Laurie's Zoo: Ladysmith

It was a trip down memory lane or, in this case, Bragg Road, in Ladysmith, Wisconsin for Mark and I and Mom and Dad. Together we spent a day exploring places where Dad grew up. We had been wanting to make this trip for awhile. I hate to admit it, but I had not been to Ladysmith for at least 15 years and Mark had never been to Ladysmith at all! Pictured above is Dad sharing a story about the Flambeau River with us as he stands on the property that used to belong to his parents. Also pictured is the road sign that leads to the old homestead.

Before we left, Mom quickly showed Mark her lovely vegetable garden.

Grandma and Grandpa Bragg's old house. Over the years the "new" owners have made changes and additions to the place. Even though the last time I saw it I was really little, the changes have been enough so that the house itself looked almost unrecognizable to me.

Though the house seemed unfamiliar to me, the property did not. Here, I stand if front of gigantic lilac bushes which grace the perimeter of the yard. I remember admiring these beautiful, aromatic flowers when we would come to visit and I am tickled to say that just this spring brother John dug up some transplanted lilacs (first transplanted from these flowers in Ladysmith to Mom and Dad's in Rhinelander) and brought them down to Mark and I in Cross Plains. We planted three sprigs on our hillside by our driveway and they are doing quite well!!

Mark and Mom stand next to huge asparagus plants which are at the end of the vegetable garden that is still in the same spot as Grandma Bragg had it.

The Flambeau River as it looks today. This used to be a flowage when Dad was growing up, so the width of the water was actually wider and the current was less than what it is today (Dad and his siblings used to swim in the waters and dig about the banks for arrowheads).

This stone structure was built by my grandfather in the late 70's. Grandpa was an avid agate hunter and would make trips to Lake Superior to collect stones with particularly attractive color or grain. He would also take many walks around the country roads of Rusk County searching for the next "gem".

The structure served as an outdoor grill and it also had....

...a small statue of the Virgin Mary placed on top of it, which remains there today. Between Dad and I housed in the chimney-looking part of the stucture is the statue.

To catch the fancy of his grandchildren, Grandpa Bragg also added colorful marbles to the structure. Though part of the structure has been weathered away, we were able to find a couple!!

Another striking part of this property was the little spring dam Grandpa installed in the 1950s. A natural spring flows from the embankment behind the property and before this dam was put in, was used to cool containers of milk from the farm's cows. Grandpa wanted to make a small pond with the cold, clean water and spent an entire summer digging around the spring, creating his own box form for the concrete, and putting the concrete mass in the spring. It is from this spring that Grandma and Grandpa piped their water into their house until they moved in 1981! They had no well!!

A view of the garden.

We stopped at the cemetary where my grandparents are buried.

Grandpa Bragg fought in World War I.

This was the old train depot where my grandfather worked as a baggage handler from 1944-until he retired in 1961 at the age of 65. Although looking pretty worn, this depot is apparently still in use as a stop for trains transporting mining materials through Ladysmith.

And what is this? Well, this rather junky looking lot is where the Grow Cheese Factory used to be. This little factory is special to my family because that was where my dad was born!! Grandpa managed the cheese factory from the mid-1920s thru 1941. It had a three-bedroom living quarters above it, where Grandma busied herself raising 7 of her 9 kids!

Because he was so successful at the production and selling of the cheese, Grandpa had a very good reputation among the local dairy farmers who insisted that he be re-hired when he left for a brief spell in the 1920s. The Bragg family was fortunate to have a means for a living during the difficult years of the Great Depression.

We stopped by Aunt Irma's farm in Tony for a quick visit and I could just kick myself for not getting any pictures of her and my cousin Bob. Argh! We were too busy being mesmerized by all of the cool, old stuff they have collected on their farm, including this old hay rake.

And this old motorcycle...

And this old Powerwagon truck...

And this old gas pump....That American Pickers show on the History Channel would LOVE this place!

As we left Aunt Irma's farm, Mark observed a bald eagle that was fairly close to the road, so we stopped for a few pictures. This eagle was not making many songbirds very happy and they proceeded to bombard him with a myriad of swoops and angry calls.

If you look carefully you can see five different birds prompting this eagle to fly away. He did...but not far!

Dad has been busy putting in a new section of yard in front of the house in Rhinelander.

Another very important aspect of our visit north was seeing Bragg Family South! They were camping in the U.P. when we were in Ladysmith, so we didn't really miss anytime with them because they weren't in Rhinelander that day anyway. Here, Kenny, Beth and Stephen pose briefly for a picture in the woods.

Bobby came to Rhinelander too! Here, he takes a swing at a baseball.

Nice follow through Bob!

Kenny on the lookout for groundballs or homeruns.

Look, Mom! Here are my goofy rainboots. They're really quite adorable and stylish, thank you very much!

Bobby playing a very gentle game of ball with Beth.

Bob gets a big grin from Beth.

Mingo wanted to play ball too!

Lily cooled down under a tree.

Mom waters her plants.

Mark and I picked up this painted turtle that was hanging out in the middle of Shephard Lake Road. We transported it home to show the kids and to put in the creek on Timber Lane. It was a feisty little terrapin.