Page View
Cartwright, Carol Lohry; Shaffer, Scott; Waller, Randal / City on the Rock River : chapters in Janesville's history
(1998)
7. Government, pp. 129-146
Page 129
7. Government Carol Lohry Cartwright ormal government came to Janesville during the earliest years of its settlement when, in 1839, Wisconsin's territorial legislature established Rock County, with the county seat at Janesville. Formal city government came in 1853, when Janesville was incorporated as a city. During the early years of the city's growth, county government dominated the community. City services were rudimentary, at best. But as the nineteenth century progressed, Janesville's citizens paid more attention to its municipal government, establishing a modem fire depariment, a water and sewer system, and the beginnings of a police department. The culmination of the growth of city government in Janesville came in 1901-1902 when a large city hall was erected. In the twentieth century, county government is still important in Janesville, but city services like the fire department, police department, public works department, parks system, bus system, and library have taken center stage in the community. Federal and state governments have also been important in Janesville, even though they are a small presence in the community. The federal government is represented in the city by the development of the post office, a governmental program that touched all of Janesville's residents during its history. The state government is also represented in the community by facilities established for the School for the Visually Handicapped and the Wisconsin National Guard. Federal Government Post Office The post office is the most common arm of the federal government in any community. And although it is now technically a private enterprise, the post office still remains closely tied to the national government. Among the most important communications resources in the country, local post offices often have long and interesting histories. They provide a service that connects people and businesses around the world. And during Wisconsin's early years, they were an essential link to less remote areas of the country. For this reason, post offices were one of the first government services to be established in any community. The first mail delivery to Janesville was in April 1837, two years after the first settlers came to the area. A lone horseman rode into the settlement but found no post office or postmaster. The mail he carried consisted of one letter for Henry Janes (probably notifying him of his appointment as postmaster). It arrived before the Racine postmaster came to Janesville to make the appointment official. The security of the mail was as important then as it is today. The mail pouch was locked and only the Racine postmaster could give the key to Janes. ("Lone Horseman Brought First Mail Here" RCHS files) Janes established the first post office in his tavern/inn (located at the corner of East Milwaukee Street and S. Main Street, not extant), as was the custom during that era. In fact, most nineteenth-century post offices were established at the postmaster's place of business or in another downtown location. Permanent post office locations were not common until the late nineteenth century. Janes's post office reportedly consisted of a cigar box on a post in the tavern. When stage lines were established in southern Wisconsin, the mail came by way of the stage- coach. In 1849, the post office established daily service between Milwaukee and Janesville. When railroads came in the 1850s, that method of transportation began carrying the mail. Government 129
This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, US Code).| For information on re-use see: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Copyright