|
FREMONT This is the smallest town in the county, containing but twenty sections of land. North of it are the towns of Weyauwega and Caledonia, and west Lind and Weyauwega. It is in the southern tier of towns, being organized in 1856. The first town meeting was held in the village of Fremont, in Apirl, 1865, the first settlement having been made as far back a the spring of 1849, by Riley Eastman. The post office was first established on the east side of the river in 1853, with Ira Summer a Postmaster. Its location was afterward changed to the west side. The first sermon was preached in 1851, by Rev. John Baxter, a Congregational clergyman. The first church built was by the Presbyterians in 1873. The first store was built by Benjamin Binckley, in 1850, and the first saw mill by Messrs. Connant & Russell in 1856. The first teacher was Miss Stroud, who taught in 1851, the first schoolhouse being built in 1853. First town offivers-Ira Sumner, Chairman; A. T. Montgomery, John Buckley, Supervisors; M. B. Patchin, Town Clerk; Henry J. Schroeder, Treasurer. The village of Fremont is situated on the east side of the Wolf River, and contains 300 people. It has a hotel, seven stores, two schools (one graded) and one steam saw-mill. The Odd Fellows have a flourishing lodge. Quite a tragic event, in the estimation of both whites and Indians living in this vicinity, was the death of Wau-Ke-John, a brave war chief of the Menomonees. The event occurred during the summer of 1852, while the tribe were on their way down the river to Winneconne after ammunition. According to W. A. Springer's account, a Chippewa, with whom Wau-Ke-John was not on good terms, shot him through the heart from his boat, as the chief was about to land on the marsh above Fremont. On the other hand, Hon. H. C. Mumbrue, who was in that locality at about the time of the occurrence, was told that the affair was accidental, that the unfortunate chief, being between two Indians who were quarreling, one of them shot at his enemy, and mortally wounded Wau-Ke-John. At all events, the mourning among the whites and Indians was sincere. The body was buried with honors, at the "back lodges", near the cut-ff, two miles above Gill's Landing.
TOWN OF FREMONT
Fremont is the smallest town in the county, containing but twenty sections of land. It was set off from the Town of Weyauwega in 1865, and the first town meeting was held at the house of A. J. Mayo, in the Village of Fremont, in April of that year. The officers elected were: Chairman, Ira Sumner; supervisors, A. T. Montgomery and John Brickley- town clerk, M. B. Patchin; treasurer, Henry G. Schroeder; justices of the peace, Ira Sumner, J. S. Bartlett and C. C. Kinsman. The earliest settlements were made upon the site of the present
Village of Fremont and:have already been described; they commenced in 1849 on the west side of the Wolf, in section 25. Two years afterward William A. Springer, who had been residing at Little River improving the Townsend sawmill, pre-empted and soon bought the part of his farm -in section 25 which was soon afterward laid out as Springer's Point. That was his home until 1874, when he bought property and settled in section 26, to the west. Springer's Point was the forerunner of the Village of Fremont.
In consideration of its size, Fremont Township has a good record for substantial prosperity. Its real and personal property is over. $614,000. In 1916 the assessor found 1,142 cattle in the township valued at $35,244, and 284 horses, valued at $26,390. It had three rural schools and a school population of 180.
Return to township map Return to homepage
|