HISTORY OF RUSK
COUNTY
Rusk County, the 71st to be formed in Wiscon-
sin in 1901, is a rectangle 42 miles from east to
west by 24 miles from north to south, except that
Taylor County jots into the southeast corner.
Formerly, it was the northern part of Chippewa
County. The Chippewa and Flambeau Rivers flow
through the county from north to south forming
the confluence at the village of Flambeau near the
southern border. Except for the Blue Hills in the
northwestern part and the Flambeau Heights at
the south, the county is rather rolling to level at the
eastern edge. There are also many smaller scenic
streams, and lakes of all descriptions, making the
county an attractive vacationland.
This area is also rich in historical background as
it belonged to the Chippewa and the Ojibway In-
dian tribes. There were two pipestone quarries in
the west, and camp sites and burial grounds along
the rivers and the lakes. The first white man to
traverse this part of the state was Father Louis
Hennepin with Michael Accau and Antoine
Auguel in 1680, coming up the Mississippi and
Chippewa Rivers by canoe to Lac Court Oreilles
(Couderay) near the present Indian settlements of
Reserve and New Post, then by trail to La Point on
Madeline Island in Lake Superior where a mission
had been established by Jesuit Father Claude
Allouez in 1665.
The fall of 1790, 700 Sioux Indians in about 200
birch bark canoes, came up the river to surprise at-
tack the Chippewas and to get control of the Chip-
pewa Valley hunting grounds, but somehow, the
Chippewas were forewarned, thus several hundred
of them lay in ambush along the river and routed
the Sioux after a bloody battle. A historic plaque
to commemorate this event, was erected near their
praying rock about twenty miles east of Hayward.
By 1842, the Ojibway Indians had ceded their
lands by treaty to the United States Government.
Michael Cadott was the first white fur trader in
the Chippewa Valley. In changing the name from
French to English, La Cadeau or Codeau became
Cadotte. His children were John Baptiste and
Michael (1790), and a daughter, born in 1791.
Both boys were educated in Montreal. John mar-
ried a well-educated Indian maid and remained
with the Indians maintaining peace. His family
later moved to Minnesota. Michael's wife was the
daughter of White Crane, a Chippewa Chief.
Jean Brunet was also important in the develop-
ment of the Chippewa Valley. He was born in
France in 1791. He piloted the first steam boat to
Chippewa Falls, built the first house there, built a
fur trader's cabin at Cornell which became a stop-
ping place for those plying the Chippewa River,
bought up much of the timberlands and built the
first dam there. Near there, in 1863, he built the
first saw mill for Hercules Dousman, who had
come in as a fur trader. In 1843, Dousman built
Villa Louis at Prairie du Chien, now a museum of
life in those early days. These early Frenchmen
lived in peace with the Chippewa Indians, ap-
preciating  their native  intelligence  and
resourcefulness, and usually marrying into the
tribe. This mill, called the Blue Mill, was later sold
to Weyerhaeuser; it was one of the largest in the
world. Ezra Cornell, co-founder of Cornell Univer-
sity, stayed at Brunet's Inn to get Government
timberlands for his university. Brunet died in
August 1837 and was buried in Chippewa Falls,
but his last home location on an island in the Chip-
pewa River, has been made into the Brunet Island
State Park near Cornell. Many of his descendants
still live in the area.
One of his frequent visitors was Jean Baptiste
Corbin who was born in Canada of a good family
in 1776. He established a fur trading post at Court
Oreilles at the request of Michael Cadotte and
married a Chippewa Indian. Then Mr. William
McGillivray was also active with the Northwest
Fur Company as interpreter. There was competi-

Rusk County
Wisconsin
tion with traders from other companies. The Ot-
towa Indians or Court Orielles, called short ears
because they did not extend their ears with or-
naments, were pushed out by the Ojibways in the
18th century; they would travel southward through
Rusk County on the Chippewa, stopping at trading
posts, often taking "fire water" in exchange for
furs, which caused roudiness. Although Corbine's
home was in Sawyer County, the Catholic mis-
sionaries started at Reserve to make their circuit
through Rusk County. It might be noted that in
1842 Reverend Alfred Brunson, a Methodist
minister, had followed Hennepin's route through
this county to become the Indian Agent at La
Pointe.
FIRST SETTLERS FOLLOWED
RIVERS
The first white settlers to Rusk County followed
the rivers and went to the Indian village at
Flambeau. Mr. and Mrs. Adolph La Ronge, born
in Canada, came in 1847. Their daughter Myrtle
(Bergevin) was the first white child born in Rusk
County. He later developed what is now called the
Beebe farm near Bruce. Next came Mr. and Mrs.
Benjamin Diamond, shortly before 1850. The
members of this family saw a good deal of develop-
ment in the county as they all lived to be at least 80
years of age. John Diamond was Wisconsin's
oldest surveyor. The first survey here dates back to
1852, done by the Government with iron stakes,
but some later marks were merely ax wounds in
trees. Madelaine Diamond Cote enjoyed the honor
of being the oldest county resident before she died
at 93. Albert Diamond and Lucy Diamond Jenner-
man lived at Sheldon. Will ran the Flambeau
Store.
