Ending winter, a nice day, a short walk

Just a little past the prime time to catch the land forms that you won't notice once the foliage springs to its seasonal form.   Should be the week to see the Lions Klunker go down, maybe even tomorrow.   Has this even ever been capture on film or video?

Do the car drivers on the bridge even notice it, or even look at the lake?

The water is open a little more from last week, with less snow and more gradual warming it will be interesting to see if there is a "main stream" or current in the reservoir.  Below, the point of land on the opposite bank is the LaPointe Park.  Since the second bridge (rail in view) was added the value of that park has slowly been lost. (somewhat stolen.)

The rail on the bridges are tall.   A fun way to interact with Menomonie is walking around downtown and on the trails, except due to the traffic volume (amount and sound).   A circle tour on the bridges taking in the dam side and lake side in one swoop is usually not as delightful as the edited commercial tourist shows broadcast.   It's a completely missed opportunity by the City of Menomonie, but then regular people are not usually given the opportunity to make a thing happen.   (And judging by the amount of litter and lack of consideration by some, why should the City do anything?)

Once the vegetation springs to life below this will be a fun view to snap a photo of. 

The largest "Wolske Bay" sign is the larger street sign

Menomonie Lakeside park is the repurposed Lange Canning Co. high-nutrient Waste Lagoon.

One of the most natural park settings at the confluence of Wilson Creek and the Red Cedar River is disrupted by the terminal ends of the Federal and State highways bridges that allow excessive speeds of motorists.  Walking across the south end of the bridges is more dangerous, especially with younger and less able people.  To cross from the upper part of La Pointe park to the Wilson Place Museum is only for the adventurous.   Sure, people could walk uphill a block and over the North Campus overpass, and back down, to cross another busy vehicle intersection.  Maybe this is why Wilson Place Mansion didn't get as many visitors since the mid-'90's?

The difference between the UW-Stout standard and the City of Menomonie standard is evident in this stretch of sidewalk.   Twisted concrete tripping hazards and ankle-snapping opportunities abound.   This isn't just a post-winter condition, either.  The chances of vehicles striking people are rather high at this intersection as red-light running is rather common.  If it were a Menomonie baseball field it would look like this at all.  

 Up above is a sampling on a light traffic Sunday morning.  Wolske Bay road sees a large amount of motorists speeding, robbing the enjoyment of a neighborhood walk routinely.  In the sample above is the curious case of Menomonie standards and sidewalks, even when the concrete was being replaced ( a couple years ago) and the traffic count here validates the city's own rules to have a sidewalk on the other side, none was placed there.  
The missed opportunity for trail bump-outs for the Junction to Stokke Trail connection on the old rail line were sadly not taken.    A three post red-reflector "gate" forces users of the Junction Trail onto questionable 1980's-era sidewalk.

Menomonie Public Library

Menomonie Purple Martin birdhouse

The "Milwaukee" rail line passed under here to the left lower corner on its way to Cedar Falls until 1902.

First views of Menomin and the Waterpark

Dropping into Menomonie a couple decades back, this author was rather excited to be in a new town that had a lake, among other exciting sounding offerings at the University of Wisconsin Stout.   With some other smaller town lake experiences, and coming from a personal/professional big lake experience, the sailing club sounded like something I wanted to do.

Only thing is that when I got it here, the listed club wasn't anywhere to be found on campus.

No big deal, there was a lot to take in.  It was overwhelming in some respects.   While the roommate assigned to me really sucked, the room had a great view.  (It only took me about 16 years to finally get in to see the Wilson Place Mansion after literally overlooking it for some years.)  The view of the lake was nice, eventually the last room on campus was at the end and it was really quite excellent. 

Below is the view that I came to know on the many walks between residence and class and work.

It is quite interesting that my future home currently is in view although it's not seen.  

In the relatively short time I have been here I have seen a lot of Menomonie, not the UW Stout part, but the real Menomonie disappear.   Little by little.   For instance, this stairway below went up to the parking lot that is behind Hovlid hall.  It is gone now, but for years this kind of what was my backyard.   Now it is the new Stout North Campus cafeteria that took over the parking lot area above.   This scene gone.

Now if someone in 50 years looks at it, would it read something like, "rustic staircase," and someone like me will wonder where it was? 

Of course at the time, a couple decades ago, I had no idea what was there before me.  As I come across more and more information about Menomonie I am floored by the amount of homes that have disappeared to make room for UW Stout expansion and parking lots.  Not to mention the closing of roads and elimination or outright theft by the city and state of property for "renewal" efforts or road widening.

And then in the modern news it appears there is a "housing shortage" in Menomonie.  


My first walk off-campus was north along the Omaha rail that eventually led me to Kmart.   Kind of a random first adventure on my first night in Menomonie.   I don't have any pictures of the railroad tracks I was following and I didn't know much about anything I was passing at that time.   Now it is the rail-to-trail Junction Trail.  

Way off my radar at the time was the Wakanda Water Park.   I really enjoyed walking, running, and biking, down to Wakanda park in those days.  The lightly wooded and large parks of Menomonie have been one of my favorite aspects of this city.  

I thought this article was really interesting.  The note that the water park was something on the list of things Menomonie desired since 1960 really hit home on the current me.  If I had read this article 20 years ago that part wouldn't stand out to me.


Why now?   I think it is because with the on-going research and discussion, that year, or more specifically it was 1958 when Menomonie saw the realization of the "big new lake," and in 1959 when that extra depth didn't improve to the desired "lake" people thought it might be was evident.  

With so many people that were here in the 1950's and 1960's that will tell about the algae that existed then, I have to wonder where the people who claim there was never an algae presence "before" came from?  

