fact:
redheads are best ensorcelled with
wisconsin-grown cranberries.
photo courtesy of
lifedynamix.com
"Did
you know Wisconsin is the leading producer of cranberries? If you’re
curious about how cranberries are grown, you’ll want to visit our
Exhibit Hall where you can learn all about this “berry” unique crop.
Through storyboards, video, sound recordings, static and interactive
displays, the Exhibit Hall details the historic and contemporary aspects
of Wisconsin’s No. 1 fruit crop." -
section from Official Site
204 Main
Street
Warrens, WI 54666
(608) 378-4878
hours:
• April thru October (daily) 9am – 5pm
• November thru December (Tues - Sat) 10am – 4pm
book: "Wisconsin Curiosities" by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004) page 234 (3rd ed.,
2009)
pages 224 - 225
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
book:
"Oddball Wisconsin" by Jerome Pohlen Chicago Review Press,
Inc. (2001)
pages 62 - 63
buy it at Amazon.com buy it at
Barnes
& Noble.com
book: "Sidetracked in
Wisconsin"
by Mary Bergin
Itchy Cat Press (2006)
pages 44 - 45
buy
it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
"FAST
Corp. of Sparta (FAST stands for Fiberglass Animals Shapes and
Trademarks) does business around the world, and few companies like it
exist. A survey of the lot yields a sprawling collection of fiberglass
fun: large cows, alligators, elephants that double as children's slides.
You're even allowed to walk through this menagerie of critters, as long
as you behave and don't climb on anything." -
section from MKE Online website
roadside
oddity / record holder / self-designation
"This seat is cutting
off the circulation to my seeds."
The 30-foot-tall
fiberglass sculpture of a derbied velocipedist riding his massive
penny-farthing is the main fixture at Evans-Bossard Park, where the
annual Ben Biken BBQ Bash is held in the fall www.benbikenbbq.com.
in park on southeast corner of Highway 16 & Highway 21
"The
Wegner Grotto features a collection. of primitive glass and concrete art
works restored and given to the people of Monroe County by the Kohler
Foundation.; including the "Glass Church." where weddings have
been. held, the Peace Garden, a ship, wedding cake, and animal
sculptures." -
section from Explore
Wisconsin website
(From Sparta, take Highway 71/27 north for 9 miles. Take Highway 71
west as it splits from Highway 27. The Grotto is ¼ mile from the
split.)
7788 Daylight Road
Sparta, WI 54656
For more info, call the
Monroe County Local History Room
(608) 269-8680
hours:
(Daylight Hours) Memorial Day thru Labor Day
book: "Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
pages 170 - 171
buy it at Barnes
& Noble.com
book: "Wisconsin Curiosities" by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)
pages 194 - 195 (3rd ed.,
2009)
pages 185 - 186
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
book:
"Oddball Wisconsin" by Jerome Pohlen Chicago Review Press,
Inc. (2001)
page 37
buy it at Amazon.com buy it at
Barnes
& Noble.com
book "Sacred Spaces and Other Places"
by Lisa Stone and Jim Zanzi
School of Art Institute of Chicago Press (1993)
pages 72 - 85
buy
it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
book: "Midwest Marvels"
by Eric Dregni
UofM Press (2006)
pages 404 - 406
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
book: "Rare Visions and Roadside
Revelations"
by Randy Mason, Mike Murphy, and Don
Mayberger
Kansas City Star Books (2002)
page 61
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 ii, 169
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
Trust me, there are not many
graphics of astronauts riding bicycles floating around out there on the
internet. Thank God for this one.
picture courtesy of losethetrainingwheels.org
"The
Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bike Museum is dedicated to enhancing
an understanding and encouraging an interest and appreciation in the
history of bicycling and the life of astronaut Donald 'Deke' Slayton." -
section from Portal Wisconsin website
book: "Great Little Museums of the
Midwest" by Christine Des
Garennes
Trails Books (2002)
pages 11 - 13
buy
it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
"Frank
King was the creator of the comic strip ...The
year 1919 saw the the first 'Gasoline Alley' comic strip, whose
characters grew up right in the public eye and included names of Tomah
people and places. In 1958, King was named 'Cartoonist of the Year'.
