Dikeman

Dikeman. . , The year was 1863. This area was a wilderness accessible only by primitive trails that wound through the vast, virgin pine forest. Here, surrounded by thousands of acres of prime timberland, Charles W. Dikeman and his partners built their mill. , Unable to travel long distances under such conditions to and from work, employees and their families lived in the dwellings that were built adjacent to the mill. A store, tavern and later a school were built to meet their needs. , Far from a navigable waterway, the necessity to transport their shingles, lumber and bark overland to the village of Kewaunee led to a somewhat improved, but still very primitive road system. From Kewaunee the forest products were shipped via the lake to Milwaukee and Chicago. , In the late 1870s the community of Dikeman became an important social center in the county when the Dikemans completed their new residence described as a "palatial mansion." Located near the mill, it was surrounded by landscaped grounds that included spring-fed fishponds. A conservatory provided flowers throughout the year. The house possessed many amenities and conveniences that could only be found in houses located in or near large cities at that time, certainly not in a small, fairly isolated milling center. , But as the timber supply in the area became depleted the days of the community of Dikeman were numbered... , As the land was cleared, the county's economic base shifted from forest products to agriculture and other industries. Farm and cheese factories replaced the forest and the sawmills. Improved roadways cut travel time eliminating the need for numerous "crossroad communities" that once were essential. Thriving communities unable to adapt to the change declined or, as in the case of Dikeman, disappeared entirely... Alaska, Bay View, Bottkolville, Bruemmerville, Darbellay, Footbridge, Forest Hill, Foscoro, Sandy Bay, Scarboro, Slovan...