This park, built to portray and preserve Wisconsin's beginnings, is located on a site that is itself a part of history. On this 40-acre site stood Camp Smith--a temporary location of Fort Howard--part of the pioneer settlement known as Shantytown, . . . — — Map (db m240687) HM
In 1829, citizens of the Green Bay area petitioned Congress to build a road to Chicago. Following an ancient Indian trail, the military road to connect Fort Howard at Green Bay with Fort Dearborn at Chicago was surveyed by the U.S. War Department . . . — — Map (db m68166) HM
Why Was This Project Undertaken?
WIS 57 is the primary route into and out of the Door Peninsula's popular resort country and by the early 1990s had become inadequate to safely carry current traffic loads.
A Wisconsin Department of . . . — — Map (db m143303) HM
Historic Preservation and the WIS 57 Project
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) requires federal agencies to take into account the effect their properties might have on historic properties such as buildings and . . . — — Map (db m143313) HM
The first coast-to-coast auto route across the northern tier of states.
"A Good Road from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound"
Before 1912 Railroads dominated long distance transportation. Local roads were dust and mud. There was little . . . — — Map (db m40098) HM
Before there were numbered highways in the United States there were names attached to roads to help motorists navigate from town to town or from county to county. In 1912 no one thought in terms of an inter-state highway. However, a small band of . . . — — Map (db m42158) HM
Before there were numbered highways in the United States there were names attached to roads to help motorists navigate from town to town or from county to county. In 1912 no one thought in terms of an inter-state highway. However, a small band of . . . — — Map (db m42144) HM
The first coast-to-coast auto route across the northern tier of states.
"A Good Road from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound"
Before 1912 Railroads dominated long distance transportation. Local roads were dust and mud. There was little . . . — — Map (db m43262) HM
Originally used for threshing grain in the area by William Neville, this steam engine was owned by Martin "Max" Feuerstein from the 1930s through the 1960s to power a sawmill along 18th Street on Neillsville's northside. This sawmill produced lumber . . . — — Map (db m41389) HM
General Sturdevant, chief architect and father of the Alcan Highway, was born in Neillsville and married Beth Youmans of this city. During forty years of devoted service General Sturdevant was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze . . . — — Map (db m30863) HM
Merrimac’s first permanent settler, Chester Mattson, obtained a territorial charter in 1848 to provide ferry service across the Wisconsin River. The State Legislature of 1851 authorized a road, subsequently to become State Trunk Highway 113, to . . . — — Map (db m1932) HM
1828 — 1845
Surrender of Red Bird
Noted Winnebago Chief
1827
Erected by Wau-Bun Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution 1924 — — Map (db m4609) HM
Early roadside rest areas were rural school grounds and country churchyards with their two little houses in back.
In Wisconsin, by 1920, curves were built to eliminate sharp road corners. Local garden clubs, with the American Legion and . . . — — Map (db m22690) HM
In July, 1833, Lt. Alexander Center blazed a nearby oak, marking the 100-mile point of a military road he and James Doty were surveying. The Old Military Road, built from 1835 to 1837, connected Ft. Crawford at Prairie du Chien, Ft. Winnebago at . . . — — Map (db m36907) HM
This land was bequeathed to the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association in 1909 by one of its active members, George B. Burrows (1832 - 1909). The lake shore area was filled to its present level by dredging the lake bottom. Until 1913 an on-site . . . — — Map (db m44408) HM
This quaint stone carriage house was built for James and Minnie Corry. Corry, a well-known realtor, helped develop the Fair Oaks plat and was a promoter of the east side. The Corrys' plans to build a house in front of the carriage house were halted . . . — — Map (db m45442) HM
A City of Madison Principal Planner whose work spanned from 1965 to 1996, John championed downtown urban design projects including the State Street Mall, Capitol Concourse, Civic Center, Capitol Centre, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and the . . . — — Map (db m40522) HM
Squire William Pethrick, English barrister and gentleman farmer, used native stone and timber to build this house here in 1853 on 30 acres of land. Pethrick chose the site because he believed that Madison's State Street would eventually be extended . . . — — Map (db m32470) HM
James R. Law (1885-1952) was the founder of Law, Law, and Potter, an architectural firm that designed many buildings and homes in Madison. Law was appointed mayor in 1932 and was re-elected for 5 terms. In 1943 he resigned to become chairman of the . . . — — Map (db m36167) HM
During the 19th Century, Willow Creek marked the western edge of the University of Wisconsin campus and the end of University Drive. In 1892, at the suggestion of Prof. Edward T. Owen, a committee of public-spirited citizens constructed a "pleasure . . . — — Map (db m41345) HM
This impressive stucco and brick house was built for Addie and Frank M. Wootton, an attorney who became one of Madison's first automobile dealers. From 1914 to 1948, it was the home of Daniel and Katie Mead. Mead was a UW professor of engineering . . . — — Map (db m40956) HM
The Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association, incorporated in 1894, was granted an easement from the Dominican sisters of Sinsinawa for a road connecting Vilas Park with Woodrow Street.
