206 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 1 1891. 



Now, all this land UBclei- the lake was of questionable 

 Talue at best, but some men loTe a law suit, and pioneers 

 were erer jealous of their rights. It seemed best for 

 them to sue Martin Rich for backing water over their 

 frog preserves or something of the sort. One by one 

 they sued him, and one by one he beat them, till finally 

 his purse gave out, which in the eye of human justice 

 is the end of everything. So the dam had to come out. 

 Mart. Eich destroyed it in the fall of 1867. A great rush 

 of devastating water lasting for days, a destruction of 

 millions of pounds of iish, an unsettling for the nonce of 

 all wildfowl plans, and the great lake was again a great 

 swamp, only this time its name was changed to the 

 "Horicon marsh," as it is known to-day. 



So the farmers got their hay lands and frog lands back 

 again, and dreamed they owned the earth, because they 

 had purchased or stolen from the Government on very 

 reasonable terms. Speculation in these swamp lands fol- 



lowed, and the upshot of it all was that the. taxes never 

 got paid, and the land reverted to the United States Gov- 

 ernment. 



Eater now upon the scene of one of those things known 

 as a syndicate, in which Mr, Truman A. Woodford, Mr. 

 Shepherd and Mr. G. H. Lawrence figured principally. 

 This syndicate was known as the "Mechanics' Union 

 Mfg. Co.," and it bought of the Goverment at auction 

 sale at a price so low as 7 cents an acre a large body of 

 the 25,000 acres covered by the marsh. 



The wildfowl clung steadiiy to the lake or marsh all 

 this time, paying no attention to the litigation, and 

 within the last decade the desirability of a great wild- 

 fowl preserve here became apparent to a number of Wis- 

 consin sportsmen. The Diana Shooting Club of Horicon 

 was formed and incorporated, the charter members being 

 Messrs. S. E. Davis, W. A. Van Brunt, C. A. Hart, J. B. 

 Hayes and Geo. H. Lawrence, June 8, 1883, was the 

 date of the club's incorporation, but on March 20, 1883, a 

 h ase had been arranged with the syndicate above men- 

 tioned, by which 5,800 acres of land, comprising the 



southern and best portion of the marsh, had been leased 

 for twenty-five years, the annual rental being $100. 

 This lease has now been provided for out of the club's 

 sinking fund. 



Originally only 25 memberships w^ere pold. and the bulk 

 of these were placed in Horicon and Milwaukee at first. 

 It chanced that Mr. Percy F. Stone, one of our prominent 

 Chicago shooters, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, 

 happened to be passing through that part of the State 

 when he heard of the starting of this club, in the spring 

 of '83. He knew the marsh, and was interested at once, 

 £0 much so that he telegraphed to the incorporators to 

 meet him at the train as he passed south. To them he 

 said, in brief, and while the train was waiting, "I will 

 take five memberships.'" Arrived at Chicago, he forth- 

 with tcok in on his spare tickets his friends J. O. Pierson, 

 C E. Cole, E. J. Marsh and C. C. Germain. These five 

 formed a club within a club, and put up what is known as 



blue-winged teal breed bere in immense numbers. Woodduck, 

 ■widgeon, spoonbill and redhead are plentiful. Tbe canvasback 

 is occasionally taken. Pnd when tbe autumn flight southward 

 fairly sets in. tbe pintails seem to outnumber ail otber varieties. 



