THERE’S HISTORY Continued from page 11
FAMILYFUN oldest depot in Wisconsin, housing artifacts and exhibits covering 150 years, including a diorama of the 1915-era rail yard. In season, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. For information, call 987-2695 or visit mprs.org. Later in the year, the Orchard Lawn historical site (234 Madison Street) is open to the public. Built in 1868, it was a working estate with gardens, orchards, barns, a carriage house and an Italianate mansion. The house was saved for $800 by local citizens in 1936 and deeded to the Mineral Point Historical Society.
Feed your creative side
As much as Mineral Point is wellknown for its history, it’s becoming a hip spot for artists, as well as those who like to broaden their
‘Where Wisconsin Began’ According to the city’s Chamber of Commerce, Mineral Point is the third-oldest city in Wisconsin (behind Green Bay and Prairie du Chien), and the first to be named to The National Registry of Historic Places. A mining hub and center of government in the early 1800s, a shining moment for Mineral Point was July 4, 1836, when Henry Dodge was inaugurated as Wisconsin’s first territorial governor in downtown’s modern-day Liberty Park. From this event, Mineral Point is often called the place “Where Wisconsin Began.”
Left: Kathleen Nutter of Artful Apparel & More has been weaving for more than 30 years, using natural fibers and hand-dyed yarn in her restored studio on High Street. Right: A M-60 Patton tank stands as a silent sentinel at Soldiers Memorial Park. 12 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2017
abilities. When you’ve had your fill of history, Mineral Point’s growing art community has a lot to offer, and “Shake Rag Alley” is the junction where history starts to take a crafty turn. A street right off the main downtown, the alley is part of a central enclave of nine historic buildings that serves as an art center, with a variety of workshops for artists of all ages and abilities. It’s located on one of the original settlements of the town, dating back to days when Native Americans would settle around the natural spring running through it. It’s a nearly year-round art school, with classes on topics like writing, jewelry making, blacksmithing and woodcarving. It’s worth a nice, lazy trip down the length of Shake Rag Street, with plenty of shops and parks and places to stop and wander in, even if you’re not there to take one of many courses available throughout the year. “People come from all over to teach and to take classes in a whole lot of art mediums,” Gieseke said.
Recreation
On those precious spring days where the showers stay away, Mineral Point has plenty of options for outdoor recreation. * A t Library Park, downtown on High Street, you can see where