The road was constructed in 1904 to provide a place to . . . — — Map (db m20951) HM
In January 1903, the leader of Madison's park development and President of the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association, John M. Olin, presented a grand development plan for the Yahara River to city leaders. The plan called for deepening, . . . — — Map (db m32644) HM
Frank W. Hoyt (1852 - 1950) was a founder of the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association in 1894. He was its treasurer for 38 years, and served 11 more years on the Madison Parks board when it began managing Madison parks in 1932. This park was . . . — — Map (db m44407) HM
The original Sherman Avenue crossing over the Yahara River was a wooden bridge built by Leonard Farwell circa 1848. It was replaced in 1874. By 1904 the bridge consisted of steel beams, plates and rivets with a wooden plank deck. There are four . . . — — Map (db m32172) HM
This park was a gift to the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association to be held in trust for the city of Madison by Colonel William Freeman Vilas and Anna M. Vilas in 1904. At their request, the park was named Henry Vilas Park in memory of their . . . — — Map (db m41556) HM
Prehistoric woodland Indians built effigy mounds on the many glacial drumlins in this area, including those in Indian Mound Park. Later Winnebagoes lived along the shores of Lake Waubesa and the Yahara River. They ceded the land to the government in . . . — — Map (db m33761) HM
The Stamm House, built in 1847, was an early inn and provisions center for the travelers of the federal military road. The bygone scene saw stage-coaches, wagons of settlers and traders, and native Americans from nearby lakeside encampments. Later . . . — — Map (db m45340) HM
Fabricated by the Iowa Iron Company, the early well known bridge was built like a railroad trestle with black overhead supports. It served as the area's only route across the Yahara River. Nearby speakesies and its edge-of-town location gave the . . . — — Map (db m19930) HM
This typical Wisconsin farmhouse became the retirement home in 1880 of early civic leader George Nichols. Five unusual round windows upstairs and a hilltop location provided a grand view of the area. Nichols School and Road, built on parcels of his . . . — — Map (db m19959) HM
The Pink Elephant has been at this gas station since the mid-late 1960's. The elephant was brought here because the owner was looking for a way to make his gas station to stand out from the other stations on this intersection. The elephant has been . . . — — Map (db m227430) HM
In 1875 the Wisconsin Legislature offered a prize of $10,000 to the citizen of this state who could produce a machine "which shall be a cheap and practical substitute for the use of horses and other animals on the highway and farm." Such machine was . . . — — Map (db m55383) HM
Why Was This Project Undertaken?
WIS 57 is the primary route into and out of the Door Peninsula's popular resort country and by the early 1990s had become inadequate to safely carry current traffic loads.
A Wisconsin . . . — — Map (db m80274) HM
The Town of Williamsonville
Tornado Memorial Park in Door County is located on the site of the former settlement of Williamsonville. The town was settled by the Williamson family in 1869 to take advantage of the Door County State Road . . . — — Map (db m80215) HM
Historic Preservation and the WIS 57 Project
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
(NHPA) requires federal agencies to take into account the effect their projects might have on historic properties . . . — — Map (db m80311) HM
The Raube Road Site is one of Wisconsin's few remaining intact Old Military Road segments from the state's territorial period. Located on farmland purchased by Albert and Martha Raube in 1911, this 123-foot-long Military Road segment was part of the . . . — — Map (db m36007) HM
The Military Road, built in 1835, became the first highway to cross the state. Congress appropriated $5,000 to connect the St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins.
The troops at Fort Crawford constructed the road from Prairie du Chien to . . . — — Map (db m46182) HM
This tablet marks the site of the toll gate on the Military Trail and Old Plank Road
1835 – January 10, 1916.
Erected by Fond du Lac Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution 1932 — — Map (db m3650) HM
Towns like Boscobel developed along the Lower Wisconsin River as a result of the confluence of transportation networks.
