Make History

About SPAHS

Make History

This has been an amazing year at the Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society! We have had such a good time seeing you at exhibits and events. And the most exciting bits are yet to come!

In 2012 it is our goal to finally bring the Bradford Bison back home to Sauk Prairie. Some of you may remember in 2005 when community member Bob Weiss took his then 7-year-old friend Joshua Bradford out for a walk by the Prairie du Sac Dam. The river was the lowest Bob had seen it in 30 years and so they took the opportunity to walk along the sand picking up fishing lures. All of a sudden Joshua called out, "Bob, I've found horns!" And sure enough Josh didn't find just any old set of horns, he found a 5,000 to 6,000 year old skull of the now extinct Bison occidentalis poking up out of the riverbed! One of the State of Wisconsin archeologists was quick to point out this young Sauk Prairie boy had found a once-in-a-lifetime find.

Since that time the now named "Bradford Bison" has been housed in Madison where there is limited access for viewing. It was the wishes of the Weiss family this amazing piece of our history come back home to the Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society (SPAHS) where we can build an interactive hands-on exhibit to welcome school groups, community members, and visitors from far and wide to learn about our river, our ecosystem, and our people through this simple tie to our past and future.

In the past few months members of the SPAHS team including Jim Kirchstein, Jody Kapp, and Jack Berndt met with Laura Halverson, a curator at the University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum, to discuss what we need to do in order to receive the green light to "bring the skull home." After spending some time discussing the current state of the Tripp Memorial Museum we discovered that beyond the Bradford Bison's needs the Tripp in general is facing upgrading issues of our own that need to be addressed if we are going to be able to continue to preserve Sauk Prairie’s artifacts and serve the needs of a growing community.

Almost 100 years old, the Tripp Memorial Museum has seen its share of wear and tear. With over 500 school children visiting this year and many community events, it is time to invest in our future by maintaining this local treasure. A project budget of $25,000 has been set to restore this old building with new purpose.

Would you please consider donating to help protect the treasures that define who we are? The Tripp Memorial Museum is an active and bright spot in our downtown business district. With your help we can continue to grow our community programming and make Sauk Prairie Worth the Tripp. Being able to house the Bradford Bison means we can attract visitors from all over; boosting tourism and revenue to local businesses. Being able to upgrade our facility means we can keep history vibrant and relevant.

Thank you on behalf of the Board of Directors and Volunteers for contributing of yourself in honor of those who have enriched our lives - past, present, and future. Your donation is tangible proof that good people doing good things results in even better things.

Donations Already Received:

$1,000 and Up
Darlene Ballweg
Jerry and Alice Kindschi
Bob and Joan Weiss

$500 - $1,000
William and Susan Moldow Shinker
Frank and Deanna Haselwander
Family of Les Cramer

$250 - $500
Joyce Steensrud
Margo and Ron Zeman
Sauk Prairie Community Club

$100 - $250
Sauk Prairie Area Memorial Hospital and Clinics
Russell and Anita Hantzch (With an additional $100 match from Russell's employer, Wisconsin Energy.)
Luthers and Associates
The Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society Board of Directors
Dave and Patricia Osterfund
Locktight Security and Satellite
Evie Accola
Maurice Enge
Barb and Ron Wolfe
Hooverson Funeral Home
Jim Maginnis and Bettie Reis
Joyce Koenecke
Carol Dellmann Andersen
Lucille Henry
Edith Lyon
Leslie and Bruce Koch
Jack Berndt
Wayne and Kathy Bruno
Michael and Liane Walsh
Wisconsin Energy Foundation
Marlene Meyer

$5 - $100
Bob and Dolores Bahr
Bob and Phyllis France
James Hepola
Verne and Laverne Kindschi
Anonymous
Mary Edge
Paul and Julie Dietmann Family
Bev Pulvermacher Wilcox
Norma Clavadatscher
Sally Blum
Chris and Roxann Grinde
Cindy Lehman
DeMars Plumbing
Barb Knutson
Jacob Kapp
Oma Kortsch
James and Carol Bauer
Joyce Koenecke
William and Marian Brewer
Richard and Linda Lange
Carl Oschner
Traci Hintz

In Memory of Joan Weiss - $1,814
Sandy and Gary Schlender
Richard and Linda Lange
Sauk Prairie Kids Companion
Ginny and Richard Diehl
Michael and Mary Jean Miller
Henry and Pat Russell
bluedoor LLC
Donna Hutter and Herbert Miller
- GRAINGER Matching Charitable Gifts Program
Betty Saxe
Kenneth and Joanne Volk
Thomas and Mary Jon Hauge
Hazel M Graf
Kathleen Follendorf
James and Rita Kaiser
Linda and Edward Radl
Paul and Lu Ann Weiss
Robert and Anita Wilcox
Jeffrey and Mary David
Joanne Ganske
Susan and Patrick Connors
Allene Liegel
Kristin Fassbinder and Brett Kehoe
Gail and Richard Halsey
Robert and Dolores Bahr
Frank and Deanna Haselwander
James Radl, Tolan Radl and family
Judith Ferstl and friends
Carol Wise

Marian Brewer Quilt Raffle - $801.00
First Place - Lise Kobussen
Second Place - Don Gattshall
Third Place - Rita Erickson

Make History

The Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society is a nonprofit 501c3 charity. This means we rely on the hard work of our volunteers and monetary and in-kind tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep history alive in Sauk Prairie. We have great ideas for programming that reaches out to all age and interest levels, but this programming cannot happen without funding. We have a Museum Manager who is top notch at making sure your needs are met and artifacts are cared for on a daily basis. Without him, our Society cannot be as efficient as we need to be.

While we can write grants to try and fund projects and programs, grants will not often cover the daily costs to run a museum—from staff to keeping the lights on—that is why your donations are critical to doing what we do. Please consider the Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society in your charitable giving or naming us as a legacy gift in your estate.

Read below to learn about how you can help be a part of history.

Better Signage

Better signage—our sign out front is hard to see by passers-by. We’d love to hang banners on the front of the Tripp Memorial Museum like you see at larger museums with landscape lighting pointing the way night and day. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help with this project, please contact our Acting Museum Manager, Jack Berndt at 608-644-8444.

Wheelchair Accessibility

To be accessible—the Tripp Memorial Museum is at this time not accessible to those in wheelchairs. To enter the building one needs to be able to climb several steps. Many of our exhibits are also located on the 2^nd floor accessible by a large flight of stairs; making it difficult for those who are challenged by climbing. We would love to become accessible to everyone. To do this we have had plans drawn up for an elevator that would go from the basement level to main and 2^nd floors. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help with this project, please contact Jack at 608-644-8444.

Ongoing Needs

The Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society’s three buildings are always in need of volunteers to do a variety of projects from data entry, to photographing archival material, to newsletter writing, to greeting, to basic housekeeping, to tending flowers, to you-name-it! We have tasks for nearly every ability level and interest. Call Jack at 608-644-8444 to learn more.