Rock River Industry Marker

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Near Janesville in Rock County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Rock River Industry

By Keith L, September 23, 2009

1. Rock River Industry Marker

Inscription. Flowing through rich agricultural land, the Rock River provided needed water power for local Wisconsin industries. Among the earliest in the 1840s were flour and lumber mills, followed in the 1850s by woolen and paper mills and, later, cotton mills. Efficient farming was provided for with the manufacture of plows, reapers, twine binders, windmills, and platform and wagon scales for weighing grain. Farm wagons, carriages, sleighs and cutters, as well as furniture, were also early products of Rock River industry. So too were processed meats, churns and other dairy equipment for the farm. By the turn of the century, the early gasoline engine, motorized vehicles, machine tools and precision instruments were among familiar products of the valley, as were the electric brake and clutch. In more recent times, such Rock River industrial products as fountain pens, diesel engines, automobiles and paper-making machinery have become worldwide in their markets.

Erected 1983 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 271.)

Location. 42° 46.12′ N, 89° 0.391′ W. Marker is near Janesville, Wisconsin, in Rock County. Marker can be reached from Interstate 90 at milepost 168, 5.1 miles south of State Highway 59, on the right

By Keith L, September 23, 2009

2. Rock River Industry Marker

when traveling east. Click for map. Marker is north of Janesville, at southbound I-39/eastbound I-90 Rest Area 17. Marker is in this post office area: Janesville WI 53545, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Milton House (approx. 3.6 miles away); Storrs Lake Milton (approx. 3.6 miles away); Wisconsin's Tobacco Land (approx. 4.8 miles away); First State Fair (approx. 5.9 miles away); Janesville Tank Company (approx. 6.2 miles away); The Black Hawk War / Black Hawk's Grove (approx. 6.6 miles away); Burr Robbins Circus (approx. 7 miles away); Sterling North (approx. 8.3 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Janesville.

Also see . . .
1. Rock River. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on September 25, 2009.)

2. Janesville, Wisconsin. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on September 25, 2009.)

Nearby Interpretive Panel Photo, Click for full size

By Keith L, September 23, 2009

3. Nearby Interpretive Panel

Prairie Adaptations

By Keith L, September 23, 2009

4. Nearby Interpretive Panel

Nothing to be seen... but immense prairies...,

Credits. This page originally submitted on September 25, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,476 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 25, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.