A State Park System is Formed

A State Park System is Formed. Peninsula Leads the Way. "One by one," Assemblyman Tom Reynolds told the Wisconsin Legislature, "all the places of scenic beauty and historical interest are passing away. Before it is too late, it is well to pause and consider whether it is not befitting that some of them be preserved for all time." , Reynolds, a Jacksonport farmer, did not act alone. Landscape Architect John Nolen described the beauty of Peninsula to the Wisconsin Legislature: "It is wild and as yet unspoiled, with alternating interests of woodland and cliff, bay and land ... It sweeps from point to point, here a beach of fine sand, there of gravel, then in contrast precipitous limestone bluffs, rising to a height of a hundred feet or more ... It is no exaggeration to say that the broad beauty of the scenery is not surpassed in Wisconsin." On June 9, 1909, Governor Davidson signed Reynolds' bill, officially creating a system of state parks. Of the four parks originally proposed for the system, Peninsula was the first to be established. , The view from Eagle Panorama hints of Peninsula's storied past. Cedar, maple and beech trees extend over 3,776 acres. An adjacent, cliff-strewn shore unfolds. But in 1909, much of the forest was cut-over for farms and orchards. Rustic fishing shanties, with easy access to passing wooden schooners, dotted the coast below. , Family Farms to Family Campgrounds , The State of Wisconsin purchased most parcels for $5-266 an acre. Some people retained life leases, an arrangement that officially ended in 1964. , In 1914, it cost $5 to pitch a tent for the season. By 1940, camping fees increased to 25 cents per night or $1 per week.