Wheeler, Wisconsin
Posted by graywacke on December 30, 2008
First time here? Check out “About Landing,” above.
Dan - The LG decided to cut me a little slack, although I landed in what has been a solid-USer and is now closing in on PS-land . . . WS; 29/30; 5/10; 21; 165.2. For the second time, I landed in the Hay R watershed, on to the Red Cedar (2nd hit), on to the Chippewa (7th hit), on the MM.
I landed in W-Cen WS, right along the Hay R, just downstream from the river/railroad town of Wheeler (population about 300). Here’s a map:
You know I have a thing about street names in small towns, and Wheeler is a classic. Here’s the map:
OK, so there’s a 1st Steet (aka Rt 170) and a 2nd Street, and then it’s mostly about trees: Oak, Elm, Birch and Pine. Then we have Church Street (think there’s a church there?) and Railroad Street (of course along the tracks) and Bridge Street (presumably named after the bridge over the Hay River just north of town). That’s it. There’s no Main Street, although I presume that 1st Street is in fact the town’s main street.
I suspect that there’s a “wrong side of the tracks” in Wheeler (and that would be along Railroad Street, of course).
Oh man. This place is so GD. No photos, no history, no nearby point of interest, no nothing.
Well, there is Tainter Lake, located just south of my landing spot. The following is from Wiki:
History
Before the installation of the dam at Cedar Falls, Tainter Lake did not exist. There was just the Hay and Red Cedar Rivers and acres of pine forests. The decision to build the mill and dam came from Andrew Tainter (1823 – 1899) a wealthy lumber baron who became the lake’s namesake. His company continued to log until 1899 when the forests were exhausted and competition keen. The mill at Cedar Falls closed in 1901.
Note that poor Andrew didn’t have a chance to enjoy retirement. He died the same year when his business went down the tubes. Moving right along . . .
During those productive years of logging, acres of forest land near and next to the Hay and Red Cedar River were cleared. After the land was cleared by logging, farmers moved to the area, removed stumps and began farming. Most of the newly created farm land sloped to the rivers. Decades later this same water shed, and the farming industry, would mean trouble for Tainter Lake. (see “Algae” below).
The Dam
Tainter Lake was formed by the Cedar Falls dam, which was originally a timber dam that was replaced with a concrete dam in 1910. Electric generators were added in 1912 and 1915 and the project has changed little since that time.
The dam is 510 feet long 50 feet high. Its powerhouse contains three 2,000 kW electrical generators with a total capacity of 7.1 MW. The facility can produce over 33.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year.
Wow. They’re still using the generators installed in 1912 and 1915? That’s dependability!! Since the average house uses 18,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year (according to Wiki answers), that means that the dam produces enough electricity for 33,600,000 / 18,000 = 1,866 homes.
Algae
Tainter Lake is fed by both the Red Cedar River and the Hay River. These rivers drain the farm fields north of Lake Tainter. The water that drains off those fields is full of fertilizers that feed millions of green algae in the summer months. Lake Tainter is infamous for the large algae blooms that turn the water green and cause it to smell very foul.
Little effort has been spent toward the cleaning of the lakes. This is mostly because the fact that it is nearly impossible to contain all the runoff from the large farm fields. The slow current and warm summer water temperature of the lake unfortunately provides ideal conditions for the algae to produce large blooms.
The fishing in Tainter lake is below par. The lake has not been a good fishing lake for several years and has not had a bait shop on it for almost 15 years. During the summer, the algae blooms make fishing very difficult. The algae is thick and creates very poor water clarity, not allowing the fish to see any bait. The algae also floats on the surface and smells, making it very unpleasant to fish.
The author didn’t mention that when algae covers a lake, it’s tough for the fish to survive because the dissolved oxygen levels in the lake go way down. Anyway, the author was obviously pretty upset about the smelly algae that no one is doing anything about. Here’s a picture, apparently sans algae:
Back to Wheeler – if you find yourself in town and hungry or thirsty or in need of gas, be sure to stop at the Bridge Stop convenience store. They have a website, which lets you know what you can get there:
Bridge Stop, located in Wheeler, is a clean, family oriented store dedicated to providing everything you need in one convenient location. We’re stocked with everything you need. From the daily necessities of milk, bread, and eggs to fishing bait, movies, and over-the-counter medicine, you’ll find the best selection of products.
Get your morning caffeine rush with coffee or cappuccino or grab some lunch with heat-and-serve sandwiches and pizzas. We also have a roller grill that provides delicious hot dogs, corn dogs, and tornados. Treat your sweet tooth with our ice cream and wide selection of candy. Stop in our Wheeler, Wisconsin, convenience store today!
KS
Greg
© 2008 A Landing A Day
