The building for the University was carried through a monetary crisis by his great energy and financial ability. After the graduation of the first class in July, 1865, he resigned the Presidency of the Board of Trustees and of the Faculty, which posts he had held for seven

years.

In 1857, he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Vermont University, and, in 1863, the institution which owed to him its existence, and to whom it was indebted for much of its success and prosperity, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws.

He was the pioneer of the press in Walworth County, where he started the Western Star, at Elk Horn, August 7, 1845, with which he was connected nearly a year. He made varied and successful ventures in authorship, in which he added much to the reputation he had acquired in other fields of labor. Of these, the first, the "Wisconsin Farm Book," was prepared and published by him in 1846, was subsequently revised and republished in 1848, 1850 and 1856. It had a large circulation, and nearly 6,000 copies were sold.

Taking great interest in the aboriginal history of the Northwest, and in the State Historical Society (of which he was an honorary member and subsequently a Vice President), he prepared an elaborate paper on the "History of the Chippewa Nation of Indians," which was read before the society.

In 1866, he published at Galesville a "Genealogical History of the Gale Family in England and the United States, with an account of the Tottingham Family of New England, and of the Bogardus, Waldron and Young Families of New York," a volume of 254 pages, a work requiring a large amount of patient and persevering investigation.

His last work, to the preparation of which he devoted many years, and to which the greatest general interest attaches, was published in 1867. It is entitled "The Upper Mississippi; or Historical Sketches of the Introduction of Civilization in the Northwest," a work covering the period from 1600 to 1866. It is a work of much research, and is a most valuable contribution to the history of the West.

His health partially failed him in the summer of 1862, and the three following winters he passed in the South and the East-most of the time in the service of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions. During February and March, 1863, he had charge of the United States Sanitary Commission Depot on Morris Island, S. C., during the siege of Charleston.

REV. BENJAMIN W. REYNOLDS.

Rev. Benjamin W. Reynolds was a native of South Carolina, having been born in that State in 1812. He graduated from Middlebury College at the age of twenty, in 1832. From this same college were graduated Judge Cameron, of La Crosse, and Rev. Sunderland, at one time Chaplain of the United States Senate. At the age of twenty-two, he graduated in theology from Lane Seminary, having Senator Foot for a preceptor. He went to Iowa to begin his ministerial labors as a missionary, and was called on to open the first Legislature of the Territory with prayer. From there he went in succession to Missouri, and thence to Illinois. He came to Wisconsin in 1849, and located at Sheboygan. He left that point in 1851, coming to La Crosse in August of that year. At that time there were but eleven houses, all told, on the side of the future city which was most unpromising to the view, a large, deep hollow twenty feet or more in depth marking the spot now occupied by the store of Mons Anderson and George Howard, and large sand hills on the sites of the court house and the Esperson House. The latter of these was surmounted by the residences of Lieut. Gov. Burns. He located his claim on the marsh at the mouth of Black River, near the present elevator. What must have then seemed a most unpromising location proved a most fortunate one. It was required by the C. & M. R. R. Co., who had it condemned for their use; and for a strip of 250 by 600 feet, Mr. Reynolds was awarded the handsome sum of $7,300. It was developed in the evidence elicited at this time that it fronted the best landing on the Mississippi River in its whole length. River men and pilots were quite positive and unanimous on this point, claiming a depth of from fifty to sixty feet of water near to the water's edge. Messrs. Plankington and Rogers were appointed arbitrators in the case.

For some time after his coming, his dwelling was claimed to be one of the only three log houses so occupied, the other two being those of Peter Cameron and Col. T. B. Stoddard. His ardent Republicanism led him to warmly espouse the cause of the Free State men in Kansas, and at his own expense, and with great inconvenience he went to the great Buffalo Convention in 1856 to throw his influence in the scale to aid in making that contested region a free State With him religion and politics were so blended that the distinction was imperceptible. The struggle for freedom, wherever waged, commanded his earnest support and encouragement, and his influence, purse and person were all freely and enthusiastically given in its support.

In 1861, on the accession of Lincoln to the Presidency, he received the appointment of Receiver of the Land Office at St. Croix Falls, a position he held during Lincoln's life. In 1865, he went to South Carolina, his native State, as a correspondent for the La Crosse Republican. His avowal of Republican sentiments, which he fearlessly proclaimed both from the stump and through the press, soon excited such fierce, malignant opposition, that he was compelled to fly for his life and seek refuge in Georgia, and live in as obscure and secluded a manner as possible, so much so, indeed, that for several months even his own family were ignorant of his whereabouts. They knew he had been in deadly peril, and, while torn with doubts and fears, had their worst anticipations realized by vague, but all too probable rumors of his death. Undeterred by his persecutions, he again made the State the scene of his labors, and, in 1871, published a Republican paper at Abbeville. He also wrote the biographies of the leading citizens of the State. He was the choice of many Republicans for the position of United States Senator, and, it is claimed, was sure of an election, when he generously made way for Patterson, who was elected in his stead. Returning to La Crosse, he again put on the editorial harness, publishing the North Star in North La Crosse in 1876. This was sold out to A. S. Foote, the present convict, very greatly to the detriment of Mr. Reynolds. The material is now claimed. to be in use in the office of the Sun at Milwaukee. Mr. Reynolds died in 1877.

