Madison's lakes have a long and storied history. Here's a look back at how they have changed over the years.
Mounds on Edgewood Dr.
A row of conical burial mounds adjoins the Park and Pleasure Drive on the north shore of Lake Wingra (now Edgewood Drive, at the south edge of Edgewood College) in 1915. (WHS #39011)
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Steamboat "Scutanawbequon"
View across water towards the "Scutanawbequon," owned by Francis (Frank) Barnes, launched on April 17, 1866, with seven people aboard. The boat, known as the "Scut," was made in Whitewater. Barnes purchased Squaw Point, known today as Winnequah Point, on Lake Monona across from the city of Madison. (WHS #120625)
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Crest of the Dividing Ridge
A horse grazes near Native American burial mounds on the Dividing Ridge between Lakes Monona and Wingra in Madison. The mounds, and the ridge they stood on, were subsequently quarried away by gravel miners. (WHS #39008)
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Plan for Madison as a model city
A plan by John Nolen from 1910 shows a vision for Madison as a model city. The plan shows existing and proposed parks, railroads, and marshes in a color coded key. (WHS #100762)
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Aerial view of Governor's Island
This aerial photograph shows Governor's Island in Lake Mendota, as well as the area surrounding the Mendota Mental Health Hospital, in 1935. (WHS #34750)
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Lake Mendota near UW varsity boat house
A group of people in a large model launch with an American flag on Lake Mendota near the UW-Madison boathouse in 1915.Â
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Boat houses on Lake Monona
View from Lake Monona of a row of boathouses at East Wilson Street between South Hancock and South Franklin streets in 1934. (WHS #3647)
