Counties of Wisconsin; 62; Jackson County

The conversations recorded for this program in the series the counties of Wisconsin were made at the courthouse in Black River Falls. On January 1 1850 for Jackson County named after Andrew Jackson was established as a separate jurisdiction. As originally created. Jackson County included in addition to its present area most of Clark and triple-A counties and a part of Buffalo County. Six boundary changes occurred between 1854 and 1893. Resulting in Jackson County assuming its present boundaries. On this program. County residents and University of Wisconsin Extension staff. Talk about the county and

University of Wisconsin Extension programs. First a look back at the early history of the county. Two Rivers the Trump low river and the Black River. Contributed to the early development of Jackson County. Although the Black River was visited by French explorers as early as 16 59 It was not until the nation's great westward expansion in the 1900s that a permanent settlement was made. Before that expansion the American Fur Company from Prairie du Sheen had a small post for trading with Winnebago Sioux and Pottawatomie Indians. Logging operations were attempted in 1019 but trouble with the Menominee Indians forced the lawyers to leave. The first successful logging operations began in 1838 at both the Lower Falls and at the Upper Falls where Black River Falls is now located and at ONU Creek later named Perry creek. In spite of the

difficulties of transporting finished lumber down the Black River on rafts and competition from sawmills on the Mississippi River the vast market created by new settlers in the treeless plains led to the development of more and more sawmill. The first permanent settlers were impressed with the beauty of the area and its fertile soil. In 1840 the first grains of corn hay and oats in the county were sown in the Melrose area. These early farms led to the reciprocal exchange between farming and logging which proved to be beneficial to both. It also made the settlement at the falls the logical center for exchange with the river to transport excess products down to settlements on the Mississippi. As settlement occurred more small farms graced and flower mills and a starch factory were build followed by the Spalding wagon factory. The house EON brickyard and a sash and door factory.

When Wisconsin became a state in 1848 lands around the Black River which had been Indian hunting grounds were surveyed and entered for sale at a dollar and a quarter per acre. A trade agreement with the Winnebagos moved them to the cut over lands in the eastern part of the county and made the oak openings in the western half of a lable for farms. In one thousand forty nine The first road was surveyed running from Prairie du Sheen to Hudson through Black River Falls the following year. The first post office was established in Black River Falls and a justice of the peace was appointed. Now our first conversation with home economist Niland Musser and her guest My guest is. Rosemary. From Taylor from Taylor Wisconsin in Jackson County. OK today we're going to be talking about home economics programs in Jackson County and I think that I'd like to start off by perhaps really

emphasizing that we are rural county perhaps unique in that we have one city and five villages. We also have something else that's perhaps a little bit unique to Jackson County in that we have a Native American community the Winnebago Indian mission which is located to the east of us on Highway 54. And we do do programming with these people and they have made a fine cultural contribution to our county. And so we certainly do not want to forget this group of people. I've been in Jackson County for 16 and a half years and during that time we have had an opportunity to have two Christmas trees from Jackson County taken to the White House and one was from the Cal for Elks plantation and the other one this year will be from the Cana Gunther plantation. And then during the month of November everyone I hope knows that Jackson County

is the deer capital. And for those of you that are here during the summer. I'm sure that you're aware that in June we have a large production and festival for our strawberry growers and so I think these are some things that I'd also like to share for people that may want to come to the county and see or observe. Well to get into the home economics program Rosemary Perhaps you'd like to tell us what part you play in the state extension who make an organization locally. Well I happen to be the head of a committee in the family life program of work for the clubs in the state. And there are ninety eight districts in the state I have this committee of eight people one from each district and I act in my own district as a committee woman. And this I think is what they call program of work areas. She mentioned it was in