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For 75 years, its been the worlds largest M
mound path
This path on the Platte Mound was awash with fall color ... that is, before Sundays rain and wind, which moved leaves from trees to lawns.

To be able to say you have the world’s largest of anything is pretty impressive.

Think about that the next time you drive Wisconsin 81 east from Lancaster, or U.S. 151 west from Belmont. As soon as you head down one of the hills on 81, or get around the south end of Platte Mound, you will be looking at the world’s largest hillside-mounted M.

The U.S. has about 500 hillside letters, or “mountain monograms.” Most of them are in the West, the most famous of which probably being the Hollywood sign above Los Angeles. The Platteville M is the only hillside letter in Wisconsin, and the only one in the Tri-States, since Illinois and Iowa have no listed hillside letters.

At about 24,000 square feet, the M is larger than the Ms in Maricopa, Mayer and Miami, Ariz., Moreno Valley, Calif., Montpelier, Idaho, Magnolia, Mont., Moapa Valley, Nev., Magdalena and Socorro, N.M., Marathon and McCarney, Texas, and Fillmore, Marysville, Morgan and Moroni, Utah. More importantly, it’s larger than the University of Montana’s M above Missoula, Mont., and the Colorado School of Mines’ M west of Golden, Colo.

The M was the creation of students of the former Wisconsin Mining School, now known as UW–Platteville. Despite there being no M in the phrase “University of Wisconsin–Platteville,” the M is in UWP’s logo to memorialize mining’s historic role in the university.

UW–Platteville is commemorating its Homecoming and the 75th anniversary of its M with the annual lighting, using coffee cans containing kerosene, Saturday at 9 p.m., followed by fireworks.

The M is on Platte Mound, elevation 1,427 feet, which sits 436 feet above Platteville. (The Platte Mound isn’t in Platteville, it’s in the Town of Belmont. Belmont Mound State Park, to the east, contains the Belmont Mound, which is 27 feet shorter.)

From the top of the Platte Mound, you can see the Mississippi River bluffs in Iowa (including, on a really clear day, Sugar Loaf, at 1,065 feet the fourth highest point in Iowa, south of Cassville), and what pass for high points in Illinois, including Charles Mound, Illinois’ highest point (which is 192 feet lower than the Mound), and Scales Mound (which is 267 feet lower than the Mound).

The Platte Mound is the 34th highest point in Wisconsin, lower than Blue Mounds (1,719 feet in Iowa County — the highest point in the Driftless Area — and 1,489 feet in Dane County), and Sauk Point (1,593 feet) in Sauk County. It’s also higher than Grant County’s highest point (1,240 feet) on Military Ridge west of Fennimore, which is ironic to those who think the Mound is in Grant County.

The Platte Mound sits within the Driftless Area, the parts of Wisconsin (and, for that matter, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois) the glaciers never flattened.

On a clear but windy fall afternoon, a visitor saw colors — red, gold and green leaves, blue and violet flowers, and tan and brown ground — and shapes: the contours of farm fields below, cirrus clouds underneath a blue sky.

The first proposed M came from a December 1924 meeting of the Wisconsin Mining School’s Engineering Club, in which members voted to place an M on the mound. The committee of five students formed to investigate the logistics of an M didn’t investigate, and the idea went away for a dozen years.

It fell to Mining School students Raymond “Pat” Medley and Alvin Knoerr to do the actual work, which involved creating an M with their feet through heavy snow in 1936. Another student, Larry Roe, planned the M.

“It took several trips in parallel to widen out the path so that it would show up at a distance,” Knoerr was quoted in Jubilee! A History of the College of Engineering, the University of Wisconsin–Platteville, 1908–1933. “Shortly before sundown we walked back to Platteville and were happy to note that the ‘M’ could be discerned at a distance.”

That M lasted that winter, which according to Jubilee! was particularly cold. “This freeze contributed to the life of the snow ‘M’ and to its visibility, because a noticeable amount of dust or other material accumulated in the frozen pathway to make it more visible.”

