Racine, Wisconsin, USA
1916 - City of Racine

Racine, the seat of justice of Racine County and the second largest city in the State of Wisconsin, is located on the shore of Lake Michigan, in the Town of Mount Pleasant, and at the mouth of the Root River. Actual surveys show that the court house is situated in latitude 42' 43' 45" north and longitude 87' 47' 01" west. The name "Racine" is of French origin and was in all probability first applied to the locality by the Jesuit missionaries when they visited the locality in the Seventeenth Century. It means, as nearly as can be determined, "a river filled with tangled roots," and was given to the river that flows into Lake Michigan at that point, though the Indian name of the stream was "Chip-pe-cotton," which means "root." Philo White, writing on the subject of the name in 1845, says: "Racine, in French, means not only root as applied to trees, shrubs and plants, but also signifies the principal, the base, the source, the foundation; and hence a French writer says, Je crois qu'il vent prendre racine ici.' " This expression Mr. White translates as "I think he desires to take up his quarters here," a translation that signifies a desirable place to dwell, which is borne out by the fact that the first white settlers in the county located at the mouth of the Root River.

EARLY SETTLEMENT
As narrated in Chapter IV of this work, the first actual settlers in what is now the City of Racine were Gilbert Knapp, A. J. and William Luce and a man named Welch, the Luces and Welch being employees of Captain Knapp. After staking out his claim (all the land comprised in the original plat of Racine) and building a small cabin near the mouth of the river in November, 1834, Captain Knapp returned to Chicago, leaving his hired men to look after and protect his interests. During that winter and the following spring he interested Gurdon S. Hubbard, of Chicago, and Jacob A. Barker, of Buffalo, New York, in his project of founding a town at the mouth of the Root River. A name being necessary, the proposed town was called "Port Gilbert," in honor of the original settler, but that name was soon abandoned in favor of "Racine."

There is a story to the effect that a trading post of the American Fur Company was established several years before the arrival of Captain Knapp. Augustin Grignon, for many years associated with the affairs of the company, in his reminiscences, published in the Wisconsin Historical Collections (Vol. XX, p. 218), says that James Kinzie, a son of the well known Chicago trader, John Kinzie, was in charge of the company's post at Milwaukee in the early '20s and had a branch at the mouth of the Root River. This James Kinzie was born at Detroit in 1793, but went to Virginia in his childhood and lived with his mother's people until he was about twenty three years old. He then returned to the West and was in the employ of the American Fur Company until the post at Milwaukee was closed. In 1833 he built the "Green Tree Tavern" in Chicago, and was the first sheriff of Cook County, Illinois. From Chicago he went to Iowa County, Wisconsin, and died there on January 13, 1866. Just how much truth there is in this story, or just where the Racine post was located, is somewhat problematical.

On January 2, 1835, Stephen Campbell, William See, Paul Kingston and Edmund came from Chicago for the purpose of locating claims somewhere in the neighborhood of the Root River. They found the Luce brothers in the cabin erected by Captain Knapp's direction the fall before. William Luce pointed out the boundaries of the claim they were holding and warned the new comers not to trespass Mr. Campbell went back some distance into the dense woods, cleared a small space and built a shanty, but discovered that he was upon the Knapp claim. He then went farther west and built a second cabin in what afterward became the "Harbor Addition." Mr See went on up the river to the Rapids; Mr. Weed staked out a claim that was afterward owned and occupied by Nicholas D. Fratt, and Mr. Kingston staked out a claim just south of Knapp's, as he supposed, but learned when it was too late that he was a trespasser. After some conflict, he surrendered his claim there and it became the Knapp homestead.

In the spring of 1835 Joel Sage set out from Massachusetts to seek a new home somewhere in the West. Upon arriving at Chicago he met Captain Knapp, who provided him with an Indian pony, upon which he made the trip to Racine. He arrived at his destination in May and began looking about for a satisfactory location. West of the Root River an Indianian had made a claim, which Mr Sage bought, and of which he took immediate possession. His log house stood on top of the bluff, at a point that is now almost the exact center of State Street. During his absence one day in the fall of 1835, some evil minded person or persons tore down his house, hoping, no doubt, to frighten him away and get possession of his claim. But Mr Sage was not that kind of a man. He immediately rebuilt his cabin and firmly asserted his right to the 107 acres included in his claim. In his address to the Old Settlers in 1871, Judge Charles E. Dyer said:

"Joel Sage, in retaining his claim and title to the 107 acres, upon which he located, was spared the trials and troubles which congressional legislation had brought to other settlers. But he had a long and discouraging conflict with fraudulent float holders, who sought, by all means that were not honest, to oust him of his possessions. He journeyed to Green Bay and there resisted their pretenses; he went to Chicago and employed lawyers to assist him in his warfare, and with a just conception of the first great right and duty of an actual settler, he took good care to maintain actual possession of the lands upon which he had located. His theory was that his cabin was his castle; that possession was nine points in the law, and, adhering with courageous pertinacity his position, fraudulent floats and bogus titles could not prevail against him. His rights culminated in actual title in 1838, by virtue of pre-emption."

On February 7, 1836, Joel Sage's two sons - Sidney A. and Stephen H. - arrived in Racine, and in August his wife, Bethiah Sage, came with Rev. Cyrus Nichols and family. When Racine began to spread out, the 107 acres of Mr Sage's claim gained the appellation of "Sage Town," by which title it was known for many years. Mr. Sage died in September, 1840, but some of his descendants still live in Racine.

