Wisconsin Aerial Photographs - 1937 to 1940

[Sven Nilsen]

Stoughton CC (Stoughton)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A William Watson design that was constructed by Harry Smead.  Stoughton was expanded to 18 holes in the 1990's.

Stoughton the town claims to be the birthplace of the coffee break.

Oct. 1, 1922 Wisconsin State Journal -



Oct. 13, 1922 Wisconsin State Journal -



June 13, 1930 Wisconsin State Journal -



1950's Photo -

[Tim_Cronin]

Sven, this is terrific stuff you dig up. Thanks for doing it!

[Sven Nilsen]

Swan Lake CC o/k/a Portage CC a/k/a Portage GC n/k/a Portage CC (Portage)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Started as the Portage CC in 1906, the club seemingly was revived in the early 1920's with a new 6 hole course (quickly expanded to 9) being built.

Portage was the first stop in the US for John Muir, the famous naturalist, when his family immigrated from Scotland.  The city's slogan of "Where the North Begins" seems appropriate especially in light of the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway noted by Joliet in Marquette as a link to the Mississippi River.

Aug. 1, 1906 Portage Daily Register -



July 20, 1907 Portage Daily Democrat -



July 5, 1923 Register-Democrat -

[Dave Esler]

Sven,
Thanks for sharing with us all.


Having [size=78%]worked on a couple of these, and[/size][/size][size=78%] played a bunch more with Dad and my brother and our sons, it is a joy to [/size][size=78%]recall those days in the sun very fondly. 

Really appreciate your work and generosity.

DaveE

[Sven Nilsen]

Tagalong GC a/k/a Frank Stout Private Course (Red Cedar Lake)

1939 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Built as a private course to go along with the lodge constructed for Frank Stout and his family and guests.  Stout was one of the richest men in Chicago, with interests in lumber, railroads and finance.  Stout hired Alex Pirie to design the original 9 hole course, which was supposedly based on St. Andrews.

June 19, 1923 Leader-Telegram -



Aug. 16, 1923 Dunn County News -



Aug. 30, 1923 Eagle River Review -



Aug. 19, 1925 The Capital Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Takodah Club a/k/a Takodah Springs GC n/k/a South Hills CC (Fond du Lac)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Built as a public course by Robert Harris, the course quickly became private and was expanded to 18 holes with its successor organization South Hills CC founded later on in 1951.

Fond du Lac is the home of Mercury boat motors as well as the birthplace of Colin Kaepernick and King Camp Gillette, inventor of the safety razor.

Sept. 15, 1926 Oshkosh Northwestern -



Sept. 15, 1926 Sheboygan Press -



Postcard -

[Sven Nilsen]

Three Lakes GC a/k/a Northernaire CC n/k/a Big Stone GC (Three Lakes)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A 1926 Bendelow layout, the course lies in the heart of what was once the timber region used to rebuild Chicago after the fire of 1871.  Three Lakes is also home to Ray Meyer, legendary Depaul basketball coach.

Feb. 19, 1926 Rhinelander Daily News -



April 28, 1926 Rhinelander Daily News -



Aug. 8, 1926 The Milwaukee Journal -



Oct. 8, 1946 Wisconsin State Journal -



Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

Tomah GC a/k/a Tomah CC (Tomah)

1939 Aerial -



Noted in the Annual Guides as Tomah GC and having a 6 hole course, the papers reported on the opening of the Tomah CC in 1919 and of the Tomah Community CC in 1920.  The course would be gone by the early 1940's with the land used for real estate development.

June 23, 1919 La Crosse Tribune -





April 13, 1920 The Post-Crescent -

[Sven Nilsen]

Tripoli CC n/k/a University Club GC (Milwaukee)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Designed in the early 1920's by Bendelow as one of his later works and built by American Park Builders, Tripoli survives today as part of the University Club of Milwaukee having been taken over by that organization in 2017.

