“This once clear tributary to the Wisconsin River now carries tons of soil from croplands on ridges and slopes. Silver maples, willows and box elders grow on the soil deposited by erosion. The low peaty meadows on both sides of the creek serve as a sponge by trapping silt and providing a steady supply of […]
Facility Category: Historical Markers
Brigham Park: Dane County Historical Society Natural History Series
“You are looking north from the Military Ridge toward Mazomanie, which lies in the Wisconsin River Valley. Beyond the Wisconsin River bluffs, on a clear day, the higher Baraboo Hills can be seen 35 miles away. These hills, with some of the oldest rock on the continent, are fronted by the younger river bluffs of […]
Festge Park: Dane County Historical Society Natural History Series
“You are looking across a deep preglacial valley. Once glacial meltwaters drained west to the Wisconsin River, depositing sand and gravel brought south to Middleton by the giant ice sheets. Today, winding through this unglaciated outwash plain is Black Earth Creek — Dane County’s most productive trout stream. Although aided by fish stocking and habitat […]
Indian Lake: Dane County Historical Society Natural History Series
“Indian Lake Park lies at the edge of the unglaciated or “driftless” area of southwestern Wisconsin. Here, features of both glaciated and unglaciated land are prominent. The steep slopes of exposed rock indicate that this valley was never completely covered with ice. Yet the large boulders found in the draws and on the valley floor […]
Mazomanie Oak Barrens: Dane County Historical Society Natural History Series
“When the last glacier melted some 10,000 years ago, the Wisconsin River swelled to more than 100 times its present size and carried billions of tons of fine sand and gravel on its way to the Mississippi River. As the meltwater decreased, it deposited material in this valley to a depth of 300 feet. This […]
Haney’s Tavern: Dane County Historical Society
“In 1838 at the foot of this bluff Berry Haney, a migrant from Cross Plains, Tennessee, established the Cross Plains Post Office in a log house. Early Cross Plains was the site of important military road crossings and Haney became the pioneer village’s best known settler. One mile east stands Haney’s Tavern, one of Dane […]
Patrons Mercantile Co-op: Dane County Historical Society
“Oldest Cooperative in the Nation. Town of Vermont farmers, beset by a depressed economy in the early 1890’s, organized a company to obtain quality products at fair prices. Amos Thorsrud was the first general manager. He and Nels Simley toured local farms to sell $10 shares in a company store, raising $1800 capital to finance […]
Blue Mounds Fort: Dane County Historical Society
“The onset of the Black Hawk War in northwestern Illinois in April, 1832 triggered panic in southwestern Wisconsin’s lead mining region, prompting erection of over a dozen stockades. On an open prairie knoll 3/4 mile south of this marker, area miners and settlers who became part of Col. Henry Dodge’s militia built Blue Mounds Fort. […]
John F. Appleby: Dane County Historical Society
“It was here at Mazomanie in the late 1870’s that John F. Appleby perfected the knotter. Still used on binders and balers, the knotter is a mechanical device which binds grain into compact bundles with twine. Appleby was born in New York State but spent his boyhood in Walworth County, Wis. In his youth he […]
St. Mary of the Oaks: Dane County Historical Society
On the brow of a hill, one-half mile east overlooking Indian Lake, rests a tiny stone chapel. The structure was built in 1857 by John Endres in fulfillment of a religious vow he made in return for protecting the lives of his family during a diphtheria epidemic. Aided by his son Peter, Endres hauled several […]
Indian Lake Passage: Dane County Historical Society
“On July 21, 1832, during the Black Hawk War, Sac Indian leader Black Hawk and his band left Pheasant Branch, west of Madison, retreating ahead of the military forces commanded by Colonels Ewing and Dodge. The band fled north following a route past the west end of Indian Lake and turned westward down the broad […]
Battle of Wisconsin Heights: Wisconsin Historical Society
“On July 21, 1832, during a persistent rainstorm, the 65-year old Sac Indian leader, Black Hawk, led 60 of his Sac and Fox and Kickapoo warriors in a holding action against 700 United States militia at this location. The conflict, known as the Battle of Wisconsin Heights, was the turning point in the Black Hawk […]
Historic Mazomanie: Wisconsin Historical Society
“In 1850, the Milwaukee and Mississippi Rail Road Company began building a line to span the lower third of Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien. Chief Engineer Edward Brodhead concluded that this area’s topographical features were ideal for constructing a railroad servicing station and a commercial trading village. In 1855, he platted the village […]
Old Halfway Prairie School: Dane County Historical Society
“This building is Dane County’s oldest existing country schoolhouse. Repeated remodelings conceal an original framework of logs. The land was donated for school purposes in 1844 by Mary Fowler, a widow and member of the British Temperance Immigration Society. The name Halfway Prairie was coined by early lead miners who often camped here when traveling […]