When pressed for more information on this, the "it was clear before" demographic will sometimes later add something like, "it wasn't AS bad," or it "was never THIS bad," or "it is getting worse."

There can't be two contradicting accounts.

I could showcase clear water every year for the last couple decades but at the same time produce a green photo of the lake in each same year.   Why?  That's the algae cycle, it is a photosynthetic creature and they are feeding and multiplying like crazy until they kill each other off, and then release their blue color, their decaying odor, and possibly toxins (if present.)  

The environment needs balancing.

Next up, we're hitting on the crumbling lake shore, a bigger problem that Menomonie should be addressing.

How to destroy a public park

Widening the corridors and adding more lanes.

The beginning of the end of the pond bank park, the "rustic bridge," the trails.   

Leader-Telegram Apr 09, 1948

Mayor Randy Knaack

 

Ever wonder what happened to the Wilson Creek drive?   Maybe it wasn't really pollution?

How did Wilson Park survive?

Then, now, and then what?

Creating a lake. 

The old "mill pond" just wasn't a well-enough feature for the company town that the company was leaving.

While the Knapp, Stout, and Co. was present we know that Wilson Creek and Riverside park were popular locations, as well as "point comfort" before there was a road access down there.  Likely, Evergreen cemetery was used as a park, too, this would be in that period where cemeteries had different meaning before the modern death industry and the more modern "public park" and recreation spaces were in existence.    Who would have thought a multi-million dollar water park would be in existence back in 1902 in Menomonie?


A lesser mentioned park, the "pond bank park" appears alongside Riverside park for funding early in Menomonie history.   We have to wonder if the names were simply called what they are because of what they are, "riverside" and "pond bank?"   

But no such "mill pond" for Menomonie, as Senator Stout declared the slightly raised level "a lake."


But what is a lake?   Like most words, each individuals experiences and expectations come with a varied defintion.

Some definitions but this one seems fitting:

Definition of lake

: a considerable inland body of standing water also : a pool of other liquid (such as lava, oil, or pitch)

Size, shape, depth, use, and a host of other criteria a not present in the definition.

So, we have a lake.



Since 1958 Menomonie has had a big, upgraded lake.  So, where are those who pushed for the raising in Menomonie at on their opinion of their modern creation?

What would the citizens of Menomonie from the first half of the 20th century think of the new direction from their humble "mill pond" upgrade?

Where next?

More roads?  More encroachment?   More dredging?

Lake Menomin dredging

Lake Menomin Dredging

1938 and 2018

Here is an excellent picture of the city of Menomonie dredging operation.

Inside and outside of the barriers we see the green growth that this operation was falsely stated to prevent in the future.

Which city council member gets the improvement here?

On top of that, you can see the cyanobacteria or blue-green algae starting to bloom from favorable feeding fuel.   It's that simple.

There is a strong fuel source running right along that homeowners shoreline.  There is also a strong growth just outside the barrier.   Inside that barrier there should be no flow between this area and Butch's bay.


What did you get for your money?

How does this benefit the city of Menomonie?

This is what whey sucked up:

1938 and 2018

Bring back the beaches. And the drive-in. And....

Why does the issue of not bringing back the drive-in theater not seem to be as common as the issue of "restoring our beaches?"   For many years the Wakanda baseball fields were used but those fields have been added to, in addition a multi-million dollar waterpark was created.

But seemingly no vocal sentimentality on the absence of the drive-in theater.  

Are there other drive-in theaters that pulled people away from Menomonie?   Should the disappearance of the theater also be simply blamed on "the lake?"

Wouldn't the combination of wireless technology and sitting in a climate-controlled automobile (with high-budget sound system inside--we know these exist) be a better way to further isolate people into their own personalized movie experience, becoming something that is even better than having to make a short walk into a standard theater and sit in a room full of strangers?

The reality is that anyone with a net worth of a million dollars could easily re-create the drive-in theater experience and be very successful at it.   It likely wouldn't return a massive amount of money on the "investment."   Some of the kids (full adults, in actuality) in Menomonie that have inherited their net worth would never be willing to part with it.   (they might end up having kids that would have to work for a living.)   The drive-in of modern style would at best be created as someone's private playground surrounded by acres of private land if it was to ever happen at all.


Does that compare to "the lake?"


Maybe.

What experience do people expect?   

What kind of infrastructure is there to meet the expectations?  (In Menomonie, "lake" infrastructure is very outdated, worn, and really stuck in the mid-'60's with some mid-'80's spruce-ups.)

What is the most user-benefit infrastructure that would make "the lake" usable?  (hint:  it is not the green algae.)

If the people of higher net worth won't pay for the benefit of all of us, how much would the rest of us need to pool to make the same "lake for everyone" bill?

Maybe we will never find out?


Maybe the now over $1,000,000 dredging money dumped into the "lake," businesses and people in the city limits of Menomonie will question how they are being nickel and dime billed for it?

If anyone ever remembers it.  

Or notices no effect.

Or are willing to wait out the 20 year projects (17 left on northern Wolske Bay) life expectancy and then make a statement.

Or cares.



Maybe we should go back to the dream world of the post World War 2 years and return to a better living through chemicals on the lawns.

We wouldn't want weeds in our lake., would we?

Menomonie Jarrett Creek delta dredging area

Menomonie dredged the area in red, claiming that in it was "filling in." 

In fact, land pictured was literally flooded.   Today's commerical value marketers made the flooded land as "filling in" as sediment deposition occurred from poor erosion control and water mitigation in southeastern Menomonie.  Disguised as an algae remedy, it was purely lake front property improvement for a very few paid by most.