Wisconsin Gazetteer ~ L ~

Wisconsin Gazetteer, Containing the names, location, and advantages, of the Counties, Cities, Towns, Villages, Post Offices, and Settlements, together with a description of the Lakes, Water Courses, Prairies, and Public Localities, in the State of Wisconsin. Alphabetically arranged.

Notice. Names and descriptions prepared too late for their proper place, will be found in the Appendix.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

La Belle, Lake, is the largest and lowermost lake of the Oconomowoc creek, on the east bank of which, is the village of Oconomowoc. It is nearly 3 miles long, and a mile and a half wide. It has a beautiful island near its center.

Labiche, Lake, in the eastern part of Chippewa County, discharges its waters through a river of the same name into the Manidowish.

Labiche, River, rises in Flambeau-dore Lake and Labiche, and running southwest discharges its waters through Manidowish River, into the Chippewa.

Labraugh, Lake, (Oconomowoc Group), see Beaver Lake.

Lac Brule, is the source of the Wiscatota or Brule River of the Menominee.

La Crosse, County, is bounded on the north by Chippewa, on the east by Portage, Adams, and a portion of Sauk, and on the west by the Mississippi, by which it is separated from the territory of Minnesota. This county was set off from Crawford, and organized March 1, 1851, the seat of justice being established at La Crosse, on a beautiful prairie of the same name, on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, 90 miles above the junction of the Wisconsin, and on the line between townships 15 and 16 north. It is watered by Black and La Crosse rivers, and Mormon, Eagle and Billings' creeks, and the headwaters of the Lemonwier. Many of the streams are of pure water, with abundance of hydraulic power, abounding with speckled trout. The soil may be considered as first rate, and is mostly of vegetable mould, mixed with a sufficient quantity of sand to give it warmth. In the northeastern portion of the county is a heavy growth of pine timber, which is manufactured into lumber and shingles, the export of which amounts to $175,000 per annum. Near the head of some of the large streams are cranberry marshes, yielding in good seasons several hundred bushels per acre. The population in 1850, all of which was confined to Black River, was 460. In 1851, about 46,000 acres of school lands, known as a part of the 500,000 acre grant, was brought into market upon very reasonable terms, and many of the enterprising and industrious, inhabitants of the older counties have changed their residence to one in this. The increase of population has probably been greater during the last two years than in any other locality in the State. This county is connected with the nineteenth senate district, and forms a portion of the sixth judicial circuit, and of the second congressional district, and, with Chippewa, sends one member to the assembly. County Officers for 1853: County Judge, George Gale; Sheriff, A, Eldred; Clerk of Court, Robert Looney; District Attorney, Edward Flint; Register, Chase A. Stevens; Treasurer, F. M. Rublee; Surveyor, William Hood.

La Crosse, P. V. and C. H., in town and county of same name, on section 31, town 16 K, of range 7 W., 130 miles northwest from Madison. It is situated on a prairie 5 miles long and 3 wide, on the Mississippi River, immediately below the mouth of the Black and La Crosse Rivers, and about equidistant between Galena and St. Paul. The prairie is high enough from the river to be free from all danger of inundation, and as a site for a village or city, is unsurpassed by beauty and natural advantages by any spot on the river. The first claim was made by H. J. B. Miller and Nathan Myrick, who took up their residence in 1842. The Government survey was not made until 1847; John M. Levy opened a store in 1846, and the next year erected the first hotel. Nothing was done to-wards laying out the town until after the advent of Timothy Burns, now Lieutenant Governor of the State, to whom it is largely indebted for its present progress. A post office was established in 1844. The plat was surveyed in May 1851. In the second year of its organization, the town paid into the State treasury over $900. The population in March, 1853, in the village, was 543. It contains 4 stores of general assortment, 1 drug, 1 hardware, 1 furniture, 1 stove and tin, 8 groceries, 1 bakery, 1 livery stable, 1 harness, 4 tailor, 8 shoemaker shops, and mechanics of every description; 6 physicians, 6 lawyers, 4 clergymen, 3 religious societies, a division of the Sons of Temperance, a Free Masons' lodge, 1 church edifice, court house, steam saw mill and grist mill, and 5 hotels. La Crosse, from the advantages of its position, cannot fail to become one of the largest and most important places in the Northwest. The large extent of excellent farming land in the river vallies, and the extensive pine country bordering on the Black river, will always furnish a large amount of business which will concentrate at this point, in addition to which, it is the natural depot through which the immense business of the Upper Mississippi must naturally pass. It has been selected at the terminus of a rail road from Milwaukee, and the route selected is the most feasible one from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, north of Dubuque. Minnesota already contains a population of many thousands, and is settling rapidly. The large tract of lands recently acquired by treaty from the Sioux Indians is situated directly opposite La Crosse, on the Minnesota side of the river, and possesses advantages for emigrants unsurpassed by any section of the country now open for settlement.