The snow M disappeared when the snow melted away, prompting a Mining School student to suggest a permanent M.

That summer, Medley and Knoerr went to Colorado to work as student miners, when they met students from the Colorado School of Mines, which had an M on Mount Zion, elevation 7,044 feet.

“When Pat and I had worked at Climax in Colorado during the previous summer as student miners, we resented the way some of the Colorado [School of Mines] students would look down on Platteville miners as being inferior,” said Knoerr in Jubilee! “Maybe that had something to do with the decision to outclass Colorado as ‘M’ builders.”

The Mining School got permission from William Snow, who owned land on the west side of the Platte Mound, to build the M. Mining School students used picks, crowbars and wheelbarrows to move an estimated four tons of limestone up the Mound to form the M.

Since construction was completed in May 1937, students from VECTOR, an umbrella student organization within UW–Platteville’s College of Engineering, Mathematics and Sciences have been maintaining the M, whitewashing the M with lye at least once a year.

To the south of the M are 266 steps up to the observation tower. The M Step Project was a UW–Platteville fundraiser for a classroom in the Engineering Building. Roe purchased the first M step in memory of Medley and Knoerr.

After Snow’s death, L.R. Clausen owned the land on which the M sits. Clausen donated the land in 1960, one year after the Wisconsin Institute of Technology and the Platteville State Teachers College merged to create the Wisconsin State College and Institute of Technology at Platteville (in the title of which an M also cannot be found). The area at the base of the mound is called Clausen Park.

The world’s largest M got national attention three times. The first was in the May 23, 1949 Life magazine, which highlighted the annual lighting of the M and compared it to others, including Montana’s. The second was in November 1987, when 650 students created the letters T and V to create a version of the MTV logo.

The third was on July 4, 1998, when Platteville hosted Disney’s Mickey’s Hometown Parade. Platteville was selected in part because of the 250 people Platteville Jaycees recruited to form Mickey Mouse ears at the M.

UW–Platteville’s Exponent student newspaper reported around April Fool’s Day 2004 that McDonald’s was purchasing the M. The office of UW–Platteville Chancellor David Markee had to field phone calls the following day to deny reports that UW–Platteville was selling its M.

Dan Wackershauser of UW–Platteville contributed to this story.

Independent-Scout, 2024 Year in Review
January through July
2024 Year in Review

JANUARY

Historic low flows turned the Mississippi River into a construction area in 2023, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged huge quantities of sand to keep the channel open for barge traffic. Massive machines like the Dredge Goetz, a 225-foot-long vessel with a suction pipe nearly two feet wide, were moving through the river constantly to keep it clear… A Connect Communities proposal to apply for a grant to study constructing a pavilion over the current plaza area, located east of the Gays Mills Mercantile Center, was presented to the board by Martha Querin-Schultz. Querin-Schultz explained the proposal for a Mercantile-pavilion area came out of discussions last year, where dreams and projects were discussed among members of the group. She noted that Connect Communities was recognized by the Wisconsin development Corporation… Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) staff attended a meeting in Viroqua on Thursday, Jan. 11, to update local zoning and emergency management staff about the project to re-map the Kickapoo River Watershed floodplain. The reaches of the river to be re-mapped are from Ontario to Wauzeka… New owners and residents of Gays Mills, Arthur and Sarah Winsor with their children, Austin and Vayla, took ownership of Strang’s Plumbing, Heating, and Electric on the company’s 120th year. In 1904, Strang’s got its start in Richland County, and now 120 years later, Strang’s has found new ownership. Arthur and Sarah Winsor, residents of Gays Mills have taken on the century old company with plans to keep the same locally friendly service while improving on the latest in home mechanicals.

