Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake Region Part 12

On the mountain overlooking the battlefield, an Indian chief gave orders during the fight and a little before dawn the morning after, a voice was heard from the same eminence. This greatly disturbed the troops and General Henry had all of his men parade in order of battle.

The individual speaking in the darkness was Neapope, endeavoring to make a conciliation, thinking the Winnebago were still in the camp and would understand him. Just before daylight the harangue ceased and Neapope disappeared. When morning came troops found a few horse tracks which appeared to have been made during the night.

An Unmarked Grave

But one soldier was killed, John Short, who is buried on the bank among the trees, a few rods south of the stream and east of the highway. All trace of his grave is lost. A young woman, Mary Hackett, who died in pioneer times, was buried at the eastern extremity of the level ground, not far from where the soldier was interred. No one has since been buried here.

During the battle Colonel Jones had a horse shot from under him and several soldiers were wounded. The day after the fight was spent in preparing to transfer the injured to the fort at Blue Mounds.

The number of Indians killed will never be known, but was in the neighborhood of fifty or sixty. Many of the survivors, with hearts of lead, crossed the Wisconsin River during the night, and moved through the wilderness in a northwesternly direction toward the Mississippi.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NATURAL BRIDGE NEAR LELAND]

In his autobiography, Black Hawk says that "Whatever may be the sentiments of the white people in relation to this battle, my nation, though fallen, will award to me the reputation of a great brave in conducting it." Evidently he was proud of his conduct in this particular fight.

Jefferson Davis in the Battle

Jefferson Davis, later president of the Southern Confederacy, likewise partic.i.p.ated in the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. After he had fought with distinction in the Mexican war, and had served as secretary of war in President Pierce's cabinet, and after holding the position of commander-in-chief of the southern armies for four years during the Civil War, he supported Black Hawk's claim to the military skill he had displayed in this battle. Davis speaks of the tactics employed by the chief as the most brilliant he had ever witnessed, saying: "Had it been performed by white men, it would have been immortalized as one of the most splendid achievements in military history."

Indians Pursued

A few days after the battle, troops crossed the Wisconsin at Arena, marched up the bank of the river until the trail was found, and pursued the retreating Indians. The savages killed horses along the way in order to sustain themselves with food; some perished from their wounds, and still others died from fatigue. At the mouth of the Bad Axe River, the troops from the rear, the fire from the Warrior on the Mississippi, and the Indians in Minnesota, almost annihilated the band of the deluded, deceived, and defeated Black Hawk. A few of his braves and families who descended the Wisconsin river in boats, met a similar fate near the mouth of the stream, bringing to an end the cons'n.

A. L. Taylor resides on a farm a short distance east of the battlefield. When a youth he accompanied a soldier who fought in the battle, also his father, over the ground. Mr. Taylor has a clear recollection of the description of the fight given by the partic.i.p.ant in the battle. Years ago Mr. Taylor's father found on the field a gun and saddle, afterwards destroyed in a farmhouse fire.

A short distance south of where John Short is buried there is a fine group of Indian mounds.

Grave of a Napoleon Soldier

From the Mazomanie road near the battlefield, one may drive east about a mile to the Roxbury Cemetery, on Trunk Line 12. Near the center of this Catholic burying ground lies a soldier who served one year against Napoleon and three years under him, a not uncommon circ.u.mstance when the whole of Europe was torn by the great Corsican. The inscription above the grave reads:

* Peter Pauli *

* Geb. 10, June, 1792 *

* Gest. 7, Sept., 1884 *

* R. I. P. *

* Schlafe Wohl, O Vater Schlafe *

* Deiner Walfahrt Leiden aus *

* Sanft Sei Dir Der Letzte Schlummer*

* Dein Erwachen Ohne k.u.mmer *

About 1848 Pauli came with his family to America and after a stay in Milwaukee settled in Roxbury, where he died. It is said there are two other Napoleon soldiers buried in this cemetery but their graves have not been identified.

Within site of the cemetery is the Roxbury church, one of the richest rural churches in this section of the state and one which dates to territorial times.

On the return after pa.s.sing over the bridge at Sauk City, the street due west crosses the railroad track and but a short distance beyond in an oak grove to the left, may be seen about an acre of Indian corn hills. Much of the ground at Prairie du Sac and Sauk City was devoted by the Indians to the growing of vegetables. These corn hills among the oaks are the only ones remaining, now sward covered and much reduced in elevation.

On the knoll or ridge, north of the highway and near the railroad, may be seen some old buildings among a few trees. Here in the spring of 1854, Professor H. J. Turner opened a French and English boarding school, which supplied educational facilities to the community for several years.

