to Historic Point Basse. Point Basse is the French term for "low point" or "shallows." For thousands of years, the Native Americans had a trail that ran east and west across the state from Lake Poygan to Black River Falls. They chose Point Basse as the point at which the trail crossed the Wisconsin River.

Albert Ellis, the surveyor general of Wisconsin, felt Point Basse was the premier location for a settlement in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin River provided water access from the settled world. The Pinery Road between Portage and Whitney's Mill provided land access.

Point Basse was located at the beginning of the navigable waters of the Wisconsin River. Rapids or waterfalls frequently interrupted everything upstream of Point Basse. South of Point Basse the Wisconsin River was open to watercraft all the way to the Mississippi River.

What will you find when you visit Point Basse? Check it out...