
 
 OiF- tkce: 
 
 f LEXO|i WaJI^ P©WE% 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 39 
 
 of a place which receive his most favorable attention ; but the 
 city in which both are combined, is that to which his prefer- 
 ence is invariably given. That Appleton is a representative 
 of this favored class, is a question on which there is no dis- 
 pute among those who are familiar with its attractions. 
 
 WATER-POWEH. 
 
 Some of the salient features of the water-power on the 
 Lower Fox River, have been partially set forth in the pre- 
 vious pages, but a more elaborate description of the power at 
 Appleton will be proper in this connection. Its superiority 
 appears when a comparison of its features is made with the 
 other principal powers of the country. Its suppl}' is not 
 drawn from mountain torrents like the Mill River, of Massa- 
 chusets, the Hudson and Merrimack, and other principal rivers 
 of the country, but from smaller streams ramifying a vast 
 expanse of undulating country — thus rendering a uniformity 
 of flowage, instead of excessive or limited discharges. In 
 addition to this, as if to combine in this series of water-powers 
 the advantages of all others, nature has provided immense 
 rerervoirs, sufficient in capacity to contain the accumulation 
 of the upper streams, tributary thereto, for months together; 
 and the uniformity of flowage is thereby more strictly pre- 
 served. So closely related is the maximum and minimum 
 quantity discharged, that the difference is never greater than 
 three feet, and is scarcely ever more than thirty inches. The 
 practical manufacturer will draw his own conclusions as to 
 the advantages of this arrangement so admirably designed by 
 nature. His first impression will be, that up to a certain 
 point, whicli can be ascertained, the capacity of the power can 
 be utilized, and, with absolute certainty, that the force calcu- 
 lated upon will be unfailing throughout the entire year. 
 The manufacturer who is located on a fluctuating stream, and 
 who is compelled to suspend operations a considerable por- 
 tion of every year, will appreciate this advantage. Then, 
 too, there are other considerations that will scarcely escape 
 his notice. Owing to this gradual flow of water, there is 
 absolutely no danger whatever from freshets to mills, factories 
 
SKETCH AND DATA 
 
 West's Can a1 — t.ooo ft long, ijo Tt wido . 17^ fl (Jceji 
 
 Govcmiiieiil Canal—fi.ioo (l. long ; 100 U wi<If , 6 ft 'Jeep. 
 
 Distance to Commercial Center, i.joo ft. 
 
 Diwancc to C. & N. W R. R. Depot 1,400 ft. 
 
 Fall of River, 40 ft. 
 
 Flow of Water, 150,000 cubic ft. per minute 
 
40 
 
 CrTY OF APPLETON. 
 
 and warehouses at this point. Raw materials, manufactured 
 stock, and the foundations of buildings which are 36 inches 
 above low water mark, are never reached nor interfered with 
 by the swelling currents of the river. The same causes also 
 operate to render dams of ordinary stability, and structures of 
 every kind, built to resist the natural flow of the water, entirely 
 safe against the increased pressure created by swollen streams. 
 Too much cannot be said concerning the advantage of this 
 natural isecurity. When we come to consider the terrible 
 disasters to life and property, w^hich frequently occur upon 
 other streams, it is more fully appreciated. The Mill River 
 calamity ,'bf recent^date, which spread such appalling devasta- 
 tion along one of the most beautiful and industrious valleys 
 of New England, and by which nearly two-hundred lives 
 were destroyed, and the accumulated property of a century 
 swept away, is at least sufficient to turn the attention of the 
 practical mind to another locality which possesses every 
 natural advantage in a superior degree, separated from the 
 dangers which usually attend rapidly flowing streams. It 
 may also be remarked, that the rigor of this northern climate 
 does not embarrass the driving of machinery in this valley, 
 which is an advantage possessed by few localities claiming the 
 distinction which we enjoy. Block ice is never created on 
 our rapids to clog the revolution of machinery, nor is it ever 
 carried down by the surging stream in quantities large 
 enough to endanger property or put a stop upon our indus- 
 trial operations. It is by no means an extravagant statement 
 to make that, all things considered, Appleton presents a 
 water-power unrivalled by any other on the continent, or 
 even in the world. It is true that its advantages may not be 
 generally known among the prominent moneyed men of the 
 country; but a few, however, have become familiar with it.-> 
 merits, and to w^hose opinions we shall allow expression in 
 this connection. Hon. Wm. B. Ogden, of Chicago, one of 
 the most deservedly successful business men in the whok- 
 country, says: 
 
