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              HISTORICAL VIEW.
  Madison the capitol of the State of Wisconsin and the seat of
justice for Dane county is beautifully situated on a tiact of land
laying between lakes Mendota and -Aonona, the third and fourth of
the four lakes, it is also on the line of the Milwaukee & St. Paul
railroad, about equal cistance front Milwaukee an l the Mississippi
river. It being 100 miles to iMilvwaukee and the same distance to
Pra irie du Chien.
  The frst permanent white settler of M.adison dates back to 1837.
Mr. Ebeh Peck arriving here with his family, and built a log house
as a boardinghouse for the commissioners and laborers. This house
was the first built in Madison, and Mr. Peck the first settler.
  In the month of June following. C(ol. A. A. Bird, acting commis-
sioner, came from Iiiwaukee, in company with about forty workmea
and a train of four wagons, loaded with provisions, tools, and such
other things as would be most needed.
  Their journey at that time was far from being one of pleasure un-
less we consider pleasure to be the gratification of longings of the
mind to see in reality its future visionary conceptions.  There was
no roan, the party Laving to cut their own way through the forest,
harden their own track across the swamp and build their own ferry
which launclicd them across the sWream, thus making a journey of
ten days  The first store erected, was built by Mr. Simeon Mills,
a block house, fifteen feet square, in which was also kept the post
office-Mr. Mills leing deputy  post-master, Mr. John  Cattlin
being the first lawyer here. The first physician of Madison
was Almon Lull, who came in 1838.   Changes were constantly
intervening from this time until 1856, when Madison unrolls
its own charter over a population of five thousand inhabitants
under the mayorship of Col. J. C. Fairchild, with also the first
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