From History of Walworth County Wisconsin, Vol. 1, by Albert Clayton Beckwith, publ. 1912 - Pages 46 - 48 CONTEST AT LAKE GENEVA. He who first stands upon soil hitherto untrodden by civilized men, himself for the hour the vanguard of westward-moving empire, instinctively looks about him for water and timber. Mills must be built, and water power sites are likeliest to be soon at a premium. Hence, at first sight the attractions at the foot of Geneva Lake were irresistible. Similar, though not equal, opportunities at the lakes of Delavan and Whitewater and at the rapid places of several creeks could not for long be overlooked. The sub- contract for establishing township lines from Beloit eastward to Lake Michigan had been let in 1835 to John BRINK and John HODGSON, who, with Jesse EGGLESTON, Reuben T. and William OSTRANDER as assistants, began work immediately. Taking two tiers of towns at once they reached Geneva lake early in September. They meandered (in surveyor's sense) the circumference of the lake and made the first official chart, showing its form and area. At the foot of the lake Mr. BRINK took note, on his own and HODGSON's account, of golden possibilities there, blazed and marked a few trees to indicate the priority of his claim to the town site and water right, and passed eastward with his compass and field notes He was a native of Ontario county, New York, his birthplace near Geneva, which is at the foot of Seneca lake. He may have read of Lake Leman and the city of the Allbroges and of John CALVIN. However this may have been, he did not like the name of Bigfoot, by which Mrs. KINZIE, as early as 1832, had mentioned the lake, nor any of its Pottawattomie equivalents or alternatives - all barbarously uncouth and nearly irreducible to writing. He then and there named the lake for all coming time, and his good taste has never been questioned; for even the land office did not insist upon "Gee-zhich-qua-wauk," or "Kish-wau-ke-toe." The western end of this gift of the glaciers had been passed not infrequently by officers and soldiers on their journeys between Chicago and Fort Winnebago (Portage City). About 1830 Lieut. Jefferson DAVIS had ridden by that route, and in his latest years recalled his pleasing impressions of his view of the lake as he passed. In 1832, as soon as Black Hawk and his tribe were defeated and driven across the Mississippi, the bloody disturbances - killings, scalpings and burnings - about Naperville ended forever. It was thus safe for Christopher PAYNE to leave the fort at Chicago and go in search of the mill site at the foot of Geneva lake, a fair description of which had been given him by a half-breed trader. He reached the Nippersink valley, in Bloomfield, but for want of food for a much longer journey forward he went back to Chicago. Had he found the trail and followed it for another hour or two he would have reached the object of his search about three years earlier than Mr. BRINK's arrival, and the annals of earliest Lake Geneva would have lost a long and but moderately interesting chapter. Early in 1836 he set forth again, this time from Squaw Prairie, near Belvidere, and with him George W. TRIMBLE, his son-in-law, and Daniel MOSHER. At the end of two days he found the mill site and the unplatted city, but did not find (or he disregarded if he found) Mr. BRINK's claim- marks. Having eaten their provisions, they went back, but came again in March, built a log house and returned to Squaw Prairie. Early in April they were a third time on the ground, and they began to build a dam across the outlet. John HODGSON, of the surveying party, whose work had been to stake section corners within Mr. BRINK's township lines, and William OSTRANDER had been left to occupy and improve the claim as made in 1835, and to prevent encroachment. They, too, had claims there. Mr. PAYNE came while they were at Milwaukee, whither they had gone for provisions. The winter at Geneva was long and lonesome, and Milwaukee was more attractive, even in its infancy - else PAYNE's three comings, in the course of two months, would not have escaped their earlier notice. On their return they tried what words and turf-throwing would do and then sent to Milwaukee for reinforcements. In the short meantime other men had become interested. BRINK's men at Geneva had sold a quarter interest in his claim to Charles A. NOYES and Orrin COE; and PAYNE's son, Uriah, after the first defeat, had given his one-third share of his father's claim to Robert Wells WARREN, for which the latter agreed to help in recovering and holding the larger remnant. Mr. WARREN was as bold and persistent as PAYNE and much more resourceful and politic than the old frontiersman. The needs of the situation soon compelled compromises, and Mr. HODGSON, acting in Mr. BRINK's name, sold all rights in dispute for two thousand dollars. Peace was restored, but anger and resentment were not soon soothed into forgetfulness. On the one hand, PAYNE complained that he had been forced to "buy his own pocketbook" at an extortionate price. On the other side, BRINK and Reuben T. OSTRANDER denied HODGSON's authority to sell more than his own claim. Other men were coming to the building of a new city, and their ears were soon tired of these complaining. Submitted By: Carol (carolann612@charter.net)