 " There is more value in tlollars and cents in the water- 
 power at Appleton, than any other I have ever known." 
 
lllJiillii::li;:;l!l!i::;:ii!,'ai !!' iil 8i:.':'i'IL'lffi-':S:'l::;" ':il»\'^'a:\:?v-y^ ' s ■! K i ; 1 1! 'iimm<'mi^«l'''\ . '"■■'' if^'f 'mx 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 41 
 
 Again, Mr. Gustavus Ames, one of the most successful in- 
 ventors of this decade, and prominent manufacturer of 
 Rochester, N. Y., says: ' 
 
 " I would not change the power in your city for any like 
 quantity in any other place, because of its immense body, 
 and for purposes where pure water is required, no place can 
 compare to the power in Appleton." 
 
 Mr. Ames is an extensive manufacturer of paper, and, of 
 course, he attaches proper emphasis to a point which he re- 
 gards as being very important. And it is undeniably true 
 that Appleton is unrivalled by any other place in the country 
 as a location for industries of this class. 
 
 Hon. Hiram Barney, of New York, expresses his opinion 
 in these words: 
 
 "It wouldbe unjust to bespeak for Appleton a future like 
 Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham, or like Lowell, Patter- 
 son or Rochester; for its natural advantages are greater than 
 are possessed by all of those cities combined. Capital only is 
 wanting to realize all that imagination can picture of pros- 
 perity to this valley, of which this beautiful city is the center, 
 and this want will be of short duration. When the advan- 
 tages of its water-power shall reveal the profits which capital 
 invested will earn for its owners, money in millions will 
 naturally seek at that point its safety and its iiftrease." 
 
 These are the deliberate expressions of men who repre- 
 sent the business enterprise of three great cities of the con- 
 tinent, and who are competent to judge fully of the magnifi- 
 cent advantages which the Appleton water-power possesses. 
 Some of them, with others equally prominent, have practi- 
 cally illustrated their faith in its value, by investing capital at 
 this point in the Fox River Valley, and the fact that these 
 words have been uttered after the results of their investments 
 became known, gives to them additional force. 
 
 A VAILABJL/TY. 
 
 There is probably not another water-power in the country 
 that offers such excellent inducements for the establishment 
 of great manufacturing enterprises as the one at Appleton. 
 
 Its essential and material features nature has contrived most 
 
42 
 
 CITY OK APPLETON. 
 
 admirably, and industrious ma,n has wrought upon them such 
 improvements as render the application of this agent to use- 
 ful purposes an easy, safe and profitable undertaking. By 
 referring to the accompanying map, a still more accurate idea 
 may be obtained of the capacity and advantages which it 
 possesses. In his tracing of the map, the reader is invited to 
 assume as the initial point of the examination, that section of 
 the river which is divided by the upper or stone dam. This 
 magnificent structure is the work of the government for the 
 improvement of navigation upon the Lower Fox. It is now 
 in process of construction, and will be completed during the 
 summer of 1S74, at a total cost of not less than $50,000. 
 It is 700 feet long, 12 feet high, and is built of solid stone 
 masonry. It is by far the most enduring structure of the 
 kind on the line of the river, and, in fact, no better or more 
 substantial one could be built. Besides answering the purpose 
 of the government, it will also serve as a permanent improve- 
 ment to the water-power facilities of this place. As will be 
 seen, a considerable proportion of the waters flowing in the 
 main channel is directed, by means of the stone dam and 
 the adjacent pier on the south side, into the canal originally 
 constructed by the Green Bay and Mississippi Canal Co., but 
 lately purchased by the government. The primary object of 
 this artificial channel is to subserve the purposes of naviga- 
 tion, but the supply of water is so abundant that the demands 
 of commerce may be met, besides leaving a residue of ample 
 magnitude to be utilized in driving machinery of various 
 kinds. Accordingly, this canal may be tapped upon either 
 side, and at any point, and any amount of water drawn 
 therefrom that may be desired. It will be noticed that the 
 length of the upper level is 1,800 feet; that of the middle 
 level 1,700 feet; and that of the lower level 2,600 feet. The 
 reader will observe that a series of water-powers can be 
 furnished by this channel for a distance of over one mile, with 
 an average head of not less than 13 feet. A canal may also 
 be extended several hundred feet below the point where the 
 lower lock is situated, and a series of magnificent water- 
 powers thus be created. The owners of the land in this 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 43 
 
 vicinity, Messrs. Hyde & Harriman, are already contem- 
 plating such improvements. On either side of the govern- 
 ment canal are spacious accommodations for factory sites, the 
 greater part of the distance. The water-power franchises 
 created by this canal, are still in the possession and at the 
 disposal of the Green Bay and Mississippi Canal Company, 
 by which they were retained when the balance of the prop- 
 erty was disposed of to the government. The depth of this 
 canal is seven feet, and the average width 130 feet. 
 