During the summer and fall of 1835 E. J. Glenn, James Beeson, Levi Mason, Amaziah Stebbins, Alfred and Dr. Bushnell B. Cary, Samuel Mars, John M. Myers, Eugene Gillespie, Joseph Knapp, Henry F. Cox, William Saltonstall and a man named Stilwell arrived and began the work of building homes. Dr. Elias Smith the second physician in the town, arrived in December. In the meantime five or six frame houses had been erected, one of which was a two story structure used as a tavern. It was built by John Pagan and the hotel was kept by Amaziah Stebbins and John M. Myers. Mr. Myers afterward went to Milwaukee, where he was engaged in the hotel business until his death His son, Henry S. Myers, was the first white male child born in the City of Racine, a daughter having been born to Levi Mason and his wife a short time before. By the close of the year 1835 there was an atmosphere about "Port Gilbert" that indicated the town had "come to stay."

The year 1836 witnessed a considerable increase in the population. Besides Rev. Cyrus Nichols and the family of Joel Sage already mentioned, William H. Waterman, Norman Clark, Alanson Filer, Marshall N. Strong, Timothy Knight and his son, Samuel G., Jonathan M. Snow, Enoch Thompson, Seth Parsons, Samuel Lane, William H. Chamberlin, Stephen N. Ives, Lorenzo Janes, James O. Bartlett, Charles Smith, Lyman K. Smith and a number of others settled in and around the village.

Marshall N. Strong was the first lawyer. He came with Charles and Lyman K. Smith and Stephen N. Ives on the "Pennsylvania," one of the first steamers on the Great Lakes Soon after his arrival he formed a partnership with Stephen N. Ives and they opened a store under the firm name of Strong & Ives. Previous to that time Captain Knapp had kept a small stock of goods to supply the immediate wants of the settlers, but the first established store in Racine was that of Glenn & Mason. Eugene Gillespie was the second merchant. Dr. Elias Smith and William H. Waterman opened the third mercantile house, and the firm of Strong & Ives was the fourth concern of that line. Concerning the year 1836, Judge Dyer says: "The year was, as all know who experienced its business history, a remarkable year. The mania for speculation raged wildly. Speculators were traversing the country looking for water powers and village sites; farmers and mechanics threw aside their work and began to buy and trade in village lots that were located in an unbroken forest. Racine was to be a great city, even three years before the land sales, and I have in my possession the estimated value of the town lots in Racine, made September 17, 1836, which discloses the interesting fact that, at that time, the value of the property in what is now the original plat of Racine, was $348,100. Upon the strength of such an assessment as that, what a pity they didn't issue some city bonds in anticipation of a railroad, via Ball's Bluff, a charter for which was obtained in 1838!"

Samuel Lane was the first shoemaker. Soon after his arrival in 1836 he opened his shop in the old claim shanty that had been built by Captain Knapp. William H Chamberlin, the first blacksmith, also began business in this year, and Benjamin Pratt, who came in 1835, established a brickyard, from which came the bricks for the chimneys of the Racine Hotel and the old light house. The first school was taught in the winter of 1836 by a man named Bradley, in a little house sixteen feet square, which stood on the lot where McClurg's Block was afterward erected.

When Racine County was created by the act of December 7, 1836, Alfred Cary and Joel Sage were appointed justices of the peace. It is said that Mr. Sage did not desire the honor and declined to qualify until Alfred Cary, who was a warm friend of Mr Sage, announced his intention of getting married and requested Mr Sage to perform the ceremony. To accommodate his friend he took the oath of office and his first act in an official capacity was to solemnize the union of Alfred Cary and Miss Mary Knight, a daughter of Timothy Knight. The marriage occurred on December 29, 1836, and was the first wedding in Racine.

The great event of the year 1837 was the building of the Racine House - the town's first "big" hotel. It was erected by Alfred Cary at a cost of over ten thousand dollars The site was in the woods and a clearing had to be made before work on the hotel commenced. Albert G. Knight hauled the lumber from See's saw mill at the Rapids; Lucius S. Blake burned the lime, and Benjamin Pratt furnished the bricks. When the frame was ready everybody in the community turned out to an old fashioned "raising," and the skeleton went up with a rush. When the hotel was completed a celebration was held and "in the dancing room, which had been particularly prepared, from close of day until early morn a happy crowd danced away the night under the inspiration of music furnished by a hod carrier on a three stringed fiddle." John M. Myers was the first landlord and conducted the house for some time before his removal to Milwaukee.

PLOTTING THE TOWN
Various statements have been made regarding the first survey of Racine. Judge Dyer says, in his Old Settlers' address: "In the winter of 1835 and 1836, the City of Racine was laid out into lots and blocks" - a statement that is repeated in Chapter V of this work. The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, published in 1879, says, on page 361: "The first survey of the village north of the river was made by Milo Jones; that south of the stream by Joshua Hatheway," but does not give the time. Franklin Hatheway, who was one of the government surveyors in Racine County, and a nephew of the Joshua Hatheway mentioned above, in an article on "Surveying in Wisconsin," published in the Wisconsin Historical Collections (Vol. XV, p. 391), says: "We left Milwaukee on Christmas Day (1835), on foot, and before the end of the year were actively at work. Two months sufficed to complete the survey; about the first of March, 1836, a portion of the party was dismissed and the others spent about a month in surveying and laying out the future City of Racine, under the lead of David Giddings."

While Mr. Hatheway's statement does not altogether agree with the others, it does not seriously conflict, and as he was one of the party he should be regarded as competent authority. The survey he speaks of as having been completed in two months included Townships 1, 2 and 3 North, of Ranges 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 East. This district embraced all of the present County of Kenosha and the southern half of Racine.

After the survey was completed, a map or plat was drawn by Joshua Hatheway. On this original plat the streets running north and south, beginning next to the lake, were Michigan, Chatham, Main and Wisconsin, which extended both north and south of the Root River, while west of Wisconsin Street south of the river were Barnstable and Chippeway Streets. From the river north the east and west streets were shown as Dodge, Hamilton, Hubbard, Barker and Kewaunee; south of the river were Water, Front, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets. Running along the east bank of the river from Chippeway to Water Streets was West Street. A number of the names of these streets have since been changed; for example, Barnstable Street is now College Avenue, and Chippeway Street is Park Avenue. The public square is shown as being comprised of one tier of lots on the west side of Main Street, from Fifth to Sixth Streets, and the opposite tier on the east side of Main Street, with that street running through the center.

