Page 290 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

; 286 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
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of our city just made by Mr. HOLTON. But I will follow up
the subject by going a little farther back. In 1836, twenty-
two years ago, I came to Milwaukee, which was then a hamlet
of one hundred and fifty or two hundred inhabitants. At that
time there were no roads leading into the city-only a few In-
dian trails. Once in a while n wagon came winding through
from Chicago, but there were no good roads of any* kind.
There was one trail leading north out of the city,' one to
Waukesha and the West, one south to Muskego Lake, and one
south-west to Janesville. There were then but seven stores
opened here, by persons who supposed that the same class of
goods would be wanted here that were wanted where they came
from. But they were mistaken-there were no customers save
for champaigne and cigars. There was no need of locking
your stores at night for fear that thieves would break in and
steal-it was far more likely that the doors would be broken
open and goods be put in instead of taken out. An incident
to illustrate this great supply of goods :-One Mr. WINSLOW
brought on a stock of goods here, and opened them. The
store was small, and as they were being stored away, it was
found there would not be room enough for them. They then
to make room for more, put a man on them to tread them down!
The winter of '26 came on, and many of you still remember
what a terrible one it was. Few had made preparations for it,
especially those in the country, and contributions had to be
made up in the city for those in the cabins. By 1837 the
merchants of the former years had been mostly evaporated by
the speculative fever, new firms then opened, emigration set in,
and during the year the place attitined a population of six or
seven hundred.
Mr. HOLTQN has given you the history of the subsequent
years, and the merchants of those days. He has spoken of
one Marshal SCHUNEY, to whom I: wish to allude briefly. He
as the very factotum of the city government at that time.
Among other acts of the Council at that time was the appro-
priation of seventy-five dollars for a town bull! and SCHUNEX