 On the north side of the river similar advantages exist, 
 and may be enlarged upon as soon as the multiplication of 
 the industries of the place demand it. Beginning at the termi- 
 nus of the dam and approaching the east, a canal can be con- 
 structed 2,000 feet in length, that will create a series of excel- 
 lent powers, with heads varying from 13 to 25 feet. A 
 considerable part of this property is in the hands of 
 Messrs Conkey and Rogers, who are making extensive and 
 valuable improvements, this season. By means of wing dams, 
 etc., considerable power already exists, and is utilized on this 
 side of the river, but, of course, the great bulk of flowage 
 passes over the dam and down the principal stream. At a 
 distance of about 1,350 feet from this point, the current of the 
 river is divided by the Grand Chute Island — an area of terri- 
 tory embracing about 24 acres, or 3,840 square rods. Through 
 the center of this island, in the year 1870, Mr. Edward West, 
 who owns the property, built a magnificent ship canal, at a cosf 
 of $20,000. It is 171^ feet deep, 130 feet wide, and about 2,000 
 feet in length. This splendid enterprise was conceived and con- 
 summated by Mr. West, who recognized in the near future the 
 importance of such an improvement, as well as a demand for 
 the advantages which it would create. Its successful comple- 
 tion was the most important stride of development which 
 the water-power facilities in this valley have yet taken. The 
 advantages which it affords for ^manufacturing can scarcely 
 be equalled anywheie. It receives an iiivariable supply of 
 water, directed between its banks from the river, by means of 
 a wing dam extending some distance into the stream. Tht 
 lots, fronting on both sides of the canal, afford ample accom- 
 
44 CITY OF APPLETON. 
 
 modations for at least 75 manufacturing establishments, with 
 streets in the rear leading to railway depots, main thorough- 
 fares, etc. The design of the originator of this enterprise is, 
 to effect navigable communication between the canal and the 
 river below, by the construction of a lock at the eastern 
 terminus, as soon as a more complete development of our in- 
 dustrial interests demand it. This will enable boats of large 
 capacity to pass into and along this canal, and receive the 
 manufactured wares at the very doors of the various establish- 
 ments, which may be located upon its banks. Thus the ex- 
 pense of draying and handling goods several times, which is 
 unavoidable in most other localities, will all be saved by reason 
 of the splendid facilities which this channel affords. The 
 economy of this arrangement will readily be recognized by 
 sagacious and discriminating business men, and it will not be 
 necessary to describe in detail the resulting benefits. 
 
 Below the eastern terminus of West's canal is another dam,' 
 about 10 feet in height, by means of which another series of 
 magnificent water-powers can be created. Some of this 
 power is already utilized, but the great bulk of it is still unap- 
 propriated. On the east side a canal may be extended to any 
 desired distance, from which power may be drawn. 
 
 Another point of great importance to those who may con- 
 teniplate the establishment of manufacturing industries in 
 this locality, is the extremely and unusually low rates at 
 which water-power can be leased or purchased. There are 
 various reasons upon which this may be accounted for. First, 
 the supply is so great that, in any event, many years must 
 elapse before it will be utilized; and secondly, the parties and 
 corporations who control this property have always main- 
 tained, and still observe, a liberal policy with reference to 
 enterprises which seek establishment here. Water is allowed 
 to leap to the wheels of industry unrestrained by a tariff that 
 imposes any considerable tax upon their operations. To 
 enable accurate conclusions to be reached, it is only necessary 
 to add, that the highest rates that have ever been charged 
 have not exceeded $5 per horse-power, per annum, while 
 very good sites and unlimited accommodations of this kind, 
 
iil 
 
 illjl; 
 
 !:;'4 
 
 
 ' ■llll 
 
 lIliM 
 
 
 m 
 
 H. 
 
