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The History of Wilson Creek Pottery
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Founded in 1973, Wilson Creek Pottery is housed in an old cheese
factory, one of many family-owned enterprises which dotted rural
Wisconsin in the early 1900's. It was built in the early 1930's
just before rural electrification. |
Wilson Creek Cheese Factory circa
1930 . |
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February, 1973-First view of what was to
become Wilson Creek Pottery. |
When I first saw the building in
the spring of 1973,
it was white stucco
with with red trim on the windows and
doors, and
crumbling red shingles. It
had been vacant for many years, but
for
me, it was perfect. The space was
ample and the setting bucolic.
It just
needed a new roof, different exterior,
insulation, dry walling, a suspended
ceiling, lighting, a furnace, plumbing, a
bathroom and to have the sagging doors
replaced. |
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I bought the place and within weeks I moved in the potter's wheel, clay mixer,
clay and glaze materials and started to build the kiln outside. |
Wilson Creek Pottery in
September of 1973.
The kiln is built but the building
still needs lots of work. |
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Wilson Creek School House |
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The valley is gorgeous and all the neighboring farmers are friendly. They
were a little leery of a gal making pottery in their valley but I worked
hard and over the years have been accepted.
This area was settled by Germans.
Most are Catholic and have farmed the land for over 100 years. When
you drive down the valley you will pass the old white school house.
Many still remember their days there. Many children of the
last generation have stayed in the valley
and built new homes on their family farms. |
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A view from my driveway looking to the west. |
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The prickly pear cactus grows
in a narrow band from Lone
Rock
to Mazomanie. It blooms in
late June and early July in the
sandy soil following the
ancient river bed.
We have rattle snakes too! |
Much has changed over the years in the valley.
We now have
turkeys to watch along with the deer.
Many years ago the DNR swapped some of our
ruffled
grouse for turkeys from Missouri.
Often you will hear a strange
whirring sound
and look up to spot a pair of sandhill cranes flying
low down
the valley.
Not as many families farm the valley any more.
Farming is a little more consolidated and there
are a lot more houses
dotting the hillsides.
The horses are back! Once considered
the
backbone of farming, they
became almost
obsolete when they
became more expensive to
feed and keep
than a tractor. Now, they again
gracefully dot many pastures. |
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When I first moved here in 1973, we had over 60 cheese factories in the
area. Now, most are closed. Here in Wilson Creek, the area farmers
brought their milk, first by horse and wagon, later by truck to this cheese
factory. Cheddar cheese was their main product. The factory
was first owned and operated by Louie and Hilda Hetzel and later
 run
by the Shermans. These days there is little evidence of the original usage
of the building.
It has been a perfect building for a pottery shop.
The part of the
building
where they stored the cheese is my sales
area. The main
cheese processing area is
where I make the pottery. I use the boiler
room
for making glazes and glazing pots.
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 Although only five miles
long, to me,
Wilson Creek is still one of the most
beautiful valleys in southwestern
Wisconsin. Its confines are still filled
with trappings of rural
America-- dairy
farms, Holsteins, fields of corn, wheat
and alfalfa,
hills covered with birches,
maples and oaks and the ever-flowing
Wilson Creek, ambling east to join the
mighty Wisconsin River.
Each season is
distinct, beautiful and special. I enjoy
this land and its simple complexity.
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