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Downtown 1958

Downtown 1958

Friday, September 22, 2023

"...A Whole-Souled Badger..."

September 25, 1869, Appleton Crescent

The Appleton newspaper waxes poetic about Governor James Doty, former territorial governor of the Wisconsin Territory and the then-Territorial Governor of the Utah Territory upon his death in 1865.  Besides his local fame, Governor Doty was responsible for Madison becoming the capital of Wisconsin and lobbied for years to free Wisconsin from the shadow of the Michigan Territory, realizing fully that Michigan's lack of interest in the "distant" lands on the other side of Lake Michigan were robbing Wisconsin of fully realizing its potential. 

I especially like the sentiment that Wisconsinites will someday take advantage of the new transcontinental railroad and visit Doty's grave in Utah and gain inspiration from it.  


Portrait of Governor James Duane Doty, 1849-50, by Matthew Brady

1 comment:

  1. Kudos, David, on finding so many extremely interesting historical articles, especially in the past week or so. I have found myself captivated by these! I'm sure that I'll never have the chance to visit Governor Doty's grave, but I always enjoy a trip to Doty Park to admire the replica of his cabin, as well as the lovely statues.

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