01 Kenosha & Racine Counties

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=47 style=" border-bottom: 3px solid #FF9900;" BGCOLOR="#FFFF33" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>01 Kenosha & Racine Counties</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=162 style="border-right: 3px solid #FF9900;" BGCOLOR="#FFFF33" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Yellowstone Trail"><B><IMG SRC="30164140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wisguide0.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wis Guide Home"><B>Wis Guide Home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis00.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to use the guide/ legend."><B>How to and legend</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>By county:</B></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="12 St Croix County "><B>12 St Croix</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="11 Dunn Eau Claire Counties"><B>11 Dunn & Eau Claire</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="10 Chippewa County"><B>10 Chippewa</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis09.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="09 Clark Marathon Counties"><B>09 Clark & Marathon</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis08.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="08 Wood County"><B>08 Wood</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis07.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="07 Portage County"><B>07 Portage</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis06.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="06 Waupaca County"><B>06 Waupaca </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis05.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="05 Winnebago Outagamie Counties"><B>05-Winnebago & Outagamie</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis04.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="04 Fond du Lac DodgeCounties"><B>04-Fond du Lac & Dodge</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis03.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="03 Washington Waukesha Counties"><B>03 Washington/</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis03.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="03 Washington Waukesha Counties"><B>Waukesha</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis02.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="02MilwaukeeCounty"><B>02-Milwaukee</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guidewis01.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="01 Kenosha Racine Counties"><B>01 Kenosha & Racine</B></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=433 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="06100c00egerdp.jpg"> <div> <B>Please scroll down for draft text. </B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="373aaa50.jpg" border=0 width="426" height="677" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Racine & Kenosha Counties - Automobile Incubators</div> <bR> <div> <B>M385.6 Milwaukee/Racine County Line</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>M393.1 H&O Bakery.</B> 1841 Douglas Ave. (YT/Wis. 32) They know that they are on the YT and they are history buffs. Stop in for a kringle, a yummy Danish pastry for which they are famous world-wide. Racine is known for the kringle and there are several bakeries that make it, but this one is on the YT so it is special. </div> <bR> <div> <B>M394.5  Racine Art Museum. </B>441 Main St. It houses contemporary crafts made of fibre, ceramics, metal and wood. The building has a very contemporary architecture now, but parts of its structure dates back to the 1890s. In 1933 when it was the American Trades Bank it was the scene of an armed robbery by the Dillinger gang. </div> <div> <B>M394.6 Racine</B>  “The Belle City on the Lakes”   <I>A great manufacturing center.  Hotel Racine</I>, <I>new and elegant. $2-$6.  200 rooms, 160 baths.  William Becker Garage, 339 Wis. St. is best. </I> <I>MH; Horlick malted milk.  Home of Mitchell and Case automobiles and J.I.Case Threshing Machines, one of the largest manufacturing plants in America.  Exide Battery Station , 3</I><I>rd</I><I> St Garage. BB(1920); Camp 1 (1.5?)mile west on Washington Av.& Twelfth St., maintained by Rotary Club. AAA</I></div> <div> This is the intersection of 6th St. and Main St.  Some sources, for the early years show the YT using the 6th St., Washington, Racine St. route. This route goes past the <B>Old Engine House #3</B>, see Racine Wayside.</div> <div> <B>M394.7  Racine Heritage Museum.</B> 701 S. Main St. <B>  (262) 636-3926.  www. racineheritagemuseum.org. </B>Three floors of changing, interesting exhibits which tell of historic Racine products: Horlick’s Malted Milk, Hamilton-Beach, Johnson’s Wax among others.  Racine was a well-known destination for escaped slaves during the Civil War. Pick up a very complete walking/driving guide to the Underground Railroad which helped escaped slaves get to Canada.  The Museum also has a local history research center. Some material about Racine in this Guide was provided by<B> </B>the Racine Heritage Museum. Open Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  Sunday 12 noon - 4 p.m.  