Ellsworth Area Attractions:
Recreational Facilities:
Nugget Lake County Park
Location: Rock Elm & Union
Township
This 752-acre park,
established in 1974, is the flagship of the Pierce County
Parks Department. The
main feature of the park is Nugget Lake. The 116 acre lake is nearly two miles
long and is entirely surrounded by forested property managed by the county. The
lakes primary feature is fishing, but its scenic beauty also draws a large
number of outdoor enthusiasts.
Approximately 25% of the parkland is developed
for outdoor recreational activities. The main outdoor recreational activity is
camping. The park provides a 55 site modern campground complete with electrical
sites and comfort station. The campground also has several other amenities that
include swing sets, a playground and camping cabins. The park also provides
environmental educational programs. Nature movies are shown at an outdoor
amphitheater every weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Camper and
various small groups participate in the nature programs that are conducted on a
weekly basis. Past studies have indicated that Pierce County residents are the
primary users of the campground.
The park also has over six miles of maintained
hiking/ski trails located throughout a variety of natural resource systems. The
back drop for the trail system is the Rock Elm Creek and Plum Creek. The
meandering creeks converge in the center of the trail system and continue on as
Plum Creek. Located throughout the trail system are various sites that contain
interpretive and educational information. Several scenic overlooks and rest
areas are also located throughout the trail system.
Trout Streams
For fly anglers, this area of Western Wisconsin
is a little bit of heaven on earth. The Kinnikinnic to the north of Ellsworth
and the Rush River to the east, provide hours of trophy trout fishing for the
serious angler and someone who just wants to spend an afternoon in fishing
paradise.
The Kinnikinnic boasts one of the densest trout populations in
Wisconsin with over 3000 fish per mile on the lower portion and over 6000 per
mile on the upper portion.
The Rush River begins its journey just south of
Interstate 94 near Hammond and runs to the Mississippi 50 miles downstream. One
can expect to encounter Brown, Brook and Rainbow trout in the Rush.
Other trout
streams are the Trimbelle, Eau Galle and Cady Creek and small spring creeks that
feed the Kinnikinnic and Rush.
If you are looking for game fish like walleye,
smallmouth bass, and muskies, there is the St. Croix and Mississippi River that
border Pierce County to the West. These rivers also support good populations of
catfish, sturgeon and panfish.
Ellsworth Country Club
People looking for an
inexpensive day of golfing on a challenging and scenic course that will test
their skills should check out the Ellsworth Country Club. This par 37, nine hole
course, clubhouse with locker room, bar and banquet facilities is open to the
public. The Country Club also offers cart rentals and practice driving nets. The
course lends itself to the rolling hills and forests of the nearby scenery,
which makes for a challenging nine or 18 hole experience that's reasonably
priced. Memberships are available. Located two miles north of Ellsworth on Hwy
65. Yardage is 3,111 (blue tees), 3,015 (white) and 2,609 (red). Call for tee
times, 715-273-4438.
Pierce County Snowmobile Clubs
Pierce County offers 222
miles of snowmobile trails which run through scenic countryside, including
wooded areas and open rolling hills.
The county has 10 snowmobile clubs and a
governing body of volunteers. The trails are groomed and maintained by the
council, which also regulates the opening of the trails.
The county's
snowmobiling trails are state funded through registration fees and an allocation
of gas fees. Anyone interested in joining a club can call 715-639-6311. For
information about the condition of the trails, call 715-639-6311.
Pierce County Shooting Range
Location: Ellsworth Township
Established in 1975, the
Pierce County Shooting Range provides a supervised recreational activity that is
open to the public on a scheduled basis. The range is also utilized by various
Pierce County law enforcement agencies for training purposes.
The range was
primarily managed by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department for the majority of
its existence. In 2006 the range was under management by the Pierce County
Clerk's Office. The Pierce County Shooting Range Committee has been the
governing body of the facility. In 2006, the Pierce County Shooting Range
Committee became a subcommittee of the Pierce County Parks Committee.
The range
is a semi-secure outdoor facility that consists of three separate shooting lanes
to accommodate various types of firearms. The facility has various types of
shooting benches, rests, targets, and a small storage shed. Each shooting lane
is divided by an earthen berm located approximately one mile north of the
Village of Ellsworth. The property surrounding the range is primarily deciduous
forest under private ownership.
