The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-25
STATE ONLY: GAN SAVE
4 ROMANTIC RESORT.
p. r:I:T - -.., Is. .s:.I. !.
Rock Crushers to Despoil Devils
Lake Scene Unless Common
, ., :. = y wealth Interferes: e -,,s%
Special to The Journal.

4 B.
Baraboo, Wis. Nov. 24.-The proposal
West Virginia to establish a rock
crushing plant at Devils Lake, Wis,
has caused an outburst iof sentiment in
favor Of making this: beauty spot a
state park. The West, Virginia com
Pany, of which W. G. Rodgersgof Pitts
burg is the acting head, will. If it's
work is not i1terfered WITH ruin the
cliffs which have made Devils Lake one
| of the most noted. spots in America.
It was at Devils; Lake g famous old
inn, according to one story, that; Henry
W. Longfellow wrote Hiawatha. The
scenery is sufficiently sublime to give
Longfellow's great epic, and to save
the scenery is the cry Of thousands Of
Wisconsin people. 81 :,
Devils lake is a large bodySof water
sunk In a pit of quartzite, without in
let or outlet, and the depth of the lake
in some spots is too great for" any
sounding to be made. The quartzite
with which the shores of the lake. are
lined is extremely valuable for paving
purposes and cement making.
80 Special crusher Devised. -
Several efforts have been made TO-
quarry the rock for crushing purposes,
but it has always been found, until now,
too hard for machinery yet devised to
conquer. Last year, however, Mr..
Rodgers, acting for the :Pittsburg Steel
company, was in the neighborhood of
Baraboo inspecting the Sank county
iron formation. He secured a large
acreage for the Pittsburg~*, company,
which is not being developed, and pre-
pared for mining, but during! his stay
N Baraboo, he made a trip TO Devils
lake, only few miles distant. He
inspected the rock, and working with
the American Refractory company, was
able with that company experts to
devise crusher which, would pulverize
the quartzite. :z%. H.;
! ~ His next step was to purchase for the
West Virginia company the fifty-seven
acre tract of Mrs. G.; E. Peters. on the
shore of; the lake, where the cliffs are
least abrupt. Tho the cliff. here is not
SO high and steep as at other parts Of
the lake, the, tract purchased is on the
north half Of the east bluff of the lake.
which includes the finest scenery. !
Lake without a Beach.
To tear away the rock on the Peters
tarm Will ruin the appearance Of this
part Of the lake. This farm is the onlv
RAo~oS's " AiSA y IL Ao- pOoSiU1o 10 make a
descent to the lake, without using the
artificial steps and roads which have
been cut out of the heart of the cliffs
At all other points the cliffs rise sheer
300. feet straight above the lake. .G.*
| Devils lake has no beach at any
point. The nearest approach is the
cutting made to the foot of the hill on
the Peters farm, where railroad had
laid two tracks a few feet above the
lake level. - =
Gave Inspiration to Longfellow.
At the top Of the highest cliff the
Cliff house, the famous inn which has
been the home Of Longfellow, Grant,
Ole Bull, Mrs, Abraham Lincoln, is To-
| Gated, almost, hanging over the edge of
the precipice. The story Of Hiawatha,
| as told at Devils Lake, is that Longfel-
low, after visiting he@Lake Superior
islands, the falls Of Minnehaha at Min
neapOlis, and the lake region of, Mad;,