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- Why Milton Was Named Milton
-
- At the raising of the Old Milton House
Barn which was erected by the late Lucius
- BINGHAM
for Joseph GOODRICH, founder of Milton in 1839; and was
burned by Milton's late fiendish Fire Bug the question of trying
to get a post office was brought up and a name for it discussed.
- Mr. GOODRICH who had never seen
such bountiful crops of grain grow elsewhere
- proposed the name of Grainfield; which
did not quite suit the crowd, as everyone there from the adjoining
country claimed they could raise just as nice grain as he could,
and after some discussion the name of Prairie du Lac (Prairie
of the Lakes) was suggested and adopted and forwarded to the
government.
- The name was rejected for the reason
that an office in the territory had been established
- named Prairie du Sac; and the letter
L in Lac and S in Sac as commonly written were too much alike
and would lead to the miscarriage of mail.
- A subsequent meeting was held at the
house of Peter McEWAN, for choosing a suit-
- able name for the post office. This
meeting was attended by a musical genius known as Dan BUTTS,
who was an uncle of G. H. BUTTS, Esq. He had invented
the manner of framing curbing for wells through the deep sand
and gravel sub-soil here, the same as is now in use; and had
curbed down a well on the SPAULDING farm toward Janesville
120 feet deep, which was an unprecedented thing. The SPAULDINGs
having had to draw all their water from Rock river in Janesville
with an ox team, made Mr. BUTTS invention in making wells
a very important thing to this country. Mr. BUTTS came
from a place called Milton in Pennsylvania and he suggested the
name of Milton for our post office. This name was short and sweet
and withal a little musical and it took with the people at the
meeting without any special reference to Paradise Lost or Regained,
and was adopted and sent and accepted by the government. And
thereby Milton was named Milton. Joseph GOODRICH was chosen
and presented and accepted and appointed the first postmaster
in Milton.
- He kept the letters under lock and
key in a box about the size of a cigar box which the
- old, old pioneer will remember. He
could easily have carried them all in the crown of his hat and
had them always ready to deliver. The postage on a letter was
25c payable on delivery. The office, during his administration,
was never robbed.
- We are sorry to say we do not know
whatever became of the letter box. It would be
- an interesting relic to be preserved
and always kept in the Milton post office.
EZRA GOODRICH.
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