[map of stagecoach routes between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River]
In the 1830s and 1840s, . . . — — Map (db m47936) HM
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England and English expatriates designed the US railroads. Why . . . — — Map (db m218680) HM
When Nelson Dewey left his parents' home at Hamilton, New York, at the age of 23, he traveled by stage coach, steamer, sailing vessel, horse-back, and on foot to reach Wisconsin. The trip took five weeks, and Dewey arrived in Cassville in June of . . . — — Map (db m21489) HM
In 1828, ox-teams, guided along an ancient Winnebago Indian trail, began hauling lead from Exeter to Mineral Point and Galena over this road.
June 29, 1832, after the Battle of the Pecatonica, Gen. Henry Dodge and his Rangers passed here to . . . — — Map (db m131486) HM
You are traveling the route of the Old Military Road, built in 1835-36, to connect Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien and Fort Howard at Green Bay, via Fort Winnebago at "The Portage" between the Fox-Wisconsin rivers. The section from Prairie du . . . — — Map (db m36908) HM
In the early 1900's Peter J. Hoffman organized a dray line & road construction business. Horse & mule teams pulled
wagons & slip dirt scrapes. His wife Anna collected the bills. The construction company had 10 employees.
. . . — — Map (db m80456) HM
Martin Torkelson, born in Jackson County, served the State of Wisconsin for more than fifty years. He was a pioneer in the development for both land and air transportation.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1904, . . . — — Map (db m3477) HM
In the old days when both automobiles and roads were few in number, it was easy for those who had cars to get far enough away from home to get lost. While there were some “trails” such as the Cannon Ball Trail and the Yellowstone Trail . . . — — Map (db m88574) HM
During the Black Hawk War of 1832, General Atkinson camped near this location on two occasions. On July 7th, Atkinson led his entire militia, including future President's Abraham Lincoln and Zachary Taylor here. On July 19th, Atkinson returned . . . — — Map (db m31762) HM
One of the most innovative aids to the transport of goods in the early pioneer days between Watertown and Milwaukee was the creation of the Plank Road, a wooden highway that roughly conforms to US Highway 16 today. Started in the late 1840s, the . . . — — Map (db m177256) HM
Thomas B. Jeffery purchased the 1895 Sterling Bicycle Factory and pioneered Kenosha’s auto industry in 1900. His company was an industry leader, creating the second mass produced auto in 1902. Jeffery was the first auto manufacturer to make all . . . — — Map (db m38570) HM
Green Bay Road was the main route of settlement and communication in 19th century eastern Wisconsin. The road followed an ancient Indian trail network and was surveyed for use as a military road between Fort Dearborn (Chicago) and Fort Howard (Green . . . — — Map (db m66625) HM
In the 1800’s, before assigning names to roads was a common practice, intersections were often given names to identify communities and places of interest.
The trail through Brass Ball Corners started at Lake Michigan and went west through Lake . . . — — Map (db m114066) HM
The history of Copeland Avenue dates back to 1856, just a few months after the City of La Crosse was incorporated. The road was originally not more than a footpath and barely wide enough for one wagon. Copeland Avenue connected the northern and . . . — — Map (db m229981) HM
This cut, located at the highest point on state highway 108 between Mindoro and West Salem, is 74 feet deep and 25 feet wide. It was hand-hewn out of hard rock in 1907-08. All work was completed with only horse-drawn equipment and hand tools. As far . . . — — Map (db m23677) HM
In the early 1850s Scottish immigrant Alexander McGilvray established a small settlement and ferry service, both known as "McGilvray's Ferry," along the Black River. For the next forty years the ferry made seasonal river crossings despite frequent . . . — — Map (db m54581) HM
In March 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress which enabled the states of Michigan and Wisconsin to begin construction of a road between Fort Howard at Green Bay and Fort Wilkins near Copper Harbor. It took one year to build the . . . — — Map (db m36896) HM
On January 8, 1928, Robert E. Burns of American Legion Post 165 held a special meeting to finalize plans for a public memorial honoring fallen service members of World War I. The plan was to plant a lane of trees on each side of the new . . . — — Map (db m179328) HM
(Side A)
Manitowoc and the Car Ferries. In the first five decades of the 20th century, Lake Michigan railroad car ferry service aided national defense and the regional economy by providing a key transportation alternative to the railroad . . . — — Map (db m11835) HM
Many modern highways follow routes marked out long ago by Indian people. The Winnebago Trail across central Wisconsin became the general course of Highways 151 from Manitowoc to Fond du Lac, 45 from Fond du Lac to Oshkosh, 21 from Oshkosh . . . — — Map (db m32499) HM