Oct. 25, 1921 Chicago Tribune -



April 16, 1922 Chicago Daily Tribune -



1939 Aerial Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

Trout Lake G&CC (Woodruff)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Designed by Charles Maddox and Frank Macdonald in 1925 with Maddox being noted as the vice president of the club.  The building of the course prompted the "Golfers Special," a train that ran from Chicago to Vilas County to take players to the resort.

Sept. 28, 1925 Wisconsin State Journal -



March 17, 1926 Rhinelander Daily News -

[Sven Nilsen]

Tuckaway CC (Milwaukee)

1937 Aerial -



Built in 1926, the Tuckaway CC relocated from Greenfield to Franklin in 1967 to a new Killian and Nugent course.  The new course hosted the Greater Milwaukee Open from 1972 to 1993.

April 9, 1926 Wisconsin State Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Turtle Lake CC (Winchester)

1937 Aerial -



Located in Winchester, WI a few miles south of the Michigan border, Turtle Lake was a massive 1,200 acre Northwoods retreat.  The initial project did not survive the depression, although there are reports of the course being in existence into the 1980's.

July 6, 1926 Ironwood Daily Globe -



April 13, 1938 Ironwood Daily Globe -

[Sven Nilsen]

Tuscumbia CC a/k/a Tuscumbia GC (Green Lake)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Credited (probably erroneously) as an 1898 Bendelow, from before he moved from New York to Chicago and prior to any of his work in the midwest.  The first 9 holes were laid out in 1898, with a full 18 by 1921 (which is the most likely time period for any Bendelow involvement).

1899 Official Golf Guide -





May 7, 1899 Inter Ocean -



Nov. 1900 Golf Magazine -



Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

Twin Lake Lodge GC a/k/a Little Twin Lodge GC (Twin Lakes)

1938 Aerial -



Twin Lake Lodge was purchased by Abel St. Louis, one of Wisconsin's pioneer resort men.  St. Louis partnered with Charles Hazen to build the Long Lake resort before moving on to create the Twin Lake Lodge and its golf course in 1922.

Oct. 4, 1922 Vilas County News -



July 4, 1923 Vilas County News -



Undated Brochure -

[Sven Nilsen]

Tyranena GC n/k/a Lake Mills GC (Lake Mills)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Tyranena is an indigenous word meaning sparkling waters, and today is associated with the brewery in Lake Mills.  The original 9 hole course dates to 1926, with the expansion to 18 and name change taking place in the 1990's.

July 28, 1926 The Capital Times -



July 8, 1927 Wisconsin State Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Villa Louis CC (Prairie du Chien)

1938 Aerial -



Villa Louis began as the estate of Hercules Louis Dousmann II and was renown for its standardbred horse stables.  Dousmann inherited the lands from his trader, timbierman and real-estate speculator father, Hercules L. Dousmann, who was called Wisconsin's first millionaire.  The estate sat on the site of native american burial mounds and was the location of the War of 1812 Fort Shelby and the later Fort Crawford.  When HLD II passed away, his wife named the property after her deceased husband.

An initial attempt at a course was started in 1922 resulting in the short-lived Fort Crawford CC before a new 9 hole course was built in 1927 for the Villa Louis CC.

June 25, 1922 La Crosse Tribune -



March 14, 1927 Wisconsin State Journal -



April 28, 1927 Wisconsin State Journal -



July 22, 1927 The Capital Times -



May 9, 1928 Wisconsin State Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Viroqua GC (Viroqua)

1939 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



First built in 1921 with the assistance of Miles Dawson as a 7 hole course in the public park, Viroqua was listed as a 6 hole course in the Annual Guides up to 1931 when it had 9.  This probably coincides with when Merrill Maisick worked on the course as noted in the 1931 article below.

Located on land that was occupied by the Native American Ho-Chunk (formerly known as the Winnebago), Viroqua gained some notoriety in the 1990's as the town that beat Walmart by promoting small businesses that co-existed with the retail behemoth.

