Algae. Nothing new or unique to Menomonie.

Strange.   Something happens, people don't like it, experts get some press, likely some funding and nearly 70 years later it is dam near the same shit, different day.

Is it lack of funding for research?   A too complex of an issue?  Inconsistent funding?   Lack of genuine interest?

Mayor Randy Knaack of Menomonie cleaned up Lake Menomin with two expensive dredging projects and he didn't even have to use his scum sucker 2000. 

So, how did Madison, WI not figure that out way back in 1949?   Well, you're right, they didn't have Menomonie's Mayor, but, time travel hasn't happened yet.  That we know of.

Let's take a look at this smelly lake bit-o-press from December 2, 1949:















Did you catch that little bit about few natural "enemies?"     
Just a few years ago a similar notion was introduced as part of a long term sustainable plan that was cheaper than the dredging projects.

But good old Randy Knaack got his dredging and the press of the day bolstered by commercial Menomonie interests didn't want extra government to pay and sustain a solution.
HOLY SHIT, MENOMONIE!

Stouts Camp Colony

Camp Colony Menomonie Stout

Leased on a well wooded tract of land just south of Menomonie's Fair Grounds at the eastern edge of the city.

This early recreational multi-campsite location within walking distance of Stout buildings was started in the spring of 1929.

Stoutonia 1930

Stoutonia March 13, 1931

Stoutonia March 13, 1931

Lake Colfax.

Tainter Lake

Okay, so it's not Lake Colfax.    But back in February of 1911, it apparently was Lake Colfax.  Or at least someone thought so.

Big enough to freeze over, Wisconsin's newest lake of the day and ready for commercialization.  

How has the old lake held up?

Are you happy with "Lake Colfax" not sticking?

The new bridge then in post card greetings

Available on ebay for a limited time, this great RPPC post card is up for auction.  The last really neat post card with the old Lake Menomin sold for an astounding $77.00!

.

Well today's post card is already reaching a fairly high price, considering this was likely sold by the box load through the old Lee Drug Store alone (Menomonie residents will remember the racks just inside the door that were there well through the 1990's and into the 2000's).   Of course this author thought these post cards were really cool then but with the deeper contextual Menomonie history knowledge (that this author has now) the pictures were still rather left self-interpretive.   Such as, "oh, this used to be a street here." vs.  "UW Stout has been constantly expanding and Bowman hall is the oldest building in 1897 and there used to be more Main Street buildings where that parking lot is south from Penco but they burned down along with the previous Stout manual training school building and then ....." 

You get the idea, there's a massive story behind it all with a lot of people spread through decades but we package things into the smallest most efficient package and the evolution of a "car-free" campus and the expansion of campus takes a long time to learn and communicate.   Who has that time to care about the city they live in these days?

Nowhere in the UW Stout history yarns is the mention of the pressure it has put on the city of Menomonie and the amount of traffic and parking lot spaces along with undesirable home owner occupied neighborhoods, but that's an "outside the bay" topic we'll cover in the future.  

But back to the post card.

What makes this RPPC really interesting is that the back description actually gives a huge clue as to what year this photo was taken.

"Lake Menomin as seen from Hwy. 12 on the south bank of lake. Girl's Stout dormitory and new bridge can be seen be seen across lake from this scenic paradise."

That handwritten note with "7-21-62" adds massive value to this post card.   People usually don't put foward dates on this type of thing, but stranger things....

Menomonie was notoriously known for crooked bridges and that 1942 bridge is a nice publicity feature.   Something we all really take for granted in the current day.   If it were possible to get a better view of the Parker Pen area behind the bridge, that would add more value to this picture.

Well, we know that the girls dormitory was Bertha Tainter Hall and that building was replaced by the Modern Jeter-Tainter-Callahan  in the mid-50's.   And of course this is still just "Stout State College" at this point in history.

The Jeter and Callahan "wings" were added in 1958 to the center Tainter Hall.  This is another clue as to an exact year this was taken.

