Asaph Whittlesey (May 18, 1826 – December 15, 1879) was the first

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

state legislator from the

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region. In 1854, he settled the city of

Ashland, Wisconsin Ashland is a city in Ashland County, Wisconsin, Ashland and Bayfield County, Wisconsin, Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Ashland County. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon ...

.Lake Superior South Shore Visitor Site
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Early years of Ashland

In 1854, Asaph left La Pointe in a rowboat, along with his companion, George Kilborn. Arriving at the bottom of

Chequamegon Bay Chequamegon Bay ( ) is an inlet of Lake Superior in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin. History A Native American village, known as ''Chequamegon'', developed here in the mid-17th century. It was developed b ...

, they settled the area that is now the west side of Ashland. As other pioneers and lumbermen began to arrive, Asaph petitioned the government to name the community Ashland. However, at the time this name was already taken, and it was not until the other community named Ashland became defunct that the name Ashland was granted to Whittlesey's settlement.

Wisconsin legislature

Asaph was elected to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

in 1859. In January 1860, he traveled by snowshoe all the way to

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to catch the nearest train to the state capitol in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

. A famous image of him is a photograph taken during his journey, in which he is wearing his snowshoes, along with a pistol tucked into his belt. This 1860 photo was the basis of a mural in Ashland. As a member of the Wisconsin Legislature, he was successful in petitioning the division of La Pointe County, and the creation of Ashland County (in which the city of Ashland is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Namesake

Whittlesey Creek, near Ashland, was named after him. This watershed also encompasses what is known as the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

Notes

External links

The South Shore Visitor – Historical Vignetteswisconsinhistory.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittlesey, Asaph Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly American city founders History of Wisconsin People from Ashland, Wisconsin 1826 births 1879 deaths 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature