The Beginnings of Industry
Deed research revealed Thomas Barland listed as Entryman (first private, deeded landowner) having purchased the 40-acre tract that would eventually contain the mill properties. This QuarterQuarter Section was purchased, along with four other QuarterQuarter sections in Section 27, Town 27 North, Range 9 West -200 acres total, for $1.25 per acre. The Receiver filed these records of those purchases at La Crosse in 1854 and 1855. This was just prior to the formation of Eau Claire County in October of 1856. In “The Rivers Flow On; A Record of Eau Claire, Wisconsin from 1910-1960” by Lois Barland, she notes that Thomas Barland built a dam and a sawmill on Otter Creek. This mill “sawed the timbers used in the dams on the Eau Claire River in 1856 and 57”.
In 1864, Alonzo (father) and Charles (son) Hazen purchased the land and existing sawmill from Barland in the Town of Washington, moving from their milling operation near Tyrone. -Tyrone is not even a ghost town today and is only known by those who read the historical marker along the Chippewa River State Trail near the confluence of the Chippewa and Red Cedar Rivers.- The book “History of Northern Wisconsin” from 1881 indicates Charles “...built (the) present mill along Otter Creek in company with his father, Alonzo Hazen…”, however a deed transferring the property from Barland to the Hazens describes a 10 foot tall dam and mill already existing on site, with options for adding to the dam and increasing the height another 3 feet. Barland also reserved flow rights for himself and his other land parcels for that portion of Otter Creek below the existing dam.
Left to right; father and son: Alonzo Hazen (18131889; photo from 1884) and Charles Hazen (18371912; photo believed to be from ~1895)
By 1867 the Hazens were making use of the mill and dam on Otter Creek, producing flour, and advertising the milling services of the A. and C. E. Hazen Flouring Mills in the Chippewa Falls Union and Times. They employed 5 men and boasted a “capacity of mill fifty barrels per day”.
In 1875 the Eau Claire Woolen Mill opened immediately next door on this site on a parcel of land measuring 56 feet x 300 feet and beginning at a point 60 feet south of the Hazen Flouring Mill at the high-water mark of Otter Creek. An Eau Claire Daily Free Press article from August 28, 1875, referred to this mill as “A ten thousand dollar enterprise”. Capable of weaving 75 yards a day, they were producing tweeds, flannels, jeans, blankets, stocking yarn and “cassimeres”, which was a type of fine woven wool used in some men’s clothing of the time. The mill was run by W.H. Moore & Company. That same year the County Supervisors voted to construct the first iron bridge across Otter Creek. This was very near the current location of the US 12, Clairemont Avenue bridge over Otter Creek. With legal troubles and a sale at auction, the woolen mill encountered challenges from early on, suffering foreclosure in August of 1877. Named parties of this foreclosure were the noted W.H. (Wesson) Moore and “Company”, including Alonzo & Louisa Hazen, Charles & Serepta Hazen, John & Julia Moore, John Travis, and Jane & S. Jeffries. The plaintiff was owed the amount of $1795.19. Then Sheriff; Darwin Whipple sold the property at auction to Chester, Calvin & John Hazen and Charles Norris. Their winning bid for the woolen mill was $1900.
On June 12, 1878, the Eau Claire Free Press reported “Charles Hazen is building stone abutments for a bridge across Otter Creek near the woolen mill. The superstructure is to be an iron truss, the length to be 62 feet from pier to pier, and is being constructed by an eastern firm, at a cost ranging between $700 and $800 to be finished by the 26th of July.” -A much later article in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram, dated July 24, 1903, noted a visit to the City of Eau Claire by Mr. Charles Hazen and went on to mention, “New abutments were put down for the bridge over the creek.” The later article did not specify if this was the bridge at Otter Creek Mills or the bridge near the current Spooner Ave, but it’s reasonable to presume the original bridge near the woolen mill may have warranted replacement after 25 years. During a site visit in the fall of 2023, it was noted there appear to be at least three generations of bridge underneath the current US Highway 12 bridge over Otter Creek. The stone abutments standing may have been those constructed by Hazen in 1878. They are of a similar stacked-stone style to those foundation elements remaining at the mill site.
Looking upstream at the Iron bridge over Otter Creek, constructed in the summer of 1878. A close examination of the photo reveals pilings and end supports for the previous bridge just upstream.
Bridge abutment remnant, possibly from Charles Hazen construction work noted in the Eau Claire Daily Free Press, June 12, 1878. Current US Highway 12 bridge is visible overhead.
The flour mill was destroyed by fire in February of 1879 and rebuilt, with the new and improved mill open for operation in 1880.
This new mill was a very different design than the original, incorporating a more “modern” building design incorporating lessons from 15 years of industry development. Two years later the newest of machinery had been installed at a princely cost exceeding $4000, these improvements “making it one of the best mills of its size in the country.” according to an Eau Claire News article from September 23, 1882. The article continues, “the framework of this mill stands on the solid rock as does the supports for its machinery. The dam is built on a rock bottom and the whole establishment is substantially constructed.”
Our explorations of the site hadn’t led us to believe a structure of this size once stood on this now wild segment, much less a large dam for waterpower, a second mill, and a quite elegant home where the family of Charles Hazen resided. In addition to owning the mill, Hazen was a Town Board Chairman, and an engineer for the Empire Lumber Company of Eau Claire.Sidebar: Charles’ uncle, (Alonzo’s brother) the previously mentioned Chester Hazen opened the first cheese factory in Wisconsin, cementing our legacy as ‘America’s Dairyland”. Clearly the history of Otter Creek has tremendous depth.
I reached out to many more potential sources of historical information and was forwarded several photos from the Chippewa Valley Museum. Mr. Thompson and I scheduled a visit to see what else we could unearth. One photo revealed a mill design that looked remarkably similar to the Dells Mill north of Augusta, WI
It shouldn’t have been surprising as these two structures were built within a few years of each other, possibly by the same hands, familiar with mill construction. Other photos revealed the newer design with its 32x40, two story high structure having “a manufacturing capacity of three hundred bushels per day”, according to the Eau Claire Daily Free Press; July 29, 1879.
Believed to be the Hazen’s Otter Creek Flour Mill taken around 1875.
Dells Milling Company, Augusta, WI
The dam and impoundment were also photographed.
It was incredible to see these images.
Looking downstream from the bridge over Otter Creek near the current location of the US Highway 12 bridge.
The rebuilt Otter Creek Flour Mill, around 1880. This image also used as cover photo.
Looking upstream towards the Mill.
Determining where the flour mill and dam once stood would provide a challenge as the woolen mill (of which we’ve found no photographs) also stood on this site. There also appeared to be a house-like structure visible in one of the photos. To learn more about mill sites and building design, Mr. Thompson and I visited the previously mentioned Dells Mill near Augusta for a tour with new owner, Herman Borntreger. Seeing an operational, water-powered mill would be fascinating on any day. But, armed with a photo of the Otter Creek Mill, we were all but assured a “back-stage pass” to examine many elements of the mill that a casual tourist may never see or appreciate. We climbed and descended to every floor of this building, including the lowest level from which we could look up to see the spinning water wheel. It was impressive to see how much of this structure was built on solid rock. The building engulfs a section of the bedrock bank of the stream, cupping the shore with nearly half of its supported structure. This makes perfect sense.
Additionally, the incredibly logical reason for placing a mill at this location had everything to do with those rock outcrops. The narrow streambed, continuous flow, and tight valley provided a wonderful site where the installation of a dam was feasible with the materials and capabilities of the time. The height of the dam and flow of the creek would be suitable for a large water wheel capable of powering all the operations of a mill. This site is nearly identical to the Otter Creek and Eau Claire Woolen Mills site; it would only make sense to locate a mill or two here. A photo on the wall of the Dells Mill was explained to us by Borntreger. A house-like structure visible
The Robert S. Clark family below the dam at the Otter Creek Mills.
near the mill in this photo was a rooming house. It was a long journey for many farmers, bringing their grains to grind, and the rooming house gave them a place to wash, have a meal and spend the night if needed. It’s plausible the Otter Creek Mill had a rooming house as well. It is also plausible that this house was worker housing for one or both of the mills on site.
