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       map provided by Delorme mapping software

 


 

attractions & oddities

resources

 

1

Giant Red Cardinal Carved From Tree

 

location:  Darlington
roadside oddity

      

  in yard on south corner of Galena Street (Highway 23) and Hill Street.

Roadside America
www.roadsideamerica.com

Roadside Architecture
www.agilitynut.com

The State Trunk Tour
www.statetrunktour.com

Flickr photos
www.flickr.com

 

2

Bloody Lake Black Powder Shoot and Rendezvous

 

location:  Woodford
event

"Live history at it's best! Black powder shoot and Indian encampment participants re-create the early 1800s in period costumes with authentic clothing, weapons, food, and shelter. Frontier games include tomahawk and knife throwing, shooting, and fire-starting competitions."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website


  Black Hawk Memorial Park
2995 County Road Y
Woodford, WI  53504
(608) 465-3472

                

  Held the first full weekend in May


Also listed in the Paranormal section below.

Cheese Country Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

Wisconsin History
www.wisconsinhistory.org

Virtual Tour
www.geocities.com

 

3

Scrap Metal Dinosaurs
( 2 locations )

 

location:  Darlington & Cuba City (Grant County)
roadside oddities

Cuba City Stegosaurus

      

A Darlington brontosaurus...or is it a brachiosaur...or is it an apatosaurus...or do you even care?

More oxidizing dinos standing in a field.

      

You best run, Bossie.

•  A stegosaurus adorns a yard in rural Cuba City.


•  Four man-made dinosaur skeletons can be seen near Darlington, the creators being related to the man who built similar steel dino's near Hazel Green in Grant County.


  28057 Center Drive Rd.
Cuba City, WI  53807

                    

  20038 Holland Rd.
Darlington, WI  53530

Wisconsin State Journal
article "Fields Of Dreams They're Not, Unless You're In Jurassic Park" or (here)

 

4

'Crazy Cow Saloon' Statue

Cattle Fountain
at the Belmont Travel Center

 

location:  Belmont
roadside oddities

      


The top photo shows a stone fountain topped off with a smiling mother Holstein looking down upon her many calves, all of which lay in a ring surrounding her.
The photo on the right will haunt me for the rest of my days.

  102 W. Mound View Ave.
Belmont, WI  53510
(608) 762-6250

Official Site
www.belmonttravelcenter.com

 

5

1889 Lafayette County Soldiers & Sailors Memorial
Talk about being put up on a pedestal...

 

location:  Darlington
memorial

The life-size figure of a civil war soldier stands on a 56-foot-high pedestal in Veterans Memorial Park.

  on Main Street south of the courthouse

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
www.suvcw-wi.org

 

6

The Ubersox Thunder Lizard

 

location:  Darlington
roadside oddity

This metal dino stands at the end of a farm's driveway.

  15245 Highway 23
Darlington, WI  53530

   

 

 

 

natural feature  /  altered landscape

resources

 

1

Badger Mine and Museum

 

location:  Shullsburg
museum / mine

"Take a guided tour of the Badger Mine & Museum. Descend 51 steps with your tour guide into a hand-dug 1827 mine. Marvel at the small side tunnels and wonder how men could crawl into such confined places and still work. See the recreated shops and exhibits of the early mining town. Gaze at the early mining tools, ore specimens and learn the methods used to extract lead with the pick, gad and black powder."
- section from Shullsburg Official Site


  279 W. Estey Street
Shullsburg, WI  53586
(608) 965-4860

               

hours:
Memorial Day thru Labor Day  (daily)  10am – 4pm

Shullsburg Official Site
www.shullsburgwisconsin.org

Shullsburg.com
www.shullsburg.com

Journal Sentinel Online
article "Digging into region's rich mining past" or (here)

book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)  page 220
(
3rd ed., 2009)  page 213
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at
Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Wisconsin Underground"
by Doris Green
Trails Media Group, Inc. (2001)
pages 69 - 72
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

 

sighting  /  phenomenon  /  morbid curiosity

resources

 

1

Shullsburg Gravity Hill

 

unexplained phenomenon

  

   

optical illusion

location:  Shullsburg

A great example of how the landscape around can can distort your sense of direction...or is it really that simple?  Cars roll "uphill" when parked facing "downhill".

  Take County Road U out of Shullburg past the water tower.  Continue about a mile until you see a sign that reads "Rennick Road".  The road descends down a small hill.  At the bottom of the hill is a farm lane with a rusty gate.  Stop your car there, place it into neutral and watch what happens.

Unexplained Research
www.unexplainedresearch.com

Shullsburg.com
www.shullsburg.com

book:
"Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
page 225
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press  
(2nd ed., 2004)  pages 221 - 222
(
3rd ed., 2009)  pages 213 - 214
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at
Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

White-Haired Beast Observed  (1970)

 
bigfoot
location:  Benton

"About 15 people saw a 7-foot apelike creature with white hair, pink eyes and claws."
- section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com

 

3

"The School House Specter"

 
ghost
location:  Blanchardville

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of a schoolhouse-dwelling ghost that continues an old teacher's routine.

  about 2½ miles south of Blanchardville on Highway 78

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 114 - 117
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

4

"Spirit of the Blood Lake Rendezvous"

 
ghost
location:  Woodford

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of the mascot ghost that appears off and on at this yearly event.