The official plat of the town, as made by Mr Hatheway, was lost (supposed to have been destroyed by fire) many years ago, but Captain Knapp had a copy, which was reproduced by John W. Knight in 1887, and from which the above description was taken. In one corner of the sheet Mr. Knight wrote: "Copy of the plat of Racine, Wisconsin, in possession of Captain Gilbert Knapp up to the time of his death in the year 1887. I have taken great pains to make this a correct and faithful copy of the plat of Racine held by Captain Knapp, which is supposed to be a copy of the original plat of Racine by Hatheway, as Captain Knapp was a large owner of lots at that time. The plat gives no dimensions and has no certificate attached. Irregular dimensions of streets, lots or blocks on this plat are copied from the other, and (are) not errors by me."

STREET AND PROPERTY LINES
The loss of the original plat caused a great deal of trouble in laying out additions to the city, which is now fully twenty times as large as shown on Hatheway's plat of 1836. Concerning this condition of affairs, David H. Flett, former municipal judge, has prepared the following statement:

"Considerable trouble has been experienced in Racine in correctly locating the street and property lines. Especially is this true of Section 16, generally known as the School Section. The section itself was originally surveyed and the lines located by the United States Government surveyors. Under the Federal laws, this section became the property of the state, the proceeds of sale to be used for school purposes. The section was resurveyed and platted in 1848 by Moses Vilas under the direction of the State of Wisconsin.

"At the time of both surveys, the land was more or less covered with trees and brush, and neither survey was very accurate. By the first survey the section was not a perfect square, the south side being somewhat longer than the north side, and the west side being somewhat longer than the east side.

"This gave rise to two methods for the establishing of street, block and lot lines. One of the local surveyors adopted Seventh Street for the base line for the north and south streets, running them all at right angles to Seventh Street, and Main Street as the base line for the east and west streets, running them all at right angles to Main Street. This, of course, had the effect of creating some quite large blocks in the southwest corner of the section. The other local surveyor took the position that the several blocks should be of uniform size, as far as possible. This gave rise to much controversy and uncertainty as to lines.

"To make matters still worse, very few original government monuments remained and each surveyor, from time to time, established monuments in different places in accordance with his own theory. The situation became so acute that in 1882 one Beniset Williams, of Chicago, was employed to resurvey and endeavor to establish the true lines His work was a compromise between the theories of the other two and a map was prepared showing the lines as located by each of the three surveys. Thereupon an ordinance was enacted by the City Council, in accordance with the Williams survey, and all surveys made by the city since that time have been governed by this ordinance."

THE POSTOFFICE
On February 25, 1836, a postoffice called "Root River" was established, with A. B. Saxton as postmaster. Some authorities state that this postoffice was at the Rapids, but that statement cannot be fully verified. Mr. Saxton was succeeded, on May 19, 1836, by Dr. B. B. Cary, who made his first report on the last day of June, showing the total receipts of the office since its establishment to be $122.69, and the postmaster's commissions $37.79, or a little less than ten dollars a month. After the passage of the act by Congress creating the Territory of Wisconsin, the name of the office was changed to "Racine, Wisconsin Territory."

For many years the postoffice was kept in such quarters as could be obtained by the different postmasters. At one time it was in the Blake & Elliott Block, on Main Street, and from there it went to the Gordon Block, on the corner of Main and Fifth Streets. Several efforts were made to have Congress appropriate a sum of money for a postoffice building and, finally, through the persistency of the member of Congress from the First District and the representations of influential citizens of Racine, an appropriation of $50,000 was made. This sum was found insufficient for the purchase of a site and the erection of a suitable building and a second appropriation was secured, which swelled the amount to over $100,000. The Baker property, on the southeast corner of Sixth and Main Streets, was then purchased and the present building erected thereon. It was occupied in the fall of 1898. The cost of the building was $100,000 and the site is now valued at $50,000.

In 1850 the office was made presidential, and in 1882 the free delivery system was inaugurated, with five carriers. At the close of the fiscal year on June 30, 1916, there were ninety two people employed in connection with the office, to wit: Postmaster, assistant postmaster, 38 clerks, 2 substitute clerks, 35 city carriers, 6 substitute carriers, 4 rural carriers, 3 engaged in carrying the mails to and from the railroad stations, and 2 janitors. The receipts in 1915 reached $382,000 - quite a development since Dr. Cary made his first report on June 30, 1836, when the receipts amounted to $122.69.

Following is a list of postmasters, with the year when each was appointed or entered upon the duties of the position: A. B. Saxton, who served from February 25 to May 19, 1836; Dr. Bushnell B. Cary, who took the office on May 19, 1836; Elias Smith. 1841; Bushnell B. Cary, 1845; Eldad Smith, 1849 (Mr. Smith was the first postmaster appointed by the President; he was confirmed by the Senate on September 28, 1850); Tallmadge Stevens, 1853; Bushnell B. Cary, February 23, 1854; N. H. Joy, 1860; John Tapley, 1861; William L. Utley, 1869; Henry W. Wright, 1877; Norton J. Field, 1881; Clarence Snyder, 1886; Hiram J. Smith, 1890; Andrew Simonson, 1894; Jackson I. Case, 1898; Hiram J. Smith, 1902; Christopher C. Gittings, 1906; James E. Pritchard, 1910; George H. Herzog, 1915.

