About The River

Friday, February 6, 2015

On the Road Friday ~ Pattison State Park, Superior, Wisconsin

It is Friday. Today we are taking a trip to Pattison State Park, Superior, Wisconsin.
Pattison State Park is the home of Big Manitou Falls, the highest waterfall in Wisconsin.


 165 - foot - high Big Manitou Falls
Frozen on the outside, but you can hear the water gushing under the ice.

 Pattison State Park is full of history and beauty.

Civilian Conservation Corps helped shape Pattison State Park what it is today.

Camp Pattison

Until 1935, facilities at Pattison were modest: a small picnic area, some wooden overlooks, pit toilets and a ranger's cabin. Visitors camped on the lawn and parked along the road. A dam formed in 1928 had enlarged Interfalls Lake, causing a muddy and weedy shore.
One of the programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to end the Great Depression of the 1930s was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) [exit DNR]. Young, single, unemployed men were put to work on conservation projects. On July 25, 1935, Camp Pattison Company 3663 of the CCC was established at what is now Little Manitou Falls picnic area. For the next seven years, thousands of men labored to transform the landscape into what is now the main park area.
The CCC put in sewer and water systems, removed old roadbeds and abutments, planted trees, landscaped and built three miles of foot trails.
During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps quarried rock and chiseled it into blocks to create the park shelter building, nature center, bathhouse and former office building.
The CCC members began work on the campground and pedestrian underpass. One of the most ambitious projects was draining Interfalls Lake, rerouting the river channel and hauling sand from Lake Superior's shore to make the beach.
Once World War II was underway, the labor shortage ended the CCC program. Many CCC veterans often return to Pattison and reunions have been held at the park. The CCC left a legacy of beautiful buildings, practical facilities and a changed landscape in its wake. A booklet detailing the history of Camp Pattison is available at the park office. 
From Wisconsin DNR History Website
 
  
The beauty of a frozen waterfall.


Big Manitou Falls ~ January 24, 2015

 "There is more beauty than we can measure in this world of ours"
Gladys Taber

Thank you for coming along today.
Have a great weekend.

11 comments:

  1. Beautiful even in winter! I love the way you are introducing me to new places. Hopefully we will get out this weekend. After having the flu this past week I need some fresh air!

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  2. So beautiful, Never seen a frozen waterfall. Just wondertful.
    Rosezeeta.

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  3. I have never seen a frozen waterfall before - how spectacular, and how cold it must be to do that!
    Have a fabulous weekend.

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  4. How incredible! I lived on land that had some pretty waterfalls in the mountains of NC and it would freeze over but not anything that looked like this! WOW! Amazing! Thanks for the info, too. Happy weekend my friend! Hugs, Diane

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  5. Wow - those frozen falls are a thing of wonder!

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  6. That waterfall is amazing, never seen anything like it.
    Amalia
    xo

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  7. That's incredible! I don't think I've ever seen a photo of frozen waterfalls. I've been to Niagra Falls, in the winter, but when I saw them they were not frozen. Beautiful. The dog photo and quote are humorous. Mine just got into some paper and tore it all up and then he messed up the porch bed, because he ate cat food. I can't blame the cat; it was obvious, he didn't chew what he ate. xoox

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  8. Looks like a beautiful place. Love those waterfall photos.

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  9. Gladys Taber had it right. Beautiful scenes, Carla.

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  10. Beautiful! I have been there, but it was MANY MANY years ago. My aunt and uncle had a cabin near Siren at the time. I remember lots of hiking, and I imagine we saw the waterfalls, but I don't remember them which is strange since my memory is normally so sharp! Oh well, time to plan a visit there to see them for sure!

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High Fives from Wisconsin!