History

Wisconsin bought the land for High Cliff State Park in 1956 and opened the park in 1957. Even before High Cliff became a state park, the land had a rich natural and cultural history.

Earliest times

The Niagara Escarpment, often called "the ledge," was formed by the settling and hardening of limy ooze at the bottom of the Silurian Sea, which covered much of Wisconsin nearly 400 million years ago. Later, the flat-lying dolomite was tilted downward to the southeast by earth forces, leaving its higher western edge exposed at the earth's surface.

Effigy Mounds

Just north of the campground at High Cliff State Park, you’ll find effigy mounds built by nomadic woodland tribes somewhere between 1000 A.D. and 1500 A.D. These dates have been determined by carbon dating charcoal remnants from the fires of the effigy mound builders. The woodland tribes that built these mounds are thought to be Siouan origin which was later replaced by Dakota, Winnebago, Menominee, Salk, Fox and other tribes. The lakes and rivers were probably what attracted the mound builders to the woods of this area. They provided food and transportation in almost any direction.

The effigy mounds will always be a mystery to this civilized world. Current thinking suggests that the whole grouping of mounds had a broad meaning such as to indicate the territory of a family band, to mark important astronomical events or to communicate to a clan or ancestor. Some suggest they represented a ritual to honor the earth. Each individual mound likely had its own spiritual meaning. Some mounds were used for funeral purposes, which have been found holding one to multiple bodies. Other mounds remained empty, it is believed these were for ceremonial purposes.

The construction of the effigy mounds was the duty of everyone in the tribe. The forest duff (leaves, branches, etc.) was removed in the exact shape and size of the mound to be built. For burial mounds, the bodies were then placed in the desired position, usually the head or heart portions of the mound shape. Sometimes, belongings and artifacts were placed with the bodies. The tribe then covered the remains with soil that was scraped from the forest with sharp stones or sticks. The soil was then carried to the mound in baskets and piled between two and four feet high into the shape of the mound.

The shapes of the effigy mounds are divided into two categories: animal and geometric. Geometric shapes include conical (round mounds that are slightly pointed at the center), and lineal mounds, which are long and narrow. The animal shapes were taken from the animals that shared the forest with the mound builders. These shapes include panthers, buffalo, bears, turtles, lizards and waterfowl. It is believed that the shape of the mounds signified the status of the family of the deceased.

Out of the original 30 effigy mounds in High Cliff, only nine remain. The other mounds were destroyed by the quarry operation and other developments before the park’s creation in 1957. The remaining mounds can be found on the Indian Mound Trail in the upper section of the park. The first mound is a spectacular panther mound that reaches 285 feet in length. High Cliff boasts three other panther mounds, two conical mounds, one lineal mound, and, along a smaller path, two buffalo mounds.

None of the mounds at High Cliff have been found to hold any remains or artifacts. However, whether or not there was anything placed in the mounds, they were all sacred to their builders. They still hold a religious value to some, and extreme historical value to all people. 

Quarry Years

The old stone, brick and metal structures found above the northeast shoreline of High Cliff State Park are all that remains of a once prosperous lime kiln industry that operated here from 1855 to 1956.

The kilns were used to “cook” limestone rocks from the sedimentary layers of limestone known as the Niagara Escarpment. Chemically, limestone is largely calcium carbonate and lime is calcium oxide. Crushed limestone was heated to break down the calcium carbonate, leaving lime as the end product.

The operation began with quarrying the stone, and you can see the abandoned pits of the old quarries in several places in the park. To loosen the stone, workers drilled holes and filled them with dynamite. Using air drills and sledgehammers, the large pieces of stone blasted off the cliff were then broken down to chunks. 

Lime made from this stone was sent throughout the Midwest for use in plaster and cement. Much of it was also applied to farm fields to reduce the acidity of the soil. Below the top quality stone was a layer of “blue stone” which was used to make brick mortar. Still farther down, the limestone contained many fossils and could not be used for lime. This stone was crushed into gravel.

Horse-drawn dump wagons were used to move the broken limestone from the quarries to an area above the kiln. Two carts on a pulley system carried the stone down the cliff to the kilns, with the weight of the descending loaded cart used to pull the empty cart back up the hill. Horses were the only source of “horsepower” for moving the stone until 1946, when they were replaced by a dump truck.

As many as 40 men were employed at the operation, including drillers, a blasting specialist, stone crushers, teamsters, barrel makers, general laborers and a blacksmith. Many of the workers were immigrants of Hungarian origin, who stayed long enough to earn a “stake” and then left to find jobs in Milwaukee or Chicago. 

The amount of wood consumed by the lime organization was incredible. The lime company cleared the trees from most of the ledge and farms in the area. In the early years, all the lime made was packed in 200-pound barrels, and at full blast, the kilns at High Cliff could have filled close to 500 barrels a day. The company switched from wood fuel to coal in 1924 and from barrels to bags in 1916. 

In its heyday, the lime industry at High Cliff supported a small “company town” consisting of 16 company-owned houses for workers, a company store, and a company tavern. All that remains today of the town is the general store, now a museum. In 1956, Western Lime and Cement Co. decided to abandon operations at High Cliff to concentrate on more prosperous limestone operations at other locations along the Niagara Escarpment. Residents of High Cliff moved away to find work elsewhere, leading to a decline of the town.

1855 General Store Museum

The general store opened in 1855 as the town of High Cliff was growing. In those days, the building housed a general store, post office, telegraph office and the main office of the Western Lime and Cement Co. It was the hub of the community where folks could talk with neighbors and meet new people passing through. The bricks used to build the store were made from sand and clay at the brickyard located right on the shores of the lake. The building looks about the same today as it did so many years ago.

The store operated from 1855 to about 1969. The store declined after Western Lime Co. closed operations at High Cliff in 1956, and people left town to find work elsewhere. The State of Wisconsin incrementally purchased the surrounding land beginning in 1957 in preparation for a public park. The store tried to stay open for as long as possible on a seasonal basis to serve park visitors and campers, but was too difficult to sustain through the winter months as a store. 

Today the building stands as museum containing photo displays and artifacts dating back to the building’s construction. The museum is operated by park volunteers during the summer months on weekends. Groups can call for an appointment to view the museum on weekdays spring through fall. The rear half of the building, the former residence for the storekeepers, is now the park’s nature center.