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Town of Buchanan. - This town was originally heavily timbered with maple, white oak, white ash, butternut, basswood,
etc. The soil was very fertile and the water abundant and good. The old Beaulieu sawmill was built by the government
in 1824-6-9, by John P. Arndt of Green Bay for the use of the Stockbridge Indians, upon whose reservation it was
erected. In 1839 the Beaulieu grist mill was put in operation. B. H. Beaulieu secured the saw mill in 1835.
On July 8, 1800, Dominique Ducharme sold to Paul Ducharme lot 69, on the west side of Fox river, at the foot of
Grand Kaukauna, bounded by the river. In 1825 Paul sold his tract to James Duane Doty; also lot 70 and lot 87.
Other French and other claims along the Fox on both sides of the river were made by the following persons, with
the dates attached: Charles Hyatt, Jacques Veaux, George Fourquette, Pierre Grignon, Basile Le Rue, Theresa Rankin,
Francis Meldrum, Jean Bt. Laframboise, George Johnston. Isaac Jacques. These claims were made before 1828, and
all were bought by James D. Doty. Later claims were held by A. G. Ellis. S. C. Stambaugh, the Grignons, James Boyd,
Paul Beaulieu, Daniel Whitney, Morgan L. Martin, Joshua Hathaway, Charles R. Brush, Basile Beaulieu, T. H. Hubbard,
Ebenezer Childs, Joseph J. Pother, William Farnsworth, Byron Kilbourn, Joel Battles, M. T. Williams, John Lawe,
Lewis Eaton, Michael Macobu, Joseph Pauquette, Joseph Lamure, Moses Panquette, John P. Arndt, Thomas Green, William
Beaumont, Charles Corrough, James A. Armstrong, Sylvester Sibley, Josiah R. Dorr, Henry T. Stingham, Joel Battles,
John B. Langlois, Francis Denoyer, Charles Ihric, Joel S. Fisk, Richard Lud, A. H. Green, Reed Bartlett, John Hulbert,
Francis T. Catlin. Anson Dart, Richard Lord, Louis Harteau (lot 1 was owned by Paul Ducharme in 1823), Samuel F.
Cutter, Daniel Ruggles, John Wolf, John F. Lessey, Conrad I. Coon, Nathan Goodell, John F. Meade. E. Monjou, William
Dwight and others. Several of the above lived on this land, but the majority did not, merely being temporary owners.
The town of Buchanan was created by the county board, March 1, 1858. All of Kaukauna south of Fox river was made
the new town. The first officers were probably B. H. Beaulieu, chairman; William Lamure and John Dietzler, supervisors;
Morris Ringrow, clerk; Peter Radmaker, treasurer; B. H. Beaulieu, Michael Klein and John Cabenson, assessors; John
Hunt, William Lamure, Daniel Cline and John Cabenson, justices of the peace; Peter Kline, constable. The total
vote was 32.
The most of the officers figured earlier in the affairs of the town but Morris Ringrow was a recent settler and
lived in the western part of Buchanan. John Hunt was also a new comer about the time of organization; Peter Rademacker
was much earlier, though not of the first Germans.
While Buchanan was yet included in Kaukauna, settlements were made by the French by 1835 and afterward; by Germans
in 1842 and Hollanders in 1848, and thereafter. (See elsewhere.) By 1858 much progress had been made and the first
settlement may be regarded as well advanced and the territory well occupied. Among others not mentioned elsewhere
were Davey, Rohan, Dan Cline, who lived back of Beaulieu's hill; Pat and Richard Powers and the Cobersons lived
over near Holland town; H. Van de Kerkhoff and Michael Maloney lived also in eastern Buchanan; Louis Fourney lived
opposite Little Chute; Cornelius, Louis and James du Bruin came with their mother and at first lived on the Meade
farm; Anton Loth, a Prussian bachelor, lived near Darboy; the Palms and Phillips who settled about 1855; Peter
Haupt and Jacob Jones, about 1857; Coenen, in the '40s; Renn and Sanders early; later Michael Brill, who settled
in section 23 about 1863; Martin Van Groll, a carpenter, came in 1848 and whipsawed the lumber for Coenen's house;
his brother, Reinert Van Groll, came about a year later. In 1858 there were thirty six men between eighteen and
forty five years of age listed fit for military duty, the next year there were sixty and in 1862 only fifty three.
A large tract of land on the river in Buchanan was bought by capitalists in the fall of 1871, and included the
Barber Smith place, B. H. Beaulieu's home. Gardiner's property and many other old landmarks. About $30,000 changed
hands.
In the spring of 1892 the natural gas well in Buchanan attracted much attention. The pressure continued to increase.
The owner used the gas to heat and light his property, he laid piping and put in burners; the as was of a superior
quality.
In 1835 Rev. Mr. Stevenson was pastor in charge of the Presbyterian Mission church of the Stockbridge Indians in
Buchanan. Rev. Jesse Miner was here in 1828 and died the same year; the church was built in 1828 for these Indians.
The settlers of Buchanan, as in Kaukauna, Freedom and Vandenbroek were of the Catholic faith.
On December 2, 1846, William Johnston and Henry Finch of Neenah took the contract to haul a load of goods for the
first store in Neenah. On the 4th of December, with their load, they reached Lamure's in Buchanan, where they staid
all night.
A new brick church in Buchanan was dedicated in October, 1871, and in 1907 the Church of the Holy Name was established
at Kimberly by Rev. Lueck of Appleton, with a membership of about 70 families; now increased to about 150. A parsonage
was built in 1909. A residence is now being built for the Sisters who conduct the parochial school in the basement
of the church; four teachers are employed. Rev. F. X. Van Nistelroy is pastor. A Presbyterian chapel was built
in 1909 at Kimberly, under the direction of Rev. Moone of Appleton. Rev. Thomas E. Owens, who was succeeded. in
1911 by Rev. Willets.
The village of Kimberly dates its origin from the establishment of the Kimberly Clark mill, 1889, near the locality
known to the early settlers as the Cedars on Fox river; and was incorporated in 1910. The village has a free library,
a grade school in which two teachers are employed, well improved streets, sewers and crossings, and is making strenuous
efforts to secure a bridge across the Fox river, September 5, 1911. At an election to determine whether the village
should bond for $12,500, 130 voters favored and two opposed the bond issue. The Kimberly Clark Company maintain
a foot bridge across the river and a free ferry on the canal, and during the seven months' navigation season, 1910,
registered in round numbers 93,000 passengers, using the ferry only during the hours 6 a. m. to 7 p. m. It is claimed
the number who crossed on the lock gates would easily make the total 100,000. The population of the village at
incorporation was 613. The first village officers were: Dr. C. Maes, president; W. W. Johnson, Fred Kroenka, Anton
Bos, Walter van den Elsen, John Guilfoil and Charles Werth, trustees Victor Viaene, clerk; Jacob Verboten, assessor;
James Kraun, treasurer; John J. Fox, marshal; George Roschek and Jacob Williams, justices; S. R. Stilp, supervisor.
The same officers were reelected in 1911. except that William Lemmel and Henry Stuyvenberg were elected trustees
instead of Guilford and Werth.
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