The Proper Names of Hills

 

So I have been doing some internet sleuthing and finally found names for the hills that Travalon and I had named ourselves, since we couldn't find the names on maps. The first one is what we call Berrigan Bluff out in Sauk, which I knew had to have a name. Three people live on one side of the bluff, and it turns out the other side is a state natural area. The bluff is called Lodde's Mill Bluff, but just because it's a state natural area doesn't mean that anyone can go there - you have to get permission from the Arboretum. The bluff is owned by the UW Board of Regents, and it has all sorts of rare flora on it. I discovered a blog by a guy who goes to state natural areas and takes photos, and he had some gorgeous photos of this bluff. Here is a link to his blog post. He says it needs some management to stave off an invasion of red cedars, so that sounds like a job for Prairie Man, if he wants to come out of retirement.

The second hill is the one we call Mount Wank, between Token Creek and Windsor. A bandmate said she found on a map where it was called "Big Hill," which just sounds like a description, but apparently that is its name. The Big Hill is a Wisconsin School forest owned by the DeForest School District and the Town of Windsor. There are trails on it, but to get permission to go there, you have to be a teacher bringing a classroom of kids to study the outdoors. There are volunteer opportunities there, but the website unhelpfully said to "look for bulletins in the local newspaper and in school newsletters," so they must not want outsiders volunteering, otherwise they would post things on the website. I don't get the paper (I'm not even sure which paper they mean), and I certainly don't get school newsletters. 

So there you go: Berrigan Bluff is actually Lodde's Mill Bluff, and Mount Wank is actually The Big Hill. I figured such stunning topographical features had to have names, but man, it wasn't easy to find them! And please - Big Hill is so prosaic. Maybe I'll just keep calling it Mount Wank.

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