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Friday, July 12, 2013

Wisconsin State Capitol

We got to see the Wisconsin State Capitol on Sunday.  We drove over from Lake Redstone for a day trip.  It was mostly empty but they had a great pamphlet "Tour Narration".
Wisconsin became a territory in 1836 and was admitted to the Union in 1848.
Norwegians in Wisconsin honored one of their own from the Civil War - Hans Christian Heg who fell in 1863 at Chickamauga.

The rotunda is gorgeous!  The whole building is gorgeous.  43 different type of stone from six other countries and eight states were used in construction.
This is the third and final capitol building.  The first two were destroyed by fire and / or  damaged severely.  
This was started in 1906 and completed in 1917 at a cost of $7.25 million.

Inside from the center of the first floor looking upward, you can see the inside of the dome.
The painting inside is 200 feet about the ground floor.

None of the chambers were open but we walked upstairs for a peek inside.
 Looking down on the marble floor, we could see more of the beautiful colors.
The archways and intricate detail work was fantastic.
 The upstairs observatory was open.  Around the inside of the walkway there are more artifacts on display telling the story of the capitol.

We climbed the top of the stairs and went outside.
 The view down onto the streets of Madison was scenic.
From up there, we could see more of the stone sculptures looking down on the grounds.

The self-guided tour of the Wisconsin State Capitol was interesting and well worth the time.  We're glad we saw it.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles today!
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5 comments:

  1. RexJuly 12, 2013 at 9:43 AM

    Since you like the capitol buildings, there are a couple of other similar buildings I think you would enjoy. One is the Boone County Indiana Court House. The pillars on the north and south side are or were the largest 1 piece stone columns in the world and the rotunda is also very nice.
    The other is in St. Louis, MO and is the Cathedral Basilica on Lindell Blvd. I am not Catholic, but regardless of ones religion, that is a building worth seeing. They have tours or you can just walk in and wonder around. It took 30 years to complete the ceiling which depicts various religious scenes.

    Please be careful on the road. Rex

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    Replies
    1. Roadrunner ChroniclesJuly 12, 2013 at 10:18 AM

      Yes - one of our goals has become going to each state. So far this year we have seen Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.
      Thanks for the tips on the Boone County Courthouse and the Cathedral. We will have to take a look when we are nearby.
      Thanks for you comments!

      Delete
  2. RexJuly 12, 2013 at 9:44 AM

    Make that wander.

    Sorry,
    Rex

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  3. Steve and Karen July 12, 2013 at 11:34 AM

    Thanks Randy for the nice review and picture of the Wisconsin state capitol. That's another one to put on our list.

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  4. Janice Williford EvansJuly 12, 2013 at 11:49 AM

    love the header pic. . .never thought of taking a shot of that angle. . .will hafta try it at the New York Statehouse this week. . .really great post!

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