Mr. Thompson enjoyed the processes of the mill, examining every machine, walkway and operation, knowing his ancestors had done these jobs and lived the life of a miller. I looked at the building and its interaction with the landscape. Photos of the busy site at the Dells offered a glimpse into the setting that once occupied our now wild stretch of Otter Creek. C.E. Hazen and company operated this mill until May of 1886 when it was sold to A.D Chappell. Under Chappell, the flour mill continued to grind. Within the deed for this sale was included the right for Chappell to raise the dam another five feet. A listed exception on this deed was the parcel of land on which the woolen mill was situated. As previously noted, the woolen mill parcel was 56 feet x 300 feet, but this deed exception went on to describe the parcel as “containing the woolen mill and carding mill as well as one-third the waterpower, flume and one 27 inch ‘Jonville’ (believed to be correctly spelled as “Jonval”) water wheel and 50 feet of shafting, gear boxes and frames used for the purpose of the woolen and carding mill.” Further digging on the Jonval Turbine revealed this to be an axial flow style of water wheel (water flow is parallel to the turbine shaft) developed in France in 1837.
This type of turbine and its American adaptations were developed and sold by U.S. manufacturers throughout the later 1800’s. A “Scientific American” publication from July 1852 indicates this cast iron, turbine-style water wheel had “very high testimonials for efficacy and good working qualities. It was a great deal more efficient than the overshoot water wheel in use during the same period of time and by the adjacent flour mill. All the water passing through the unit created motion and the turbine could rotate ten to twenty times faster than the conventional water wheel. While this additional speed required gear reduction, it amplified torque and provided immense power in a comparatively compact assembly. It also had the advantage of functioning under the water, allowing use in the winter time when the impoundment had frozen. The shafting ran from near the dam and the water outfall across the landscape to the woolen and carding mill.
Jonval Turbine Water Wheel
Schematic, “Scientific American”, July 10, 1852
The 1880’s and 1890’s provided numerous advertisements for woolen products with the woolen mill being entirely refitted in 1891. In 1884, John Hensler and Isaac Rausch had bought a half interest in the Eau Claire woolen mills, and they continued to manufacture woolen cloth, flannels & yarn “of the best quality. In an interesting side note from 1885, an “assay (testing of metal ore) just made by a local mineralogist of two kinds of rock found in Otter Creek, near the Eau Claire woolen mills, revealed a proportional yield of silver of $60 to the ton”. While silver mining has not been a contributor to the mill site activity, it would appear the presence, if not the lure and mining, of precious metals was on site as well.
With the flour mill sold in 1886, Charles Hazen, not one to rest on his laurels and every bit as industrious as his forebears, busied himself with farming and in the winters, he made use of the impoundment behind the mill dam. In December of 1893, a correspondent wrote in the Eau Claire Weekly Leader, “Chas. Hazen is busy cutting ice. He sells a good deal to the neighbors all around, especially milkmen, and lots of it back to Altoona. You ought to see his ice. It is as clear as crystal, cut from the spring water mill pond; the best Otter Creek fluid, so it ought to be good.” In 1905, Hazen was exporting moulding sand, receiving “orders from all the northern cities on the lakes”. The diversity of his industriousness was phenomenal. In 1897 the Eau Claire Daily Leader reported on Otter Creek Flour Mill improvements: “Having recently built a new barn.” “...also repaired and painted the mill, papered the office and decorated the mill stone in the highest style of art.” This must have been a sight. The mill was not without its moments of tragedy, however. A grisly accident unfolded here in July 1899. The Eau Claire Leader Telegram reported seven-year-old Clark Allison found a revolver “in the drawer of the safe in the mill office”, which brought an unfortunate end. The sorrow-filled story continued, noting, at the close “the jury rendered a verdict of accidental death.”
On December 4, 1905 the Eau Claire Daily Telegram reported the dam had been raised about two feet, “enlarg(ing) the mill pond much to the delight of prospective skaters, it also deepens the water, and icemen anticipate a bountiful crop of pure crystal ice…”. Undoubtedly the Altoona and other nearby customers appreciated the quality product.
