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I had the pleasure of being invited to a special reunion on Saturday of Gol
Mine School alumni at the Red Room in Dodgeville. I was excited to learn
more about the Gold Mine School and the students that attended there, as it
is sometimes hard for me to imagine what it was like to attend a small school.
I was in the mix of hand shakes and hellos, flipping through photographs
and year books that Stan Cutler had brought. The table scattered with these
memories was a popular spot for those who stopped by to chit chat with their
Gold Mine classmates.
The group had invited Boyd Gerr of the Iowa County Historical Society
to speak to them about the Dodge Cabin, located near City Hall in Dodgeville
on Fountain Street. Dodgeville history is kind of a curiousity of mine so I
found Boyd's presentation very interesting. I followed up by visiting the
cabin with Boyd Tuesday morning, where I learned even more.
Again, it was hard for me to imagine a family living in such a small space,
but a predominant family lived there in the 1800s. One thing was not hard
for me to grasp though, and that is just how important it is to keep this jewel
preserved and to keep area children (and adults) learning about this excellent
piece of history.
Boyd expressed the need for a volunteer to help keep the story of Governor
Dodge and the cabin alive as he and Neil Giffey, the man who spearheaded
the preservation of the cabin, are getting older and cannot always give tours
of the property. I encourage anyone with an interest in history and storytelling
to contact the Iowa County Historical Society to see how they can
volunteer.
Every student that goes through the Dodgeville School District should tour
the cabin and learn the story, Boyd said. I would agree.