Sons of Norway- Mandt Lodge will host a program on “Rockdale Mill History” by Richard Moen
at their January 8 meeting at 7:00 PM. The lodge is located at 317 South Page Street in Stoughton.
Rockdale Mill played a key role in Norwegian immigrant settlement of southeastern Dane County from 1844 onward, Situated at the point of entry to Koshkonong Prairie on the lead-hauling trail between southwestern Wisconsin and the port of Milwaukee, Rockdale became the economic and social hub of the area. Rockdale Mill provided early settlers with lumber, grist for livestock feed, flour, and carding to prepare wool for spinning. Its 70-acre millpond extended more than a mile upstream and was flanked by limestone ridges that offered abundant supplies of stones and timber for building the mill and the village. This oral and graphic presentation will highlight construction of the dam and mill, notable owners, adaptations to changes in farming techniques and watershed conditions, and its final demise. This presentation is substantially revised from the Rockdale Mill history given previously to Koshkonong Prairie Historical Society to appeal to a broader audience of Mandt Lodge members and guests. Richard Moen is a descendant of early immigrant families settling on Koshkonong Prairie and Albion Prairie in the 1840s. Offering a wealth of Rockdale history, he is one of many Rockdalians with intimate knowledge of the mill and its environs since the latter half of the 1950s. He also assisted the owners in the final disposition of the mill in the late 1990s and then its redevelopment as part of CamRock County Park. Refreshments will be served! Everyone is welcome and no reservations needed!