| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Kendall — Elroy – Sparta State Trail |
| | This 32 mile state trail was formerly the mainline of the Chicago and North Western Railway. The conversion from “rail to trail” represented a new concept in recreational development. Utilizing the abandoned railbed, it was the first trail of its kind in the United States to be designated a National Recreational Trail by the United States Department of Interior. The trail is primarily used for bicycling, hiking and snowmobiling. Passing through scenic areas, it links the communities . . . — Map (db m18710) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — Civil War Cannon |
| | This Civil War cannon was captured from Confederate forces by Wisconsin troops on Island Number 10 near Vicksburg. Brought to Sparta by Mr. W. H. Farnham in 1867. — Map (db m8611) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — 198 — Coulee Country |
| | From the hills all around, rugged valleys collect for rivers that feed the mighty Mississippi. The early French called such a valley a coulee. These many valleys, large and small, still are known as coulees, a regional name for a regional landscape.
Here the glaciers never came. The great ice sheets grinding out of the north sometimes passed to the west, other times to the east, to plane the land, carve out the Great Lakes, and leave deep deposits of gravel and other sediment everywhere . . . — Map (db m8921) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — Masonic Lodge |
| | The Masons constructed this building in 1923, as Sparta's first building devoted entirely to a social organization. The architecture is characterized by an eclectic mix of Classical Revival and Prairie School influences. Noted regional architect and Masonic lodge member Albert Parkinson designed it.
The building was purchased by the Monroe County Historical Society in 1984 for use as a county museum.
This property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. — Map (db m9037) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — Monroe County Courthouse |
| | Monroe County was created in 1854, and Sparta became the county seat. The present building is the third Monroe County courthouse and replaced an 1863 courthouse. It was constructed in 1895 at a cost in excess of $50,000. Chicago architect Mifflin E. Bell designed this courthouse in the Romanesque Revival style, which was popular for civic architecture in the 1890s.
The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. — Map (db m8960) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — Sparta Free Library |
| | Prior to the construction of this building in 1902, the Sparta Free Library had several homes in the community. Schick and Roth, a LaCrosse architectural firm, designed the library building.
Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie provided construction funds. The Carnegie Foundation approved Sparta's application for $10,000 when the city agreed to allocate $1,000 annually to the library. The foundation funded 64 libraries in Wisconsin and 1,679 in the United States.
This property was listed in . . . — Map (db m9054) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — U.S. Post Office |
| | Prior to the construction of this building in 1915, Sparta's post office was housed in a variety of buildings such as the nearby Masonic Temple. Although the initial federal appropriation for the post office was secured by Congressman John Esch around 1910, it was not until 1914 that $60,000 was set aside to construct this building. Construction of a federal building in Sparta marked a major development for the community.
This property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. — Map (db m9003) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Sparta — Wisconsin Child Center Cemetery |
| | On the 223 acres which surround this peaceful place, many hundreds of children whose young lives were touched by tragedy and misfortune lived here at the Wisconsin Child Center, formerly known as the State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children. From 1886 to 1976, the numerous buildings and playgrounds provided the temporary homes for these many generations of children.
Some were orphaned, while others were born to families without resources to care for them. Some spent their . . . — Map (db m26634) |
| Wisconsin (Monroe County), Tomah — 88 — Tomah |
| | When this site was selected for a settlement in 1855, one of its founders read in an old history of the state that the Menominee Chief Tomah had at one time gathered his tribe in this vicinity for a conference.
He suggested the name "Tomah" for the new village, and his choice was adopted.
The chief's name was Thomas Carron, "Tomah" being the French pronunciation for Thomas. He was born in 1752 in the old King's village opposite Green Bay.
A man of magnificent appearance, six . . . — Map (db m3960) |
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