894 
WISCONSIN" STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
by the Milwaukee and Chicago Iron Companies. There are three lakes of 
considerable size in the county, the largest being Lake Horicon, which cov¬ 
ers large portions of townships 12 and 13, of ranges 15 and 16, and small 
portions of other towns. The next lake in size is Beaver Lake, located in 
townships 11 and 12, of ranges 13 and 14, and the next is Fox Lake, located 
in township 13, of range 12. These lakes furnish an abundance of fresh 
fish of the best quality, the waters being clear and pure, and affording 
refuge also for millions of wild game, such as ducks and geese. The 
county is well supplied with streams, the largest being Rock river, which 
flows into Lake Horicon from the east, and passing through the lake 
emerges at the south end, running thence almost due south through the 
center of the county. It affords several water powers of great value. The 
next largest is Beaver, which runs from Beaver Lake in a southerly direct¬ 
ion through townships 9, 10 and 11, of range 14, affording good water pow¬ 
ers. There are many other rivers and creeks, some of which afford mill 
privileges. The water in all parts of the county is good and easy of access. 
The county is divided into twenty-four civil towns. The largest city,located 
wholly in the county, is Beaver Dam, situated at the south end of Beaver 
Lake. It is a city of about 6,000 inhabitants, possessing several large 
flouring mills and factories, run by the waters of the lake which forms the 
head-off of Beaver river. The other cities and villages, of which there are 
nearly twenty, range from 200 to 3,000 in population, and all possess advan¬ 
tages as trading and market towns. 
The county is well supplied with wagon roads, which cross each other in 
every direction, affording easy means of going to every part of the county. 
Over all the streams crossed by the roads are strong, and convenient 
bridges. 
There are four lines of railroad now in operation, and a fifth one will soon 
be finished. The Chicago and Northwestern passes through the center of 
the county, from north to south. The La Crosse Division of the Milwaukee 
and St. Paul road passes through the southwest part of the county. The 
Northern Division passes through the county from east to west, crossing 
the Chicago and Northwestern road near the center of the county. Another 
branch of the same road starts from Horicon and passes through the towns 
of Burnett and Chester. The fifth road, soon to be finished, starts from 
Iron Ridge, where it connects with the Milwaukee and St. Paul road, and 
connects at Fond du Lac with two other roads. 
Territorially, Dodge is a large county, very fertile and well situated. In 
population it ranks third in the State, Milwaukee and Dane counties only 
having a larger population. In 1860 the United States census showed the. 
population to be 44,499. The census of 1870 gave a population of 47,140. 
The inhabitants are industrious, intelligent and frugal. The east half of 
the county is mostly settled by Germans. The other towns are also largely 
settled with Germans, which element is nearly equal to all other nationali¬ 
ties in the county. The towns of Emmet, Shields, Clyman, Elba and Port- 
