Blue Mounds in Dane County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Blue Mounds Fort
Photographed By William J. Toman, June 20, 2010
1. Blue Mounds Fort Marker
Inscription.
Blue Mounds Fort. . 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. Here the Hall sisters, survivors of the Indian Creek massacre, were released for ransom through Winnebago intercession. W.G. Aubrey, George Force and Emerson Green died in ambush attacks near the stockade. After the Battle of Wisconsin Heights, troops regrouped here. Despite repeated surrender attempts, Black Hawk's band of Sac and Fox Indians was virtually annihilated at the junction of the Bad Axe and Mississippi Rivers August 2. Thus ended one Native American group's efforts to escape the tragic consequences of white settlement., The heirs of Col. Ebenezer Brigham donated a portion of the Fort site to the State Historical Society in 1921.
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. Here the Hall sisters, survivors of the Indian Creek massacre, were released for ransom through Winnebago intercession. W.G. Aubrey, George Force and Emerson Green died in ambush attacks near the stockade. After the Battle of Wisconsin Heights, troops regrouped here. Despite repeated surrender attempts, Black Hawk's band of Sac and Fox Indians was virtually annihilated at the junction of the Bad Axe and Mississippi Rivers August 2. Thus ended one Native American group's efforts to escape the tragic consequences of white settlement.
The heirs of Col. Ebenezer Brigham donated a portion of the Fort site to the State Historical Society in 1921.
Erected 1992 by Dane County Historical Society. (Marker Number 29.)
Location. 43° 0.909′ N, 89° 49.6′ W. Marker is in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, in Dane County. Marker is at the intersection of County Route ID and Division Street (County Route F), on the left when traveling east on County Route ID. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blue Mounds WI 53517, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Looking in the direction referenced in the marker as the site of Blue Mounds Fort.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,223 times since then and 58 times this year. Last updated on September 7, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 21, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
