76 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



WILL RECLAIM LARGE AREA. 



The thriving little village of Shiocton, Outagamie 

 County, Wisconsin, known to fame as the home of 

 Eben E. Rexford, a writer on floriculture and author 

 of the now famous song, "Silver Threads Among the 

 Gold," is about to become doubly famous as the "Gar- 

 den City," for at its eastern border is a large "marsh" 

 of about 4,000 acres, containing a deep rich deposit 

 of black soil, especially adapted to the culture of vege- 

 tables of the following varieties : Celery, onions, su- 

 gar beets, cucumbers, asparagus, cauliflower, potatoes, 

 strawberries and bulbs. 



The surrounding country has reached a high state 

 of cultivation and is held at more than $100 an acre, 

 its high class of improvements outrivaling any dis- 

 trict in America, and the numerous thriving cities in 



beautiful tract and fit it for its higher uses. The mat- 

 ter was brought to the attention of Frank A. Bridge, 

 president of F. A. Bridge & Co., 140 Dearborn street, 

 Chicago, 111., and other banking institutions. 



Mr. Bridge, whose picture appears below, is known 

 to his many friends as a man of indomitable courage 

 and possesses that stern, unswerving determination 

 that brings things to pass. He has unmistakable fit- 

 ness as a leader of men and, although only thirty-five 

 years of age, possesses all of the qualities that entitle 

 him to a place in the front ranks of "captains of in- 

 dustry." Mr. Bridge set about to drain this tract and 

 create of it a district of especial merit. Believing al- 

 ways that mistakes are better avoided than corrected, 

 he engaged the services of the eminent hydraulic en- 

 gineer, Thomas T. Johnston, to determine whether or 

 not it' could be drained. 



Frank A. Bridge, Banker, Pres. Shiocton Garden Land Co. 



the Fox Eiver valley, with their many manufactories, 

 are indisputable evidence of the value of the soil. This 

 so-called "marsh" has, up to the present time, lain 

 unmolested by man, except to furnish in spots hay in 

 dry seasons. 



Nearly two scorce of persons possessed the legal 

 title to the tract and at no time has there been a con- 

 certed effort on their part to drain the land. It re- 

 mained for one man to think out a plan to drain this 



After ascertaining that the project was entirely 

 feasible from an engineering standpoint, the titles were 

 gone over thoroughly by the Hon. Thomas E. Mil- 

 christ, ex-United States district attorney for northern 

 Illinois, counsel for Mr. Bridge, and finding the titles 

 in every way perfect, Mr. Bridge set his associates about 

 to secure options on the entire tract. In this he suc- 

 ceeded and a corporation was formed, under the Wis- 

 consin laws, to be known as the "Shiocton Garden 