Closed Mondays.</div> <bR> <div> <B>M395.0  Mary Todd Lincoln Statue.</B> 1001 South Main Street. This is the country's only statue to include Mary Todd Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln visited Racine in the summer of 1867 to inquire about schooling for son Tad. </div> <bR> <div> <B>M396.0</B>  S.C. Johnson Company 1525 Howe St. at 14th  St.  Makers of Johnson’s Wax products.</div> <div> The Golden Rondelle building is the starting point for a 45 minute tour of the Johnson complex. Built in 1964 for the New York World's Fair, it was reconstructed to fit the adjoining building, the company Administration Building and Research Tower, built by Frank Lloyd Wright. This 1950 building has received world-wide recognition as an outstanding work by Frank Lloyd Wright. “The Great Workroom” with its acres of floor space and 31-foot ceiling houses desk workers. Years ago desks and three-legged chairs had minimal contact with the shiny floor. To this day waste baskets do not touch the floor. Preservation of the waxed floor was paramount. The S.C. Johnson Company is 120 years old; 5 generations of Johnsons have been at the helm. In 1914 it became international with a presence in Britain, then Australia,(1917) and  Canada (1920). The company sells products in about 100 countries today.    Tours are available on Fridays but should be booked in advance.</div> <div> See note at M394.6 about possible early route.</div> <div> <B>M397.3 J.I. Case </B>This historic farm machinery company is now primarily in other locations within the City.</div> <div> <B>M400.2 Hobnob supper club</B>, an upscale, traditional Wisconsin supper club with a ‘50's appearance and a view of  Lake Michigan</div> <div> <B>M401.4 White Brick Motel.</B> 973 North Sheridan Rd. Kenosha. The cabins were, no doubt, there on the YT during the 20s and 30s. Cabins gradually changed to “motels” after connecting roofs were built between cabins for auto storage. After that period, the cabins themselves were built connected to each other. The White Brick Motel represents an early “motel.”</div> <bR> <div> <B>M402.9  Carthage College</B>. 2001 Alford Park Drive, just off Wis 32 (Sheridan Rd.YT) It hosts public chamber music series, drama and music productions bringing world class entertainment to Kenosha.</div> <bR> <div> <B>M405.7 Kenosha</B>  (56th St and 6th Ave.)  <I>A great manufacturing city. Nash automobiles and Simmons Steel Beds are among the more famous products.  It is a city of beautiful homes, possessing many tree-line streets, well kept lawns and flower gardens.  Washington Island Campground is across the river in a beautiful grove; free. Hotel Dayton Sgl. $2, Dbl. with bath $4.50-$6.  Sheridan Rd. Garage. Open all night.  MH; Hotel Maywood, 274 Main.  Hotel Plaza, 1 blk. From Main & Market. Mantkus Motor Sales, 313-315 Park St. Many small and pretty lakes in close proximity to the city whose shores are inhabited during the summer by aristocratic Chicagoans and others. BB(1920) </I> It is a shame that there is nothing for a tourist to see regarding the old Nash Motor Car Company or even its descendent, American Motors, or even the Chrysler engine plant, closing in 2009. For decades these auto manufacturing plants supported thousands of Kenosha workers. Now there is only a doff of the historic hat to that important era of Kenosha to be seen at the Kenosha History Center.</div> <bR> <div> <B>M406.1 Library Park and Simmons Library National Register Historic District.</B> An elegant park and building worthy of a stroll. Created in 1900 by mattress industrialist Zalmon Simmons, maker of the “Simmons Beautyrest.”.</div> <bR> <div> <B>M412.2  Racine County/Illinois State Line</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Racine Wayside</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1</B></FONT><B>  J. I. Case Company</B> 7345 Washington Ave. (about 4 miles west of downtown)</div> <div> In 1843 Case and his thresher moved to Racine. For 104 years Old Abe, the Wisconsin Civil War Eagle mascot reigned as the Case logo. J. I. Case Company, manufacturers of farm equipment. became known for the Case International Harvester name on tractors, windrowers and binders. In 1947 the name Case was dropped with just International Harvester remaining. In 1999 it joined with New Holland to form Case New Holland, now CNH Global.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1 </B></FONT><B>Old Engine House #3 Museum</B> <B>& Colonial Gardens</B>. 700 6th St. @ corner of 7th St. This firehouse, built in 1881, was restored in 1976 as a firehouse museum. This museum is a former Racine Fire Department station which was active from 1882 to 1968. The Fire Station has housed a Horse Drawn Steamer, a Horse Drawn Hose Cart (1882-1918), a Motorized Fire Engine (1918-1943), and Racine's first full time Rescue Squad (1943-1968). The station was closed in 1968 when the new Safety Building opened and several companies were consolidated at one location. Open Sunday afternoons. The adjacent Colonial Gardens were planned and are maintained by the Racine Garden Club</div> <bR> <div> Kenosha Wayside</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1 </B></FONT><B> Kenosha History Center</B> 220-51st Place on historic Simmons Island in Kenosha’s harbor.  