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History: Bergen Twp., Marathon Co., Wis. (1913)

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----Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913, pg. 551 -  552.

----Township of Bergen, Marathon Co., Wisconsin 1913 History

THE TOWN OF BERGEN.

The town of Bergen was created January 10, 1870. to consist of township 26 north of ranges 2, 3, 4, 5. 6 and that part of range 7 lying west of the Wisconsin river. Its first chairman and representative in the county board was the pioneer, John Week. There was at that time no other settlement in this town than the saw mill of John Week, which was one of the old established mills in the county on the Big Eau Plein river, and was a large mill where millions of feet of white pine were annually manufactured.

There were a few settlers in that town in what was known, or became later known as the Campbell settlement, where farming was a negligible quantity. With the building of the Wisconsin Valley Railroad a station was established called Hutchington, now Dancy, on the extreme east of the town. As soon as the station was established, John Week or the town rather, built a good road to that station and lumber was taken from the mill for shipment.

A new saw and planing mill, too, was put up at or near the station, but they were removed in after years when the pine was gone.

The John Week mill was dismantled, and he removed to Stevens Point, where his son is still engaged in the same business.

Fanners have gone into that town in later years and have made a good progress in clearing and cultivating farms.

The lower course of the Little Eau Plein river which flows through the town, is sluggish and fomis "Rice Lake," and the land along the river is low and wet, with a rich deposit of alluvial humus and fertile subsoil. In later years much of this land has been drained and makes the best of garden land. At Dancy there is the general merchandise store of G. G. Knoller, and another one kept by M. Altenburg.

There is a saw mill in the village of "Moon" owned and operated by J. Coerper, who also keeps a general stock of merchandise.

In Moon there is a joint school district with the town of Mosinee, and the fine, good schoolhouse is located in the latter town.

Besides this joint school district there are five schools in this town and three churches. One, a Norwegian Lutheran church, is visited by Rev. O. T. Boe of Wausau; a German Lutheran visited by Reverend Wagner of Junction City, and a Methodist church visited by Reverend Scott of Brokaw, who conduct the religious services.