 

 

 

FEBRUARY

Multiple charges have been levied against a 37-year-old man for a physical altercation that took place on Dec. 9, 2023 at the Boondocks Sports Bar and Grill in Wauzeka. James Scherer, Wauzeka, has been charged with Disorderly Conduct and Physical Abuse of an Elderly Person-Intentionally Causing Bodily Harm, after he engaged in two fights on the bar’s property… In the Seneca Area School District, five candidates have registered to run for two open board seats. One of those running is incumbent Charles Clark. The other incumbent, Tyler Aspenson, decided to not run again. The other four candidates running are Eric Grimsled, Jennifer Aspenson, Kyle Berger and Sara Wall. Only Grimsled has run for the board previously. Because five candidates are running for two open seats, a primary election must be held on Tuesday, February 20, only the top four voter getters will appear on the spring ballot… North Crawford Playhouse is thrilled to present William Shakespeare’s timeless comedy, ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ With plenty of humor, a good dose of romance, and a hefty portion of mischief, this delightful production will leave audiences feeling happy and uplifted… Quick reaction by the Gays Mills Fire Department may have prevented more massive damage from a fire at an apartment building located on Watermelon Way early Monday morning. At approximately 3 a.m., Gays Mills Fire Chief Earl Winsor and firefighter Adam McCarn arrived at the scene of the fire at 205 Watermelon Way, the residence of Sarah Boardman… Did you receive an ‘Emergency Call’ at 3:33 p.m. on Sunday? We did. The recorded voice of a Crawford County 911 Dispatcher told us the Black Hawk Bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa would be closed to traffic shortly because of safety concerns.

 

MARCH

Crawford County Health and Human Services and the Driftless Region Mental Health Coalition have partnered with ‘CredibleMind’ to provide residents with a digital health and well-being platform… The platform, available free of charge, offers confidential and anonymous access 24/7, allows users to explore, understand, and enhance their mental health… There’s good news for those that have had their lives turned upside down by the closure of the Lansing Bridge. Plans are moving ahead to begin to provide a water taxi service over the navigation channel, running from Lansing to the Will Dilg Boat Landing on the Lansing Dike… It was another good year for the Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout at the annual newspaper awards banquet in Madison. The Independent-Scout won 16 awards in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association ‘Better Newspaper Contest.’ “It’s always nice to have your work recognized by your peers,” Independent-Scout editor Charley Preusser said. “However, the real judges are the people reading our paper every week.”… At their March 12 meeting, members of the Crawford County Land Conservation Committee tackled a variety of issues. Ongoing efforts to bring county septic systems into compliance with state law were discussed, as well as potential changes to county ordinances, a well water quality and geology study, and a tire clean up event… The North Crawford School Board reveled in the success of the district’s winter athletic teams at their meeting on March 20. The boys basketball team tied for first place in the Ridge & Valley Conference, the North Crawford-Seneca Wrestling co-op team sent two girls and one boy to the state tournament, and the girls basketball team enjoyed a successful year building for the future.

 

APRIL

After record-setting high temperatures experienced in the winter of 2023-24, and ongoing drought conditions, local farmers are facing a variety of challenges as the growing season approaches. Those challenges include planting decisions and forage production issues, as well as the timing and selection of inputs. The National Weather Service La Crosse recently reported that from April 1, 2023, through March 26, 2024, precipitation departures range from near-normal to 11 inches below normal north of Interstate 90, and from eight to just over 20 inches below normal across the remainder of the area to the south of I-90… A local contractor, Tug Sprosty, was awarded the contract to build the ag projects shed for the Seneca Area School District at the board meeting held Monday, March 18. Sprosty’s bid of $32,000 was significantly lower than Clary Building’s bid of $44,200, and some other local bids around $43,000. There was some concern that the bids were for constructing the same structure to requirements as laid out… Ever wonder who to turn to if you find an injured or ailing raptor? Wonder no more. Dr. Laura Johnson, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine has the answers for you. Dr. Johnson works part-time for Tender Care Animal Hospital in Prairie du Chien. This leaves her plenty of time for her other practice – raptor rescue. “I’m the only vet in the tri-state area that specializes in and sees birds as patients,” Johnson told the Independent-Scout… Iowa DOT has some great news when it comes to repairing the existing Blackhawk Bridge at Lansing. The two new piers are done, and all four bridge deck spans are back in place. “In February and March, we removed four sections of the bridge deck in order to repair the damaged piers,” Iowa DOT’s Clayton Burke told a group assembled for a ‘Bridge Update’ at the Meehan Memorial Library in Lansing on April 10… When the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center hosted a Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) Hearing on the evening of April 8, Patrick Short, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) fisheries biologist, presented reports on wildlife disease, water contaminants and budget deficits to the public.

