Incidents and Anecdotes of Early Days and History of Business in the City and County of Fond Du Lac From Early Times to the Present, Personal Reminiscences, Remarkable Events, Election Results, Military History, Etc.

              FROM EARLY DAYS TO THE PRESENT 129
removed them, this time west of the Mississippi river. But Col. Moore, of LaCrosse, who had them in charge, could not make them stay there and most of them straggled back to the region of Black River Falls, and have since behaved themselves very well. In pur¬ suing his work on Indian legends. Col. R. G. Thewaltz, of the Wis¬ consin State Historical Society, spent some weeks among them, and regards them as having made at least some progress in general civili¬ zation since they were here.
Wandering bands of Pottonwalomies and Chippewas were occasionally in Fond du Lac in early days, but were generally simply passing on their way and their stay was short.
The Brothertowns were civilized when they were brought from the east to settle on their lands on the east shore of Lake Winnebago, and soon after arriving here were made citizens by an act of congress. But as has been shown by other experiments, Indian blood cannot stand civilization and the Brothertowns have become almost extinct.
An "Indian party'' and a "citizens' party" divided the Stockbridge tribe Avhen it was brought here from the east to settle upon land on the east side of Lake Winnebago, immediately north of the Brother- towns. John W. Quinney, leader of the Indian party, and Mr. Adams, leader of the citizens' party, spent much time at Washington, harrassing congress and the government officials for relief from the annoyances of the situation. After some years the Indian adherents were moved north to Shawano county, and the citizen adherents remained here. But it was a mere matter of time with them and few are now left to tell the tale of the once great Stockbridge nation. John W. Quinney plead at Washington for the lives of his people whom he said would perish amid scenes of farm life, but they also died off in the woods and wilds of Shawano county.
These are the Indians that Fond du Lac county people were familiar with in early, days, and whether good or bad Indians, no one cares to see them here again.
First Harness Made Here.
The first harness made in Fond du Lac county was by Lyman Bishop. He drove stage to Milwaukee to buy the material and brought it back with him. He worked in an attic room at Peebles, below Taycheedah, and sold them so readily that he continued there about a year. At this time one could not go to Milwaukee or Chicago and buy ready made harness, this practice not coming in until war time when the demand was great and harness makers hard to find. The demand by the blockade runners was so heavy that immense shops were started at the east and harness makers not in the army, went there. There was one shop at Newark, N. J., that worked 450 men on harness for the south, ordered by blockade runners, and this shop was but one of many. The price of harness leather was very high. Mr. Bishop moved his appliances to Fond du Lac in 1850, after building his shop at Main and Third streets, and continued it until his death.