It features the Rambler Legacy Gallery with changing Kenosha automobile exhibits. Nash/American Motors Rambler cars were made in Kenosha. A “must see”. Also the adjacent Southport Light Station.   Open daily except Mondays.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1</B></FONT><B>  Kenosha Public Museum</B>. 5500 First Ave. in Harbor Park. Natural exhibits include a reconstructed mammoth skeleton.  All exhibits are carefully explained. There is a wonderful display about the development of the Earth. Free admission</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1 </B></FONT><B> Civil War Museum</B>. 5400 First Ave. Brand new, opened June 2008, it is virtually next door to the Kenosha Public Museum. It displays a Midwestern perspective on the war with stories of regional people who played a role in that war as well as manufacturing and agricultural contributions to it.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1</B></FONT><B>  Third Avenue National Register Historic District</B>. A MUST SEE.  3rd Ave and south to 2nd Ave - along Lake Michigan and Eichelman Park. Elegant homes including the former mansion home of first Wisconsin U.S. Senator Charles Durkee which is now Kemper Center 6501 - 3rd Ave. Kemper Center is listed on the National Register of Historical Sites and consists of several buildings which house an art center, art exhibitions and classes, a convent and a conference center; also cultural and recreational activities.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1 </B></FONT><B> Horlick Buildings</B>. 2200 Northwestern Avenue</div> <div> Former home of the world-famous Horlick Malted Milk Co. The buildings currently hold Haban Mfg. The Horlick brothers James and William came to Racine 1875 from England with experience in creating baby food. Horlicks is a malted milk-based drink. It grew to an international company and is very popular in England.     </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" >code 3 </FONT><B>Dinosaur Discovery Museum.</B> 5608 Tenth Ave. One block off the YT.  Features life-sized dinosaur replicas casts, bones and fossils. Family programs, interactive exhibits and a working paleontology lab. Free admission</div> <bR> <div> Code 1 <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" > Racine Historical Note</FONT></div> <div> <B>Underground Railway</B>. Before the Civil War, Racine was well known for its strong opposition to slavery, with many slaves escaping to freedom via the Underground Railroad passing through the city. In 1854 Joshua Glover, an escaped slave who had made a home in Racine, was arrested by federal marshals and jailed in Milwaukee. One hundred men from Racine, and ultimately 5,000 Wisconsinites, rallied and broke into the jail to free him. He was helped to escape to Canada. Glover's rescue gave rise to many legal complications and a great deal of litigation. This eventually led to the Wisconsin Supreme Court declaring the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 unconstitutional, and later, the Wisconsin State Legislature refusing to recognize the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court.</div> <bR> <div> Code 1 <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" > Racine Historical Note</FONT></div> <div> <B>Autos built in Racine</B> were, in 1925, the Ajax automobile built by the Ajax Motors Company; in 1909 the Piggins Car.</div> <div> Before the YT arrived in Wisconsin in 1915, Racine witnessed its first automobile race. A. J. Horlick in a Locomobile and Robert Hindley in a Winton. The course was over the 14 unpaved miles to Western Union Junction (Sturtevant) and back.  About a mile out of town Hindley overtook the lead from Horlick who became stalled. When Horlick was able to resume the race it was too late and Hindley was declared the winner after about 6 hours on the road. </div> <bR> <div> Code 1 <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" > Racine Historical Note</FONT></div> <div> <B>Mitchell Motor Car Company</B></div> <div> Established in 1902, Mitchell Motors cars were winning speed races, competing in endurance trials, and accomplishing distance goals.   In 1910 the company employed 2,000 people, and cars were shipped by rail to their destinations.  Racine-built Mitchell Motor cars traveled the Yellowstone Trail in the Trail's earliest days, especially in the popular touring car. The company closed in 1923, bankrupted by poor management; it was later bought by another Kenosha’s auto-maker, the Nash Motor Company, in 1925</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Code 1 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>:</B></FONT></div> <div> Pleasant Prairie Sheridan Road, present hwy 32 for much of it, has a long history. As early as 1915 a group known as the Sheridan Road Association pushed for a direct auto route from Milwaukee to Chicago (Great Lakes military station). It took at least three years to accomplish a resemblance of a completed road. One must remember that, although the concept of state aid was known, it was township and county governing bodies who held power and who dragged their feet when it came to agreeing to matching funds to finance roads. Prairie Township dragged their feet the most. At that time it was accepted that private groups would help raise money for roads. Thus, the Sheridan Road Association went “hat in hand” for three years to raise money for a “paved, connected road” and who forced Prairie Township to join. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Code 1 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B></FONT></div> <div> <I>Wisconsin Motorist</I> magazine declared in its March, 1919 issue that “Six thousand tourists were put through Wisconsin during 1918, according to the YTA. A greater number would have passed through the Badger state if the condition of Sheridan Road between Milwaukee and Chicago had been more favorable to transcontinental automobile travel.”</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Code 2 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>County roads were first oiled</B> in the summer of 1915 as <I>officials saw great value in oiling.</I> This was a precursor to better paving.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Code 2 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note: </B></FONT></div> <div> The Kenosha Telegraph-Courier of July 25, 1917, gushed,<I> representatives of the 31 big distributing companies signed contracts with Nash for $32 million worth of cars and trucks. It was a record-breaking year. The Nash line will be the most desired franchise in the industry and one of the most profitable contracts the trade has ever known.</I> Their franchises outlined their selling territory of Nash products throughout the US. These distributors must then locate local dealers to show the cars.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" ><B>Code 1 </B></FONT><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > Five famous auto brands span 110 years in Kenosha. Rambler/Jeffrey/Nash/American Motors/Chrysler engine plant.</FONT></div> <div> The first auto company was founded by Charles T. Jeffery and Thomas B. Jeffery, and sold under the brand name Rambler between 1902 and 1913. On the death of the founder, Thomas Jeffery in 1910, his son Charles took over the business. In 1915, Charles T. Jeffery, changed the automotive branding from Rambler to Jeffery to honor the founder, his father. Charles W. Nash bought the company in 1916 and he renamed it the Nash Motors Company in 1917. Nash Motors went on to become American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1954, finally being bought out by Chrysler in 1987 and becoming the Jeep-Eagle Division of Chrysler, and then Chrysler’s engine plant. Today the rocky economy is forcing Chrysler to close the plant.  One hundred and ten years of automobile tradition in Kenosha will be gone.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Code 1 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B></FONT></div> <div> Pleasant Prairie Sheridan Road, present hwy 32 for much of it, has a long history. As early as 1915 a group known as the Sheridan Road Association pushed for a direct auto route from Milwaukee to Chicago (Great Lakes military station). It took at least three years to accomplish a resemblance of a completed road. Although the concept of state aid was known, it was township and county governing bodies who held power and who dragged their feet when it came to matching funds to finance roads. Prairie Township dragged their feet the most. At that time it was accepted that private groups would help raise money for roads. Thus, the Sheridan Road Association went “hat in hand” to civic organizations such as Rotary, etc. for three years to raise money for a “paved, connected road” and who forced Prairie Township to join. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Code 1 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B></FONT></div> <div> Wisconsin Motorist magazine declared in its March, 1919, issue that <I>Six thousand tourists were put through Wisconsin during 1918, according to the YTA. A greater number would have passed through the Badger state if the condition of Sheridan Road between Milwaukee and Chicago had been more favorable to transcontinental automobile travel.</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Code 2 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B></FONT></div> <div> Charles T. Jeffery, president of Thomas B. Jeffery (Automobile) Co.  was on the steamer ship Lucitan ia when it was struck by German torpedoes May 7, 1915. He survived the sinking, although 1,198 did not, and wrote a fascinating account of the tragedy for the Kenosha Telegraph-Courier May 13, 1915. He described how the ship shuddered at the explosions and how calm everyone was as they boarded life boats (women and children first). He went up to the bridge as the ship tilted 90 and eventually slid into the Irish Sea. He found flotsam to cling to several times as he shared his finds with others. After four hours of floating, he and hundreds of others were picked up by a trawler.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Code 3 or 4 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> Kenosha Historical Note:</B></FONT></div> <div> Kenosha is hometown to </div> <div> Famous entertainers from Kenosha: Orson Welles of “War of the Worlds” fame, actor Don Ameche, and “Happy Days” Al Molinero.  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>