La Crosse, Town, in county of La Crosse, was, until recently, all of said county, south of town 17. It has 15 school districts.

La Crosse, River, (Mazwini or Ball River,) rises in the eastern part of county of the same name, and running southwest, empties into the Mississippi at the village of La Crosse, on the beautiful prairie of the same name.

Lac Vieux Desert, (Kattakittekon), is the name of a lake, the middle of which is the boundary line between this State and Michigan, between the northern corner of Marathon and Oconto counties. It is the source of the Wisconsin, and occupies a high level above the lakes. Upon this elevation are the sources of several large streams, the Ontonagon and Montreal of Lake Superior, the Menominee of Lake Michigan, and the Wisconsin and Chippewa of the Mississippi. This lake is about 4 miles long from north to south, and of very irregular shape. In the middle of it is an island which is made a point in the boundary between Michigan and Wisconsin.

Lafayette, County is bounded on the north by Iowa, on the east by Green, on the south by the State line, and west by Grant, and is 21 miles north and south, by 30 miles east and west The country embracing the present county was set off by a division of Iowa county, and the formation of the counties of Lafayette and Montgomery, January 31, 1846, subject to the approval of the voters of said county, at the general election in September of the same year, at which election a majority voted against the "County Division Law." At the next session of the legislature, an act passed establishing the county of Lafayette, and it was organized February 4, 1847. The county seat has been a vexed question since the organization, but it has finally become established at the village of Shullsburg, a few miles southwest of the geographical centre. This county is more celebrated for its mining operations than for its agricultural products; simply, however, because the former has been prosecuted to the neglect of the latter. It is in connexion with the fifth judicial circuit, and the second congressional district, and forms the thirteenth senate district, and sends 3 members to the assembly, viz:
1. Towns of White Oak Springs, Benton and New Diggings.
2. Towns of Shullsburg, Monticello, Gratiot, Wayne and Wyota.
3. Elk Grove, Belmont, Kendall, Center, Willow Springs, Fayette and Argyle.
The Peckatonnica and Fevre Rivers are the principal streams. The population in 1847 was 9,335; 1850, 11,556. Dwellings, 2,079; farms, 399; manufactories, 21. County Officers for 1853 and 1854: County Judge, Jas. H. Knowlton; Sheriff, Peter C. Meloy; Clerk of Court, D. W. Kyle; District Attorney, Hamilton H. Gray; Register, Elias Slothower; Clerk of Board of Supervisors, Thomas McMannus; Treasurer, Ephraim Ogden; Surveyor, Thomas Bowen.

Lafayette, P. O., in town of same name, Walworth County, being in town 3 N., of range 17 E.

Lafayette, Town, in county of Walworth, being town 3, of range 17; centrally located, 5 miles northeast from Elkhorn. The population in 1850 was 1,008. It has 9 school districts.

Lagrange, P. V. in town of same name, Walworth County.

Lagrange, Town, in county of Walworth, being town 4 N., of range 16 E.; centrally located, 8 miles northwest from Elkhorn. The population in 1850 was 961. It has 9 school districts.

Lake, Town, in county of Milwaukee being town 6 N., of range 22 E.; centrally located, 4 miles south from Milwaukee. Population in 1850 was 1,474. It has 8 school districts.