While this entire mjrsh tract presects attractions for sports- 

 men unsurpaseerl, except in tbe far West and North, the grounds 

 controlled by this club are the cboicf-st to be found in the exten- 

 sive area cqveied by the marsh. They are easy of access, especi- 

 ally from Horicon by the river, which winds circuirously north- 

 ward for a distance of about three miles, when it becomes lost in 

 an infinite number of channels, bavous and sloughs trending in 

 every direction and of every coQceivable shape. Following to the 

 eastward tbis labyrinth of bog and channel, one soon reaches the 

 '•Four-mile-lsland Bay," a sheet of water covering an area of 

 about three hundred acres. On its eastern shore rises a ridge of 

 hard land, not many years ago denuded of its timber, but now 

 thi' kly covered with a growth of young trees, whicb is known as 

 "Four-mile Island,'' t>ie favorite resort of camping parties. To 

 the north of this bay is the "Skirmish Line."' A channel connects 

 the "Four-mile-islanrl Bay" with a sheet of water covering about 

 an equal area called "Malzpn's Bay," into which the east branch 

 of the river debouches its waters and affords access tothegrounds 

 from the east. West of the "Four-mile-island Bay," and con- 

 nectfd with it by several channels, is a sheet of water covering 

 about one hundred acres, which from the shallowness of the 

 water and the interminable depth of the mud, is known as "Mud 

 Bay." West of this, one again enters tbe maze of oog and bayou, 

 but after wending a distance of about two miles, reaches another 

 sheet of water ot about two hundred acres called "Mieske's Bty." 

 A mile north of this is the largest sheet of water on the grounds 

 of the club, known as the "Big Lake," and covering about twelve 

 htindred acres, and continuously supplied by tbe waters of the 

 West Branch. From all these principal sheets of water innumer- 

 able inlets, estuaries, bayous and sloughs, bordered w.th sedges, 

 flags, reeds and the various rank vegetation of the marsh, trend 

 and wi'-d in all directions and for seemingly endless distances, 

 thus forming thousands upon thousands; of acres fitted to the very 

 hiehest degree by nature as the home of the waterfowl. 



One lost in the infiuite iuTrieacies of these morasses, afc the 

 gloam iig just preceding nightfall, when the m>riad animal life 

 is momentarily silent, cannot fail to be deeply impressed with the 

 sense of utter seclusion and desolation which everywhere per- 

 vades the place. But in a hazy autumn afternoon, when the fields 

 and woodlands that fringe the great basin in wh'ch you stand are 

 clothpd in brown, and yellow, and crimson, and gold all around 

 tbe horizon, and the western sky is bathed in the warm, "oft 

 tints ot an October sunset, the desolate, uninviting picture, upon 

 which a mere speck you are penciled, is lost and forgotten in the 

 gorgeous beauty of the frame in which it is set. 



It will be observed that the grounds leased by the Diana 

 or "Horicon" Club are about 5x3 miles in extent, and 

 cover all the open waters and channels of the marsh. 

 Another club, with headquarters now at Milwaukee, con- 

 trols all the marsh north of the Diana grounds; so that 

 the whole marsh is preserved. A visit to the marsh 

 shows it to be the most easily guarded territory imagin- 

 able. The ground covered by the marsh growth is too 

 soft for a trespasser to attempt on foot, and the few chan- 

 nels which lead in to the shooting places can easily be 

 covered by two or three watchmen. The club has two 

 regular watchmen, both deputy wardens. Trespassing 

 is practically unknown. For a time the club sold shoot- 

 ing permits, but even these have now been abolished, and 

 a few guns only own this magnificent preserve. The 

 result of all these natural and artificial conditions is that 

 the supply of wildfowl is simply astonishing, as I shall 

 later mention in detail. At this very point, however, it 

 should be chronicled that, law or no law, the club never 

 has nor will permit spring shooting. The club rules are 

 so simple and admirable that they are herewith appended 

 in full. 



RnXiE 1. The open season for wildfowl shooting on the grounds 

 of the club shall commence Sept. 1 and end Dec. 1 each year. 



RniiE 3. Sec. 1. No person not a member shall be allowed to 

 shoot upon the chrb grounds except as a guest of some member, 

 and then only upon a written permit issued by an officer of the 

 club. 



Sec. >!. No member shall be allowed more than one guest to 

 participate in the shooting privileges at any one time. 



Rule 8. Sec. 1. The following table will govern the time for 

 commencing and ceasing shooting for each day. viz.: 



Begins. Closes, 



Sept. ItolS 5:15 6-25 



Sept. 18 to 80 5:35 6:00 



Oct. ltol5 5:50 5:35 



Oct. 16 to 30 6:00 5:15 



Nov. ltol5 6:^0 4:55 



Nov. 16 to 30 6:40 4:35 



Sec. 2. Any member violating this rule shall be liable to sus- 

 pension or expulsion, at the discretion of the hoard. 