Natural Bridge

From Prairie du Sac there is a paved road all the way to Leland, a distance of some fifteen miles. About a mile east of the last named village may be seen the Natural Bridge. Pa.s.sing the third house east of the church the car should be stopped where the road bends a little to the left, beyond sight of a farm house and almost in view of the church steeple in the village. In the edge of the wood, several rods north of the road, the natural bridge may be seen. This ma.s.sive and unusual curiosity, eroded from the sandstone, is on land owned by Richard Radatz.

The return to Baraboo may be made by continuing to the east through Denzer, joining Trunk Line 12 near Kings Corners.

CHAPTER XIII

Parfrey's Glen, Wildest of Them All, a Cool Retreat, Prodigal in Charm--Mill a Memory

Parfrey's Glen is a rugged gash in the south range of the Baraboo Bluffs. This ravine, an interesting objective for tourists, is about a mile down the slope from Wawanissee Point and some five or six miles east of Devil's Lake. It derives its name from Robert Parfrey, an early resident.

The little stream which has cut this wildly beautiful glen had a romantic history of usefulness in early days. At the present time it is secondary in interest to the Glen itself, the first glimpse of which enthralls the visitor, urging him to journey to the end.

The route from Baraboo to Parfrey's is along the Merrimack road in a southeasterly direction. It leads up a bluff, then down on the opposite side, turning to the left and clinging close to the base of the elevation for some two miles, until it turns into the farmstead of August Roese, located a quarter of a mile north of the main highway.

Here the car is abandoned. To reach the Glen a tramp of a half mile is necessary, along a trail which leads over glacial boulders, across a mountain stream, and up a winding way to the opening. The view, as one progresses, includes a charming expanse of rich countryside.

Wildest of Them All

Compared with the other glens of the region, Parfrey's is by far the wildest. The south wall of this ancient cleft in the bluff is almost perpendicular. Only occasionally does an overhanging ledge afford a footing for wood creature or habitation for shrub or fern. High above pines, birches, oaks and other small timber crowd the brink. The cut shows a ma.s.s of sandstone and quartzite conglomerate which have been exposed through a long period of erosion. The north slope is clothed in green. Rugged rocks lie along the purling stream, as if cast there by giant hands to impede the pathway. Between them flourish ferns, mosses and an interesting number of native plants. Looking down from the top of the opening the water winds in and out among the moss-clad stones like a translucent ribbon, making soft music whose melody is lost as the stream finds its way to the gra.s.s-land. Many birds haunt the Glen; the indigo bunting, the oriole, and scarlet tanager with their brilliant coloring contrast sharply with the grey of the rocks. The note of the song sparrow, the trill of the thrush, and the less marked twitter of many other varieties are heard with delightful frequency.

This cool retreat, so prodigal in charm and comparatively easy of access, should be more widely known than it is to visitors to the Baraboo region.

Mill, a Memory

In early days the Glen-stream was harnessed to a sawmill located near the ravine. Evidences of the ancient, earthen dam are visible to this day. In later years a gristmill made use of the power, for some time serving the surrounding community. A story which ill.u.s.trates the extent of these activities, particularly that of the gristmill, is often related. It seems that the miller was one day greatly puzzled at the non-appearance of flour as his wheels ground round and round. Searching for the cause, it is said, he finally came upon an intruder, no other than a small grey mouse, which was devouring the product of his mill as fast as it sifted through. Also it is told that a distillery at one time, by the aid of the little stream, converted corn from the neighboring fields into "robin hop." During this interval the Glen seemed in grave danger of becoming a popular resort for all those who suffered with a barleycorn thirst and a desire for seclusion.

Fortunately for the reputation of the locality, the existence of the worm in the wilderness was brief.

Save for the turf-covered ruins of the ancient dam, all record of the early enterprises is obliterated and memories of the Glen's activities alone remain.

CHAPTER XIV

Durward's Glen--Short History of the Durward Family--Attractive Features of Interesting Place

From Baraboo to Durward's Glen is a trip of exceptional interest and scenic beauty. The ten-mile drive over a picturesque highway which stretches along the backbone of the south range of the Baraboo Bluffs affords rare glimpses of open valleys and wooded slopes, with the Wisconsin River visible in the distance. The Glen, the erstwhile home of the gifted Durward family, is a delightful retreat where the visitor is welcome to spread his lunch by the murmuring trout stream, enjoy the natural beauty of the spot, and the charm of interesting a.s.sociation.