Editing Green Grove, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
Some of the early European Americans to walk the six mile square that would become Green Grove were the U.S. government's [[Surveying|surveyors]]. From 1845 to 1847 they surveyed the outline of the [[survey township|township]] on foot with [[Gunter's chain|chain]] and compass. Then others came back in January of 1853 to survey all the [[Section (United States land surveying)|section lines]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Land Survey Information|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/SurveyNotes/SurveyInfo.html|publisher=Board of Commissioner s of Public Lands|accessdate=March 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Field Notes for T21N R1W|url=https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=PLSS&twp=T021NR001W|work=Original Field Notes and Plat Maps, 1833-1866|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=June 3, 2024}}</ref> When done, the deputy surveyor filed this general description:
<blockquote>''This Township is nearly entirely(?) level a great part of it Swampy and unfit for cultivation. The part Which is not swamp is but little elevated above(?) Swamp, Soil 3rd(?) rate, thickly timbered with Pine, ? and Elm, very(?) free from undergrowth, but few Streams and those Small Except One Near the Northwest part of the Town. of Some Size that With all the rest bears N. West(?)''<ref>{{cite web|last=Tompkins|first=William F.|title=Interior Field Notes (June 1855-July 1855)|url=https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=article&byte=9969643&isize=L&twp=T021NR001W|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|accessdate=3 June 2024}}</ref></blockquote>
Once the land was surveyed, the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] began selling parcels to private individuals and lumber companies. The first [[land patent]] in Green Grove was in 1856 - a sale of 40 acres in section 11 to a John Lewis.<ref>{{cite web|title=General Land Office Records|url=https://glorecords.blm.gov/results/default.aspx?searchCriteria=type=patent%7Cst=WI%7Ccty=%7Ctwp_nr=21%7Ctwp_dir=N%7Crng_nr=1%7Crng_dir=W%7Csp=true%7Csw=true%7Csadv=false#resultsTabIndex=0&page=2&sortField=11&sortDir=0|website=Bureau of Land Management|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior|accessdate=June 3, 2024}}</ref>

By 1880 the area that would become Green Grove was the western half of an early [[Colby (town), Wisconsin|Town of Colby]]. Some sort of road ran along what is now County E, with a Green Grove post office where E now meets Eddy Road. Settlers had farms ranging from 40 to 160 acres for the first mile. Beyond that eastern mile, most of the 6-mile square was in larger parcels owned by lumber companies, with D.J. Spaulding Estate owning the largest portion, followed by J.S. Keator and Bright and Withee. Some sort of wagon road followed the course of modern County N across the township.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bussell|first=Charles E.|title=Map of the County of Clark, Wisconsin|date=1880|location=Neillsville, Wis.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/1636/rec/3 |access-date=2024-06-03}}</ref> In 1886 the 6 by 6-mile Town of Green Grove was split out from the Town of Colby.<ref name=Curtiss>{{cite book|last=Curtiss-Wedge|first=Franklin|title=History of Clark County Wisconsin|date=1918|publisher=H.C. Cooper Jr & Co.|location=Chicago and Winona|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wch/id/20423/rec/1|access-date=2024-06-04}}</ref>{{rp|85}}

By 1906 the roads and farms had filled in a little, but much of the west and north of Green Grove was still in the hands of lumber companies like J.S. Owen and H.A. Bright. The [[Fairchild and Northeastern Railroad]] was under construction, arcing across the west end of the township on its way from [[Willard, Clark County, Wisconsin|Willard]] to [[Owen, Wisconsin|Owen]], with Bright post office where the F&NE crossed the road that is now County N. A schoolhouse stood on that same road at the west end of Green Grove. Other schools stood where modern Sparrow meets Popple River Road, on Oak Grove Avenue north of Eddy Road, and on N west of Oak Grove. A town hall was at the intersection of N and Romadka.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ogle|first=George A.|title=Standard Atlas of Clark County, Wisconsin|date=1906|publisher=George A. Ogle & Co.|location=Chicago|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/21965/rec/6|access-date=2024-06-03}}</ref>

[[Image:Atwood_Wisconsin.jpg|thumb|Atwood is still a rail crossing, with a ball field and a few buildings]]
In 1910, the [[Soo Line Railroad]] built a railroad line diagonal across the town of Green Grove, connecting Spencer with Owen. Prior to this, trains heading between Chicago and Superior had to jog out of their direct route up to Abbotsford and over to Owen. The railroad added a couple sidings in the farms and forest and Atwood grew there.<ref>{{cite news|last=Leonhardt|first=Kris|title=Trailway Tales: The Spencer-Owen Cut-off|publisher=The Sentinel and Rural News|date=August 5, 2014}}</ref> The 1918 History of Clark County describes Atwood as "a new village in Section 21, Green Grove, on the "Soo" line, from Spencer to Owen. It contains the railroad station, a store and a saloon.<ref name=Curtiss/>{{rp|666}}

That same 1918 history book includes this description of the community of Bright: "Bright is located in Section 20, Greenwood (sic) on the Fairchild and Northeastern, between Greenwood and Owen. It has a railroad station, a store, and a cheese factory. The old sawmill is no longer operated."<ref name=Curtiss/>{{rp|666}}

By 1920 most of the middle and west of Green Grove was filled in with farms. A [[cheese factory]] had been started at what is now the corner of Romadka and Oak Road.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paetzold |first1=C.H. |title=Map of Clark County, State of Wisconsin |date=1920 |publisher=C.H. Paetzold |location=Wausau |url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/17563/rec/9 |access-date=2024-06-04}}</ref> The transition from logging to dairy was well underway.