OAHT 1517: Aunt Polly’s Wash Tub & Area 67
This Geocache WAS part of the 2015 Oconomowoc Area Historical Tour:
Aunt Polly’s Wash Tub
Aunt Polly’s Wash Tub is a soft water pond that was once part of Pabst Farms owned by Fred Pabst. The pond derived its name from local resident Mrs. Polly Gage who did her washing here. The fact that the water in this pond was of extreme softness made it ideal for laundry purposes. In the winter the Pabst family and employees would go ice-skating on the pond. When the ice was clear of snow, skaters could see the goldfish that Fred had stocked in the pond swimming beneath their skates.
This area is now a nature park owned by the City of Oconomowoc.
“Area 67”
1906 - The early farm also marked the advent of purebred Holstein cattle in the Pabst Farms breeding program. The breeding and development of prize Holsteins continued throughout the century. Since its beginning the Pabst Farms program has been built around great sires and their sons, and the best female lines in the herd. Beginning with such famous sires as Hengerveld De Kol and Pontiac Korndyke, an unbroken line of Gold Medal sires continued to weave the pattern of Pabst bloodlines.
For the last several years just to the west of this area to Hwy 67, cows would suddenly appear. Then a few days later they would disappear. Not everyone in the area would see these cows. A few of us locals called this “Area 67”. We recently found out that a farmer would bring his cows by trailer, drop them off in the fenced area and would come back in a few days to pick them up. He did this because of how “rich” the grass was for his cows to graze on, similar to years ago.
Coordinates will take you to WP1, the first place to start. This is a nature park, terrain may be uneven. Please do a “tick” check when you are finished.
Permission was granted to hide this cache by: Bryan Spencer Parks & Forestry Superintendent