EARLY MAIL ROUTES
About the time the Root River postoffice was established, or perhaps a little later, an act of Congress authorized a mail route from Chicago to Green Bay, passing through the present Towns of Evanston, Waukegan, Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, West Bend, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Appleton and Kaukauna. The carrier on this route was Alexis Clermont, who had served during the Black Hawk War as one of Colonel Tyler's "home defense" men at Fort Howard. Pierre B. Grignon was the contractor and employed Clermont to carry the mail. He made his trips on foot, accompanied by an Oneida Indian. They depended on the Indian villages along the route and what game they could kill for their food, though each always carried a bag of parched corn "to fall back on" in case game was scarce or they were delayed in reaching one of the Indian villages. It required about a month for the round trip and the wages ranged from sixty to seventy dollars per month, owing to the season of the year.

In 1892, when in the eighty fifth year of his age, Alexis Clermont walked the entire distance over his old mail route from Green Bay to Chicago, a distance of 240 miles. He was dressed in the same kind of costume that he wore when carrying the mails sixty years before, and carried with him the mail pouch, his rifle and the bag of parched corn His object in making the journey was to raise money enough to "smooth his pathway to the grave," but the receipts did not come up to his expectations. Friends in Chicago sent him back and he died at DePere, Brown County, Wisconsin, February 8, 1899.

In 1839 a Concord wagon, drawn by two horses, was put on the mail route between Chicago and Milwaukee. In favorable weather the trip could be made in two days. The mail driver also took passengers, which added to his income The first night out from Chicago the stage reached Kenosha - sometimes after darkness had fallen - and by leaving there early the next morning the driver and his passengers could take breakfast in Racine. From Racine they went west, crossed the old plank road (or where the old plank road was afterward built), about two miles from the village; then turned north and crossed the Root River on a bridge at Beardsley's tavern, where horses were changed; thence three miles or so in a northwesterly direction, and struck the Milwaukee road near the north line of the county.

Another mail route ran from Racine westward to Mineral Point, where it connected with routes running to Prairie du Chien and Dubuque. The first postoffice in this route was at Foxville (now Burlington). From that point the mail carrier passed through the present Towns of Whitewater, Jefferson, Madison and Dodgeville. On the return trip he followed a route farther south, through Darlington, Monticello, Janesville and Elkhorn to Burlington, and from there to Racine. Eastern mails were carried on vessels around the lakes. In the summer months a letter from New York would reach Racine in about two weeks. but in bad weather it sometimes would be a month, or even more, before the vessel reached the mouth of the Root River on its way to Chicago.

THE VILLAGE INCORPORATED
During the years 1839 and 1840 there was quite a tide of immigration to Wisconsin and Racine received its share of the new comers Among those who settled in the village in those two years were: S. B. Peck, John A. Carswell, Consider Heath, Delavan Wood, Eli R Cooley, Truman G. Wright, Lucius S. Blake and Isaac Harmon. According to a statement in the first city directory (1850) Racine had a population in 1840 of about three hundred. The first number of the Racine Argus was issued on February 14, 1838, with Delavan Wood as editor. A few weeks later the paper contained an editorial setting forth the advantages of Racine, as follows:

"We have a jail, two fine public houses (the Racine and the Fulton Hotels), a number of stores, dwelling houses, mechanics' shops, etc. It was first settled about three years ago. Its growth since that time, although not as rapid as some others, has been gradual and permanent. While many places that, during the rage of speculation for the last two years, have outstripped us now retrograde, or at least have to stand still, for the country which sustains them to settle and improve, our march, not having been in advance of the surrounding country, which is now rapidly settling, will continue onward.

"A number of farmers in the immediate vicinity of this place, who struck the first blow on their farms only two years ago, have, during the past season, raised from one thousand to two thousand bushels of grain. No finer beef cattle can be found than those which graze on these prairies. Our Legislature at its last session passed laws incorporating a bank here, with a capital of $200,000; a mutual fire insurance company; a railroad from this place to an extensive stone quarry about three miles distant, and also a railroad to Rock River, about sixty miles west. Congress last winter made an appropriation of $5,000 for a light house at this place, which is to be erected this spring; and the committee reported in favor of a harbor here, but the bill did not become a law. The United States engineers reported that a harbor can be made here for $55,000. There is not a place in the Territory that promises a more rapid and permanent growth."

With the increase in population, and the citizens holding such optimistic views as those expressed in the Argus, the sentiment in favor of the incorporation was a perfectly natural one. A movement to that end wads started in 1840 and on February 13, 1841, Governor Dodge approved "An act to incorporate the Village of Racine, in Racine County." An election for village officers was held early in April and resulted as follows: President, Dr. Elias Smith; Trustees, Allison Filer, Sidney A. Sage, Marshall M. Strong and Consider Heath; Clerk, Levi S. Cary; Assessor, Amaziala Stebbins.

The first meeting of the Village Board was held on April 12, 1841, when Dr. Smith and Mr Stebbins tendered their resignations as president and assessor. The resignations were accepted and Alanson Filer was chosen president pro team. But little business was transacted. Alfred Cary was appointed assessor, a tax levy of $300 was ordered for the expenses of the current year, and a special election was ordered for May 5, 1841, to elect a village president. Charles S. Wright was elected and was the first active president of the village. At a subsequent meeting Levi S. Cary resigned as clerk and on November 13, 1841, Isaac Harmon was appointed to the vacancy. He continued to serve in that capacity as long as the village government lasted.

During the first year, the principal business of the board was to improve the streets. When the town was first laid out a heavy growth of timber marked the site. Trees were cut down, but the stumps were left standing in the streets, and in some of them the brush wood had not been burned at the time Racine was incorporated. The first contract for street improvements was made with Socrates Hopkins, who agreed to remove the stumps and turnpike Main Street, from Second to Seventh, 125 rods, for $1.00 per rod. S. H. Fenn was awarded a contract to remove the stumps from a portion of Sixth Street, and an appropriation of $14.00 was made for sidewalks on Main Street, from Third to Fourth. The clerk received $10.00 for his first year's services.

