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Curtiss-Wedge, F.; Jones, Geo. O. (ed.) / History of Dunn County, Wisconsin
(1925)
Chapter V: county government, pp. 31-37
Page 35
HISTORY OF DUNN COUNTY from the town of Grant on Nov. 16, 1876. The town of Otter Creek was set off from the town of Grant on Nov. 16, 1877, as now constituted. The town of Hay River was set off from the town of Sherman on June 28, 1879, with' its present territory. The town of Wilson was set off from Grant in 1886, though at what particular session of the county board does not appear. It was the last town organized in the county, making up the full total of 22. As elsewhere stated, Dunn County orginally included the county of Pepin, which was set off as a separate county in 1858. An act of the legislature, approved April 2, 1860. sanctionedthe submission of the question ot the removal Of int count- seat trom Dunnville to Menomonie at the next general election. The najorit, having votect amrrnativelv. the seat of eoverne.nt was accordingv changed, the officers and county business moving to Menomonie on Jan. 1, 186.1. Un their arrival Liiey occiupiCkLiled pnvate residence of G. M. rowter on Main Street, (where the post-office now stands) which, in accordance with previous arrangement, was vacated for that purpose. They remained there three years, after which the county rented any suitable building that could be secured. Several of the county officials at times for a few years occupied other buildings, as happened to be most convenient to them. The terms of court were held in a hall at the rear of the Menomonie House, also in what was known as Grob's Hall now Smith's Hall. In 1867 the county hired and fitted up what was known as the "Charley Waller building," on the comer of Main Street and Broadway. The offices were on the first floor and the court room upstairs. On the night of Oct. 14, 1868, burglars broke into the former and stole one hundred dollars. In 1870 the court house business was moved to the building that was later used as the "Times" office, loc- ted on the site of the present Arcade building. That building was used but a sho t time as the court house, however, as in 1871-72 the present structure was erected by Canute Thompson, at a cost of $36,000. The inside fittings brought the total cost up to S45,000. It was occupied in the fall of the latter year. It is a good-sized and substantial brick building and is situated in the center of a park occupying a whole square, the land having been donated to the county by W iam Wilson. A. J. Kinney was the architect of the court house and the supervisors at the time of its construction were T. W., Macauley, J. W. Granger and A. Sherburn. It is interesting to note that the brick used in the building was made on the court house ground and in Wilson Park, a tract also donated to the city by Captain Wilson soon after the plat of the city was made. The clay was hauled to the spot from beds lying on the outskirts of the city. An addition was made in 1915. The first jail possessed by the county was a small building at Dunnville, which in October, 1858 burned down. A block building was li erect od, and in 1869 after the county seat had been removed to Menomonie, the jail was taken to pieces and moved also, being erected at the southeast corner of the courthouse park. It was destroyed by fire, and the present jail was erected in 1874, at the corner of Chestnut and Fourth Streets, (now Ninth Avenue and Tenth Street) at a cost of $7,500. It was subsequently improved at a cost of $2,000. When Dunn County was organized it was made a part of the Eighth Judicial District, which was presided over by Judge S. S. N. Fuller, who served until 1860. His successor was Henry D. Barron, whose service, however, was short, as in that same year. 1860, Judge L. P. Wetherby of Hudson became circuit judge. In 1862 the Eighth District was composed of Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, St. Croix, Polk, La Pointe, Douglas and Burnett counties, and it so remained until 1865, when several counties having been dropped, or tran-ferred to other circuits, it was made to include only the counties of Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce and St. Croix. In 1866 Dallas (now Barron) was added, and in 1867 Judge H. L. Humphrey, of Hudson, became the circuit judge as successor to Judge Wetherby. The judicial records for 1873 mention Barron County, omitting its former name of Dallas. A change was made in the circuit in 1878, Barron and Chippewa counties being 35
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