A Standard History of Waupaca County, Wisconsin. An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Educational, Civic and Social Development.

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HISTORY OP WAUPA(,!A COUNTY
txmville, Alarion and Embarrass. The Milwaukee, Lake Shore & West:ern was tlie original line which develoi)ed into the Ashland division, and that line was also foreshadowed hy th(> older (jreen liay Military iUmd, The history of these develoi)ments has been fully and graphically written by F. Al. Uyilc, of (Jlintonville, in his articles on "Wisconsin i.and Grants and the Raiiroadn," j'rom wliich we extrael. the following ])(;rtinent words : '^ln 1864 what was called the Military Road was undertaken from Green Bay to Kockland, Michigan, extimding west as far as Shawano, and thence north, passing through Keshena, which was the last i)lace within the bounds of civilization until Rockland was ri^ached. This was before the building of the railroads, and it was constructed chiefly for the purpose
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of moving troops and supplies tlirough to Lake Superior in case of war. There was no othc^r means at that period of reaching that country except by water, wliich was only navigable in summer.
The first mail carried through that section was from Alenasha to Shawano by Francis Fairbanks in 1855. Soon after this, a mail route was established from New London to Shawano, it being carri(Ml on horse¬ back tri-weekly, Rufus Waug, of New London, having the contract. At one time S. L. Perry, late .Editor of the Alarion Advertiser, was the mail carrier. Later on. Air. AVaug toolc the contraet for carrying the mail from New London to Rockland, cutting out the way by following the old Indian trail a distance of nearly two hundred miles through an unbroken forest. He ran a line of stages through the winter season, carrying pas¬ sengers and freight shipped through to the copper mines. The miners came in by boat on Lake-Superior. Richard Ilughenin, of New London, helped cut out the road and carry the first mail into Rockland.