In late summer of 1907, the dam was destroyed by a flood and was promptly rebuilt. However, by the late fall of 1907, the land upon which the Otter Creek Mills stood was purchased by the Northwestern Lumber Company. They sought to place a dam on the Eau Claire River which would “mean the withdrawal of water from Otter Creek, thus appropriating the power to run the mills…” While an October 1907 article declared the “Otter Creek (flour) Mill is running full blast…” with the dam “repaired as good as ever”, this land purchase would eventually bring the wheels to a stop at the Otter Creek flour mill after more than 40 years. There is no record of flour milling activity after 1909. Charles passed away in April 1912 and the home was transferred to his wife, Susan. Susan would be the last of the Hazen family to reside on this site.
Shifting back in chronology and southerly on the site, the Eau Claire Free Press had noted in July of 1879, “The woolen mill is having a successful run this season and the local demand for manufacture is rapidly increasing”, indicating some level of success. As previously noted, Hensler and Rausch had bought the half interest in the Eau Claire Woolen Mills in the Spring of 1884 It was their intention to “do a large business in the coming season” with the “manufacturing capacity of the mill having been increased one-half”. An advertisement in the Eau Claire News from April 26, 1884, the Hensler, Rausch & Co. solicited, “woolen cloth, flannels & yarn, of the best quality”. They were also equipped “to do custom work such as carding wool, finishing cloths and making yarns.” -” Come and see us”, they requested. An identical advertisement ran in the August 2nd, 1884, Eau Claire News. Their success seemed short-lived, however. By 1886, Clara Norris and David Norris, widow and son, respectively, of Charles Norris, who’d been a part of the foreclosure purchasing group in 1877, quit claimed their interest in the property, equipment and water rights to Alonzo Hazen, marking the second time he had a (partial) ownership interest in the woolen mill. By the Spring of 1887, Rausch had conveyed, again through a forced sale executed by Sheriff Whipple, his woolen mill interest to A.D. Chappell. Addison D. Chappel, a local real estate investor and builder of the “Chappell Addition” on the near northwest side of Eau Claire and who maintained a development office along the 100 block of East Grand Avenue in the City of Eau Claire, along with C.H. Dunn and Arthur Smith were noted as incorporators of “the new company”. Only a few months later, a new proprietor, H. Overing advertised washing services for camp blankets, horse blankets, carpets, etc. and claimed they “can do the work at lower rates than anyone else.” in an advertisement in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram on June 4, 1887.
By March of 1889, an Eau Claire News article declared “The woolen mill to be revived.” A deed transfer from Chappell to this new company “The Eau Claire Woolen Mill Company” cemented
this new incorporation. Capital stock of $10,000 had been organized and repairs of the mill were underway. With several different owners, the barely 12-year-old mill was already seeing major repairs and requiring investment. The same news outlet reported in May of that year the mill had been reorganized. It was undergoing thorough repairs with new machines installed. They would once again be producing a full line of woolen goods, but the tumult would continue. By June of 1891, Edward Stickler declared “The Eau Claire Woolen Mill has been purchased by me, and I will soon have it in operation about June 5th and will be prepared to do custom carding and weaving, and exchanging cloth, and yarns for wool.” On May 8, 1892, the Eau Claire Weekly leader carried the advertisement “Wool Wanted '' and promised market prices for home grown wools to be processed at the recently and thoroughly refitted mill. In addition to the processed woolen products being sold at the mill, the products were also being sold at the Kepler & Co. retailer which was located in the downtown Eau Claire Putnam building -marked PVTNAM on the upper building faces just beneath the parapets overlooking Graham and Grand Avenues In running the mill, Edward worked with one of his sons, John Stickler. John was quite familiar with waterpower and was a representative for the Burnhams New Improved Standard Turbine, although it is unknown if the Eau Claire Woolen Mills ever used one for power production.
Burnhams Turbine advertisement
The Stickler deed transfer recorded for this property had noted the aforementioned “Jonville” water wheel and in a subsequent recording noted a “Victor'' water wheel. While both were similar in function to the Burnam, there was no reference to a Burnam Turbine in association with the Eau Claire Woolen Mill recordings.
In late June of 1893, fire claimed the Woolen Mills with a noted loss of $8,000. In coincidental timing, John had, in March of that same year, been visiting another mill site in Boscobel, Wisconsin and by April had purchased “the worn out, tumbled-down mills on Sanders Creek” according to the Boscobel Dial, August 3, 1893. The Boscobel mill required extensive repairs including building dams, cutting waterways and flumes as well as new mechanicals and machinery repair. He was not deterred by this and returned the mills to “first-class working order, thanks to his persistent hard work.”
