Lapham Peak Unit, Kettle Moraine State Forest

The 45-foot (14 m) observation tower at the top of the hill

Lapham Peak is a Wisconsin state park located in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. It is just south of Delafield and seven miles (11 km) west of Waukesha. The park entrance is two miles (3 km) north of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail.

Activities

The park includes three picnic areas, birdwatching, a butterfly garden, a prairie restoration area, an amphitheater, and over 25 miles (40 km) of dirt and accessible paved nature trails. A backpacking campsite located beside a four-mile (6 km) segment of the Ice Age Trail is also in the park. There is a 5-mile (8.0 km) multi-use trail for horse riding, mountain biking, snowshoeing and dog sled training. Over 20 miles (32 km) of trails are open in the winter for cross-country skiing. As of 2006, a nature center is under construction.

Lapham Peak

View from peak tower

The park takes its name from a hill found within its borders. Lapham Peak has an elevation of 1,233 feet (376 m) above sea level, and is the highest point in Waukesha County. At the top of Lapham Peak is a wooden observation tower that is 45 feet (14 m) high and offers a dynamic view of southeastern Wisconsin and the northern edge of Illinois. The Waukesha County Historical Society named the peak in memory of Increase A. Lapham to honor his efforts in scientific study and his founding of the United States Weather Bureau.

History

The Lapham Peak area was formed 10,000 years ago by a glacier that covered much of Wisconsin (see Wisconsin glaciation). Examples of moraines, eskers and kettles can be found in the park.

The land was developed in 1851 by Charles Hanson as a tourist attraction. He built a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower on top of the hill and charged visitors to picnic and climb the tower. Originally known as Stoney Hill,^[1] the hill was later named Government Hill,^[1] after the government teams that used it for surveying.

In 1870, the Army Signal Corps built a signal station to relay data about approaching storms from Pikes Peak, Colorado, to Great Lakes ports. Pioneering meteorologist Increase A. Lapham, who proposed the creation of a National Weather Service, made weather observations here and issued the first published national weather forecast.

The state of Wisconsin purchased the land in 1907 for a tuberculosis sanitarium, which later became the Ethan Allen School for Boys. In 1939, 50 acres (200,000 m²) of the land was turned over to the Conservation Department for use as a park. The peak's 45-foot (14 m) tower was erected a year later by a crew from the WPA (Works Project Administration) who also constructed trails, picnic grounds and benches.

References

1 2 Barquist, Barbara; Barquist, David (1987). "The Beginning". In Haley, Leroy. The Summit of Oconomowoc: 150 Years of Summit Town. Summit History Group. p. 9.

External links

Coordinates: 43°02′26″N 88°24′01″W / 43.040558°N 88.400209°W / 43.040558; -88.400209

Protected areas of Wisconsin

Federal

National Park Service	Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Ice Age National Scientific Reserve Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

National Forests	Chequamegon-Nicolet

National Wildlife Refuges	Driftless Area Fox River Gravel Island Green Bay Hackmatack Horicon Marsh Necedah Trempealeau Upper Mississippi River Whittlesey Creek

National Trails	Ice Age Trail Timms Hill Trail North Country Trail

National Estuarine Research Reserves	Lake Superior

National Wilderness System	Blackjack Springs Gaylord Nelson Headwaters Porcupine Lake Rainbow Lake Whisker Lake Wisconsin Islands

State

State Parks	Amnicon Falls Aztalan Belmont Mound Big Bay Big Foot Beach Blue Mound Brunet Island Buckhorn Capital Springs Copper Culture Copper Falls Council Grounds Devil's Lake Governor Dodge Governor Nelson Governor Thompson Harrington Beach Hartman Creek Heritage Hill High Cliff Interstate Kinnickinnic Kohler-Andrae Lake Kegonsa Lake Wissota Lakeshore Menominee River Merrick Mill Bluff Mirror Lake Natural Bridge Nelson Dewey New Glarus Woods Newport Pattison Peninsula Perrot Potawatomi Rib Mountain Roche-a-Cri Rock Island Rocky Arbor Straight Lake Tower Hill Whitefish Dunes Wildcat Mountain Willow River Wyalusing Yellowstone Lake

State Natural Areas	Abraham's Woods Bayshore Blufflands Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie Black Tern Bog Dells of the Wisconsin River Dorothy Lake Dunnville Barrens Gibraltar Rock Grandma Lake Kangaroo Lake Moquah Barrens Parfrey's Glen Pewits Nest Rush River Delta Spread Eagle Barrens Spruce Lake Bog Twin Lakes Bog Two Creeks Buried Forest Wind Pudding

State Recreation Areas	Browntown-Cadiz Springs Chippewa Moraine Fischer Creek Hoffman Hills Menominee River Richard Bong

State Forests	Black River Brule River Coulee Experimental Flambeau River Governor Knowles Havenwoods Kettle Moraine - Lapham Peak Unit Kettle Moraine - Loew Lake Unit Kettle Moraine - Northern & Southern Units Kettle Moraine - Pike Lake Unit Northern Highland-American Legion Peshtigo River Point Beach

State Historical Sites	Black Point Estate Circus World Museum First Capitol H. H. Bennett Studio Madeline Island Museum Old World Wisconsin Pendarvis Reed School Stonefield Sylvanus Wade House Villa Louis

State Wildlife Areas	Buena Vista Marsh Crex Meadows Dewey Marsh Horicon Marsh Killsnake Mead

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

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