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June 15th, 2011 by knapik
Vanetta Chapman with Nora
Last week, Lonesome Hollow hosted Vanetta Chapman and her husband, from Texas. Vanetta came to Wisconsin to research the Wisconsin Amish for her upcoming book series of Amish mysteries. Her book, A Simple Amish Christmas, was published last October, and she has begun releasing a series of books called the Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series. Falling to Pieces, A Quilt Shop Mystery will be released November, 2011.
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January 4th, 2011 by knapik
Two of the most unique things about our area are the Amish settlements and the rural beauty of the Kickapoo Valley. A nice day trip can be planned so that you may enjoy both. Don’t do this trip on a Sunday, however, as the Amish shops are all closed. For an overview of the Kickapoo Valley, including great photos and a great map, visit www.kickapoovalley.org, the website of the Kickapoo Valley Association.
Begin this trip by driving south on Hwy 61, then west on Hwy 60. Near the village of Wauzeka the Kickapoo River flows into the Wisconsin River. Take Hwy 131 north and begin a leisurely ramble through the Driftless Area following one of the oldest rivers in the upper Midwest. Native Americans named this river the “one who wanders” in their native language. Normally a quiet, lazy river, the Kickapoo River can become a raging torrent during heavy rains and the history of the Kickapoo Valley is full of flood stories. As you follow Hwy 131 along the river you travel through a truly rural area and will never drive through a village with more than 1000 residents. Steuben, Barnum, and Bell Center, are no more than wide spots on the road. Gays Mills offers a couple of restaurants and a large area of apple orchards. The orchards are definitely worth a visit from late August through November when various types of apples are being harvested and sold.
Continuing north on Hwy 131, Soldiers Grove offers two war memorials, several nice restaurants, and one of the most unique village commercial areas in the country — Solar Village. This small commercial area was created in the late 1970′s with state and federal funds. The commercial buildings were moved away from the flood prone banks of the Kickapoo, and were all designed to utilize at least 50% solar heating, creating “America’s First Solar Village”.
Continue north through Readstown, Viola, and LaFarge and you will come to a small piece of paradise, The Kickapoo Valley Reserve. The Reserve contains more than 8500 acres of public land that straddles a fourteen mile section of the Kickapoo River. Hiking, biking, and equestrian trails traverse the Reserve. A new Visitor’s Center describes a thwarted attempt by the Corps of Engineers to dam the Kickapoo River and tells the stories of 140 displaced families. No place in the Kickapoo Valley shows the rural landscape and the rich culture of the valley as well as the Kickapoo Reserve.
Hwy 131 will then bring you to Rockton and Ontario; both of these villages have canoe outfitters who rent canoes and offer livery service. At Ontario, take Hwy 33 west and from Ontario to Cashton you can enjoy many fine Amish crafts shops. The Cashton settlement has become famous for the fine furniture and quilts produced by many local Amish artisans. Return to Lonesome Hollow by heading south from Cashton on Hwy 27, then Hwy 61.
May 4th, 2010 by knapik
Two of our guests at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow (a rural Soldiers Grove, WI Bed and Breakfast), Cindy and Ann, took an afternoon tour last Saturday with local guides, Kevin and Patsy. Kevin is a retired history teacher who is as well steeped in the history of the Kickapoo Valley as anyone.
His wife Patsy is a talented artist. Both have spent much of their lives cultivating friendships in the Cashton, WI Amish settlement. Cashton is about 45 minutes east of LaCrosse.
Amish Hay Wagon Near Cashton, WI
Cindy and Ann toured a recently built Amish house, then visited many of the Amish crafts men and women. Following a tasty lunch they toured a round barn, a venerable and very unique relic of early dairy farming days when 20 or 30 milking cows could earn a family a decent living.
Following their afternoon tour they came up to our main house just gushing about the wonderful day they had. They went home with an incredibly beautiful Amish quilt, some Amish baskets, and some of Patsy’s art work. We have more Amish Workshops scheduled this year and Kevin and Patsy will be an integral part of them. In this day of non-stop hustle and bustle and stress, there is something to be learned from the Amish people. Please come to one of our upcoming workshops/tours and immerse yourself in a tiny bit of the lives of the Cashton Amish.
February 8th, 2010 by knapik
The Inn at Lonesome Hollow, a rural bed and breakfast in Southwest Wisconsin, will sponsor three “Learn About the Wisconsin Amish” weekends in 2010. The dates for these Amish weekends are April 30/May 1, June 4/5, and October 29/30.
Locally Made Amish Honey
July 7th, 2009 by knapik
One of the largest Wisconsin Amish settlements is located in the southwest corner of the state – between the city of Cashton and the village of Ontario. This settlement in in the heart of the Driftless Area and the landscape is one of successive ridges and valleys that break the usable farmland into small parcels that are not well suited to modern, large-scale farming, but are perfect for the traditional Amish farming that uses horsepower from real horses. We recently drove through the Cashton Amish area during late June, perfect timing to see the Amish mowing hay, pitching it into one huge mound on a horse drawn wagon, then driving that wagon down a local road toward their barn. To see this old fashioned farm work is to step back 100 years in time. Much of it seems to be a Norman Rockwell painting come to life.
Amish gentleman hid from camera
The Cashton settlement also offer many skilled craftsmen and craftswomen producing very high quality furniture, baskets, quilts, candy and much more. There are a couple of non-Amish operated consignments shops in or near Cashton that offer the products of many of the local Amish. You can also pick up a map of the settlement and make direct visits to the workshops of the individual Amish families.
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Bike the Barns in the Driftless Area
Progressive history: Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin
The Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail15415 Vance Rd
Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin 54655
(608) 624-3429
info@lonesomehollow.com