Author Archives: Joe

Stevens Point Photos

We visited Stevens Point and Plover on Saturday March 12, 2016. We had been at the 2016 First Tree Tapping just north of Stevens Point on Casimir Road, and after a stop for lunch at the Hilltop Pub & Grill, we headed into downtown Stevens Point to see the City – County building which houses the Portage County courts. There is also an annex because there just isn’t room to expand the county side of the building. Afterward we visited the Stevens Point Brewery, home of the infamous “Blue Bullets” but we did not have reservations for the tour. So we drove to neighboring Plover and visited the O’So Brewing tap room. It was very nice.

: The Civil War Memorial across the street from the courthouse.

: The main entrance on the county side of the City County building.

: The county wing of the city county building.

: The courthouse entrance.

: Another view of the front of the county wing.

: The Civil War monument and the courthouse entrance.

: The Portage County Annex.

: The city side of the City County building.

: The “you’ve got a Point there” ad campaign lives on at Stevens Point Brewery!

: We didn’t get a chance to see much other than the gift shop – for tours you need to make a reservation.

: We visited the O’So Brewing tap room. It’s located in a shopping mall, which seems a little strange.

: But it’s well worth the stop. So many beers, so little time!

2016 Maple Tapping

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On March 12, 2016 we drove up to the Stevens Point area for the annual Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association’s First Tree Tapping ceremony. This year the tree tapping was held at the Casimir Gold Sugar Bush just north of Stevens Point. It was a beautiful and fairly warm day, and we watched Alice in Dairyland and the local state senator each tap a tree. There was no farm breakfast, like there was in 2015, but we learned a lot and got to sample some “maple water” fresh from the tree.

: The 2016 First Tree Tapping was held at the Casimir Gold Sugarbush. just north of Stevens Point

: Our host, Duane Greuel, told us a little about his sugarbush.

: Alice in Dairyland was present to do the ceremonial tree tapping.

: The local state senator read the proclamation from the governor.

: It was a beautiful day to be outdoors.

: Alice used a drill to do the tapping.

: The sap began to run right away. Duane calls this tree Persephone – it was his largest producer last year.

: There was a good crowd at the sugarbush.

: The state senator got to tap a tree of her own.

: We got to taste the sap right from the tree. Apparently they are going to try to market the sap as “maple water.”

: This is the shed where the sap is boiled down.

: The basic steps in making maple syrup.

: We got to look inside and see the sap being boiled down.

: And that was it for another year!

Menominee County Links

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Here are some links for Menominee County:

The official Menominee County web site
The Menominee County Area Chamber of Commerce web site
The College of Menominee Nation web site
The Legend Lake community web site

Janesville Photos

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I visited Janesville on Sunday November 29, 2015. It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning. I had never been in downtown Janesville before, at least as far as I can remember, so it was interesting to see the city. I parked on South Main Street and then walked through the park for some pictures of the front of the courthouse. I then walked on the north side of the building to the top of Courthouse Hill. There is a nice park here and many older homes. Then I headed down the south side of the building back to Main Street. From here I walked a few blocks to a bridge over the Rock River for some more pictures. Then it was back to the car (my old 2002 Toyota Corolla on its last courthouse visit) for the drive home.

: The Rock County courthouse

: The Civil War memorial

: The new addition to the courthouse was built in 1997

: It is a very striking building

: The main entrance

: Behind the courthouse on Courthouse Hill

: The courthouse was built in 1955. The older part is now used by the sheriff’s office.

: Looking west towards the Rock River from Courthouse Hill

: The south side of the courthouse showing the new addition (1997) and the original building (1955)

: The Rock County courthouse

: Crossing the Rock River on the Court Street bridge

: The courthouse from across the Rock River

: The Janesville Transit System terminal

: The Roth Community Pavilion, Christmas tree, courthouse and my old car

Viroqua Photos

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I visited the Vernon County courthouse in Viroqua on Sunday November 22, 2015. I got to Viroqua just before noon and it was a beautiful day with an inch or so of new snow on the ground. After walking around the courthouse, I went over to a site managed by the Vernon County Historical Society to see the old St. Mary’s Catholic church and the Foreaker schoolhouse. Then I headed back toward Madison, stopping for some more photos at the Vernon County Museum.

: At the Vernon County courthouse

: The courthouse was built in 1880.

