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"Starting - or Ending - at the Point of Beginning"
New Lisbon is the birthplace of actor Kurtwood Smith, who played the nefarious Clarence Boddicker in Robocop and, more recently, the cantankerous Red Forman in "That 70's Show". And for you web freaks (like me, I suppose), Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and creator of Mosaic, the world's first popular web browser, grew up here. Today, he serves as chairman of Opsware out in California. |
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From New Lisbon, you enter Wisconsin's unglaciated territory, a.k.a. the "Driftless Area". Larger hills, bluffs, exposed rock and scenic vistas begin to dominate as you twist and turn to the town of Elroy (pop. 1,578). Elroy is the hometown of Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor and Secretary of Health & Human Services and is named after the son in "The Jetsons". Okay, I'm kidding on that one. It is, however, also where three major rail-to-trail routes meet: the Omaha Trail, which goes to Camp Douglas, the "400", which goes to Reedsburg, and the "granddaddy" of them all, the Elroy-Sparta Trail, first of its kind, opened in 1967. Buffs of the 1980s who played the wildly popular game Trivial Pursuit may be interested to know that 30 million Trivial Pursuit games were produced in Elroy from 1983 to 1985 - which is practically a trivia question in itself. Along with a downtown strip featuring a great hobby shop, several bars and a number of craft store, there is also the Elroy Commons.
 | Highways 80 & 82 go through "downtown" Elroy, while Highway 71 begins and parallels the Elroy-Sparta Trail. |
 | Elroy Commons. |
Built in 1991, the Commons is where the Omaha, "400" and Elroy-Sparta Trails meet and features an information center, gift shop, restrooms, showers and bike rentals. Rentals are $3 per hour or $12 per day. Schultz Park, a city facility, provides camping and RV facilities as well as a pool, tennis courts, volleyball, a children’s playground and more. If you plan on riding the trail(s) and making a day or two of it, Schultz Park is a good place to set up camp. If you prefer a motel, a number of them in Elroy and along the route cater to bicyclists.
 | Downtown Elroy lines the street across from the Commons area. |
| Along Highway 80 in downtown Elroy, numerous places to wet your whistle exist. Some even have creative illustrations. |  |
Highway 82 joins 80 for the three miles south, paralleling the "400" Trail, to Union Center. There, Highway 33 joins in for about five more miles, into Vernon County and Hillsboro (pop. 1,302). Known as the Czech Capital of Wisconsin, Hillsboro hosts the Cesky Den Festival every summer. Highways 82 and 33 split off to the west, while Highway 80 turns south again into Richland County.
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Left: The Amish population is significant around Hillsboro along this stretch of Highway 80. Just like guys driving Corvettes like to park at the remote area of the lot, the Amish horse & buggy riders often do, too. Both vehicles can leave stains on the pavement, just very different kinds. Center: Announcing the Country Market along Highway 80 (coupled with 33 and 82 here) is a large mouse holding groceries, which is better than a large mouse in your groceries, I suppose. Right: Just a short distance later, another huge fiberglass mouse tells you about more available cheese. There should be no calcium deficiencies in this area.
The next twenty-five miles take you through some of Wisconsin's most beautiful territory, along ridges and valleys, Beaver Creek and the Pine River. At Rockbridge, the Pier Natural Bridge Park features the Pine River running under a rock wall (hence, the "natural bridge" park part) and makes for a pleasant stop.
Next up is Richland Center (pop 5,114). Birthplace of Frank Lloyd Wright (in 1867), the city spans the Pine River. The pedestrian footbridge over the Pine, started in 1912 and rebuilt in 1951, is worth a walk to stretch your legs. You can also check out the 2-year UW-Richland Center campus. As Wisconsin's designed Purple Heart City, Richland Center features a nice variety of historic buildings and Flag Park, which is just like it sounds. Highway 80 crosses U.S. Highway 14 in Richland Center and from there it twists and turns toward Highway 60 before crossing the Wisconsin River.
Over the river (and kinda through the woods - no sign of grandmother's house), you enter Muscoda (pop. 1,408), the "Morel Mushroom Capital of Wisconsin." In fact, Muscoda hosts the Annual Morel Mushroom Festival in May, complete with a mushroom contest (biggest, smallest, most unique, most in cluster, things like that.) The Wisconsin River Canoe Race also takes place in July, where canoers race from as far away as Spring Green, about 21 miles upstream. Once known as English Prairie, Muscoda is bisected by Highway 80 before the road joins Highway 133 and heads east into Iowa County.
After paralleling the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway for several miles, Highway 133 continues east while Highway 80 turns south once again and follows ridges and valleys south to Cobb (pop. 442), where you turn west once again along U.S. Highway 18 to Montfort (pop. 663). In between, you'll see about 20 massive wind turbines, part of the state's effort to move toward renewable energy. About 52,000 megawatt-hours are generated annually just by the, as Dylan might put it, "Blowin' In The Wind."
