On County Highway A near State Highway 16, on the right when traveling north.
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
To the south and west lie hundreds of square miles of sandstone and dolomite uplands. These extensive rock layers once overlaid this area, but streams have eroded them away. Today, only isolated remnants of this large upland remain. Mill Bluff . . . — — Map (db m252862) HM
About 15,000 years ago these bluffs became islands in a great body of water called Glacial Lake Wisconsin. Shorter bluffs like Ragged Rock were sometimes totally submerged under icy waters more than 80 feet deep. At its maximum the lake extended . . . — — Map (db m253133) HM
On Funnel Road north of U.S. 12, on the right when traveling north.
Deep winter in Wisconsin lasts about three months. But during the last two million years, dramatic shifts in climate produced periods with longer winters. These cold spells lasted thousands of years. As snow accumulated an ice sheet formed and . . . — — Map (db m40197) HM
If you were traveling through the area in the 1850s, Mill Bluff and other bluffs in the region would have guided you on your journey. They still do.
A network of major transportation systems crisscoss the Central Sands near Mill Bluff State . . . — — Map (db m252587) HM
Long Bluff - named for its shape, is one of many bluffs found in this area. It is approximately 199 feet high. You are standing on Mill Bluff which is 120 feet tall.
A portion of the open land visible is an abandoned cranberry marsh. . . . — — Map (db m253244) HM
Near Funnel Road north of U.S. 12, on the right when traveling north.
This is Mill Bluff, one of many isolated and rocky castle-like hills which rise abruptly from the surrounding plain. This formation is properly called a mesa (Spanish for "table") if large and butte if small.
Mesas and buttes in this driftless . . . — — Map (db m31736) HM
About 15,000 years ago, waves lapped against the upper reaches of the rocky bluff in front of you. Mill Bluff was an island in Glacial Lake Wisconsin. You are standing on the bottom of this former glacial lake.
This lake formed when glacial . . . — — Map (db m252789) HM
The air field lying east of Mill Bluff is part of the Volk Field Air National Guard Training Site located adjacent to the Village of Camp Douglas. The airplane runway you see is oriented due east to west. It is 9000 feet long and 150 feet wide . . . — — Map (db m253458) HM
That's right. About 10,000 years ago, as the last of the Ice Age glaciers melted, a huge lake called Lake Wisconsin covered all but the tallest bluffs you now see.
The water level varied from 60 to 80 feet deep and covered a vast plain . . . — — Map (db m253032) HM
On State Highway 27 0.1 miles north of County Highway I, on the right when traveling north.
Hunting ground of the
"Muskwaki" (Fox) Indians.
Settled by J. E. Rathbone in
1855
Prospered as a stage coach stop
with churches, hotels, general
stores and mills. — — Map (db m118453) HM
Near State Highway 71 at Daylight Road, on the left when traveling west.
The Paul and Matilda Wegner Grotto is a fantastic environment of concrete sculpture decorated with thousands of colorful glass shards. The Wegners began building their Grotto around their farm home after their retirement in 1929. Developed over . . . — — Map (db m118461) HM
Near White Street (County Highway P) north of South Railroad Street (State Highway 71), on the left when traveling north.
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 . . . — — Map (db m18710) HM
On Jameson Road east of Wisconsin Highway 27, on the right when traveling east.
Astronaut Deke Slayton was born in Sparta on March 1, 1924. His parents, Victoria and Charles Slayton, lived on a farm in the town of Leon. As a young boy, he attended Leon School in this building, which now serves as the Leon Community Center.
. . . — — Map (db m43574) HM
Near Kenya Avenue 0.3 miles east of Wisconsin Route 71.
Boom! Dynamite blasts echoed throughout this valley as workers excavated the tunnels. They used hand tools, horses, mules and oxen to remove the freed rock. All tunnels were dug from both ends, but this tunnel was so long that workers also dug . . . — — Map (db m203017) HM
Near Interstate 90 at milepost 21, just east of County Highway J, on the right when traveling east.
Several times during the ice ages, glaciers flowed out of Canada, sometimes reaching as far south as the Ohio and Missouri rivers. During recent glaciations, southwestern Wisconsin was untouched, because the glaciers were diverted to the east or . . . — — Map (db m174938) HM
On East Montgomery Street (State Highway 21) west of North Benton Street, on the right when traveling west.
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) HM
Near Interstate 90 at milepost 21, 3 miles west of Black River Street (State Highway 27), on the right when traveling west.
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 . . . — — Map (db m8921) HM
Building a railroad grade through Wisconsin's hill country was a monumental task. To create a nearly level grade of 3 percent, workers dug three tunnels, shaved down ridges and filled in low areas like this one. Notice the black cinders around you. . . . — — Map (db m152476) HM
On North Court Street at West Main Street, on the left when traveling north on North Court Street.
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 . . . — — Map (db m9037) HM
On South Court Street at West Main Street, on the left when traveling north on South Court Street.
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 . . . — — Map (db m8960) HM
On North Court Street at West Main Street, on the right when traveling north on North Court Street.
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 . . . — — Map (db m9054) HM
On South Court Street at West Main Street, on the right when traveling north on South Court Street.
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 . . . — — Map (db m9003) HM
Near East Montgomery Street 0.4 miles east of Angelo Road (Wisconsin Highway 21).
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 . . . — — Map (db m26634) HM
Near Superior Avenue (State Highway 131) 0.2 miles south of Center Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Robert Howie (1830-1913) came to Tomah in 1858 from County Ayshire Scotland and homesteaded land. Howie worked with Robert Gillett and C C Miller surveying the Tomah Area. He was Tomah's first Rural Mail Carrier. His interest in agriculture . . . — — Map (db m44774) HM
On North Superior Avenue (U.S. 12) north of Arthur Street, on the right when traveling north.
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 . . . — — Map (db m3960) HM
