Back roads from Wisconsin's past

LeeAnne Bulman For Agri-View
Jan 11, 2021
Jan 11, 2021

Oil City School — A 1905 photo shows the Oil City school. The school no longer stands, but the similar-looking town hall is still in use.
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LeeAnne Bulman For Agri-View

OIL CITY, Wis. – The year was 1842 when Esau Johnson moved his family to a spot in Monroe County, Wisconsin, where the winding Kickapoo River meets Moore Creek. It was there in what would become the town of Sheldon that he built a sawmill.

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The Henry Bredlow sawmill in 1914 at Oil City is run by a steam engine.
Contributed

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A miniature rendition of the Gem Petroleum Co. derrick stands sentinel in Oil City. The company went bust when no oil was found; a man named Tichnor absconded with the money.
LeeAnne Bulman/For Agri-View

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Oil City Population 16 — Although oil was never found at Oil City, the water in artesian wells and the surrounding area proved to be healthful.
LeeAnne Bulman/For Agri-View

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Oil City is in Monroe County, Wisconsin, where the winding Kickapoo River meets Moore Creek. Google maps

LeeAnne Bulman writes about agriculture from her farm overlooking the beautiful Danuser Valley on Wisconsin’s west coast. When not writing she helps her husband on their small grain and beef farm.