: The memorial to those who died in World War I

: The Vernon County courthouse

: The back of the courthouse showing the annex and some of the newer construction

: One more view of the courthouse

: The Foreaker school house

: The marker from the Vernon County Historical Society for the school and the church.

: The old St. Mary’s Catholic Church

: The Vernon County Museum

: The museum is the old Normal School building

: Looking north on Highway 14 toward downtown Viroqua

Richland Center Photos

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I visited Richland Center on the morning of Sunday November 22, 2015. It was a beautiful but cold day; we had just has the first snowstorm of the season in southern Wisconsin on the previous day. I parked by the courthouse and walked around the square taking pictures. Then I headed over to the Frank Lloyd Wright warehouse for more photos. From there I walked back through the business district to the courthouse. It’s a very nice town and the downtown area is very easy to walk around in.

: The Richland County courthouse

: The main entrance. The courthouse was built in 1889.

: Walking around to the back of the courthouse

: The back of the courthouse.

: The front of the courthouse on Seminary Street. The new annex is in the foreground.

: The courthouse, the annex and off to the far right is the Community Services building.

: Across the street is the Center Cinema

: Frank Lloyd Wright designed the A. D. German warehouse

: The warehouse was completed in 1921. It is Wright’s only building in his hometown.

: Wright was in his early Mayan Revival phase when he designed it.

: In the Richland Center business district.

: The Richland Center Post Office

: On the edge of the business district – it’s a beautiful town.

: I hadn’t realized that the first municipal auditorium in Wisconsin was located in Richland Center.

: It is a striking building and it is still in use.

: Looking down Center Street toward the cinema and the courthouse.

La Crosse County Links

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Here are my links for La Crosse County:

The official La Crosse County web site
The City of La Crosse web site
The University of Wisconsin – La Crosse web site
The City Brewery web site. Located in La Crosse, this is the former G. Heileman brewery which was best known for its Old Style brand along with many others.
La Crosse County Historic Sites Preservation Society web site
The La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce web site
The La Crosse Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau web site
The CenturyLink Rivercam page: a webcam located in La Crosse’s Riverside Park

West Bend Photos

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I visited West Bend on the morning of Monday September 14, 2015. This was the final stop in my three county seat tour on the way home from the Door County Century; I had already stopped in Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties. I stopped first at the current county courthouse which was built in 1961. The building houses both the courthouse and the sheriffs department. It’s a pretty nice looking facility just off of Highway 33.

After that, I drove downtown and spent some time at the old courthouse which is now a museum. It was built in 1889 and the old jail is next door, which was built in 1886. Both buildings have been restored and are used by the Washington County Historical Society.

: Washington County Government Center

: Side entrance to the courthouse

: The courthouse and sheriffs department

: Courthouse main entrance

: Courthouse main entrance

: Courthouse and sheriffs department

: Veterans memorial at the old courthouse

: Veterans memorial at the old courthouse

: The old courthouse

: Main entrance. The old courthouse was built in 1889.

: Courthouse square marker

: The front of the old courthouse

: The front of the old courthouse

: The old jail

: One last look at the old courthouse

: The county historical society maintains the old jail and courthouse

Sheboygan Photos

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I visited Sheboygan on Monday September 14, 2015. I was on my way home from the Door County Century and I figured out a route to visit three county courthouses on the way: Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Washington.

I got to Sheboygan before 9:00 a.m. as you can probably tell from the low angle of the sun in the photos. The courthouse building is very nice and being so early in the day, I was able to park in front and then walk around the building and down to Riverview Park.

: The Sheboygan County courthouse

: The building is similar in style to the Outagamie and Winnebago county courthouses

: Main entrance

: It was hard to get a good picture of the front of the building because of the trees

: The back of the courthouse

: You can see the wing that was added on to the building

: The Sheboygan River

: There is a harbor of sorts and a marina

: Riverview Park

: Looking down the river to the breakwater and Lake Michigan

: Back at the courthouse

: One more try at a good picture of the front of the building

Port Washington Photos

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I visited Port Washington on Monday September 14th, 2015. I was on my way home from the Door County Century and had planned to stop at a few county courthouses along the way. My stop in Ozaukee County was the second of the three I made that morning: first was in Sheboygan County and the last was in Washington County.

I got to Port Washington around 10:00 am and it was a beautiful morning. I stopped first at the old courthouse and then walked down to the harbor for more photos. Then I drove out to the new courthouse for some photos. And that was it for this trip to Ozaukee County.