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Video of Tower Hill State Park and Campground – Spring Green, Wisconsin
Tower Hill State Park is a 77 acre park located on the banks of the Wisconsin River near Spring Green, WI. It’s main feature is a 120 ft. shot tower and 90 ft. tunnel where lead was dropped to create symmetrical shot balls using the “Watts Method.” In 1782, William Watts of Bristol, England, patented a method to produce shot that was round and free of imperfections by dropping molten lead from a great height. Watts’ invention was inspired by observing falling raindrops. Shot towers were first built in America after President Thomas Jefferson imposed the Embargo Act in 1808. Tower Hill, relatively close to the lead mining regions of Wisconsin, used a crude 120 ft shaft and 90 ft tunnel dug into a sandstone cliff to produce shot from 1833-1861. The lead shot was shipped by barge down the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers to St. Louis. The park has 15 campsites and provides canoe and kayak access to the Wisconsin River. The bluff trails give visitors excellent views of the river valley. Nearby is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin. Slideshow and photographs copyright 2008, Creative Juice LLC.
Weather forecast for Spring Green, Wisconsin vicinity
Blog entries for Tower Hill State Park
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Mirror Lake State Park – Wisconsin Dells
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Video of Mirror Lake State Park – Wisconsin Dells
Mirror Lake was formed by the old mill dam on Dell Creek near Lake Delton in 1860. Dell Creek is within the non-glaciated, or what is known as the driftless area of Wisconsin. Sandstone was formed from river deposits into shallow seas about 500,000,000 years ago, during the Late Cambrian geologic period. The rock outcroppings of Mirror Lake’s gorges are formed from weathered sandstone. Over the last 10,000 years Dell Creek cut gorges into the thick, soft sandstone rock. This 2,050 acre park lies within three miles of Wisconsin Dells and draws more than 200,000 visitors a year. The park has many miles of trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking and nature viewing. The no-wake lake is ideal for canoeing and kayaking. There are 151 family campsites in three campgrounds, seven walk-in group sites for tents only, an accessible cabin for people with disabilities and a unique rental cottage designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Mirror Lake State Park Campgrounds
Blog entries for Mirror Lake State Park
Weather forecast for Mirror Lake State Park and vicinity
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Sunrise over Wisconsin River – Wyalusing State Park
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Video of Wyalusing State Park – Bagley, Wisconsin
Wyalusing State Park sits on bluffs 500 feet above the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. Within the park’s 2,628 acres you will find hardwood forests, bluffs, springs, waterfalls, and spectacular vistas. You can see ancient Native American effigy mounds and imagine what the French explorers Marquette and Joliet thought about them as they became the first Europeans to set foot here in 1673. There are more than 23 miles of trails for hiking, biking and skiing. More than 100 bird species, including bald eagles, hawks, owls, and various waterfowl, can be observed during the spring and fall migrations. There are 109 family campsites, group tent campsites for 130 and a lodge/dormitory complex for 108 people. Nearby is the Villa Louis Victorian mansion. Across the river is the Effigy Mounds National Monument where you can observe 205 mounds considered as ceremonial and sacred sites by American Indian tribes.
Blog entries for Wyalusing State Park
Camping in Wyalusing State Park
Wyalusing State Park Campgrounds
