INDUSTRY OF COUNTIES. 
441 
Tlie southeastern portion of the county is rolling, and, near the shore of 
Green Bay, level; the northwestern portion more broken and rocky. 
About twenty years ago the county was almost an unbroken wilderness. 
A single saw mill on each stream, no road traversing the county, and no 
farmers. Now the county is traversed by three principal roads from south 
to north and numerous roads intersecting the towns in every direction, and 
making accessible the pine and farming lands of the county. The single 
saw mills have grown to a family of giants, fashioning into boards and 
timber the huge pines as fast as three thousand men and a thousand teams 
can bring them, and a hundred ships carry the lumber away. 
The population of the county is 8,322, a majority of whom are foreigners. 
The largest portion of the county is still owned by government, as the in¬ 
vestment of capital has been almost wholly confined to pine lands. The 
government sells its land at from seventy-five cents to one dollar and 
twenty-five cents per acre. The actual settler has the right of pre-emp¬ 
tion to one hundred and sixty acres for one year before he is obliged to 
pay for his land. But to the homestead act this region owes much of its 
late rapid growth and prosperity. Lands in and about the settlements are 
for sale at from two to five dollars per acre. The climate is healthy and 
the winter has advantages which fully compensate for its length. 
The northern portion of the county is rich in mineral deposits, which 
are destined to become a most important element of prosperity. A very 
considerable branch of industry must soon grow up by the establishment 
of blast furnaces. The rivers and streams traversing the county are used 
at present mainly as highways over which float the logs and timber for the 
different mills. They afford also unlimited water power, the value of 
which is just beginning to be appreciated. For the manufacture of almost 
every article in wood, for saw mills, grist mills, tanneries and factories, we 
have almost at our doors, an abundance of cheap motive power. 
As a grain growing county, its reputation is established. A more cer¬ 
tain harvest, a good- and even yield, plump berries with more and better 
flour, are had here than in more southern latitudes. The grass crop is one 
of the most profitable. Worth from eighteen to twenty-five dollars per 
ton, at present, hay must in the future command nearly or quite as good a 
price as now. It is estimated that over one thousand tons are annually 
imported into this county. A large portion of the present supply is taken 
from the natural meadows and of course is inferior in quality. A much 
smaller quantity of the wild grasses would be used, and no hay would be im¬ 
ported if the home supply was sufficient. We have cheap and excellent 
hay lands, but not hands enough to seed them down and get the grass 
crop started. 
The consumption of slaughtered cattle is very great, and it is a very 
noticeable fact that our own beef dealers are securing land and feeding their 
own stock. At a low estimate, we import one hundred and fifty thousand 
