It is mid morning of a warm summer day in 1940. A young mailman is on the third floor of his mail post looking out, his view consists almost 100 miles in every direction. He was tired, knowing he should have already began on his mail route, but doing this everyday, all day, 7 days a week was beginning to take a toll on him.
From mail posts to a town park the Elk Mound castle has served many different people. The castle and the area around it has been many different things throughout its time, but it has always been a proud and beautiful place for visitors and residents of Elk Mound.
“Sitting as it does on what is reportedly the second highest point in Wisconsin, the view from the “castle” that overlooks the village of Elk Mound is truly an awe-inspiring sight,” stated an article from the Dunn County News website.
The Elk Mound Castle sits 1220 ft above sea level according to the Village of Elk Mound’s website. It was first constructed in 1937 as a Works Progress Administration aid project for men who needed a job during the great depression. The men who built it paved the road to the top, made picnic tables, built outhouses, and constructed the castle. The castle was built to be about 25 feet high, with three stories. It was made out of stones that were hauled in by wheelbarrows from the Downsville creek bed as well as scrap materials from the village.
“The sturdy structure remains a treasured landmark,” stated in the History of Elk Mound, WI by Marvin and Charlotte Cartwright.
When the castle was first built it was used as a mail post that consisted of a kitchen, dining room, and an observation deck. After years of use the mail post eventually was moved down the hill into the village. The castle then sat for many years allowing for destruction and vandalism. It wasn’t until 1953 that the castle had to be closed down due to liability concerns related to the vandalism and safety concerns of the road way to the castle.
“... there had been several car accidents because of poor guard rails,” which was also stated in the previously mentioned book.
Before the castle was built the land itself held some high honors, according to an article written by the Dunn County News, before there was a castle, the ‘mound’ was inhabited by many elk which lead the area to its name, Elk Mound. Another thing the article mentioned was that the hill was a place where the war council of the Chippewa and Black Hawk Indians met and had a stationed lookout.
Long before it became a mere castle of concrete and rock, it stood with wisdom and worth. The Elk Mound castle has a cascading impact on the history of Elk Mound, influencing many lives. When visiting the top of the castle there is a memorial to the fallen mailcarryers of the surrounding area.