Lake Ellen, is adjoining the village of Cascade, Sheboygan County. It abounds in fish, and covers an area of 320 acres.

Lake Emily, in the northeast part of town of Fox Lake, Dodge County.

Lake Huron, is a small lake near the center of town 20 N., of range 9 E., in Washington County. It covers about 200 acres.

Lake Kattakittekon, see Lac Vieux desert.

Lake Maria, a small lake in southwest corner of Mackford, Marquette County, and has its outlet into Grand River.

Lake Maria, P. V, on section 25, town 14 N., of range 12, Marquette County, 20 miles south from Dartford, 65 miles east of north from Madison, on the road from Watertown to the Pinery, 4 from Granville, 5 from Mackford, 8 from Kingston, and 10 from Marquette. Population 60; 10 dwellings, with Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian denominations.

Lake Mason, in the southwest corner of Marquette County, discharges its waters into the Neenah River.

Lake Mills, Town, in county of Jefferson, being town 7 H., of range 13 E.; centrally located, 8 miles northwest from Jefferson. Population in 1850 was 884. It has 7 school districts.

Lake Mills, P. V., on section 13, in town of same name, Jefferson County, 8 miles northwest from Jefferson, 26 miles east from Madison, at the outlet of Rock Lake, on the mail route from Madison to Watertown. Population 400; with 50 dwellings, 3 stores, 1 hotel, 1 church and several religious denominations, 1 iron foundry, 1 grist mill, 1 saleratus factory, 2 cabinet and 3 blacksmith shops.

Lake Nine, in north part of Richmond, Walworth County.

Lake of the Hillocks, in Marathon County, near the 45° north latitude, discharging its waters easterly into the Wisconsin, about half way between Big and Little Bull Falls.

Lake of the Hills, located in town 11 N., of range 8 E. It is nearly two miles long, and three-fourths of a mile in width.

Lake Sarah, forms the head waters of the Neenah, in the north-east corner of Columbia County.

Lake View, P. O. in town of Fitchburg, Dane County, on section 13, town 6 N., of range 9 E.

Lake Vieux Desert, or Kattakittekon Lake, see Lac Vieux Desert.

Lake Waucousta, two small lakes in Osceola, Fond du Lac County.

Lake Wingra, or Dead Lake, mostly on section 27, in Madison, Dane County, a mile long, and three-quarters of a mile wide.

Lamartine, Town in county of Fond du Lac, being town 15 N., of range 16 E.; centrally located, 8 miles west from Fond du Lac Population in 1850 was 588. It has 9 school districts.

Lamartine, P. V., Fond du Lac County, on section 34 of town of same name. It has 2 stores, 1 hotel, and a Baptist church. It is 7 miles southwest from Fond du Lac city, and 67 miles northeast from Madison.

Lancaster, Town, in county of Grant, being towns 4 and 5 N., of range 8 W, and is the county seat. It has 9 school districts. There is 1 grist mill and 2 saw mills in the town, from three to four miles from the village; some of the most productive lead mines are in this town. There are large quantities of land yet un-entered in the town, and the great fertility of the soil, convenience of building materials and fuel, of springs and brooks, offer inducement to settlers. Population about 1,500.

Lancaster, P. V. and C. H. in town of same name on section 3, town 4, near the geographical centre of the county, upon the edge of Boyce prairie, and in the most beautiful and healthy portion of the mining region. The business and trade of the township, as also of the town of Fennimore, are concentrated at the village. Population 400; 75 dwellings, 1 drug, 4 dry goods and grocery, 1 tin and sheet iron, and 1 stove stores, 1 wagon, 3 smith, and 2 cabinet shops, 4 hotels, 1 Baptist church of brick, 1 Methodist and 1 Presbyterian Church of wood, and an Episcopal church in progress of erection. Court house of brick, 40 by 56, with fire-proof offices for county purposes.

Lansing, P. V., in town of Freedom, Outagamie County.

Lansing, Town, in county of Outagamie, being towns 22 and 23 N., of range 17; centrally located, 10 miles north from Grand Chute. It has 1 school district.

