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Back roads from Wisconsin's past

LeeAnne Bulman For Agri-View
Nov 4, 2020
Nov 4, 2020

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A barn is the oldest structure in Bloomingdale in Vernon County, Wisconsin.

LeeAnne Bulman/For Agri-View

The Bloomingdale church, which started as Methodist-Episcopal, is well-kept even though regular services are no longer held there.

LeeAnne Bulman/For Agri-View

The second school built in Bloomingdale was two stories; it was used until 1958 when it was replaced with a more-modern structure.

Contributed

The Morterud store burned after a lightning strike in 1917. A new store had a light plant, ice plant, indoor plumbing and glass show windows.

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LeeAnne Bulman For Agri-View

BLOOMINGDALE, Wis. – The blooming of wild plum trees caught the eye of early settlers in Vernon County, Wisconsin, and is usually credited for the name of Bloomingdale. The first residents to the town were from Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, in the east-central part of the country. In their language Blomdalen means “flower valley.”

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LeeAnne Bulman writes about agriculture from her farm overlooking the beautiful Danuser Valley on Wisconsin’s west coast. When not writing she helps her husband on their small grain and beef farm.

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Bloomingdale, Wisconsin map

Bloomingdale sits along and extends across the West Kickapoo River, surrounded by bluffs in the Driftless Area region of western Wisconsin.

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