This could also be a nice "look at our new brand new big lake" picture.   The water level relative to the bridge and the seemingly not there private boathouse near the old pump house could put this picture right into 1958 or 1959 with that very tidy looking rip-rap running along the shore.   Or even into 1961.

It doesn't appear that the old steel truss bridge is running under the new bridge, but it is such an obscured area off in the distance.

What's even more fun is that we could probably find someone that knew who these people were at the picnic table.

Of course it is a misleading photo to those of us today.  It would seem to suggest more space, peace quiet, nature, etc.   But those of use who live in Menomonie know it is a very traffic heavy road with vehicles routinely exceeding speed limits.  

This scene is very possible to recreate today, but not when UW Stout is in session or Monday through Friday for the most part.   The sit down passive park has become a drive-by location.   For the price, this author can't justify the higher bid value at present without a better shoreline background detail available.

A vision for Menomonie from 1927

 

"...to look after local conservation and to keep the lake shores and other beauty spots from being snapped up by real estate dealers and private persons who will rule out the public from their own lakes."  J.C. Wilcox, 1927

Lake Menomin post card--- unknown!

Can you identify this lake scene?

Is it Lake Menomin?

Menomonie

Raise the lake level of Lake Menomin, says Mr. Doyle

Lake Menomin

We looked a little bit at Wilson Creek and find this letter of encouragement in 1952 (the same year that the Alan Fletcher Menomonie Lake Improvement Association started pushing for the highest lake level possible) interesting.

The note of re-locating the boathouse on the southeast corner of Lake Menomin to the location near the pump house makes me wonder if this notion was floated to him by the same people floating that notion in the mid-to-late 1940's?    Why move the boathouse at that time?   It was too hard to walk down the lake bank to get to that boathouse.  (Seriously.)   And if located by the pump house people could drive there.

Tainter lake water kills dogs. And cows.

Menomonie algae Lake Tainter

Tainter Lake Algae

 

Menomonie Algae Lake Tainter

Tainter Lake Algae

Three articles.    Separated by years.    Early July dates.   Can that particular part  of a year tell us something?    

What do different years look like at Wolske bay?

July 5, 2016 Wolske Bay (prior to any dredging activity)

July 10, 2017 Wolske bay

July 9, 2018 Wolske bay

A look at Wilson Creek, Menomonie, WI

Harding Perkins built a dam and mill here in 1822 and it washed out and well...... let's let someone better take a closer look at Wilson Creek from that perspective.

Published in 1909.

Wilson Creek Menomonie

Published in 1910.
Wilson Creek Boat Livery

 Published May 1911

Published in 1911

Wilson Creek and the bridge

See Wilson Creek flood destruction photo here.



It is said that it was better in the old days.   Or that everything is that damn dams fault.  Generalized comments but interesting to hear.  (Apparently Wilson Creek gave the Dells a run for the money by accounts; not kidding!)

It gets weird on that point of being better before the dam (or "a" dam here in Menomonie), especially with that of Wilson Creek.  Apparently it was better WITH that dam and it subsequently never matched splendor without it.  (Even if I thought it was really great this last year in 2018, as every year I have been able to paddle it, but what do I know.)

Now, you know that the Knapp Stout and Co. company was done in 1901 here in Menomonie.  Over the eastern bank near the mouth of Wilson Creek was their steam powered shingle and saw mill.  It appears this building was removed by early 1910 but it left behind the dam on Wilson Creek.  This dam was damaged or washed out in the fall of 1911.  Apparently the loss of the dam really was significant.

Published 1912.

Published 1916

Published 1917

But it reads into the 1920's where Wilson Creek seems to get used still as a recreation spot but there are still news reports that leave the impression that the creek was better years before that.   Some news on the needed dam repairs suggested a new dam on Wilson Creek was  rather desired.

