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attractions & oddities

resources

 

1

"Sunny" the World's Largest Sunfish

 

location:  Onalaska
record holder / roadside oddity / event

"Sunny" is the official mascot of Sunfish Days in Onalaska.  The 12-foot-high, 20-foot-long panfish is located at the wayside overlooking Lake Onalaska.


Sunfish Days
held the last week of May

                      From Highway 1-90, head north on Highway 35 North for about 1½ miles.  Sunny is located at the wayside across from the Chicken, Steak & Chocolate Cake restaurant.
Sunfish Days Official Site
www.onalaskasunfishdays.com

Roadside Architecture
www.agilitynut.com

New Low
www.newlow.org

book:
"Strange Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Books (2007)
page 109
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

Grotto of the Holy Family
at St. Joseph Parish

 

location:  st. joseph, east of La Crosse
grotto / religious shrine

     

This site was designed by Paul Dobberstein, creator of the Dickeyville Grotto in Grant County.

  W2601 Hwy 33
La Crosse, WI  54601
(608) 788-1646

GrottoCom
v1. www.grottocom.com
v2. www.grottocom.com

New Low
www.newlow.org

Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
csumc.wisc.edu

The State Trunk Tour
www.statetrunktour.com

book
"Sacred Spaces and Other Places"
by Lisa Stone and Jim Zanzi
School of Art Institute of Chicago Press (1993)

page 18 - 19
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Miracles of The Spirit: Folk, Art, and Stories from Wisconsin"
by Don Krug & Ann Parker
University Press of Mississippi (2005)
pages 4 - 6
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

3

Dinosaur Skeletons Along Highway

 

location:  West Salem
roadside oddity

     

Three metal dinosaur skeletons are visible on the side of a hill.

  south of West Salem on the south side of Highway I-90 on Buol Road (the frontage road), west of the BP gas station.

Roadside America
www.roadsideamerica.com

New Low
www.newlow.org

 

4

Hidden Trails Corn Maze

 

location:  West Salem
crop labyrinth  /  maize maze

photo courtesy of official site

"The farmland on which the maze sits has been in the family since 1902. The family continues to farm the fertile land of the front range, producing corn and hay. Dave planted his first corn maze back in 1998, and ever since, when the corn reaches it's full height each fall, the farmland opens to the general public for outdoor fun in a farm setting"
- section from official website

  W 4704 Highway 16
West Salem, WI  54669
(608)786-2489

Official Site
www.hiddentrailscornmaze.com

Corn Maze of America
www.cornmazesamerica.com

Wisconsin Energy Co-op News
www.wecnmagazine.com

 

5

Wilson Schoolhouse Inn

 

location:  La Crosse
unique motel

"The old schoolhouse desks are replaced by modern, comfortable furniture in the newly restored Wilson Schoolhouse. Where students once studied, you can now relax in comfort surrounded by Wisconsin hills, just a mile from the beautiful upper Mississippi River. The Wilson school was built in 1917 and functioned as a one-room school until 1965. It was recently restored and elegantly furnished to retain the "open" atmosphere of the original schoolhouse. It still maintains much of its original character and charm with the original slate blackboard and school desks. The schoolhouse is listed on the Wisconsin and National Register of Historic Buildings. It is located in a rural setting on 10 acres of woods, fields, and gardens only 8 minutes from historic downtown La Crosse. Rental includes the entire schoolhouse and will comfortably accommodate 2 to 8 adults during their stay in La Crosse, WI."
- section from the official site

  W5720 HWY 14-61
La Crosse, WI  54601
(608) 787-1982

Official Site
www.wilsonschoolhouseinn.com

 

6

Giant Embedded Arrow & Paintbrush???

 

location:  West Salem
roadside oddity

So I see a giant arrow embedded in the ground near the woods by Highway 90.  Before I can thoroughly delve into the mystery behind this out-of-place object, another totem presents itself, this one seeming at first to be the arrow tip poking out of the earth.  But, after taking a second glance (accomplished by making a 12-mile round trip via the next exit in La Crosse, then back to West Salem where I could finally turn back west again), it appeared to look more like a giant paint brush.  Baffling.  Not knowing of any local Art & Archery enterprises, I was unable to explain their significance.  Someone went through the trouble to erect these oversized symbols of Apollo for all to see.

  around 2.5 miles west of West Salem on north side of Highway 90 near billboards.