Snowmobiling is a very popular winter activity for many outdoor enthusiasts. The Mountain-Bay State Trail is a major link in the more than 22,000 miles of Wisconsin snowmobile trails. Snowmobiles can travel over 70 miles from Weston to . . . — — Map (db m138862) HM
Before air conditioning, interstate highways, and automobiles, a privileged few escaped the hot summers of the lower Midwest by taking trains to resorts built by the railroads in the north woods. Besides bringing settlers north and moving lumber . . . — — Map (db m162291) HM
To ease managing more than 2,000 men during Greendale's construction, workers were directed to the "A section", the "D section", etc. This alphabetical reference has endured. Still today, all streets in each section begin with the same letter . . . — — Map (db m183617) HM
Alan Kulwicki was born in Greenfield, WI on Dec. 14, 1954, son of Jerry and Thelma Kulwicki. Alan held an engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Alan started out on the short tracks of Wisconsin, moved up to ASA, then on . . . — — Map (db m37506) HM
Side A In 1836, surveyors working for the U.S. General Land Office measured out the 6x6 mile grid of the future Town of Greenfield. Arterial roads and streets were later built at half-mile intervals following that pattern. In the days before . . . — — Map (db m35083) HM
Side A:
The Janesville Plank Road was one of 16 privately-owned toll roads authorized by Wisconsin’s Territorial legislature in 1848. The road was specified to follow a 65 mile route from Milwaukee through East Troy to Janesville. Its . . . — — Map (db m33355) HM
The Land Survey of 1836
In 1836 US Government land surveyors measured an approximately six-mile square area described as Township 6 North, Range 21 East and divided it into a nearly-uniform grid of 36 one-mile square sections. By 1841 this area . . . — — Map (db m136420) HM
The eastern edge of downtown Milwaukee, the lakeshore itself, was very close to this spot until the early 20th century. If you were standing here before 1917 you would be standing very near the water’s edge. Between 1917 and 1937, Milwaukee filled . . . — — Map (db m56832) HM
Milwaukee is a city of immigrants. People have come here seeking jobs, following family connections, and hoping for a better life. The earliest settlers came from French Canada and New England. In 1850, most immigrants were from Germany and Ireland, . . . — — Map (db m141898) HM
Started in 1848 and completed in 1853, extended 58 miles west from Milwaukee on a course roughly paralleling State Street past the Frederick Miller Plank Road Brewery through Wauwatosa, Pewaukee, and Oconomowoc to Watertown. The $110,000 road of . . . — — Map (db m31123) HM
On this site the first permanent fur trader Jacques Vieau, in 1795 built his cabin, the first house in Milwaukee
Here also was the crossing of the Green Bay–Chicago Trail
This tablet was erected under the auspices of the Old Settlers Club . . . — — Map (db m53335) HM
Site of the homestead of Charles Hart, founder of Wauwatosa, who arrived here in May, 1835. He built a log cabin in what is now the village and with his brother, Thomas, operated saw and grist mills. In the early 1840s Charles Hart built a large . . . — — Map (db m37507) HM
In 1916 Wadhams Oil & Grease Company saw the market potential of serving early auto owners, many of whom purchased gasoline in buckets to be stored at home. The solution was an off-street gasoline distribution center to be known as a gas station. . . . — — Map (db m78979) HM
From 1935-1941, the Works Progress Administration made significant contributions to the nation's defense efforts. Within the state of Wisconsin this program provided much-needed Depression-era economic support to the communities in the Monroe County . . . — — Map (db m131325) HM
In our ancient past, Wisconsin was crossed by a system of trails first forged by deer and elk as they migrated in search of good weather, food and salt. Native Americans used the Paths as they hunted, traded, and made war in troubled times. Some . . . — — Map (db m66620) HM
In 1856, Carl Ludwig Deecke (1814-1864), pronounced Decker, purchased 10 acres of land at the intersection of Plank Road (CTH NN) and Granville Road. In 1858, Deecke petitioned the Cedarburg Town Board of Supervisors to layout a "good, serviceable" . . . — — Map (db m135849) HM
This area was originally settled by Patrick Halpin who purchased a land patent for the northern half of the intersection in 1844. Five Corners was named for the intersection of the State Road (presently STH 60) from Jackson to Grafton with Plank . . . — — Map (db m152031) HM
An important American Indian village once stood in this vicinity near the Milwaukee River, the meeting point of two major Indian trails that lead west toward the Mississippi River and north toward Green Bay. In the 1830’s, Menominee, Sauk, and . . . — — Map (db m31241) HM
In honor of the men and women of the Park Falls area who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States defending our freedoms and the principles of democracy, and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and . . . — — Map (db m49592) HM
Skunk Grove was a stopping place for travelers in an uncharted wilderness on the mail route between Green Bay and Chicago. It was located about 200 yards southeast of this marker, where the trail crossed the stream now known as Hood’s Creek.
