Last Friday we started a new little story on old Indian trails in and around Eau Claire Co. I also put a map online so you could follow where the story was talking about. That map is located at http://www.rootsweb.com/~wieaucla/indiantrails.htm You might want to use it again for this next half of the story. I will also attempt to put this story on with the map when we are done. The writer, wishing to secure more information about the old Chippewa Falls - Menomonie Indian trail and learning of the familiarity of the Towne brothers with the subject, enlisted their assistance. In addition to the Chippewa Falls - Menomonie Indian trail, the Towne brothers also were able to give information in regard to the two other trails. One of these was known as the "Allen Trail" after H. S. Allen, pioneer lumber man of the Chippewa Valley. Evidently Mr. Allen's operations required considerable traffic between Chippewa and Menomonie, as largely or wholly at his own expense he made improvements on the old Indian trail, also for a part of the distance laid out an entirely new trail, which took his name. The Allen trail left the Indian trail several miles above Rock Run, crossing the Run some distance further up, and struck the Indian trail again some miles this side of the Run. After the Allen trail was in condition for travel, the corresponding part of the old Indian trail was little used. The writer with Mr. F. A. Towne, visited Rock Run stopping to note on the way evidences of the original trail, parts of which are now fenced in. This entire Rock Run ravine is unsuitable for plow land, and having been used for pasture only, the old land marks are fairly well preserved. No trace of the Indian trail is visible, but the Allen trail, on both sides of the Run is still plain. Of course the old bridge across the washed out channel has entirely disappeared. A third trail Mr. Towne was able to locate, and one of special interest to residents here, was a branch trail running north from what is now Eau Claire and connecting with the main trail already noted. This trail was in the Town 27, Range 9, now a part of Eau Claire. From the westside of Half Moon Lake this branch trail followed up the ravine where the present spur track is located, crossing the Truax Prairie road about where the Chippewa Falls road turns north, keeping some distance to the right of this road most of the way and striking the main trail just beyond where the present highway crosses the head of a deep ravine or gully. After the middle (18)'50s neither the Indian trail nor the Allen trail was much used by the Indians themselves. Surviving residents of Wheaton of the later '50s and early '60s state that instead of Indians, one of the most familiar sights in their recollections was the string of raftsmen returning on foot, to Chippewa Falls from Reed's Landing. In really early lumbering days there were two ways to get back to Eau Claire or Chippewa Falls after reaching Reed's Landing with their rafts. One method, and the most desirable, was to find an opportunity to help pole a loaded keel boat of supplies up river. Two raft crews just about made up a keel boat crew. Failing in finding a chance on a keel boat, the only other resource was to walk. Early lumber and river operations developed great walkers. Another early Wheaton resident, the late Mr. Leonard Gladwell, also recalls the early raftsmen. He stated that he had known his 1st wife's father to have walked the entire distance from Reed's Landing to his home in Wheaton in one day. Others had done as well, but as the distance cannot be much short of seventy miles, it was a real day's walk. The raftsmen's trail did not follow the Indian or Allen trail all the way to Menomonie, but branched off from it near Mud Creek, keeping closer to the river. Although its definite location has not been established, it is fairly certain that there was another trail leading northwest from what is now Eau Claire and connecting with the Chippewa Falls - Menomonie trail. According to tradition handed down to present living descendants of pioneer settlers, this branch trail probably corresponded fairly well with Highway 12, between here and Elk Mound. The late Peter Truax told the writer of following an Indian trail out to where he located his farm on what is now Truax Prairie, and Mrs. Truax told of walking to and from the village on this trail. It has often ben noted that the early Indian trails represented to a remarkable degree the most practical natural route of travel. For this reason they were largely used by the early white settlers. Neither the Indians nor the early settlers had any occasion to pay attention to a surveyor's lines. The principal difference lay in the fact that where the Indians were content to use them in their natural state the most progressive whites would see where, by grading, bridging of streams, or making other improvements, they could be made more serviceable, or the route shortened. The developments and transitions from the original Chippewa Falls - Menomonie Indian trail to the present highway is an excellent illustration of this. Increasing interest is being shown throughout the country in the locating and marking of early trails. Probably no other one in these parts is more worthy of commemoration than the Chippewa Falls - Menomonie trail. It may be of interest to call attention to the fact that the old plat of Township 28, Range 9 shows the "Blue Mills" pond, now Lake Hallie, also the J. C. Thomas sawmill, at the outlet of the pond, one of the earliest mills on the river. For nearly a half century the Thomas mill and the mills succeeding it were known as the "Blue Mills". The explanation given for the name was that one of its early proprietors was known as "Blue Tom". No one was guilty of painting a saw mill in those days. That there was a well known character on the river by the name of Blue Tom is unquestioned, and the surmise was that J. C. Thomas was the man. The writer came across in early files of the Eau Claire Free Press, under the date of March 22, 1860, the item quoted below which definitely settles the fact that his surmise was correct. DEATH OF OLD RESIDENT J. C. Thomas, familiarly known as "Blue Tom" died on Friday at Rose's logging camp, Little Falls, on the Chippewa River, from the effects of eating of parsnips taken from the garden where strychnine had been thrown for the purpose of poisoning foxes and wolves. He got up from the dinner table after partaking of them and in less than half an hour was a corpse. Another man by the name of Multy came near dying from the same cause. Mr. Thomas had been a resident of Chippewa county twenty-five years. ++++++++++++++++ That's the story and that's going to probably be it for this year for me. What with the holidays coming on fast (and my panic to get everything done in time!) I have decided to take a break from sending out these stories and working on web pages for a while. But don't worry, I'll be back at it after the first of the year. So I'll see you then and I'll also take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a merry and blessed Christmas, along with a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Take care!!! -- Nance mailto:nsampson@spacestar.net