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Reedsburg's
Sawlog War
by: William C. Schuette
Excerpted
from the publication,
Reedsburg Remembers 150 Years.
The site upon
which the village, and eventually the city, of Reedsburg would soon be built was
a tamarack swamp beside the Baraboo River when Don C. Barry and Henry Perry
first set eyes upon it in 1844. They were the first white settlers to explore
the territory, and were looking for a place to set up a lumbering operation.
However, they were sidetracked when they discovered traces of copper in what is
now the township of Reedsburg.
By 1847, other
settlers were trickling into the community and one David C. Reed realized the
opportunities that the shallow, stone-lined section of the Baraboo River offered
for the construction of a dam to provide power to turn a saw-blade. He
immediately purchased the lot, along with much of the land upon which present
day Reedsburg stands, and commenced construction forthwith.
Many fine pine
forests were discovered north of Reedsburg by early explorers and much of it was
conveniently located near the Baraboo River. The river offered an ideal conduit
upon which the hewn logs could be transported back to the mill down stream.
Loggers from Baraboo seized the opportunity and began to harvest the bounty.
George and Edward Willard, who operated a sawmill at Baraboo, were among those
who were cutting the pines.
As need permitted,
Mr. David C. Reed, who owned the dam across the river at Reedsburg, would
graciously lower it and allow the rafters (accumulations of logs) to pass over.
Reed eventually came to realize that it would be a benefit to himself and the
other settlers to prohibit this hereto free passage. He decided that doing so
would accomplish two goals: first it would prevent the eventual deterioration of
his dam and second, if the logs just happened to back up behind his dam, he
rationalized that they could probably be bought for a bargain price. Since his
new village was in desperate need of good lumber, and Reed just happened to have
a sawmill, he would have an ample supply of raw materials.
The Willards did
not take kindly to this move and insisted they be allowed to pass their logs
over the dam. When Reed, backed by a number of local citizens, refused, the
Willards returned to Baraboo and mustered enough friends for the purpose of
physically taking out the dam themselves.
Meanwhile, the
citizens of Reedsburg sent to Madison for a U.S. Marshal to arbitrate the tense
situation. They felt the law was on their side, since the timber being harvested
was on government land. However, when the marshal arrived, along with a posse of
men, he ordered the dam cut and the logs passed through. An
"indignation" meeting was immediately called by Reed and his followers
at Sanford’s Store to plan their strategy. It was reported that
"Inflammatory, as well as conciliatory speeches were made, but E.G. Wheeler
finally convinced the crowd that it would be the height of folly to attempt
resistance to United States authority."
The citizens of
Reedsburg had been defeated; the dam was demolished and the Willards were
allowed to float their logs down river. Witnesses of the day noted that
"The citizens bore their misfortune with true pioneer fortitude."
Perhaps this
adventure laid the foundation for the friendly rivalry which has existed between
the cities of Reedsburg and Baraboo—particularly in sporting events—to this
day.
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