The Henry S. Reuss Ice Age Visitor Center has exhibits on Wisconsin's Ice Age Parks and Trail. It is the Kettle Moraine State Forest Northern Unit headquarters.
The Exhibit Room in the Ice Age Visitor Center introduces visitors to four successively advancing and retreating 1-mile (1.61-kilometer) thick ice sheets which covered one-third of Planet Earth's surface. The sheets occurred when snow accumulation remained after warm-weather melts. They took place following worldwide cooling of 1+ million years ago.
The last Ice Age began 110,000 years ago. It peaked 18,000 years ago. The final thaw took place 12,000 to 10,000 years ago.The last stage was named the Wisconsin Glacial Age. It was preceded by the Illinoian, Kansan and Nebraskan glaciations.
Each glaciation changed the landscape north of Cross Plains. The village is the glacier's stopping point. It therefore lacks such glaciated hallmarks as:
The word drumlins comes from the ancient Irish Gaelic for the ridge of a hill. Drumlins form into long, narrow mounds of clay and rock. They have the teardrop shape of one rounded end and one tapered. The narrow end indicates the direction of ice flow.
The word eskers comes from the ancient Irish Gaelic for a ridge separating two plains. These long, winding gravelly ridges cross rolling landscapes. They identify places where water flowed through tunnels within the stagnant ice.The best known of Wisconsin's eskers is the Parnell Esker accessible by the Ice Age and Parnell Tower Trails.
The Scots word kame designates cone-shaped, steep-sided hills. Kames form from water falling through vertically-fractured shafts in ice. The water moves debris from above to below ground. Gravel and sand remain when the long-stagnant glacier melts. Many kames stand
100+ feet (30.48+ meters) tall. Kames and kettles typify Kettle Moraine State Forest's landscape.
Kettles are depressions which pock the landscape. They form from the melting of ice blocks buried deep within rubbled surfaces. They measure 12 feet (3.66 meters) to 2+ miles 3218.69+-meters) in diameter. Some depressions remain dry. Others will accumulate water, to become lakes and ponds, such as Bear and Greenbush Kettle Lakes.
The word moraine comes from the Vulgate Latin murrum for "round object." Moraines jumble loose rocks and soil assumed and abandoned by active glaciers. End moraines look ridge-like, such as the Kettle Moraine. Ground moraines measure 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) to 100+ feet (30.48+ meters).
Outwashes are level plains. They form from the moving of gravel and ice by glacial melt. Melt-water moves in broad, shallow channels. It stops pushing boulders, clay, gravel, sand or silt once its momentum slows. One consequence will be built-up rich farmland, as in the Jersey Flats area of Lake Winnebago.
Lapham Peak Unit; Loew Lake Unit
Kettle Moraine State Forest is in southeastern Wisconsin. It is known for glacial landforms and hilly terrain. It spreads 100 miles (160,934.4 meters) over five units.
The Lapham Peak Unit lies south of Delafield, in Washington County. It offers hiking trails and an observation tower.
The Loew Lake Unit of Washington County includes a small recreation area in the town of Erin on the Oconomowoc River. It offers hiking, horse riding, and hunting.
Northern Unit
The northern unit extends from near Glenbeulah in the north to near Kewaskum in the east. It goes into Fond du Lac, Sheboygan and Washington Counties. It includes:
Pike Lake Unit
The Pike Lake Unit is accessed by Highway 60 between the city of Hartford and the village of Slinger. It offers biking, camping, hiking, swimming, and observation-tower viewing.
Southern Unit
The southern unit extends from near North Prairie southwestward to Whitewater Lake. It includes Old World Wisconsin's (https://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/) collection of model nineteenth-century homesteads. It offers boating and camping at Ottawa and Whitewater Lake Recreation Areas.
All units can be accessed through the Ice Age Trail of the glacier's furthest advance into Wisconsin during the last Ice Age. In 1980 and by the National Trails Systems Act (Public Law 90 543, 1968), Congress designated the trail a national scenic trail to be protected for its natural beauty. The designation reminds everyone of the efforts of:
Parnell Tower can be accessed by vehicle or on foot. It is accessible by the county highway intersection with Kettle View Drive. It also may be accessed by biking, cross-country skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling trails. Additionally, its access overlaps with the Ice Age Trail near backpack camping shelter number 4.