La Pointe, County, is bounded on the northwest and north by the State line, in Lake Superior, on the east by Marathon, on the south by Chippewa and St. Croix, and west by Minnesota. It was set off from St. Croix Feb. 19, 1845. It was, and remained attached to Crawford for judicial purposes, until the complete organization of St. Croix, Feb. 26, 1849. The boundaries were changed 6th March 1849, and it was fully organized 9th Feb. 1850. The county seat is established at La Pointe, on the southeast end of Madeline Island, in Lake Superior, the oldest settlement in the State. The county is watered by Bois Brule, (Burnt Wood,) Mauvais, (Bad,) or Maskau Rivers, and other small streams entering the lake from three to ten miles apart, and by lakes. The country, for a short distance along the margin of the lake, is low and wet; further south it is generally rolling. The western portion of the country is prairie land; and the soil being good and winters mild, offers great inducements to agriculturists. In the more eastern parts, the limber in most places is very thick, comprising white and yellow Norway pine, and the different species of oak, maple, birch, and the soft woods. The county is in connexion with the nineteenth senate district, the sixth judicial circuit, and the second congressional district, and with St. Croix sends one member to the assembly. French missionaries visited this country as early as 1661. In 1850 the population was 489; 5 farms and 74 dwellings. E. D. Boyd is Register of Deeds, and Clerk of the Circuit Court and of the Board of Supervisors.

La Pointe, P. V. and C. H., is situate on Madeline Island, in Lake Superior, La Pointe County, at about town 50 N., of range 4k W. It has a bay nearly three miles across, capable of containing at anchor, secure from all winds, a numerous fleet of the largest class vessels, and is the favorite harbor of the lake. La Pointe was originally settled by the North Western Fur Company as the most eligible point for a depot and trading port on the lake. As a site for a town, and as a resort for health and pleasure, La Pointe offers advantages equal to any other place in "Wisconsin. It has the best fishing-grounds on the whole lake for trout, siscowet and white fish, or lake shad, more than one thousand barrels of which are packed annually at La Pointe. Tempered, as well in summer as in winter, by the vast expanse of water which surrounds it, and which, except at the immediate surface, is almost always at 40° Fahrenheit, its climate is milder and more equable than any part of Wisconsin, whether it be on the mainland of Lake Superior, or further south on the Mississippi. Chiefly for this reason, but also on account of the bracing winds that sweep across the lake, Madeline Island is probably not surpassed, in point of health, by any locality throughout the entire western country.

La Pointe, Town, in county of La Pointe, comprising the same. Population in 1850 was 598.

La Prairie, Town, in county of Rock, being town 2 N. of range 13 E.; centrally located, 6 miles southeast from Janesville. The population in 1850 was 378. It has 6 school districts.

Lawrence, is the name of a town in the county of Brown.

Leach Creek, a small tributary from the west of Baraboo River, which it enters near its mouth.

L'Eau Claire, Lake and Mills, on river of same name, in town 26 N., of range 13 W., in Chippewa County, also called Clearwater and O'Claire.

L'Eau Galla, River, in St Croix County, runs southeast and empties into Chippewa River, in Chippewa County.

L'Eau Clare, or O'Clare River, in Chippewa County, a branch, of Chippewa River from the west, in town 27 N. of range 9W.

Lebanon, Town, in county of Dodge, being town 9, of range 16 W.; centrally located, 12 miles southeast from Juneau. The population in 1850 was 1,031. It has 7 school districts.

Inland's Mill, P. O., in town of Honey Creek, Sauk County.

Lemonwier, Town, in county of Sauk; centrally located, north-west from Baraboo. It has 3 school districts.

Lemonwier, River, rises in La Crosse County, and runs southeast through Adams, emptying into the Wisconsin in town 15 N., range 5 E.

Leon, is the name of a new town in county of La Crosse.

Leroy, Town in county of Dodge, being town 13 N., of range 16 R; centrally located, 12 miles northeast from Juneau. The population in 1850 was 897. It has 4 school districts.

Leroys, Town, in county of St. Croix.

Lewiston, Town, in county of Columbia. It was set off by the County Board in November 1852.

