Wisconsin School for the Deaf - Tattler Yearbook (Delavan, WI)

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COMMISSARY DEPARTMENT THE WISCONSIN DELLS By Ernest Gledhill Then are few places in the United States which are noted for the scenic beauty and interest, os are the Dells near Kilbourn, Wisconsin. The word Dells is derived from the French word Dalles, moaning flagstones. The Winnebago term for the Dells was N’eeh-ah-ke-coonnh er-nh, meaning, where the rocks strike together. Above and below Kilbourn, the Wisconsin River hus cut a deep gorge more than seven miles long in the Potsdam sandstones, this portion being known as the Dells. Most likely, the Dells did not appear until the last glacier; the ice then filling the old river bed. There is known to be one or two cause ns to how the Dells came into existence. The Dells may have been a river delta, anil the layers of sand not always being deposited in a horizontal position. While on the other hand, the sand may have been laid down in the sea, and in thut case the storm waves disturbed the layers. Later this sand was converted into sandstones. With the receding of the ice, the work of carving the sandstones has continued to the present day. It ts not known who the first visitors were, hut at least it is known that the Green Bay traders had their trading post on the upper river. The earliest permanent settlers of the lower Dells were Amnsn Wilson, C. B. Wilson and R. V Allen. In 1K45 a small steamboat passed through the DelU, this being the first boat to pass through here, by means of this kind of craft- Among the many wonderful rocks, there are: Angel Rock or the Marble Rock a it Is some- times called, The Swallow's Home, The Jaws of the Dells, which is the main entrance. Chimney Rock. Black Hawk's Head. The Navy Yard, The Devil’s Elbow, Black Hawk’s Cave, Artist’s Glen and Witches Gulch. Above this rock, there are: Hornet's Nest, Luncheon Hall, Stand Rock. Demon’s Anvil, Louis Bluff and Elephant’s Back. There was a superstitious belief among many young Indians. It was n legend about the Squnw’s Bed Chamber. Good luck would always follow newly married couples, if the squaw would crown her husband with wreaths of flowers and ferns, at sunset, in front of this cave, which is west of Stand Rock. This was so thut game would be plentiful throughout their lives. Those who ignored this practice. Dame Fortune would take vengeance,, in the form of making them victims of hunger, uccident and distress. The lower Dells are not so beautiful as the upper Dells, although they are interesting, and extend two or three miles beyond the Hydro Plant. They are broader than the upper Dells. The rocks have been cut away to a great extent leaving them hallowed and worn. The most fantastic are seen fur down the stream along the shores of the deserted village. Newport. The Dells of the Wisconsin River are noted for their natural benuty. The place should be preserved for future generations, through preservation as a State Park. Few other scenic points in Wisconsin, attract more tourists. It should he the hope of every loyal Wisconsinite, that at some future time, the Dell will become a nationally known beauty spot, such as Yellowstone Park and the Grand Canyon.

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AZTALAN By Selma Z«da no The ancient city of Altaian, located hut forty-live miles directly west of Milwaukee, has long-been referred to as one of the wonders of the western world. In October 1863 it wua discovered by Timothy Johnson. Nathaniel F. Hycr came two years later to make explorations into the ruins, lie named the place “Altaian,” because the Aztecs of Mexico had a tradition that their ancestors came from u country to the north named Altaian, which in Mexican means “near water. This tradition led him to believe that the Ax tecs used to live near the Great Lakes and that this city might have been their old home. In 1838 Edward Everett heard about Altaian and he, as governor of Connecticut, asked the President of the United States not to lot it be sold. However, it was sold for one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre or twenty-two dollars for the whole ruins. The settlors started ploughing and sowing turnips on the mound. Some silver ornaments were found at this time and many people rushed there and dug trenches to see what they could find. Aztalnn wus a walled enclosure of seventeen and two-thirds acres of land. It hud walls twenty feet wide and from one to five feet high on three sides. The Crawfish, the first western tributary of the Rock River, formed the boundary for the fourth side. Approximately sixty-one to ninety-five feet apart along the wall, there are forty-five mounds. Many say the walls were of brick, hut they were not. Some clay mixed with grass seems to have been baked and used, but the entire walls were not made of this material. There were a number of mounds of different sizes and shupes in this enclosure. One of these was shaped like u pyramid, but it was not very high. The top was sixty to sixty-five feet above the surrounding ground. Some people think it was a place for the Indians to protect themselves from the enemy, while others think it was an altar for worshipping. This mound ha been partly destroyed by people who were seeking money. In 1850 Increase Lnpham made a careful survey of Aztalan. He excavated in several mounds but found very little of importance. He found some human bones, shells and pottery. The bones seemed to be those of two people buried in a sitting posture. Dr. Lapham was told that one time two loads of broken pots, uncovered by the plow, were used to fill hotes in the road. Dr. Ijipham thought that Lhis enclosure might have been a holy city or a place for worship. There was no place like it for a great distance in any direction. People may have gathered on the pyramids and offered human sacrifices at their altars because, in the mounds, human bones were often found mixed with charcoal. On the other hand, this might show that cannibals held feasts there and cooked the tlesh of their captives. There was not much exploration until 11 19 when the Milwaukee Public Museum sent its director, Dr. S. A. Barrett, to Aztalnn. People who were interested, were nfrnid that the plow and civilization might destroy all traces of the old city. This expedition worked two summers excavating this place. In a refuse heap on the west hank of the river, they found broken pottery, stone implements and various tools. They dug where some of the walls were and found rows of post holes which showed thnt posts had been set there for defensive purposes and that it was probably a stockaded fort. The entrance was through a very narrow alley bordered on each side by post holes. This alley had twists and turns forming u trap and making the fort very hard for an enemy to enter. The foundations of a number of dwellings were ulso discovered. Many implements, ornaments of stone, bone, copper and many shells were also found. A great deal of fine pottery, highly polished and of very different shape , probably like that used to fill holes in the road, was also unearthed. One odd ladle, shaped like a guard, wo also found. This is the finest pottery discovered in mounds anywhere north of Mexico. Some cloth was also discovered showing that the people were pottery makers and weavers and were very artistic. They also seemed to know much about military tactics as many beautiful arrow-heads were found. A skeleton of a young woman was found with thousands of beads, made from pearl shells or mussels from the rivers of southwestern Wisconsin. about her. The beads seem to have been attached to a belt of some material, and strings of beads seem to have been worn about her ankles and neck. In 11 22 Aztalan wus purchased by the citizens of Jefferson County and presented to the Wisconsin Archaeological Society to be permanently kept as a park. It was marked by this society in 11 27 with n large bronze murker. The Winnebagos lived near this site once, but say their people did not start this village. Who did, nobody knows.

