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Community efforts show a silver lining in times of need
EM NEW
Peter Lindblad
Updated: Sep 12, 2018, 6:52 PM
Published: Sep 12, 2018, 6:53 PM

GAYS MILLS - As the rain continues to trickle on this Monday Labor Day, the beleaguered residents of Crawford and Vernon counties carry on with their flood-relief efforts.

If it weren’t for all the imagery flooding social media, it would be hard to believe that so many residents of Steuben, Gays Mills, Soldiers Grove, Readstown, Viola and LaFarge just to name a few communities were once again completely devastated.

I followed the news last week from my desk in Boscobel, as it unfolded.

Living on the west side of the Highway 171 bridge tucked deep up in the valley means I usually have zero flood damage, but during catastrophic flooding like Gays Mills experienced, I am usually without a way to get to work. So, I worked quickly and despite obstacles was able to get home in time before the water closed off the passages.

I settled in at home and watched the predictions of the water rising and coming right for Gays on Facebook. For all of the crap we often give technology, what a time to be alive to see the power of the Kickapoo like we’ve never seen it.

It seems as though anyone and everyone who had a drone put it to use during this flood and to see the aerial shots of our hometowns was staggering.

For those of you who may not be on social media, the videos of which I speak were able to be taken from higher ground during the peak times of the water. In Soldiers Grove today, you can tell that there was serious force behind the water as the skate park and tennis court both have their fences crumpled up like tangled wire in the trash heap. The gazebo barely has legs left to stand on and the sinkholes in the parking lot of the park/lions shelter could engulf me at 5’3”. But watching this footage truly showed the power the water had, as it rushed with rapids across these areas.

The aerial views of Gays Mills didn’t depict as much power behind the water, but it gave a true perspective of the depth that has never before been seen in our village.

Imagine if you will a model village of Gays Mills that you could stand over and look down upon, and then imagine someone dumped five gallons of dark chocolate milk all over it and all you could see for the whole thing, was simply rooftops.  Pure devastation and destruction brought on by Mother Nature.

But through all of this we’ve seen our people do what they do best, and it’s band together to make it through anything.

Another wonder of technology during this flood has been the ability to coordinate people, supplies, and safe passage within moments.  People have reached out during the highest points of water and helped navigate evacuees to safer places via tiny little back roads scattered across several counties, they’ve been able to coordinate efforts for volunteers for clean up, recruit anyone and everyone with a crockpot full of a hot dish to share, and simply gather abled-bodies and supplies and point them in the right direction.

I had been so tangled up with my aunt’s funeral and work that I was unable to physically contribute very much over the weekend to the effort, but luckily Chasca was able to be off of work to help clean up in town one of the days. After clean-up, we stopped in Readstown to drop off some supplies at the church there, as well and take a load of supplies back to Gays Mills that was dropped there courtesy of Organic Valley.

Everyone’s eagerness to help out one another has been a beacon of hope for many in these uncertain days.

I saw one estimate of damage being in the millions of dollars that it will take to fully recover from this one. Yet, I have no doubt that one way or another we’ll all be able to do it together.

Those from afar wondering how they can help Gays Mills or any of the other communities affected by the flooding should take a moment and reach out to the village clerks of the affected village or villages you’re interesting in helping. If you’re unable to physically get here and help, it sounds like monetary donations towards the recovery effort are very welcomed.

For Gays Mills you can call 608-735-4341

For Soldiers Grove 608-624-3264

For Readstown 608-629-5627

For Viola 608-627-1831

For La Farge 608-625-4422
Paddler safety issue broached at board meeting
Lower Wisconsin River
Barge near Sauk Bridge constr paddler safety issue
A DANGEROUS spot for paddlers on the Lower Wisconsin River is an area downstream of the Sauk City bridge. Construction of the new recreational trail bridge at that site may be making the area less safe, for example this barge located just where there is a dangerous vortex in the river’s current. The hope is that communication between the con-tractor and stakeholders will improve to promote safety for navigational users during the construction project.
GILLIAN POMPLUN
Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout
Updated: Jul 24, 2025, 1:11 PM
Published: Jul 23, 2025, 3:19 PM

Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board (LWSRB) executive director Mark Cupp reported a paddler safety issue had popped up near Sauk City. The area contains a dangerous stretch of the river, and construction of the new Sauk Recreational Bridge may be presenting challenges for paddlers navigating that stretch of the river.

“I had a conversation with WDNR’s Harry Stone this morning,” Cupp told the board at their July 10 meeting. “This is the second time I got a call from Cindy Bender, who operates a canoe rental at Sauk City. With the Lone Rock Bridge construction project, the communications were exceptional. They communicated with the canoe livery operators, with local stake-holders, with the Riverway Board, DNR, and everyone. With this project, there's been almost zero communication.

“Cindy said that today there's a barge there, right there by the bridge, and that is such a difficult place to navigate to begin with. Then you put a barge in there, and then nobody knows about it, let alone the people that have private boats, canoes, and kayaks.”

Cupp said that he’d contacted Marty Krueger, who's on the Sauk County Board. Krueger had assured him, the last time they spoke about the same complaint, that someone from Sauk County Parks would be talking to the construction company.

“So I left a message for Marty this morning and asked him to please give Cindy Bender a call,” Cupp said. “It's important that we find ways to alert recreational users on the river to changes in navigation at that site, because it is a dangerous place with that big vortex that still exists even after they've made some improvements. You need to be bank ready when you come through there with a paddle craft.”

WDNR’s Harry Stone reported that he’d sent an e-mail to a colleague about the situation, and hoped to hear back soon.

Canoe trips

Cupp told the LWSRB that he and executive assistant Marsha Curtis are in the process of rescheduling voyageur canoe trips that had been cancelled, due to high water on the river.

“This year was very similar to last year, where we lost the first part of the season because of unusually high water,” Cupp said. “Now last year, we were setting all kinds of records for specific dates for unusually high water. This year, I don't think we have set any records for specific dates, but we've had unusually high water so much so that we've had to cancel multiple trips.”

 Cupp said they were fortunate that they could extend their use season beyond when he normally would have taken the canoes back, because no one else had them reserved.

“So we're trying to squeeze as many rescheduled trips in as we can.” Cupp told the board. “It's difficult. It puts a lot more pressure on Marsha and on me, because we have to then re-contact everyone. We have to look at their respective schedules, and juggle a lot of the other things.”

Cupp said there's nothing much you can do if Mother Nature decides to have a lot of rain throughout the Wisconsin River Watershed, and he refuses to compromise on safety.

“We had one canoe out today, and Rich Ten Pas was on that trip. We saw some beautiful things today, mature and juvenile, eagles and deer swimming across the channel,” Cupp observed. “We also had a lot of knowledgeable people that could point out some other bird life and flowering plants, and we talked about forestry and trees. So it was a very good trip, other than a little wet at the end.”

In other business

In other business, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board:

• heard that 50 people had turned out to observe the Summer Solstice at Frank’s Hill

• learned that after an extended period of high water on the river, upstream flow gauges indicate that water levels are falling quickly, and should be improved by Sunday or Monday, with sandbars once again visible on the river

• postponed officer elections and committee assignments to the board’s September meeting

• approved an extension of a management permit in Town of Millville in Grant County.