      

 



 

sighting  /  phenomenon  /  morbid curiosity

resources

 

1

Brothers Experience Separate Incidents in Haunted Home

 
haunted
location:  Onalaska

"This scared the living hell out of me. I woke up paralized (sic) with fear and looked across the room towards the door where, from the moonlight through the window, I could see the form of a little boy."
- section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com

 

2

Onalaska UFO Sightings

 
UFO
location:  Onalaska

"I called my daughter and wife out to the patio after about 20 minutes and they agreed that the star-like objects were indeed moving around in freakish, irregular patterns..."
- section from UFO Wisconsin 06-22-04 report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

3

Unidentified Craft Hovers Over Pond  (1975)

 
UFO
location:  Holmen

"...every time the main body revolved around the stationary dome on top at a certain point around the periphery a flash of light and a blip sound occurred."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

4

Bigfoot Sighting Near Mt. La Crosse  (2000)

 
bigfoot
location:  La Crosse

"They thought it was a bear, but when they got a better look it more looked like a gorilla."
- section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com

 

5

Bigfoot Seen During Deer Season  (1996)

 
bigfoot
location:  Holmen

"...a woman in LaCresent was doing her dishes at night and looked up to see what was a large hairy faced man looking into her window that was over her sink."
- section from BFRO incident report
BFRO (Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization)
www.bfro.net

 

6

Man-Bat of Briggs Road

 
creature
location:  Holmen

"The creature almost flew into their windshield, was an estimated 6-7 feet tall, sported batlike, leathery wings with a span of 10-12 feet, long claws on its feet and 'hands' and a snarling expression on the face. They both somehow felt it was angry it had been seen."
- section from the CNB Scene website

CNB Scene
(Linda Godfrey's website)
www.cnb-scene.com

Cryptomundo
www.cryptomundo.com

Coulee News
article RANDOM ERUPTIONS: Man Bat tale tops 2006 for weirdness or (here)

Monsters USA
monsterusa.blogspot.com

book:
"Strange Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Books (2007)
pages 52 - 54
buy it at
Amazon.com
buy it at
Barnes & Noble.com

 

7

"The Ghost of Hamlin Garland?"

 
ghost
location:  West Salem

The spirit of one of Wisconsin's famous authors is said to remain here at his birthplace.

"Noiseless as a ghost, through greenish gleam..."

  Hamlin Garland Homestead
357 W. Garland Street
West Salem, WI  54669

West Salem Official Site
(no mention of ghost)
www.westsalemwi.com

Unexplained Research
www.unexplainedresearch.com

Coulee News
article
"Ghosts in the coulees?" or (here)

book:
"Strange Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Books (2007)
pages 160 - 161
buy it at
Amazon.com
buy it at
Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

"Ghosts of America" Haunted Location Reports
(take with a grain of salt)

 
ghosts
location:  statewide

The reports on this site are presumably fiction, using random Wisconsin place names in the stories listed there.  Even so, you might get a kick out of reading them.

"A beheaded man was spotted giving a directed trip of Cliffwood Bluff to a troop of phantoms late in the night. There have been further accounts concerning this ghost in the vicinity. Locals who have perceived this ghost allege this ghost gets pleasure from startling folks who have the nerve to upset the quiet in La Crosse."
- section from Ghosts of America website

Ghosts of America
www.ghostsofamerica.com

 

 

Disco Ball in the Sky

 
UFO
location:  coon city (where is that?)

"The only moment there was a gap in the trees we witnessed that the source of the lights looked like a large disco ball shaped object, hovering, mostly in place."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

10

The La Crosse Lizard Man

 
mystery creature
location:  La Crosse

In her books, author Linda Godfrey details the sighting of a reptilian terror that was reported on the banks of the Black River in the mid 1990's by a father and son.