 i§ 
 
 I ililliM rii' ii'Viiil iiN:i i'lii.l' -i'ii.|i:ii:'l ':':' 'iv . .,:,!■ ;^lliwSii|gji^@^^g^^^^^ 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 45 
 
 are leased at $3 per horse-power for a long term of years. 
 Lots 60 feet wide and 150 feet in depth, with guaranteed 
 privilege of 50 horse-power, can be purchased outright at 
 prices ranging from $1,200 to $2,000, The advantage of 
 such exceedingly low rates will be appreciated when a com- 
 parison is made with those which are exacted in other locali- 
 ties. On some streams in Wisconsin even, they are fifteen 
 times greater, while in most of the prominent places at the 
 East, the proportion is more than twenty-five times as great. 
 This, as well as numerous other advantages that we have 
 enumerated, operates to render the annual profits of the manu- 
 facturer much more liberal here than elsewhere. 
 
 PRODUCTS OF APPLETON INDUSTRIES. 
 
 The inference may possibly be drawn, that because such a very 
 large proportion of our excellent and superior facilities are as 
 yet unappropriated, the industrial interests of the place are 
 scarcely worthy of computation. A few figures, however, 
 which have been carefully compiled, will serve to remove 
 any such doubt. There are now annually manufactured in 
 this city, products amounting to the following respective 
 values: 
 
 Baskets $30,000 
 
 Barrels 32,000 
 
 Brick 160,000 
 
 Carriages and Wagons 10,000 
 
 Chairs, Bedsteads and Furniture 100,000 
 
 Doors, Sash and Blinds 100,000 
 
 Flour 740,000 
 
 Hubs and Spokes 150,000 
 
 Iron 322,000 
 
 Leather 15.000 
 
 Lime 20,000 
 
 Lumber 175,000 
 
 Machinei7 45.ooo 
 
 Pjjper 80,000 
 
 Pumps iS>ooo 
 
 Staves and Heading 80,000 
 
 Wood Pulp 125,000 
 
 Woolen Goods 100,000 
 
 Miscellaneous 260,000 
 
 Total $2,325,000 
 
 7 
 
46 CITY OF APPLETON. 
 
 RAILROAD FACILITIES. 
 
 Taking into account our present and prospective railroad 
 advantages, there is little else demanded in this respect by the 
 material interests of this locality. The Chicago and North- 
 western line, and the various other roads which it intersects 
 at other points, afford reliable shipping facilities to the South, 
 West and East, and in fact all parts of the country. The 
 extension of this road, into the great mineral districts 
 of Lake Superior, is also of great consequence to 
 the manufacturers of this place. The rapid development 
 of that country which is now going on, creates a de- 
 mand for many kinds of our products, which can be shipped 
 in that direction, at all seasons of the year, by this line of 
 road. By referring to the map, it will also be noticed, that 
 our water-power has connection by rail with Manitowoc, a 
 city on the lake shore, about 40 miles distant. This road is 
 not yet completed to the proposed terminus in this city, but 
 less than one-half mile of track remains to be laid; and the 
 probabilities are that this part of the work will be accom- 
 plished during the present summer of 1874. This will be a 
 valuable line of transportation to our manufacturers. It will 
 receive their wares almost upon the very grounds where they 
 are made, and thus save the cost otherwise involved in extra 
 handling and hauling to depots and points of shipment. 
 Manitowoc is naturally one of the best ports on the lake, 
 and offers facilities for transshipment by water that are unsur- 
 passed. Liberal appropriations have been made by the 
 government, from time to time, for its improvement, and as a 
 shipping point its advantages are unsurpassed. It is also the 
 intention of the present Board of Directors of this company, 
 which is almost entirely composed of New York and Boston 
 capitalists, to extend this line westward and northward from 
 Appleton, to intersect with the Green Bay and Minnesota 
 Railroad, about twenty miles distant. This will give us di- 
 rect communication with the great producing sections of 
 Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the great tide of 
 commerce will be directed to and through this point. As 
 
CITY OF APPLKTON. 
 
 47 
 
 that country continues to be developed, there will also be 
 created a demand for large quantities of various classes of 
 wares produced in this city. We will thus be placed in con- 
 venient relation with a new and important market, which we 
 can supply at a much less cost than manufacturers who are 
 less favorably located. 
 
