The Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 4, number 1, September 1920

              50 julius e olson walked from chicago to milwaukee alone.5 there was an indian trail from chicago to green bay and why should lincoln at this time have a desire to visit wisconsin if he was to follow the advice of his friends as herndon puts it to quit the places and scenes of his sorrows and griefs to what better place could he have gone he had seen enough of that region during his brief period of soldier ing to know that it had many attractions in fact the black hawk war was wisconsin's introduction to the american people there was an immediate and rapid increase of immigration not only in the mining region but in various other parts of what is now wisconsin more especially in that portion bordering on lake michigan."6 lincoln surely knew of this strong trend of immigration.7 then he may have wanted to see lake michigan particularly as the east ern part of the state was the most accessible from his early experiences with river boats we know that he was fond of the water such was the depth of lincoln's sorrow after the death of ann rutledge that he may have thought he could not live and labor where she had died be that as it may he was well enough in october 1835 to realize that a change of scene would be beneficial and to support this assumption it is possible to cite an analogous case in the life of lincoln where he spoke of the advantage of a change of scene these are lincoln's own words used in a letter to his close friend joshua f speed dated march 27 1842 this was at a time after that fatal first of january 1841 when he wrote to his law partner major stuart in congress : i am now the most miserable man living if what i feel 6 at milwaukee peerson found only two white men solomon juneau and his brother 6 history of washington and ozauhee counties chicago 1881 40 7 returning troopers praised her soil and fertility eastern newspapers exploited her inviting opportunities for emigrants pamphlet literature furnished travelers guides louise p kellogg in wisconsin magazine of history september 1919 40