Began — Develo'pment of La Fayette County. 583 



known as the Winnebago War. Then it was that the fort known 

 as Gratiot's Eort was built, and the first permanent settlement 

 started. The prompt action of Governor Edwards of Illinois 

 quelled the disturbance, however, and the fort was never used as 

 such. This defeat had tke effect of quieting the Indians, and 

 the valuable lands held by them were thereafter open to 

 settlement.-^ 



The legal boundaries of La Fayette county are as follows: 

 "That part of the county embraced in Iowa county designated 

 as to^vns 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 east, and the south half of town 4, 

 ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, shall be set off into a separate county 

 named La Fayette."^ It was organized for judicial purposes 

 after May 1, 1847. 



Before its organization into towns La Fayette county con- 

 sisted of ^YQ election districts, — Kendall, Willow Springs, 

 Argyle, Gratriot and the Fever River District. On January 3, 

 1849, from the Kendall district the towns of Belmont and Ken- 

 dall were organized ; from Willow Springs district, Darlington 

 (Centre) and Willow Springs; from Argyle, Fayette, Argyle 

 and Wiota ; from Gratiot, Wayne^ and Gratiot ; from the Fever 

 River district, Benton, ISTew Diggings, Elk Grove, Shullsburg, 

 White Oak Springs and Monticello. Blanchard was organized 

 out of the northern part of the town of Argyle, and Seymour 

 from Centre, in 1869.* 



iThe above was taken from the History of La Fayette County, Wis- 

 consin, 1881, and the Geography and Gazeteer of Wisconsin. 



2 These boundaries are copied from the thesis of B. M. Palmer, "The 

 Lead Regions of Illinois." They became the legal boundaries Feb. 14, 

 1847, Session Laws of Wisconsin Territory for 1847, p. 57. 



3 Wayne is known as the "lost township" as the original survey of 

 that town was lost on its way to the United States land office. In 1835 

 it was re-surveyed. 



4 See Plate XLIII. 



