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AGRICULTURE OF MANITOWOC COUNTY. 



Madison, Wisconsin, Feb. 12tb, 1852. 



Dear Sir — Your communication of a recent date making inquiries about 

 Manitowoc County, came duly to hand, and contents noticed. In reply, I regret 

 the shortness of the time mentioned will prevent my writing home, and making 

 inquiry of some of our older settlers, farmers, business men, &c., for the purpose 

 of obtaining information in answer to your various inquiries in relation to our 

 county. It is hardly to be expected any one individual could possess information 

 in detail upon all of these points ; but delay being impracticable, I will proceed 

 to answer your inquiries as correctly as my knowledge will permit. 



I think the county was first settled in 1835. About that time the attention 

 of capitalists and speculators was attracted to Manitowoc and Two Rivers, as 

 bidding fair to become points of business and commercial importance. The 

 valley of the Manitowoc river extending west through the center of the county, 

 and nearly to Lake Winnebago, also atti'acted attention as being the shortest and 

 easiest outlet for a lai-ge portion of the travel, produce, and business of the Lake 

 Winnebago and upper Fox River County. Towns were then laid out at Mani- 

 towoc, Two Rivers, and Manitowoc Rapids; and on or about the year 1836, 

 several mills for the manufacture of pine lumber were erected in various parts of 

 the county. Our population, however, did not exceed a few hundred up to 

 the year 1847, most of whom were engaged in lumbering. Since that time the 

 county has had a gradual influx of immigrants mostly from the various Euro- 

 pean States, and of a class well calculated to reclaim the country. By the last 

 census we are put down at 3,768 inhabitants; and there can be no doubt but 

 that we number at the present time over 5,000 inhabitants, of which about 

 1,000 reside in the village of Manitowoc. 



The county is bounded on the north by Door and Brown, on the west by Calu- 

 met, on the south by Sheboygan, and easterly by Lake Michigan, containing 

 thirteen full townships, and eight fractional ones, which may be safely reckoned 

 as equal to four full ones, making in all an area of about 600 square miles. 

 About four-fifths of the whole surface is susceptible of cultivation. 



In general formation it is moderately undulating, and in some parts veiy 

 agreeably diversified with hills and valleys. There is a very abundant supply of 

 excellent water. It would be difficult to find many quarter sections in the 

 whole county that are not watered by a clioice and durable spring, a creek, or 

 river. The south branch of the Manitowoc rises near tlie south and the north 

 branch, near the north end of Lake Winnebago, and the two unite near the west 

 fine of the county. From the junction, the river, which is the largest in the 



