NEW!

A Naturalist’s Journey
by Ken Lange

2004, 223 pages, many photos, soft cover, $20. Add $4 if you want it mailed. 

Ken Lange was the Naturalist at Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake State Park from 1966 to 1996. In this story of his journey we are introduced to the landscape and to some of the plants and animals, but mostly to some of the people who shared his journey.

You will meet a well-known naturalist who was influenced by Aldo Leopold; the "Guardian of the Hills"; several individuals linked to Baxter’s Hollow; a farmer who became so attached to his land that he fought for it; another farmer who when a youngster wondered about rocks that could come all the way from Canada; a woman who in her youth drove to high school in a horse and buggy; a mining engineer who survived the infamous Bataan Death March; a number of bachelor farmers; some local fiddlers; the "Snake Man"; the "Saviour of the Kickapoo"; the "Historian of Sumpter"; a home-grown environmentalist and humanitarian; a renaissance man; a master craftsman; and a starving artist. You will also be treated to a nostalgic look at a family café and some of its customers, as this too was part of the author’s journey.

NEW!

Images of America, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Baraboo, a community as unique as its name, had the same beginnings as many other southern Wisconsin cities–but its development throughout the 19th century set it apart. Beginning in 1839, several dams were built along the Baraboo River rapids and a typical mill town formed. With the arrival of the railroad in 1871, the village doubled in size within a decade. It also brought exposure to the nearby natural beauty of Devil’s Lake, increasing tourism significantly. Baraboo’s greatest claim to fame began when the Ringling Brothers established a circus there in 1884. 

This new Images of America series book by the Arcadia publishing company highlighting Baraboo, has 128 pages of 200 vintage photos dating from the 1870's through the mid-1920's. Each photo has a brief caption describing its significance to the history of the city. 

The book contains the following chapters: River and Rapids, Railroad Boom, Square & Surroundings, South Side, Circus Days, Industry & Enterprise, People & Personalities, Homes & Havens, Churches & Schools, and Devil’s Lake. 

Images of America, Baraboo is a 2004 publication of the Sauk County Historical Society and sells for $19.99. Add $4 is you wish it mailed. Copies may also be picked up at the museum. 

Reedsburg In Vintage Postcards
by Phyllis Miller

The story of Reedsburg is told here in vintage postcards. The rich and rolling farmland first attracted settlers to the area, and it continues to draw people to the town today. With Main Street as the center of their community pride, the citizens of Reedsburg shared their excitement, news, and sometimes their tragedies with family and friends through the postcards whose images are preserved in this book. 

Phyllis Miller shares with the reader glimpses of the past, the way they were originally experienced, as they arrived in the mailbox. 128 pages. $19.99

Reedsburg Remembers 150 Years, 1848-1998
by the Sesquicentennial History Committee

Comprehensive history of Reedsburg from 1848 to 1998.  Index of family surnames included. Soft cover,  300 plus pages with over 300 photographs.  $10.00 (plus $5 shipping and handling).

Sauk County Journal
Celebrating 150 Years of Community, 1848 - 1998
by The Sauk County Writers Club

278 pages of historic sketches, reflections, letters, stories and prose accompanied by photographs of the area in a soft covered book.  Written for the Baraboo Area Arts and Humanities Consortium by the Sauk County Writers Club. $18.00 (plus $5 shipping)

Many A Fine Harvest
by Michael J. Goc

Published by the society for the Sesquicentennial of Sauk County in 1990, this history book covers many topics from Native Americans and white settlement to modern day. Also included is a brief history and description of each Sauk County township and community. Hard cover, 192 pages, illustrated. $20.00 (plus $5 shipping)

Sumpter Series
by Earhart Mueller

Stories, anecdotes and family information and histories of the people in and around Sumpter Township.

• Also in Sumpter $10.00 (plus $5 shipping)

• Always in Sumpter $10.00 (plus $5 shipping)

• Forever in Sumpter $10.00 (plus $5 shipping)

• Return to Sumpter $16.75 (plus $5 shipping)

• Only In Sumpter (second printing) $25 (plus $5 shipping)

Wisconsin Writers and Writing
by August Derleth

This reference work was never before published and discusses the writings of Wisconsin authors such as Hamlin Garland, Glenway Wescott, Edna Ferber, Zona Gale, March Schorer, and others.  180 pages available in hard or soft-cover.   $5.00 soft-cover ($2 shipping)  -  $10.00 hard-cover ($4 shipping)

A County Called Sauk
by Kenneth Lange

The book is based upon extensive library research, including a review of all the county newspapers, and personal contacts and interviews with residents throughout Sauk County. Unique to this county history are a map of the Indian mounds and a map of pre-settlement vegetation. The book also covers the geological and prehistoric history of the county in a concise and easily-readable format. 166 pages, 109 illustrations. $9 (plus $4 shipping) 

"Looking Into History - The Sauk County Area"
by Dean O'Brien

Much of the history of Wisconsin is located in or near Sauk County.

There are the Ringlings (of circus fame), Frank Lloyd Wright (renowned architect), John Muir (naturalist), Aldo Leopold (who wrote the "Sand County Almanac"), Zona Gale (Pulitzer Prize winner, author and playwright), H.H. Bennett (who basically "fathered" the Wisconsin Dells through his early photographic efforts), Belle Case LaFallette (the brains behind her famous husband), the Ho-Chunk Nation (once the Winnebago), mound builders, and others.

