Lapham Peak Unit, Kettle Moraine State Forest
Encyclopedia
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located in the Kettle Moraine State Forest
Kettle Moraine State Forest
The Kettle Moraine State Forest is a state forest in southeastern Wisconsin, USA. The chief feature of the reserve is the Kettle Moraine, a highly glaciated area. The area contains very hilly terrain and glacial landforms, such as kettles, kames and eskers...
. It is just south of Delafield
Delafield, Wisconsin
Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, along the Bark River, and a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was 6,472 at the 2000 census....
and seven miles (11 km) west of Waukesha
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...
. The park entrance is two miles (3 km) north of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail
Glacial Drumlin State Trail
The Glacial Drumlin State Trail is a multipurpose rail trail in the midwestern United States. It stretches 52 miles from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. It also goes through Lake Mills, Wisconsin where it crosses Rock Lake, Wisconsin on an old railroad bridge.The name refers to a...
.
Activities
The park includes three picnic areas, birdwatchingBirdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
, a butterfly garden
Butterfly Garden
Butterfly Garden is a life simulation game by independent developer Autonomous Productions, revolving around the raising and collecting of butterflies. Initially for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, the developers have promised there will be a PC version and WiiWare version...
, a prairie restoration
Prairie Restoration
Prairie restoration is an ecologically friendly way to restore some of the prairie land that was lost to industry, farming and commerce. For example, the U.S...
area, an amphitheater, and over 25 miles (40.2 km) of dirt and accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
paved nature trails. A backpacking campsite located beside a four mile (6 km) segment of the Ice Age Trail
Ice Age Trail
The Ice Age Trail is a designated National Scenic Trail in the United States that will run some through the state of Wisconsin once completed. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by numerous private and public agencies including, most notably,...
is also in the park. There is a 5 miles (8 km) multi-use trail for horse riding, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, snowshoeing and dog sled
Dog sled
A dog sled is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing.-History:...
training. Over 20 miles (32.2 km) of trails are open in the winter for cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
. As of 2006, a nature center is under construction.
Lapham Peak
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The Waukesha County Historical Society named the peak in memory of Increase A. Lapham to honor his efforts in scientific study and his founding of the United States Weather Bureau.
History
The Lapham Peak area was formed 10,000 years ago by a glacier that covered much of Wisconsin (see Wisconsin glaciationWisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
). Examples of moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s, esker
Esker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
s and kettle
Kettle
A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.- Stovetop kettles :...
s can be found in the park.
The land was developed in 1851 by Charles Hanson as a tourist attraction. He built a 20 feet (6.1 m) tower on top of the hill and charged visitors to picnic and climb the tower. Originally known as Stoney Hill, the hill was later named Government Hill, after the government teams that used it for surveying.
In 1870, the Army Signal Corps built a signal station to relay data about approaching storms from Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, to Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
ports.
Pioneering meteorologist Increase A. Lapham, who proposed the creation of a National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
, made weather observations here and issued the first published national weather forecast
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
.
The state of Wisconsin purchased the land in 1907 for a tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
sanitarium, which is now the Ethan Allen School for Boys. In 1939, 50 acres (202,343 m²) of the land was turned over to the Conservation Department for use as a park. The peak's 45 feet (13.7 m) tower was erected a year later by a crew from the WPA (Works Project Administration) who also constructed trails, picnic grounds and benches.