Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-05-20
Little Journeys In
and About Baraboo
Interesting Places of the Region Both to Local History and
Scenic Features
Spring Green, Helena, and TaIiesin

Spring Green, Helena, and Taliesin
The Journey to Spring Green,
Helena, and Taliesin makes full
days program. From Baraboo the
road leads over highway No. II to
Prairie du Sac then follows the route
through Witwen, Black Hawk, over
the big hill and down past the Robson
farm where there are a number OF
Indian mounds on the ridge. There is
also a road from Sank City, known as
the river road, which passes Lodde's
Mill and Cassell Prairie on the way.
After reaching the village of Spring
Green, the road to Helena, the loca-
ton of the old shot tower, crosses the
Wisconsin River and defects to the
left. This shot tower was erected in
1888 as a. result of the production of
; lead in Wisconsin and at the time d1-
verted much of the business from st.
Louis to Milwaukee. The enterprise
prospered until 1861 when it fell into
decay, the land being sold for taxes.
Later the location became the site
of the Tower Hill Congress and school
directed for many years by the late
Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones of Chicago.
1T was here that the American for
ces crossed the river in the Black
Hawk War.
A short distance west of the roa"
which crosses the river near Spring
Green is the location of Taliesin,
Frank Lloyd Wright's love bungalow.
Here on Saturday, August Is, 1914,
Julian Carlton, negro servant, killed
seven people with a. Ratchet, wounding
two others. The dead:
Mrs. Mamah BOrthwick, a woman,
like the owner of the bungalow, with
unconventional ideas.
Mrs. Borthwick's son and daughter,
John and Martha Cheney, aged II and
8 respectively.
Emil Brodelle aged 80, an architect.
Thomas Brunker, hostler.
Ernest Weston, aged 13.
David Lindblom, gardner
The injured were William H. Wes-
ton and Herbert Fritz, the latter es-
Gaping with a broken arm and cuts.
With gasoline the negro set fire to
the building and as the occupants at
tempted to escape through door and
window, one by one, he struck them
with a Ratchet The murderer was
found in the firebox of the boiler in
the basement and died later in the
Dodgeviile Jail as a result of taking
muriatic acid soon after committing
the crime.
Some of the bodies were burned
beyond recognition. "All that was left
of her" was buried at Unity Chapel,
the Cheney children were cremated
in Chicago, the body of Ernest Yves |
ION was placed in the Spring Green
cemetery, Emil Brodelle was inferred
in Milwaukee, David Lindblom was
lowered in a grave at Unity Chapel
and Thomas Brunker sleeps at Ridge |
way
The owner of the property was in
Chicago at the time of the tragedy, re-
turning soon after. The building was
partly destroyed and later rebuilt
along more pretentiOus lines
Taliesin was a Cymric bard, whom
Welsh legends assign to tn 9Th cen
,tury.
Frank Lloyd Wright is an architect
of note, having designed the Imperial
Hotel in Toxic and other artistic
structures.
The return from Spring Green to
Baraboo may be made over the scenic
route to Plain, thence to Loganville,
the County Farm, and Ableman Mar
rows.
Gibraltar Bluff
Gibraltar Bluff is reached by cross
ing the Wisconsin River at Praifie du
Sac and proceeding along the highway
or by leaving the train at the village
of Okee and walking a little more
than mile west. Not only does the
climb to the top of this imposing emf
nence give the refreshment and de-
light bred of an extensive view but
the active exercise necessary for the
ascent is guaranteed to produce