Freeland Dexter - The News from Lone Rock: Observations and Witticisms of a Small-Town Newsman

In an emerging America, the role of newspaperman was an important one. He was an observer, a reporter, an interpreter, and often the heart and soul of the community. He gave voice to broken hearts when a child died and punctured the pomposity of local politicians when they lost perspective. In Lone Rock, Wisconsin, in the late 1800s to early 1900s, that voice was Freeland Dexters. As a small-town newspaperman, Freeland spoke for his village, and he spoke for himself. Anything was fair game. He did not spare words, telling it all. He was that most prized of all things in Wisconsinhe was authentic.

Freeland Dexter was a distinguished Civil War veteran, serving as a member of the Fifth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment from 1864 to 1865. At the time of his death in 1912, one of his friends, C. F. Barnes, who fought beside him at the Siege of Petersburg, remembered him as a brave soldier... a true comrade who exhorted a fatigued regiment to engage battle. Freeland had seen the worst in life, but as his columns show, he chose to celebrate the best. He possessed the sympathy that arises from seeing real suffering, but understood the surviving grace of humor. He had a sense of wonder at the pageant of life as it played out in his small town of Lone Rock, Wisconsin.

In the years that Freeland was writing, 1884 to 1912, Mark Twain was on the national and international stage. Just as Twain had his life on the Mississippi River, Freeland had his life on the Wisconsin River. Like Twain, Freeland cherished the whimsical, and he came to the truth in roundabout ways.

In the years that Freeland was writing his columns, Wisconsin had its own share of larger-than-life characters. Bob La Follette was an outspoken political voice, and Charles Van Hise was leading the University of Wisconsin. In 1904, these two men articulated and championed The Wisconsin Idea, embodying the belief that great ideas should exist without boundaries, emerging naturally at the grassroots. These leaders recognized the strength of Wisconsin at the local level. Just down the road in Lone Rock, Freeland Dexter showcased this idea of home-grown strength year-in and year-out.

The study of small town life serves as a way to understand the larger mysteries of life, a way to appreciate what matters most; it is as rich as Sherwood Andersons Winesburg, Ohio, and as August Derleths Prairie du Sac. Here, in Lone Rock, Wisconsin, Freeland Dexter captured the comings and goings of everyday folks and we have a lot we can learn from them. We owe Deanna Haney a great debt of gratitude for bringing this amazing original source material to light. This is as close as we can get to these people and their stories. Enjoy them.

Mark E. Lefebvre