An amusing article published, just days after the woolen mill fire, in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram, dated July 2, 1893, opened, “Meeting Mr. Stickler, of the Otter Creek Woolen Mills, at Col. Kelly’s grocery store yesterday the following conversation ensued:” -Presumably this journalist had either a chance encounter with, or witnessed a conversation between E. Stickler and the proprietor Col. Kelly.
E. Stickler was asked by Kelly, “Will you build again at Otter Creek, Mr Stickler?” “No sir. I will either come right to the center of Eau Claire or move away to Minnesota.”
The exchange continued:
“Where would you like to locate in this city?”
“There are two or three nice sites, but the one that suits me is the dam or the Eau Claire (River)” “Well, may be (sic) you could get a site there.”
“If I could, I would erect a first-class plant right here in your midst, one that would give employment to 50 or 100 hands.”
The article noted Col. Kelly was greatly in favor of this idea and suggested Mr. Stickler speak with Northwestern (Lumber Company) people about this proposal. However, this new mill, the woolen products and employment was not meant to be. The following August, Edward, burned out of his mill site on Otter Creek, decided to leave the region to join his son John, as well as his other four sons in operating the mill in Boscobel. The Boscobel Dial article, on August 3, 1893 noted, “What with a father grown old in mill experience and five sturdy sons who are following fast in the footsteps of their father, our mills will be able to do better work for less money than other mills in this part of the country. The new company will receive encouragement from every good citizen in this vicinity.”
Boscobel seemed quite pleased with the new operators and chapter opened at their own mill. In the following years, John Stickler would go on to build or operate numerous other woolen mills throughout the state.
In a deed dated January 11, 1895, Edward Stickler and Elizabeth Stickler, his wife, conveyed to Charles Dunn “the property known as the Eau Claire Woolen Mills” being a parcel 56 feet x 300 feet, a 1/3 interest in the dam, flume, waterpower and flowage rights of what is known as the Otter Creek waterpower. Also noted was one 27 inch “Jonville” water wheel with gear shafting, couplings and pulleys for connecting to the woolen mills. It was unclear when or who rebuilt the burned structure and operations and advertisements for woolen products continued to 1905. Just two years later the identifiable end of wool production ceased at the Eau Claire Woolen Mills.
The ownership and operations, if any, become cloudy at this point. In October of 1907, the woolen mill parcel and all improvements were taken on tax deed and resold to Arthur Linton, an assignee of R.K. Boyd. A month later, Arthur and Matie Linton, his wife, conveyed this property to A.D. Chappell. This transfer noted: “It is hereby intended to convey all our right, title, and interest in and to the real and personal property of what was formerly known as the Eau Claire Woolen Mill property, and the same as deeded by said Chappell and wife to said Woolen Mill Company March 11, 1889.” This transfer would again return the ownership of the property to Chappell, the corporation of the “Eau Claire Woolen Mill Company” appearing to be dissolved. Between 1907 and 1919, no articles were found detailing activity on this site during this second period of Chappell’s ownership. However, new life and a new product indicating the plant and power source was still viable would soon arrive.
