The Kings

Introduction

The king family has not, up to this point, ever been the subject of a comprehensive narrative. This is understandable since in may ways they were ordinary northwoods settlers, but as among the pioneer families of Tomahawk, and arguably the first family in what is now the City of Tomahawk, they deserve some detailed discussion. The problem is that while several important details are known, there are many gaps that for right now need to left to the imagination of the reader. The purpose of this document is to elaborate on these details.

Albert King's early land patents

Land purchases inside the current city limits of Tomahawk by absentee land owners, mostly lumber manufacturers from Wausau, started in the early 1870s, according the federal government records. The first local settler to buy land in the present city limits was Albert King, as illustrated by this map:

King's first purchase is labeled "F" in this map. He purchased this parcel in 1880, but most indications are that he was already living there.

When we say purchased, the common terminology for the transaction in the day was "patented the land" or "obtained the patent." A land patent is a special type of property purchase from the federal government. It is the original rights, the title being assignable to anyone the original patentee wants to sell it to and gets passed down through the years.

Certain squatting and preemption laws allowed settlers to live on and develop public domain land, but ultimately these settlers had to obtain clear title to their property by buying it for the government minimum price of $1.25 an acre, which was typically much less than the market price. When King obtained his patent in 1880 it was likely based on his preemption rights, although there is no known specific record.

The other parcels shown on this map were patented in 1883 and 1884. The parcels marked "D" all fall within present city limits. Does this make King the first settler-owner? It is splitting hairs to some extent to distinguish him from other settlers such as the Germaine Bouchard family and the Gilbert Vallier family, but the King family deserves more recognition as real pioneers than they generally get.

One thing to bear in mind is that the King homestead was well-located at a river crossing known to all in the area, first used by Indians before "white" settlement. A shallow crossing known as a "ford" was at the head of a set of rapids. It was these same rapids that were flooded eventually to make a power dam.

The 1880 Rock Falls census

Albert King:      born about 1830 in Canada    (head)
Minequash King:   born about 1848 in Wisconsin (wife)
Louis King:       born about 1858 in Wisconsin (son)
Lyzim King:       born about 1860 in Wisconsin (son
Poline King:      born about 1863 in Wisconsin (daughter)
Charles King:     born about 1867 in Wisconsin (son)
Joseph King:      born about 1869 in Wisconsin (son)
Mary King:        born about 1870 in Wisconsin (daughter)
John King:        born about 1877 in Wisconsin (son)
Albert King, Jr.: born about 1880 in Wisconsin (son)

It is fair to assume that Minequash did not give birth at age 10, but census mistakes were not uncommon, or Albert may have remarried at some point. In either case we can nevertheless assume Minequash was the mother of Charles. Minequash has her race listed as Indian in the census, and all the other family members are listed as white. Mayme Whipperfurth's description of Charles as "of Indian and Canadian French extraction" (see below) is consistent with the census data.

Charlie King

As shown in the census above, one of the sons born in 1867 was Charlie King. There are people alive in Tomahawk today who remember Charlie King, as a bit of an old bachelor hermit living on his property, presumably that part of the original homestead which remained after it was inundated by Lake Alice.

Mayme Whipperfurth describes Charlie, with some notes about his family, in the TAHS publication Remembering Yesterday:

Charlie King was of Indian and Canadian French extraction, but the Indian part predominated. He was a typical lumberjack, or "River Rat," as they were known in the early days. He was a skilled workman at handling logs on the drives.

Charlie made his home about five miles east of Tomahawk on Bass Lake Road, which is now known as County Trunk D, or the Harrison Road. He liked his freedom and he lived the life of a hermit. He finally had to be taken to the Lincoln County home because he was crippled with rheumatism.

His little log shack was the plainest, about twelve feet or less. The odor was musty and smoky. He had a small bunk made of logs and a few boards, with straw for a mattress. The low cook stove in the corner also served as a heater.

A few boards nailed to the wall served as a table, and a box served as a chair. There was one small window and another opening which led to a lean-to. This shanty was just big enough for Charlie and his dog.

He always dressed in the typical woodsman's clothes, which included a stocking cap in the winter with low-packs or moccasins.

Charlie was a shy person and talked very little. He liked his liquor and he usually went home talking to himself and very unsteady on his feet. His horse knew the way and as soon as he would lie on the makeshift sled, the horse started on his way. After his horse died, he walked to town, five miles each way. He carried his food in a grain sack thrown over his shoulder in the summer, and in the winter, he pushed a crude handmade sled. He was never troublesome in any way, and the children at St. Mary's school especially missed him after his death.

Charlie was one of the oldest residents of Tomahawk when he died in January, 1954, at the age of ninety years or more. His brother, Lisum King, with whom he had worked on log drives. preceded him in death in 1929 at the age of seventy. Breaking jams was very dangerous and Charlie and Lisum were known for their skill at this work. They weren't on speaking terms, but neither would work with anyone else when called upon to break a jam.

The name 'King' is a major part of early Tomahawk history. Kings Dam and Kings Road will always remind us of boom shanties, where logs were sorted and where the river was forded by settlers. The Kings had an inn, where Mrs. King served food to the travelers and log drivers. Kings dam was built in 1909 and was named 'Kings Watermill' in honor of the King family.