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| Highways: ...more to come, including the U.S. Highways in Wisconsin! >> Resources >> contact us! |
As Highway 81 heads west out of Beloit, it begins a journey through the farmlands of Rock County with little to see at first. Upon entering Green County and the junction with Highway 11, however, this changes. Upon crossing the Sugar River, the countryside begins to hint at the larger hills and valleys that lie ahead on the route. This stretch of Highway 11/81 is a major route across Wisconsin's southern tier, which is evident as you skim Juda and head towards Monroe. *** BYPASS ALERT *** Monroe (pop. 10,843) is the hub of Green County and the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA." Monroe High School's team nickname is the Cheesemakers, after all. The Swiss influence is everywhere, from the flags dotting the surrounding landscape to the architecture downtown to the fact that The Swiss Colony is headquartered here. Downtown Monroe offers a charming and rather bustling downtown square. Surrounding the impressive, Romanesque Green County Courthouse, are shops offering everything from boutique clothing to electronics. A stop in Baumgartner's on the square (1023 16th Ave., 608-325-6157) lets you sample more cheese and beer products made in the area, including a Limburger with mustard and onion served on rye bread. In the name of humanity, the dish is served with a mint on the side. ![]() The Green County Courthouse in Monroe, surrounded by a bustling town square. Highway 11 used to come straight through town on 9th Street; today, it officially runs on a freeway bypass. Check out a winter view of the courthouse here. Another good stop is the Minhas Craft Brewery (1208 14th Ave., 608-325-3191), located just south and west of the town center. Recently converted from the Huber Brewery, it is the second oldest continuously operating brewery in the U.S, brewing beer in one form or another since 1845 - three years before Wisconsin entered statehood. They were recently purchased by Mountain Crest Brewing Company, a Canadian outfit planning to expand the Monroe facility (read about it in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here). As it stands now, the brewery continues to brew Huber's traditional beers: Premium (which won the Bronze in the 2002 World Beer Championships) Bock and Light, as well as a great old non-Huber-but-totally-Wisconsin throwback: Rhinelander Beer. Although Rhinelander's original brewery shut down in 1967, Minhas has continued its recipe and now brews the beer in Monroe. The popular Canadian beer Mountain Creek is now brewed here - a result of the Mountain Crest investment - as are a few malt liquors. Tours are available at 11am, 1pm and 3pm Thursday through Saturday. The State Trunk Tour has yet to tour the new facility since their new tap room, the Lazy Mutt Lounge (formerly the Founder's Tap Room) opened. There will, however, be descriptions and pictures soon! However, there is a gift shop and they've kept histroical pictures to browse, along with other memorabilia highlighting the area's brewing history. Video Aside: How Baumgartner's in Monroe stores dollar bills:From downtown Monroe, you can go west on 9th Street and then north on Highway 69 back to the Highway 11/81 bypass, where you can continue straight onto Highway 81 and it heads deeper into southwestern Wisconsin. The topography the rest of the way is one reason tourism is becoming a booming business in this part of the state. You're leaving the cheese country of Green County and heading into Lafayette County, which has a long mining history. Shortly into the county and about 15 miles since Monroe, Highway 81 reaches Argyle (pop. 823). A Scotsman named Allen Wright founded the town in 1844, who named it after the Duke of Argyle. Here, Highway 78 intersects briefly with Highway 81 and crosses the river past the Argyle Power Plant into downtown. Turning north again, you'll spot an F-86 Sabrejet Aircraft. Perched at an altitude of about 8 feet above ground, this aircraft was delivered to the Air Force in 1955 and demilitarized in 1970. Colonel Amos Waage, an Argyle native, obtained the plane and dedicated it to all military personnel from the area. More twisting and turning dominates the drive along Highway 81 west of Argyle, over hills, into valleys and past a quarry or two. Next up is Lafayette County's county seat, Darlington (pop. 2,418), which calls itself the "Pearl of the Pecatonica River", harkening back to the time when people harvested clams out of the river, apparently to produce pearl button blanks. The whole area is drained by the Pecatonica River and its many tributaries, which carve out the beautiful hills and valleys characteristic of Lafayette County. Author Sylvan Muldoon, who was big on writing about out-of-body experiences, hailed from Darlington.
Darlington's restored downtown is a great place to stop and just walk around. Highway 81 hooks up with 23 briefly and proceeds as a little boulevard going through town, crossing the Cheese Country Trail (watch for plenty of ATVers and bikers) and providing plenty of parking for the boutiques, taverns and other points of interest in town. Pecatonica River Trails Park offers riverside camping. Downtown Darlington's Main Street - which is Highway 23 & 81 - is lined with historic buildings and it's worth a stop just to explore. Highway 81 hooks up with Highway 23 for the ride south out of Darlington; while 23 then heads south toward Highway 11, 81 breaks west and heads on a long straightaway path into Grant County, where it hooks up with Highway 80. After a crossing with the new expressway section of U.S. 151, you reach the largest town along Highway 81 since Beloit. Platteville 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 off Highway 81 along Main Street, which parallels Highway 81 one block north as it jogs onto Pine Street, right when it leaves Highway 80. 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.) With the exception of a portion of downtown, 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. Highway 81 enters Platteville with Highway 80, then heads west along Pine Street, north on Chestnut, west on Adams and then northwest out of town along Lancaster Street. On the way to...you guessed it, Lancaster. Heading northwest out of Platteville, the ride is incredibly scenic, right down to the view to the east: the World's Largest M. More on this soon, as well as the rest of the trip through Lancaster to Cassville! East Terminus: West Terminus: Upcoming events in places along Highway 81: |
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