Officers were elected annually. The last election under the village charter was held in April, 1848. Those who served as presidents of the board while the village government was in existence were: Charles S. Wright, 1841; Bushnell B. Cary, 1842; M. B. Mead, 1843; Warren Cole, 1844; John A. Carswell, 1845; C. W. Spafard, 1846; C. W. White, 1847; Eli R. Cooley, 1848.

At the beginning of the year 1848 the population of Racine was estimated at nearly three thousand. Wisconsin was admitted to statehood on May 29, 1848, and a week later the first State Legislature assembled at Madison. Philo White was a Senator from Racine County, and in the House were Samuel E. Chapman, Julius L. Gilbert and David McDonald. Through their influence a bill was passed authorizing the incorporation of Racine as a city.

THE CITY GOVERNMENT
The bill incorporating the City of Racine was approved by Governor Nelson Dewey on August 8, 1848. It contained fifty eight sections and defined in detail how the city government should be inaugurated, the duties of the various officers, etc. The president of the village was authorized to "designate some time in the month of October, 1848, for holding the first election, and shall appoint three suitable persons in each ward of the city to be judges of the first election under the provisions of this act, and also two suitable persons as clerks thereof in each ward." The act also defined the boundaries of each of the five wards and further provided that the "Board of Trustees of the Village of Racine shall determine who shall have been properly elected at the first election; and the president of the Board of Trustees of said village shall administer the oath of office to the first mayor, and such mayor shall administer the oath of office to the several aldermen who have been declared to be duly elected, and also to all other officers in said city."

The officers to be elected were a mayor, clerk, treasurer, marshal, two aldermen from each ward, chief engineer of the fire department, and one assessor for each ward. At the election Reuben M. Norton was chosen mayor; Isaiah G. Parker, clerk; Charles G. Collins, treasurer; William L Utley, marshal; William K. May, S. C. Yout, Alanson Filer, Roswell Morris, Moses Vilas, Lucas Bradley, Sidney A. Sage, S. S. Hurlburt, Hosea L. Allen and George D. Fellows, aldermen; S. S. Dickinson, chief fire engineer; Alfred Cary and John W. Cary, assessors (only two elected).

On October 6, 1848, the City Council met for the first time. Mayor Norton was sworn in by Eli R. Cooley, president of the Board of Trustees, who then retired from office and turned over the reins of government to the new mayor. Marshall M. Strong was appointed city attorney and Moses Vilas was made city surveyor. The trustees submitted a statement showing the financial condition of the village, which was accepted, and the funds on hands were turned over to Treasurer Collins, after which the meeting adjourned.

From that time to the present the ordinary business and legislation of the city have gone forward in about the same manner as in other cities of the same class. The original charter has been amended; a Board of Public Works was established that has charge of all public improvements; also a Fire and Police Commission that looks after the protection of the citizens and their property; and in 1905 a Park Board was created. Following is a list of the mayors of Racine from 1848 to 1916, with the year in which they entered upon the duties of the office, and each served until the election and qualification of his successor: Reuben M. Norton, 1848; Henry Bryan, 1849; Eli R Cooley, 1850; William H. Waterman, 1851; William T Richmond, 1852; David McDonald, 1853; George Wustum, 1855; Jerome I. Case, 1856; John W. Cary, 1857; Jerome I. Case, 1858; W. W. Vaughan, 1859; Jerome I. Case, 1860; George C. Northrop, 1861; Alvin Raymond, 1862; George C. Northrop, 1863; Thomas Falvey, 1864; Joshua W. Hart, 1865; George A. Thomson, 1866; M. B. Erskine, 1869; Reuben Doud, 1872; R. H. Baker, 1874; Reuben Doud, 1875; John G. Meacham, 1876; Ernest J. Hueffner, 1879; M. B. Erskine, 1880; W. P. Packard, 1881; T. G. Fish, 1883; M. M. Secor, 1884; Joseph Miller, 1885; D. A. Olin, 1886; M. M. Secor, 1888; F L Mitchell, 1889; Adolph Weber, 1890; Jackson I. Case, 1891; David G. Janes, 1895; Frederick Graham, 1897; Michael Higgins, 1899; Peter B. Nelson, 1904; A. J. Horlick, 1907; W. S. Goodland, 1911; T. W. Thiesen, 1915.

FIRE DEPARTMENT
The first move toward the establishment of a fire department was made while Racine was still under the village government. At a meeting of the Board of Trustees on January 22, 1843, the constitution and by-laws of "Fire Company, Engine No. 1," were presented by Alanson Filer, and the board adopted a resolution recognizing the company as authorized by the village to extinguish fires. It was a volunteer company, and it may be interesting to the people of Racine to know who were the first men in the city to offer their services in case of fire. Following is the roster of the company: Foreman, Ludlow F. Lewis; members, W. R. P. Armstrong, Albert H. Blake, Edwin S. Blake, Edward Brink, William D. Busbee, Louis Butterfield, J. R. Carpenter, Jr., William F. Cole, Edwin Colvin, Eli R. Cooley, Lucius Cooper, Henry F. Cox, Jr., Ira Dean, Sidney S. Dickinson, George D. Fellows, Alanson Filer, Elilin Filer, G. C. Flagg, Edwin Gould, S. F. Heath, H. D. Hott, John J. Humphrey, Benjamin Kelley, Joseph C. Knapp, Samuel G. Knight, A. H. Lee, C. M. Mann, Henry L. Marsh, Matthew B. Mead, F. H. Orvis, I. N. Parker, Benjamin K. Perkins, John Ramsdell, William T Richmond, Charles F. Rogers, F. M. Rublee, A. C. St. John, Charles Smith, Edward W. Smith, C. W. Spafard, James M. Sprague, George G. Stevens, Marshall M. Strong, James M. Titus, J. A. Titus, Moses Vilas, William H. Waterman, Chester W. White, Theo. J. Wisner.

