Burg without an "H"

One good thing that came of the 2007 and 2009 flood devastation was to encourage a local hobby geneologist, Ms Sharon Twinde, to research and compile a book with the history of this small town Natureman, I and 282 others call home today, Chaseburg, in Hamburg township (estab. 1858). 

Ms. Twinde enlightened about 30 attendees at the Vernon County Historical Society meeting in Viroqua Tuesday evening. Through informal interviews, newpapers and the Historical Society, she compiled stories and history of what once was the thriving village of 'Chaseburgh' with the arrival of Norwegian and German immigrants beginning in the 1850's. The village wasn't named until 1866 after Henry Chase who built the first saw mill on Coon Creek and also helped start the first flour Mill. SO that's where the Chase part originated and 'burg' translates hamlet. The 'h' was dropped years later. By 1880 there were 125 village residents and over a 1,000 inhabitants in the surrounding town.

Chaseburg had the distinguishing feature of being built on 2 levels -upper and lower Chaseburg. Floods occurred in 1907, 1951, 1957, 2007 and 2009.  It was lower Chaseburg that had to be demolished due to the most recent flooding. 

Two schools were constructed one in 1865 which was replaced for $8,000 in 1910 by a stone brick 2-room school house for grades 1-4 and grades 5-8 with bricks made locally in Chaseburg. 

The new structure had wooden flooring and many windows. (photo on right)

This stone school still stands and is a private residence today in Upper Chaseburg.

Hoyt's General Store

J.W. Hoyt owned the first General Store where you could buy anything from boots to groceries.  In 1884 there was also two sawmills, a hardware store, harness maker, lumber dealer, vetenarian surgeon, shoe manufacturer and physician. 

Lumber yard in bottom and Livery Stable labelled in the middle

1905 Caldwell and Gates Lumber

Roller Mills was originally located in lower Chaseburg with power from Coon Creek where grains were ground.   

In 1905 the first creamery opened only making butter at first. Farmers had to separate the cream and bring it in by horse drawn carts every 2/3 days. The skim milk by product had to dumped/ given to their hogs. Eventually ('22) buttermilk was used with the price at 20 cents/gallon which dropped to 15 cents in 1925.  In the fire of '31 the creamery was destroyed and all the farmers had to notified by phone not to bring in their milk. That must have been a very busy day for those telephone operators... 

Let's just consider this the first part of a continuing series re: Chaseburg's history. Stay tuned to what else besides floods added to the demise of this once vibrant town and many other similar towns throughout our country...