Hall-Raynor Stopping Place
The oldest building still standing in Sawyer County Wisconsin
Clark, W.N. and M.H. Clark. “A Short History of Southern Sawyer County.” Wisconsin Colonization Company, 1920.
One of the best known early settlers was Alfred Raynor, who in 1878 bought the Raynor farm from the Hall brothers, who were a few years previous, and built a stopping place on the Chippewa River for the lumbermen on their way to and from the woods.
With Raynor was A.J. Hayward, who afterwards founded the town of Hayward.
Raynor lived on this farm continuously until 1917, running a stopping place and hotel for this period of thirty-nine years, during which period lumbering in this section reached its height. Mr. and Mrs. Raynor kept as many as 85 overnight, and frequently gave dinner to 150 lumberjacks.
Several lumbering camps were located near the Raynor farm, and 20,000,000 feet of logs have been put into the Chippewa River in a single winter within three or four miles of the place.
During the summer for the first few years of his resident there, supplies were transported from Chippewa Falls by team to Big Bend, Rusk County, thence taken by boat to Mr. Raynor’s place. In winter, the entire distance was made by team.
In 1917, Al Raynor sold his farm, and is now living at Winter with this children. Henry Crawford, a son-in-law of Raynor, had a farm a half mile up the river from the Raynor farm, which is still known as the Crawford farm.
Title to Lot 3. Sec l on 4-38-6 was transferred from the government to Eric McArthur on May 31. 1869. On February 13 1873. he sold to to C.C . and Sarah F. Drew who owned the lot on which the buildings stand (they were erected on the line between Lot 2 an d Lot 3) until April 19. 1880. when they sold it to A.J . Hayward and Warren E. Mc Cord. These men – close business associates – had bought adjacent Lot 2 by tax deed April 25. 1881. On November 11 . 1881.
Hayward transferred his interest in both lots to the Laird· Norton Company and they sold Lot 2 and appurtenances on June 7. 1884, to Theresa Inman Raynor.
No mention has been found of the exact date when the original buildings were erected . Alfred Raynor, a native of Canada and a Civil War veteran from Maine, never claimed to have built it: in fact. he stated to his biographer in 1901 that “he moved his house hold goods to this place on March 12. 1878.” and that, “they (with A.J . Hayward and W. E. McCord) bought it from William and Samuel Hall, and for many years it was known as the Hall Stopping Place. Since Charles Drew had an interest in the place from 1873 until 1880, it would seem that he built it or had a substantial share in it perhaps with the Halls.
One of the best known early settlers was Alfred Raynor, who in 1878 bought the Raynor farm from the Hall brothers, who a few years previous, had built a stopping place on the Chippewa river for the lumberman on their way to and from the woods. With Raynor was A. J. Hayward who afterwards founded the town of Hayward
Raynor lived on this farm continuously until 1917, running a stopping place and hotel for this period of thirty-nine years, during which period lumbering in this section reached its height. Mr. and Mrs. Raynor kept as many as eighty-five over night, and frequently gave dinner to one hundred and fifty lumberjacks. Several lumbering camps were located near the Raynor farm, and 20,000,000 feet of logs have been put into the Chippewa river in a single winter within three or four miles of the place.
During the summer for the first few years of his residence there, supplies were transported from Chippewa Falls by team to Big Bend, Rusk County, thence taken by boat to Mr. Raynor’s place. In winter, the entire distance was made by team. Iin 1917, Al Raynor sold his farm, and is now living at Winter with his children. Henry Crawford, a son-in-law of Raynor, had a farm a half mile up the river from the Raynor farm which is still known as the Crawford farm. [Source: A Short History of Southern Sawyer County, William Noble Clark & Margaret M. Clark, The Wisconsin Colonization Company, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1920]; transcribed by Angie Lietzau
Civil War Record
ALFRED RAYNOR
Born on Prince Edward Island Canda March 14, 1843
Enlisted August 1864 – 16th Maine (Infantry) Company B. a substitute for a gentleman from Bangor
Civil War Action Seen
New Market Heights, VA – September 28 – 30, 1864 (Petersburg Campaign)
Hatchers Run, VA – December 8 – 9, 1864 (Petersburg Campaign)
Gravelly Run, VA – March 29 – 30, 1865 (Petersburg Campaign)
Five Forks, VA – March 30 -April 1, 1865 (Appomattox Campaign)
Appomattox, VA – April 9, 1865
Mustered out as a Private June 1865 – Took money he got for substitution and moved to Wisconsin
Died Sawyer County April 1, 1920 Buried in Winter Cemetery
Architecturally, the Hall-Raynor Stopping Place is a typical example of early residences common to the area. Built of hand-hewn squared timbers nocked-in at the corners and later receiving an outside covering of clapboard, it was tight from the weather and safe from severe deterioration. The foundation was originally mudsills or tamarack timbers laid on rocks. These were badly deteriorated and the whole building subsided, the floor joists resting upon the wet earth.
The building with its ell remains as it was originally erected . The older part is 20 by 34 feet and the ell is 20 by 20 feet. The upstairs is divided into four dormitory rooms off of a sleeping hall which was called the “ram pasture” in its heyday. The ground floor of the ell was used as a saloon and the attic probably was an overflow sleeping area. The old place is owned by Russel R. Falkenberg whose family uses it as a residence on weekends .
The Hall-Raynor Stopping Place was entered on the National Register of Historic Places on August 30 . 1979. This old landmark of the logging days was selected for the National Registry because it is the lone remnant of the many riverside hotels established specifically to accommodate loggers who used the rivers as highways for themselves, their supplies, and for their product: the timber they cut upstream and floated down to the mills . Later, when roads had been cut out and graded along the rivers, they were the overnighi stops for the team and driver of the lumbering tote wagon. When stage routes were established they became stations where the driver could pick up a fresh team and the passengers could refresh themselves at the bar or lunch table.
The main building was laid up with hand-hewn logs in the middle seventies . The annex of similar construction was probably added by the fall of 1882 – we know that because we peeled off newspapers that had been pasted on the inside of the logs which were dated from October, 1882 to March. 1883. A massive reconstruction program was completed in 1981 by owner Falkenberg.
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