WI BIO - Lafayette Co - RICKERT, Samuel

History of La Fayette County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical, 1881, 
pp 370-371, 495, 571, 740

Biography of Samuel RICKERT - p 740

Samuel RICKERT, retired, Town of Shullsburg [Town 1 North, Range 2 East, 
Lafayette County, Wisconsin], was born 18 March 1818 in Lancaster County, 
Pennsylvania. In 1823 he came with his parents to Wayne County, Ohio. In 
1829 he came to St. Joseph County, Michigan. [He may have actually came to 
Wayne County, Michigan, since St. Joseph County was created in 1829 from 
Wayne County. Michigan became a State on 26 January 1837.] In 1839 he came 
to Dubuque [Dubuque County, Iowa, which was created in 1834 from part of 
Michigan Territory. The area around what became Dubuque was an site for lead 
mining. From 1788 until his death in 1810, Julien DUBUQUE mined lead in this 
area with permission from the Indians and use of them as a labor force.] In 
1840 Mr. RICKERT came to Dixon [Lee County], Illinois, and went thence to 
Louisiana. In the spring of 1841 he came to La Fayette County [then in the 
Territory of Wisconsin], commenced mining, and has followed this since. In 
1846 he, with Mr. SIMMONS, made a discovery which produced about 2,000,000 
pounds [of lead]. In 1850 he commenced mining on the land known as the 
Stephens Diggings, and continued this several years, producing about 
10,000,000 pounds. [Wisconsin became a State 29 May 1848.] In 1859 he 
commenced mining on his own land, known as the Rickert Diggings, taking out 
about 2,000,000 [pounds]. In 1865 he commenced operations on the McNulty, 
Brewster & Company property, which he continued until March 1880.

In 1850 he [Samuel RICKERT] married Miss Ellen STEPHENS [STEVENS?], who was 
born in Canada. They [Samuel and Ellen (STEPHENS) RICKERT] have two 
children: Fronie and Belle. Mr. RICKERT owns about 560 acres of land which 
he has rented, and twenty-five acres of land in town [Shullsburg], with his 
residence, which is built of rock and cost about $7,000. [A map of 
Shullsburg in an 1878 atlas shows land belonging to S. RICKERT at the south 
end of the village of Shullsburg, east of White Oak Springs Road. On the 
east side of the road is land belonging to H. STEPHENS, who also has land 
east and northeast of the village, adjoining the northeast corner of the 
village. The J. McNulty Estate is shown to adjoin the village of Shullsburg 
on its northern border, west of White Oak Springs Road, between the village 
and the Shullsburg Branch of the Galena River.]


Rickert, Stevens & Company Diggings - pp 370-371

The Rickert, Stevens & Company diggings [later spelled Stephens] are situated 
on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 14 [Shullsburg 
Township], about five hundred feet east of the McNulty mine, and connected 
with it. [A lengthy discussion of the geology of the mine is omitted 
here.] In regard to the production of these diggings, it is estimated that 
the south half of Section 10 and the northwest quarter of the northwest 
quarter of Section 14, being an area one mile long on a course south seventy 
degrees east, and three-quarters of a mile wide, including the McNulty and 
Rickerts Diggings, have produced since the commencement of mining operations 
not less than one hundred million pounds [of lead.] The company commenced 
work in 1849, and on the present range in May 1874. They are now operating a 
steam pump [the previous pump was horse-driven] in what is supposed to be a 
continuation of the South Diggings range. The product from 01 June 1873 to 
01 March 1876 is a follows: in 1873, 377,120 pounds; in 1874, 201,966 
pounds; in 1875, 318,690 pounds; and in 1876, 153,720 pounds. 

Miscellaneous RICKERT Notes from the Text

[In its discussion of the newspaper, "Pick and Gad," first issued in 
Shullsburg on Tuesday, 28 June 1853, the text mentions (p 495) an 
advertisement notifying the public that Samuel RICKERT had just received "a 
choice variety of dry goods." If this is the same Samuel RICKERT, then he 
was, besides lead mining, also interested in a dry goods business in 
Shullsburg. In the Village of Shullsburg section, the text mentions (p 571) 
in its discussion of Old Shullsburg, located "about a mile west of the 
present Shullsburg, on the ridge opposite Estey's furnace," that "Samuel 
RICKERT and Gilbert SIMMONS erected a building adjoining Townsend & Bennett's 
improvement." This building is not stated to be a store, but other buildings 
mentioned in this paragraph erected there are designated as stores or other 
places of business, such as a blacksmith shop and saloon.]

Submitted by Cathy Kubly