Stanton — The Lead Region of Wisconsin. 197 



CHAPTER II. 



THE LEAD REGIOX OF GRAXT AND LAFAYETTE 



COUIS^TIES.^ 



r. BELLE STAIS'TON", B. L. 



The entire lead mining region comprises a much larger area 

 than the subject of this paper. The region as a whole embraces 

 besides the Wisconsin area, the lead regions of Iowa and Illinois. 

 These latter districts taken together do not contain as much 

 territory as the Wisconsin district alone. 



The territory including the lead region of Wisconsin came 

 into the possession of the L^nited States in 1804 by a treaty with 

 the Fox Indians. The land did not attract the notice of settlers 

 until earlv in this century, but the lead had been known to the 

 Indians, who made little if any use of it until the French taught 

 them its value. Real activity in the mines began in 1822 when 

 the general government took charge of the region and began 

 granting land to operators. The rush of settlers kept increasing 

 until it reached its maximum in 1829. The great excitement 

 and enthusiasm of those early days, with the wild frontier life, 

 was typical of a Rocky Mountain mining camp. The popula- 

 tion was a changing and moving one. i^umerous mushroom 

 towns sprang up all over the district, and the towns remaining 

 permanent were the exception rather than the rule. The rapid 

 influx of miners finally resulted in trouble with the Indians, 

 and out of this grew the Black Hawk War. This was character- 

 ized by the usual atrocities of an Indian war, but in spite of its 

 unfortunate details, the war proved beneficial from an industrial 

 point of view since it humbled the Indians and made the country 

 known to hundreds of prospective settlers. ISTewspapers and 

 pamphlets in the eastern states were filled with descriptions of 

 the country and very soon a great tide of immigration began to 



1 A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Wisconsin, for the degree of 

 B. L., June, 1900. 



