Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake Region Part 6

Pulpit Rock is at the water's edge hard by.

Observation Point gives a view of a magnificent landscape.

Stultz Rock, on the opposite side of the stream, was a terror to raftsmen, their craft often being whirled to destruction at this treacherous location.

The Hawk's Bill boldly exposes itself to view, the point being known for many years as Signal Peak.

The Sugar Bowl, Inkstand, and Lone Rock stand amid the swirling waters of the stream, boldly battling with the forces of erosion. They are hard cores which have been left as the river cut its way to the present level.

The Cave of the Dark Waters, called by the Indians, Nah-huh-nah, is an interesting place for the boat to pause.

Grotto Rock and other places of interest will be pointed out by the boatman as the craft glides along.

A Deserted Village

Newport, once a noisy, busy place, boasting of two thousand frontiersmen, and now a deserted village site with but a few cellar holes to recall its past glory, was located where the highway, extending east from Delton, joins the Wisconsin River road. The pioneer village was at the head of navigation, this being given as the excuse for its appearance, and after an ephemeral existence of but a few years, pa.s.sed so completely from view that little remains but a ghostly recollection of the place.

Here the rivermen found a breathing place when they re-a.s.sembled their rafts after running the cribs through the gauntlet of the Dells, here the river steamers halted to unburden their cargoes and a.s.sume new responsibilities for the downward trips; and here the overland stages drew up at the great Steele tavern to enable the pa.s.sengers to set foot on the new El Dorado. There was first a limited village plat which included a few blocks, but as the excitement grew, divisions and sub-divisions were added until there was danger of engulfing the village of Delton and even the cemetery two or three miles away. Those with a speculative turn, far and near, purchased lots and blocks in the upstart town, only to have the castle of disappointment fall about their ears.

One day the gasconading inhabitants wore an expression of a.s.surance, the railroad, then approaching, would cross the river into their very midst, and some of them did not hesitate to place fabulous valuations on their property, but ere they were aware land had been purchased where Kilbourn is located and a rival village sprung up almost in a night, dashing the hopes of those residing in Newport. When the railroad was built on the other side of the river, their spirits went to the very depths. An effort was made to revive the hopes of those with homes there, and one night there was a real "resurrection."

Speeches were made in defiance of the railroad magnates who dared to attempt to obliterate their existence, songs were sung to cheer the crestfallen, and a mammoth cake, blazing with many candles, graced the banquet board.

All efforts were without avail, however, and it was not long before there was a procession of buildings moving like prehistoric monsters across the landscape, to Kilbourn and elsewhere. Where there was much dancing and delight there is now naught but an air of desertion and dreams.

Although Newport is as dead as Caesar's ghost, much remains of interest. North of the bridge which spans Dell Creek are clumps of lilac bushes, flanking half-filled cellar holes, where once stood pioneer homes, the lilacs persisting since the disaster to the village in the late sixties. Trees have taken possession of the main street of the town, and where the proud villagers once discussed their fortunes and misfortunes, there is slumberous delight.

Near the crest of the elevation in the woods about equally distant from the river, bridge, and highway, is a cave where the brewer stored his bibulous product for the intemperate tipplers. The chiseled cavity in the sandstone rock persists to this day.

A beautiful walk leads to the north, following the river bank, once frequented by rivermen, and no doubt by Indians, as they threaded the trail in early times.

Over on the highway to the left, a quarter of a mile from the Dell Creek bridge, stands "Dawn", the old Vanderpool residence, remodeled by the late S. H. Kerfoot of Chicago. It is the only home remaining in that section of the village.

Pa.s.sing the bridge or other favored spots on the sh.o.r.e, one may see fishermen contentedly waiting for a pickerel or pike oblivious to the pa.s.sing of time and the pa.s.ser-by.

Indian Earthwork

At the rear of one of the cottages south of the bridge may be seen an Indian mound of the lizard type. It has survived the trials and tribulations of this interesting place.

A few rods to the south, at the rear of other cottages, a linear mound may be seen. (As to why mounds were built see chapter on the Man Mound.)

As previously noted, the Steele Tavern stood where the road from Delton joins the main highway. This was one of the famous frontier places of entertainment for travelers, journeying by stage or prairie schooner from Milwaukee to La Crosse. For many years, long after the last inhabitant had reluctantly left Newport, the homely hostelry defied wind and weather until decay was devouring in every part. Although many had become accustomed to the landmark for a generation or more, it was no doubt a relief to all when it was pulled down and carted away.