Lewiston, V., (Beaver Creek P. O.) in Columbia County, on section 21, town 13 N., of range 8 E. It is 45 miles northwest from Madison, and 7 miles northwest from Fort Winnebago. Population 350; 50 dwellings, 1 hotel, 5 stores, 1 Lutheran congregation. It is situated on the road from Portage city to Stevens' Point, in a good farming country, and well supplied with water and timber.

Leyden, P. V., in town of Janesville Rock County.

Liberty, (recently the north half of Highland), Town in county of Grant, being town 5 N., of range 2 W.; centrally located, 8 miles northeast from Lancaster.

Liberty, P. V., on section 25, Kenosha County, in town of Salem, 16 miles southwest from Kenosha, and 110 southeast from Madison, on the Racine and Wilmot plank road. It has 60 inhabitants, 10 dwellings, 2 hotels, 2 religious denomination and several mechanics.

Liberty Prairie, Dane County, 2 miles south from Deerfield P.O.

Lima, Town, in county of Sheboygan, being town 14 N., of range 22 E.; centrally located, 6 miles southwest from Sheboygan. It has 9 school districts. The soil is composed of sand and clay, and when properly tilled is very productive.

Lima, Town, in county of Grant, being town 4 N., of range 1 W.; centrally located, 12 miles east from Lancaster. It has 8 school districts.

Lima, P. O., in town of same name, Rock County, on town 4 N., of range 14 E.

Lima, Town, in county of Rock, being town 4 N., of range 14 E.; centrally located, 13 miles northeast from Janesville. Population in 1850 was 839. It has 9 school districts.

Lind, Town, in county of Waupacca, being town 21 N., of ranges 12 E.; centrally located, 15 miles from Mukwa. It abounds in prairie, timber and water, and is fast being settled by an agricultural population.

Lind, P. V., in county of Waupacca, town of same name, on section 22, town 21 N., of range 12 E., 15 miles from Mukwa, and 100 miles north from Madison. Population 500; 100 dwellings.

Linden, Town, in county of Iowa.

Linden, P. V., in town of same name, Iowa County, 6 miles from Mineral Point. It contains 200 inhabitants, mostly miners. The country is well adapted to agriculture.

Linn, Town, in county of Walworth, being town 1 N., of range 17 E.; centrally located, 8 miles southeast from Elkhorn. Population in 1850 was 805. It has 7 school districts.

Lisbon, Town, in county of Waukesha, being town 8 N., of range 19 E.; centrally located, 10 miles north from Waukesha. The population in 1850 was 1,010. It has 8 school districts.

Little Baraboo, Creek, rises in Richland, and runs southeast into the Baraboo River, near the center of town 13 N., of range 3 E.

Little Butte des Morts, Lake, an expansion of the Lower Fox just below the outlet of Lake Winnebago, it is nearly 5 miles long, and 1 mile broad.

Little Chute, P. V., Outagamie County, 5 miles below Appleton, on Fox River.

Little Chute, Rapids, of the Neenah River, 4 miles above Grand Kaukalin, with a fall of 31 feet in a distance of about 9,000 feet.

Little Eninandigo, River, a tributary from the north of St. Croix River.

Little Green, Lake, Marquette County, in southwest corner of Green Lake. It is two miles long and nearly one in width, and forms a tributary to Grand River. It is 4 miles south of Green Lake, and is noted for the purity of its water.

Little Kaukaulin, Rapids, is on the Neenah river, 5 miles above Depere, at which place the navigation has been improved by a dam.

Little Otter, Creek, a small tributary from the west of Peckatonnica, into which it empties in the town of Centre, Lafayette County.

Little Prairie, P. O., in town of Troy, Walworth County.

Little Platte, River, rises in Clifton, Grant County, and runs southwest, emptying into Platte River, in Paris.

Little Plover, River, a tributary from the northeast, entering the Wisconsin at Plover.

Little Quinnesec, Falls, of the Menominee River, at which place is a fall of 35 feet in an extent of 250 feet. At these Falls the river is contracted to 85 feet in width.

