Oehler's Mill, La Crosse, WI
The Oehler Mill site is located six miles south of La Crosse, WI off County Road MM. The site stands as a compelling visual reminder of Wisconsin's milling and agricultural past. The stone mill was built in 1862, but the history of the site goes back further. The Oehler Mill still generates much local interest, as it was once a popular picnic destination. In addition to the mill, the site also contains a cave, a stone dam, a sandstone root cellar, two brick houses, a park, a creek, a pond, and a family cemetery. The park used to contain a pavilion and an artesian well. Two German immigrant brothers Valentine and Gottfried Oehler constructed the mill, dam, and houses. Their family's voyage to America is a great example of the typical German immigrant experience in the 1850s. In 2002, the Oehler's mill was placed on the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation's List of 10 most endangered historic properties.