Between the entrance and the tower is the parking area. Visitors may choose to access drinking water, facilities, grills, or picnic tables before heading to the tower. The hike will take no more than what the individual or group needs to walk about 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometer) if the route is taken strictly to make the round-trip of parking lot-tower-parking lot.
The tower affords the highest point of elevation -- 1,311 feet (399.59 meters) -- within the forest's northern unit. It began its life as a fire lookout tower for early reporting and extinguishing of wildfires. But it now functions as a scenic observation tower for state forest visitors.The tower's wood structure measures a total of 60 feet (18.29 meters). It offers a 25-mile (40.23-kilometer) view from all sightseeing perspectives on clear days. The view will convey to visitors the general economic use which glaciated landscapes have for Wisconsinites: development of farmland and growth of deciduous and pine forests.
The view from the tower often inspires visitors to take time out for the Parnell Tower hiking trail. The hiking trail loops 3.5 miles (5.63 kilometers) through woodlands characterized by abundantly and densely growing red maple (Acer rubrum) and red oak (Quercus rubra) trees. The tower trail provides views of the forest's pine (Pinus spp) plantation to the north and of the forest's marshes and swamps to the northwest. The trail supplies visitors with frequent sightings of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), turkeys (Mealeagris gallopavo), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).
The Ice Age Center can be accessed from Wisconsin Highway 67. It is in Campbellsport, near the
unincorporated community of Dundee. Dundee is located within the town of Osceola. Osceola is named after Florida Seminole Chief Osceola (Creek Asi-yahola [English: "yaupon holly ceremonial black drink" + "shouter"]), who was born Billy Powell (1804-January 30, 1838) in Talisi (Tallassee), Alabama to English trader William Powell and Polly Coppinger of Creek Native American and Scots-Irish parentage.
Osceola's first permanent European settlers probably arrived in 1845. In February 1854, E.M. McIntosh platted, recorded and named Dundee (Celtic: Dùn Dè; English: "fort" + "fire"), in honor of the city in Scotland. In 1855, he and Stephen Palmer put the finishing touches on Dundee's first dam and sawmill. By 1858, a flouring mill was functional thanks to William and Leroy Palmer. By 1880, there were Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed churches; a post office; and the business opportunities of the Brokmeyer cattle fair and Dundee Hotel.
Dundee and Osceola are known for scenery and wildlife. Both give excellent views of Dundee Mountain, to the northeast. Additionally, Dundee is located within Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit, which includes the Ice Age Center. Through Dundee also passes the 115-mile (185.07-kilometer) Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive.
The drive begins in the Whitewater area of Jefferson and Walworth Counties and ends northwest of Elkhart Lake in Sheboygan County's Broughton Marsh Park. It mainly consists of county and local roads. It is intended to link the state forest's northern and southern units. In order to do so, it passes through the Wisconsin counties of:
The visit to Dundee therefore can be the charmed starting-point and the picturesque ending-point to adventures into Wisconsin's super-cold past through forays into Ice Age-related centers, drives, natural areas, and trails.
My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.
Henry S Reuss Ice Age Visitor Center near Dundee: headquarters of northern unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ReussIceAgeVisitorCenter.jpg
Note winter pack ice's extension further south than now: Hannes Grobe-Alfred Wegener Institute Polar/Marine Research-Bremerhaven, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern_icesheet-fr.png
designated as Ramsar Site #511 on 4/12/90 for importance for nesting and international spring/fall flyway: Ryan Hagerty/US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public Domain, via USFWS Digital Library @ https://digitalmedia.fws.gov/digital/collection/natdiglib/id/8993
Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area: The Cut, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/63875512@N04/6612597909/
Devil's Lake and its soaring bluffs: Robin Davies (newlow), CC BY 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/newlow/2942736580/
7 Hills Road, Mount Calvary, east central Wisconsin, north of Henry S Reuss Ice Age Visitor Center: Royal Broil (royal_broil), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/royal_broil/2578823275/
kame's distinctive conical shape: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, CC BY ND 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/widnr/6587805463/
glacial kame hovering behind cornfield: Royal Broil (royal_broil), C BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/royal_broil/8265044337/
a kettle, or pothole, lake in Eagle Oak Opening State Natural Area (No.66), Waukesha County, Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit: Joshua Mayer (wackybadger), CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/wackybadger/4580685854/
bouldered moraine along Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Devil's Lake: Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources, CC BY-ND 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/widnr/6550537591/.
