Starkweather's Harried History

Starkweather's Harried History (HMQ67)

Location: Madison, WI 53704 Dane County
Buy Wisconsin State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 43° 5.494', W 89° 20.039'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 851 views
Inscription
The first plan for a sewage system in Madison was adopted in 1885. The system first pumped untreated human waste directly into the lakes.
It wasn't until 1901 that a sewage treatment facility was built. By then Lake Monona and the surrounding water was thick with weeds and scum and had an overpowering odor.

The U.S. Sugar Beet Factory was built in 1906 to process beets into an inexpensive form of table sugar.
The factory produced up to 50 tons of beet sugar a day until it closed in 1924.

An average of 50 tons of waste was deposited into Starkweather Creek each year the U.S. Sugar Beet Factory was in operation.
The building still stands at the north end of Olbrich gardens. It is now owned by the City of Madison.

From 1911 - 1922 Starkweather Creek wetlands were drained and the creek was straightened.
Details
HM NumberHMQ67
Tags
, ,
Placed ByThe Olbrich Botanical Society and the Friends of Starkweather Creek
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 12th, 2014 at 2:42am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 310040 N 4773627
Decimal Degrees43.09156667, -89.33398333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 43° 5.494', W 89° 20.039'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds43° 5' 29.64" N, 89° 20' 2.34" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)608
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3350-3400 Atwood Ave, Madison WI 53704, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?
© 2025  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us