Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake Region Part 3

In Paleozoic times the sea returned again, the tops of the bluffs stood as islands above the waves, the loose rocks were rounded on the sh.o.r.e, and sandstone almost filled the gorge where there was once a river. The animal life then consisted of trilobites, oyster like organisms, and other low forms.

The sea retreated and a river once more carried away the material which filled the gap in the bluffs. Because the hills of this region were once buried and again exposed to view, they are sometimes called the "Baraboo fossil."

The Glacial Epoch

Next came the glacial epoch, when the advancing ice from the northeast came into the Baraboo region; this was a long time after the sea retreated the last time, possibly a period of 100,000 or 200,000 years.

Into this gorge where probably once flowed the stream we now know as the Wisconsin River, the ice advanced to the terminal moraine, where the visitor descends just before reaching the lake. At the same time another tongue of cold crept into the valley between the Devil's Nose and the Lake. Had the tongues of ice advanced much farther there would have been no lake. Sand and gravel were washed into the gorge, leaving a deposit hundreds of feet thick. The well at the north end of the Lake is 283 feet deep, the drill stopping before it reached the bed of the ancient stream. In times agone the river must have found its way through a chasm 900 or 1,000 feet deep, a scene as picturesque as that of the present gorge below Niagara Falls.

The Lake at Present

The following applies to the lake as it is today:

Above sea level--About 960 feet.

Above the river at Baraboo--About 120 feet.

Height of West Bluff above the lake--About 500 feet.

Height of East Bluff above the lake--A little less than 500 feet near the lake, 610 feet some distance to the east.

Height of South Bluff--At Devil's Nose, 495 feet.

Source of supply--Springs and two small creeks.

Outlet--Evaporation and seepage.

Area draining into the lake--About 5-1/2 square miles.

Greatest length--1-1/4 miles.

Average width--2,200 feet or 2/5 of a mile.

Greatest depth--43 feet.

Average depth--30 feet.

Circ.u.mference--3-1/4 miles.

Area--388 acres, or 3/5 of a square mile.

Volume at low water--3,495,245,000 gallons.

History

On the early maps the name of the lake is given as Lake of the Hills.

Of it I. A. Lapham, early Wisconsin traveler and scientist, wrote: "The lake is vulgarly called Devils Lake from the wild, rocky place in which it is found." The Indian name for Devils Lake is Minnewaukan, or Evil Spirit Lake. The lake has unusual echoing powers and for this reason, it is said, the Indians supposed the bluffs to be inhabited by powerful spirits or manitos. The Winnebago have a tradition that the buffalo clan of their tribe had its origin on its sh.o.r.es.

First Visited

The earliest record of the lake being visited by a white man was about 1839 when James S. Albin, the first permanent settler in Sauk County, came to the bluffs.

Climbing the Mountain

Between the railroad track and where the path begins its ascent of the East Bluff, stood the Cliff House, a pioneer hotel on the sh.o.r.e of the lake. In the historic structure many a noted traveler tarried, among them Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, and many social events were given; Baraboo folk often mingled with the visitors to the region. W. B. Pearl was the last landlord, leaving the place in 1904. The hotel, annex and other buildings were razed soon after.

Elephant Rock and Cave

The first pause of interest along the scenic, twisting trail, as one ascends the bluff is Elephant Rock. This huge, reclining pachyderm is an unusual freak of nature's chisel.

Just back of Elephant Rock is the Cave, where may be seen some of the quartzite boulders rounded by the waves of the ancient Potsdam Sea. The top of the quartzite, on which the conglomerate rests, is the old sea sh.o.r.e, made smooth by the restless waves of that early time.

Pa.s.sing onward along the path from Elephant Rock, the pedestrian will see more of the conglomerate as he hugs the cliff, and the fantastic roots twining in and out will not be pa.s.sed un.o.bserved.

The Tomahawk Rock

Not far away is Tomahawk Rock, standing erect over the brow of the cliff, just as if placed there by some giant of other times.

Up and down winds the way until a point is reached where the ancient river valley turned to the eastward. Half way down the precipice, you can make it if you are an expert mountaineer, is Balanced Rock, a huge piece of elongated quartzite, shaped much like an inverted dash churn of log cabin days, big at the top and little at the bottom.

From the location of Balanced Rock or from the top of the bluff above may be obtained a rare view of the valley.

Devil's Doorway

To the east a few hundred paces is the Devil's Doorway, a quaint arrangement of rocks left as the result of the was.h.i.+ng away of the stones and earth through long periods of rain and frost.

Once a Waterfall

Just east of the Doorway the careful observer will find a number of potholes, rounded places in the hard quartzite. These were undoubtedly once in the bed of a river, where a waterfall was an interesting object on the landscape. Potholes can be made in no way except by running or falling water.

Unless the visitor desires to explore the bluffs to the east, the descent is now made a few rods from the potholes. At the upper end of the trail will be noticed a quant.i.ty of preglacial gravel about which Professor R. D. Salisbury and William C. Alden and others have written.

Reaching the trees below and keeping close to the rocks, Alaska Grotto will be reached a few rods to the west. If a warm day, go into the depression and feel the flood of cold air pouring outward.

Crossing the railroad track to the sh.o.r.e of the lake, the large bird effigy mound will be noted near the hotel. The length of the body is about 115 feet and the wingspread about 240 feet. There is a bronze tablet on the mound.

The West Bluff

On the West Bluff may be seen Cleopatra's Needle, the Turk's Head, and other points of interest. This bluff is often called Palisade Park, so named by A. R. Ziemer who platted a summer city and exploited the place in 1894 and 1895.