view from Lapham Peak Unit Lookout Tower: Wisconsin Dept Natural Resources, CC BY-ND 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/widnr/6582429393/
Spruce Lake Bog State Natural Area: Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources, CC BY-ND 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/widnr/6583098929/
Pike Lake: Michael Pereckas (Beige Alert), CC BY 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/beigephotos/6067301819/
Old World Wisconsin, a popular historic attraction in Kettle Moraine State Forest's Southern Unit: Randen Pederson (chefranden), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OldWorldWisconsinRaspberrySchoolHouse.jpg; originally via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/48394718@N00/272791990
Oak Opening State Natural Area (No. 229), Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Public Domain, via NPS Ice Age National Scenic Trail @ http://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=696BF7AA-155D-4519-3EDAA2ADA723FC33
Congressman Henry S. Reuss wrote about trailing the ice age: US House of Representatives, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_S._Reuss.jpg
Dalles of the St. Croix River, Interstate State Park: 123dieinafire, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dalles_Of_St_Croix.jpg
Parnell Observation Tower: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ParnellTower2007.jpg
spectacular bird's eye views from Parnell Tower: Aaron Cantleberry, CC BY ND 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaroncantleberry/5766762920/
Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive, LaGrange, Walworth County, southeastern Wisconsin: Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources, CC BY-ND 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/widnr/6582434171/
1838 oil on canvas by George Catlin (July 26, 1796-December 23, 1872): Smithsonian American Art Museum, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Osceola.jpg
stand of paper birch (Betula papyreus), Milwaukee River Tamarack Lowlands and Dundee Kame State Natural Area (no. 256): Joshua Mayer (wackybadger), CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/wackybadger/4596896443/
kame in Kettle Moraine State Forest: Abloe428, Public Domain, via Wikibooks @ https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/File:Kame.jpg
Butler Lake and Flynn's Spring State Natural Area (No. 257), Kettle Moraine State Forest Northern Unit: Joshua Mayer (wackybadger), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/wackybadger/5563306568/
"Mill Bluff State Park: Geology." Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources>Topics>Wisconsin State Park System. Last revised: Wednesday October 3, 2012.
Staudacher, James. "Ice Age summer: my 1,000 mile hike on the Ice Age Trail." Wisconsin Magazine Of History. Volume 90, Issue 3 (2006-2007).
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Comments
DerdriuMarrinerJun 16, 2026
A book for Collins Bartholomew Ltd., Collins imprint and Smithsonian Books from Tue., Oct. 7, 2008 broaches what the green-and-white island bares about and bears as Ice-Age building and broken-up blocks.
The afore-considered publication counts as another book completed by author Deborah Cramer.
Is the totality of its 296 pages impressive, informative, interesting?
Yes, its images, information and maps matter in their matching modern global thaw and its ancient predecessors!
DerdriuMarrinerJun 11, 2026
The DNR gives the best-preserved deposits and landforms as -- of course -- Nebraska even as it guides us to the Nebraska-neighborly, Nebraska-surrounding states.
So would that be all or some states from neighboring South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming?
DerdriuMarrinerJun 11, 2026
It's interesting that Kansas state impels a terminal "s" even as Kansan iterates none!
What might manifest if we match each state with its adjectival mustering?
DerdriuMarrinerJun 11, 2026
The DNR equates that glaciation with best-preserved deposits and landforms in the Wisconsinian neighbor Illinois!
Now what happened to the "s" in Illinoian even as Illinois hosts a terminal "s"!
DerdriuMarrinerJun 11, 2026
What does the DNR designate as 75,000- to 11,000-year-old landform and rock records?
Such iconic Unitedstatesian-Midwestern features as the Great Lakes, drumlins!
DerdriuMarrinerJun 11, 2026
So does the evidence deemed most developed and dazzling designate the states Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska?
Yes!
And wouldn't that work as a wonderful bonus-point easy question on a geology exam or quiz?
DerdriuMarrinerJun 5, 2026
One such concern considers proper names as caused by name-holder chores.
The German-language interpretation is iterated in terms of the last-name Reuss.
A German spelling suggests Rieß, said with the French, not the Spanish, r, as reess.
How would Rieß work as an English-language surname? Cobbler!.