Comments on: Lights Out on Lynxville

By: Vicky Caya Martin

Vicky Caya Martin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:51:20 +0000

Thanks Bill! I’ve heard the same story! =D I still giggle when I hear people call Dad Jimmy! The Wise men have had an overhaul this summer and are looking as amazing as ever!

By: Billy Keene

Billy Keene — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:50:11 +0000

my memories of lynxville ive been reading some postings from some people that have lived in lynxville that have good memories of lynxville but growing up there i cry i laugh every time i think about home long ago. friends were so close growing up ,hen so long ago from the time of my fifth birthday in the community hall on main street. then all of a sudden we were in school in first grade me , roe , david , jimmy, and mickey with mrs. webber (remember Her guys) now as we move on, the reason i’m here is because me and my son Dustin Should i give away his last name of course he is my son. love him bunches. the reason i got here was we were searching for the wisemen that sit on the bluff overlooking lynxville wisconson one of the lovelyest spots in america (maybe even the world in my book) when we came across this article saying that they didnt know how thay came to be well my name is william keene (billy) i am one of the original boy scouts that helped build the original Wise Men. the man that came up with the idea was a barber in town his name was henry (hank) cooper im not really sure if he went to the city council to see if he could do it or who owned the land. I think it belonged to the wrights but im not sure. any how it was approved and now things started happening he got the design from a christmas card (not many know about this but yes he got this from a christmas card he told me and the rest of the scouts)and so he got lumber from artel caya’s lumber yard we got the materials and started to cut out and paint the wise menand the scouts like jimmy, Eddie, Bobby And the other scouts i was about 10 or 11 when we built this magnificent work.we carried the wise men in sections up the bluff then we touched up the dings on the wise men when we brought then up there ( the trail was better then than it is now i guess 40+ years will do that) then we began building the star on the oppsite bluff many of the other younger children helped to build the trail to reach the star.in 1965 the twin sister tornados distroyed the original wise men but thank fully it was rebuilt and is still a land mark on the mississippi river overlooking the scenic river vally for years to come. thank all of you for even reading but its the truth as far as i can remember but my photo is in the lacrosse tribune in 1961 62 or 63 find me it will be a rush im with my brother Tom. To the person who wanted to know how the wise men came to be . if anyone knows anymore about this please chime in. Thank You — Billy-

By: Andrew Dyb

Andrew Dyb — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:53:56 +0000

He had the best smelt fry ever!

By: Kathy Caya

Kathy Caya — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:02:45 +0000

Wow, all this takes me way back! I am the eldest daughter of Walt and Mary Caya, who owned Caya’s Corner until my father’s death, when my mother finally closed the business. I spent a lot of time in that old place, waiting on customers and tending bar, stocking shelves, unloading the grocery trucks, and re-filling the coolers, especially on busy summer weekends. I went to the little Congregational Church and attended elementary school there – Rachelle and I were both in band at the same time in Seneca. My dad was also a commercial fisherman, and sold his catch at Hagensick’s Fish Market, which was right next door to our old place. I remember thinking, when I was growing up, that Lynxville must be the single most boring place in the world – I didn’t understand it’s charm and simple beauty until I grew up and moved away – then I realized it was one-of-a-kind; in some ways, a place that Garrison Keillor might have also have described as a “little town that time forgot and the decades cannot improve”. Thanks to all of you for your contributions to this stroll down memory lane!

By: Cathy Davis

Cathy Davis — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:36:16 +0000

Wow Nathan, thank you for capturing my favorite place in the world. I am Steve’s little sister, Jessie’s youngest daughter. I recently purchased land in Redding, CA because it was on a bluff like canyon, with a creek and a freight train. It feels like home. Because for me Lynxville was home. To me the most wonderful place to vacation was “Our Cottage”. Ice pops at the “Box” (Bock’s), sitting with my grandpa Bill Ryan at Caya’s, eating my first bag of Doritos, pumping water to drink, from the pump on the corner of Bench and 35, and even the pony rides at the little fair in the clearing on Spring Street, are valuable memories for me. I even remember catching tadpoles that grew into frogs in a cup at our cottage while we were out, and sipping honysuckle from the wild plants at our aunt Mayme’s place on Bench, as well as my brother showing me how to drink the spring water. Thank you for this.

