Wisconsin Thematic Panel 793-799
| Either way, the sides are bridged, from wine to water, cutting back to wine Paradoxical appointments, anticipated hour — No one event can liquidate, no two extremes combine A crowd of applicants for homestead land gathered outside the Marathon County Court House in Wausau, Wis., December 20-21, 1890. Some 200,000 acres of "water reserve land" in Lincoln, Vilas and Oneida Counties, newly opened under the Homestead Act, were to be distributed. This drawing had been very widely advertised and people came to Wausau from all over the country in the hope, but not the certainty, of taking up some of this land. Hundreds of men, beginning on the afternoon of December 8, stood in a long line from a window in the southwest corner of the Court House where applications would be received by the United States Land Office, starting at 9 a.m. on December 20, and hundreds more crowded the square. It was bitter cold and those in line kept their places for several days and nights without shelter, for it took three days and part of a fourth to receive these applications one by one. A quarter section (160 acres) was to be had for $14. The hotels and boarding houses were full, but the saloons were kept open and men slept wherever they could, on benches or on the floor. Excitement ran high and it was feared that there might be violence between those in line and others who wanted their places. Then rival lines were formed. There were only a few uniformed police officers and a score or so specially appointed deputies. The mayor, at the request of alarmed citizens, thought it prudent to call in the Light Guard of the militia, who responded just in time to maintain order, patrolling the ground with fixed bayonets or watching from the windows of the Court House. Our picture shows the square just after it was cleared by the guardsmen. But there were no riots nor even arrests, and most of the applicants, disappointed after learning more about the character of the land, went home within a few days. Meanwhile "another group of men working on a different procedure" hastened to the available lands immediately after midnight of December 19" to take possession by actual settlement and attend to the paperwork afterward." A bitter legal dispute followed." Those who went directly to the land and settled made hundreds of contests" claiming precedence over those who filed and paid in advance at the Land Office." The Register of the Land Office ruled in favor of the settlers and the Receiver, who had taken the money from the filers who stood freezing in line" resigned his office rather than comply. |
| Image ID: | 102614 |
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| Creation Date: | |
| Creator Name: | Vanderbilt, Paul |
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| Collection Name: | Wisconsin Thematic Panels Project, 1965-1967 and 1982-1984 |
| Genre: | Historical Object |
| Original Format Type: | photographic print, b&w |
| Original Format Number: | PH 5000.793-799 |
| Original Dimensions: | 60 x 18 inches |
| Panel consists of: Image ID: 34691 PH 5000.793-799.0793 Image ID: 103104 PH 5000.793-799.0794 Image ID: 103101 PH 5000.793-799.0795 Image ID: 103098 PH 5000.793-799.0796 Image ID: 103096 PH 5000.793-799.0797 Image ID: 103093 PH 5000.793-799.0798 Image ID: 103092 PH 5000.793-799.0799 |
| Horses |
| Flower arrangement |
| Clothing and dress |
| Cities and towns |
| Children |
| Crowds |
| Indoor photography |
| Outdoor photography |
| Portrait photography |
| Electric power |
| Horse-drawn vehicles |
| Wagons |
| Rivers |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
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