3156 S Riverside Dr · Beloit, Wisconsin
Once upon a house — and every word of it on the record.
One piece of land beside the Rock River: the Ho-Chunk village of Standing Post, the trader Joseph Thibault, the Blodgetts who founded Beloit, William S. Yost's farm and cobblestone house, the Yost Park resort, and the Riverside Motel built around it. Every event below links to the page of the source that records it.
The land through time
…–1835
The first people
The Ho-Chunk village of Standing Post beside the Rock River.
"Indian Manufactures": a canoe, tools and garments of the upper Great Lakes nations, engraved for Schoolcraft's journal of 1821. Not specific to the Ho-Chunk. Source
Schoolcraft, Henry R. Narrative Journal of Travels through the Northwestern Regions of the United States, Extending from Detroit through the Great Chain of American Lakes, to the Sources of the Mississippi River, Performed as a Member of the Expedition under Governor Cass, in the Year 1820. Albany: E. & E. Hosford, 1821. Library of Congress copy via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/narrativejournal01scho.1634–1836
Contact and the fur trade
French, British and American traders; Joseph Thibault.
Sault de Ste. Marie, engraved for Schoolcraft's account of the 1820 Cass expedition through the fur-trade country. Source
Schoolcraft, Henry R. Narrative Journal of Travels through the Northwestern Regions of the United States, Extending from Detroit through the Great Chain of American Lakes, to the Sources of the Mississippi River, Performed as a Member of the Expedition under Governor Cass, in the Year 1820. Albany: E. & E. Hosford, 1821. Library of Congress copy via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/narrativejournal01scho.1836–1843
The Blodgetts
Caleb Blodgett buys Thibault's claim; Selvey K. Blodgett farms the land.
"A Map of Beloit": the early village beside the Rock River, reproduced in Brown's Rock County, Wisconsin (1908). 1843–1897
The Yost farm
William S. Yost settles, farms and builds the cobblestone house.
"Wm. S. Yost" on the 1858 map of Beloit Township, Sections 11 and 12. 1898–1930
Yost Park
The riverside resort: picnics, dances and the interurban.
"Yost Park" lettered by the river on the 1904 plat, beside John A. Yost's Park Stock Farm.
1858
Beloit
- 1858 Churches: the Westminster Presbyterian Church was formed on the west side of Beloit; a cemetery association was formed and a one-acre cemetery located; a church parsonage was built (1858–59) at a cost of $670; pastors took office or ended service (Rev. Robert Blackburn; Rev. Mr. [Frink's successor]; D. O. Jones and Daniel Stansberry; L. G. [successor of M. Pascoe]; B. Hatch from 1858; Rev. Galusha Anderson's term ended 1858; Rev. J. Goodspeed began 1858).
- January 1, 1858 A marriage took place at Beloit (Louisa Love, to a husband born in Weathersfield, Vt.).
- May 1858 John M. Cobb came to Beloit and joined the Rock River Paper Co.
- October 10, 1858 Rev. Oliver Bronson was chosen pastor of the Beloit church, and installed October 24.
Rock County
- 1858 Arrivals and settlements in the county: Fisher moved to Rock Co.; a settler located in the township of Janesville; a Norwegian bought 300 acres in Beloit; Goodwin went to Moline; Hamelin came to Beloit; Kehoe came to Rockford, Ill.; Ledell returned from Norway; a family settled in Rock County (Lima Center); a Prussian came to America, locating at Milwaukee; a family settled in Rock Township; a family came to Wisconsin settling in Rock County; a family settled on a farm (Sec. 2) in Rock Co.; a family located in Porter; the T. Fisher family came to Wisconsin; a family came to Wisconsin (Brodhead area); the Weirick family settled at Shopiere; the Hutchinson family moved to Janesville; a family came to Rock County settling at Beloit; a Scottish father settled in Harmony township; the Gould family settled in Lima township; a Paning family located in Janesville Township; the West postmastership ended (1855–1858); a family moved to Porter (1857 or 1858).
- Fall 1858 Mr. Huyke sold his Minnesota land, returned to Rock County, and bought a 120-acre farm in Magnolia township.
- 1858 Officials were elected or took office: a Register of Deeds (removing to Janesville), a mayor of Janesville (holding two years), a mayor of Beloit (Anson P. Waterman, re-elected for 1858), a district attorney of Rock county, and a clerk of the circuit court (serving to 1866).
- 1858 Settlers and businesses in the county: Tompkinson and family moved to Southern Illinois; a drug/essence business was inaugurured by W. H.; a grain-brokerage shanty was erected at the corner of Jackson and Milwaukee streets; the Rock River Paper Company was inaugurated; the East Side paper mill was started; Lawrence & Atwood enlarged their hardware business; a physician ended his drug business (1853–1858); a Janesville man turned to the insurance business; Eldred established a grocery business; Carle settled at Janesville opening a grocery store; Van Kirk began the grocery business; Smith opened the first jewelry store in Edgerton; Croft bought the house from Julius Burdick; Dr. Simon Lord came to Edgerton as the first physician to remain long; a merchant located at Edgerton; a Myers building was finished; a Third-ward square building was begun (completed 1859); a man was elected county judge in 1857 serving from 1858 for twenty-eight years.
The region
- March 30, 1858 The First Congregational Church of Clinton was organized by a council of delegates from Beloit, Allen's Grove, Emerald Grove and Shopiere.
- 1858 A legislative committee investigated the La Crosse land grant bond matter.
- January 1858 The railroad line west from Janesville was finished to Monroe.
- 1858 Ritchie, Newcomb & Co. started the Frontier bank; the Producers' Bank (Gov. Barstow) did a small business during 1857–1858 and soon closed.
Nation and world
- Summer 1858 A new church building was erected at a cost of about $1,700, following the April 7 resolution.
- 1858 Another fourth of a fund was given to the drainage fund.
- 1858 The legislature adopted amendments to the banking law, later approved by the people at the fall election.
- July 14, 1858 Judge Keep tendered his resignation, to take effect August 17.
Faces from the record
Engraved portraits from the county histories of 1879 and 1908. A different dozen each day.
Research in progress
2,413
documented events
41 years so far, 1820–1860
27
on the property itself
614 more in Beloit
9,847
people identified
across the sources
9
sources transcribed
1,456,854 words · 198 clippings