Counties of Wisconsin; 58; Portage County

Stephen's point is the seat of government in today's county of Wisconsin. Portage County is featured on this edition of the counties of Wisconsin.

Later you'll hear conversations on the county and University of Wisconsin Extension programs which were recorded in the county city building in Stevens Point. First some of the early history of this county has printed in the Portage County official directory. Portage County one of the first to be organized in the Wisconsin territory was named after the famous Indian passageway or portage between the lower Wisconsin River and the head waters of the fox. When the county was first set off an eight hundred thirty six it consisted of twenty four townships lying roughly across the Indian trails between the fox and Wisconsin North to and including Fort Winnebago where Portage City was later found. The county was enlarged in the several years that followed and by 1843 extended all the way north through the central part of the territory eight townships wide along both banks of the Wisconsin River to the present. Michigan state line in iron and violent

counties in the late 1840s in early 1850s new counties were set off from greater Portage County and an eight hundred fifty six the county was reduced to its constitutional limit which today includes 17 townships eight villages and the City of Stevens Point. Well the name portage originally applied to the Indian passage between the fox and Wisconsin rivers the county retained this name in 1856. Not only because it had been applied continuously to the county seat established at Clover in 1904 but probably because one of the most important Indian trails in the central part of the state lay between the Wolf River and the yellow banks west of clover known as the plough reportage. A name which first appears in a government treaty with the Indians in 1837. Owing to its situation along the banks of the Wisconsin River Portage County is associated with the earliest history of the state. John Lewis Dewberry a Frenchman is believed to have

established a trading post on the east bank of the river in the modern township of Dewey in 1790 a site later occupied by his son John back to East today. An employee of the American Fur Company at least as early as eight hundred thirty nine. At this trading post the first election of the township of Middletown later the township of Stevens Point was held on May 13th 1849. But the key to the early development of Portage County lay in the great reserve of pine timber which was discovered on the upper Wisconsin in the 1820s where the white pine in some places stood in the words of one pioneer thick as hair on a dog became known as the Pineries. And when Albert G Ellis established the first weekly newspaper at Stevens Point in 953 he appropriately called it the Wisconsin primary in order to open up these timber reserves to commerce the government in 1836 made a

treaty with the Indians to create a special area 3 miles wide on either side of the upper Wisconsin River which extended from the present site of new north to the big oak layer river below us all popularly referred to as the Indian strip lumbermen hurried north to establish sawmill sites along this trip on the best rapids on the Wisconsin and its tributaries such as the plough or river Mill Creek. The little o plane and the big well plant the same rivers were used to float the rough lumber and rafts down the Mississippi to market in the prairie states. After eight hundred forty eight new treaties with the Indians opened up the land farther to the east and west of the upper Wisconsin and Yankee settlers from the New England state staters New Yorkers and Canadians moved in to claim the Virgin prairie for farming across the southern half of the county. They were followed in the early 1850s by immigrants from Scandinavian settlements in southern Wisconsin

and from Norway as well as immigrants from the United Kingdom mostly Irish and from Germany and Poland the poles. The last large ethnic group to arrive were led in 1857 by the family of Michael cousin Koski who an eight hundred fifty eight settled near the tomorrow river to found the first rural settlement of polls in Wisconsin. While he was followed by several more families before the Civil War the main wave of Polish emigration to the country began in the late 1860s and continued throughout the 1870s by 900. This was the largest rural settlement of polls in Wisconsin where the largest rural Catholic Church in America was built in 1902. Today it is estimated that more than half of the population of Portage County is of Polish ancestry. In 1860 four years after the county seat was set off in its present limits the population was seven thousand five hundred seven. In

1960 the population was thirty six thousand nine hundred sixty four. Most of our townships were created in the 1850s. The last in 1899. Well most of the villages were incorporated in the early 1900s. The city of Stevens Point with a population in 175 of twenty three thousand eight hundred ninety was named after lumbermen George Stevens who used the point on the Wisconsin River at the foot of present Main Street to ship supplies by dugout canoe to a sawmill he was building at Bull falls Wausau. Never incorporated when it was found in the mid 1840s the village jumped from a township organization into a city incorporation in eight hundred fifty eight. Before the Wisconsin Central Railroad line came to the city in 1871 Stevens Point was the hub of logging operations in the primary millions of feet of lumber were

