Story originally printed in the Vernon Broadcaster or online at www.vernonbroadcaster.com
Published - Thursday, July 03, 2008
County’s portion of Great River Road full of history
The Great River Road along Vernon County’s border with the Mississippi River is a beautiful drive.
Along the way there are bluffs, goat prairies, barges, locks and dams, a federal fish hatchery and a lot of history.
 A red-winged blackbird sits atop a road sign that includes one of the markers (far right) for the Great River Road, which travels north and south along Vernon County's western border with the Mississippi River. (Bonnie Sterling photo) |
The Great River Road is the oldest and longest scenic byway in the United States, running from Minnesota to Louisiana. It is nearly 3,000 miles long and runs through 10 states along the Mississippi River.
SIGHTS ON THE ROAD
In addition to the many overlooks and waysides along the Great River Road, there is good fishing. The many boat ramps along the way make access to the river easy.
--Clemments fishing barge is available south of Genoa Lock and Dam No. 8.
--The villages of Stoddard, Genoa, Victory and De Soto offer the usual tourist amenities.
--The U.S. National Fish Hatchery is north of Genoa. The facility offers tours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
n The Lock and Dam No. 8 can also be toured. The hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
--The other fun activity on the road is watching the fast freight trains on the tracks between the road and the river.
The Great River Road was conceived by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as part of a Great River Parkway concept. Over the years, bits and pieces of state and federal highways were put together to form the scenic road.
The Road was established as Co. Hwy. A in 1916 and sometime after 1921, County A became Hwy. 35. The 1931 Platt book shows Hwy. 35 going along the river, hugging the bluffs with the railroad to the west of the road.
Beginning on the northern border of the county, the Great River Road, winds along the bluffs to Stoddard, a town that was originally two miles inland from the river and served the area as a rail center.
To the west of the village was the well-known Warner’s Landing on Coon Slough. Today it looks like part of the river.
A story has been passed down through the years that it was at Warner’s Landing that Jessie James and his brother Frank, stayed overnight, on their way to Fairbanks, Minn., for the Great Fairbanks Bank Robbery. An employee, Embert Emberson, took care of their horses and was paid with a $5 gold piece.
Just south of Warner’s Landing was Britt Landing, where farmers would bring cordwood to sell for fuel to steamboats. It was also known as Flick’s Landing.
When the Lock and Dam No. 8 at Genoa was constructed in 1937, the area west of Stoddard, the sloughs and islands, were cleared of timber and submerged when the locks were closed. Stoddard became a river town.
Just south of Stoddard is Old Settler’s Overlook, which was the site of Flick Rock Quarry. The rock was used for the wing dams and riprap for Lock and Dam No. 8.
Continuing south, is the village of Genoa. It is perched on the edge of the river, with tall bluffs to its back. It was settled by immigrants of Italian decent. The town was originally called Bad Ax City, but was changed to Genoa in 1868, in honor of Christopher Columbus’ hometown.
Outside of town is Lock and Dam No. 8., constructed and put into operation by April 1937. The dam consists of a concrete structure 934 feet long with five roller gates and 10 tainter gates. The earth embankment is 17,500 feet long with two submersible spillways, 938 feet long and 1,338 feet long. The lock is 110 feet wide by 600 feet long.
The 10-year average lock traffic is 4,166 vessels. The locks closed Nov. 30 in 2007 and opened Mach 27 this year.
Across from Lock and Dam No. 8 is the wayside and parking lot, which gives fishermen access to Clemments fishing barge below the dam.
Victory, nestled in the bluffs along the river, was one of the points, where goods were supplied to trappers and American Indians from the famous American Fur Company, whose agent, Col. Hercules Dousman, lived in Prairie du Chien.
The town was named Victory to commemorate the final battle of the Black Hawk War fought north of the area.
During the steamboat era, it was a major landing between Galena, Ill., and La Crosse and during the wheat boom of the 1850s, the village prospered.
Major stockyards were also located at Victory. Area farmers would bring their stock to the village for shipping to market by rail. The river was quite narrow at this point, so farmers from Minnesota would swim their stock across the Mississippi River from island to island to the stockyards.
Just north of Victory is the mouth of the Bad Axe River, where the National Fish Hatchery is located today.
In 1932, Congress authorized the U.S. National Fish Hatchery in Genoa. According to the “Vernon County Heritage 1994,” the hatchery began in the reproduction of large and small mouth bass. Animal waste was piled on the ice in the pond in winter, melted through in the spring. It furnished cheap food for the fry when they hatched. The hatchery produced more species of fish later and in recent years has been extremely efficient in stocking many Midwestern waters.
The Battle of the Bad Axe took place in this area as part of the Blackhawk War on Aug. 1-2, 1832.
Blackhawk, a Sauk Indian, was pursued by the U.S. Army and Militia across Wisconsin by Gen. Atkinson and 1,200 mounted troops, beginning in northern Illinois, following the Rock River into Wisconsin, across Wisconsin Heights, west of Madison, ending at the Mississippi River, near the mouth of the Bad Axe River.
Blackhawk left scouts inland behind his main party, near Red Mound and the area of Battle Hollow, to fight a rear action. There was a running battle between the Army and the scouts. Blackhawk and his followers numbering more than 150 warriors, were discovered by the gunboat Warrior out of Prairie du Chien, on the banks of the river, just below the mouth of the Bad Axe River, trying to reach the west bank of the Mississippi. Blackhawk attempted to surrender but was ignored by the gunboat which opened fire on the group with a six-inch cannon. Blackhawk’s party returned fire and 23 of them were killed. When Gen. Atkinson caught up with the Indian party the next morning, Blackhawk again attempted to surrender. Again it was not respected, for whatever reason and the running battle continued.
Blackhawk’s party was outnumbered by the Army forces, many were killed, the remaining retreating to an island in the Mississippi River, today known as Battle Island.
The gunboat had returned to the battle, after refueling at Prairie du Chien, attacking with its cannon. A detachment of soldiers were ferried over to the island and killed more to Blackhawk’s party.
Only Blackhawk with 10 warriors, and 35 women and children made it to the west bank of the Mississippi River.
The Blackhawk Trail, which commemorates the event, follows the trail of Blackhawk and Gen. Atkinson through Vernon County. It was constructed by Dr. C.V. Porter, a De Soto school teacher and doctor in the area, who thought the sites of historical events should be preserved for future generations. Markers No. 6-9 are on the Great River Road at overlooks and turnouts.
The southern most village in Vernon County on the Great River Road is De Soto. First named Winneshiek Landing around 1854 for a Winnebago Chief Winneshiek. Its name was changed to De Soto for the Mississippi River explorer in 1855. Some accounts of De Soto say it is built on an Indian burial ground.
It was an important landing on the river. An early sawmill on the banks of the river was owned by Alexander Tullock, who rafted logs from north of St. Croix down the very narrow Mississippi in the spring.
De Soto also had its own artist, C.M. Powell. He was born in 1871 and died in 1945. He spent his later years in De Soto where he carved scriptural and historical subjects. His carvings were intricate dioramas which he set up in a museum-like atmosphere. His entire collection is now on exhibit at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wis.
De Soto is the last town in Vernon County on the Mississippi River and Great River Road. These miles, are most beautiful and unique with high bluffs, the winding road along the river, train watching and the fun of seeing boats on the river and most of all seeing the power of the Mighty Mississippi.
All stories copyright 2006 Vernon Broadcaster and other attributed sources.