BOW Wow (which is not about dogs), Wisconsin Dells, Post # 4

   On Wisconsin Hwy 12, seven and a half miles north of Prairie Du Sac or eight and a half miles south of Baraboo, is the Museum of Badger Army Ammunition.

In October of 1941, newspapers around the area announced that a Powder Plant would be built. Over 10,000 acres of prime farmland would be acquired by the Federal Government, land which included 74 farms, 3 schools, 3 churches, and 3 cemeteries. All those families were displaced.

The site was originally called the Badger Ordnance Works or B.O.W., but eventually became the Badger Army Ammunition Plant. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in December of that year, construction began in earnest on the largest propellent factory in the world.

It operated during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, after which, it remained in a state of readiness until 1998. Shortly after that, the long process of deconstructing the plant began.

It took only seven months to build the massive operation on 7,400 acres, consisting of 1,400 buildings. Yet it would take ten years for most of that to be cleaned up. 

The land has been divided into three sections. 3,385 acres is the Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area and is public land. 1,550 acres are owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation. And 2,220 acres is the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center land.

It was a fascinating drive through the many access roads, though it was a dreary, damp day. We were lucky that we had picked up a map at the museum.

Thoelke Cemetery. The foundation of Immanuel Evangelical Church is nearby, but we never found it that day.

Pioneer Cemetery contains graves of some of the early settlers to the area, but unfortunately is on land owned by the Ho-Chunk, so this was all the closer we could get.

I hope I can go back again someday to explore more deeply.

 For more information, click on any of these links. 

The basics - http://www.badgerordnancehistory.org/ 

When we were there, we met the man in the article. He was so knowledgeable and helpful, passionate about this site as well.  https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2017/06/08/wisconsin-home-largest-munitions-plant-world-museum-reviving-its-story/374526001/

A long article, but worth the read if you want to do a deep dive, also pictures of the buildings are at the end.  https://www.jmc.army.mil/Docs/History/Badger%20Army%20Ammunition%20Plant%20-%20V3%20Internet.pdf

And what would we do without Wikipedia -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_Army_Ammunition_Plant