A Shifting of Industry
1919 brought exciting industry to our little Otter Creek Woolen Mills site. The Eau Claire Paper Manufacturing Company was soon to begin operations. The January 1, 1919, Eau Claire Leader Telegram reported this was “...so far as is known, is the only plant of its kind in existence in the United States” and was to begin producing filter paper. Head of operations, Willy Brubacher had training and experience at paper mills in Austria, Germany, and Canada. He had discovered a formula, and working with pure linen had several successful test runs of a filter paper that was used in chemical processes. Brubacher had what was described as a “Very Romantic Story” in a Wausau Daily Herald article from January 3, 1919. “Romance” may have had a different meaning in the late nineteen-teens. His story was that of which movies are made. He’d been employed at the Dells Paper and Pulp Company in Claire as chief chemist when he was “arrested as an enemy alien”. Apparently, reports had been received that “he was engaged
in some mysterious experiments that observers believes (sic) to be bombs and other infernal machines… but which in reality were experiments in his filter paper formula.” Brubacher was German born and those years following World War One meant high suspicion of German citizens. Years prior he’d been in Canada during the outbreak of World War I and was arrested and imprisoned with a companion, Erwin John, as an alien. The story goes on: “They escaped one night and under fire from guards along the shore swam the St. Lawrence River and made their getaway to the United States.” The Pittsburgh Post article from August 28, 1916 was even more colorful and descriptive of this daring escape and their clever plan to elude their captors, albeit lacking the gunfire element. Their plan took months to unfold. They had been given permission to access an area, under guard, just outside of the main fort. This area was a large grassy slope that surrounded the fort. In John and Brubacher’s own words, “While we were out for recreation, we were closely guarded by sentries. Permanently awake in us was the thought of being relieved from the misery of the life, so we were continuously looking for a chance to get away. After much brooding, we decided to go in for gardening on the slope to see if a plan I had worked out would mature. It did. First I planted sweet corn. This was to protect me against one sentry. To give the impression that I cared for nothing but gardening I planted cucumbers, peas, beans and salad. Every day I had a piece of board under my shirt when I was going out on the slope. Within a fortnight I had built a huge cave on top of which the peas were growing. Underneath this two-foot cover was arranged so that the whole thing could be lifted without spoiling the plants.” The plan was to hide in this artificial cave until midnight, slip into the river, swim downstream and make their way across to the United States. This plan was grueling, but successful.
The story continues: “The first night we crossed 100 fences. By daybreak we had dug a new hole in the bush near Gananoque to spend the day. When night came, we made for a boat along the shore.” Brubacher and his companion forced open a boathouse, stole this boat, paddled to Grindstone Island, secured a motor boat and then made their way to Clayton, New York. -The boats were later returned to their owners and the pair even compensated those owners for their use. After their escape, Erwin John remained in New York, but Brubacher made his way to the Eau Claire area where he was employed at the noted Dells Paper and Pulp Company. Following his arrest in Eau Claire, investigators were unable to find that he was engaged in any criminal or subversive activity, and he was released. A condition of his release is that he was to remain in Eau Claire County “until peace (with Germany) was declared”. It was at our little mill site on Otter Creek that this German chemist, turned POW escapee employed his paper-making talents after departing employ with the Dells Paper and Pulp Company. The former woolen mill site appeared to stay active and recognized for the unique products produced In the July 28, 1920, Eau Claire Leader Telegram it was reported Brubacher and company were “manufacturing a commercial filter paper which is in large demand in this country by chemists, manufacturers of fruit syrups, sugar refineries, and a wide variety of other business institutions.” No doubt constrained by the Otter Creek facilities; the Eau Claire Paper Manufacturing company sought to grow. A new up-to-date plant was to be built in Altoona and the capitalized value of this new company was $400,000. This endeavor included William L. Davis, who was the son of the then head of the Dells Paper & Pulp company as well as C.J. Hayden. They anticipated this business expansion to create the largest filter paper factory in the country, replacing the filter paper that had previously been imported from Europe. The next year a “booster” campaign was in motion to raise the needed funds and a meeting announcement was proudly noticed in the May 25, 1921, Eau Claire Leader Telegram. “The meeting will be held in the auditorium, Altoona, WI… to discuss the affairs of the Eau Claire Paper Mfg. Co.”
“Everybody come and let this be a real booster meeting!” As the principals discovered, the needed capital was difficult to obtain despite the revolutionary product they manufactured and
the market demand for this product. The financial struggles and ultimate bankruptcy were detailed in a September 26, 1925, Eau Claire Leader Telegram story as the case had gone to trial over an unpaid note. A stock corporation had been formed in an effort to provide the needed capital for this new endeavor and, when insufficient funds were raised to build or acquire equipment, the capital that had been raised was consumed and no longer available to stockholders. A suit was filed and won although the equipment and site was likely not enough to recompense the angered investors. This ultimately led to the fall of the Eau Claire Paper Manufacturing company and the end of the industrial age for the Otter Creek property. A series of recorded documents in 1921, ‘22 and ‘23 indicating non-payment of taxes and foreclosure actions which further served to bring the end of this new industry before it was able to flourish. The buyer of this tax-foreclosed property was an agent for the Northwestern Lumber Company. This lumber company was also the owner of the adjacent former flour mill and land upon which it was situated Milled grain, woolen and filtration products would no longer come from the Otter Creek mill site. The industry was silenced. Despite this, it remained a location of significance and memory for locals. They knew the place. Directions had been given from here, to here or relative to here for more than a generation.