In this list will be recognized some of the most prominent men of that day. Three members of the company afterward served as mayors of the city, four as presidents of the Village Board, and Marshall M. Strong and Alanson Filer represented Racine County in the Legislature. The company was equipped with hand engine of the crank piston variety, built by Russell Skinner, of Racine, and a limited supply of hose. Such a fire company now would be a laughing stock, but old "No. 1" was the pride of Racine at the time it was organized.

On February 23, 1843, at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, the constitution and by-laws of "Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1," were presented by B. B. Jones. By resolution of the board, the company was made a part of the fire department, but the membership of the company was limited to forty.

The Racine Engine Company was organized early in the year 1846, and on the 25th of April it was accepted by the Board of Trustees. At the same time the hook and ladder company was reorganized. Thus remained the Racine fire department until after the incorporation of the city in 1848. Sidney S. Dickinson was elected chief fire engineer at the first city election, though little was done in 1848 toward the reorganization of the department, farther than the passage of an ordinance defining the duties of the chief engineer and his assistants, etc. In 1849 Elijah N. Akin was elected chief engineer and the real fire department can be said to date from this year.

In June, 1849, the No. 1 Company was reorganized, with C. W. Spafard as foreman and fifty three members. The old Russell Skinner engine was discarded and one of more modern type purchased. The hook and ladder company was also reorganized under the name of "Protection Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1," with Thomas W. Wright as foreman and a membership of thirty. Engine Company No. 2 was organized a little later, with sixty one members and Sterling P. Rounds as foreman, and before the close of the year a third company was organized. It was composed almost entirely of Welshmen, numbered forty members and was under the foremanship of Evan Lewis. Three new engines were purchased in 1849. They were built by L. Button & Company, of Racine. The one which took the place of the old Skinner engine was called the "Racine"; Company No. 2 called their engine the "Fire King"; and Company No. 3 christened theirs the "Star of the West". A little later three engine houses were built for the three companies. No. 1 was located on the corner of Fourth and Wisconsin Streets; No. 2, on Main, near Second; and No. 3, on Seventh, between Main and Wisconsin.

On January 4, 1866, about four o'clock in the morning, fire was discovered in a blacksmith shop on the north side of Fifth Street, not far from Wisconsin Street. A keen northwesterly wind was blowing and the flames were soon communicated to Buffham's paint shop, next door east, and in a short time the adjoining buildings were ignited. The mercury was below zero and the department worked at great disadvantage in their efforts to control the flames. The Racine House, the old historic tavern erected in 1837, although across the street, caught fire and the flying sparks from that building ignited St. Luke's Church. All the buildings from the hotel to the court house were burned, and the total loss was estimated at nearly two hundred thousand dollars. This was the most destructive fire in Racine up to that time and it demonstrated the fact that the fire department as then constituted was unable to cope with a real conflagration.

During the spring and summer following the great fire, various suggestions were made for the improvement of the department, and on October 1, 1867, the H. C. Silsby Company, of Seneca Falls, New York, brought a steam fire engine to Racine and tested it in the presence of the committee appointed for the purpose by the City Council. The test was reported as "entirely satisfactory," so the engine was purchased and named the "Gem of the Lakes." It was placed in the hands of the old No. 1 Company, whose hand engine was taken to the Fourth Ward and placed in service there as the "Racine No. 4," a new company having been formed to take charge of it, part of the old company following the engine to its new quarters. The first time the steam fire engine was called into service was at the Clancy fire, corner of Main and Fourth Streets. Owing to the fact that no provision had been made for taking the "Gem of the Lakes" to fires, it was drawn to the Clancy fire by hand. This, coupled with the inexperience of the men in handling steam engines, caused so much delay that the old "Star of the West" Company had a stream of water playing on the fire before the steamer could get into action. So much sport was made of the new engine, from which so much had been expected, that the company disbanded. Men were then constantly employed to take charge of the steamer and a team was engaged to draw it to fires. This was the first step toward a paid fire department.

On April 6, 1868, the council passed an ordinance establishing fire limits, within which buildings must conform to certain regulations Engine House No. 2 was remodeled for the steamer and the old hand engine there was sold to the Town of West Bend. In 1871 the council purchased a second Silsby engine, which was known as "L. S. Blake, No. 2"; hand engine No. 3 was sold to Savannah, Illinois, and the "Gem of the Lakes" was renamed the "John Vaughan." After several more years of service it was considered unfit for further use and turned back to the Silsby Manufacturing Company as part payment for the steamer "John G. Meacham." In September, 1877, the fire marshal sold hand engine No. 4 to the Town of Burlington, Wisconsin, and a chemical engine — the "Henry Mitchell" — took its place. It was a good piece of apparatus in its day, but the improvements in firefighting machinery finally relegated it to the scrap pile.

In 1883 the department was made a full paid institution and since that time the city has not depended upon "volunteers" to extinguish fires. The last published report of the City of Racine shows six engine houses, with forty three men on the payroll, which amounted to $42,810 for the year. The equipment was valued at $50,526, exclusive of the value of the buildings and grounds. More than half of the fire apparatus of the city is now of the auto motor type and of the most approved designs.

