Editing Hammel, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
The six mile (10&nbsp;km) square that would become Hammel was first [[Surveying|surveyed]] in the summer of 1847 by a crew working for the U.S. government. Then in late 1857 another crew marked all the [[Section (United States land surveying)|section corners]] in the [[survey township|township]], walking through the woods and over frozen swamps, measuring with [[Gunter's chain|chain]] and [[Solar compass|compass]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Land Survey Information|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/SurveyNotes/SurveyInfo.html|publisher=Board of  Commissioners of Public Lands|access-date=May 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Field Notes for T31N R1W|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=PLSS&twp=T031NR001W|work=Original Field Notes and Plat Maps, 1833-1866|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|access-date=May 31, 2011}}</ref> When done, the deputy surveyor filed this general description:
<blockquote>''This Township contains several [[Larix laricina|Tamarac]] and [[Thuja occidentalis|Cedar]] Swamp some of considerable extent and mostly unfit for cultivation. The Surface is generally rolling and 2nd rate soil except on the [[Black River (Wisconsin)|Black River]] bottoms it is 1st rate soil. Timber is very heavy all over the Township Chiefly [[Tsuga canadensis|Hemlock]] [[Betula alleghaniensis|Birch]] [[Eastern White Pine|Pine]] [[Sugar maple|Maple]] Tamarac and Cedar.<br><br>Black River enters the Township near the South East corner, it is generally Deep and flows in a gentle Current in a Westerly direction to the South West corner of the Township, not well adapted for good motive power or [[Watermill|mills]].''<ref>{{cite web|last=Martin|first=Alex S|title=Interior Field Notes (Nov. 1857-Dec. 1858)|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/SurveyNotes/SurveyNotes-idx?type=article&byte=1442282&twp=T031NR001W|publisher=Board of Commissioners of Public Lands|access-date=3 June 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

An 1880 map of central Wisconsin shows two roads from Medford reaching the east edge of what would become Hammel.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dahl|first=Ole Rasmussen|title=Map of Chippewa, Price & Taylor Counties and the northern part of Clark County|year=1880|publisher=The Milwaukee Litho & Engr Co.|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin|url=http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/maps/id/1046/rec/3|access-date=November 21, 2023}}</ref>

The Town of Hammel was organized in 1897.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ruesch|first=H.O.|editor-last=Kalmon|editor-first=Lars|title=Taylor County Historical Sketch|date=January 2012|publisher=Taylor County History Project|page=8}}</ref>

A map from 1900 shows lots of settlement activity, particularly in the east. Some sort of roads followed the course of parts of modern County E along the east edge of the town. A predecessor of modern Perkinstown Avenue spanned the whole township, with short side-roads branching off to north and south. Along it were scattered settlers, three rural schools, and two sawmills. Another road followed the eastern two miles of modern Center Avenue. It too had scattered settlers and a rural school. Another road followed the course of modern [[Wisconsin Highway 64|Highway 64]] and Sawyer Avenue across most of the town, with many settlers and two rural schools. Another followed the course of modern County O, with scattered settlers. Parts of the town, particularly in the west, were still largely unsettled, still mostly in large blocks owned by logging companies like Sawyer & Austin and the Holways. Sawyer's log-driving dam on the Black River was marked at the west edge of the town. The [[Wisconsin Central Railroad (1871–1899)|Wisconsin Central Railroad]] still owned portions of the odd-numbered sections.<ref name=1900_map>{{cite book|last=Queary|first=O.K.|title=Map of Taylor County, Wisconsin|date=1900|publisher=Bogk & Rowland|location=Milwaukee, Wis.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/1568|access-date=November 21, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Wisconsin Atlas and Gazetteer|date=1999|publisher=DeLorme|location=Yarmouth, Maine|page=74|edition=6th}}</ref> The railroad had been given most of the odd-numbered sections for 18 miles on both sides of its line through Medford to finance building that railroad line up through the wilderness.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rusch|first=Robert P.|editor-last=Kalmon|editor-first=Lars|title=Our Home - Taylor County Wisconsin - volume 2|date=September 22, 2013|publisher=Taylor County History Project|pages=3-4|chapter=The Twelve Railroads of Taylor County, Wisconsin}}</ref> By 1900 it had sold most of its land in Hammel, but still held some chunks.<ref name=1900_map/>

A village of Murat was platted around Lake Esadore. The map shows a hotel and "hall" about where the High View Inn now is, and a school out west of Mud Lake.<ref>{{cite book|title=Gilman, Murat, Little Black, Hannibal, Jump River, Whittlesey|date=1913|publisher=Geo. A. Ogle & Co.|location=Chicago|url=https://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/36895/Gilman++Murat++Little+Black++Hannibal++Jump+River++Whittlesey/Taylor+County+1913/Wisconsin/|access-date=November 21, 2023}}</ref> One of the two sawmills stood where the outlet of Esadore crosses Perkinstown Avenue. It was in operation by 1900 and closed after burning in 1903.<ref>{{cite book|author=Zenner, John |author-link=John Zenner, Taylor County Pioneer, Tells the story of His Early Life in Taylor County|editor-last=Kalmon|editor-first=Stephen Lars|title=Our Home - Taylor County Wisconsin - Vol 2|date=2012|publisher=Taylor County History Project|pages=7-8}} Originally published in ''The Star News'', May 1, 1952.</ref>

The 1911 plat map shows little change from 1900. The roads had reached farther and more settlers had filled in along them in the east. The far west was still mostly in large blocks, with some changes of ownership and few settlers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paetzold|first=C.H.|title=Map of Taylor County|date=1911|publisher=C. Paetzold and Koehler Land Company|location=Medford, Wis.|url=https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/maps/id/20297|access-date=November 21, 2023|chapter=Plat map of T31N R1W}}</ref>

In 1933 parts of the northwest quarter of Hammel were designated part of the [[Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest|Chequamegon National Forest]].<ref>[http://www.stateparks.com/nicolet.html "Nicolet National Forest"]</ref>