(Edgerton's Historic Downtown District pictured above)

Edgerton was the heart and soul of Wisconsin's tobacco growing region.

At one time,  nearly 52 tobacco warehouses were located in and around the downtown area.

Edgerton was also the home of world renowned Pauline Pottery (which was located at West Lawton Street in downtown.) In the late 1800s, Chicago born artist, Pauline Jacobs came to Edgerton to start her pottery venture lured by the high quality clay in the area.  The original wooden clapboard structure which housed Pauline Pottery is still standing (115 West Lawton Street.)

(Photos above courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society)

Today, that innovative spirit that brought Edgerton to agricultural prominence is evident throughout the city's reinvented downtown. Some of the town's more prominent brick warehouses have been restored and converted to retail and apartment rentals. Edgerton's historic train depot built in 1904 serve commuters between Chicago and Minneapolis for over 75 years, is fully restored and serving coffee.

(Photo courtesy of The Edgerton Reporter)

The town is also where the boyhood home of Sterling North, author of the children's book, Rascal resides. After you have spent the entire downtown exploring Edgerton's many historic buildings a visit to Lake Koshkonong is just a short drive away.

Rascal's international acclaim didn't gain critical mass until as a young, Japanese animator named Hayao Miyazaki discovered the story. Miyazaki turned the American classic into a cartoon series Araiguma Rasukaru (あらいぐまラスカル) as his first foray into an independent animation company.  Miyazaki cared so much about the authenticity of place he brought a film crew to Edgerton to capture the key critical buildings and places in the Racal story.  And from then on, Edgerton,  and Japanese fans of Araiguma Rasukaru have always had a strong connection many making pilgrimages to Wisconsin to tour around Rascal's hometown.

SILVERWOOD COUNTY PARK

Silverwood County Park is Dane County's Outdoor Classroom

For Life long learners, homeschoolers, and field trippers the 300 acres of Silverwood provide visitors a sampling of Wisconsin's varied landscapes, ecosystems and connectedness with the Badger State's latest agricultural innovations. (More...)

LAKE KOSHKONONG

Wide-open walleyes on Koshkonong, Wisconsin's eighth largest lake

by Jeff Brown

Posted from past Lakes Edition article

One hundred and sixty-nine years ago Lake Koshkonong was a vast marsh. sac, Fox, Potawatomi and Winnebago (Ho-chunk) tribes lived along its' shores and paddled along meadows of wild rice in birch-bark canoes to harvest rice, lake fish, ducks, and clams.

The water level rose significantly after the first dam was installed along the Rock River at Indianford in 1846, and the marsh became Wisconsin's eighth largest lake and a prime fishery, with walleye its' bread-and-butter. (More...)

Sterling North's Historic Home and Museum

The autobiography by Sterling North, recounts his youthful adventures with adopting a baby raccoon at the turn of the century. The well-loved novel was also made into a Disney movie by the same name.

( More )

Visit the North's home at 409 W Rollin St, Edgerton, WI.

Email: sterlingnorthsociety@gmail.com

Edgerton Sterling North Book and Film Festival

The festival is changing from a 'Book' festival to a 'Sterling North' festival.

All programs and events will be geared toward Sterling North. 

The festival hosts regret not being having a Book Fair where they  rent tables for authors to sell books. They will be having the premier some time in 2022 of a new play titled "The Life and Times of Sterling North" by Gayle Corcoran Stettler and Isabelle Spike.

Edgerton Farmers' Market

Located in Edgerton's Central Park, the market offering a wide variety of locally grown produce and producs is open from May thru October.