Lapham Peak is a Wisconsin

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

located in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. It is just south of Delafield and seven miles (11 km) west of Waukesha. The park entrance is two miles (3 km) north of the

Glacial Drumlin State Trail The Glacial Drumlin State Trail is a multipurpose rail trail in the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It stretches from Waukesha (near Milwaukee) to Cottage Grove (near Madison). The trail travels through or near the Wisconsin communities of Cottage Gr ...

Activities

The park includes three picnic areas, birdwatching, a butterfly garden, a

prairie restoration Prairie restoration is a conservation effort to restore prairie lands that were destroyed due to industrial, agricultural, commercial, or residential development. For example, the U.S. state of Illinois alone once held over of prairie land and ...

area, an

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

, and over of dirt and accessible paved nature trails. A backpacking campsite located beside a four-mile (6 km) segment of the Ice Age Trail is also in the park. There is a multi-use trail for horse riding,

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

and

dog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. Traditionally in Greenland and the e ...

training. Over of trails are open in the winter for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. As of 2006, a nature center is under construction.

Lapham Peak

The park takes its name from a hill found within its borders. Lapham Peak has an elevation of above sea level, and is the highest point in Waukesha County. At the top of Lapham Peak is a wooden observation tower that is high and offers a dynamic view of southeastern Wisconsin and the northern edge of Illinois. The Waukesha County Historical Society named the peak in memory of Increase A. Lapham to honor his efforts in scientific study and his founding of the United States Weather Bureau.

History

The Lapham Peak area was formed 10,000 years ago by a glacier that covered much of Wisconsin (see Wisconsin glaciation). Examples of

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

s, eskers and kettles can be found in the park. The peak itself is a moulin

kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...

. The land was developed in 1851 by Charles Hanson as a tourist attraction. He built a tower on top of the hill and charged visitors to picnic and climb the tower. Originally known as Stoney Hill, the hill was later named Government Hill, after the government teams that used it for surveying. In 1870, the Army Signal Corps built a signal station to relay data about approaching storms from Pikes Peak, Colorado, to Great Lakes ports. Pioneering meteorologist Increase A. Lapham, who proposed the creation of a National Weather Service, made weather observations here and issued the first published national weather forecast. The state of Wisconsin purchased the land in 1907 for a tuberculosis sanitarium, which later became the

Ethan Allen School for Boys Ethan Allen School for Boys was a reform school in Delafield Town, Wisconsin (although the mailing address stated Wales, Wisconsin) which operated in a former tuberculosis sanitorium from April 1959 until June 2011, when it was abolished and the ...

. In 1939, of the land was turned over to the Conservation Department for use as a park. The peak's tower was erected a year later by a crew from the WPA ( Works Project Administration) who also constructed trails, picnic grounds and benches.

References

External links

Official DNR site

Friends of Lapham Peak

SummerStage in Lapham Peak State Park
{{Protected areas of Wisconsin Protected areas of Waukesha County, Wisconsin Kettle Moraine State Forest Protected areas established in 1985 1985 establishments in Wisconsin