Frank King Died June 24, 1969. His cartoon strip is still published
today!" -
section from Tomah Byte
Trail
Superior Avenue has been designated 'Gasoline Alley'
"Technically,
it's Highway 33 near Cashton, but there are so many Amish homes in a
row, almost every one offering rugs or quilts or furniture or dressed
rabbits or something, that you'll find making time rather impossible.
And that's good. Just don't go on Sunday. They still take it seriously."
-
section from Journal Sentinel website
"Sixteen
hundred dolls, from German dolls of the 1800's to today's Barbie are
displayed. Through a guided tour, the historical dolls bring back
childhood memories, while today's popular dolls foretell the future."
"Inside
the Railroad Museum, model trains in many gauges are running.
Showcases contain model steam locomotives - many in brass. A
telegrapher's office and lanterns from many railroads are on display,
and a collection of memorabilia from when steam was king is on the
walls. Of special interest is the Gallery of Railroad Art. Also
at the the Railroad Museum is a reference library of over 1,000 books
and magazines, some dating back 100 years."
-
sections from Official Site
(2 miles east of Cataract on County Road II)
9208 County Hwy II
Sparta, WI 54656
(608) 272-3266
Well,
you've made it past Janesville, Madison, and Wisconsin Dells without so
much as a howdy. Now you're halfway to Eau Claire and you're
finally getting a proper welcome to the state. But I bet you
didn't expect it to come from a 30' cheese rustling rodent.
Road Ranger Citgo Travel Center
I90-94 Exit 48
Oakdale, WI 54649
(608) 374-3130
Because
the owners dropped the A&W franchise, the A&W Root Bear
statue is now gone, but a large fiberglass burger sits atop the sign
pole in all its mouth-watering glory.
100 W Wisconsin St.
Sparta, WI 54656
(608) 269-4844
The closer
you get to Sparta, the more fiberglass statues & advertising
gimmicks you will see dotting the landscape. Perhaps with FAST
Corp. located conveniently nearby, the luxury of frivolous fabricated
fiberglass forms is too much to resist.
"The
Magical, Mystical & Mysterious...Haunted Store...Owner High Priestess
Magdalene Rose...Where Halloween is everyday of the year...All
ancient spirits welcome." -
section from advertising sign
A town with a
population of under 100 is not the type of setting you would
commonly associate with a modern-day witch. Then again,
you might. Magdalene Rose is probably considered the local
eccentric, judging by the look of her property. Well, someone's
got to make life interesting for the rest of us. As of
October 2008, the store has not been opened for business.
403 Central Drive
Melvina, WI 54619
(608) 654-7705
"It all started
with an idea to turn a caboose into a cabin near the Sparta bike trails.
Most of the other renovated cabooses that I'd seen looked more like a
motel room than a caboose on the inside. We wanted to keep the interior
and exterior of the caboose looking like it did when it was in service
so people could see what a working caboose looked like. Of course we
added all the comforts of home! The renovations are complete and we
invite you and your family to enjoy a stay in one of the most unique
places you will ever experience!" -
section from the official website
Looks like the pesky
neighbor kids are at it again. Bossie's been tagged with another
layer of turf-marking hood gibberish. Milk-hating hoodlums steal
away under the cover of night, leaving behind their desecration of
Wisconsin's most sacred symbol. Well, second most sacred
symbol. If the vandalizing scum would have torn down a Packers
flag, they'd already be flayed, splayed and displayed on the owners'
barn wall.
An
embedded
tombstone in basement wall may be connected to sightings of a ghost.
The soap store (
Natural
Scentsations) it is located in has since closed.
UPDATE:
The building is now home to Matousek & Laxton Law Office. No
word if the ghost moved out.
123 N Water St.
Sparta, WI 54656
book: "Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D.
Hendricks Barnes & Noble Books
(2005) pages 233 - 235 buy it at Barnes
& Noble.com
book: "The Haunting of Sparta"
by Joe F.
Cook
Prell Books (2004)
pages 17 - 32, 63 - 65
look for it on eBay
"When
I turned to focus on it what I saw is very hard to describe. It seemed
like a patch of the sky had a wavy transparent distortion, somewhat oval
shaped and moving within itself. It made no sound at all."
- section from UFO Wisconsin 08-05-99 report
"It was described as being
about 8 feet tall, very broad shouldered, with long dark hair
all over its body and having an almost human face.
It stood erect and walked on two feet. Even at a distance of 25
or 30 yards, the creature had a distinct foul odor.
