A recently completed overlook at Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie features a granite survey marker on the top and story panels about the history of the marsh below. The $130,000 project by the Sun Prairie Rotary Club will be dedicated on Tuesday and comes 35 years after the historic marsh was restored from farmland.
Ten granite plaques tell the story of Patrick Marsh, which was formed by glaciers, used by ancient Ho-Chunk people, drained and farmed and, in 1991, restored by the state when it was looking for marshland to replace wetlands destroyed during road work on Highway 151.
Jeanne Behrend, left, and Joyce Hastings walk through a restored prairie at Patrick Marsh. Behrend has been leading the efforts to acquire and protect more land around the marsh, and Hastings wrote much of the content displayed in granite story panels on the new overlook.
Granite story plaques line the new overlook at Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie. Thanks to a 2025 land swap involving Groundswell Conservancy and the state Department of Natural Resources, the 340-acre property is now owned by the city of Sun Prairie.
Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie has no shortage of passersby. More than 30,000 vehicles a day can drive by on Highway 151 and an adjacent frontage road. Thanks to efforts by the Sun Prairie Rotary Club, the story of the marsh is being more prominently told.
When Patrick Marsh was purchased by the state in 1991, the property encompassed about 225 acres. About 115 acres have since been added to help increase public access, protect the property from development and create acres of prairie filled with wildflowers.
At 600 pounds and made of granite, this survey marker at Patrick Marsh may be like no other. It’s part of a new viewing platform at the marsh on Sun Prairie’s north side.
Patrick Marsh has more than two miles of hiking trail, interpretive signs and now a viewing platform that tells the story of the historic marsh along Highway 151 in Sun Prairie.
A recently completed overlook at Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie features a granite survey marker on the top and story panels about the history of the marsh below. The $130,000 project by the Sun Prairie Rotary Club will be dedicated on Tuesday and comes 35 years after the historic marsh was restored from farmland.
Ten granite plaques tell the story of Patrick Marsh, which was formed by glaciers, used by ancient Ho-Chunk people, drained and farmed and, in 1991, restored by the state when it was looking for marshland to replace wetlands destroyed during road work on Highway 151.
Jeanne Behrend, left, and Joyce Hastings walk through a restored prairie at Patrick Marsh. Behrend has been leading the efforts to acquire and protect more land around the marsh, and Hastings wrote much of the content displayed in granite story panels on the new overlook.
Patrick Marsh has more than two miles of hiking trail, interpretive signs and now a viewing platform that tells the story of the historic marsh along Highway 151 in Sun Prairie.
At 600 pounds and made of granite, this survey marker at Patrick Marsh may be like no other. It’s part of a new viewing platform at the marsh on Sun Prairie’s north side.
Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie has no shortage of passersby. More than 30,000 vehicles a day can drive by on Highway 151 and an adjacent frontage road. Thanks to efforts by the Sun Prairie Rotary Club, the story of the marsh is being more prominently told.
Granite story plaques line the new overlook at Patrick Marsh in Sun Prairie. Thanks to a 2025 land swap involving Groundswell Conservancy and the state Department of Natural Resources, the 340-acre property is now owned by the city of Sun Prairie.
When Patrick Marsh was purchased by the state in 1991, the property encompassed about 225 acres. About 115 acres have since been added to help increase public access, protect the property from development and create acres of prairie filled with wildflowers.
