This year
as part of La Farge’s celebration for Independence Day, and in conjunction with
the All-School Reunion, there were trolley rides offered on the afternoon of
the 4th of July. I was on
board to provide a little commentary on the history of the sites as we traveled through town – talking about the past, present and not too distant future. For those of you who couldn't hop on
the trolley, here’s a little purview of the tour.
Please
remember as you read this; the story is being delivered in a trolley car full
of folks on July 4th, 2015.
As we pull
out of the school parking lot, notice the kids playing ball over at Calhoon
Park. It’s seventy-six years and counting
for La Farge’s historic ballpark, which was recently featured on LaCrosse’s
Channel 8 TV. Built as a WPA project in
the late 1930’s, the iconic ballpark has been home to ball games for kids of
all ages for three-quarters of a century.
Don’t forget there’s an Alumni Softball game at five this afternoon and
then the Icons vs. Legends game
tonight at Calhoon Park.
As we turn
on to Mill Street and head north, view the childcare center and other buildings
along this road. I used to refer to
these buildings as “Glennville”, because Glenn Alderman – a man who served La
Farge as village president, constructed them back in the day.
This large industrial
building on the left was built in the 1970’s to house the Kickapoo Stoveworks
factory. Paul Bader’s BBR wood-burning
stove, one of the best ever built, was constructed here by the thousands (Paul told me that he wanted to build four of
those stoves and ended up making 14,000”).
Organic Valley (OV) now uses the building as a warehouse.
This area
to our left as we turn off the highway used to be called Morgantown. When there was a railroad in La Farge, the railroad
workers lived in small houses here. The
Morgan family always had men working for the old “Kickapoo Stump Dodger”, as
the train was called and many of them lived here. That house, once the home of Jap Morgan, is
the only original railroad worker’s shanty that’s left.
We are
heading down Seelyburg Road now and back into La Farge’s beginnings. Chapel Hill Cemetery on our left is located
where the first church in town was – a log chapel that housed the Methodist
congregation. Eventually, the Methodists
built a new church a block off Main Street in La Farge and the old log chapel
was sold to some Norwegian Lutherans, who moved it from here. As we descend the hill, we are heading into
old Seelyburg, the lumbering river town that has a history stretching back to
before the Civil War. This old river
town that is no more is featured in the book, Ghost Towns of Wisconsin.
The house
on our right is the oldest in La Farge.
Originally constructed in 1865, it was the first wood-frame house built
in the community. Ed and Alice Nixon
first lived here. Alice was the daughter
of Dempster and Juliette Seely. Dempster
Seely built a sawmill here and a town grew up around it.
Back in the 19th century
this road was lined with businesses and houses.
Chauncey Lawton was an original founder of this place, which he called
Star. He had a store and law office here
on the right, just before we cross the Kickapoo River. If you look to your left, you can see some of
the foundation of the original Seely house.
During the 1935 Kickapoo River flood, there was a dramatic rescue of a
family from the second floor of this house.
That amazing story made headlines around the nation and began the
federal government attempts to control the floods of the Kickapoo.
On our
right is the Star Cemetery, another of Seelyburg’s burying places. It was also the site of an Adventist Church,
which operated a grade school here until after World War I.
As we turn
here at the former Gale Huston mink ranch (now owned by his nephew Earl
Nelson), notice Norris Ridge ahead of us.
This is where the federal government’s Corps of Engineers built the La
Farge Dam to create Lake La Farge back in the early 1970’s. The building with the red roof was to be the
Corps maintenance building for the crew working at the dam. The building with the green roof is the town
hall for the Town of Stark. It was
constructed in 2012-13 to replace the old town buildings located on La Farge’s
Main Street, that were damaged by the 2008 Kickapoo River flood.
Notice the
sign that identifies this place as once being the home of the Huston’s. Those signs (This year, there are brand new
signs made especially for the day) are put out every 4th of July,
when the Kickapoo Valley Reserve opens old Highway 131 so vehicles can drive
along it from here to Rockton and know who used to live along the old river
road. The old river road now serves as a
main trail for the Reserve, which is off limits to cars except on special
occasions like today. The road will be
open the rest of the afternoon until 4 o’clock.
As we again
cross the river, we are reminded of a prior 4th of July Celebration
when La Farge’s famous “The Human Cork” performed his floating skills here. That’s right, Bill Claybrook, La Farge High
School Class of 1914 and known as “Non-Sinkable William”, gained national fame
for his floating prowess.
Looking up
on the hill to our left, we see a new house built last year by Greg Lawton, a
descendant of the founder of this forgotten little river town and the 5th
generation of Lawton’s to live here in Star or Seelyburg. Beyond look at the green roof of the Organic
Valley headquarters in the distance. OV
is the largest marketer of organic products in the world and had total sales of
$992 million in 2014. Organic Valley
employs 400 people here in La Farge at the present time to help make all those
sales happen.
When
Seelyburg was thriving back in the day before the floods washed it away, Dr.
Amos Carpenter had his office and apothecary here. Dr. Carpenter was known for
using Indian potions and medicines in his practice and each fall, the Winnebago
(now Ho-Chunk) would stop and sell their natural medicines to Dr. Amos.
This is the
site of the last store in Seelyburg, owned by Sam Hook. The popular storeowner died when his store
burned down in 1917. He was found
floating in the spring-fed cistern in the store’s basement and that cement
vault still lies over there in the weeds.
Everybody who lived in Seelyburg back then claimed that Sam was murdered
most foully. Alas, poor Sam could not
call for help on that fateful night in 1917 because he was a deaf mute.
That is new
State Highway 131 to our left. This road
was put in to go around Lake La Farge and replace the old state highway, which
we were just on. When the dam project
was stopped in 1975, the community, as a way to protest, held a mock funeral
here in town for Senator William Proxmire.
An effigy dummy of the senator, riding in a manure spreader pulled by
two jackasses, took the funeral parade up to the dam site where the dummy was
thrown down toward the river. Reverend
Red Alderson intoned, “Ashes to ashes; dust to dust. Lord, give us a senator that we can trust.” La Farge once again made national
headlines.
Looking up
at the school building, the old two-story 1901 school building is at the center
of a current struggle by the people of the school district as to what to do
with the ancient structure. Do we tear
it down, since it has outlived its usefulness as a school building, or do we
convert, retrofit or restore it for other uses for the community? That is the question.
The story
of how La Farge got its name is an interesting one. Because of the names derivation, many people
like to make a connection with the early French fur trappers, who plied the
Kickapoo trading for furs with the Winnebago.
That would be a good story, and another is that the name was chosen
because there is a place to ford the Kickapoo River here. The French la farge fits with the proximity with the river. Another great story, but alas, the name La
Farge was simply picked out of a book supplied by the U.S. Post Office. A young girl, blindfolded for the process,
ran her finger down the page and stopped at La Farge. This took place at Sam Green’s place, a mile
south of town. That was the first La
Farge post office; now it’s the Green Apple Inn B&B and the owner serves
organic breakfasts. What a connection
between the past, present and future of this town.
As we
approach the new VMH medical clinic on our left, it’s important to remember
that this is the site of the last sawmill in La Farge. Schroer’s Hardwood Lumber ceased sawing
operations here in July of 2013 marking the first time in the 150-year history
of the town that La Farge did not have an operating sawmill. The new clinic will have three doctors and a
pharmacy as well as two birthing rooms.
Dr. Jim Deline has been delivering Amish babies for decades and his
renowned research on Amish health issues will continue in the new clinic. The new clinic is hosting an Open House for
the public until three this afternoon.
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