ORRIN L. SMITH.

Orrin L. Smith, born in Galena, Ill., in 1830; taken to Ohio at six months, and raised at Princeton till sixteen; from there, to New Orleans; stayed three years; thence to St. Louis two years; came to La Crosse in 1851; pre-empted a school section on prairie where Winona Junction is located, four miles from the city; lived there till the fall of 1853, then moved to the city; clerked in the mill of Rublee, Smith & Simonton; remained there till the spring of 1854; became steamboat clerk on the Dr. Franklin, next Lady F., next Royal Arch, Granite State, Falls City, Galena, Dubuque and Minnesota Packet Company, Capt. Orrin Smith, President. Remained in the line till 1859. For ten years, engaged in running teams and selling cordwood. In 1869, became City Clerk; one year hotel clerk at International Hotel; one year in Black River Implement Company, clerk; since with Mr. Law in 'bus and freight line. On coming to La Crosse, there were only six shanties within the present limits of the city, and perhaps a dozen in all in the vicinity. There were not to exceed seventy-five persons in the settlement. On the site of David Law's bus office, on Front street, was a sand-hill and an old Indian burying-ground, numbers of skeletons having been subsequently exhumed. The place now occupied by Mons Anderson's block was a deep hollow, while from Mt. Vernon street to Badger street was a long, high ridge of sand, running parallel to the river. From Third street out, for a mile and a half, there were no buildings, and the wolves made nightly music where is now the most beautiful part of the city.

HARVEY E. HUBBARD,

Police Justice, was born March 17, 1830, at Pompey, Onondaga Co., N. Y. He attended district schools until thirteen years of age, when he entered Mandius Academy, remaining there until his sixteenth year, when he removed with his parents to Milwaukee. There he clerked for a year or more in a grocery store; studied law two years with Hayden Powers, a nephew of Millard Fillmore. He next studied law in the office of Smith & Palmer, until admitted to the bar in May, 1851, at twenty-one years of age. Removed to La Crosse during the latter part of July of the

same year, the journey requiring three days' staging from Milwaukee to Galena, and thence to La Crosse by steamer. Here he went into company with Col. Thomas B. Stoddard. That winter, he was elected one of the Clerks of the State Senate. Returning to La Crosse in the spring of 1852, was appointed Clerk of the Circuit Court by Judge Knowlton, to supply the place of Mr. Hart, who had gone to California. At the expiration of this term, he was elected to the same position. In the spring of 1853, was appointed Postmaster, and also elected Justice of the Peace. He first held the post office in a building owned by Lieut. Gov. Burns, on Front street, in which he put three dozen post office boxes. At the expiration of a year or two, he moved into a building on Main street, near Front street. He remained here perhaps two years, and then moved into a room under Barron's Hall, west side of Front street, remaining here two years; thence to Levy's Block, on Pearl street, and lastly to the corner of Main and Third streets. In 1856, he was elected First Police Justice, and at the expiration of his present term has held the office for sixteen years. Mr. Hubbard has been and is very prominent in Masonry, having held the post of Worshipful Master in Frontier Lodge, High Priest of the Chapter, and Eminent Commander of the La Crosse Commandery. He has also held next to the highest position in the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin. Mr. Hubbard drew the first charter of the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad, in 1852.

ALEXANDER MCMILLAN

was born in Finch, Starmont Co., Ont., on the 23d of October, 1825, and is the son of Duncan B. and Mary McMillan, both of whom were natives of Inverness-shire, Scotland, whence they emigrated to Canada in 1815. His father, who was a Ruling Elder of the Presbyterian Church at Finch, trained his children strictly in the doctrines of that faith. His boyhood and youth were passed in his native place, dividing his time between study in the common schools and work on the farm. When twenty-one years of age, he removed to the State of New York. Here he passed some time, and in the spring of 1850 settled in Madison, Wis. Here he spent one year clerking, and at the expiration of that time removed to Portage, at which place also he passed one year. In 1852, in partnership with his brother John, who died in 1865, he established himself in the lumber trade at La Crosse, which place he has since made his home. business is more properly what is known as logging, the timber and logs being cut on the Black River and sold to manufacturers on the Mississippi. The business is a very extensive one throughout Wisconsin, and especially in this section of the State, and Mr. McMillan is one of its most prominent representatives, being the oldest logger on the Black River. He is still extensively engaged in the business, although largely interested in other enterprises.