Published 1923

In 1924 forward looking people worked on city acquisition of the north bank of Wilson Creek all the way to the country club to coincide with the upcoming rerouting of U.S. hwy. 12 and their funding and acquisition process is stated to be similar to that of acquiring shore line for the city on Lake Menomin.  ( Could wehave ended up with even less public shoreline than we have today?)

Wilson Creek seems to become more of side note, something to look at as one passes by for a rest stop.  In 1925 the automobile and the Yellowstone Trail was rerouted with the new Wilson Creek bridge (or sometimes called Historic Meadow Hill bridge, parts of which are scattered in uses as signs in Menomonie parks today.   No, I don't think it was better back then.).   It was a major travel and tour thing to have the Wilson Creek bridge and Broadway viaduct installed then.

Published in 1925

An article from 1926 suggested that the badly needed repair on the Wilson Creek dam was approved by NSP but was noted that it was more in the intent of repair instead of construction.   The power company only asked not to be responsible if the dam was destroyed in flood and for any damage a flood could cause the city bridge.   The old wagon bridge and Milwaukee line bridge were removed in 1926.

The commercial value of preserving the beauty of Wilson Creek, with a dam at the mouth, was tied into the fact of the then- new tourist park that is today's Sanna park. (the naming of "Sanna" is another story....)  

Published in 1926

So, in 1911 the dam was washed out, maybe some repair, but 15 years later the "central spot in the country for boating fishing...."?
Was much done on the Wilson Creek dam?   It looks like in 1929 the issue was still present and revisited for discussion and it seems like the plans drawn up years prior were still plans.

Published in 1929

But by 1931 employment was so good and everybody was so busy that the dam was put on hold.  With all the material ready to go when employment was needed this new Wilson Creek dam project was apparently ready to go at a moments notice.

Published 1931

There was talk of, well...,  talk of, a new Red Cedar river bridge and a new Red Cedar dam in some mid-1930's articles and the wait-and-see approach seems to be the course of action. 

Plans for a Wilson Creek park as a W.P.A. project were announced in 1936.  Keen readers will note that this 1936 writing references "Doyle's hill," where few today would recognize this name in modern Menomonie, or where it is.   However, no mention of repair or building of a dam for Wilson Creek, which the loss of that dam seemed to destroy something that was so much better on Wilson Creek in 1911 and before.   And if this 1936 news doesn't rhyme somewhat familiar except with the loss of good access from "Doyle's hill" by trail today.

Published 1936

In 1939, the activity around the mouth of Wilson Creek was that of preparing for the new Red Cedar Bridge that was to start from the front lawn of the LaPointes and curve slightly to meet the existing concrete viaduct that went over the Omaha railroad tracks.

Published in 1939

In 1942 this Red Cedar river bridge was put in place and is used today.  In fact it just had a painting and a deck surface polymer put on it in 2018.  (WOW!)


In 1944 while planning efforts for stream improvements, "old timers" brought the Wilson Creek dam back into discussion.  "Before the floods...." part has me intrigued.   Which in today's Menomonie, the stagnant water may allow for more favorable cyanobacteria growth, but floods are not as recurrent?

Published 1944

Even in the late '40's, N.S.P., the power company, had been hinting at replacing the Red Cedar dam.   Into the early 1950's a new dam was definitely in the works. An ice jam on Wilson Creek posed some threat to the old Red Cedar dam in 1950.

In 1952, Menomonie Rotary was told to fight for the highest lake level possible concerning a new Red Cedar River dam.   The Menomonie Lake Improvement Association, led by Allen Fletcher, was very in favor of the highest, biggest, deepest lake that could be made in Menomonie.   This was the big '50's, afterall.
Of course, Wilson Creek might finally be restored to its historic beauty, it is mentioned.

Published 1952

In 1958, the Men-Aqua Commodore was capped as the new Red Cedar dam was dedicated.   The new George LaPointe park was dedicated.  On the north end of the lake the new Super Highway (I-94) was being built.