 By glancing again at the sketch of our water-power, previ- 
 ously presented, the proposed extension of the Wisconsin 
 Central Railroad to Grand Chute Island, will be observed. 
 When this enterprise is carried into effect, (and the growing 
 interests of the place already demand it,) we shall be directly 
 connected with Milwaukee, the metropolis of the State, from 
 which point radiate numerous railroads, reaching out and 
 ramifying every important section of the country. Another 
 arm of this important thoroughfare reaches into and through 
 Northern Wisconsin on a line which nearly equally divides 
 the State north and south, and terminates at Ashland, Lake 
 Superior, at which point a junction will ultimately be formed 
 with the Northern Pacific. This country is rich beyond 
 calculation in undeveloped wealth, and with which the ex- 
 change of commodoties, at no distant day, must become an 
 industry of great magnitude. The advantages to be derived 
 from this source by the manufacturer at Appleton, will readily 
 suggest themselves to the discerning mind, and need not here 
 be enumerated. The general effect of the extension of these 
 various lines of road to the water-power in this city, each of 
 which is managed by a distinct corporation, will be to de- 
 velop a healthy competition for the business of the place, by 
 means of w^hich minimum rates, for the shipment of goods by 
 rail, can always be obtained. 
 
 These advantages, combined with those offered by the 
 cheap water-route which has been previously considered in 
 detail, render the transportation problem a pleasant matter 
 for the manufacturer at Appleton to contemplate; while in 
 other localities it is a difficuly which evolves serious and 
 disastrous results, and eats out industries that would otherwise 
 develop and become profitable. Indeed, the difference in our 
 favor, between the relative annual cost of transportation to a 
 
^8 CITY OF APPI.ETON. 
 
 manufacturing establishment located in this city, and a similar 
 concern in a less favored place, would make for it a very 
 handsome yearly dividend. This is a very important matter 
 which individuals and companies seeking a profitable in- 
 vestment for their capital cannot ignore. It is a question, too, 
 the more thoroughly it is investigated, the more marked will 
 the result, in favor of this city, appear. 
 
 ESTIMATED MANUFACTURING CAPACITY. 
 
 An approximate estimate may be made of the manufactur- 
 ing capacity of this city with the most flattering results, pro- 
 vided all the power available is utilized to a reasonable extent. 
 As has already been presented in a previous table, the privi- 
 leges of this kind enjoyed by Appleton throughout the en- 
 tire year, reach in extent 11,500 horse-power. A manufac- 
 turing establishment, of average capacity, will require of this 
 amount about 30 horse-power. This calculation will'admit of 
 the successful operation in this city of 384 "different factories. 
 Allowing that the products of each one will amount to an 
 average of $100,000 per year, which is not an exaggerated 
 estimate, and we find that the aggregate annual value of the 
 products of these various industries, reaches the enormous 
 sum of $38,400,000. This degree of development may be 
 reserved for the distant future, but it is sure to be attained 
 sometime. The superior advantages which we possess, the 
 growing demands of the country and of civilization, the 
 characteristic push and enterprise of the present generation, 
 are sufficient to warrant the belief, that they will be fully 
 utilized within the limits of the 19th century. The possibility 
 we have pictured is not the product of fancy, but rather the 
 result of demonsti'ation. 
 
 OTHER ADVANTAGES— TAXATION AND PUBLIC 
 
 DEBT 
 
 For a Western city, which is as yet only in the embryo of 
 development, our rates of taxation and public debt are very 
 small. The municipal government has pursued a liberal 
 
CITY OF APPLKTON. 
 
 49 
 
 policy with reference to needed improvements, and we doubt 
 if there is a city of equal size anywhere in the country, where 
 public convenience and necessity are more thoroughly pro- 
 vided for. Still, the rate of taxation which is required, to 
 meet the annual disbursements, does not exceed from ^ to i 
 per cent., on a fair valuation ; while the amount of our public 
 debt is scarcely i per cent. — placing the value of our property, 
 real and personal, upon a similar basis. When a comparison 
 is made of the condition of our public finances, with that of 
 other localities, the result in our favor appears most flattering, 
 and in any light which they may be regarded, the exhibit is 
 certainly very creditable. Due importance will be attached 
 to this fact by men who are seeking homes and business loca- 
 tions. It operates against necessary expenditures and swells 
 the annual profits of every establishment. 
 
 ATTRA CTIONS AS A PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND 
 SUMMER RESORT. 
 The healthfulness of this city is a marked characteristic of 
 the place. It occupies a level site about 70 feet above the 
 river, and the atmosphere by which it is enveloped is pure 
 and invigorating. Although the climate reaches the extremes 
 of temperature, common to such latitudes, yet it contains those 
 vital elements which beget and sustain vigorous life. Epi- 
 demics, which, of some type or other, few places escape, 
 scarcely ever visit this favored spot. Unlike many Western 
 cities, it has been distinguished in this particular from its 
 earliest settlement. As the city has excellent drainage facili- 
 ties, all impure collections are carried off, and no opportunity 
 allowed for the atmosphere to become impregnated with the 
 noxious elements which foster and beget disease, in various 
 forms. Owing to this natural configuration, the marked 
 cleanliness of the city is one of the first impressions which a 
 stranger receives in visiting this locality. 
 
 ED UCA TIONAL FA CILITIES. 
 
 It is, perhaps, quite unusual, but still it can be easily ac- 
 counted for, that a Western city of so limited an age, and 
 whose material resources are as yet in the infancy of develop- 
 
5© CITY OF APPLETON. 
 
 ment, possesses the superior educational advantages which 
 but few places ever enjoy. But when it is remembered that 
 the corner-stone upon which this city has been reared thus 
 far, was an educational institution, founded in this place a 
 a quarter of a century ago, it is not strange that this impor- 
 tant interest of society should have kept pace, not only with 
 the demands of this immediate locality, but of this and 
 neighboring States as well. Lawrence University was the 
 nucleus about which the elements, which serve to make up a 
 city, were collected ; and it being the first chief feature of at- 
 traction, Appleton stood out from the first as a place possess- 
 ing unusual and superior educational facilities. The curric- 
 ulum of the University is as extended and comprehensive 
 as that of any other institution in the West. It embraces 
 classical, scientific and civil engineering courses, while music, 
 fine arts and other similar branches, receive the attention 
 which their importance deserves. 
 
 During the present summer material additions have been 
 made to the facilities of the University, which, in^the scope of 
 usefulness, must place it far in advance of every institution in 
 the West. An academic institute has been established, that 
 will serve a purpose in the educational system, somew^hat 
 foreign to the college proper, but which is calculated to ac- 
 complish a work none the less important. It will consist of 
 six departments, viz., the Juvenile, Academic, Preparatory, 
 Commercial, Drawing and Painting, and Conservatory of 
 Music. The institution will be under the direction of experi- 
 enced and accomplished instructors, and the method of in- 
 struction will be largely that of the object lessons. The sys- 
 tem, to which it is devoted, regards the practical instruction of 
 the youth of both sexes, in the various industrial arts, of great 
 importance. It not only qualifies to receive and comprehend 
 the higher and more advanced educational truths, but it also 
 inculcates ideas that will be of legitimate service in the fu- 
 ture adventures and ex2:)enences of life. 
 
 The Universitv enjoys an excellent reputation, in this and 
 <jther States, all of which are tributary to its maintenance 
 and development. Its administration is in the hands of an 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 51 
 
 able and accomplished faculty, the members of which rank 
 high among educational men, both in this country and in 
 Europe. 
 
 Another institution, equally worthy of notice, and of no in- 
 considerable importance to the educational facilities of Ap- 
 pleton, is the German Select School, established in this city 
 five years ago. It already occupies a permanent basis, and 
 is of peculiar and incalculable value to people of all nation- 
 alities, for the superior advantages which it affords for the 
 instruction of the rising generation in the German language. 
 It is liberally supported, and is constantly growing in popular 
 favor. 
 
 An excellent and well managed system of ward schools 
 also obtains in this city. Ample and extensive accommoda- 
 tions of this kind exist, and the people have a just pride in 
 maintaining them, at the advanced limit to which such insti- 
 tutions usually attain. It is here that educational advantages 
 are brought within the reach of all classes of which the com- 
 munity is composed, and where the foundation is laid for 
 future usefulness and a more liberal culture. 
 
 Altogether the facilities for education, offered in this city, 
 are varied and comprehensive, and, in this respect, Appleton 
 will rank favorably with the most advanced city on the con- 
 tinent. 
 
 SOCIAL LIFE, ITS INSTITUTIONS, ETC. 
 