sawed annually and mills located in or near the city and millions more were raftered over the shore a dam below Clark Street Bridge from Mills farther north in Marathon County the last of the great lumber rafting fleets pass through the city in 1887. From the experience in the lumbering industry wooden Ware factories were established in Stevens Point in the 1870s and 1880s to utilize the hardwood in the 1890s and later the paper making industry came in and vast power factories were created on the Wisconsin River to manufacture paper and related products. Stevens Point is also the home of Wisconsin State University now known as the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point founded in 1893 which today has an enrollment of more than eight thousand one hundred students and the Home Office since 1900 of century insurance. Among the leaders of mutual insurance companies in the United States. Portage County is situated near the

geographical center of Wisconsin through the middle north to south run parallel ridges of hills and spurs off the ridges known as the terminal more rain where the last glacier stopped thousands of years ago. As a result of the glacier the eastern half of the county is favored by some of the prettiest Lakes and some of the best trout streams in the state. Although nearly all of the virgin timber has been logged off there are still virgin trees standing while the largest white cedar in the state. Incidentally is still growing in the township of new hope. Throughout the county as a whole the main industry is dairying with feed crops such as Hay oats and corn to support the dairy industry. It is also one of the two leading counties in the state in the raising of potatoes. Ending on that agricultural note we turn to the first recorded conversation which focuses on agriculture. I'm David Bianculli Portage County a cultural agent and we're going to report today

about some of the activities that Kony is noted for and I have with me a couple of guests that will be visiting with in just a minute. First as far as a background to identify Portage County and its significance and agriculture I'd like to indicate that Portage County perhaps is unique and different from many of the other counties in the state of Wisconsin because of our Bestival production we have here our ranking in north of agriculture production is first of all we are number one in the state of Wisconsin on potato acreage and the marketing of cash receipts is also number one of ours that that is obtained from specialty crops or vegetable production. We're second in the state in snappin production needs to kind of go hand in hand then. This is tied in with this irrigated acreage here in Portage County where unique I said from the standpoint of irrigation and that we're also number one in the state of Wisconsin irrigated acreage with about 40000 acres under irrigation as far as other types of agriculture that

are common here in Portage County who are a fairly significant and dairy herds but we're not noted as a large dairy herd County as compared to some of the other counties Dade Wisconsin beet production where fairly large as far as Cal can numbers in the Buena Vista marsh area on swine our hog production where not very large in that aspect and pars other crops. What we do have a fairly large marketing of ripe corn out of Portage County. This is tied in with our irrigated acreage and a lot of farmers do rotate the corn acreage with their irrigated crops of potatoes and beans and corn is a good crop as far as tying in in that rotation. Well I'd like to work in my two guests I have with me today. These are Dennis Pisces who is the branch manager for the PCA office here in Portage County and the other is Nick Summers who is vice president and also a potato grower here. Vice President I should add for Vegetable Growers Association of Wisconsin.

I like to start out with Dennis posting our PCA manager here to talk and visit with him a little bit about his involvement with agriculture in Portage County and I think Denny is quite involved with lawns to many of our commercial farmers. Denny would you kind of just touch on some of your limbs and how you work with farmers as far as the type of agriculture farmers that you're involved with vegetable growers the livestock aspects and so forth. How would you rate Portage County as compared to some. On the other PC offices and your involvement in these areas I put each county it like you mention is somewhat unique compared to counties to the north and west of us in that because of the irrigation and the vegetable production in this area. We have approximately 350 loans for return of Marquette and half a million dollars in the county now compared to 10 years ago of about a million dollars and about 200 So our loan. One thing we noticed is the size of our loans are

significantly bigger larger larger than some of the neighboring counties because a large amount of money using you know gay ssion r this past year we've seen quite a trend in an area where they have got irrigation they've seen that in all health after production and corn you can raise your yields cracks me 50 percent. And with the type of weather we've had over hard compare I know you get a Creech. Far as the actual percentage of our approximate percentage between the vegetable growers and save the livestock farmers. How would you divide your loan percentages between those two groups. Well we have numbers that are perhaps only 50 50 but in volume I'd say probably 65 percent of our volume is into irrigation. Mostly about and that would be divided crops we have between potatoes and oh snap beans cucumber peel calling

Kate and next summer's a potato grower here we want to first of all get an explanation of what the best growers association is and after that talk a little bit about his operation as a potato grower here in Portage County. Nick what is the Wisconsin Michigan Growers Association. It's funded by a caterer is to a penny a hundred weight checkup program and it's for the purpose of the growers to gather information and and. We have a monthly publication which is called a commentator to give out any new practices being coming out or any new meetings being held in the area and relate it to industry and that is informative. And that's about it for the talk is kind of an organization just to kind of pull things together and keep the growers intact praised it warmly formed and promotion to appear involved with promotion and to a certain extent right.

OK and let's visit with Mick about his farming operation as a potato or because I think it's kind of unique and different from many of the other counties in the state of Wisconsin for explanation here perhaps if you just kind of give us a little idea as to your honor and your calendar of events now and you know in October we're just finishing the harvest but maybe we should start after the first of the year and you're start thinking about your planting and right on through the summer neck right during the winter months say January February we usually get our seed which is a lot of it is grown in Wisconsin and northern Wisconsin races. A lot of our seed. We also received from Upper Michigan Minnesota and a chorus and then about 15 we start planning. And then it's continuing arrogating culture practices but in herbicides we and then after

budget in July give the first early crappies start being done. And this continues to about October October 10 and in about September 15th they're going to start I think Portage County has a lot of storage. We are now getting into 11 months out of the year being able to sell and packaged potatoes and hopefully I think with refrigeration we'll be up be almost a cold month. A continued program of grading potatoes and selling for. I think it's pretty but unique. Yeah there's one trend that has probably occurred in recent years on potato production is the emphasis on storage him being able to put these potatoes into a story structure and hold them for later sale. And several reasons for this nick you might explain perhaps why you do that.

Well one of them is hopefully we can maybe gain some benefit to marketing and maybe help ourselves and praise later on easy to meet the market picks up. Let's go back to Ben if we can for just a question or two here tool hire speciate and your work with farmers. How do you'll rate the farmers financially here in Portage County you know compared to maybe some of the other counties that your office is involved with as far as the state PCa. Any Well I have one thing that's quite significant is that we have a larger number of corporation or legal partnerships. This is due to the fact that you're planning operations quite a bit larger and usually have several family members fathers into three sons married sons and so their larger operations so they handle. Large amounts of money and they have to go into more legal partnerships of corporations in order to pass on these assets for transfer. I would think that push time is probably 10 years ahead of some of these other areas because of

the science of the operations. Next we hear about some of the traditional extension programs. First the area of home economics. I'm Valerie Wilkinson Portage County University Extension home economist. I feel very fortunate in having him as my guest today as a member of both the local club here in the county who has worked very hard on her own who she's worked hard at the county level and certainly in Officer capacity there for the past three years since 1973 has been president of the state extension homemakers organization. My guest today is Henrietta Sanus who is representing her club in the Amherst area and I think that since Henrietta has been in the homemakers organization for 30 years I guess or more she would be a good individual to give us a little bit of background on exactly how did homemakers become a part of the university extension system. It was working that the smith Lever Act was passed and that really was the

founding of our organization of extension I should say. We had many leaders then blanch and others. But today that number has increased significantly. It was interesting to read about these great women in our organization and how they traveled and really worked to build this group of that we have today of nearly 30000 in Wisconsin from an early beginning to the activities of today a measure of change and growth will be attending an international meeting in Nairobi. Do you want to go. Who is going to this conference and what you're going to be representing. I had mentioned that our organization is also affiliated internationally with the associated countrywomen of the world and this is the conference

in 1077 in Africa. And it sounds quite exciting to expect to have a representation from each state and from abroad. Yes it's amazing how the women are already inquiring. Our state will be allowed I believe delegates but I will be the actual voting delegate. Who would think they would be really exciting especially meeting people and women from other countries who have similar interests or homemakers. Hopefully there will be too much of a communication problem. I think its going to be great and I think we should be especially proud in Portage County because any one of our members is a handbag that has been selected in will be Africa and displayed so it does have this cultural artist that we are one that did receive first place for state recognition and one mention or something of the order so I feel that our women are really encouraged. Excellent job in participating in events not only locally but also on the state level.

