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

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----Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913, pg. 562 -  563.

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

THE TOWN OF JOHNSON.

This town was created November 15, 1883, to consist of township 30, ranges 4 and 3 east, and in the following spring John Junke was elected its first chairman. At that time is was very sparsely settled, but the fine hardwood lands attracted settlers and Fred Rietbrock doing his best to advertise his lands and bring newcomers into the country. The town of Johnson is now well settled with many good cultivated fanns and has good substantial buildings. The farmers supply one creamery and one cheese factory with sufficient milk to run the whole season.

The Abbotsford-Eastern Railroad, now owned by the Sault St. Marie & M. R. R. runs through the town from Athens to Abbotsford and has two stations; the first one out from Athens is called Corinth, and there is a general merchandise store kept by Stallmann Brothers. There is also a landing place for loading logs hauled east to Athens and west to other stations.

The next station is called Milan, from "Milano," where there is a saw and planing mill owned and operated by Martin Ellingson, and a store conducted by his fimi. Also a hardware store kept by George Blank, a blacksmith shop by H. Otterlein, a meat market by Mr. Leonhard with some other houses, making quite a village.

Five school districts each with a new modern schoolhouse provide ample room and opportunity for the instruction of the numerous children in that community.

There are two German Evangelical Lutheran congregations having churches in the village, but no resident pastor. In one of the churches the resident minister from Athens holds divine service, and in the other a minister from Colby comes for that purpose.

At another little village in the southern part of the town called "Wuertzburg," there was a Catholic congregation organized in the year 1905 and a church built by the same in 1906. This was first a mission of the Catholic church of Edgar, but since the church was finished in 1906, this parish was assigned to Rev. Anthony E. Muehlenkamp, the rector of the St. Mary's Catholic church in Athens. The membership consists now of thirty-five families, living in the towns of Johnson, Wien, and Frankfort. The foremost promoters of this congregation were Joseph Kremsreiter, Joseph Hilger, Joseph Reis, Ludwig Kremsreiter, Martin Rodlinger, Anton Schmirler, and Jacob Mollig. The congregation is in a flourishing condition and so rapidly increasing that an addition is already contemplated.