 Of course it is quite or wholly unnecessary that any effort 
 should be made here to dispel illusions which formerly pre- 
 vailed very generally, throughout the Eastern States, with re- 
 ference to the condition of society, its status of development, 
 etc., at this as well as at other points in the West. Of late 
 years, the intercourse between the East and West has become 
 so intimate, and their interests so nearly identical, that we no 
 longer suffer materially from erroneous opinions entertained 
 of our social condition. In Appleton, especially, the ad- 
 vanced degree of social culture and refinement, which has 
 been attained, is very marked. The people have a proper 
 appreciation of the benefits and pleasures to be derived from 
 
52 CITY OF APPLETON. 
 
 amicable intercourse, and Eastern people visiting this locality 
 will find the contrast in this respect, to that to which they 
 have been accustomed, less distinct than they might at first 
 anticipate. Neither will they find it difficult to secure a 
 place in the -social circles in which the amenities of life are 
 cultivated and protected. Churches and societies, of various 
 kinds, incident to advanced civilization, and calculated to im- 
 prove and develop mind and morals, are among the established 
 and cherished institutions of the place. 
 
 BEA UTY OF SCENER Y. 
 
 There are few places in this or any other State, where 
 nature has spread out and woven her mantle of beauty in 
 such rich and rare graces as adorn Appleton and its environs. 
 Lend to them a history as ancient as that of the sunny 
 fields of Italy, the beautiful banks of the Rhine, or the vine- 
 clad hills of France, and they will become a more coveted 
 theme for poets, a finer subject for the artist's pencil, and a 
 grander text for the inspired orator. The natural configura- 
 tion is an object which attracts attention, and fully satisfies 
 the sense of the beautiful. The graceful slopes which re- 
 cede from the flowing stream, upon both sides, until a level 
 table land is reached, form a picture which to look upon is to 
 admire. Woodland, and meadow, and cultivated plot, occur 
 upon these banks in pleasing alternative, and present scenes 
 of ravishing beauty. To all these the roar of the tremen- 
 dous water-falls, the music of the swift-coursing stream over 
 its rocky bed, until it finally merges into a deeper current, 
 and then glides on with a gentle murmur, give a vivacity 
 that awakens new emotions, only to gratify their most ex- 
 treme and exacting demands. From the summit of these 
 slopes there can be received within the radii of a single 
 vision, all of the features of this beautiful and variegated 
 picture, for at least one mile in extent. Aside from this, one 
 can overlook all of the varied industries now in operation, 
 and hereafter to be established in this beautiful valley, if the 
 plain behests of nature are observed. The commercial center 
 is at a convenient distance from the w^ater-power, and the 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 53 
 
 principal street or avenue upon which it is located reaches a 
 distance of two miles, and is one of the finest of which any 
 city, large or small, can boast. The resident sections are 
 situated on both sides, and are divided into handsome and 
 symmetrical squares, which display admirable skill and taste. 
 Much is added to the beauty of the city by the profusion of 
 shade trees which adorn every square. There is, and may 
 still be, hidden beneath their tender and shining foliage many 
 a delightful home, where the excitement and turmoil incident 
 to individual experience may be shut out, and where each life 
 may find placid repose within the sanctity of its bosom. 
 
 RESORT FOR PEOPLE IN PURSUIT OF HEALTH 
 OR PLEASURE. 
 
 Many features, that have already been described, are calcu- 
 lated to figure conspicuously in the entertainment of the 
 tourist and pleasure-seeker. Add to these the delights to be 
 experienced in pleasant drives throughout the city and its 
 environs, over thoroughly graded roads that reach into the 
 country in every direction, and along well-cultivated farms 
 that display evidence of thrift and industry — as well as the ex- 
 cellent facilities offered for boating and fishing, and all kinds 
 of river amusement — and his catalogue of recreations will be 
 well-nigh complete. People who are accustomed to the ex- 
 dtement, and bustle, and exacting demands of a great, roaring 
 city, will find that a few weeks of respite during the summer 
 season, in the beautiful sylvan retreats surrounding this 
 locality, will replenish and recuperate exhausted systems, and 
 endow them with a new lease of life. 
 
 MINERAL SPRINGS. 
 
 Prominent among the attractions which this place presents 
 as a summer resort, arethe"Telulah Mineral Springs," which 
 are most beautifully situated. An analysis of their waters 
 has been made by eminent chemists, which process has dis- 
 closed the fact that they possess medicinal properties of rare 
 value. Their virtue has also been tested by people with im- 
 paired health, and the cures they have wrought, in many 
 
 8 
 
54 
 
 CITY OF APPLETON. 
 
 cases, are most remarkable. Although the peculiarity of these 
 springs has been known for some time by the people of this 
 locality, nothing has been done until the present season to 
 acquaint the outside world with their subtle power. Already 
 their fame is spreading rapidly, and they give fair promise to 
 become a more popular resort than similar springs else- 
 where in the country have ever been. The beautiful sur- 
 roundings lend additional enchantment to this resort. Upon 
 one side the gladsome current of the Fox steals along its 
 grassy borders; and on the other an extensive park, em- 
 bracing not less than 40 acres, and possessing innumerable at- 
 tractions of rustic retirement, offers the rarest entertainment 
 which nature, in her bounty, ever provides. 
 