"They saw what they described as a "lizard man," covered in brownish scales and very reptilian-looking. It did not have its mouth open or arms extended Around the same time, a state DNR warden and separately, a group of highway workers saw what they described as a "reptile man" on Hwy. 13 near Medford. It also possessed wings and was able to fly out of their view (see Hunting the American Werewolf, p. 240-245) As I noted in "Hunting," the Medford spot was very near the Black River which winds up from LaCrosse!"
- section from the CNB Scene website

  on shoreline across from French Island

CNB Scene
(Linda Godfrey's website)
www.cnb-scene.com

book:
"Strange Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Books (2007)
pages 52 - 54
buy it at
Amazon.com
buy it at
Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Hunting the American Werewolf"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Media Group (2006)
pages 240 - 243

buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 



 

taste of local history

resources

 

1

Bangor Historical Museum

 

location:  Bangor
museum

"The Bangor and Area Historical Society Museum was formerly a harness shop and then a variety store on Main Street. The variety store's candy counter has been preserved by the Bangor Historical Society. The museum has four display windows, one a permanent exhibit of a tinsmith's workshop. The other windows feature revolving exhibits (sheep shearing, old-fashioned items, etc.)"
- section from Portal Wisconsin website


  1525 Commercial Street
Bangor, WI  54614
(608) 486-2616

             

hours:
(Wednesdays)  1pm – 3pm  &  (Saturdays)  10am – Noon

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

 

2

Onalaska History Museum

 

location:  Onalaska
museum

"View exhibits that cover thousands of years of area history, from the Ice Age through the logging boom to the present day. Displays include prehistoric implements, tools of the logging and lumber industry, a replica of a settler's log cabin, photographs and paintings of 19th Century Indian life, logging, river transportation from rafts to paddlewheelers, and early railroad days."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website


  741 Oak Avenue S.
Onalaska, WI  54650
(608) 781-9568

                

hours:
(Wed - Fri)  2pm – 4pm

Onalaska Official Site
www.discoveronalaska.com

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

 

3

Norskedalen Heritage Center
Skumsrud Farm & Bekkum Homestead

 

location:  north of Coon Valley (Vernon County)
museum / historic structures

"Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center has permanent and revolving museum displays. Our displays are both indoors and outdoor buildings with their own flavor and character. In our visitors center one museum focuses on heritage and the other on nature; we also have displays in our adjacent rooms and live animals on display. A permanent display in our heritage room includes farming and logging implements; artifacts brought from Norway during emigration; and civil war paraphernalia."
- section from Explore La Crosse website


   (3 miles north of Coon Valley)
N455 County Road PI
Coon Valley, WI  54623
(608) 452-3424

             

Norskedalen's Thrune Visitor Center, Grounds and Trail hours:
• May thru Oct  (Mon - Fri)   8:30am – 5pm
(Saturdays)  10am – 5pm  &  (Sundays)  Noon – 5pm
• Nov 1 thru April  (Mon - Fri)  8am – 4pm
(Sundays)  Noon – 4pm

Skumsrud Heritage Farm hours:
• June thru August  (Mon - Fri)  Noon – 5pm
(Saturdays)  10am – 4pm  &  (Sundays)  Noon – 4pm

Official Site
www.norskedalen.org

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

Explore La Crosse
www.explorelacrosse.com

 

More La Crosse County historical attractions listed at:  Explore Wisconsin

 



 

ribs

pit master

 

1

Famous Dave's

sauces:  Rich & Sassy / Sweet & Zesty / Devil's Spit / Smokey Chipotle / Georgia Mustard / Texas Pit / Hot & Sassy


The Official Unofficial Sustenance Provider of Wisconsinosity.  Enjoy the rib platters and catfish fingers.

 3055 State Highway 16 
La Crosse, WI  54601
(608) 779-4100

Official Site
www.famousdaves.com

 




updated 09-28-09  •  all images excluding those attributed to others are property of Wisconsinosity.com