Rule 4. No member, hired man, invited guest, or person hold- 

 ing a permit, shall be allowed to shoot for the market on the club 

 grounds. 



RttIjE 5. No one, member or otherwise, shall be allowed to bait 

 birds on the grounds of the club for shooting purposes under pen- 

 alty of expulsion. 



Rule 8. No rifle, pistol, revolver or similar weapon shooting a 

 ball at either game or targets will be allowed, and no gun of 

 larger caliber than the ordinary lO-bore shotgun, fired from the 

 shoulder, shall be permitted on the grounds under any circum- 

 stances. 



MAB OF HORICON CLUB (GROUNDS. 



the Chicago Shooting Box, where thing ? were long run in 

 a highly exclusive and bang-up style, dinner in courses, 

 white caps on the cooks and waiters, and all that sort of 

 thing. This comfortable club house, four rooms, with 

 plenty of bunks and lockers for chance guests, made the 

 only club building on the grounds. A Milwaukee and 

 Horicon contingent built a big and roomy cabin boat, 



which is annually anchored at the edge of the marsh, as 



high up as the channel will permit, and other parties _ „ 



have put up shanties on the drier portions of the m&es f or !3 dlis&s at one shot, once upon a time, 

 as may be seen by reference to the accompanying m^er hiat8,ftnd last of all the club men, who need teams, push- 

 The latter is the personal work of Mr. Stone, and it era, milk, eggs, chickens and what not, have in turn 



There is no hobbledehoy business about this club. The 

 men you meet there are gentlemen who observe only quiet 

 and sportsmanlike methods. 



Bat to return to the definite history of the club. The 

 Chicago Shooting Box pursued its way very happily until 

 death called away two of its members. Mr. Cole and Mr. 

 Pierson. Their places were filled, but finally things so 

 shaped themselves that it seemed wiser to turn in this 

 property to the club, to extend the sale of memberships 

 up to 40 out of the 50 to which the charter limits the 

 club, to protect the lease, make some improvements and 

 eventually to build a larger club house. In fine, this is 

 the present policy of the club, the 40 mark has already 

 practically been reached. The memberships are rapid ly 

 taken at the ridiculously low sum of $150, this, with the 

 annual dues of $15, being cheap pay for such privileges. 

 Little money is needed for spending on the marsh, for it 

 needs small help to make it perfect, barring the few 

 watchmen and the expense of a ditch or two. The rev- 

 enue from the dues will soon be enough to cover the ex- 

 penses of this tight little corporation. Another novel 

 source of revenue is the "rat money," The marsh swarms 

 with muskrats. Last year the club leased the trapping 

 right to "Old Man Miescke," a German farmer, whose 

 land adjoins the marsh, and who has been a great help to 

 the club in many ways. Miescke cleared $400 on the rat 

 deal that year. An odd character, Miescke. He came to 

 this spot forty years ago, when the country was perfectly 

 wild. His fine house and barns show his success, as well 

 as do his broad acres. He bought his farm with wild 

 ,,duc^^ baited and slaughtered with a 4 bore. He killed 



The ducks, the 



well done and highly useful, both to the reader and to 

 shooters interested in this marsh. As explanatory of the 

 map, we may quote from the club history written some 

 years ago by a gentleman who was a member of Con- 

 gress, or of the Legislature, or something, and who may 

 therefore be supposed to be way off better able to write 

 about it than I am: 



Nearly every species of migratory water fowl knowa to the in- 

 land waters of North America can be found here. Mallard and 



yielded golden harvest to this thrifty, dried up, but still 

 hearty and vigorous old-man-of-the-marsh. 



Connected with the club from the start, and so thor- 

 oughly acquainted with its requirements, it was natural 

 that Mr. Percy Stone, so good an executive officer withal, 

 should have prominent place in all this recent work of 

 reorganization and preparation. It was Mr, Stone that 

 shoiddered the responsibilities and infinite detail of get- 

 ting ready for the opening of the season this fall, and 