 An item usually regarded as of great importance is that the 
 hotel accomodations of the city are ample and extensive, and, 
 thus far, have even kept in advance of public requirement, 
 great as that has been. Every desirable convenience is pro- 
 vided for guests, and at rates far below what are generally ex- 
 acted at watering places. 
 
 THE COUNTY. 
 
 Appleton is the seat of government of Outagamie County, 
 a region of territory embracing about 576 square miles, or 
 368,640 acres. The townships situated nearest the city are 
 thoroughly improved and cultivated by an industrious farm- 
 ing population, and present as advanced an appearance as any 
 county or State can display. The value of farming lands in 
 this vicinity varies from $50 to $100 per acre, according to 
 location and character of buildings. The settlement of towns 
 further in the interior, and in the northern part of the county, 
 took place at a later period, and, of course, have not reached 
 that degree of development indicated above. Every year, 
 however, witnesses the inauguration of new improvements, 
 which will soon entitle them to be classed with their older 
 neighbors. Land is valued in these localities at from $10 to 
 $50 per acre, which is determined by the extent and variety 
 of improvements that have been made. 
 
CITY OF APPLETON. 
 
 55 
 
 Throughout the entire county the farmers cannot be re- 
 garded other than a favored class. The lands are fertile, and 
 yield liberal returns for the labor expended. The growing 
 industries of the city create a demand for his surplus timber, 
 and all other materials, and all of his products are market- 
 able at prices far above what he would receive if his sur- 
 roundings were less favorable. 
 
 POPULA TION. 
 
 In 1870 the population of the city, according to the last 
 census, was 4,518; that of the county, exclusive of the city, 
 13,912. According to the school census, recently taken, and 
 other reliable data at hand, the former figures may now be 
 increased to 7,500, and the latter to 18,000, which shows a 
 creditable increase during this period. 
 
 CONCL USION. 
 
 Much has been said in the preceding pages of the advan- 
 tages of this city as a manufacturing point, and of its attrac- 
 tions as a place of residence, which may possibly be received 
 with a good deal of allowance by the reader, who may never 
 have heard of this locality before, or become familiar with its 
 merits. If so, the only additional remark we can urge is, 
 that one and all who may still entertain doubts of the present 
 importance and future prominence of this city, are respect- 
 fully invited to visit this place, and see how faithful these 
 pages have been to the existing facts. Every claim set 
 forth, and statement made, occupies a substantial basis, and 
 will suffer nothing from the most thorough and searching in- 
 vestigation. Indeed, that is what every friend of the city 
 desires to have done, believing that it will be followed by a 
 rapid influx of capital, to be invested in enterprises that will 
 prove remunerative to the owners, and beneficial to the civili- 
 zation of modern times. 
 
THE APPLETON 
 
 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
 
 It will be a matter of considerable importance to outsiders 
 to know that an organization^as above indicated, has recently 
 been formed in this city, embracing in its membership the 
 leading business men of this locality, who represent our man- 
 ufacturing, mercantile and commercial interests. The follow- 
 ing are the officers elect of the organization : 
 
 A. L. Smith, President 
 
 David Smith, \st Vice-President. 
 
 George Kreiss, znd Vice-President. 
 
 A. J. Reid, Secretary. 
 
 J. E. Harriman, Treasurer. 
 
 Theodore Conkey, G. N. Richmond, J. H. Whorton, 
 
 E. C. GoKF, H. J. Rogers, S. Ryan, Jr., 
 
 Geo. I. Brewster. 
 
 G. W. Spaulding, S. R. Willy, R. R. Bateman. 
 
 The Appleton Chamber of Commerce holds weekly meet- 
 ings, at which business matters are considered and negotia- 
 tions made. Strangers visiting the city are invited to be pres- 
 ent at these sessions, and will find both the officers and the 
 members ready and willing to furnish any intelligence in 
 their power. Also, parties residing elsewhere can secure any 
 information they may desire relative to this place, or the ad- 
 vantages which it offers to any particular department of trade 
 or industry, by addressing the organization. All communica- 
 tions will be answered promptly and to the point. 
 
014 754 906 4