The book tells how they left historic evidence that can still be seen in the area.

It is a helpful guide for the visitor or resident who wants to explore the Sauk County area and discover its rich human history, so peculiarly tied to the natural history here.

The book also includes a fold-out locator map of historic sites in and around Sauk County. 190 pages, 200 historic photographs. Cost: $9, plus $4 shipping and handling

"Portage, A Sesquicentennial History"
by Michael Goc, 2004

Few Wisconsin communities can claim a history as rich as Portage. Passageway of the fur trade, route of explorers and empire builders, focal point for commercial and transportation development, Portage’s story is deep and broad. It is also the story of a community where people settled to build homes, businesses, churches and schools; where they raised families, organized for community betterment, pursued the arts, played sports and found entertainment.

Over 400 photos, maps and works of art telling the story in a bright and vivid style. $35

"Park Hall"
by Max D. Gaebler, Peter Shrake, Paul Wolter, 2004

In 1884, the men and women of the Free Congregation of Sauk County, Wisconsin erected a new meeting hall in a wooded lot on the edge of Sauk City. They hired Alfred Claus, a young man raised in the Congregation, to draw the plans and Clas, who would go on to become one of Wisconsin’s most important architects, produced a simple but sturdy structure that has served its community for 120 years.

This book tells the story of people who commissioned the work, the community it served and the man who designed it. Park Hall is more than a meeting place. It is a symbol of the freedoms its builders sought when they came to the United States from Germany after the failure of the liberal revolution of 1848. Here they could practice their beliefs, express their thoughts, search for the truth, as they could not in their native land. Proceeds from the book sale go towards preserving Park Hall. 64 pages, including photographs. $20.

"The House at the Foot of the Hill"
by Mrs. Rose La Moreaux Anderson

Rose LaMoreaux grew up on 8th Street in Baraboo, WI, during the early pioneer days of the 1850's. This short story is a fascinating chronicle of her family’s experiences in Baraboo. Her recollections were written for the Baraboo Weekly News in a series of articles in 1926, and have been reprinted here. 42 pages with photos and maps. $8.

Van Orden Mansion Ornament

This 2004 ornament is the latest in a series of Christmas ornaments sponsored by Downtown Baraboo, Inc. It is approximately 3" in diameter. The Van Orden mansion is the home of the Sauk County Historical Society in Baraboo, WI. $20, ornament only. With stand, $25. 

"Powder On The Prairie" - "Erhart Remembered"

In 1942, seventy Wisconsin farm families were evicted from their land by the U.S. government with barely three months notice then they weren't paid for two years. The reason? Construction of the world's largest ammunition plant. The video revisits the 7,000-acre plant as it is today, with some of the farmers who were displaced and hear from them what this idyllic rural area was like before the plant changed it forever.

This view of World War II from the home front is brought to life by rare 16 mm color film footage shot by local farmer, Harlan Stone. 

The video also includes "Erhart Remembered," a character sketch of farmer-turned local historian, who documented the building of the Badger Ordnance Works on the Sauk Prairie near Baraboo, Wisconsin. Erhart captured in rich detail the impact of the plant on his home, a rural township in Wisconsin called Sumpter. 
Cost: $20, plus $4 shipping & handling

"Powder To The People"
Stories from the Badger Army Ammunition Plant. 

It was a shock to rural Sauk county, Wisconsin when the U.S. government announced they were building the world's largest ammunition plant there in 1942. The tens of thousands of rural Wisconsin people who worked at the 7000-acre plant played a big role in the outcomes of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. 

This video focuses on their stories, full of emotion and humor. Some remember when their farms were taken for construction of the plant. Others who were WOWS (women ordnance workers) recall the patriotic esprit de corps of the World War II years. Still others describe explosions that took away loved ones and coworkers. 

Vietnam era workers recall the protestors who marched to the gates of the plant from Madison. Anti-war activist Karl Armstrong remembers the New Year's Eve he and his brother dropped "bombs" on it. Workers reflect on the plant's role in the peaceful years since Vietnam and express the hope that its deadly products will never be needed again. Many others comment on possible future uses for the decommissioned plant. 

The video is narrated by Tom Wopat, a nationally known actor who grew up near the plant. 
Cost: $20, plus $4 shipping & handling

"A Sauk County Almanac" 

Aldo Leopold's essays in "A Sand County Almanac" about his Sauk County farm changed the way people look at nature. "A Sauk County Almanac" takes us back to the famed ecologist's beloved county to try and see its varied forms of natural beauty the way he did.

The spectacular sights of its bald eagles and outstanding geologic formations are contrasted to the more subtle beauty of its native prairies and turkey vultures. The result is a universal meditation on the beauty of nature and how it effects us. 

The video contains a wealth of information. Exciting wildlife footage combined with evocative music will fascinate anyone who thrills to the sight of a soaring bald eagle, delicate prairie flower, or majestic quartzite bluff. 

Leopold's daughter, Nina Leopold Bradly, leads the viewer on a journey which includes among other things the rebirth of a compass plant he mourned in one of his most famous essays. 

This is, perhaps, a fitting tribute to those who carry on his efforts today.
Cost: $20, plus $4 shipping & handling