Where They Danced

During the hop-growing times of the mid-sixties, pickers took possession of the rambling, old tavern, using it to protect them from inclement weather and as a place for frolicksome dances after the day's duties were done. Here resounded the violin, and the prompter's voice, above the music and gliding feet, was heard, in the quadrille, "The Girl I Left Behind Me," to sing--

"First couple lead to the right, Stop right there and balance; Pa.s.s right through and balance, too, And swing with the girl behind you.

Right and left four."

A Woodland Walk

A few rods to the southeast from the cottages, over a stile or two and across a ravine, runs a road through the deep woods. Here one finds a delightful walk of a little less than a mile, traversing the arboreal slope, the sandy river bed, and a weathered rock which, at flood-time, is an island in the stream. From a projecting point one obtains a view of the Sugar Bowl, the Inkstand, and other delights of the Lower Dells.

Just south of the wooded road, at no great distance from the cottages, a bald hill lifts itself above the surrounding landscape, richly rewarding one if he decides to gain its treeless crest.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BRIDGE ACROSS DELL CREEK]

Although Newport was a noisy, busy place, crowded with adventurers seeking the gold at the foot of the elusive rainbow, stirred with martial music as the soldiers of the sixties drilled on the Vanderpool green and departed for southern conflict fields, alive with the rivermen who came and went with the departing of each vernal season, the past gives an emphasis to the stilness that broods over it today.

No wonder summer cottagers seek the quiet here. The lingering a.s.sociations, the pleasant pathways, the changing river, with summer clouds floating across the sky are fascinations not to be painted in words.

[Ill.u.s.tration: COLDWATER CANYON (Upper Dells.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SUGAR BOWL (Lower Dells.)]

CHAPTER VI

Mirror Lake, Retreat of a Circusman--Earlier Bed of Dell Creek--Congress Hall Near Village

At the edge of the village of Delton, ten miles north of Baraboo, on Trunk Line 12, Dell Creek once flowed unhampered through a narrow canyon of unusual beauty. When a dam was thrown across the slender stream, a lovely lake, whose placid bosom mirrors daily the changing verdure of its banks, was created, some three miles in length. Boatmen make regular trips on the lake, always before nightfall as the narrow course requires expert piloting. So quiet are the waters that every detail of sky and sh.o.r.e and pa.s.sing craft are reflected therein; often there is not a ripple, not a cat's paw to mar the mirror. The banks, which are high and rocky, are covered with a dense growth of pine, cedar, hemlock and many other varieties of timber. Underneath is a wonderful carpet of ferns and wild flowers from the meshes of which occasional rabbit or squirrel emerges, or the drumming of a partridge is heard, to divert the attention.

Many cottages are hidden among the trees, but a few being visible from the water's edge. Most of them have an outlook over the lake but are not easily discerned through the wealth of foliage. Occasionally one is seen perched on an outstanding rock, thereby gaining a charming view of the lake. The resinous atmosphere created by the heavy growth of pine is particularly refreshing to the city dwellers who come to this lake in increasing numbers, season after season. The slopes of the lake are the home of the trailing arbutis whose delicate pink blossoms, half hidden, half exposed, are eagerly sought by visitors in early spring.

Of cultivated land one sees but little, and that in the hazy distance.

The axe has remained at a respectful distance from the sh.o.r.e, leaving the slopes native clad.

The best fishing grounds are where the lake throws an arm to the left, as one ascends the wild watery defile. Usually one may see disciples of Walton grasping their rods, indifferent to the torrid sun or drenching rain. The patient anglers cast their lines right and left, frequently luring an unsuspecting ba.s.s or smaller fry from the undisturbed depths.

Before glacial ice covered a great portion of Wisconsin, Dell Creek probably flowed in a southeasternly direction through a gap in the north range of the Baraboo Bluffs and emptied into the Baraboo River at Baraboo. Its old bed being filled, in a manner similar to the Wisconsin River at the Dells, it was forced to seek a new course and cut a canyon through the sandstone formation.

Places of Interest

A ride from end to end brings into view the following interesting features:

The Devil's Postoffice is in a recess at the mouth of a ravine.

The Devil's Five Fingers are all that is visible of a sunken tree. The limbs have been protruding from the water for almost half a century.

Echo Rock is a high promontory on the left, a distinct echo being heard opposite this interesting feature.