Horicon, Dodge County, Wisconsin · October 19–20, 1882 Carl G. Reinemann, Author Author’s Note: This is also available as a podcast, The Old Cold Case, The Murder of Marshal William Gibson. The Man Who Came Home from the War Not all of Horicon’s losses came on distant battlefields. William Gibson, an Irish immigrant, had served …
Horicon’s Early Liquor and Lager Trade, 1850–1900 Long before temperance reformers arrived to spoil the fun, the citizens of Horicon, Wisconsin, kept themselves well supplied with locally distilled whiskey and locally brewed lager. From the moment the first settlers broke ground, the infrastructure of drink followed close behind — a distillery by 1854, rival saloons …
144 Years Ago… When Smallpox Came to Horicon — April 28, 1882 Smallpox had a devastating effect on Native Americans when Europeans arrived on this continent, and it did not end there. Smallpox was a constant threat, with mortality rates up to 70%. A new wave of immigration from Europe in 1880–1883 really leapfrogged the …
