MILWAUKEE .MAGAZINE - Milwaukee Road Archive

, The
MILWAUKEE
.MAGAZINE
-.' JULY, ,1928 " -
.
,"

On the return trip, to cover the
most ground, Oshkosh should be Ollr
starting point. Oshkosh was named
from a Menominee Indian Chief; the
name in Indian means brave. The
town was settled in 1827 and was first
known as Saukeer, so called from the
Sauk Indians. The south side was
called Algoma, meaning in Indian
"Big \Vater." In 1840 the name was
changed to Oshkosh. Oshkosh has
always been a saw mill town, and its
real growth dates from the big fires of
1874 and 1875.
Oshkosh leads in the manufacture of
sashes and doors. Here are located the
Paine Lumber Company, the R. Mc­
Millan Company, Gould Mfg. Company,
Foster Lothman :Mills, and other
industries-Oshkosh trunKS, Buckstaff
furniture, Dearborn Company furniture,
Deltox rugs, and last but not
least, Oshkosh Overalls B'Gosh!
From a traffic standpoint we are
well located in Oshkosh and can give
service directly to most of the largest
industries. Oshkosh bids fair to be
one of the largest towns in Wisconsin;
it is growing fast and has a sound
progress.
just out of Oshkosh is Fisks, a cabbage
center. Arriving at Ripon, we
'are again on what may be called the
main line. Ripon has a fine college and
boasts a large cannery and washing
machine factory, run by the Barlow
Seeling Company, who make the "Big
Three" Electric \Vasher.
A run up the Berlin Branch is interesting.
Alongside of the track at
different places are sand pits. Mining
of moulding sand is a great business
around Berlin. The natives pronounce
the name Ber'lin, accent on the first
syllable. The town was established in
1848. In the depot at Berlin hangs a
picture of the officers and employees
of the Milwaukee Road taken years
ago. The picture looks like a Bolsheviek
Convention from the display
of beards. I am told none are now
living who were on this picture of
a hundred or more. Father Time sure
takes his toll.
Rush Lake, \'Vinneconne, and Wau- ,/
kau on the Branch are canning and '
farming communities. Winneconne is
from the Indian, and means "Muddy
Water.'" \i\Taukau is also from the
'Indian, meaning winding or crooked
waters. The Railroad built this branch
in 1857. The depot at \Vaukau was
built the same year and is still doing
duty as such. By the way, if you want
a good day's fishing, Winneconne Station
on Lake Poygan is the place.
Just to the south of Ripon is Brandon,
where the Markesan Branch takes
off. Fairwater, Utley, and Markesan,
are prosperous towns, doing a good
dairy and canning business, and this
branch is a good tonnage feeder for
the division.
Leaving Brandon, we pass through
vVaupun, Atwater, and Burnett, to
Horicon. The larger of these towns
is Waupun, taken from the Indian,
and meaning "Dawn of Day." Here
is located the State Penitentiary, a
hosiery factory and cannery.
Horicon, which is also taken from
the Indian and means "Clear and
Sparkling Water," is located on the
famous Horicon Marsh, a natural game
haven. Thousands of wild fowl make
their home in these broad marshy
wastes. The principal industry here is
the Van Brunt Mfg. Company, manufacturers
of seeders which find a sale
all over the world. Marsh hay is
handled in large volume, and is shipped
for packing purposes. Coming into
Horicon the railroad right of way
is fringed at various places on the
west side, particularly along Clits,
with lines of pine trees. These were
planted years ago by the Railroad
Company to act as snow breaks, and
generally speaking, have proved a success.
In addition, they also act as
posts upon which to string barbed wire.
The principal station on the line
west of Horicon is Beaver Dam, a
busy place, engaged in the manufacture,
principally, of iron and steel
castings and stoves. At Beaver Dam
is located the home of the Monarch
Range, a large institution doing a
splendid business and shipping to all
parts of the country.
Pages and pages of detail' cOllld be'
,written on the industries and beauty
of the country through which the
Northern Division passes, but I have
not the time nor space to enlarge further.
Suffice it to say that the N orth- ,
ern Division challenges any other Division
on the Railroad, outside of the
coal divisions, to show a greater density
of created traffic for the same
mileage.

.IJ,I
STEEL tread against steel track, and steel curves guiding
steel flangel have proved that Timken-equipped
journals have utmo ;t capacity for all the thrust, shock,
weight and speed of railroading. All load from all direc­
•• 1 - '. hout compromise or complication,
construction, Timken POSITIVELY
d Timken-made bearing steel. This
n makes Timkens exclusive in comesistance
with low rolling resistance.
rication costs, but maintenance and
owered bymeansofTimkenBearings.
ER BEARING CO.• CANTON. OHIO