Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-02-02
DE SOTO LANSING BRIDGE
C. C. TENNEY OF DESOTo CAMP
ING ON THE TRAIL
Building of DeSoto- Lansing Bridge
and Road Is Most Desirable Thing
in Life to Him

c. G. Tenney of DeSoto was in Mon
day and injected an overlooking buck
ct of pep into the Censor editor con-
corning the proposed DeSoto- Lansing
Road and Bridge. He has labored
with officials of Vernon county, the city
of Lansing, Madison attorneys and the
state highway commission and surely
carries a formidable array of docu-
ments and evidence to present to the
Wisconsin Legislature at the proper
moment. Chances for the success of
the proposal appear to grow brighter
all the time. Senator Bennett and AS
semblyman Roseland are prepared to
lend their strongest aid to the meas
ure and it is hoped the highway COM
mission and legislature can be made to
see how decidedly beneficial to the
farmers and business men of both
Iowa and Wisconsin this bridge would
prove to be.
Why we should have this bridge
across the Mississippi:
l The traffic demands it.
The City of Lansing, the City of
Waukon, the Village of DeSoto, the
county of Alamakee, the County of
| Vernon, demand it.
The public as whole who use
it as an automobile road, demand it.
There is no other bridge across
the Mississippi from Lacrosse to Du-
buque.
5 DeSoto and Lansing are sur
rounded by some of the most beautiful
scenery in the world.
6 There is good fishing here; it is
an ideal camping place for tourists.
1t will connect two of the best
agricultural states in the Union.
8 That part of Vernon county is
rich in historical lore and these places
will in time be marked and be an ad-
ditional impetus to tourists.
Our Public Library contains vol
ume bound in black on "The Black
Hawk War" Close to the place where
this bridge would be erected occurred
the last battle of the Black Hawk War
at Battle Hollow. This was two and
half miles above DeSoto. Here
Black Hawk stood on top of the bluff
and saw his warriors whipped.
At Red Mound the famous Indian
Red Horse was killed on Trail No. 101.
This trail makes an opening east and
west through the two states of Iowa
and Wisconsin, and connects up with
the Yellowstone Trail.
This trail passes quite close to Re-
treat, where the Indians made stand,
but retreated before the frontiersmen
in 1882.
The grave of Winnesheik is on top
of the bluff right back of De Soto
DeSoto was originally the camp of
Winnesheik. Then the French fur
traders began stopping there, and they
established the landing known as Win
nesheik's Landing.
The elevation here is about 1890
feet.
The only way to cross the river at
this point is by ferry. The boat can
carry about four automobiles, it takes
it about three hours to make the trip
both ways, and during the summer it
makes about three trips day From
October to May there is no ferry.
The traffic from the west goes as
far as Mason City, Iowa, and then goes
north or south to Lacrosse or Dubu-
que. The bridge, if built, would be on
the shortest route from the west to
the Dalles of the Wisconsin. A citi-
zen of Waukon, Iowa, who wished to
visit the Dalles, could cross the Miss
issippi via the proposed bridge, reach
the Dalles in four hours, spend Sunday
at Kilbourn, and return to his business
Monday morning.
| 1t is a conservative estimate to say
that real estate in Vernon and ALA
makee counties would advance at least
$25 to $50 an acre if this bridge were
erected.