Wonder how Wisconsin earned its Badger State nickname?
The historians of Mineral Point say it’s from the shallow, cavelike holes dug first by Native Americans using bones or deer antlers to retrieve lead to swap with French fur traders. Later, newly arrived miners turned these holes into temporary homes and were nicknamed “badgers” for the animal whose living style they imitated.
Just as mining played a pivotal role in Mineral Point’s development more than a century ago, a restored miners’ settlement is the centerpiece of today’s drive to attract tourists to this charming town.
It’s easy to enjoy a country-quaint weekend, with few big-city prices, without having to battle the crowds descending on Galena, 45 minutes to the south.
The first stop should be Pendarvis, a now-state-owned cluster of stone and log homes where miners from Cornwall, southern England, settled in the 1830s.
A guide in period costume shows how they ate, where they slept, the tools they used to dig zinc from the nearby hills. Later you’ll sit in a replica of an 1840s men-only pub.
Many of the original buildings were torn down in the 1930s and used to create public works projects during the Depression. See the city swimming pool across the street? It’s made from remnants of miners’ homes.
The Pendarvis guide takes you through lovely gardens via paths that connect the properties. The tour requires a healthy dose of stair climbing.
The tour ends at the gift shop, where a leaflet of recipes for Cornish pasty (a savory meat and potato pie) and traditional saffron cake sells for a quarter, and limestone rocks can be had for 50 cents.
While buying tour tickets, be sure to check out the rack of promotional brochures and pick up a coupon for $1 discount on a Cornish pasty at the Red Rooster Cafe. (See If You Go.) Then ask for a copy of the self-guided tour of the nearby Merry Christmas Mine. The photocopied guide costs $1, but if you return it, you get a refund.
This gentle hike in the nearby wooded hills takes about an hour. You’ll see entrances to mine shafts, the remains of a log furnace, lots of prairie flora, a panorama of the town plus some actual “badger hole” mines.
Back in town, another slice of living history can be had at the Mineral Point Room, in the basement of the public library at 137 High St.
Tongue-in-cheekly known as the “Roots Cellar,” the room has bars on the windows that date from its days as the city jail. The archive was begun with a donation of important papers, including letters from President Woodrow Wilson to a friend in town and documents belonging to former “Password” and “College Bowl” host Allen Ludden, donated by his wife, actress Betty White. (Ludden, a native of the town, is buried at nearby Graceland Cemetery.)
Curator Janice Terrill proves that this is one library where talk is encouraged. She’ll explain the impact of immigration on the region, answer questions about the haunting antique picture of a young woman on the shelf behind her desk, and explain how she keeps the Cornwall connection alive via a pen pal in Britain.
Pick up another inexpensive souvenir here, the Mineral Point coloring book (75 cents).
Of course you can spend more.
The Soda Pop Shop at 26 High St. is one of several antique stores in town. We spotted a 1950s cocktail shaker with five matching glasses for $25, but spent considerably more for a mint condition 1950s black leather and leopard-fur handbag and hat still in their original box.
There’s also a lot of modern art for sale here, everything from paintings to pottery.
Check out Bruce Howdle’s studio at 225 Commerce St. People seem to love his whimsical ceramic pigs and ears of corn. But if your decor isn’t Midwest Porker, Howdle’s hand-thrown mugs are just $15.
Lots of small towns roll up the sidewalks at night, but the after-hours problem is easily solved with either a first-run movie for only $2.50 at the 400-seat 1915 Opera House theater or a stop at the brand new Brewery Creek Inn Brewery Pub.
Former Minnesotans Deborah and Jeffrey Donaghue transformed an 1854 railway building into a smoke-free cafe and pub featuring German and North European-style ales brewed just a block from the site of Wisconsin’s first brewery.
The inn offers upstairs rooms with thick, exposed stone walls, gas fireplaces, whirlpool tubs and handcrafted bed linens. In a nod to the ’90s, rooms have laptop computer connections.
