The town of Jackson comprises the territory embraced in township No. 15 north, of range No. 7 east of the 4th principal meridian. It is bounded on the north by the town of New Chester, on the east by Marquette county, on the south by the towns of New Haven and Dell Prairie, and on the west by Springville, and contains an area of thirty-six square miles. The population of the town, as shown by the census of 1870, numbered 481, which has been very largely increased during the two years since the census was taken, and will now reach nearly or quite six hundred. The town lies astraddle, as it were, the drift ridge that separates the valleys of the Fox and the Wisconsin rivers. The ridge bears abundant evidence of the character of the drift and shows that it came from the mineral regions of the north. The town abounds with beautiful lakes: Jordan Lake, Crooked Lake, Goose Lake, Little Lake, and other smaller ones, are clear, beautiful and picturesque bodies of water, romantically embowered in sylvan groves of wide-spreading oaks. As would naturally be expected from its geological formation, the surface of the country is quite rolling and of almost every variety of soil. There are valleys of great beauty and fertility, watered by clear, sparkling spring brooks, and hills almost as fertile as the valleys covered with White, Burr and Black Oak trees. Much however, of the hilly portion, is sandy resting upon a substratum of gravelly clay. There are a number of good schoolhouses in the town, showing that the people feel a deep interest in the cause of education. The nearest railroad points at present are at Kilbourn City,a distance of ten or twelve miles, and Portage some eighteen or twenty miles distant. The Chicago & Superior railroad, to be built during the present season, will run through the town and will furnish its people with easy railroad facilities in the future. Fruit seems to do well in the town. The Baldwin farm, now occupied by Mr. J. K. Searl, the farms of the Messrs. J. R. Vrooman, J. Vrooman, J. A. Vrooman, Chester Jones, Norman Jones, Nelson Jones, D. L. McConick, and perhaps others with which we are unacquainted, have fine apple orchards upon them, annually bearing excellent crops of fruit. The County Poor Farm, lately purchased by the county, is located in this town and is a very valuable property. It has a fine orchard upon it, that last year produced over one hundred bushels of superior apples. This farm contains about 176 acres, the most of which is said to be of very superior quality of soil. A beautiful spring creek runs the whole length of the farm, affording an abundance of never-failing water for stock. At the time of purchase there were upon the farm a moderate sized dwelling house, a hay barn 20 by 24, and good stables, sheds, granary, etc. Since then the Superintendents have put up an additional building for the accomodation of the county poor. The farm has now upon it twnety acres of splendid clover, and a large area sown to wheat, rye, oats and planted to corn, all of which we are informed are looking finely and promising a heavy yield. The farm is regarded by those who have lately visited it for the purpose of satisfying themselves in relation thereto, as one possessing more native advantages, taken all in all, than any other they have seen in the county, and one of which the people of the county may well feel proud. A gentleman who visited the farm on Saturday last, declared to us that in his opinion after looking the farm all over, and seeing the growing crops, that the county had made a clear $1000 in the purchase. There are many very superior farms in the town of Jackson, owned by enterprising and tidy farmers. Among them we remember the farms of the Messrs. Vrooman above-named, the Messrs. Chester, Nelson and Norman Jones, J. White, D. L. McConick, D. W. Larkin, J. K. Searl, W. H. Landon, T. Burnham, J. Bonnett, and no doubt many others that do not occur to us now.
Transcribed by Joan Benner for the Adams Co. WiGenWeb Pages © 2004
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