Shades of Death!!!

We had a GSD when I was a teenager.  She was the best dog.  Her name was Apache.  My previous philosophy was "small dogs aren't real dogs"!  But since then I've found myself owned by a miniature Dachshund.  He just turned 13, weighs about 14 lbs and has been the best dog I've ever had.  He loves to go fishing with me.  I love to catch small brim.  I will take them off the hook and put them on the floor of the boat and Willie will pick up the fish (very gently) and will drop the fish back into the water.  Most amazing thing I've ever seen.  One of these days I HAVE to get it on video cuz most people don't believe this.  He sired 8 puppies with our female and we still have 5 of his pups (who are 7 years old now).  We were stunned when Gretchen delivered 8 healthy pups since this is quite unusual for her breed.  3 of the boys are our regular camping companions.  I can't imagine having another breed now.  These guys don't know they are little dogs.  But I will always have a fondness for the GSD breed.  They are beautiful and I love to watch them move.  They have a very distinct gate that I find very pleasant to watch.

One story of the area attributes the illusion of deep
shadows beneath the nearly unbroken canopy of
these forests and the eerie feeling projected by the
“black forest” as the reason for the early name, “The
Shades of Death.” Other people, however, say the
name resulted due to the warlike Native Americans
who occupied this natural stronghold along Sugar
Creek and the legend of an early settler being killed.
Another story that contributed to the gloomy name
claimed that a young settler’s wife buried an axe in
her wicked husband’s head. Finally the “Shades of
Death” name, considered unsavory, was dropped to
simply “The Shades.” These examples of the legends
and folklore of the area are often topics for campfires
at naturalist activities.

 

The results of a government survey of 1815 noted
as landmarks a series of natural springs in a ravine
area that played an important part in the history of
Shades. In 1886, the Garland Dells Mineral Springs
Association was organized and land was purchased
and rented to develop a health resort and recreation
area named “The Shades.” In 1887 a 40-room inn was
built on the location of the shelter house near Devil’s
Punchbowl (this inn has since been razed because
of fire damage and maintenance costs).

 

The person who had been named the “Father of
Shades,” Joseph W. Frisz, purchased stock in the
Dells Mineral Springs Association in 1909 and gained
complete control in 1916 of this Association. Frisz
safeguarded the natural areas and dense forests,
while purchasing additional tracts of land, until the
late 1930s. Shades scenic park comprised 2,200
acres. The park boasted the scenic inn set in a grove
of mature oak trees, hiking trails, swimming, fishing
and natural spring water.

 

In early 1947, the park was purchased from Frisz’s
heirs by a holding company until a public subscription
campaign (“Save the Shades”) raised the purchase
money. Shades became the 15th state park and was
hence saved from the timber cutters, who would have
used the majority of the oak timber for whiskey barrels.

 

 

The above copied from the free brochure (available in the link or in person), but 1/2 of which is printed upside-down, on the web site.