HISTORY OF WOOD COUNTY



    Mr. H. A. Sampson, at present living at Wisconsin Rapids, and who was
born
 in 1842 at Whitney Rapids, and who it is said was the first white child
born in
 Wood County, states that his father superintended the construction of the
dam
 for Daniel Whitney's mill. He also states that many of the early French
who
 settled here married Indian women. The Indians often sold or traded fish,
deer
 saddles or hams, ducks and berries to the whites. On one occasion the chief
 "Oshkosh" came to one of these white men for a jug of whiskey.
The white man,.
 intending to play a joke on the Indian, filled the jug partly with whiskey,
and,
 going to the river, added a goodly amount of water, and gave it to the chief.
The
 old chief took it and when he discovered the joke that had been played on
him,
 he decided to retaliate, which he did in the following manner. He filled
a small
 bucket with maple sugar, to which he had added some sand of a similar color.
 This he afterward sold to the white man. The latter soon became aware of
the'
 substitution and asked Oshkosh what he meant by mixing sand with the sugar.
 Oshkosh replied: "When me ask for fire-water you put him Wisconsin
River in
 whiskey; when white man ask for sugar I put him sand in sugar."
   There is a linear-shaped mound in the southeast quarter of the southeast
quar-
ter of Section 16, Port Edwards Township. It extends south from the bank
of a
small creek and to the road, where it is cut off. It is at present about
350 feet
long, 5 to 6 feet wide and 11Y2 feet high. It is of a very regular linear
shape, not
tapering or club-shaped.
   Southwest of the latter mound, on the north bank of the creek in the northwest
quarter of the northeast quarter, Section 21, were several conical shaped
mounds.
They were 312 feet high and about 30 feet in diameter. They were destroyed
during the past summer by relic hunters.
   At the northern limits of Nekoosa, southeast of and across the highway
from
the cemetery, is an oblong shaped mound. It is located on a bluff 150 feet
from
the Wisconsin. It measures 45 feet in length, 18 feet in width and about
212 feet
in height. It is on the Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Company's property.
   Another mound was situated a short distance to the north, on the north
bank
of Moccasin Creek, 300 feet from its mouth. The highway cuts off one end
of it.
It is said that formerly there was a group of mounds at this place. These
are the
only mounds located on the west side of the river in Wood County.
   Burnt Ground Camp Site.-In Vol. XI, No. 2 of the Wisconsin Archeologist,.
it is stated that on the farm of G. 0. Weeks, southeast quarter of Section
28,.
Rudolph Township, is a cleared area called "The Burnt Grounds."
"Formerly
it was the only cleared space along the river for many miles, and it became
a great
rendezvous for Indians engaged in the fur trade. It was a famous camp site,
where Indians came in great numbers and located temporarily. It is reported
that formerly there were mounds here. If so, they have been obliterated.
Arti-
facts have been found in numbers on this site."
   Hamm Burials.-On the Frank Hamm farm, southeast quarter, Section 29,.
Rudolph Township, Indian burials have been found near a dwelling house.
   Taylor Camp Site.-Mr. Napoleon Smith, of Biron, mentions a camp site situ--
ated on the Alex Taylor farm, near the junction of Sections 25 and 26, Rudolph
Township. The Indians camped here for a time in summer.