Forest Tipton was born in 1903 in Stanton, Kentucky. Forest came to Laona with his parents in July 16, 1907. Forest was only 5 years old. They came from Kentucky because the only thing to do in that state was to farm. Forest's father sold his farm and headed for Wisconsin. Laona was where they found good land and work, because Laona was just being settled at this time.
They used the train for transportation and hauling wood and logs. At one time there were as many as 15 locomotives tied up in Laona. Forest was a foreman in Connors mill for 46 years, working in maintenance, and as a woods foreman. The foreman worked up to 14 hours and the regular men worked a ten hour day, six days a week. The regular worker got paid $1.40 per day and the foreman got 17.5 cents per hour or over $1.75 per day.
Connors had their own form of money or script. It was good all over the county and could be used in taverns, stores and gas stations.
Forest's forst job was working at Connor's farm. He worked for .80 cents a day and that included dinner. The younger workers had to get a work permit and were put to work at the company farm hoeing potatoes, making hay, and taking care of horses and other animals. Forest hooked chains to stumps and hooked them to a team of horses and pulled them to the center of the field and used a primitive hoist to bring them to the top of the pile.
Forest was married in 1927, had two children, and retired in 1966.
~ End of Story ~
Interview with Forest Tipton
from the 1980 research project "Memories of Forest County".