The

He has always held decided views on the political and municipal affairs of his State and city, and been honored by his fellow-citizens with many positions of public trust. He was for three years a member of the City Council, for several years County Supervisor, and for two years Chairman of the County Board, a position to which he was re-elected in 1875. He was Mayor of La Crosse in 1871, and in 1876 Chairman of the Board of Trade. In 1873, he was elected to the State Legislature on the Republican ticket. During the same year, it being that of the great financial crisis, he became President of the First National Bank of La Crosse.

Aside from his activity in political matters, he has always shown a public spiritedness and been deeply interested in the public enterprises of his city. In 1869, the McMillan Brothers became the chief owners of the La Crosse Gas Works, which were incorporated in 1863. Alexander McMillan was made President and Duncan D. McMillan Vice President. He has always been an earnest supporter of the temperance movement, and in 1873 was made President of the La Crosse Temperance League. He was married in 1858 to Miss Sarah L. Parker, daughter of Mr. Herrick Parker of La Crosse, formerly a prominent citizen of Elyria, Ohio. Mrs. McMillan is a lady of fine native endowments, highly accomplished, and has attained local celebrity for her skill in oil painting, many of her pieces having taking premiums at various county and city expositions. Mr. McMillan possesses excellent personal qualities, social and genial, and is a most agreeable companion. By promptness and industry he has gained the reputation of being a thorough business man, and as a reward of his honorable and fair dealing has the respect and esteem of all who know him, and lives in the enjoyment of an ample fortune.

DUNCAN D. MCMILLAN.

Mr. McMillan, a native of Finch in the Province of Ontario, was born on the 20th of June, 1837. He is the son of Duncan B. and Mary McMillan. After receiving an ordinary English education in the common schools of his native place, he engaged for a time in lumbering in Canada West. His natural tastes and inclinations inclined him toward mechanism, but his circumstances were not such as to admit of his gratifying his desires. In 1859, at the age of twenty-two, he removed to the West and joined his two elder brothers at La Crosse, where they had previously established themselves in the lumbering and logging trade. He at once went into their employment, in which he continued till 1861. The business not being congenial to his tastes, he abandoned it and entered the office of another brother, E. H. McMillan, and began the study of law. He applied himself to this new pursuit with such diligence that he was admitted to the bar in the following year. He did not, however, at once enter upon the practice of his profession, but within a few months accepted a clerkship in the Quartermaster's Department at Memphis, Tenn., under Col. A. R. Eddy, a position he held during portions of 1863 and 1864. Returning home, he purchased an interest in the lumbering business of his brothers, and has continued in the same up to the present time. Upon the death of his brother John, in 1865, the firm name was changed to that of A. & D. D. McMillan. His attention, however, has not been wholly confined to the lumbering trade, but being a man of enterprise and thorough business qualifications, he has employed his capital in other enterprises, not only remunerative to himself, but also tending to and directly connected with the welfare of his city. He is one of the largest stockholders in the La Crosse Gas Light Company, and became its Vice President. Politically, he is a Republican. When he first became interested in political affairs slavery was the great issue between the two parties. He naturally arrayed himself with what he deemed the party of liberty and progress, and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. is not partisan and acts with great independence, always exalting man above party and supporting for office the one he deems most worthy and the best qualified. He has not, however, had any ambition to reap political honors, finding in his regular business ample scope for the exercise of his best talents. He accepted position as member of the Board of Supervisors during 1873 and 1874. His parents were stanch Presbyterians, and the principles and doctrines which they instilled in his early life have been strengthened and confirmed as he has grown older, and he is now an active and worthy member of that body. He was married in 1866 to Miss Mary J. McCrea, daughter of Stephen McCrea, Esq., of Huntingdon County, in the Province of Quebec.

JOHN S. SIMONTON.

