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Clark County
Attractions
Clark
County, in North-Central Wisconsin, is rich in history, land and
beauty. Here, the rushing waters of the Black River, gurgling
brooks and crystal clear streams flow through farmland and forest,
along deep ravines, past craggy cliffs and wooded hillsides.
Once a major logging
area, where 19th Century timber Barrons clear-cut the ancient
forest and homesteaders farmed the stumplands, much of Clark County's
forest land has been restored to a wooded wonderland, offering
a variety of thriving forest communities, hundreds of wildlife
species, and unlimited recreational opportunities. In the 20th
Century, hardy and persistent farmers turned the county's remaining
stumplands into one of the state's most productive agricultural
areas.
Clark County's
streams, lakes, rivers and forests offer exceptional scenic beauty,
abundant fish for the catching and game for the hunter, including
deer, bear, geese, ducks, grouse, turkeys and more. Area forests
feature miles and miles of trails for snowmobiling, ATVing, cross-country
skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. A network
of roads and trails provide access to forest, hunting, trapping,
camping, scenic driving, wildlife observation, fishing and berry
picking.
Clark County museums
preserve and proudly display the history of its people, from prehistoric
Native American Indian settlers to European trappers, lumberjacks,
timber Barrons and agricultural pioneers. Historic and architecturally
significant buildings, from early 19th Century to early 20th Century
mansions, homes, churches and commercial buildings are also preserved,
in use, and on display throughout the county.
Clark County is
also the proud home of The Highground Veterans Memorial, where
veterans of Vietnam, WWI, WWII, Native American Vietnam Veterans,
and Military Service Women are remembered and honored on a hill
overlooking one half million acres of spectacular woodland scenery
and glacial moraine.
Travelers to Clark
County will find a variety of lodging accommodations to choose
from, including open-air primitive campsites, full-service campgrounds,
comfy bed and breakfast inns, hunters cabins, motels and housekeeping
cottages.
In the early 20th
Century, Clark County was linked to Plymouth Rock on the nation's
eastern seaboard, and Puget Sound near Seattle in the West, by
the Yellowstone Trail, the nation's first interstate highway.
Today, the county is linked east - west by U.S. Hwy. 10 and State
Hwys. 29, 73, 95 and 98; and, north - south by State Hwys. 73
and 95. Via nearby I94, Clark County is about 140 miles from St.
Paul, 357 miles from Chicago, 200 miles from Milwaukee and 150
miles from Madison.
Clark County's
rich natural beauty offers both visitors and residents alike many
outdoor recreational activities and scenic surroundings.
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Museums and Historic
Sites
Rural Arts
Museum
Colby
715-223-2264
Located in and on the land surrounding the former Colby Cheese
Box Company, and operated by the Clark County Historical Society,
the Rural Arts Museum features a collection of buildings that
hold the stories, artifacts and memories of middle Wisconsin,
the history of the railroad, dairy industry, machines of the written
word and education. The museum's buildings include the original
Colby railroad depot, a one-room country school, a log home that
was used for almost a century, and the Heritage Building which
features a rural main street of the 1890's. Open Sundays, Memorial
Day-Labor Day, and by appointment.
1897 Jail Museum
Neillsville
715-743-6444
Operated by the Clark County Historical Society, this turreted
stone jailhouse, listed in the National Registry of Historic Places
is an architectural masterpiece. Inside, visitors will find the
gracious sheriff's residence charming living quarters with beautiful
windows, spacious hallways, an old-fashioned parlor and a grand
open stairway - contrasted by the cold, bare reality of barred
windows, cell blocks, sheriff's peek holes, and solitary confinement
cell. The museum's displays also include a delightful children's
room, an authentic jewelry store, the Listeman Music Room, and
an old photo room with scenes of the Neillsville of old. Open
Sat. & Sun. 1 - 4 pm., Memorial Day to Labor Day, or by appointment.
