Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-06-24
KNO1O Wisconsin Better

~ Lake Monona, and within the
limits of the city there are nearly
ten miles of lake frontage.
Editors Note: Badger lakes are
noted for both their number and
size. Lakes in few parts of the
world occupy a greater portion Of
the total area of the country. Villas
county, for example, has 1850 lakes
and ponds worthy of notice. These
cover II per cent Of the land of the
county. Because of her great array
OF silver lakes, Wisconsin enjoys
the title of THE Fishing Grounds
Of the Middle West.')
AS the Green Bay lobe of the
great glacier pushed south anu
west, it came to its final stopping
place, the Wisconsin River. This
large stream ran a course almost
due south from Stevens Point to
the deep canyons which it had cut
for itself through the massive
quartzite of the ancient Baraboo
range. The ice forced the river
out Of its bed and occupied its can
yons. 1t reached just far enough
west to leave two moraine dams,
one filling the north end of the
canyon through the main range,
and the other filling the south end,
about mile and half southeast.
When the glacier was forming
these two moraine dams, it was
preparing for future generations
what is probably Wisconsins most
picturesque lake. This lake lies be-
tween the highest quartzite walls
OF the old canyon, which rise pre-
cautiously five hundred feet above
the waters, a bit Of the Alps
dropped into Wisconsin. Tt is
typical mountain lake in every res
pect. 1t is not strange that it is
called Devils lake, nor that tour
lists stories make it bottomless and
describe its location as the crater
of an extinct volcano for it's rock
shores abound in most fantastic
rock formations. 1t is now sur
rounded by state park of over a
thousand acres.
Dells Have Wide Reputation.
When the winds and the sun be-
gan to melt the ice the Wisconsin
River found It's old valley and it's
old canyons through the Baraboo
range damned high, so it was com
PEELED to find new course. A
glance at the Typographical model
Of the state will show that it
curved eastward and went around
the east end rather than across the
Baraboo ranges.
In cutting its new channel it en-
countered soft sandstone ledge
rock at KiIbourn, and carved in it
a wonderful gorge that is visited
by more than hundred thousand
people each year. This gorge is
known as the 'Dells Of the Wiscon-
sir" AS described by Martin in
one Of the bulletins of the state
geological survey, this is one of
the most attractive scenic features
of the state. The banks of the
river are clothed in picturesque,
coniferous forests, its course is cut
deeply in solid sandstone, diversified
by unusually well-developed cross
breeding and conspicuous joint
planes. Weathering and stream
erosion have carved the river banks
into bold cliffs, sharp chasms, and
striking, isolated rock pillars. One
may observe, as the geologist Nor
wood did in 1S47 singular and
beautiful effects, architraves, sculp-
tured cornices, moulded capitals,
scrolls and huted columns are seen
on every hand; presenting, alto
gether, a mixture of the grand, the
beautiful, and the fantastic"
Several small streams join the
Wisconsin at the Dells. Each has
cut its own little gorge of most
fantastic form. At the upstream
end of the Dells is the famous
Stand Rock - a small fiat table
top of hard sandstone supported by
a slender pillar of soft sandstone
below. This table top or stand
is only a few feet from the main
ledge, but between the two there
is deep drop, sufficiently awesome
to give the jump across a thrill
that some of the more venture
some enjoy.
Wausau, High Point in State.
But we must return to the trail
of the glacier. The features we