From Montfort on south, Highway 80 straddles the Iowa-Grant County line for a while before swinging fully into Grant County. Looking to the east, eventually you may spot a massive "M" on a hillside known as Platte Mound. Visible for miles and miles, the "M" is essentially a historic monument completed by UW-Platteville engineering students in 1937. It is constructed of rocks arranged 241 feet high and 214 feet wide and looks at the land from a 45-degree angle on Platte Mound. It's an easy sign that you're approaching the largest city along Highway 80.
Platteville (pop. 9,989) is the largest city in Grant County and the primary college town in Southwestern Wisconsin. Originally home to a teaching college and the Wisconsin Mining School, the two merged in 1959 and became part of the University of Wisconsin system in 1971. Today, UW-Platteville (UW-P for short) teaches over 6,000 students and features an engineering department respected around the world. UW-P launched some good basketball coaching careers too, including that of Rob Jeter (now at UW-Milwaukee) and of course Bo Ryan, who currently coaches the Wisconsin Badgers toward championships. Highway 80 is just off Second Street, the main street downtown for students to relax, some (um, over 21s only) with various beverages in hand. The music scene is surprisingly robust in Platteville; taverns actually help fund some musical acts and one, known then as Envy, won MTV's Best Bands on Campus Contest.
Platteville offers an arboretum and two museums, the Mining Museum and the Rollo Jamison Museum. The Mining Museum traces the history of - you guessed it - mining throughout the Upper Mississippi valley. Models, artifacts, dioramas, pictures, and a guided tour complete with a walk into a real lead mine and a ride on a train (weather permitting) are offered. The Rollo Jamison Museum started with little Rollo Jamison collecting old arrowheads on his family farm in 1899. Over 20,000 items are now part of the museum's collection, chronicling history of all kinds. Both museums are located just east of Highway 80 along Main Street.
For a time, Platteville hosted the Chicago Bears' summer camp on its UW-P campus and enjoyed the economic benefits that went with it, but they decided to move back to Illinois (friggin' Bears.)
The straight streets and grid systems often found in American cities and towns aren't quite reflected in Platteville. A vast network of mines exist underneath the city, and streets were built in locations to avoid being directly on top of them - a good idea no doubt cooked up by engineering students. In the city, Highway 80 meets up with Highway 81 for the ride south out of town. U.S. Highway 151 is now a 4-lane expressway around Platteville's south side, providing faster access than ever to Dubuque and Madison.
Highway 81 leaves and heads east after a few miles while Highway 80 continues south into the "City of Presidents", Cuba City (pop. 2,074). Why is it called as such? Well, Cuba City erected a series of presidential shields for the 1976 Bicentennial and things just kind of took off from there. Watch for banners honoring each American President as you go through town.
 | Old-style pumps adorn this Texaco station just outside Hazel Green along Highway 80. |
South of Hazel Green, Highway 11 comes in from the east and joins 80 into Hazel Green (pop. 1,183), which calls itself the "Point of Beginning." Hazel Green hosts a number of bed & breakfasts and antique stores and served, in the 1800s, as lodging for land surveyors.
 | This survey marker indicates the exact location of the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, effectively allowing Packers and Bears fans to know which side of the line to stay on. |
The Point of Beginning in question is located along the Fourth Principal Meridian (also the Grant-Lafayette County boundary) at the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, one-half mile east of the southern terminus of Highway 80 as it barrels into Illinois. What's so significant about it? Well, all property in Wisconsin - from Superior to Kenosha and East Dubuque to Marinette - is surveyed from this point. Surveyors began public land surveys here in 1832 and today every public boundary in the state, from counties to cities to farms and lots and the positions of roads, lakes and streams are all mapped from this point.
 | The northbound beginning of Highway 80, just north of Galena, Illinois on the way to Cuba City, Wisconsin. |
Fittingly, it's also the point of ending for this State Trunk Tour tour of Highway 80. Now, it's normally not State Trunk Tour policy to endorse out-of-state locations, but Galena, Illinois is pretty darn nice and it's only a few miles down the road on Illinois Highway 84. Enjoy, and then get back to Wisconsin!
Total Mileage: About 165 miles
Note: Highway 80 has only been partially "toured". More details will be posted as the State Trunk Tour covers the entire highway!
CONNECTIONS
North Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 13, Highway 73
Can connect nearby to: Highway 54, about 6 miles south
East Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Illinois Highway 84
Can connect nearby to: Highway 11, about 2 miles north
Upcoming events in places along Highway 80:
Labor Day Celebration, Hillsboro, September 3-6, 2010
Weggy Winery Apple Harvest Days, Richland Center, September 4-5, 2010
