The Merrimac Ferry

The Merrimac Ferry (HMLF)

Location: Lodi, WI 53555 Columbia County
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Country: United States of America
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N 43° 21.94', W 89° 37.146'

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Inscription
Merrimac's first permanent settler, Chester Mattson, obtained a territorial charter in 1848 to provide ferry service across the Wisconsin River. The State Legislature of 1851 authorized a road, subsequently to become State Trunk Highway 113, to con?nect settlements at Madison and Baraboo via Matt's Ferry. Today, the Merrimac Ferry is the lone survivor of upwards of 500 ferries chartered by territorial and state legislatures before the turn of the century.

The fee charged by early ferrymen for taking a team and wagon across the river was well earned, for their muscles pro?vided a good share of the ferry's power until a gasoline engine was added around 1900.

The ferry changed hands several times before Matt's Ferry Road was added to the state system in 1923 and Columbia and Sauk Counties took over its opera?tion. The name Colsac is a phonetic derivation of the two county names. The State of Wisconsin assumed responsibility for the maintenance and operation of the ferry in 1933, after which the service was provided without charge.
Details
HM NumberHMLF
Series This marker is part of the Wisconsin: Wisconsin Historical Society series
Tags
Marker Number187
Year Placed1973
Placed ByThe Wisconsin Historical Society
Marker Condition
0 out of 10 (1 reports)
Date Added Sunday, October 12th, 2014 at 2:35am PDT -07:00
Pictures
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 287787 N 4804754
Decimal Degrees43.36566667, -89.61910000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 43° 21.94', W 89° 37.146'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds43° 21' 56.40" N, 89° 37' 8.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)608
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1000-1036 Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Lodi WI 53555, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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The Marker Is Missing

marker is supposed to be in wayside adjacent to ferry loading area. It is not present.

Sep 8, 2018 at 5:12pm PDT by wackybadger

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Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
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  6. This marker needs at least one picture.
  7. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  8. Is the marker in the median?