Also from France came the Alex Gourdoux
family whose descendents still are known in
Flambeau. Mr. and Mrs. Jake Savord were famous
for their apple orchard there. The Norton family
came from Monroe County in 1871. Jesse married
Duncan Cameron in 1891. By the time a Post Of-
fice was set up at Flambeau, they had a population
of 100. The only town indicated on the old map of
1876 put out by the War Department Survey of
Lakes, was Mandowish on the Flambeau River
and on the proposed Chippewa and Menomonie
Railroad Line.
Soon settlements began to develop farther north
along  the rivers. Fritz Girard  came from
Switzerland in 1886 and settled along the scenic
rapids too dangerous for the woodsmen to ride, ex-
cept for the skilled Joe La Point and Steve Santy.
It was first called Ballou until the Thornapple
Dam was built there. Achille Girard came in 1889
and Rosalie Zutter who married his brother, Fritz.
The bride and groom were transported in the oxen
cart of Fritz Ducommun on a nearby farm. The
Girard Inn became a stopping point. The Indian
and Gypsy tribes would come here when going
north in the spring, and south in the fall, in their
covered wagons or in their canoes. The first roads
were being developed.
W. A. Blackburn wrote that he arrived in 1884
from Chippewa Falls in a stage driven by James
Harding, along the Chippewa River tote road,
stopping at the 9 and 12 mile houses, at Camp-
bell's at Long Lake and into Rusk County past
Island and Amacoy Lakes. They crossed the
Weyerhaeuser Railroad to the Chippewa River
near Soft Maple Creek. When roads were im-
passable, they drove through the woods over the
pine needles, as there was no underbrush, just
fallen timber. The trip took them 14 hours.
Probably the itinerary of this trip is given more ex-
plicitly in the stage line's advertisement which was
used by Robert Inabnit of the Rusk County
Historical Society, for his Christmas card in 1958,
which reads:
The Big Bend Stage Line
Stiles and Co., proprietors, Chippewa Falls, 1880
This stage goes up one day and back the next.

The Stopping Places on the road are as follows:
Nine Mile House, Twelve Mile House
Ten miles beyond is Campbell's;
Three miles to Larrabee House,
One to Lake House,
Nine to Big Bend,
One beyond is Allen's;
Three more to Oak Grove,
Twelve to Johnson's,
Four to Pinkham's Grand Rapid's House,
Four to Murry's
Twelve to Herman House,
Six beyond is Hall House;
Three more to M. Sarrow's,
Four to West Bend,
And four to Trading Post
The Turn-Around Stop.
Mail Service at Nine Mile House, Big Bend, and
Oak Grove.
In 1887, Mr. Blackburn went to Chippewa to
bring his family, who had just traveled 7 days on
the train, with a family of six including a month-
old baby. They rested at R. W. Bates, their uncle
at Amacoy Lake before settling north of Bruce.
Blackburn and B. F. Brainerd then joined in
building the Grand Rapids House 6 miles farther
north along the Chippewa. It was a three story
hotel plus other buildings needed for the loggers
now working in this area. They fed 300 to 500
lumberjacks daily in the spring when the logs
floated down the river, and the stables for hun-
dreds of horses were always full.
Also in 1884, B. F. Brainerd ran the Oak Grove
House near the Post Office called Emet, Frank
Brainerd was at Amacoy, as were Tom Kelly on
the Austin Farm, F. P. Stevens, Chub Wheeler,
Gus Nater and Elizah Swift had the Lark Burpee
place then, according to Blackburn. Robert Bates
had arrived in 1872 followed by Stevens and J. M.
Keasling. North of Bruce, there was an extensive
Indian burying ground near the Sam Johnson stop-
ping place. Others in that area were Tyman
Brothers, Sever Serley, Cy Pinkham, John and Jim
Murry at the mouth of the Wiergor River, Bill
Trombly and Jake Miller. In the town of Bruce in
1887 were the Bronsky and Cummins Store,
Wheeler and Stanley, Saddle Shop by D. P.
Barkyt, and John Daily's. Blackburn also men-
tioned that Alexander Gordoux and Jake Savord
were in Flambeau and farther north were Joseph
Sancorchieu and Gerard farms, then the King, La
Berge and the Walter La Ronge places. In
Ladysmith were Bob Corbett, Joe Fritz Store, Bob
Sands, clerk, Jack Lindoo Saloon, Joe Stevens and
W. H. True.
After the railroads took the traffic away from
the rivers, Blackburn moved to Bruce and built a
hotel. Cy Pinkham sold the Grand Rapids House
to Brainerd and built the Commercial Hotel. The
Grand Rapids eventually burned. The Walker
Hotel was formerly owned by Tom Kelly. Sam J.
Johnson also left his place and built a hotel in
town, and James O'Brien built the Shamrock
Hotel there.
ROADS WERE BUILT FOR
LUMBERING
Even if the rivers were the first highways, there
were complications as portages had to be made at
Chippewa Falls, Brunet Falls (Cornell), and Little
Falls (Holcombe). These falls were all later
harnessed for power, as was Flambeau Falls
(Ladysmith) and Big Falls north of it.
Until 1870, all supplies had to be brought up the
river by bateau. Gradually, clearings were made in
the forests. As the trees were felled, they were used
for log houses, barns, fences and for heating. The
ashes were used to produce lye for making soap.
Logs were placed side-by-side for corduroy roads
over swampy areas, and ties were made for the in-
coming railroads.
The first use of these roads was for lumbering.
The first lumbermen in 1830 found a wealth of