Near Janesville in Rock County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Rock River Industry
Photographed By Keith L, September 23, 2009
1. Rock River Industry Marker
Inscription.
Rock River Industry. . 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.
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.)
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 when traveling east. Marker is north of Janesville, at southbound I-39/eastbound I-90 Rest Area 17. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Janesville WI 53545, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 25, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,065 times since then and 28 times this year. 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.
