Levis Township History

Clark County, Wisconsin

First Owners in Levis Township

Levis Township Military History [Index]

Memories of Levis Township [Shramek]

Historical Accounts

1857

The county having been set apart and the county seat located, it was determined to lay out a village and perfect arrangements for projecting the improvements. At that time, as will be remembered, the county contained but one township--Pine Valley. Since that date the domain has been apportioned as follows: Levis Township in 1857; Weston in 1859; Lynn, 1862; Loyal, 1863; Mentor, 1867; Grant, 1868; Eaton, 1870; Beaver, 1871; York, Hixon and Sherman, 1873; Colby, Unity, Mayville and Washburn, 1874; Sherwood Forest, Hewett and Warner, 1875; Thorp, 1876, and Withee, in 1880. 1881 History of Clark Co., Wis.

1880

In 1880 the county board became anxious in regard to the safety of a new iron bridge that had been built over Black River, in the vicinity of the Dells dam in the town of Levis, the previous year.

The Black River Flooding Dam Association had erected the "Dells" dam, and it raised the water in the vicinity of the new bridge, that fears were entertained for its safety in case of a flood, or extremely high water.

The new bridge had been built by the town of Levis, with some aid from the county. A committee had been appointed consisting of S. B. Hewett, and F. D. Lindsay, with authority to negotiate with the Flooding Dam Association for a right of way, over their dam, which they in due time secured, and the committee were ordered to report as to the necessity of taking down the new iron bridge that had just been completed.

They finally reported that the new bridge ought to be taken down, and thereupon the county board on the 29th of April, 1880, passed an order that the bridge be taken down and placed across Wedges Creek in the town of Levis.

The board also appointed a committee of three consisting of F. D. Lindsay, Ezra Tompkins and S. B. Hewett to superintend the removal of the bridge, and the placing of if across Wedges Creek at such pint as in their judgment was most proper.

It would appear from the plain orders of the board that all the power the committee had was to put the bridge across Wedges Creek. How the trouble between town and the county started in involved in mystery, but certain it was, that shortly after the committee was appointed, a majority of them claimed that the county owned the bridge while on the other hand the town of Levis claimed the ownership, law suits were threatened by both sides, finally on the 4th day of July, 1880, (a day it was supposed no injunction could be served) S. H. Hewett and F. D. Lindsay, two of the committee assisted by T. J. La Flesh, Hiram Palmer, David Williams, C. H. Gates, Hiram Hart, Arch Day and Ed Tolford removed the component parts of the bridge, consisting of bolts, girders, ebords, iron rods, timber and plank, and deposited them in the court house square at Neillsville, eight miles away from the mouth of Wedges Creek.

This action led to a suit of replevin by the town of Levis, against the parties named but the case was never tried in court. The whole matter was compromised in September, 1880, but the county giving the town of Levis $325.00 to help build a bridge across Wedges Creek and agreeing for five years to keep in repair the bridge across the flooding dam.

The board then donated the bridge to the towns of Eaton and Warner to be placed across Black River at or near the town line between Eaton and Warner. And thus it came about that the town of Levis was defrauded out of its bridge, and the town of Warner secured one as a gift.

From Forest to Farm (Dewhurst, Levis, Sherwood & Washburn Townships); provided by "The Jailhouse Museum".

1890

"Clark Co. Illustrated" History of Levis Township

1877