Students Learn About Mayville’s History
Summer school program focuses on area'’s backyard
By Colleen Kottke, Fond du Lac Reporter, 7/10/03
For years, the Rock River and Horicon Marsh have played a major role in the history of the Mayville area and in the lives of residents residing along the banks and shores.
Mayville summer school students have woven the lifetime experiences of area elders and historians into a tapestry of living history that will be presented during the Sense Of Place Celebration
beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 11, at the Middle School.
The project is a collaborative effort between the school district, Main Street Mayville, the Mayville Chamber of Commerce, Rock River Headwaters, Lake Sinissippi Association USFWL and the Deptarment of Natural Resources.
“"The Sense of Place project demonstrates the value of the communities and landscapes in our own bac yard,â€" said ranger Molly Stoddard of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “"The Rock River and Horicon Marsh both have a rich history that can still be learned firsthand form our elders who lived it.â€"
With the support of a DNR Lakes Planning Grant, the Mayville School District tailored the 2003 summer school program to spotlight on the the Sense of Place program, with many courses focusing on the impact the Rock River and Horicon Marsh and people have on each other.
For weeks, students have been meeting with local community members, recording their oral histories of times past. Nine-year-old Tiffany Wiedmeyer was especially impressed with the stories 100-year-old Louis Mueller had to share.
“"As a boy, he talked about swimming in the Rock River near the dam and told us that we need to take care of the river for our children someday,â€" Tiffany said.
Mueller surprised and delighted students during the interview at his Mayville home, entertaining them with tales of skating along the Rock River from Mayville to Theresa as a boy of eight.
“"We would strap our skates onto the bottoms of our shoes and set out,â€" Mueller said. “"Because the river meanders, the trip was actually 10 miles in length and took us about two hours. We also had to be careful of the barb-wire from farm fields crossing the river. We skated the river only a couple of times a year before the snow covered the ice.â€"
Ten-year-old Duffy Hoffman said, “"Back when he was young, he had to work just to have fun. They would work half a day just to clean the ice off of the Mayville mill ponds just to have a skating rink.â€"
Local history buff James Schinderle also met with students and recalled the early role of the Rock River in producing water-power for saw mills and gristmills and providing cooling for the blast furnaces of the ironworks factories.
“"Over the years, the river has been getting cleaner,â€" Schinderle said. “"I told them if they want the river to last, they have to take care of it.â€"
Award-winning Madison singer/songwriter Ken Lonnquist has been working closely with students as an artist-in-residence, helping to fashion the elders'’ “tales†into songs. Armed with his guitar, Lonnquist draws out ideas from students, fleshing out the framework of a melody with lyrics and phrases generated by the students.
“"I’'m just a cog in the wheel,â€" Lonnquist said. “"In a couple of cases, I have come up with the idea for a melody, and the kids will shape the verses based on an underlying theme like the colors of the river." The Sense of Place Celebration will be a multi-faceted presentation with the kids performing a mock radio show called ‘Rock River Radio’, telling of events in the history of the marsh and river in addition to performing three new songs and displaying their artwork.â€
Mayville teacher Diane Wieneke said, “"You can just see the interest of the kids growing as as they get more and more into this. They feel a certain sense of ownership in this project, knowing that a phrase or idea that they contributed is part of a song.â€"