He

Mr. Simonton was born in Clermont County, Ohio, about sixteen miles distant from Cincinnati, May 4, 1807; lived in that and the adjoining county till the spring of 1852. In Warren County, he was on the farm adjacent to that of Tom Corwin, the famous natural orator and stump speaker, a niece of whom married Joseph Simonton, a late resident of La Crosse, and who still resides in the city. Mr. Simonton emigrated to this place, from Ohio, in 1852, making the journey entirely by steamer; from St. Louis, he came on the Nominee, Capt. Orrin Smith, a pioneer of western steamboating, being in command. He arrived at this point, April 10, 1852. The present site of the city was diversified by sand hills and corresponding hollows. The corner of Main and Third streets was marked by a sand hill fifteen feet high, on the spot where the Dunlap Brothers erected the building which has been removed to give place to the La Crosse National Bank; it was built about 1853. They bought the two lots on which their building stood for $50. A high hill marked the place where the city building was erected, part of which yet remains, and is occupied by the house of George Farnum. Another hill existed on the site of the present court house, The highest was one south of the livery stable of J. Emery. During the fall of 1852, he went into partnership with F. M. Rublee and S. T. Smith, and built the first saw-mill erected in La Crosse, at the mouth of that stream, on the site of the present tannery. The old stack remained standing till within

a year or two.

In a year he sold out his interest, and the firm then consisted of Messrs. Dyer, White & Rublee; the latter also sold out shortly after. In 1854, a grist-mill was added, which was run by night. The mill was burned to the ground in 1855 or 1856. While in the mill, Mr. Simonton had a third interest in a store on Front street, the other parties being Messrs. Clinton and Smith (S. T.) It was on the site of the present Junean Block, and was destroyed by fire in 1856. He next went into the furniture business, on the spot now occupied by Giles & Goodland. This building was a two-story frame. His interest was soon sold out to W. Ustic. It had double store-rooms, and was for a time occupied by Mr. Robbins for a hotel. This building was burned in 1857 or 1858. Mr. Simonton next engaged in running the ferry. At first he had charge of the Gen. Pope, and was employed by Gen. Washburn. He was also in the employ of the S. M. R. R., and run the Alice and the McGregor. In 1864, the Alice was sold, and the McGregor soon afterward, while the Gen. Pope was taken to Hudson. The ferry was below Barron's Island. In 1870, Mayor Rodolf appointed Mr. Simonton, Chief of Police. In 1873, he was elected Sheriff, and served one term, which is all that is permitted, without a term intervening before a re-election. When the financial crisis of 1857 struck the country, it found him all unprepared, and in one month the earnings and savings of a life-time, amounting to $10,500, mostly money on loan, were swept away.

BY ETHAN ROBERTS.

When I was a young man, my business was teaching district schools in the winter seasons, and occasionally clerking in village stores in the summer time. These occupations becoming somewhat monotonous, I hired out to travel with an electrician, who was engaged in lecturing on Experimental Philosophy. My place was to go ahead, make arrangements for the "Exhibitions," and when convenient, return to help the lecturer during the evening. I soon became quite expert in handling the instruments, and having quite a "gift of gab," was frequently put forward to do the talking. In a few weeks I bought out my employer, and started out on my own hook. My parents, who were steady-going Quakers, and my brothers and sisters, manifested much "concern of mind" about this new venture, but occasionally returning to the parental roof in Livonia, Wayne Co., Mich., and counting before their astonished eyes the dollars and dimes I had cleared in my absence, they soon became convinced that the business was legitimate. The fall of 1851 and the following winter was spent lecturing in the Northwestern part of Illinois, and the Southwestern part of Wisconsin, giving pleasure to my patrons and putting some coin in my own pockets. In the spring of 1852, just as the frost was coming out of the ground, I concluded to "quit all worldly business," and take a trip to La Crosse County. to visit my brother-in-law, Luther Downer, and his family, who had settled in Lewis Valley in 1848. Crossing the Wisconsin River at a place called the Packet, and leaving my apparatus at Hozen's Tavern, being assured there would be no further use for it, I followed the ridge, which separates the waters flowing into the Kickapoo from those which flow into the Mississippi. After leaving the ridge road I followed the wagon trail, leading to Prairie La Crosse, until opposite Bostwick's Valley; here leaving the main track, and following a still blinder one, after tying the two wheels on each side of the buggy together, I took old Jim by the bits and commenced the descent to the valley. At the steepest place of the hill my horse sat down on his haunches and quietly slid to the bottom. My intention was to ford the La Crosse River in the present town of Hamilton and, if possible, reach Lewis Valley before night set in, but a storm which had been gathering all the morning now threatened to burst with violence at any moment. So reining up to an humble cabin, I asked shelter for myself and horse. The man was living alone by the side of a small stream. His family was in the eastern part of the State, and he was preparing a home for them. With manly generosity, he welcomed me to the best the house afforded, and to one-half of his bed. His manner of cooking was new to me; he would take a cup of water from the brook, then turn it into the flour in the barrel and proceed to mix his cake; this he baked in a frying-pan before an open fire. The same dish served to fry his meat in; then making some strong tea in a tin cup, our frugal meal was ready.