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

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----Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913, pg. 569 - 571.

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

THE TOWN OF ELDRON.

This town was organized with the election of town officers in the spring of 1888 and I. S. IngersoU was elected the first chairman. When established the town embraced townships 26 and 27 in range 10 east, but later township 27 was set ofif and established as the town of Franzen.

This town borders on Shawano and corners with Waupacca county, and some settlers came in from that territory before the building of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad, now the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. A spur track of that road runs now clear through these two townships in range 10, and into Portage county to a place named "Roshhold," giving passenger service although the main traffic consists in taking out freight, such as logs and farm produce. There was much logging and lumbering done in this town after the railroad came in, and not much attention was fiven to farming. The mills have now all gone out, except one small saw mill owned by August Sigasz, which is doing cvistom sawing for farmers. Farms have become larger and more in numbers lately, and there is sufficient stock to keep one creamery supplied with milk all during the season, and milk is shipped out by railroad. The best farms are on the eastern portion of the town, and there is also the biggest population at present, and it is fast advancing as a farming community.

The largest farm is owned by A. J. Plowman, who has a fine stock of registered Guernsey cows and is a very successful breeder of this class of cattle. The population is mixed, there being Germans, native Americans, Scandinavians, Polish, and Scotch people, the Germans seemingly to be the most numerous. The first settlers in this town were Calvin Day, who came in 1880, and G. V. Ackerman and Joseph Hall, Samuel Williams, who came in 1882.

At the station "Eldron" quite a village has grown up where much business is done. The village is lit by electric lights; it has the central office of the Eldron Telephone Company which has toll lines into ^^'ausau, Roshhold. \^'ittenberg. Eland Junction, and Bevant. John Dexter has a carpenter shop, and another one is William E. Allen. Ed. Vance is the blacksmith and wagonmaker of the village.

Stores keeping general merchandise are conducted by Thomas O. Thompson, Mr. Charbeneau, and T. M. Hicks. A. J. Plowman conducts a flour and feed warehouse, and the Stark Company and P. X. Peterson conduct potato warehouses. Potatoes are an important article of commerce and are shipped in large quantities from this locality. There is a hotel kept by Fred. Evert and a restaurant by William Donahue. A canthook stock factory is run by the Eldron Produce Company.

THE ELDRON STATE BANK

was organized at the beginning of this year (1913) by A. J. Plowman. It has a capital of $10,000. Its officers are: President, Carl Roshhold; first vice president, A. J. Plowman; second vice president. E. J. Benson: cashier. Berg Olson, who. with L. S. Jacobson. Frank Scholz, Roman Woitosek. and Peter Cherek constitute the board of directors.

This town, young as it is, has a splendid future before it, the lands being excellently adapted for potato culture as well as for corn and grains, and are a fine field for embarking in dairy farming. The public school in the village is a solid brick building, with a state graded school of two departments. The principal is Mrs. Mabel C. Darms; assistant, Miss Mae St. Marie. This with the other four schoolhouses in the town will soon give it decided American character.

There are two neat frame churches ; one belongs to a Scandinavian Lutheran congregation, the services being conducted in the Norwegian language by a visiting minister from Wittenberg and was built in 1904-05. The other is called a "Union" church, situated in the village of Eldron, built four years ago by people of different Christian confessions, with the understanding between them, that service might be held therein by any of the congregations desirous of so doing, which agreement has been faithfully kept. There are now regular religious services conducted by a minister from Wittenberg for the Scandinavian population, and the Methodist congregation is regularly visited by a student of theology from St. Lawrence College in Appleton, who conducts the service. The congregations hold their worship in true Christian spirit of toleration and harmony.