Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of art from a local couple. Local bike trails are being built out this way, so it'd be a lovely
ride. Call ahead to confirm that the park is open.
Stierle Bird Exhibit
The subdued
Stierle Bird Exhibit
(211 E. 2nd St., 715/387-8495, free), in the Marshfield
Public Library, is one of the country's most complete and diverse collections of bird eggs
(110 species and 1,900 or so eggs). It also features 140 species of birds (380 birds total), all
collected by a local taxidermist and photographer. The library is open 9am-9pm weekdays
(shorter hours weekends) Labor Day-Memorial Day, with limited hours during summer.
Wildlife-Viewing
South of town via WI 13 and then north on Highway X leads to the 9,500-acre
Sandhill
Wildlife Area,
a marshland dedicated to the restoration of sandhill cranes; there are also
even a few bison herds.
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The Highground
Eerie silence pervades
the Highground,
Wisconsin's Veterans' Memorial Park on 100
acres surrounded by one of the largest glacial moraines in the state. A most somber me-
morial, dominating a central rise, is the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial statue, while a nearby
grove of trees forms a five-star pattern, dedicated to sacrifices of families in wartime. Most
compelling is the Effigy Mound, an enormous dove-shaped earthen mound for POWs and
MIAs and all those “prisoners of their own experience.” (A similar mound is gradually
being constructed in Vietnam by Vietnamese veterans, with the cooperation of Wiscon-
sin vets.) An admirable mixture of flora and sculpture, the park is designed for the sound
of wind chimes (many constructed from military hardware) to pervade the entire expanse.
Lighted at night, the park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Memorials also honor
NativeAmericansandvetsofthePersianGulfWarandtheKoreanWar.Somepicnictables
are available, and walking trails are constantly being developed. The whole experience is
quite moving, particularly at night. Various festivals, including emotional powwows, take
place throughout the year. It's 37 miles south and west of Marshfield, via U.S. 10; follow
WI 13 south out of town to reach U.S. 10. Just west of Highground is a lovely Wisconsin
Rustic Road
drive through a decaying settlers' village.
Other Sights
Near Highground is charming little
Neillsville,
which is famed for a huge statue of Anna-
belle the cow on the east side of town. In town itself is an 1897 reconstructed jail listed on
