Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lamers
bus line (800/261-6600) runs between Milwaukee and Wausau, with stops in
Stevens Point, New London, Appleton, Oshkosh, and Fond du Lac; another Lamers bus
stops here on a run between Green Bay and Madison.
FondduLacoftenreferstoitselfas“FirstontheLake”—sortofaloosetakeontheFrench,
which translates literally as “bottom (or far end) of the lake.”
Despite its strategic location—at the base of a big lake and equidistant to the Fox-Wis-
consin riverway—the town grew painfully slowly. Everywhere-to-be-seen town father, and
later Wisconsin's first territorial governor, James Doty, had the town platted in 1835.
Boomtown status effectively eluded the place—timber was too far north and receding
fast. The local constabulary, the story goes, couldn't afford a pair of handcuffs. However,
a plank road, laboriously laid down from Sheboygan, became a vital channel of transporta-
tion from the Lake Michigan coast.
Galloway House and Village
The stately mid-Victorian Italianate villa
Galloway House
(336 Old Pioneer Rd., 920/
922-6390,10am-4pmdailyMemorialDayweekend-LaborDay,10am-4pmSat.-Sun.Labor
Day-Sept., $9 adults), originally finished in 1847, features 30 rooms, four fireplaces, and
much Victorian opulence. Behind it is a turn-of-the-20th-century village containing 23 re-
storedregionaldwellingsandstructures,includingtheBlakelyMuseum,whichholdsanas-
sortment of pioneer and early-20th-century Fond du Lac stuff, as well as an extensive local
private Native American collection—even a mounted passenger pigeon.
Octagon House
The 12-room private
Octagon House
(276 Linden St., 920/922-1608,
www.octagonhousefdl.com
,
$15) was originally raised as a stockade against Native Amer-
ican attack. Later, it became a node on the Underground Railroad (you can add almost a
dozen secret places to the number of rooms, including secret passages, tunnels, and one
hidden room). And it wouldn't be complete without the requisite ghost reportedly wafting
about. Tours must be arranged in advance.