The farmer and the creature stared at each other for several
seconds, neither one moving until the farmer's dog — a large
collie-shepherd mix — ran at the intruder."
- section from BFRO article
"Object
desending (sic) slowing downward into cloud and slowly dropping
beneath cloud. When looked at through binoculars, light way too bright
to make out object."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report
A farmer's
grave topped off with an effigy of Bossie. This probably should be
listed above in the blue "attractions" section...unless you're scared of cows.
South Ridge Lutheran
Cemetery
on County Road P south of Wilton
book: "Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D.
Hendricks Barnes & Noble Books
(2005) page 255 buy it at Barnes
& Noble.com
At a
family's time of greatest need, an elderly man appears to assist them,
but disappears afterward.
book: "The Bookcase Ghost"
by Elizabeth Matson & Stuart Stotts
Midwest Traditions (1996)
pages 19 - 23
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.
"The
ghost of a severely mangled huntsman pulling a dead cougar was observed
striding through an apartment near Sparta. This is one of those ghosts
that is noticed often around here. In any event, this ghost sure is
terrifying; one that you shouldn't go trying to find."
- section from Ghosts of America website
This
hard-to-find book contains a unique collection of paranormal
incidents that have taken place in and around the Sparta
area. In addition to the stories from this book referenced
elsewhere on this page are these accounts:
"The Doctor is In" (pages 1 - 6)
"Computer
Ghost" (pages 43 - 46)
"The Man in Black" (pages 7 - 9)
"Toys
Aren't Us" (pages 47 - 50)
"Basket Case" (pages 11 - 13)
"The
Victorian Housekeeper" (pages 51 - 56)
"Grandma Ghost" (pages 15 - 16)
"Pine
Street Ghost" (pages 73 - 80)
"Farmer Ghost" (pages 39 - 42)
"Club
Haunt" (pages 81 - 94)
book: "The Haunting of Sparta"
by Joe F.
Cook
Prell Books (2004)
look for it on eBay
"It
was bluish-gray in color and taller than a person. Once it
saw us, it ran down the hill through the woods in a zigzag sort
of way." -
section from "The Haunting of Sparta"
Big Creek is located northwest of Cataract
book: "The Haunting of Sparta"
by Joe F.
Cook
Prell Books (2004)
pages 95 - 99
look for it on eBay
"...offers
changing history exhibits and special programs. The Research Library is
an essential resource to the genealogist and local historian. Resources
include: church, cemetery, school, and government records; thousands of
historic photographs; county newspapers and maps; and Census records..."
- section from Bikes & Berries website
200 W. Main St.
Sparta
, WI 54656
(608) 269-8680
hours:
(Mon - Fri) 9am - 4:30pm / (Saturdays)
10am – 4:30pm
(also first Thursday of each month) 9am - 9pm
book: "Wisconsin Curiosities" by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook Globe Pequot Press (3rd
ed., 2009)
pages 217 - 218
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes
& Noble.com
"...this
delightfully preserved one-room school house lets visitors step back in
time to discover how the students of years past were taught."
- section from Tomah Official Site
Gillette Park on Superior Avenue
hours:
Memorial Day thru Labor Day (daily) 1pm – 5pm
Tomah
Official Site
(click on "Attractions", then "Little Red
School House" from main page) www.tomahwisconsin.com
"Founded
in 1909, the fort...has more than 1,100 buildings and encompasses
approximately 60,000 acres. Fort
McCoy has also opened a History Center, a World War II Commemorative
Area and Military Equipment Park. History Center and Commemorative Area
buildings are open by appointment only for groups of 15 or more. A
narrated one hour driving tour of Fort McCoy is also available for
groups."
- section from the Bikes & Berries website
Entrances to the installation are located off of Highway 21, 9
miles west of Highway 12
Call to arrange tours: (608) 388-2407
"This
museum catalogs the history of Tomah with displays from Tomah native
son, Frank King, creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip
"Gasoline Alley", along with. exhibits on. the development of
Tomah's businesses and industries including the early railroad and
lumber years, agriculture and cranberry operations."
- section from the Explore
Wisconsin website
1112 Superior Ave.
Tomah, WI 54660
(608) 372-1880
hours: mid-May
through mid-October (Tues - Sat)
Tomah
Official Site
(click on "Attractions", then "Local
Museums" from main page) www.tomahwisconsin.com
More Monroe
County historical attractions listed at: