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JB Bremer, who spearheaded a chimney-restoration project, holds a piece of pottery he found from the Civilian Conservation Corps camp.
Jason Myers adds stones to the chimney. Bremer described fitting the stones like a jigsaw puzzle, needing to find the correct shape and size.
Mark Beseler tuckpoints the chimney.
From left, Mark Beseler, JB Bremer and Ted Tollefson take a break from work on the chimney.
Tim Salwey, a carpenter, builds a frame for an information sign; he also rebuilt the mantle.
The largest water-diversionary structure built by the Soil Conservation Service branch of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Midwest is still being used at Cochrane.
The restored chimney sits in a pasture along Wisconsin Highway 88 in Buffalo County, 5 miles north of Wisconsin Highway 35.
A water tower sits in Buffalo City, Wisconsin, in the center of the town's park. Camp Cochrane workers built it.
Jake Abts works at tuckpointing. At 93 years old, he was the oldest and most knowledgeable worker on the project.
A finished sign and flagpole explain the reason for the chimney, along with the history of te Civilian Conservation Corps' Camp Cochrane.
A trip to the chimney with his children gives JB Bremer the idea to preserve the Civilian Conservation Corps chimney for future generations. At the start of renovations the chimney desperately needed restoration.
CAMP COCHRANE, Wis. – When JB Bremer sees a need in his community, he tries his best to fill it. Having spent his life driving past the lonely stone chimney in Gene Baker’s pasture along Wisconsin Highway 88, he decided to do something about preserving the historic structure.
LeeAnne Bulman
LeeAnne Bulman writes about agriculture from her farm overlooking the beautiful Danuser Valley on Wisconsin’s west coast. Email genwim2@gmail.com to reach her.
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When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933, more than 25 percent of the population was unemployed. FDR’s “New Deal” programs…
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