HAYWARD, the county seat as well as the only town in Sawyer county, is located on
the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway, and is the most prosperous town on the line between Ashland
and the Twin Cities. It is situated 1,300 feet above sea level, has about 2,500 inhabitants, and is supplied with
all the modern conveniences of a city of 10,000 or more, four passenger trains stopping daily.
There are four hotels, three restaurants, two drug stores, two furniture stores, five general stores, two hardware
stores, two grocery stores, two farm Implement firms, two wagon and blacksmith shops, two barber shops, two bakers,
two millinery shops, one grain elevator and lead mill, two livery stables, four feed barns, one dray line, two
banks in operation—the Sawyer County bank and The Bank of Hayward, nine retail liquor stores, one dentist, two
doctors, four lawyers, several dressmakers. Hayward has a fine court house and jail, opera house, town hall, volunteer
fire company, an excellent school System, with fine buildings and efficient corps of instructors, six churches—
the Episcopal Mission, Norwegian, Methodist, Swedish Evangelic Lutheran, Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran, Congregational
and Catholic. Thirteen secret organizations hold meetings here. There are two newspapers—The Hayward Enterprise,
and The Hayward Republican.
The Hayward Free Library has 2,969 books and has a fine reading room, with five daily, eight weekly and eight monthly
papers are always on file, open to the public both day and evening. The city also has electric lights, water works
and sewerage, brick paving and ten miles of sidewalk, in fact all the advantages of an up-to-date city. It is a
great hay fever resort, hundreds visiting the place every year. The general appearance of the place is pleasing,
as most inhabitants own their homes and take pride in their appearance, while there are many handsome residences.
The leading industry at present is lumbering, conducted by the North Wisconsin Lumber & Manufacturing Co. The
mill has a capacity of cutting 200,000 feet of lumber, 50,000 lath, and 40,000 shingles daily; a work which requires
the services of 350 employees. The new government Indian Boarding School has been erected here. The site secured
is within a mile of Hayward, and the government has already spent $100,000 on the erection of the buildings. A
section of land was donated by the North Wisconsin Lumber Company. Within Sawyer County are seventy-seven lakes,
some of which, such as Round, and Lac Court O'Reilles, are famous for their scenery and fine fishing. There are
several fine club houses on these lakes, all of which are within a few miles of Hayward, where livery teams can
be secured at any time.
Location of Our Land Is Most Desirable - Sawyer and adjoining counties are situated in the Northwestern part of
the state, in the grass region of Wisconsin. Look at a map of the state and you will see that the location is all
that could be desired. The advantages to anyone coming to this community and locating permanently is that you are
not taking your family to a wild and barren region, which will take years to develop, but you are coming into a
country that is already possessed of all the advantages to be secured in almost any country of fifty years of ago.
Why This Country Was Not Settled Before — Naturally you would ask why this country was not settled before. You
must understand that this land was owned by lumber companies, whose only object was to cut the large timber off
of it, and it is only in the last few years that this land has been offered for sale in small tracts to settlers.
Had the lumber companies placed these lands on sale ten years ago, you could not buy a farm in this region for
less than $30.00 per acre. Suppose you locate here this year; what will your farm be worth in ten years? While
you are clearing your land you are practically putting money in the bank, as your land increases in value every
day; and, in fact, it is better than a bank account, as a good farm is the best investment that you or anyone else
could make. Most of the lands were selected years ago, and have been held out of market until placed in our hands
in the fall of 1899. Since then we have sold sixty-two thousand acres, mostly to actual settlers. These lands are
level or gently rolling, making an ideal farming country.
Soil — The soil in Sawyer and adjoining counties consists of a clayey loam, intermixed with a rich, soft, marl;
beneath this is a compact yellow clay, which prevents seepage. This strata is from five to forty feet, in depth,
below this in the water sheet is a coarse gravel, making it the purest of water; one great feature in regards to
our water, you will find it all soft in wells, lake, rivers and streams, making it very healthful. This soil grow
all kinds of vegetables, fruit and grain, such as wheat, oats, barley, flax and corn. Throughout our timber and
unimproved lands you will find clover and timothy growing abundantly. The barley raised in our country consists
of the finest quality, and this is a dairy country second to none.
[The Minneapolis Journal, Sept 18, 1902 - sub. by K.T.]
