4th graders from Grand Ave. and St. Aloysius School visited 11 historic sites and buildings in Prairie du Sac and Sauk City on Pioneer Day, May 22nd. The annual tradition continued.
Students saw
Students started their day with a bus tour to sites not easily accessible by foot. They visited the Cottonwood Tree--the witness tree to the survey that platted the village of Sauk City. They saw the Liberty Pole Triangle, stopped in front of the Sauk City History Mural, and drove past the High School on Madison Street. Then their walking tour and visits in Prairie du Sac included the Tripp Heritage Museum, Bonham Theater for a slide presentation of the Badger Ammunition Plant, the Ruth Culver Library for a presentation of the building of the Prairie du Sac Dam, a presentation in front of the mural on the Tripp Museum, and another presentation at the municipal parking lot where the students learned about our two bridges, ghost towns across the river and the railroad. After a break for lunch buses proceeded to Sauk City where they visited a pioneer home, the Hahn House, the Freethinkers Hall, the original and oldest Fire Station in the State along with fire engines made in Sauk City, the George Culver Library where they met a French fur trader and touched his fur pelts, and finally a presentation in the library about the early inhabitants of Sauk City, the indigenous people and the early visits and settlement of Sauk City.
To get to each stop, the groups walked past a number of buildings not open that day including Thurner Hospital, the Lachmund House and a number of others along Water Street. The special treat of a Culver’s custard was enjoyed by all the students after walking all day to their scheduled stops. A lot of history was learned during the day. But to realize that people back 150-170 years ago walked or lived in these very same buildings amazed a number of students.