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WISCONSIN CHER RIMS By Boyce William As one progresses northward into the Peninsular region he wonder where all those cherries, he h:s heard so much about, are. And. as he acmes into Door County, he hogim to think maybe Cherry Blossom Land has been a bit exaggerated. Kven as he approaches the world's leading cherry town, Sturgeon Bay, he secs nothing to make any great ado about. It is true that there are many fine orchards south of Sturgeon Bay. but the real cherry center is from the town limits northward for thirty miles. It is there that one appreciates the magnitude of the world's most concentrated cherry producing center. It is located between the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan on the little point of land, north of Sturgeon Bay, which terminates the north-eastern Wisconsin peninsula. It is heie that the world’s largest cherry orchard is located, namely, the Martin Orchards. It has 10,000 trees in one continuous block and comprises 1,300 acres. Other famous orchards are: the Reynold Orchards, which are unique in that they have their own canning factory, the Sturgeon Bay Fruit Co. and the Peninsula Fruit Farm. The larger orchards, os a rule, are not as well cared for as the smaller orchards. The trees must be sprayed each spring and fall and the ground cultivated to kill the weeds and quack grass. On many of the farms a cover crop is planted to utilize the space between the trees and to keep the ground moist and warm. The orchards are the most beautiful in the latter part of May when the trees are in blossom. It is then that thousands of people visit Door County for a week-end to breathe the fragrant air and enjoy the beauty of nature. The cherry harvest is the busiest time of the year in Sturgeon Bay. Pickers, or cherry -snappers,’’ as they are popularly called, come from near and far to enjoy u vacation while earning their way picking. The usual picking camp is a regular camping ground with many home conveniences. The length of the picking season varies with the size of the crop. Small farms have two to three week seasons while the latge orchards pick four to six weeks. The average “cherry-snapper” picks about 100 to 125 quarts a day at the rote of 2% cents per quart, stripped, and 3 cents per quart on the stem. The record for pickers is 1178 quarts in one dny. It was made by a boy from Michigun who was working in the Martin Orchards. The cherries to be canned arc stripped leaving the stem on the tree, while those to be sold as fresh fruit are picked with the stem attached to the cherry so thut they will keep longer. The smaller farms furnish all the cherries sold as fresh fruit. Hundreds of carloads of fresh cherries are shipped out of Door County every year. The most interesting part of the cherry business is the canning. All of the large orchards and many of the smaller hnul their fruit to the fuctory to be canned. The factory is a home institution, being owned by the Door County Fruit Growers Union. This is also an object of interest to tourists. When the cherries reach the factory they are weighed and then dumped into huge tubs partly tilled with cold water. The cold water chills the fruit meat so that it will be of a firmer quality for later handling. The cherries are put in water as soon as possible because, being an acid fruit, they quickly Assume some degree of fermentation if they are allowed to stand. From the tanks the fruit is run thru a nozzle, located at the bottom, into a series of escalators which lift them onto a moving belt from which the defective fruit is picked. From this belt the fruit enters the pitters and then another belt carries it through its last inspection before it is put into cans. From the filler it passes to the cooker, the capper, the cooler, and then to the warehouse to await labels and shipment. As the supply does not meet the demand, it appears that the future will bring u great development of this industry.