|
Mineral
Point is tucked in the rolling hills of Southwest Wisconsin in
the area described as "driftless". Left untouched by the glaciers,
minerals at the surface of the land could be readily discovered.
Prospectors, miners and adventurers swarmed the hills and lived
in crude shelters known as "badger holes", from which Wisconsin
got it's nickname: The Badger State. The discovery of lead gave
rise to the first "mineral rush" in the United States and Mineral
Point grew to be the largest, most important settlement in the
area. In the 1830s, news of the lead mining rush reached Cornwall,
England, and the Cornish miners and their families started arriving
in Mineral Point.  These immigrant Cornish miners brought advanced
hard rock and deep mining skills along with a distinctive stone
building tradition to the area. The
Cornish character of the community remains prominent to the day,
in large part because of the many limestone and sandstone buildings
constructed by these early immigrants.
Mineral Point was an important center of early Wisconsin government.
In 1829 Mineral Point became the county seat of the newly formed
Iowa County. In 1830 Mineral Point had a population greater than
that of Milwaukee and Chicago combined. The Territory of Wisconsin
came into being with the inauguration of Henry Dodge as the first
governor on July 4, 1836 in Mineral Point. Farming and businesses
grew and with the coming of the railroad in
1857, Mineral Point became an important center of commerce.
1935 marked the beginning of a preservation movement when Bob
Neal and Edgar Hellum began restoring stone houses on Shake Rag
Street, now known as Pendarvis.
Preservation developed on a larger scale in the 1960s when artists,
craftspeople and preservationists began restoration of more historic
buildings. In 1971, Mineral Point became the first city in Wisconsin
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mineral Point
is still a work in progress with restoration continuing on some
of the most unique and historic architecture in the Midwest. Today,
these buildings, so rich in historical significance, are art studios,
galleries, shops, businesses and homes and serve as living reminders
of the community where Wisconsin began. |
