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HISTORY OF WOOD COUNTY
   The saw mill and paper mill have been twin brothers in the development
of
this region. - But they have now reached the parting of the roads. One is
looking
forward and the other backwards.
   The drama of the forest has been played and that of the mill is now being
enacted, which comes close to the everyday life of each and all of us. When
the'
riverman had run his last raft of lumber down the Wisconsin River, it was
not his
intention to turn from the stream which he knew and loved. There were numer-
ous occupations inviting him, and, whether he opened a saloon or started
a bank
he possessed an advantage in knowing the country and its people.
   From Kilbourn to Eagle River theWisconsin River is a succession of valuable
water powers. The principal powers are located at Kilbourn, Nekoosa, Wisconsin
Rapids, Whiting, Stevens Point, Mosinee, Wausau, Brokaw, Trap Rapids, Merrill,
Grandfather, Rhinelander and Eagle River. The lumbermen built dams in the
Wisconsin River and tributaries, including lakes at their head waters, for
two
purposes-one to furnish floods for driving logs and transporting lumber,
and the
other to a very limited extent, for furnishing power to run saw mills. For
hy-
draulic purposes a stream has little value beyond the power furnished by
it in
ordinary low water periods. In its natural state the Wisconsin River carried
a
fairly good stage of water at all seasons of the year, but the removal of
the forests
of the valley caused higher water in the river in times of floods and lower
water in
times of drought than in a state of nature. The 1,200 or more lakes at its
head
waters with their precipitous banks, were designed by nature for reservoir
pur-
poses. At many of their outlets the lumbermen built dams for the purposes
stated.
   Many years ago T. E. Nash of Grand Rapids conceived the idea of acquiring,
improving and preserving these dams and reservoirs for hydraulic purposes
as the
lumbermen ceased to use them, and many such were accordingly acquired, improved
and operated by the hydraulic interests at Grand Rapids and Stevens Point.
In
aid of this project legislation was sought more than 30 years ago, and thence
effort
in that direction never ceased and finally culminated in the passage of Bill
No.
240 S., now Ch. 335 of the Laws of Wisconsin for 1907. In brief this law
author-
ized the'Wisconsin Valley Improvement Co., a corporation organized for the
pur-
pose, to own all these dams and reservoirs and flooding rights, and to add
thereto
as the authorities of the state named in said Act may hereafter authorize.
This
legislation did not authorize the corporation to own or operate any water
power,
whatever. Its whole power and duties were confined to producing as even a
flow
of water in the Wisconsin'River as practicable by retaining the flood waters
in said
reservoirs during times of freshets and gradually letting them off during
times of
low water. The improvements were thus designed to prevent destructive floods
in the valley and improve navigation. The company has since built a large
reser-
voir at Bradley, on Tomahawk River, also one on the St. Germain River and
one
at Lake Buckataban, and are about to construct another at Eagle River Lakes.
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