  Black Hawk Memorial Park
2995 County Road Y
Woodford, WI  53504
(608) 465-3472

                 

  The rendezvous is held the first full weekend of May.


Also listed in the Attractions section above.

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 117 - 120
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

Battle Virtual Tour
www.geocities.com

 

5

Small, Triangular-Shaped Crop 'Circle'  (1981)

 
crop circles
location:  Blanchardville

"When Robert Johnson found a small, triangular-shaped patch of dead alfalfa in his field near here on Saturday, he didn't figure it would stir up a debate.  He was wrong, because it did."
- section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com

 

6

"A Ghostly Glossary"

 
ghost primer
location:  Strawbridge, south of Benton

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of a visit with a cataloger of the ghost world.

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 120 - 124
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

7

Alleged Alien Abduction  (1988)

 
aliens
location:  Shullsburg

"I awoke to find those big head big black eyed grays looking in on me through the windows of the truck. The eyes felt like they were piercing right through me."
- section from The W-Files report

  "On the state line road" "About 30 miles from Iowa"

The W-Files
www.w-files.com

 

8

"Darlington's Courthouse Ghost"

 
ghost
location:  Darlington

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of the controversial beginnings of this local landmark and the spirits that accompanied its early days.  You may also spot this building in the 2009 Johnny Depp film "Public Enemies".

  626 Main Street
Darlington, WI  53530
(608) 776-4850

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 124 - 127
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

9

Blanchardville UFO Sightings

 
UFO
location:  Blanchardville

"The girl told the dispatcher that when she and her siblings went to the barn to tell their mother, the lights followed them. The kids got scared and went into the basement where they heard tinkling noises."
- section from UFO Wisconsin 08-17-88 report

UFO Wisconsin
(listed in Iowa County)
www.ufowisconsin.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 gentleman's body having the head of a rat was made out right by Apple River Canyon State Park looking frightening. When the ghost was perceived it disappeared into the air. Nevertheless, it is unquestionably a scary phantom that you wouldn't wish to encounter at midnight."
- section from Ghosts of America website

Ghosts of America
www.ghostsofamerica.com

 

 

 

taste of local history

resources

 

1

First Capitol Museum

 

location:  Belmont
museum / historical site



"Tour two of Wisconsin's First State Capital buildings, restored to recall the days when the State Legislature met here for 46 days in 1836. The Council House, where frontier lawmakers wrangled over passage of 42 bills, has been refurbished in the style of the period. A museum in the Supreme Court Building depicts life in the 1830's on the Wisconsin frontier."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website


  (about 3 miles northwest of Belmont)
18904
County Highway G
Belmont, WI  53510
(608) 987-2122

                   

hours:
Memorial Day thru Labor Day  (Wed - Sun)  10am – 4pm

Wisconsin History
www.wisconsinhistory.org

Portal Wisconsin
1. www.portalwisconsin.org
2. 360º panorama video
www.portalwisconsin.org

book:
"Odd Wisconsin"
by Erika Janik
Wisconsin Historical Society Press (2006)
pages 93 - 95
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

Lafayette County Historical Museum

 

location:  Darlington
museum

"The depot now stands as a monument to those who built and operated the railroad. The building's interior and exterior have been restored since 1983. The museum exhibits railroad memorabilia, model trains, oil paintings of Lafayette County, and railroad maps from 1874, 1898 and 1906."
- section from Portal Wisconsin website


  525 Main Street
Darlington, WI  53530
(608) 776-8340

                

hours:
Memorial Day thru Labor Day  (Mon - Fri)  1:30pm – 5pm
(Saturdays)  9am – Noon

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

 

3

Swindler's Ridge Museum

 

location:  Benton
museum

"Named after a nearby ridge where miners stole lead from each other's diggings, Swindler's Ridge Museum features three sites in the original mining complex, including two mines restored as working models."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website


  25 W. Main St.
Benton, WI  53803
(608) 759-5182

               

hours:
Memorial day thru Labor Day  (Fri - Mon)  10am – 4pm

Lafayette County Official Site
area attractions
www.lafayettecounty.org

 

4

Village School House Museum

 

location:  Benton
museum

"The 1851 Benton School House Museum allows visitors to visit the past through class photos, vintage books, desks, alumni memorabilia and a collection local newspapers. Call to arrange visits."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website

  Catherine Street
Benton, WI  53811
(608) 759-3441

Lafayette County Official Site
area attractions
www.lafayettecounty.org

 

5

Jenkynsville Primitive Stone Church

 

location:  Cuba City (Grant County)
historic structure

"A small stone church built in 1861 and a collection of five stone buildings are all that remain of Jenkynsville. Located four miles north of Benton, this abandoned mining village was first settled in 1837. Homecoming services are held on the last Sunday in June. Call to schedule a visit."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website

  9629 County Road H
Cuba City, WI  53807
(608) 744-2202

Official Site
www.primitivemethodistchurch.org

 

More Lafayette County historical attractions listed at:  Explore Wisconsin

 


updated 04-20-09  •  all images excluding those attributed to others are property of Wisconsinosity.com