Small Towns, Wisconsin Southwest Region Summer 2014 | Page 31

to a shaft dug in the ground that drops an additional 120 feet. This shaft, along with a
horizontal tunnel to the bottom of it, took 187 working days to dig out using pickaxes
and gunpowder. The property was eventually sold for $10,000 in 1836; after steamoperated equipment was installed in 1852, the tower (operated by a crew of six)
produced over 600 pounds of quality shot per day.
Operations eventually ceased in 1860, and the buildings and equipment were sold.
The site was purchased for $60 in 1889 and eventually donated to the state. In 1922
the park was officially created and in 1970 the smelting house and wooden shaft were
rebuilt by the Wisconsin DNR and Wisconsin Historical Society. Trails lead to both the
smelter house and the tunnel entrance.
The park is open from May to October.

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Spring Green

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