May 18, 1921 Vernon County Censor -





April 2, 1931 Escanaba Daily Press -



Postcard -

[Sven Nilsen]

Washington Park Municipal GC (Racine)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Tom Bendelow is credited with the design of this course.  Whether it was the original 6 holes in 1913 or the expansion to 9 (by at least 1916) is unclear.  George Hansen, who was hired as an early pro here, probably had a hand in the development of the course as well.

Sept. 15, 1913 La Crosse Tribune -



July 29, 1916 Oshkosh Northwestern -

[Sven Nilsen]

Watertown CC (Watertown)

1940 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Watertown was founded by immigrant farmers from New England in the mid-1800's, mostly arriving after the establishment of the Erie Canal and the end of the Black Hawk War.  The city is probably most famous for a failed railroad bond offering in the 1850's that resulted in the city government being dissolved to avoid the claims of the bond holders.  It was also the home of the first kindergarten in the US.

The course is cited as having been organized in 1922 and opened in 1923 as a 9 holer, with the back nine added in 1959 by Larry Packard.

May 12, 1925 The Capital Times -



18 Hole Course Plan -

[Sven Nilsen]

Waukesha GC a/k/a Moor Downs GC (Waukesha, WI)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



The Moor Mud Baths Resort in Waukesha, also known as the Grand View Health Resort, opened in 1911.  In 1915 a 9 hole course was added as an attraction.  The course is credited to Tom Bendelow in some sources, but a 1915 American Golfer article notes the new course in Waukesha was laid out by Professional Lovekin. 

Although there have been plans to raze the resort buildings, the course survives today

Jan. 1915 American Golfer -



July 9, 1915 The Journal Times -



Sept. 4, 1946 Kenosha News -



Postcard -

[Sven Nilsen]

Waupaca GC n/k/a Waupaca CC (Waupaca)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Preceded by an earlier course of the same name that didn't last long into the early 1900's, this 9 hole course was built in 1924 and is credited to a superintendent from Appleton named Jack Burns.  Waupaca is the perfect example of the small town United States course, where a group of founders find a relatively local expert to lay out their course and recruit enough members to make the place viable. 

Random trivia for those that are interested - Clay Perry, the man who coined the phrase "spelunker," was born in Waupaca.

May 26, 1924 The Post-Crescent -



Aug. 2, 1924 Stevens Point Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Wausau CC a/k/a Wausau GC (Wausau)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Although golf started in Wausau in 1899 with the Wausau GC, the CC was organized in 1908 with a course at a site along the Wisconsin River.  The only information I have on the architect is that the golf links were to be laid out by an expert from Chicago.

Tom Bendelow (a possibility for the initial architect) arrived in 1919 to rework the course, with plans made in the early 1930's to extend the course to 18 holes.  This extension didn't take place until the early 1960's.

Wausau was the home town of Dean Witter and hall of fame football player Jim Otto.

Aug. 13, 1908 Wausau Daily Herald -



March 31, 1909 Wausau Daily Herald -



June 2, 1919 Lacrosse Tribune and Leader Press -



Sept. 17, 1931 Wausau Daily Herald -

[Sven Nilsen]

West Bend CC (West Bend)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



The first nine at West Bend opened in 1930 as designed by Langford & Moreau, with the second nine added in the 1960's.  Architect David Gill did this work and created a new nine hole design instead of building the additional nine designed by the original architects as depicted in the plan below.  Later work by Kye Goalby is discussed in the Course Profile found here -

https://golfclubatlas.com/countries/west-bend-country-club/.

L&M Plan -



1930's Aerial Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

Westmoor CC (Brookfield)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Westmoor got off the ground in 1926, with William Langford renovating several holes in 1957.  The course was reworked in 2008.

April 9, 1926 Kenosha News -



June 1927 Golfdom -



Modern Plan -

[Sven Nilsen]

Westmoreland GC (Madison)

1937 Aerial -



Westmoreland opened in 1929 as designed by John Hackbarth, the pro at nearby Blackhawk and the brother of the better known designer Otto Hackbarth.  The course lasted into the late 1940's before it was blown up for housing.

June 20, 1929 Wisconsin State Journal -



Jan. 25, 1950 Wisconsin State Journal -