Click Here to go to Range Schedule
2009 Schedule is the same as 2008 except last day
is November 20th
Klaas Jonas Swimming Pool
www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us/middleschool/pool_news.htm
Located adjacent to
Ellsworth Middle School on Panther Drive in Ellsworth. The pool has a slide,
shower and locker room facilities and is covered by an inflated come in the
winter. For more information, call 715-273-0754.
Ellsworth Parks:
Summit Hill Park
Summit Hill Park, a lush green expanse
of 16 acres, is located in the residential area midway between East and West Ellsworth. Access
is made on West Grove Street or West Summit Ave where parking is available. The beautiful park
is home of the Ellsworth Hubbers Baseball team at Bob Young field. The park is used by families
who spend leisure time at the picnic shelter and picnic tables. The park also
has grills, drinking fountain, playground equipment, tennis and volleyball
courts, a softball field, tennis courts and plenty of park benches. The baseball
field also has a concession stand and restroom facility. Summit Hill Park is
often the scene of community festivities.
East End Park
Sometime in the early 1900's, several
of the East Ellsworth business people got together and built a dance pavilion in the East
End Park, known as the Park Pavilion. It was built on pillars because of the danger of
floods in the park. The pavilion flourished until 1919 when the Fair Ground Pavilion was
built. A pillar from the old pavilion still stands in the East End Park today. In 1922
the Ox-Bow Inn was officially opened and the tourist kitchen was built of logs
near the Park Pavilion. Ox-Bow Inn still stands today and is used for various
festival activities. The park is located on Hwy 10 and East Wall Street, close
to the East Ellsworth business district. Picnic tables, shelters, grills,
drinking fountain, benches, restroom facility, basketball hoop and playground
equipment are available at the site.
Cairns Woods
Cairns
Woods is a beautiful woodland area located on North Cairns street just off
Highway 65 North. It has groomed and non groomed trails for exploring or
spending quality family time together.
Pierce County Fairgrounds
 Located
on the North side of Ellsworth the fairgrounds is perfect for
walking, biking or
skating when not in use by numerous county and local events and festivals. Enter
on Grove Street or Highway 65.
Historical Sites:
Visit Pierce County's Historic Sites
Buildings reflecting Pierce
County's rich history are available today for visitors and residents alike to
enjoy.
The River Bluffs History Center
The River Bluffs History
Center overlooks Lake Pepin, a widening of the Mississippi River. The center is
at W6321 E Main Street, Bay City, one block west of Hwy 35, the Great River
Road. The Pierce County Historical Association (PCHA) received the former St.
John's Lutheran Church as a gift in 1995. The 28-by-60 foot building was erected
in 1933. The hand-carved altar, communion rail, pulpit, organ and five pews were
also donated, as well as kitchen furnishings, tables and chairs in the
downstairs fellowship room. PCHA volunteers, with professional help, have
redecorated the interior, re-roofed and resided the exterior. In 2001, an
accessibility fund was initiated for easier building access. Activities at the
center include: special exhibits, workshops, association and chapter meetings,
the 85-Mile Garage Sale in May, a pancake breakfast during Bay City Days, the
annual October Open House and a holiday party in November. Anyone is welcome to
attend the gatherings. The center is also available for small gatherings. The
dining room seats up to 50 people. Call the PCHA office at 715-273-6611 for
hours available and suggested donations for use.
Conlin Log House
The Conlin Log House is
located on the River Bluffs History Center site.
This 17-by-25 foot 1850's
log house was built by Patrick Conlin, an Irish immigrant, near the Village of
Esdaile in Hartland Township. Patrick and his wife, Margaret, were parents of
seven children; only three survived until adulthood. The house was inhabited
until 1901, when it was sold at a sheriff's auction.
In the 1920's, the house
was moved, log by log, to a different location on the Vincent Wood farm, where
it was used as a granary. In 1998, Mr. Wood donated the building to the
association. A Conlin descendant, Millicent O'Connor, paid the moving expenses.
The house was moved intact from Esdaile to the center.
PCHA volunteers, with
some professional help, replaced some logs. Doors and windows were added in the
style of the original house, and ceiling joists, downstairs flooring and the
entire loft floor were replaced. The building was rechinked and a cedar shake
roof replaced the tin roof.
