You and your class can discover history
where it’s happening — at the
Dunn County Historical Society’s Sites.

Russell J. Rassbach Heritage Museum
Menomonie, Wisconsin

• Victorian Rooms Four furnished rooms show how the upper class and working class lived in the 1890s.
  
  
• Caddie Country Youngsters are invited to explore the life in the mid-1800s with Caddie Woodlawn through pictures, dressing-up in period clothing, and playing in the "Woodlawn Kitchen."
  
  
• Industry and Inventions Significant innovations, like the submersible electric outboard motor, are featured here. Dunn County was home to many industries including cigar factories, piano factories, fountain pen manufacturing and brickyards.
  
  
• Kraft State Bank Robbery The story of what has been called one of the state's "crimes of the century" is told here. A gun battle on Menomonie’s Main Street in the 1931 holdup resulted in the deaths of three.
  
  
• Dunn County Beginnings Indian artifacts, paintings, photographs and a diorama tell the story of Dunn County's history from the prehistoric era through its logging history.
  
  
• Transportation Explore the evolving modes of transportation people in Dunn County used to travel from here to there. Centered around a service station displaying old cars, the exhibit also includes an oscillating sleigh, bicycles and other transportation related items. Features "Harry Miller: King of the Race Car Builders."
  
  
• Tainter Gate Jeremiah Burnham Tainter developed a water control device in Menomonie in the 1880s. Operate this Tainter Gate and see why this local invention is used in 70 percent of the dams in the world.
  
  
• Hilkrest Rural School Originally situated in Dunn County's Sherman Township, the 19th century Hilkrest School is a classic example of the one-room country schools that were common in Dunn County until the 1960's.

Empire in Pine Museum
Downsville, Wisconsin

• Knapp, Stout and Co., Company Exhibits describe Dunn County's lumber era. The  Knapp, Stout & Co., Company operations were the nucleus of activity for the region. Its operations stretched from the northern forests surrounding the headwaters of the Red Cedar River and its tributaries, to local area lumber mills, and on to mills and retail outlets along the west bank of the Mississippi River as far south as St. Louis. Exhibits include muzzle-loading bunks, a rare up-and-down saw, the blacksmith’s shop and a logging boat.
  
  
• The Dunnville Quarries At one time, four stone quarries once operated in the Downsville area. Discovered during the construction of the railroad in 1888, this high quality sandstone was prized by builders and sculptors. St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City, the Mabel Tainter Memorial and the Louis Smith Tainter House in Menomonie were constructed of this beautiful stone. Exhibits include quarry tools and stonecutting examples, and "Dead Man’s Corner" including a video presentation featuring its only known survivor.
  
  
• Area History Exhibits Museum exhibits also include the village jail, Dunnville's Caddie Woodlawn and the 1865-era Louisville Post Office.

Caddie Woodlawn Park
South of Downsville, Wisconsin

Bring a picnic lunch and visit Caddie Woodlawn’s home two miles south of Downsville. In addition, the park includes a state historical marker, a log cabin and a large quarry stone. Open during daylight hours spring through fall.

 

Tour Information
Tours take approximately one hour and can include exhibit topics your group would like to learn about. Let us know what you are studying and perhaps we can build a tour around those topics. (Study guides are available prior to the tour or when you arrive.) Each tour is led by a informed guide. Tours are available at 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. or by special arrangement

Costs
Tour cost for the Russell J. Rassabach Museum is $2 for grades K-12. Add $1 and tour the Empire in Pine Museum in Downsville as well. Chaperones – we recommend one per 10 students – are free. Don’t forget to visit our gift shop. Many history books and souvenirs are available for purchase.

Arrangements
To arrange a tour, call the The Russell J. Rassbach Museum at 715/232-8685, e-mail us at dchs@dunnhistory.org or print, complete and return this reservation form.

Tips
Visit the museums in advance to become familiar with the exhibits, and to prepare your students for their visit. Coordinate your classroom studies or activities around your visit. Be on time – volunteer guides come to the museum for your tour. If you're late, the tour may have to be shortened. Collect fees in advance and pay when you arrive.