Levis Township History

Clark County, Wisconsin

 

 

First Owners in Levis Township

 

Levis Township Military History [Index]

 

Memories of Levis Township [Shramek]

 

Historical Accounts

 

1857

 

The county having been set apart and the county seat located, it was determined to lay out a village and perfect arrangements for projecting the improvements. At that time, as will be remembered, the county contained but one township--Pine Valley. Since that date the domain has been apportioned as follows: Levis Township in 1857; Weston in 1859; Lynn, 1862; Loyal, 1863; Mentor, 1867; Grant, 1868; Eaton, 1870; Beaver, 1871; York, Hixon and Sherman, 1873; Colby, Unity, Mayville and Washburn, 1874; Sherwood Forest, Hewett and Warner, 1875; Thorp, 1876, and Withee, in 1880. 1881 History of Clark Co., Wis.

 

1880

 

In 1880 the county board became anxious in regard to the safety of a new iron bridge that had been built over Black River, in the vicinity of the Dells dam in the town of Levis, the previous year.

The Black River Flooding Dam Association had erected the "Dells" dam, and it raised the water in the vicinity of the new bridge, that fears were entertained for its safety in case of a flood, or extremely high water.

The new bridge had been built by the town of Levis, with some aid from the county. A committee had been appointed consisting of S. B. Hewett, and F. D. Lindsay, with authority to negotiate with the Flooding Dam Association for a right of way, over their dam, which they in due time secured, and the committee were ordered to report as to the necessity of taking down the new iron bridge that had just been completed.

They finally reported that the new bridge ought to be taken down, and thereupon the county board on the 29th of April, 1880, passed an order that the bridge be taken down and placed across Wedges Creek in the town of Levis.

The board also appointed a committee of three consisting of F. D. Lindsay, Ezra Tompkins and S. B. Hewett to superintend the removal of the bridge, and the placing of if across Wedges Creek at such pint as in their judgment was most proper.

It would appear from the plain orders of the board that all the power the committee had was to put the bridge across Wedges Creek. How the trouble between town and the county started in involved in mystery, but certain it was, that shortly after the committee was appointed, a majority of them claimed that the county owned the bridge while on the other hand the town of Levis claimed the ownership, law suits were threatened by both sides, finally on the 4th day of July, 1880, (a day it was supposed no injunction could be served) S. H. Hewett and F. D. Lindsay, two of the committee assisted by T. J. La Flesh, Hiram Palmer, David Williams, C. H. Gates, Hiram Hart, Arch Day and Ed Tolford removed the component parts of the bridge, consisting of bolts, girders, ebords, iron rods, timber and plank, and deposited them in the court house square at Neillsville, eight miles away from the mouth of Wedges Creek.

This action led to a suit of replevin by the town of Levis, against the parties named but the case was never tried in court. The whole matter was compromised in September, 1880, but the county giving the town of Levis $325.00 to help build a bridge across Wedges Creek and agreeing for five years to keep in repair the bridge across the flooding dam.

The board then donated the bridge to the towns of Eaton and Warner to be placed across Black River at or near the town line between Eaton and Warner. And thus it came about that the town of Levis was defrauded out of its bridge, and the town of Warner secured one as a gift.

 

From Forest to Farm (Dewhurst, Levis, Sherwood & Washburn Townships); provided by "The Jailhouse Museum".

 

1890

 

"Clark Co. Illustrated" History of Levis Township

 

1893

 

Building the Levis Bridge

A new bridge is now being built across the Black River, at the Archie Day place in Levis. This will make that route seem like old times to the settlers who used to reach the outside world by way of Hatfield. (Clark Co. Press, June 1893).

 

1912

 

April, 1912, A petition is being circulated in the Town of Levis to change the county road in that town as located, so as to have said road fun directly south for three miles south from Hutchings Corner, thence straight west to Dells Dam. The petition gives each signer an opportunity to state whether he wants the change made or not. Clark Co. Press

 

1954

 

The History of Dells Dam Bridge

 

 

Tragedies We Faced Together

 

1877

Posse embraces cattle rustler 1877

 

1902

Four year old dies from burns

 

1911

The Great Black River Flood; Eye Witness to the flood

 

 

A 1911 flood destroyed dams on the Black River.

Dells Dam was one of those to be replaced.

 

 

Scaffoldings made of lumber and logs set the forms for the Dell’s Dam base, setup in 1911

 

1914

Dell’s Dam wiped out by the 1914 flood

 

1916

Brother shoots brother

 

1919

Tragedy struck in the summer of 1919 when the Lynch (aka Opelt) bridge collapsed under the weight of three vehicles passing over it.

 

1938

The Lynch Bridge washed out with the flood of 1938

 

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