Wakely’s Tavern
Pointe Basse
Built in 1831, Wakely’s Tavern and Trading Post was the first white settler’s house in present Wood County. River piers, shingle mill, warehouse, and gunpowder pit contributed to making this site a rendezvous for Indians, voyageurs, lumbermen and raftsmen, as well as a social center for area pioneers.
In 1844 the steamboats “Maid of Iowa” and “Enterprise” operated on the river carrying passengers and cargo between Prairie du Chien and Pointe Basse, the site of Wakely’s Tavern.
Until 1916, a cable ferry operated from this point to the west bank of the river. In 1963, the remaining wing of the tavern was restored and is now known as “Old Ferry Farm.”
Marker is on Wakely Road 0.3 miles west of County Highway Z, on the left when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
