Atwood
Atwood (The Browery)
History
(The Community that almost Was)
Bright
The community of Bright in the Town of Green Grove got its name from Halbert
A. Bright (1835-1913), pioneer lumberman, dairy farmer, and land owner. The
obituary of H. A. Bright says he did not move to Green Grove Township until
1905, but in the fall of 1868 he had traveled to Clark County from Black River
Falls to look at some land. The 1893 Green Grove plat map shows, that by the
time of its publishing, he already owned land in Sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 29,
and 30,and also, in partnership with Levi Withee, owned a piece of land in
section 8. The community of Bright does not appear on the 1893 plat map, but
does on the 1905 map. Can anyone tell us the exact date when the Bright was
established?
According to the publication, FOSTER'S & NOBODY ELSE'S" THE N. C. FOSTER
ENTERPRISES, by William W. O'Gara (1988 Mid-Continet Railway Historical
Society, North Freedom, Wi), the Foster & Northeastern Railroad began plans to
extend their track from from three miles north of Shilling, where it had come by
1900, on to Owen The path of the railway was to be through Coxie, in the Town of
Beaver, and Bright, in the Town of Green Grove. In September 1905 camps
for work crews were set up at Bright in preparation for clearing the
right-of-way. Twenty men were hired. At first the rail line went only as far as
Bright. At that point, there was a turntable where freight and mail was unloaded
and new cargo loaded. The engine was reversed for its return trip to Fairchild.
By 1906, the connection to the Wisconsin Central railroad was constructed, and
regular service through Owen was established by March of 1907. H. A. Bright
owned a sawmill and cheese box factory at Bright. The community also had a
creamery and a post office. The Bright school was located a little more than a
mile east of the rail station at Bright, and in 1924 the North Bright schol was
built about a mile north of the community. Can anyone give me more information
about activities, homes, or businesses in Bright? When did the last remnants of
the community at Bright disappeared? I'd also be very interested in any
photographs that might exist of Bright.
History of Bright
Halbert “Bud” Hardrath.
Additional Notes
The post office called Bright was created January 18, 1902. Richard M.
Harswill was the first postmaster. It was located in the Township of Green
Grove in the SW 1/4 of Section 20. The post office of Bright was discontinued
March 31, 1913.
Compiled by
Helen Vater Blaha.
1890
"Clark Co., Illustrated"
history of Green Grove, Wis.