Little Roche-a-Gris, River, in east part of Adams County, runs west into the Wisconsin, in town 17 N.

Little, River, is a considerable tributary from the north of Oconto River.

Little Sturgeon, Bay, on east shore of Green Bay, in Door County, near line between towns 27 and 28 N.

Little Suamico, River, rises in range 18, and runs east, in town 26, entering Lake Michigan.

Little Sugar, Creek, rises in the northwest corner of Green County, and running southeast into Sugar River at Albany.

Little Tail, Pointe, name given to a point of land extending into Green Bay from the west, near the line between Brown and Oconto Counties.

Little Wisconsin, River, a tributary from the northeast of the Wisconsin, in Marathon County.

Little Wolf, River, a tributary of Wolf River, from the west, which it enters near the line between Outagamie and Waupacca Counties.

Lodi, Town, in county of Columbia, being town 10 N., of ranges 8 and 9; centrally located, 12 miles south from Portage city. It has 3 school districts. The soil is well adapted to farming and raising of stock; the surface is rolling.

Lodi, P. V., on section 27, town 10 K, of range 8 E., in town of same name, Columbia County. It is 16 miles south from Fort Winnebago, 20 miles northwest from Madison, and 4 miles from the head of Spring Creek. Population 150; 20 dwellings, 4 stores, 2 hotels, 2 flouring mills, 1 saw mill, 1 shoe, blacksmith, wagon, chair, cooper and harness shops; and Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist organizations.

Lomira Lake, P. O., in town of Lomira, Dodge County, being town 13 N., of range 17 E.

Long, Lake, a small Lake in the east part of Osceola, Fond da Lac County, is two and one half miles long, and is the source of the Milwaukee River.

Long Tail, Pointe, name given to a point of land extending into Green Bay from the west, in town 25 N, of range 20 E., in Brown County.

Lost, Lake, a small lake in the north part of Calamus, Dodge County.

Louisa, Town, in the county of Dodge, being town 13 N., of range 17; centrally located, 14 miles northeast from Juneau. The population in 1850 was 656. It has 8 school districts.

Lowell, Town, in county of Dodge, being town 10 N., of range 14 E.; centrally located, 12 miles southwest from Juneau. The population in 1850 was 835. It has 8 school districts,

Lowell, P. V., Dodge County, on section 15 of town of same name, located 8 miles southwest from Juneau, and 38 miles northeast from Madison. It is on Beaver Dam River, 10 miles south from Beaver Dam. Population 200; 35 dwellings, 2 stores, 2 hotels, 1 saw, 1 grist mill; and Baptist and Methodist denominations.

Lowville, Town, in county of Columbia, being town 11 N., of range 10 E. Population in 1850 was 297. It has 4 school districts.

Lowville, P. V., on section 32 of town of same name, 14 miles south east from Portage city, and 22 miles north from Madison, on the stage route from Madison to Fort Winnebago; also on the nearest and best road from Madison to Stevens Point and the Wisconsin Pinery. It is in a region of first rate improved farms. Population 40; 7 dwellings, 1 hotel, 1 school house; and Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations.

Lyndon, Town, in county of Sheboygan, being town 14 N., of range 21 E.; centrally located, 14 miles southwest from Sheboygan. It has 11 school districts.

Lyons, P. V., on section 10, town 2 N., of range 18 E., in town of Hudson, Walworth County, is pleasantly situated on White river, the outlet of Geneva Lake, at the point where it is crossed by the main road from Geneva to Racine via Burlington. It is 9 miles southeast from Elkhorn, and 75 miles from Madison. Immediately adjacent to the village, above and below, are extensive water powers, one of which has been improved by the erection of a flouring mill of three run of stones, and a saw mill, both doing a flourishing business. The other power remains unimproved, and offers great inducements, as it is unsurpassed in capacity by any privilege in this part of the State. Population 130; dwellings 30, 2 stores, 1 hotel, and 1 religious denomination.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

1. See Owen's Geological Survey of Wisconsin.

Source: Wisconsin Gazetteer,  By John Warren Hunt. Madison: Beriah Brown, Printer, 1853

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