I believe that if they're interested they can find ways of work that really will trade into their busy schedules. Another long term extension program is that of foreach. Here is the Portage County 4-H and youth agent Wayne Schrader. Just a little background for each has been a very active part of the extension program in Portage County since about 900 25 or 26. We do have some interesting records that go back and trace some of the projects that are present for each. Important people carried when they were 4-H members and we like to go back in the records once in a while and see some of the things that were done there and compare the past with the present and kind of think about what the future is going to be. Presently we have about 700 members involved in some 34 age clubs and these clubs are disbursed pretty evenly throughout the county and we are

beginning to get more and more activity and the urban or suburban areas around Stevens Point our one city. One of the clubs that. It was organized several years ago and is currently being led by Mrs. Rose Cobb and her husband is the Jack pioneers. And Rose before I ask you about your I'd like to relate something that might be of interest and that is that a few years ago when I was a 4-H member back in Dane County Rose also was a for each member. That's right. At that time it wasn't Cobb It was Barbara Young but we still were in foreach together and it's a real pleasure for me now serving as a 4-H agent to welcome a former associate in the club were back into for each with her own family. And I might say Rose is one of our very very fine active leaders and one who is

is always involved where the action is. Tell us just a little bit about the club that you work with now Rose. The clock which we use pretty much of the neighborhood area grew up. We have 27 members right now. They're all very active members and some of the various activities and we've taken part in this here that are rather unique on the county level. One was the rabies clinic which was held in July and then also some of our youngsters have been planting trees pine trees spruce trees also on it Lake Amalie. Let's zero in just a little bit. Rabies clinic. And give a little background. We have encountered here in our county an outbreak we could call it of rabies. In some of the animals and then a number of the people of our community under

growing is undergoing the series of rabies treatment shots and that kind of brought it to our attention and we thought it might be a very good community service to get some of our 4H clubs involved in providing this service to the community. Can you tell us a little bit about what you did as a club in providing this service as a collage. We provide for a place for people with dogs to bring these dogs to the area and was a local that can marry and have these dogs vaccinated against treaties. And I think that was really excellent community service activity countywide we had a 7 4 8 clubs who did this and provided the vaccination for over two hundred twenty two hundred thirty dogs who might otherwise not have had that rose another thing that you and your family got involved in was hosting

some folks from another part of the country as part of our interstate exchange would you care to tell a little bit about that. Yes we had a GST in July for a whole week from canna see this is necessary certainly she was a foreach leader and a foreach mother down from Canada C and we had a whole week of really terrific activities planned and we got to know all. You know I'd only say that there was some of the other four huge numbers from going to see a little bit about the four inch program in Cannes to see how different Yes they are compared to Wisconsin was a very very fine exchange program. We had about 20 or 25 4-H members and leaders who did stay with families here in our county. And it was really a wonderful growing experience I think for all of those who were involved. And I know that some lasting friendships were developed. This was the second half of the exchange and that about 21 of our 4H members spent a week last summer in the homes

of these people in Tennessee and we were fortunate. Our members were because the county of Tennessee is right near Nashville so they all had a chance to see the Grand Ole Opry Opry Land and some of those fine places. I think this points out some of the the things of our 4H that are unique the fact that there are opportunities to to get involved in some community service to get involved in some cultural things which include the the travel the opportunity to learn about other people you know in other areas and to share some of our culture with people in other parts of the country. And we've talked about some of the benefits of 4-H rose as a 4-H leader as an adult. A culture with people in other parts of the

country and we've talked about some of the benefits of foreach rose as a 4-H leader as an adult working with basically a youth program. Can you see some things in it that you feel would be of benefit to an adult who volunteers some of their precious time to work with young people. I think one of the biggest things that you see is a child growing up starting out as a young for each member and then maturing to adult in all the different skills and abilities that they have learn in gain from the for each program. There is a lot of work involved but if a youngster as well and as well as an adult is ready ready and willing to do this kind of work they're going to gain an awful lot from that. I think that's a very important thing and of course being a 4H leaders extremely easy right. Well yes and no. You have to have the parents to help you and as a leader the leader can't do it alone should they have to rely on the parents of

the youngsters that are in the group. Plus our county staff too we can't let them. Be neglected. It's early history and the University of Wisconsin Extension programs in the 1700s.

Were profiled today on this edition of the counties of Wisconsin. This series a bicentennial project is produced at Radio a service of the University of Wisconsin Extension.