We stayed at the Wm. A. Jones House, a stately 16-room, hilltop mansion built in 1906 by Jones, a local businessman appointed commissioner of Indian affairs by President William McKinley. Jones lived here only a few years, and when he died, the home was closed for 75 years, allowing much of its original beauty to remain unspoiled.
We spent the weekend feeling right at home amid the original woodwork, seven tiled fireplaces, stained glass skylight and forest-scene wallpaper in the formal dining room. Breakfast was homecooked: an omelet one morning, pancakes the next, served on lovely flowery vintage china.
Our suite ($90 plus tax) included two medium-sized rooms with private bath in the front of the house, with access to a porch-top terrace. The room was furnished with a four-poster bed and fun details such as antique wooden Indian clubs and books from the turn of the century.
Proprietors Art and June Openshaw had been warmly greeting guests for 11 years. But they’re 76 years old now, and shortly after our visit this spring completed the sale of the Jones House — with the caveat that new owners continue to run it as a B&B. Donald and Carolyn Knorr agreed; it’s temporarily closed now, but they plan to reopen in early autumn.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Weekend expenses for two:
Lodging (2 nights) ………… $190
Meals ……..,,,,,,,,….,…. $109
Gas, tolls ………………… $24
Museum/guide fees (Pendarvis) .. $13
Total ……………………. $336
IF YOU GO
– GETTING THERE
Take Interstate Highway 90 northwest to Madison, exit at U.S. Highway 12-18 West, continue about 15 miles west to U.S. Highway 151 South. Follow U.S. 151 South another 50 miles to Mineral Point. (185 miles)
If you prefer scenic country roads, exit I-90 west just south of Rockford to U.S. Highway 20. Head west about 50 miles on U.S. 20 to Illinois Highway 78 (near Stockton). Take Ill. 78 north to Wisconsin Highway 11, then Wis. 11 west to Wisconsin Highway 23, then north to Mineral Point. (175 miles)
Travel time each route is approximately 3 hours.
– LODGING
Brewery Creek Inn Brewery Pub (23 Commerce St.; 608-987-3298) has rooms for $119 to $159. Restaurant open 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pub closes at 10 p.m. to allow quiet for the inn guests.
The Wm. A. Jones House (215 Ridge St.; 608-987-2337), where we stayed, has since been sold. The new owners expect to reopen in early autumn.
Redwood Motel and Family Restaurant (U.S. 151 North; 608-987-2317); $47-$60. Rooms for the disabled; senior discount; 18-hole miniature golf course.
The Cothren House (320 Tower St.; 608-987-2612); $80-$145. Children are not allowed at this lovely restored 1835 home and cottages, the highlight of which is the standalone two-story log cabin with king bed and fireplace. We had planned to spend one night here, and although we had a verbal confirmation by telephone, we were disappointed to learn during a followup call (within the inn’s own stated deadline) that it had been rented to another party.
Knudson’s Guest House (415 Ridge St.; 608-987-2733); $75. Ag and Jim Knudson offer three bedrooms in their home, with a full breakfast. Children over 12 are welcome. No pets, no credit cards, no smoking.
Mineral Point Inn (359 N. Chestnut; 608-987-3499); $79-$95. Children, pets welcome.
– DINING
At the Red Rooster Cafe (158 High St.; 608-987-9936), you can sit with the locals at the counter or sink into a red vinyl booth to order Cornish specialties, including figgie hobbin, a dessert of raisins, walnuts and pastry in caramel sauce.
The Chesterfield Inn (20 Commerce St.; 608-987-3682) offers delicious food but had problems coping with a full house when about 30 members of a vintage MG car club from Chicago arrived one Saturday night. We were served beer, on the rocks!
– HISTORY
Pendarvis (114 Shake Rag St.; 608-987-2122; shakerag@pearl.mhtc.net) is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (last tour departs at 4 p.m.) daily from May 1 through Oct. 31. Admission: $6.50 adults, $2.70 kids 5-12, $5.85 seniors over 65.
– INFORMATION
Mineral Point Visitors Bureau, 225 High St., Mineral Point, Wis. 53565; 608-987-3201 or 888-POINT-WI (email: minpt@mhtc.net).
