Articles

By Judy Gibson 
Events Reporter 

If it weren't for Ross Curry much of the Dells area history would be lost. Curry, who has lived in the area all his life, has now published a third volume of his "Dells Area Local History" books available locally at Bookworld in Wisconsin Dells, Portage and Baraboo, Travel Mart on Broadway, Parson's Trading Post in Lake Delton, Brew's Landing and The H.H. Bennett Museum.

Curry says his father remembers seeing the first person to ever settle in the area, Robert Allen, and said last week he has never met anyone else who had seen him. "He said he had a black beard and big black boots."

Ross was only a small child at the time he heard this story, but this amazing recall of events and a passion for the details of the past have served him well in his profession of newspaperman and historical writer.

"I have a private library of 4,000 books and after awhile when you get a reputation, people come to you with stories," said Curry when asked about where he gets his information. 

Curry's family goes back a long way in the town of Lyndon. He was born here in 1929 and jokes that his birth was the cause of the big stock market crash. His father's family came to Sauk County in 1845 and he said his grandfather went to school with the Ringling's. "(Grandfather) called them the wild bunch."

In 1881 his grandfather on the Curry side came to the Dells. Ross and his two sisters still own the property, it's been in the family for 120 years.

Volume III of "Dells Local History" includes stories such as "Vanderpoel built Dawn Manor," "I Remember Wigwams in the Dells" and " Louis Bluff Long Known as Lookout." The stories are packed with interesting facts told in a charming way. This is an excerpt from one article "Growing up in the 30s: Songs fill dark winter nights."

''Everything seems dark in my memory because that is what it was mostly - dark. A kerosene lamp lit the dining room and a second lit the kitchen. If my mother had to go to the bedroom for something she took a lamp with her and the rest of the family suspended activities and waiting in the dark until she got back.''

From the story "I remember wigwams in the Dells": 
''When my grandfather, Joe Curry, sold his north 40 acres to the Northern Baptist Convention after the new Highway 12/16 went through Rocky Arbor in the early 30s, a virtual Indian settlement grew up around the church that was built there. There were houses and wigwams on at least 16 different locations that I can recall, most on church lands but some on land purchased privately from my grandfather or in the case of wigwams, permission was given to build one for one or two years on our property.'' 

Curry said he first became interested in newspapers during high school when he became sports editor for the Dells Events. Isabel Drumb was editor at the time and, according to Curry, "didn't know much about high school sports. I wasn't very good , but it was better than what they had."

Curry met his future wife Sylvia in church and said, "that first visit didn't go too well." They now have two children and five grandchildren. Sylvia's great-grandfather was in the battle of Shiloh in the Civil War. Curry said he has five relatives who died in that war. 

Curry originally wanted to be a writer and attended what is now MATC in Madison. "They said there were no jobs, so I studied printing." He has worked for former editors and owners of the Events since then, including Drumb, Jim and Pete Walch and Jay Walch, Lonnie Lown and Kay James. He has worked with newspapers from the early days of "hot type" when pages weighed 100 pounds through offset printing and finally the computerized method used today. He had 15 years doing front page layout, the job he says was the most fun.

"I've been connected to the paper for 57 years, starting in 1946, longer than anyone else ever has," said Ross who had written Kilbourn Klippings for years, gathering historical news from old papers. He worked mainly doing press and layout and retired in 1992. He recently gave up doing the Klippings, but still writes an occasional historical column. 


JUDY GIBSON/Events photos 
Ross Curry has compiled local history in books and for the Events for decades

Here is What Ross Curry Has Been Writing.

We see by Jen Steele's Kilbourn Klippings that 25 years ago I published a family history book. It seems a lot longer than that, it was 14 years before I wrote another book. The last seven were done in retirement.

At the risk of sounding ostentatious I would like to elaborate on some of these books since few people get the opportunity to fulfill their dream of writing a book even on a very small scale like this.

The book mentioned above was "The Forebearers and Descendants of Henry and Abigail Barringer." Henry and Abigail were my great-great grandparents. He settled in the Sauk County town of Reedsburg on pension land gained from his service in the War of 1812. His father served in the Revolutionary War. This book is a record of his family which probably now numbers in the thousands.

The second book was "Curry's Combings," the title is a play on words. This is the record of my great-grandfather William Curry's family. They came to Wisconsin in 1849 and were related to the Pecks by marriage, the Pecks were the first white family in Madison and Baraboo. This book like the previous one is a genealogy.

