Historic Point Basse

Point Basse is the French term for “low point” or “shallows.” For thousands of years, the American Indians had a trail that ran east and west across the state from Lake Poygan to Black River Falls. They chose Point Basse as the point at which the trail crossed the Wisconsin River.

Albert Ellis, the surveyor general of Wisconsin, felt Point Basse was the premier location for a settlement in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin River provided water access from the settled world. The Pinery Road between Portage and Whitney’s Mill provided land access.

On June 2, 1837, Robert and Mary Wakely and their two young sons–Chauncey and Robert–arrived at Point Basse on a keelboat that had been poled up the Wisconsin River from Portage City (now Portage). It was here that they built a trading post, a warehouse, an inn and a home for themselves and their family.

By 1846, the Wakely family was reputed to have owned a dozen or so buildings but today only one still exists. All others have burned, been moved, or suffered some other ill fate. Soon after the acquisition of the “Wakely House,” a one-room schoolhouse and a log cabin were donated and brought to Point Basse. The Columbia School now doubles as the Visitor Center complete with restrooms and a kitchen. The log cabin is very rustic and well suited as a setting for our Fur Trade interpretation. The lives of 11 Wakely family members and their contemporaries are interpreted on the grounds at various events throughout the year.

There are many things to see and do at Historic Point Basse:

1. Wakely Road – Walk, bike or stroll along the road leading the historic Wakely House
2. Wakely House – Built in approximately 1842 by Robert Wakely, it is one of the oldest frame structures in Central Wisconsin. The entire house has been restored to its original condition. It was built in the Greek revival style and is of Chicago-balloon-frame construction (see Sidebar).
3. Columbia School House & Visitor Center – Built in the 1860s, the Columbia School was moved to a site east of Wakely Creek.  It is the goal of the HPB group to keep everything west of the Wakely Creek as period-accurate (1840-1860) as possible. East of the Creek, modern life may make itself known… The School has been restored, other than a modern bathroom, basement kitchen and handicapped ramp.
4. The Nature Trail – cedar moss, tiny violets, and ginger root adorn the path of the Nature Trail at HPB. The trail is about 2,200 feet long and has marker posts approximately every 100 feet. Trees, plants, and other items on the Trail are described relative to the posts. A guide book may be picked up at the School House. The Trail is open year round, and guided public and private tours are available.
5. The Trading Post (Log Cabin) – A log cabin built in Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids) about the mid-1800s now stands on a rise on the banks of the Wisconsin River at HPB. It was discovered on land originally owned by Robert Wakely when an old house was being torn down to make room for a new building. The cabin was found under a more modern facade that covered it. The cabin was given to the members of HPB if they would move it. The logs were numbered, the house disassembled, moved to the site, and then reassembled. A fireplace was added. A local youth did the chinking of the cabin as his Eagle Scout project. The log cabin now serves HPB as a trading post.
   
   Historically, the first business that Robert Wakely started was a trading post so he could supply the Indians with their needs and a market for their furs. Many new settlers that followed the Wakelys to the Pinery also had need for supplies.
   
   At the Pioneer Festival each year children are given a piece of fur when they enter the gate that they may take to the trading post to trade for a candy stick. How hard a deal can YOU drive?
6. The Blacksmith Shop – During frontier days, the blacksmith was the heart of the community. With an anvil and a hammer, a blacksmith could make everything else he needed. Then he could make everything everyone else needed. A good blacksmith could provide the community with the tools to improve their daily life. A blacksmith shop was important to the Citizens of Point Basse. One has been built to represent it. When the blacksmith is in, he will make objects for visitors and explain the importance of all of his tools of the trade.
7. The Shed – Modeled after a mid-1800s shed at the Oliver Kelly farm in Minnesota. When the Shed is open, one or all of the bays may be used. One bay holds the icehouse where visitors might find someone making ice cream (and giving out samples)! Someone else might get ice to keep drinks cool. During the winter, the Citizens of Point Basse harvest ice on Nepco Lake. Another bay has a woodworking shop where visitors will find period woodworking tools. Last, a
   third bay contains a sleigh and farm tools similar to what the Wakelys may have used. At the fall Harvest Fair, apples may be being pressed for cider, or corn shelled and ground for cooking and chicken feed.
8. The Wakely Road Bridge – Newbold (Louie) Wakely, son of Robert and Mary, is believed to have built the Wakely Road Bridge in 1893. It is one of the few stone-arch bridges remaining in the State, and on the list of Wisconsin Endangered Historic Places. It was admitted to the Wisconsin and National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The best view of the bridge can be seen from the footbridge across Wakely Creek.