 

MAY

The time is approaching for the La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon county boards to make a final decision about the USDA-NRCS proposal to decommission flood control dams in the West Fork Kickapoo and Coon Creek watersheds. It is anticipated that the Land Conservation Committees in each county will make a recommendation to their county boards in May, and then each of the three Boards of Supervisors will vote on the proposal at their June meetings… Last week, a coalition of environmental groups, The Iowa Environmental Coalition (IEC), filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the state isn’t doing enough to protect drinking water supplies from nitrate pollution. The group states the problem is particularly severe in the northeast region of the state, with its underlying karst geology. The carbonate bedrock typical in regions with karst geology is cracked and fissured limestone or sandstone that quickly conducts contaminants from the surface into the aquifers below…  Get ready for an evening of dazzling performances and toe tapping tunes as the North Crawford Playhouse presents their latest production. Aptly titled ‘One Night Only,’ the showcase will run for just one performance on Wednesday, May 22. The show will feature a dynamic lineup of songs from a variety of beloved musicals, exhibiting the talents of the North Crawford performing arts students. From classic Broadway hits to contemporary favorites, there’s something for all ages in this exciting performance… The Seneca Area School District announced the Seneca High School Valedictorian is Kylie Stluka and the Salutatorian is Nadia Jo Klema… After a dry year in 2024, with welcome rains once again falling in our area, it seems timely for our communities to think about the possibility of flooding. During times of flooding, local citizens have identified reliable sources of information that can help them in planning for and responding to flooding events, especially those available from the National Weather Service… North Crawford High School’s Class of 2024 Valedictorian is Sarah Bransky and the 2024 North Crawford Salutatorian is Nathan Zirk… Crawford County has been selected to host the 78th Alice in Dairyland Finals in May 2025. An announcement will be made by Carol Roth and Stephanie Binversie, Alice in Dairyland Finals Co-Chairs, along with Ashley Hagenow, the reigning Alice in Dairyland, at the Crawford County Dairy Breakfast on Saturday, June 1, at 8 a.m. The Dairy Breakfast will take place at the Crawford County Fairgrounds this year, with breakfast served from 6 to 10 a.m.

 

JUNE

After a brief discussion at their meeting on Monday, May 20, the Seneca School Board approved open enrollment for 10 students coming into the district and denied the open enrollment applications of two others seeking to come into the district.  The board also approved ‘outbound’ open enrollment applications for five other students seeking to enroll in other districts… About 15 members of the Ferryville, Soldiers Grove, and Gays Mills fire departments and emergency rescue teams gathered on Saturday, June 8, for a Grain Bin Rescue Training. The training had a classroom component in the morning, and then an operations training after that. Instruction was provided by Karl Sandry, Southwest Technical College Lead Fire Instructor, and conducted at the site of grain bins owned by Swede Knutson… The Soldiers Grove Village Board heard a presentation from and voted to retain the services of Nikki Swayne of Abt Swayne Law in Westby as their new village attorney. At the board’s June 11 meeting, Swayne introduced herself and discussed the terms of the contract she proposed. The village was previously represented by Attorney Eileen Brownlee, who has retired… The Gays Mills Swimming Pool is back and in full swing this summer. An average of 40 to 60 children flock to the outdoor pool each day to escape the June heat. In addition to its recreational facilities, the pool offers swimming lessons throughout the summer.