Veterans memorials plentiful in Chippewa County

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By ROD STETZER
Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:45 AM CST

The Chippewa Herald

Many of them displayed bravery under fire by the enemy. Others demonstrated valor.

Ever since the Civil War, Chippewa county residents have come to the defense of their country.

The county is home to two recipients of the military’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor. And even one non-human gained nationwide fame for its wartime exploits.

Hundreds of county residents have died while fighting in the country’s wars. They are honored in several monuments, markers and memorial areas scattered throughout Chippewa County.

Here’s a guide to those areas:

- Chippewa Falls: A veterans memorial marker stands in front of the Chippewa County Courthouse, 711 N. Bridge St.

The marker lists the county’s fallen in past wars, including World War I and World War II.

Inscribed on the marker is the story of Medal of Honor winner Charles E. Mower, who died on Nov. 2, 1944 in a battle near Capoocan, Leyte in the Phillippines.

“Sgt. Mower’s gallant initatives and heroic determination aided materially in the successful completion of his squad’s mission. His magnificent leadership was an inspiration to those with whomp he served,” the Medal of Honor citation says.

The county’s other Medal of Honor winner, Horace A. Ellis, is buried in O’Neil Creek Cemetery in the town of Eagle Point. The private in the 7th Wisconsin Infantry was honored for capturing the flag of the 16th Mississippi on Aug. 21, 1864 at Weldon Railroad, Va.

- Bloomer: The county’s newest veterans memorial is at the entrance of the Bloomer Middle School, on the city’s north side.

More than 2,000 names of veterans from the Bloomer area are inscribed on large blocks of black granite.

A dedication ceremony for the Bloomer Veterans Memorial is planned for later this year.

- Cadott: The Wisconsin Veterans Tribute site at the intersection of Highways 29 and 27 is the most extensive of its kind in Chippewa County.

Dedicated on May 25, 1994, the tribute displays flags from several veterans and military organizations. It displays a M60 U.S. battle tank and a helicopter, which is suspended in air.

Last August, a marker honoring those receiving Purple Heart medals was dedicated at the tribute.

- Jim Falls: Horace Ellis wasn’t the only Civil War hero from Chippewa County.

There was Old Abe the eagle, an inspiration to the Eau Claire company of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry and who was taken into battle from 1861-65.

The bird was captured in northern Wisconsin, taken to Jim Falls and was turned over to become a mascot for the Eau Claire regiment, which later gained fame as the Eagle Regiment.

A monument to the famous bird is at the junction of County S and O in the town of Anson. The Jim Falls Lions Club dedicated the monument in 1990.

Confederates wanted the eagle so much that they offered a bounty for its capture.

“Old Abe is like shorthand for us in the Civil War experience,” said Richard H. Zeitland, author of “Old Abe the War Eagle,” at the monument’s rededication in June 1999.

- Lake Hallie: The best time to view the Hallie Peace Memorial Park is in the spring and summer.

That’s when flags are flown at the site at Business 53 and County OO in the village of Lake Hallie.

The flagpoles form the letter “W,” to honor Wisconsin residents who have lost their lives protecting the lives of others.

Besides veterans, the park honors firefighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies.

- Stanley: Its mission was to protect the seaboards of the United States during World War I.

Now the 7,850-pound gun, a M-1900 Sea Coast Ordnance, guards Soo Line Park in downtown Stanley.

The large guns were used as coast defense pieces from 1890 to 1950.

Stanley’s big gun was dedicated on Memorial Day 1931. It was repainted in May 2004, and now bears a POW-MIA logo and a painted American flag with this inscription: “In honor of all who served.”

Nearby in Stanley is Fandry Park, which has a sign honoring veterans from Stanley and nearby Boyd and a tank.

Western Wisconsin has two major sites honoring veterans.

One is the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery at N4063 Veterans Way in Spooner. The 87-acre cemetery, between Eau Claire and Superior, is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

And Wisconsin tribute to veterans, The Highground, is three miles west of Neillsville on Highway 10 in Clark County. It is open 24 hours a day.

Reach Rod Stetzer at rod.stetzer@lee.net.