Editing Maplehurst, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
The six mile square that would become Maplehurst was first [[Surveying|surveyed]] in the summer of 1847 by a crew working for the U.S. government. Then in May 1854 another crew marked all the [[Section (United States land surveying)|section corners]] in the [[survey township|township]], moving on foot, measuring with [[Gunter's chain|chain]] and [[Solar compass|compass]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Land Survey Information|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/SurveyNotes/SurveyInfo.html|publisher=Board of  Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=June 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Field Notes for T30N R2W|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=PLSS&twp=T030NR002W|work=Original Field Notes and Plat Maps, 1833-1866|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=June 1, 2011}}</ref> When done, the deputy surveyor filed this general description:
{{blockquote|''This Township contains numerous Swamps many of which are of considerable extent.  The Surface of the Township is generally broken the Soil is very poor 3rd rate producing very little vegetation but the Surface of the land is generally covered with a thick heavy moss. The Timber through the Township is principally [[Tsuga canadensis|Hemlock]]. There are a few Scattering trees(?) of [[Eastern White Pine|White Pine]] of poor quality. The Township is well watered with numerous Small Streams and also [[Black River (Wisconsin)|Black River]] Which enters the Township in Section 1 & flows in a South Westerly direction until it reaches the South boundary of the Township in Section 32. The banks of this Stream are generally high the current is gentle the bottom of the Stream is generally Rocky. There are no Settlers in this Township.''<ref>{{cite web|last=Daugherty|first=William E|title=Interior Field Notes (May 1854)|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=article&byte=1758400&twp=T030NR002W|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=1 June 2011}}</ref>}}

An 1880 map of the area shows no development in what would become the town of Maplehurst except "A.E. Sawyer" in section 2 near the Black River<ref>{{cite book|last=Dahl|first=Ole Rasmussen|title=Map of Chippewa, Price & Taylor Counties and the northern part of Clark County|year=1880|publisher=The Milwaukee Litho & Engr Co.|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin|url=http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/maps/id/1046/rec/3|access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref> - a logging camp for Sawyer's firm in [[Black River Falls]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A.E. Sawyer, Prominent Lumberman Here, Started First Brownsville Yards|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Newspaper/BA2879|access-date=October 29, 2023|agency=La Crosse Tribune & Leader-Press|date=May 13, 1934}}</ref>

[[File:Black River below Hwy 64.jpg|thumb|upright|At the northeast corner of Maplehurst, looking down the Black River from Highway 64]]
A map from around 1900 shows the [[Wisconsin Central Railroad (1871–1899)|Wisconsin Central Railroad]] owning more of what would become Maplehurst than anyone else.<ref name=Bogk/> In the 1870s the Wisconsin Central had built the first rail line up through the forest that would become Medford. To finance that project, the U.S. government granted the Wisconsin Central half the land for eighteen miles on both sides of their track - generally the odd-numbered sections<ref>{{cite book|last=Rusch|first=Robert P.|editor-last=Kalmon|editor-first=Lars|title=Our Home - Taylor County Wisconsin - volume 2|date=September 22, 2013|publisher=Taylor County History Project|pages=3-4|chapter=The Twelve Railroads of Taylor County, Wisconsin}}</ref> - and Maplehurst lay within eighteen miles. By 1900 the Wisconsin Central had sold some of that land to lumber companies, but still held some large chunks. The next largest land-holders were Sawyer and Austin, J.M. Holway, and the N. Wisconsin Land Co. Also appearing on this map is a sawmill on the Black River near modern Shady Nook Lane. The map also shows some sort of road following some of the north edge of the township on the course of modern [[Wisconsin Highway 64|highway 64]]. Another road roughly follows the course of modern County A into the east half of the town. Settlers are also starting to appear along the Black, with the largest group five homesteads with [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] names near modern Putnam Drive and Rabbit Ave.<ref name=Bogk>{{cite book|last=Queary|first=O.K.|title=Map of Taylor County, Wisconsin|date=1900|publisher=Bogk & Rowland|location=Milwaukee, Wis.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/1568|access-date=October 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Wisconsin Atlas and Gazetteer|date=1999|publisher=DeLorme|location=Yarmouth, Maine|page=74|edition=6th}}</ref>

The 1911 plat map of Maplehurst shows more roads, more settlers, and a community of Maplehurst platted at the intersection of modern County T and Shiner Ave.<ref name=Paetzold>{{cite book|last=Paetzold|first=C.H.|title=Map of Taylor County|date=1911|publisher=C. Paetzold and Koehler Land Company|location=Medford, Wis.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/20292|access-date=October 28, 2023|chapter=Plat map of T30N R3W}}</ref> A map of the community from 1913 shows neatly planned streets, a hotel, a store and a school.<ref>{{cite book|title=Maplehurst|date=1913|publisher=Geo. A. Ogle & Co.|location=Chicago|url=https://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/36912/Rib+Lake++Polley++Perkinstown++Stetsonville++Maplehurst++Field++Chelsea/Taylor+County+1913/Wisconsin/Wisconsin/|access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref> Some claim a railroad spur ran to Maplehurst from the Soo Line to the south.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rusch|first=Robert P.|editor-last=Kalmon|editor-first=Lars|title=Our Home - Taylor County Wisconsin - Vol 2|date=January 2014|publisher=Taylor County History Project|pages=19|chapter=The Twelve Railroads of Taylor County, Wisconsin}}</ref> For a mile or two around this community, the map shows a fairly complete road grid. A road has also reached up the course of modern Putnam Drive and a school is marked near that group of settlers. Another school and a sawmill are also marked on the road that would become modern A. The south half of the town is fairly well filled with settlers. Most of the north half is not - still mostly owned by the Wisconsin Central, land companies, and lumber companies. The Wisconsin Central/[[Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad|Soo Line]] cuts across the very southwest corner, heading toward [[Lublin, Wisconsin|Lublin]] and eventually Superior. The Owen Lumber Company's logging spur cuts across the northwest corner near Diamond Lake.<ref name=Paetzold/> But the transition from logging to farming was well under way.