Roots

On the way back from the memorial/reunion in Kentucky (Ellen’s family), we decided to spend the night in Baraboo, Wisconsin (my family).  My grandparents Donahue were born and raised in this general area.

Baraboo

First things first.  We drove up to West Street to see the Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

Back in the day, the house was painted green, albeit a bit warmer, but the trim was painted pink.  There is siding on the house now.  A new garage.  And big changes in the landscaping.  The Kehoes seem to be gone from next store, as there is no apparent criminal activity present, (needless to say, my grandparents weren’t fond of the Kehoes).

We then drove over to First Street to see the Donahue Terrace Apartments, affordable housing that was named after my grandfather.

We were impressed with how well the downtown is holding up, particularly as compared to some of the towns we saw elsewhere on this trip.  Most of the buildings are occupied and well-maintained.

The town square is still there, although the guy selling popcorn next to the canon is gone.

Reedsburg

Reedsburg is where Grandpa Donahue grew up.  We didn’t stop for pictures, but it was quite different from what I remembered.  The main street has been developed and heads out of town for miles.  It too seems to be a vibrant economy and town.

Carr Valley Cheese

On the way to Lime Ridge, we took a two mile detour to stop at Carr Valley Cheese.  You may have seen their products at finer cheese stores.  They have grown quite a bit, and now have facilities in about seven Wisconsin locations.  This was their initial dairy.  They produce 8,000 pounds of cheese daily, using about 80,000 pounds of milk.  Most is still made by hand.

Lime Ridge

Lime Ridge is where Grandma Donahue was born and raised.  The homestead was in the family until Aunt Lou left.  My mom spent much time here in her youth, and my brother and I visited.  A woman at Carr Valley had told me that the house had been painted purple, but it was still a surprise.  Here are old and current shots.

We also visited the cemetery to see the stones of great grandparents, uncles, and aunts.

Heading south, we went through Cazenovia.

Until we made it to

Spring Green

We drove through town to see the bank designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Then we crossed the Wisconsin River to arrive at

Taliesin

This was the home and school built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  We didn’t have time for a tour, but did stop at the visitor center and had lunch.  It is a beautiful location.  I remember stories on Sunday drives as a child.  Grandpa had run into FLW on at least one occasion.  There were also whispers about the murders and love affairs.

Eventually we headed along the Wisconsin River to Minnesota, where we went up the Mississippi on Highway 61 all the way to St. Paul.