Last spring, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources acquired 360 acres just outside Mineral Point.  It’s now part of the Southwestern Wisconsin Grassland Stream and Conservation Area (SWGSCA).

We heard about the purchase in passing and did a google search to learn more.  We were motivated to locate the property after reading a DNR memo that described it as having “scenic outlooks from many of its higher locations, and gives one the feeling of what Wisconsin must have looked like in the 1800’s.”  We also found this map of the property.

To get there, you take QQ past Ludden Lake, to Bennett Road.  Turn right on Bennett and park at the dead end.  You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see these signs, on the right.  We’re pretty sure “Foot Travel Only” means that cross country skiing is OK.

So, off we went – to see rural Wisconsin as it looked in the 1800’s.

We first went on an overcast day.  The landscape was enchantingly bleak.  Just like you would imagine it was in the 1800’s.

We enjoyed our 1.5 mile trek so much, that we returned the next day.  It was sunny and the skies were a vivid blue.

The wide open vistas change as you go up and down the rolling hills.

Along the way, we saw mature oak trees . . .

and stone ruins.

The wind was so strong on the ridge that it covered our tracks within minutes.

Perhaps the nicest part of the property is the isolation.

No ATVs or snowmobiles.  Just wind and open prairie.

And, lucky for all of us, it’s being preserved so we can all enjoy it.

– Contributed by the Hays