Memories of Mills and the Beginning of Tavern Life
An older August 3rd, 1913, Eau Claire Leader Telegram article referred to “...the road toward Fall Creek by Otter Creek Mills.” It was at this time the main traveled way was “graded down at the top and filled in at the bottom” and the road accessing the mill site was abandoned. Apparently, the Woolen Mill and subsequent paper mill had direct access to the “AugustaFairchild Road” that later became US Highway 12. The abandoned road was viewed with great affection, and those who shared this affection were dismayed at its loss, as the account goes on to read; “The old road down the hill with its shady sides and romantic crooks and turns will be abandoned by the prosaic seekers after filthy lucre, and converted into a ‘Lover’s Lane’ by those of a more romantic turn of mind.” With no need to use this pathway for moving products to or from the mill site, it simply became a road to nowhere. In 1927 a traffic count taken at the junction of state trunk highways No. 11 and No. 12 (previous designations of now Highways 12 and 93) was noted as “near Otter Creek Mills” indicating many people shared a historical memory of ‘place’ and still knew this site by that name, despite the milling days long having passed. It is unknown if the dam or any remains thereof still stood at this time.
While the original Hazen home had burned in 1884, it had been rebuilt and was purchased from Susan Hazen by Robert S. Clark. Clark, who was also the owner of the Dells Mill at Augusta, had purchased a partial interest in the Hazen flour mill property in 1893 and eventually gained full interest in the flour mill in 1894. The deeds conveying the mill noted the exception of the Woolen Mill and the 27 inch “Jonville” water wheel.
In a deed recorded on July 30, 1937, the Northwestern Lumber Company sold the mill and home site to Charlotte Mooney, at which point began the house’s life as a tavern. A liquor license application made by Frank Mooney in 1935, just two scant years after the end of Prohibition, heralded the beginning of a new era for this property. A January 1937 advertisement for a “Fish Fry” at Mooney’s Tavern East on Highway 12 beckoned, promising this Wisconsin Friday night staple for tavern patrons.
In April of 1941, a grass fire spread to the structure and completely destroyed the building, The Eau Claire Leader Telegram noting “The tavern was formerly a well-known landmark, the spacious “Bob” Clark home near the old Otter Creek mill.” -Despite halting operations decades prior the “Otter Creek mill” had still remained a memorable place reference in 1941. The tavern was rebuilt and public notices in 1959 and 1969 for Mooney’s Tavern indicate liquor license applications.
In April 1941 fire destroyed Mooney’s Tavern.
Interestingly, Mr. Thompson had a chance to speak with Ms. Donna Mooney, Granddaughter of Owners Frank and Charlotte Mooney. In this conversation he learned more about the storied past of Mooney’s Tavern and was given photographs In 1937, Mooney was one of several tavern owners in the region, as listed in a Leader Telegram article, to have been fined $100 for operating slot machines illegally. There were tales of bootlegging where liquor had been produced on site. Despite prohibition having been lifted, it remained unlawful to produce alcohol without obtaining the necessary government tax stamps.
Additional discussions revealed that the on-site cabins advertised for vacationers were available by the week, the day and even by the hour for those with very short term “lodging” needs. To access those cabins, visitors would have traveled down the old mill access road.
Happy Hollow claims to have been established in 1942, so there appears to be some overlap between Mooney’s and Happy Hollow. A valid claim could be made that the building itself, rebuilt following the fire of 1941, might be considered the origins of the Happy Hollow, as this would have been the structure used for the duration of the Happy Hollow at this location. Liquor licenses into the late 1970’s issued to Frank Mooney still referred to this tavern as “Mooney’s”, however.
Mooney’s Tavern, 1978.
At the time I’d arrived in the region in the late 1990’s, Happy Hollow was establishing itself with volleyball league at the sand courts down at the base of the hill behind the tavern.