Today fire fighting is a regular business, but the members of the paid fire department miss many of the pleasurable incidents of the old volunteer days. Sterling P. Rounds, who was foreman of the old "Fire King" Company, and who afterward went to Chicago, in writing to a friend in Racine, recounted a number of happenings while he was connected with the company. He says:

"It was composed of the young business men and 'live' boys of the town. It was named 'Fire King,' after the crack company of Buffalo, of which its foreman had recently been secretary. The neat brick engine house at the foot of Main Street was built for it. The first trial of the engine, on its arrival at Percy Dutton's pier, was a success and the boys were delighted. Very soon after it came, a fire occurred on the hill (since graded down) west of the engine house and, as the boys had to take water from the river, a very long distance, there was some delay. One of the aldermen, who had opposed the purchase of the engine, impatiently remarked: 'Now that we want firemen, they are not on hand; where is this boasted new company?' The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the stream of water filled the long line of hose, and Bill McCarty, who held the pipe and who had listened with disgust to the 'blowing' of the old fraud, turned the nozzle upon him. His hat went one way, the alderman the other, and he was fully aware where the new company was.

"At the great tournament which took place at Chicago in the fall of 1850, where were gathered the crack companies from Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee and other cities, both the Racine companies were present. The sixty wide awake young fellows of No. 2 attracted much attention. After the parade, and at the competition, though seventh in the line of twenty two companies, at the word, 'Break line and take water,' we divided the honors with No. 9 of Buffalo of having the first water through the hose, and at the burning of the old 'Tremont,' the following night, had the first water on the fire, though Sol Cather and 'Dar' Munroe did fall in the cistern when 'taking suction.'

"The Racine companies went to Chicago and returned by boat. They arrived at Racine about midnight, but somehow the news of the honorable record made at the tournament had preceded them and it seemed as if the entire population had turned out to welcome the boys home. Bonfires were lighted, the old cannon was brought out, and salute after salute was fired as the steamboat hove in sight, while cheer upon cheer greeted the boys as they landed at the pier, and followed them to their engine houses. Nor were they allowed to go to their beds. Groups gathered at the 'Empire,' the 'St Charles' and other popular places of resort, and as the story was repeated the enthusiasm grew wilder and more noisy until daylight appeared."

POLICE DEPARTMENT
When Racine was incorporated under the act of August 8, 1848, the only police officer provided for was the city marshal. As the city grew, the marshal was authorized to appoint deputies from time to time. For ten years the marshal, his deputies and the county sheriff discharged all the duties of a police force, but on October 18, 1858, the City Council voted to establish a police system. Ten days later Andrew Dusolt was appointed chief of police; William Finch was appointed patrolman on November 5, 1858, and F. E. Clark was made the third member of the force on January 3, 1859.

About a week after the great Chicago fire in October, 1871, owing to the excitement and the great demand for precautionary measures, a number of extra patrolmen were appointed and were under the control of Lewis Dickinson, the city marshal. This arrangement was only temporary, however, and after the excitement quieted down the extra men were dismissed During the next nine years an additional patrolman was appointed now and then, until in 1880 the force consisted of the marshal, chief and nine patrolmen, or eleven men in all.

According to the last published report of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, the Racine police force now consists of thirty five men, to wit: One chief, one captain, three sergeants, two detectives, one lineman and twenty seven patrolmen. The cost of the force for the year 1914 — the year included in the report — was $33,218.74.

Few cities the size of Racine are better provided with fire and police protection. And it is greatly to the credit of the city that some years ago a pension fund was started for the firemen and policemen, so that when a man grows old in the service he can be retired with the assurance that he will not be in absolute want in his old age. At the close of the year 1914 the firemen's pension fund amounted to $20,134.85, of which $19,000 was invested in interest bearing securities, and the police pension fund had reached $16,279.84, with $15,000 invested in bonds.

PUBLIC PARKS
Prior to 1905 the City of Racine had no public parks. In his annual message of that year to the City Council, Peter B. Nelson, then mayor of the city, called attention to the need of public parks. In order to get the matter in tangible shape, on January 25, 1905, Mayor Nelson appointed the following citizens members of a park commission: C. R. Carpenter, Michael Higgins, A. C. Hanson, F. L. Norton and Andrew Simonson. At the April election following, the question of issuing bonds to the amount of $50,000 for the purchase of lands and the establishment of public parks. The proposition was defeated by a vote of 2,237 to 1,473. Racine was therefore in the peculiar situation of having a park commission with nothing to do. The outlook was certainly not encouraging, but Mayor Nelson and the park commission refused to give up the fight for public parks. As a beginning, the board petitioned the City Council to set aside for park purposes a strip of land off the east and south sides of Mound Cemetery, extending from West Sixth Street to Twelfth Street and from the top of the bluff to the Root River. The petition was granted and the tract of land was named Riverside Park.

In June, 1905, the board asked the council to appropriate $1,000, on condition that the board raise a like sum by subscription, which the council agreed to do, and the canvass for funds began. Before the close of the year $4,000 had been subscribed, one of the first and largest being that of the Woman's Club of $1,000. With this $5,000 as a working fund the board secured an option of Horlick Park, north of Sixth Street, which was finally purchased by William Horlick and donated to the city, hence the name Jens Jensen, a landscape gardener of Chicago, was engaged to outline a general plan for a park system.

The next step was to secure an option on ten acres of ground lying between Horlick Park on the west and the Root River for $5,000. The day before the option expired the subject was brought to the attention of William Mitchell Lewis, who purchased the tract and presented it to the city for a playground. Later Mr. Lewis gave $5,000 toward the improvement of the park, which is now known as Lewis Field.

As early as October 24, 1905, the park board entered into a lease and option of purchase with Charles Erskine for the forty seven acres comprising Washington Park. The lease was to run for three years from September 15, 1905, and just before its expiration the board exercised its option and purchased the ground for $20,487.50, giving to the city a park of unusual beauty. In his report immediately following the purchase, A. A. Fisk, superintendent of parks, said: "Washington Park will ever be the popular picnic park because of the natural woodland. The woods should ever be retained in its wild condition. Its natural beauty far surpasses anything that could otherwise be created."

