OXFORD--It's Early Settlement--Rapid Growth and Sudden Collapse--Advantages and Present Business Editors Express: In accordance with your request, I give you a history of Oxford, so far as I have been able to learn the same, not being myself one of the first settlers. I came to this town, then a part of Packwaukee, in May, 1852, at which time the whites and the "noble red men" in about equal numbers, formed the population of the town. Of the two the red man was a little ahead; but those twin sisters of civilization, soap suds and forty-rod whisky, were too much for the denizens of the forest and left the proud Caucasian master of the situation. I am unable to speak with certainty as to who was the first settler, but William R. AXFORD has always been accredited with being the first permanent inhabitant, settling, I believe, in 1849, though there was quite a number of persons who settled about the same time; among whom, I am informed, were William T. GOODHUE, the WALDREF's, James DUNN, Nathan BROWN, the ORMSBY's, Thomas HENRY, and James JONES; and perhaps there were others who should be mentioned. Oxford was set off from the Town of Packwaukee, by the County Board, in November, 1852, and held its first town meeting in April, 1853, at the house now owned and occupied by John H. WORDEN. The first town officers were: William R. AXFORD, Chairman; L. G. WOOD and B. P. BANGS, Supervisors; H. H. TAYLOR, Town Clerk; David ORMSBY, Treasurer; Samuel HODGE, Assessor; Milo BALDWIN, Town Superintendent; and Jacob S. COOK, M. H. HODGE, William WALDREF, Jr., and Warren EMERICK, Justices of the Peace. A saw mill was erected by BROWN and ORMSBY's as early as 1850, and in the winter of 1852 and 1853, Ormsbys having bought out Brown's interest, a run of stone for flouring was put therein temporarily, until the following season, when the flouring mill was erected. The village was laid out and platted in 1854, by C. J. PETTIBONE and David ORMSBY, and buildings sprang up in all directions, including the hotel and several stores, and for a few years great prosperity prevailed. Grain was bought and floured and sent to other markets; large amounts of goods were sold to the surrounding country for quite a large distance; newspapers were established, and everything denoted a bright future for the town. But alas! in an evil hour the mill proprietors conceived the idea of turning the sawmill into that worst of all causes, a distillery, believing immense riches were soon to follow, and let other branches of business in which they were engaged start on a retrograde movement. A heavy investment was mad ein the distillery and its accompaniments, much of it in utter disregard of all sfe rules as usually applied by men in ordinary business. The result, as might have been expected, was a short life ot the distillery and an utter failure of the company in their business, carrying with it disaster to all the principal branches of business and trade then in place. From the shock thus produced our village has never fully recovered. The large dealers in merchandise have withdrawn their stocks, and althought their places have been supplied by others, yet the variety and amount of goods have never been replaced, and our village does not wear the lively appearance to the visitor it once did: but I cannot forego the expression that there is yet "a good time coming" for us. We have for several years been hanging our expectations on railroads we were sure would be built, and negelcting all our natural advantages, seeming to think, like the citizens of neighboring towns, that nothing was required to make everything grow and flourish like the Garden of Eden but a daily railroad train passing through our town at the rate of twenty to thirty miles per hour. But the spell is broken; the delusion is passed; the railroad has gone by us, and we have looked over our situation and come to the conclusion that there are none so far from market as thos ehaving nothing to sell, and that, if we would really be prosperous and happy, we must improve those natural advantages which are placed in our midst. We have one of the best water powers in the county; we are in the center of a large farming community; we have the best soil to be found in Northern Wisconsin; have very many commodius and elegant farm buildings, and as a whole, as enterprising, prosperous and go-ahead a class of farmers as can be found in any other community of the same size and population in the State; and being but a comparatively short distance from market, and free from indebtedness to greedy and soulless corporations, with no right-of-way unpleasantness to settle, our town presents the most inviting prospects to immigrants of any town in the county. The following statistics of the town will show that although we are partially sleeping, we are not yet dead: We have one hotel, kept by A. T. CONGER. One postmaster, Orlando KLING. Four ministers of the Gospel, Baker JOHNSON, James FORD, Thomas lAWSON and N. W. ALLEN. One physician and surgeon, A. G. STODDARD. One attorney at law and court commissioner, H. H. TAYLOR. One deputy sheriff, G. W. WESTFALL. Four drygoods and grocery merchants, William COCHRAN, Alex HICKERNELL, R. L. NICKERSON and James KELLEY. One drug and grocery merchant, Frank ABBOTT. One boot and shoe merchant, M. C. NICKERSON. Two boot and shoe makers, E. HALL and C. NICKERSON. One wagon and carriage shop, FISH and WOODWARD. Three blacksmiths, C. LLOYD, L. E. CHAMBERLAIN and C. K. HAWES. One dealer in reapers, mowers and farm implements, W. N. JOHNSON. Two milliners, Mrs. FISH and Miss LAWSON. One dressmaker, Mrs. JOHNSON. One organ and sewing machine agent, Mrs. A. T. WOOSTER. One flouring mill, with three run of stone, I. D. WILSON. One saw mill, H. H. WARD. Two large churches, Presbyterian and Methodist. Four school houses, the largest and best in the county, costing $2,500. One town hall. One lodge of Free Masons and one lodge of Good Templars.
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