Green Bay

There are two branches of Russ’ side of the family tree that settled in the Green Bay area. His great-grandfather moved to Oconto County to take over a job his older brother, Ferdinand, was working when he signed up to fight in the Civil War. Most of the 12 siblings ended up in the area, some marrying prominently. Russ’ great-grandfather married a Volk, her father founded the town of Keawanee and owned several lumber mills in the area. So we had lots of family history to research. Several days were spent at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay and the Keawanee Historical Society. We discovered that the librarian that assisted us is a distant cousin on Russ on his father's side! There are Volks and Schaals all over! In the mornings, we crossed the base of the peninsula to reach the archives. Several times, we had to slow to allow deer to cross the road, and on one morning, a group of turkeys.

We took a drive out to Oconto Falls one day to enjoy the fall colors and visit the area where Russ’ great great-grandfather established the lumber industry in the 1840s. Also, in our off time, we visited the National Railroad Museum. It was a pleasant afternoon visit.  They don’t have the quantity of trains and cars that the Illinois Railroad Museum has, but what they have is unique and presented very nicely.

We spent two days touring the Door County Peninsula. This is a beautiful part of Wisconsin, especially with the fall colors starting to show. We had a lovely time exploring state and local parks, discovering lighthouses, and shopping at the wonderful shops.

We had our Friday fish fry at a local pub in the Keawanee area. There was a beautiful view of Lake Michigan while we ate. We also discovered frozen custard at the ice cream parlor at the corner where our campground was located. This is delicious stuff! Managed to control ourselves and fell to the temptation only twice during our stay.

All in all, our stay in Green Bay was quiet and restful. It was nice to take our time to enjoy the local beauty of the country.

A lot of barns in Wisconsin have barn quilts. Many of them are very detailed and complicated.

On the way to Green Bay area.

This land was heavily lumbered until a downturn in the economy closed most of the lumber mills. The area decided to focus on tourism, including fishing and hunting. The land has come back and the area is doing well.

Sand cranes are starting to migrate.

Russ is good at digging through the papers to find nuggets about family.

The Keawanee Historical Society museum had these baskets which were part of the Volk family's possessions (Russ' g-g-grandfather), along with some portraits of a great grand uncle.

For some reason, this reminded me of Thomas the Train.

Some lines had cars that functioned as post offices.

Inside of a post office car. The mail would be collected, sorted and delivered as the train went on its route.

We saw one of these, though not in as good a condition, when we were in Cheyenne. It is a train car from France. France sent one to each state, full of gifts that the people of France donated. This was a statement of gratitude for all that the United States had done for France during WWII.

A push car used by railroad workers to check the lines.

This is the train that Dwight Eisenhower used in England when he was the head of the Allied Forces. The windows were all blacked out. He and his staff would travel around the country planning their strategy and reviewing the forces.

Eisenhower's meeting room. The train had sleeping quarters and a kitchen.

These steam engines are huge!

I was impressed with how many rivets were needed for the boiler.

Two of these were built as prototypes for modernized trains to replace the steam ones. Unfortunately, the ride was not pleasant at high speeds and it never caught on.

Some of the engines and cars were outside and were not restored. This is a crane that is used when there are wrecks on the tracks.

At one time, every train route had a unique name and logo. Someone collected them and donated them to the museum.

Another donation included sets of china from trains, zeppelins and ships back in the day when food and travel was very upscale.

Lots of unique shops in the Door Peninsula. This was in a music store in Sturgeon Bay.

Door Peninsula prides itself on their lighthouses.

Wisconsin has lots of cheese shops, some really ham it up with their displays.

The roads that are in the state parks are so beautiful. When we passed through, the parks were pretty empty, I frankly would not want to visit during holidays. I can just imagine the crowds.

Some state parks included islands that you can reach via boat.

One of the charming small towns that line the shorelines of the peninsula.

A lavender farm store was a highlight for me. It had all things lavender, including artwork, lotions and even chocolates.

We were told by several people that this restaurant was a must see.  It did not disappoint. The goats on the roof are a staple during good weather. We had a delicious lunch inside where there was a very nice gift shop.

The neighboring beer garden was made from the scraps of wood left over from building the restaurant.

Have no idea why this road had to be so crooked, but it was fun to drive.

There is a county park which is very small but has a very beautiful and interesting shoreline.

There was one brave soul venturing out into the cold, cold water.

Such clear, clear water!

In the winter, some of these become ice caves.

Keawanee lays claim to the world's larges grandfather clock.

This dam replaced the falls that Oconto Falls is named for. Russ' g-g-grandfather, John Volk, settled this area and operated two lumber mills. These burned to the ground when the Peshtigo fire occurred (same night as the Chicago fire). He was 49 years old and had to rebuilt. Pretty daunting to be that age and lose it all. But rebuild he did. The area is full of his descendants.