The North Shore or Bathing Beach Park was purchased from James Cape & Sons in July, 1908, for $10,000, and money for the erection of a suitable bath house was raised by subscription within a week. A life line was strung on posts, which were driven into the bottom of the lake, and a life boat was anchored at a convenient point for use in emergencies. The operating expenses have been met by the small rentals received for bathing suits, towels and dressing booths, and the bathing beach is one of Racine's popular resorts during the warm weather.

Lake Shore Park, fronting the lake between Thirteenth and Sixteenth Streets, was donated to the city by Andrew Simonson. C. R. Carpenter, W. M. Lewis and George D. Fellows, giving to the city more than two blocks on the bluff overlooking the lake at that point. This is not a large park, but it has proved to be a popular resting place for the people in that section of the city.

On July 6, 1905, Judge J. E. Dodge donated to the city 170 feet on Wisconsin Street, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth Streets. This was named Dodge Park. Other small parks are: East Park, West Park, Monument and St. Clair Squares, Colbert and Simonson Parks, Lutz Square, and the ends of Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Seventeenth Streets, from Lake Avenue to the lake. These will never become as popular as the larger parks, with their golf links, tennis courts, etc., but when the plans of the park commission are carried out each one of them will become a beauty spot for the people of Racine to gaze upon with pleasure.

The general system of parks, as outlined by Mr. Jensen and approved by the park board, contemplates the connecting of the larger parks by driveways, such as Riverside Drive and Carlisle Boulevard, and when completed the city will have a park system of which every citizen — even those who voted against the bond issue in 1905 — may well be proud.

WATERWORKS
On March 12, 1882, J. S. Foster, of Chicago, addressed the Racine City Council on the subject of waterworks. At that time the city had no authority, to put in waterworks along the lines suggested by Mr. Foster's address, and on the 14th a committee of the council, to whom the matter had been referred, recommended legislation that would enable the city to enter into a contract with any company to build a system that would supply the city with water. During the legislative session, in the winter of 1882-83, a special law was enacted giving the city the desired authority, and on May 7, 1883, the council passed an ordinance granting to the Holly Manufacturing Company, of Lockport, New York, a franchise for twenty five years to build, equip and operate a waterworks plant for the purpose of supplying the City of Racine with water, and including the exclusive privilege of laying mains upon the streets of the city.

The Holly Company failed to exercise the privileges granted by the franchise ordinance, and on March 18, 1886, a franchise was granted to the Racine Water Company. This ordinance was approved by Mayor Joseph Miller the next day and was accepted by A. H. Howland, president of the company. The new company went to work immediately upon a plant A pumping station was built on the lake shore just north of the Root River, a stand pipe of steel with a capacity of 330,480 gallons was erected on Tenth Street, and a twenty four inch cast iron pipe was run out 7,240 feet into the lake, where the end was turned up and is encased in a crib. The stand pipe was afterward encased with brick, with a roof of concrete and a castellated top. The daily pumping capacity of the plant is 8,500,000 gallons. The first section of main was laid on July 1, 1886, water was first turned into the mains on January 11, 1887, the water tower was filled on the 27th of the same month, and on February 1, 1887, the first private consumers were supplied.

The franchise granted by the ordinance of March 18, 1886, was for twenty five years. Upon its expiration in 1911 some of the citizens expressed themselves in favor of having the city purchase the plant and give Racine a municipal waterworks, but nothing definite along that line has been done up to this time. It is probable, however, that within a few years the works will be owned by the city.

GAS AND ELECTRIC LIGHT
On February 24, 1855, Governor William A. Barstow approved an act of the Wisconsin Legislature incorporating the "Racine Gas Light and Coke Company." A meeting of the stockholders was held on April 16, 1855, when A. P. Dutton was elected president; J. B. Rowley, secretary, and G. C. Northrop, treasurer. At a second meeting, held on May 9, 1855, the president and secretary were authorized to make a contract with the firm of Parkins, Harper & Company, of Chicago, for the erection of a gas works for 840,000. In 1866 the Legislature annulled the charter of the company and passed an act incorporating the "Racine Gas Light Company," which purchased the works and began business with a capital stock of 841,000. The capital stock was increased to $100,000 about 1877 and continued to furnish the people of Racine with gas until the company was merged into the Wisconsin Gas and Electric Company, a few years ago.

On June 20, 1887, the City Council passed an ordinance granting to John Rodgers, "his heirs, associates or assigns," the right to use the streets and alleys of the city for the erection of poles and the running of wires to supply the people with electric light. This was the first move toward an electric light plant in Racine. Mr. Rodgers evidently failed to establish his plant in accordance with the terms of the ordinance, for on March 11, 1892, the Belle City Street Railway Company was granted a franchise to furnish electricity for lighting purposes. The light plant established under this franchise was afterward turned over to the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company when it acquired the Belle City Street Railway system.

MISCELLANEOUS
In addition to the municipal utilities and advantages enumerated in this chapter, the City of Racine has a substantial city hall, erected in 1883 on the southeast corner of Main and Third Streets, in which are the city offices, council chamber, etc. At the close of the year 1914 the sewer system included over eighty miles of sewer, put in at a cost of $649,642.62. There are thirty five miles of brick and asphalt paved streets, which cost $1,311,271.15, and many miles of excellent cement sidewalks The city has a fine public library, with about ten thousand volumes of well selected books, a number of fine school buildings and church edifices, and many pretty residences. Its manufacturing, mercantile and banking interests compare favorably with those of other cities of its size. With a population of over forty thousand and property assessed at $55,770,026; with a wide awake, progressive people; with its excellent transportation facilities, both by lake and railroad, Racine has well earned the appellation it has so long borne of "The Belle City of the Lakes."

Racine, Belle City of the lakes..., Fanny's Stone, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago 1916

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