Town of Russell Farming Community

The Town of Russell Farming Community 1916

Bayfield Progress – June 1, 1916

New Farmers in Russell Township: the Lamont brother’s, Duluthians who own a quarter section of town of Russell land adjacent to the C. R. Rowley farm will make herculean effort to bring a considerable portion of the tract under cultivation this season. Hector Lamont is already on the ground and will be in the immediate charge of improvement work. He will push the clearing as fast and as far as is possible with the help that is available in that locality. Stock raising and dairying will be the lines chiefly to engage the attention of the brothers after their land is under subjection. They will also give reasonable of attention to orchard and general fruit culture.

A Helpful Demonstration: the land clearing demonstration held on Monday and Tuesday on the farm of Mayor Wachsmuth afforded, to those who saw it, ocular proof that the stumpiest of our North Wisconsin lands may very speedily be fitted for the plow. It’s no light, no inexpensive task; but, with machines and with dynamite, it may be accomplished with a speediness that is really astonishing. The demonstration conducted here drew attendance of probably 600 farmers and other land owners. To what extent the demonstration helped any of them, twould be impossible now to say. But it cannot be doubted that it did help many, and we look with confidence to see a speed up in land clearing operations in every locality visited by this state train during its tour of these north counties. Those from the town of Russell neighborhood who attended the land clearing demonstration at the Wachsmuth farm were Peter Halvorson, Rud. (Sic) Lohman, Ole Bakke, Charles Bloom, Martin Halvorson, and John and Albin Engbloom, who were there Monday, and Fred and Karl Bloom, who were present on Tuesday. Peter Halvorson and Charles Bloom are busy making rails for the fencing of the Earl Sheffle farm.

Locating New Settlers: P. L. Blodgett and J. M. Davies, who together with Joseph P. Buffalo, formerly of Red Cliff, constitute the Buffalo-Bayfield Fruit Land Company, were here from Minneapolis from Friday until Monday. The three men devoted the greater part of their time of their stay to inspection of lands which they control on the Indian reservation along the North Shore of the peninsula. They made some sales and they gained much knowledge of their holdings as will enable them to make further dispositions. Accompanying the Minneapolis man upon this trip was Nels W. Anderson, with orchards at his home place and on the shores of Lake Minnetonka and is accounted as one of the great fruit growers of his state. He was very favorably impressed by what he saw here, and is likely very soon to come into ownership of a goodly sized hunk of the reservation lands.

Bayfield Progress Township of Russell Anecdotes

May 7, 1914: Postmaster H. Wachsmuth received a consignment of 400 cherry trees which he is having set on his farm in Russell.  Martin Halvorson is assisting in the work.

May 4, 1916: The Wisconsin College of Agriculture’s Land Clearing Limited Training Will Be in Bayfield May 29-30. The training will be switched to the Bayfield Transfer Railway and moved to the H. J. Wachsmuth farm (4 miles north from the city on the Red Cliff Road) where demonstrations of various methods of land clearing will be made by experts. Every landowner within 25 miles of the Wachsmuth farm should make a point of witnessing that demonstration. Take luncheon with you; go early; stay all day; return the second day and see and hear more. This is the most valuable free thing that with no cost to Bayfield County farmers. Tell your neighbors about it, and see that all them the make the most of this opportunity. Added information may be had from J. W. Dady, H. J. Wachsmuth or A. H. Wilkinson, who constitutes a local committee in charge of this affair.

May 7, 1916: Harvey Soetham and his bride arrived here from Phillips and have entered into possession of their new farm home in the town of Russell. The place was purchased last fall from Halftan Halvorson, and our tip is that it has the makings of a mighty good farm.

May 18, 1916: Low-cost spraying: the high school agricultural department has purchased a small spraying outfit, with which they can, during the summer months, spray small orchards near the city. Any orchardist can effect arrangements easily for the use of this apparatus. The charge made will be merely enough to cover expenses, including the cost of mixture and the wage of two boys at $.15 per hour. The orchardist about the city will require several sprayings during the season,-for an oyster shell, scale, apple scab, shothole fungus and the coddling month.

Both the old established farmers in the new settlers of this Sand Bay region are mighty busy these days, getting in their garden stuff and sewing their spring grain.

C.T. Frane, a Minneapolis hotel man, has bought 120 acres of the Reservation lands. 80 acres will be use as a sheep ranch, and the other 40 acres located on the lakeshore, becoming made a summer resort and fruit farm. Charles Beghun, a jeweler of Minneapolis, has bought a 53 acre tract of sure property. It adjoins Frane’s 40, and it will also be converted into a summer resort and fruit farm. Both of these tracks are located in vicinity of Frog Bay, and the deals were negotiated by the Buffalo-Bayfield Fruit Land Company, of Minneapolis.

June 8, 1916: Frank L. Wolfe has been here from two Rivers this week looking after his business and property interest. During the week he received three high-grade Guernsey cows and has given them a home on his ‘Ideal’ farm out on the Red Cliff Road. [Transcriber’s note; property later to become the fur farmer on Section 12, County Trunk J]

June 27, 1916: The Carver brother’s recently made sale of the main Carver farm near Carver Crossing to Mr. Bergstrom. The latter, who is a fisherman, removed from Sand Island to the city out long ago. This week he and his family are moving to their acquired farm home. [Transcriber’s note; Carver’s Crossing, Intersection of County K-Highway 13, T 53]

Christ Nelson has taken option on and may complete purchase of what is known as the Tom Phillips farm in the town of Russell. The place has of late been under ownership of Mrs. Nate Carver. It is an admirably located 40 acres and is a mighty good buy.                                    

This history brief was written by Robert J. Nelson. Generously sharing our local history through his research and writing.