Page 92 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

88 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
Ron. STEVENS T. MASON, of Detroit, he purchased of the
General Government the tract of land on which the city is built,
at a cost of about $1,500. At the meeting of the Territorial Leg-
islature ctt Belmont, La Payette County, towards the close of
1836, an act was passed locating the Capital at Madison-or,
properly speaking, at the point where Madison has since grown
up; and JOHN CATLIN and Mos~s M. STRONG staked out the
center of the village plat in February, 1837. Meanwhile JAS.
D. DOTY, A. A. BIRD and JOHN O'NEIL, were appointed
F.
by the General Government, commissioners to construct the
Capitol edifice. EBEN PECK was sent on from Milwaukee with
his family to erect a house, where the workmen on the Capitol,
soon to follow, might board and lodge. He arrived on the 14th
of April, 1837, and put up the log house so faithfully represen-
ted in the picture-the first house erected in Madison. It was
located on block 107, on Butler street, near the Lake House;
and since this view was taken, the old pioneer house has been
demolished. It was not till the 10th of June following, that
Col. A. A. BIRD arrived with a party of thirty-six workmen,
for the construction of the Capitol.
Before the arrival of Col. BIRD'S party, the celebrated Eng-
lish Geologist, G. W. FEATHERSTONHAUCI-H, visited Madison,
of which he h~s given us some reminiscences in his Canoe Voy-
age up the Minnay Sotor, with an account of the Lead and
Copper Regions of Wisconsin, published in London in 1847.
Ris orthography of Minnesota-Minnay Sotor-is quaint and
curious. In coming from St. Louis in this direction, the author
heard much of Ty-cho-6e-rah or the Four Lakes; and elabo-
rately engraved plans of several cities in their vicinity were
shown him. He was assured that they were flourishing finely-
Madison in particular was represented as already quite a city.
Let us now cite Mr. FEATHERSTONHAUGH'S graphic description
of Madison and its jirst house, which he gives as follows, under
date May 30th 1837-passing from Dodgeville to Col. EBPNB-
ZER BRIOHAM'S, at the Blue Mounds, to dinner:
LcPursuing our journey, at 1 P. M., we passed the military