Volunteers also furnished the home with items used
in the early settlement period, including a rope bed used in the early 1850's.
The home is open to visitors one weekend each month in the summer, as is the
center. Signs are posted along Hwy 35 when the buildings are open.
Pierce County Courthouse
The
Pierce County Courthouse, listed in the National Register of Historic Places,
contains Marquette Rain Drop Stone, Siskiwit Stone, Dunville Stone, and Pink
Tennessee Marble. Four original paintings depicting the beauty of the Midwest
grace the courthouse dome.
The cornerstone was laid by the Ellsworth Masonic
Hancock Lodge #229 on June 21, 1905 and the building constructed at a cost of
$85,000.00. Extensive remodeling, which included the jail being built adjacent
to the courthouse, was completed in 1968.
A World War I 88mm Austrian cannon
compliments the war memorial on the courthouse grounds. The cannon, obtained
from an arsenal in New Jersey, was dedicated in 1926; the memorial was erected
in 1989. Plaques honoring Pierce County service people was dedicated on June 24,
1989 and was paid for by grants from Bob and Evelyn Young, Ellsworth Class of
1939, Pierce County Chapters and Posts of the American Legion, Ellsworth and
Prescott VFWs, The Viet Nam Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and
the 40 & 8.
The most recent entry was for Burt Hoyer of Ellsworth and Trevor Diesing of Plum City, who lost their lives in the defense of liberty in the
Iraq.
A twin to this courthouse can be found in Rugby, North Dakota.
The
courthouse is open to the public Monday through Friday. An official directory
of Pierce County is shown on this page. A printed copy is available from the
office of the County Clerk.
The Freier Schoolhouse
In 1959, the Freier
Schoolhouse was moved to the Pierce County Fairgrounds along Hwy 65 in the
Village of Ellsworth as a memorial to all the rural Pierce County schools. It is
open to the public during the county fair in August. PCHA installed new windows
and a new entrance door, furnished the interior and has special exhibits during
the county fair and for other occasions.
Freier School was
built in 1855 in Sec. 9, Ellsworth Township. Local basswood and maple was sawn
and used in the 20-by-32 foot building. The total cost was $539. Metal
decorative walls are still in the building. The school closed in 1957 when the
area was consolidated with the Ellsworth School System.
Register of Historic Places
The National Register of
Historic Places is the nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of
preservation. Properties open to the public in Pierce County are:
- Pierce County Courthouse,
411 W Main St, Ellsworth, built in 1905. The Pierce County Courthouse has a twin
in Rugby, North Dakota. The structure was built by the same contractor and
engineer.
- H.S. Miller Bank (also
known as Pierce County Welcome and Heritage Center), 233 Broad St, Prescott.
- North Hall at UW-River
Falls, 410 S 3rd St, River Falls, built in 1914.
- South Hall at UW-River
Falls, 410 S 3rd St, River Falls, built in 1875 and rebuilt in 1898.
For more information, visit
or call the Pierce County Historical Association Office and Archives in the
lower level of the Ellsworth Police Department on North Chestnut Street,
Ellsworth. Call 715-273-6611 for hours of operation.
Places of
Interest:
Just beyond stately silos
and barns of the Pierce County countryside is Crystal Cave, a cool summer outing
beneath the earth. One-hour guided tours of the cave leave frequently. Lighted
passageways are accessed by stairs and ramps. Gift shop, gem panning and picnic
area available. Hours of operation for the general public are: April and May,
weekends 10am - 4:30pm; May 15 to Labor Day, daily 10am - 5pm; September and
October, daily 9:30am - 4:30pm. Last cave tour leaves 30 minutes before
closing.
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery
The Ellsworth Cooperative
Creamery is a 500+ member dairy farmer owned cooperative. It processes 1,750,000
lbs. per day of cheese, cheese curds, fluid milk, and whey powder, making the
cooperative known as the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin.
A new item sold at
the creamery is the extremely popular, lightly hand-breaded cheddar cheese
curds. The perfect appetizer to compliment the fresh all natural cheese curds.
Experienced staff are available year-round to assist in assembling customized
wooden gift boxes filled with customers preferences of assorted meats, cheeses
and souvenirs.
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