By . . . — — Map (db m34219) HM
In 1873 the Rev. Dr. J.W. Carhart of Racine designed and operated the first light self-propelled highway vehicle in the United States, and probably the first in the world. He named it the Spark. It was driven by a two cylinder steam engine, steered . . . — — Map (db m34220) HM
This plaque marks the starting point of the Wisconsin Purple Heart Memorial Highway.
In 1994 Wisconsin's Governor Tommy G. Thompson signed into Law Wisconsin Act 347, which designated U.S. Highway 14 west from Richland Center to the Wisconsin . . . — — Map (db m25148) HM
A living memorial to and in honor of all Wisconsin veterans, living and dead, of all wars in which the United States of America has engaged.
Color guard of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment with Old Abe at Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863 . . . — — Map (db m201399) HM
Twice in his lifetime Abraham Lincoln is known to have traveled within sight of the Rock River east of this marker.
Lincoln passed this way July 2, 1832, as a private in a mounted company of Illinois militia accompanying forces under General . . . — — Map (db m22738) HM
This enduring highway connecting
Baraboo with Devils Lake was made
possible through the generosity of
Wilbur William Warner
(1850 – 1916)
Whose boyhood home was here.
To his cherished memory this tablet
is gratefully . . . — — Map (db m20251) HM
An early American method of public transportation prior to the railroad was the stagecoach. This sign commemorates the various routes that served Shawano and other localities. The most notable route was from Shawano to Green Bay with an overnight . . . — — Map (db m60451) HM
Shawano is both a Chippewa and a Menominee Indian term signifying "to the South." Shawano Lake first was given this name because it was the southern boundary of Chippewa tribal territory. The city and county later were named after the lake. Like . . . — — Map (db m8201) HM
Countless lives were changed forever on October 11, 2002, when a blanket of fog descended rapidly upon motorists on Interstate Highway I-43 near Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. The dense fog created a sudden and dramatic change in driving conditions that . . . — — Map (db m41736) HM
Four races were held on the 1950 circuit. First place in the sixty-mile main event went to Jim Kimberly driving a Ferrari Tipo 166.
Marker donated by: Augie Pabst in honor of Briggs Cunningham and Alfred Momo.
Historic Race . . . — — Map (db m46187) HM
John Fitch drove Cunninghams to victory in the 1951 and 1952 200-mile main events. Phil Hill won the 1952 100-mile Sheldon Cup race driving a C-type Jaguar.
Marker donated by: Jaguar North America in honor of Phil Hill and John Fitch.
. . . — — Map (db m40817) HM
Named for Steven H. Briggs who in 1950 exited the course to the left at high speed in his Jaguar XK-120 and was saved from serious injury by his windscreen.
Marker donated by: Mike Froh, Susie White, John Langenfeld, Lynn . . . — — Map (db m40853) HM
Named for Robert "Sid" Dickens who raced in an MG-TC. Ted Boynton lost concentration here in 1952 resulting in an excursion into a blueberry patch.
Marker donated by: Tom and Bea Hollfelder · Tiger Racing.
Historic . . . — — Map (db m41110) HM
The Village of Elkhart Lake and the roads surrounding Elkhart Lake hosted open-road sports car racing in 1950, 1951 and 1952. The races were sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America, organized by SCCA members Jim Kimberly, . . . — — Map (db m195681) HM
Named for Corwith "Corky" and Joan Hamill who raced a Mercury Allard. Joan took second place in the 1950 ladies race.
Marker donated by: Guy, Clyde and David Morter in honor of AEF Vets who brought us road racing.
Historic Race . . . — — Map (db m40943) HM
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