I was writing 'Kilbourn Klippings' when I asked then editor Lonni Lown if I could write some other history stories. She gave her enthusiastic approval. Previously I had written a few for Jim and Jay Walch.

Hans Helland then encouraged me to have the history stories put together in a book and was the first person to purchase some copies. Most of the stories in all three Dells Area History volumes have previously ran in the Wisconsin Dells Events.

Next was Dells Area Indian History which has gathered together all the Indian stories I have written into one volume. Each time I make more copies of this book I include any Indian stories that I have written in the meantime.

Next in line to be written was the Bunce-Burdick book. Unlike the other two genealogies this book is mostly about my mother's family in Illinois and Pennsylvania. 

I then wrote a history of my church, the Baraboo Assembly of God. These articles first appeared in the church newsletter.

Finally the latest book: Dells Area History Volume III. This includes more stories than the previous two Dells Histories but fewer pictures. They are on sale at Bookworld in Wisconsin Dells, Portage and Baraboo, Travel Mart on Broadway, Parson's Trading Post in Lake Delton, Brew's Landing and The H.H. Bennett Museum or can be purchased by mail from me: Ross M. Curry, S947 Clara Ave., Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965. Price from me is $15 plus $3 for postage and handling.

These books have been sold in nearly every state in the Union. Most local libraries have some of them and the Wisconsin State Historical Library in Madison and the Mormon Library in Salt Lake City has a copy of all of them except the most recent one.

It would not have been possible without the cooperation of all my friends and those who purchased books. We are deeply appreciative of you all.

Ross Curry can be reached at rcurrysr@verizon.net

Curry's Observe 40th Anniversary

We had our 40th Anniversary celebration last Saturday. Why is that important? Aside from the obvious fact that more than half of the population never make it because of death or divorce, this observance happens to be our swan song, our last Hurrah.

We got married so late in our 30's, that if somehow by the grace of God we live another 10 years we will be so old we won't feel like celebrating anything.

My aunt married young and was married 19 years when she became a widow. She then was married 55 years to her second husband. But we can't count on living to be 103 like she did.

We married April 6, 1963, the day was bright and sunny with the temperature over 70 degrees. But last Saturday was pelted by snow, wind and ice. The nastiest anniversary I can remember. My country western brother-in-law who was going to provide a large part of the program took a tumble on the ice and wasn't able to come at all. Several others stepped up to make a thoroughly pleasing program.

Pastor Dotson of the Baraboo Assembly of God opened up the basement auditorium for us and we had chairs out for 140 people. There were about 30 no shows due to the weather, illness and other reasons which was offset partially by about 10 walk-ins. Pastor Dotson did a great job. We could never have done it without his help.

Some of the local people who attended besides my sisters Eva Claussen and Elizabeth Johnson, and niece Debbie Fischer, were former co-worker of 35 years Helen Coon and husband Harold, Judy Gibson of the present staff who did a great job taking pictures, Jean and Bill Brew, David Gregerson, longtime friend Roxanne Biffert, former editor Lonni Lown and husband Bill Smith, and former residents Al and Mabel Soerfass, Gerald Goman and Art Bunce. Art and Gerald had been in the same class in the old Oak Grove grade school and had not seen each other in 60 years. Of course they did not recognize each other. Daughter Laureen Hunter, a former Events employee, and nephew Dale Johnson, also a former Events employee were also there with their families.

I observed that we had been married 40 long years and never had an argument. I wonder why everyone laughed?

She took me for better or worse but I might have been worst that she took me for.

My dad observed when we got married and I only weighed four pounds more; "It looks like it is going to be a fair fight."

Ring bearer Bryan, the little four year old nephew of my wife Sylvia, is now Retired Major Bryan Phillipson with the United States military. He emails me that his cousin told him he was getting married to the flower girl. "I did what any four year old would do," He said, "I cried."

Sally, the little not quite three year old flower girl is now the mother of 12 children and still looks like a teenager. I doubt that happens very often.

The program consisted of introduction of the wedding party and family and several people gave short talks of appreciation of the connection they had with our lives. Music consisted of our daughter-in-law and mother Judy singing a duet, several numbers by my sister-in-law and husband Rev. and Mrs. Roger Dissmore and family and a special number by the Curry Quartet courtesy of my son Ross and three grandsons, Alex, Ryan and Ross Tanner, that at least to this proud father and grandfather was the hit of the show. They didn't get their musical ability from me.

So now it is all history. We are indebted to so many people who helped out and made an effort to attend. Sylvia and I appreciate it all very much.

Ross Curry can be reached at rcurrysr@verizon.net.