July 20, 1835
The explorers left camp to return to Milwaukee.
The evidence
“They now decided to return to Milwaukee, fully satisfied with the results of their discoveries, and determined to make the Rock river valley their future home. On the 20th of July, 1835, they left camp, and on the 23d arrived at Milwaukee.— At that time there were but two white families in Milwaukee, and but one betwixt that place and Janesville, and that was the family of Mr. McMillen, who lived at what is now known as Waukesha.”
1856-history-of-rock-county/03-rock-county.md, PDF p. 48 / book p. 30
Guernsey, Orrin, and Josiah F. Willard, editors. History of Rock County, and Transactions of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Mechanics' Institute. Janesville, Wis.: William M. Doty & Brother, 1856. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871593.
Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources
On the printed page (PDF p. 48 / book p. 30) · open the whole page “No place they had seen had so appealed to them as this, and the combination of forest and prairie, with the spring creeks and the river, the untouched forest trees in the oak openings, and the countless wild floAvers of every shade and hue on the prairie, must indeed have been an alluring sight. Their minds were made up to look no farther, but that this point should be their future home ; so they started back for Milwaukee to get their families on July 20, 1835. They were delayed in returning until November 15, but on that day John Inman, George Follner, William Holmes, Jr., and Joshua Holmes left Milwaukee to reside permanently at this place ; they arrived opposite the big rock at Monterey, where the Indian ford was, on November 18, 1835, and proceeded to build a cabin at that place. This log cabin was the first house built within the limits of the city of Janesville, and stood about where the new Janesville & Southeastern railway passes before it crosses Eastern avenue, about thirty rods east of the Monterey bridge.”
1908-brown-rock-county/26-history-of-janesville.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 11 / book p. 526
Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.
Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources
On the printed page (Vol. 2, PDF p. 11 / book p. 526) · open the whole page