By: LLOYD GRIFFIN

LLOYD GRIFFIN — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:39:07 +0000

I ,LLOYD ALSO LOVED LYNXVILLE, MY WIFE AND I SPENT OUR HONEYMOON THERE, CAN YOU IMAGINE THATWE CAME BACK THERE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.WE MOVED TO LACROSSE IN1971. I EVEN RODE MY BIKE FROM LAX TO LYNXONCE TO SEE MY SISTER JESSIE. THE THING I LIKED MOST ABOUT LYNX WAS THE FISHING, IT WAS THE BEST FISHING AREA THAT I EVER EXP.ONE TIME OUR FAMILY WENT TO LYNX FOR A VAC, I DONT REMEMBER HOW OLD MY BRO AND I WERE BUT WE WERE QUITE YOUNG AND OUR MOM TOLD US NOT TO GO DOWN BY THE RIVER WITHOUT HER OR OUR NEW STEP FATHER PERRY STEVENS SO WE SNUCK ACROSS HYWAY 35 TO GO DOWN BY THE RIVER AND AS WE WERE CROSSING THE TRACKS I SAID SOMTHING TO MY BRO AND HE DTD NOT ANSWER ME ITURNED TO SEE HIM A ATRAIN BLEW ITS WHISTLE AND I SAW MY BRO STANDING ON THE TRACKS FROZEN , THIS WAS IN THE SUMMER, I RAN BACK AND DID A FLYING TACKLE ON HIM THE TRAIN FLEW BY AND I LOOKED BACK AT MY FEET AND THEY WERE ABOUT 6 INCHES PAST THE TRACK. IGUESS THE ENGINEER NEVER SAW US BECAUSE HE NEVER EVEN SLOWED DOWN . WHEN WE GOT UP I TOLD MY BRO TO NEVER TELL MOM ABOUT IT , TO JUST FORGET IT HAPPENED SO SHE DIDNT KNOW ABOUT IT TILL AFEW YEARS AGO, AND THATS A GOOD THING BECAUSE WE KEPT GOING BACK TO LYNX .I AM 73 NOW ANDWOULD LOVE TO GO BACK THERE AND ENJOY THAT WONDERFUL RIVER AND THE GREAT MEMORIES OF LYNX

By: Jessie Davis

Jessie Davis — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:38:03 +0000

I will search it out and when I find it I will contact you Jess

By: Vicky Caya-Martin

Vicky Caya-Martin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:56:07 +0000

I would dearly love to see the 100 yr anniversary booklet! I did find this interesting bit of history if anyone is interested...http://www.usgennet.org/usa/wi/county/crawford/history/chap35.htm

By: Jessie Griffin Davis

Jessie Griffin Davis — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:57:24 +0000

My grandfather Frank Griffin was born in Sparta in 1858 and died in Lynxville in 1918. His wife Jessie Withee ( same roots as Withey ) was born in Seneca in 1859 and died in Lynxville in 1922. I am Steve’s mom. My father grew up in Lynxville in the little house of his parents which was expanded by my Aunt Mayme Griffin Allen and Grover Allen in the forties. This house became the Wilhite’s house. Aunt Anna, Maymes sister had owned it after her mother and father Jessie and Frank passed. The first time I remember coming for the summer was 1946 after my father Lloyd died.I was 11 yrs old that summer. We lived in Chicago and Lynxville was a revelation to me. Aunt Mayme let me be free with only the admonition to stay away from the RR tracks. We got to watch the movies shown on a screen across Spring street from the stairway below her house in the evening. I did not like the bats that came out after dark and swooped overhead. I often went down to Caya’s to shop for candy or ice cream. Later when I was grown up we came back to visit Aunt Mayme and ultimately my Mother and I bought the little A Frame that Steve mentioned. We came on vacations as often as possible, with all 7 kids, who were admonished to stay away from the RR tracks. I spent my time searching the genealogy of the Griffins of RI, NY and PA and the Withees of ME. Lynxville was a huge part of my young life. I think of it often. My Mom Gladys and her husband Bill Ryan also spent many weeks there in the summer. Bill died in 1995 at the age of 95 and I think he loved it as much as anyone. My Mom is now approaching 97 yrs of age. We live in an area that has many natural settings like Lynxville in Shasta county CA. I still have a copy of a booklet put out for Lynxville’s 100th anniversary (?) I believe.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:55:39 +0000

Parts of this I could have written. My grandparents owned the cottage at the top of Bench Street, overlooking the Mississippi. I spent my summers there from 1967 to 2000.Same exact thoughts on seeing the Wise Men after the drive up Hwy 35! The power for the wise men was attached to our cottage.