The History of Gordon

From Sandcastle to Gordon

The little town of Gordon has a Historical Museum that is open on weekends during the warm months.  It doesn't look like too much from the outside, but inside, it is a plethora of history.

Each of the families in town have donated a book of their family trees and other history in the form of a 3 ring binder.  I think there were about 40 of those binders on the shelf.

There are many very old photos of the original Mr. Gordon and his wife.  

The museum docent, Patricia Finstad, was very knowledgeable, although she was raised in Solon Springs, some 15 miles away.  She showed me some of her favorite artifacts and told me about the history of the families.  She was working on putting together a map of the country schools until I dropped in.  It was an impressive collection in a small space, but displayed in a format that made it view-able and interesting.

I purchased a book called "Mr. Gordons Neighborhood" which covers history before, after and during the life of Antoine Gordon.  I think it will be fun to have this book at the cabin and I felt like it was a good donation to the Historical Foundation of Gordon.  The book was published in 2010 for Gordon's 150th Anniversary.  Lots of history in this area of Wisconsin.

As I was leaving the museum, Patricia asked if I had ever been 'out to the Dam'.  I didn't think I had been and she said "Oh, you must go."  Once I got in the car, I thought, sure why not.  I was already sweaty, it was sunny and humid, and I had my camera.

So, I headed off down Y towards the Gordon Dam.

Partway there, I realized I had been there before, but I continued on.

There is a nice campground near the dam and it was busy with folks enjoying their weekend.

It almost made me wish I loved camping...almost.

 A place to clean your fish is provided, so there must be a good success rate of catching.

I saw a couple of women fishing. 

One on shore and one standing out in the water.

She was standing up on a rock, risky if you ask me, but she seemed comfortable.

The St. Croix Flowage with a pretty summer sky.  It looked like a post card.

Love the water's edge plants.

Along the way back towards town, I saw some wild turkeys cross the road and was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them as they waddled off into the brush.

Interesting birds.

Along the road there was a turn out and then this sign, next to an area at the edge of the clearing.

There wasn't much of a view from the overlook.
The woods were so dense, I really couldn't see the landing below at all.

Purple Fringed Orchid

Another beautiful and delicate wildflower for my collection.

As I drove back towards town, I decided to take town roads South and see what I might see.

Between my GPS and my Wisconsin Gazetteer with the detailed maps of each section, I found some pretty scenery and still made my way in the direction of home.

But, there's a little more to it than that.