The Last Stand
During the planning and right of way acquisition for the US Highway 53 bypass, the Happy Hollow property was purchased as the tavern would lose access to US Highway 12. According to an article in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram, dated April 13, 2002, owner Jeff Olson initially hoped to build a new location on the lot to the northeast of the intersection of US 12 and 10th Street. This proposal was not supported by the nearby residents and was not approved by the City Planning Commission. The story did close with a note of optimism and the hopes of an agreement for a new Happy Hollow location. An auction listing in the June 4, 2003, Eau Claire Leader Telegram contained a full inventory of every item in the bar, even including the building
materials. The auction was scheduled for five days later. One of the bolded lines of this listing mentions, “Another area landmark lost to development” Indeed. The last structure in use on this busy piece of land would be no more and the site was razed soon after this sale. The Altoona Planning Commission approved transfer of the Happy Hollow liquor license to the new, and now current, location of the Happy Hollow, two miles east of the original location. The four-lane bypass and on-ramps were built in 2006-2007. The land which was once home to a hydro dam with three stone runs for carrying water to wheels, two mills of incredible production, operated by a list of characters as rich in life stories as any, a large residence and several iterations of taverns with adventures and tribulations of their own had become fallow and is now owned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The property is effectively landlocked by US Highway 53, Us Highway 12 and Otter Creek. This seven-acre parcel connects to the southern extension of the City of Altoona’s Centennial Park by a passage under the US Highway 53 bridge and is open for hiking and biking recreation.
Passive Use
The initial plan for the first of a series of ‘stacked loop’ style singletrack trail networks for nonmotorized use was presented during the initial walkthrough with WisDOT employees, approved
Design plans for the “A” and “B” trails expansion in the old mill site.
and was completed in 2022 The second loop was presented late summer of 2023 and was mostly constructed the first two Saturdays in October 2023 by a team of dedicated volunteers.
On one of those Saturdays, Mr. Thompson was able to visit the site.
While our volunteers were moving soil, he was moved in his own way, walking in the footsteps of his great-great-grand uncle and son. He explored the site and continued his heritage and research journey of thirty years. Much of the foundations of the flour mill remain. A large square recess in the soil from the woolen mill remains. Sections of stacked stone built on bedrock now overhang the free flowing, burbling creek below, with squarish stone slots that once supported the framing for a water wheel or other critical structure for the flour mill All remain to explore. There is a pile of glazed bricks and broken Red Wing roofing tiles still on site near the top of the hill along the creek that were likely part of the original Hazen and later Clark home The weeds grow thick over them.
There is much to see here, and this small, seven-acre piece has an immense story. -Fortunes won and lost, lives lived and lost, buildings constructed, burned and rebuilt, industries that fed and clothed families or provided washing or ice or paper filters, until those products were replaced by others in the bins, pantries, closets and ice boxes. Relaxation, dining and recreation marked the last shift for this land prior to the current silence of landscape. The abutments from the earliest steel bridge stand quietly watching the creek pass beneath. Today the US Highway 12 bridge passes nearly 21,000 vehicles per day.
There are more aspects of this site to explore; determining where other supporting structures were located, finding those little clues in photographs that can help place where the photographer had once stood, or discovering those “romantic crooks and turns” and incorporating a singletrack so this fallow, isolated parcel of land can be explored anew. With our trail building efforts, we frequently find ourselves the stewards of soil, stones, or trees. For this project we find ourselves the stewards of history.
Standing in the footsteps of the photographer who took the photo of the Robert S. Clark family below the dam. Taken Fall, 2023.
Immense thanks to Mr. Steven Thompson for his mountains of research, Jodi Kiffmeyer of the Chippewa Valley Museum for the fantastic photos, Don Winrich from the Altoona Historical Society for the history book, Herman Borntreger, tour guide, miller and owner of Dells Mill, Augusta, the City of Altoona for their continued faith in our efforts to create great recreational infrastructure, Sarah Beer, Associate University Archivist at UWEC, Walt Ostrander for his editing assistance, CORBA Trails for the amazing volunteer core used in building relationships and recreational infrastructure, and to my wife Hillarie who tolerates, far too often, my highly absorbent obsessions and pursuit of the answer to “What was there?”
