History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.

              38
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
sequently made a part of the 500,000 acre tract granted by Congress for school purposes. It is believed the whole matter is now closed against further legislative enactments. '
There was another important act passed by the territorial Legislature of 1837-8, by which fourteen counties were erected, but all of them west of the Mississippi. The census having been taken in May, a special session of the first Legislative Assembly was commenced June 11,1838, at Burlington, continuing to June 25, of that year. This session was pursuant to an adjournment of the previous one, mainly for the purpose of making a new apportionment of members. The population of the several counties east of the Mississippi was, by the May census, 18,149. By an act of Congress, approved June 12, 1838, it was provided that from and after the 3d day of July following, all that part of Wisconsin territory lying west of that river and west of a line drawn due north from its headwaters or sources to the territorial line for the purposes of a territorial govern¬ ment should be set apart and known by the name of Iowa. It was further enacted that the territory of Wisconsin should thereafter extend westward only to the Mississippi. Be¬ cause of the passage of this act, the one passed at the special session of the territorial Legisla¬ ture making an apportionment of members, be¬ came nugatory—that duty now devolving upon Gov. Doty. On the third Monday of July, 1838, the annual term of supreme court was held at Madison this, of course, being the first one after the re-organization of the territory; the previous one was not held, as there was no business for the court. On the 18th of October, Judge Frazer died, and on the Sth of Novem¬ ber, Andrew G. Miller was appointed his suc¬ cessor, by Martin Van Buren, President of the United States.
The Legislature of the re-organized territory of Wisconsin met at Madison for the first time —it being the first session of the second Legis¬ lative Assembly—Nov. 26, 1838.    Its attention
was directed to the mode in which the commis¬ sioners of public buildings had discharged their duties. There was an investigation of three banks then in operation in the territory—one at Green Bay, one at Mineral Point, and the other at Milwaukee. A plan, also, for the revision of the laws of the territory was con¬ sidered. A new assignment was made for the holding of district courts. Chief Justice Dunn was assigned to the first district, composed of the counties of Iowa, Grant and Crawford; Judge Irvin to the second, composed of the counties of Dane, Jefferson, Rock, Walworth and Green; while Judge Miller was assigned to the third district, composed of Milwaukee, Brown and Racine counties—including therein the unorganized counties of Washington and Dodge, which, for judicial purposes, were, when constituted, by name and boundary, at¬ tached to Milwaukee county. 1 he Legislature adjourned on the 22d of December, to meet again on the 21st of the following month. The census having been taken during the year, it was found that the territory had a population N.f 18,130, an increase in two years, of 6,447. The second session of the second Legislative Assembly began Jan. 21, 1839, agreeable to adjournment. An act was passed during this ses¬ sion legalizing a revision of the laws which had been perfected by a committee previously; this act took effect July 4, and composed the princi¬ pal part of the laws forming the revised statutes of 1839. The session ended March 11, 1839. On the Sth of March of this year, Henry Dodge, whose term for three years as governor ^ was about to expire, was again commissioned by the President of the United States. At the July term of the supreme court, all the^ judges were present, and several cases were heard and decided. A seal for the court was also adopted. From this time, the supreme court met annu¬ ally, as provided by law, until Wisconsin be¬ came a State.
The  next Legislature assembled at Madison, on  the 2d  of December,  1839.    This was the