Tufts' Museum
Neillsville
715-743-3346
As it stands today, this grand mansion, built by Emery Bruley
in 1885, reflects the changes of that period and the personalities
of each succeeding generation of owners; the Dewhursts, who exchanged
houses with the Bruleys one year after it was built and transformed
it into an elegant, airy Victorian residence; the Dewhurst's daughter
Mary and her husband, Wallace Hempell, whose marriage gift reportedly
included interior re-decoration by Marshall Fields in 1916; and
Col. and Mrs. William B. Tufts, who did extensive remodeling before
donating
it to the city for use as a museum. Open Tues., Thurs. & Sat.
1:00-3:30pm., Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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Parks and Nature Centers
Clark County
Forest
715-743-5140
Clark County Forest was established in 1934 and currently covers
nearly 133,000 acres. The forest landscape supports many different
plant and wildlife communities with hundreds of species of large
and small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects. Here
wildlife observers may spot deer, bear, raccoon, fox, coyote,
ducks, geese, grouse, turkeys, hawks, owls, woodland songbirds;
and, on rare occasions, one of Wisconsin's growing number of endangered
gray wolves.
Roads and trails
through the forest provide access for hunting and trapping, scenic
driving, wildlife observation, fishing and berry picking. Miles
of forest trails also support a variety of recreational activities,
including snowmobiling, ATVing, cross-country skiing, horseback
riding, mountain biking and hiking.
Listeman Arboretum
Neillsville
The Listeman Arboretum is composed of 50 acres of woodland along
the tumbling Black River. Nature trails are groomed and clearly
marked. The arboretum entrance is just west of Neillsville on
Highway 10. Step through the Arboretum gate and enter the world
of woodland in bloom. Smell the fresh scent of the earth, notice
the canopy of leaves above, the plants and shrubs below, the quiet
whisper of the breeze, and the bubbling sounds of the Black River.
Pause on the benches provided to watch the woodland birds and
butterflies flutter through the bushes, branches and wildflowers.
Stay on the trails, take only memories and leave only footprints.
Levis Mound
NATA Trails
Clark County
715-743-5140
In cooperation with the Clark County Forestry and Parks Department,
the Neillsville Area Trail Association has constructed and maintains
a network of multi-use trails for mountain biking, hiking and
snowshoeing Levis Mound in the County Forest. These include Cliffhanger
on the east side and Toad Road on the west, and a beautiful trail
on the north side, called Northface, that overlooks a deep ravine
and traverses to the northwest point of the mound. Flat trails
circling the mound include Warm-up, Select-cut, Dead Turkey, Lower
Glen and Snodgrass. To the west, Upper Hermosa and Hermosa, which
scale the ridge tops of Trow Mound, provide great views of the
surrounding county forest and end up near Rouse Road and Gorman
Avenue, 4 miles north of the main trailhead. Some trails are steep
and footing is loose. Facilities include a large parking lot and
pit toilets. Camping, food, gas and refreshments are available
in Hatfield, 3 miles south, on County Highway J.
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Points of Interest
The Highground
U.S. Hwy. 10, Neillsville
715-743-4224
On the crest of a hill, three miles west of Neillsville, overlooking
one half million acres of spectacular woodland scenery and glacial
moraine, is The Highground, Wisconsin's Veterans Memorial. Here
individual monuments and exquisitely sensitive sculptures honor
the veterans of Vietnam, WWI, and WWII, Military Service Women,
and Native American Vietnam Veterans; the Earth Dove Effigy Mound
pays tribute to past and present prisoners of war and missing
in action; and the Gold Star Grove remembers the families of loved
ones lost in the nation's wars. Also, on the grounds are the Timber
Frame Building, housing an information/gift center; a Pow Wow
area, home of the annual "Warrior (Veteran) Pow Wow"
where veterans of all cultures and conflicts are honored through
traditional Native American ceremonies; picnic shelters and tables;
and, a 3 1/2 mile walking trail system. The Highground is open
to the public 24 hours a day, every day of the
year. Back
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