Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
point in the land-and-water trade routes. Jefferson Davis even found himself here, fresh
from West Point, in 1829, hacking logs to help raise Fort Winnebago, upon which much of
the region depended.
Sights
Head a quarter-mile or so east of town and follow a tight turn off WI 33 onto what must
be the state's shortest Rustic Road (less than a mile). Along the way, you'll espy sandhill
cranes, blue herons, and even a link to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
Also along the road stands the
Old Indian Agency House
(off WI 33, 608/742-6362,
10am-4pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-4pm Sun., mid-May-mid-Oct., $5 adults), opposite the site of
FortWinnebago.Thehousewasbuiltin1832(extraordinarilyplushfortheperiod)forJohn
Kinzie,thefederalgovernment'sIndianagentwiththeWinnebagotribe.Anenigmaticman,
KinziespokevirtuallyeveryIndiandialectusedintheIndianaTerritory.JulietteKinzielater
wrote a book of modest fame titled
Wau-Bun,
recounting their tenure in the state.
Two miles farther east along WI 33 is the
Surgeon's Quarters
(608/742-2949,
10am-4pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-4pm Sun., mid-May-mid-Oct., $4 adults), built during the
1820s and the only extant building from Fort Winnebago. It once housed the medical of-
ficersofthegarrison.Noteworthyamongtheroomsofartifactsandantiquesaretheoriginal
plans for the fort and some papers of Jefferson Davis.
Downtown is
Zona Gale's home
(506 W. Edgewater, 608/742-7744), built by Gale for
herparentsafterherfirstnovelwasasuccessin1906;shedidmostofherwritinghereuntil
she won the Pulitzer Prize, in 1928. There are a few antiques and pieces of Gale memorab-
ilia. It's open by appointment only and charges a nominal fee.
Getting There
The
Amtrak
(
www.amtrak.com
) Empire Builder train, on its Chicago-Seattle run, makes a
stop in Portage (401 Oneida St.).
Mackenzie Environmental Center
In Poynette, 12 miles southeast of Portage, is the
Mackenzie Environmental Center
(alongHwy.CS/Q,608/635-4498,8am-4pmdailyMay-mid-Oct.,8am-4pmMon.-Fri.mid-
Oct.-Apr.,free)andstateofWisconsingamefarm(specializinginpheasantreintroduction).
A museum dedicated to the oft-overlooked world of conservation game wardens is a won-
derfulandintriguinghighlight.Yeah,youprobablynevergivethesefolksasecondthought,
but they are on the front line of ecological conservation—the under-fire deputies of the
