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.

              HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
115
were nearly all made while in the same dis¬ trict ; hence, the early settlers went to Mineral Point to enter their land. Among the earliest entries are noted those of Alfred Glassburn, June 6, 1847, of the south half of the north¬ west quarter and the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 28, township 13, in range 4 west, in what is now the town of Viro¬ qua ; of Michael Hinkst, Sept. 13, 1847, of the north half of the southwest quarter and the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter, of section 31, and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 32, in township 12, of range 4 west, in the present town of Frank¬ lin ; Orrin Wisel, June 17, 1848, of the south¬ east quarter of the northeast quarter of section 25, township 12, range 5 west, in the town of Franklin also; of LeGrand and Lewis Sterling? Aug 10, 1848, of the south half of the south¬ west quarter of section 2, in township 11, of range 6 west, in the town of Sterling.
LA CROSSE LAND  DISTRICT.
An act of Congress, approved March 2, 1849, formed the La Crosse land district, including within its limits the following territory:
"Commencing at a point where the line be¬ tween the townships 10 and 11 touches the Mis¬ sissippi river, [in the present county of Craw^- ford,] and running thence due east of the fourth principal meridian; thence north to the line be¬ tween townships 14 and 15 north; thence east to the southeast corner of township 15 north, or range 1 east of the fourth principal meridian; thence north on the range line to the south line of township 31 north; thence west on the line between townships 30 and 31 to the Ch ppewa river; thence down said river to the junction with the Mississippi river thence down said river to the place of beginning."
This included, though it has since been les¬ sened, all of the present county of Vernon, like¬ wise that of La Crosse, Monroe, Buffalo, Trem¬ pealeau, Eau Clair, Clark and parts of Juneau and Chippewa counties. Vernon county is still in the same districts.
By act of Congress, approved Feb. 24, 1866, an additional district was formed of all that por¬ tion of the Willow river land district lying north of the line dividing townships 40 and 41, to be called the Fond du Lac district, the office to be located by the President as he might from time to time direct. The present counties of Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland and part of Bur¬ nett were included within its boundaries.
By an act of Congress, approved March 3, l8o7, so much of the districts of land subject to sale at La Crosse and Hudson, in the State of Wisconsin, contained in the following bound¬ aries, were constituted a new district, to be known as the Chippewa land district: North of the line dividing townships 24 and 26 north; south of the line dividing townships 40 and 41 north; west of the line dividi g ranges 1 and 2 east; and east of the line dividing ranges 11 and 12 west. The location of the office was to be designated by the President as the public inter¬ est might require. The present counties of Chippewa, Tayior, Eau Claire and Clark were in this district.
LA   CROSSE  LAND   OFFICE.
There are at the present time six land offices in the State. They are located at Menasha, Falls of St. Croix, Wausau, La Crosse, Bayfield and Eau Claire. By the provision^ of law, when the immber of acres of land in any one district is reduced to 1< 0,000 acres, subject to private entry, the secretary of the interior is required to discontinue the office, and the lands remain¬ ing unsold are transferred to the nearest land office, to be there subject to sale. The power of locating these offices lies with the President (unless otherwise directed by law), who is also authorized to change and re-establish the bound¬ aries of land districts whenever, in his opinioUj the public service will be subserved thereby. As the county of Vernon is in the La Crosse land district, the land office for this county, is at La Crosse. All the lands that have been entered since the opening of that office, by set¬ tlers and others in Vernon county, have, of course, been entered there.