Verse 08


General notes on Verse 8

 

 

Interpretation

Lines Interpretation(s)

View the three stories of Mitchell

- Mitchell Hall is a three-story building located on the corner of E. Kenwood Blvd. and N. Downer Ave on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  It is the closest campus building to Lake Park.

 

As you walk the beating of the world

- This has always been assumed to be a reference to East Kenwood Blvd., which passes by Mitchell Hall, but finding the correct connection took some time. 

- Early in the search, people thought that "beat" might be a reference to the stereo maker Kenwood, possibly in connection with an ad campaign of the 1980's.

- The reality is that this is almost certainly a reference to the Kenwood "Electric Chef" mixer that was advertised as the "Kitchen WORLD BEATER" (see magazine ad below).

 

At a distance in time

From three who lived there

- The "three who lived here" could refer to Downer, Hackett and Shepard streets east of the UWM campus.  Those three streets were named after some of Milwaukee's most prominent early citizens.

 

At a distance in space

From woman, with harpsichord

Silently playing

- "Woman with harpsichord" might mean Marietta Robusti (1560? – 1590), whose self-portrait shows her by a harpsichord.  That would make this a reference to Marietta Avenue, another street east of UWM.

 

Step on nature

- This suggests we should enter Lake Park, a large natural area on the edge of Lake Michigan.

 

Cast in copper

- This could refer to Lincoln Memorial Drive, which runs along the east side of Lake Park.  The connection would be reasonable because a penny is made of copper and the back of a penny shows the Lincoln Memorial.

 

Ascend the 92 steps

- Go up the 92 steps of the Grand Staircase in Lake Park. (For anyone who wants to count the 92 steps, there is a post on the Q4T forum that documents every step.)

 

After climbing the grand 200

- "The grand 200" is thought to be a reference to the Grand Staircase because, when viewed from above, the outline of the staircase is a double C.  Two C's in Roman numerals equal 200.

 

Pass the compass and reach

The foot of the culvert

- The word "compass" has many meanings.  The two most common uses would be for the navigational tool and the tool used for drawing circles and arcs.  We are probably looking for a representation of a compass, rather than an actual one.

- At this point in Interpretation #2, the path splits in two, with one route leading north and the other leading south.

Turning Right: North Route Turning Left: South Route

- This interpretation assumes that the compass in question is part of the Masonic symbol that appears on the lampposts at the top of the staircase. If we pass that compass at the top of the stairs, then the "culvert" should be very nearby.  Heading north from the top of staircase, one would almost immediately cross the Lake Park Footbridge.  There is a culvert at the northwest corner of the bridge that drains water and also provides access to a hiking trail that passes under the bridge.

- In this interpretation, the two spheres being juggled in Image 10 would represent the two large circles formed by the concrete at either end of the bridge.

- This interpretation assumes a much longer trip and attaches a different interpretation to the "compass."  Heading south from the top of the staircase, there is a path leading along the edge of the golf course to the North Point Lighthouse.  The lighthouse would be a plausible match for "compass" because of the name ("North Point") and the fact that a navigational compass points to the north.

- There are two ravines that go down the hill from the North Point Lighthouse.  "Culvert" could refer to either the north or south ravine.

- In this interpretation, the two spheres being juggled in Image 10 could represent the markers for the tee areas on the golf course.

 

Below the bridge

Walk 100 paces

Southeast over rock and soil

- Below the Lake Park Footbridge there is a hiking trail that leads down the slope, following the side of East Ravine Road as it runs southeast.

- The name of the trail is the Locust Street Ravine Trail, which might tie in with the image of the cicada nymph hidden in Image 10.

- The two ravines by the lighthouse are spanned by a pair of historic bridges called the North and South Lion Bridges.  The two trails that pass under them are the North and South Lighthouse Ravine Trails.  Both run in a southeast direction.

- Even after choosing a ravine, it isn't clear where the count of "100 paces" would begin.

 

To the first young birch

Pass three, staying west

You'll see a letter from the country

Of wonderstone's hearth

On a proud, tall fifth

At its southern foot

- The "birch" is presumably a tree.  It isn't clear whether the subsequent "three" and the "proud, tall fifth" would also be birches or would simply be other trees.

- "Staying west' presumably means that we should not cross Lincoln Memorial Drive.

- It isn't clear what would represent a "letter from the country of wonderstone's hearth." A series of Girl Scout Markers were placed on trees to mark hiking trails in Lake Park in 1981, but there is no convincing explanation for how they might relate to the verse.

- If we find that fifth tree (or birch) the treasure is apparently buried at the base on the south side.

 

The treasure waits.

- The route down the hiking trail along East Ravine Road will take one toward the intersection with Lincoln Memorial Drive.  Near the final tree before the intersection, there is a large cement disk similar to the millstone shown in Image 10.  The disk may be a clue to confirm that we are in the right place.

 

- There may not be any physical marker left to indicate the tree in the North or South Lighthouse Ravine.

 

 

Lake Park Locust Street Trail Route

 This map shows the most important locations along the final stretch of the Lake Park Locust Street Trail Route.

 

A

"Step on nature / Cast in copper"

At this point, one would be coming south through Lake Park on Lincoln Memorial Drive.

B

"Ascend the 92 steps"

Go up the 92 steps of the Grand Staircase.

C

"After climbing the grand 200 / Pass the compass and reach / The foot of the culvert"

After going up the Grand Staircase, go past the Masonic compass symbol on the lamppost and cross the Lake Park Footbridge.  On the far side there is a culvert that leads down to the Locust Street Ravine Trail.

D

"Below the bridge"

After the culvert joins the trail, follow the trail under the Lake Park Footbridge.

E

"Walk 100 paces / Southeast over rock and soil"

Following the Locust Street Trail downhill (to the southeast) brings one to the concrete structure that resembles the millstone in Image 10.  The tree where the casque is buried is somewhere nearby.

 

 

Pass the compass...

Many of the lamp posts in Lake Park, including the ones at the top of the Grand Staircase, have electrical access panels that show a Masonic symbol.  There is a letter "G" with a compass (the kind used to draw circles) above and below it.

   

 

 

 

Below the bridge / Walk 100 paces / Southeast over rock and soil...

The Locust Street Trail runs southeast as it passes under the footbridge and descends to Lincoln Memorial Drive.  The trail has flat sections of soil interspersed with stone steps, as shown in the photos below.

 

 

 

 

To the first young birch / Pass three, staying west

"Staying west" tells us that we should reach the correct tree without crossing Lincoln Memorial Drive.  There are currently no living birch trees along that stretch of the trail, but if you look in the overgrown area between the trail and the road you can still see the stumps with the distinctive white bark and horizontal lenticels, as shown in the photos below.  There were clearly birch trees here at one time and we may still be able to determine which one was the "proud, tall fifth."

 

 

 

The photo below was discovered by wiki user Barbara Ali in the archives of the Milwaukee County Historical Society.  It shows the Lake Park Footbridge from the perspective of someone standing at the southwest corner and looking across East Ravine Road at the Locust Street Ravine Trail on the far side.  The photo was apparently taken by an instructor at UWM in the 1970s.  The clump of birch trees in the foreground show that there were birches in the ravine at that time and that shapes were carved into the bark on at least some of them.

(Note that this picture shows urn balustrades below the handrail on the bridge.  The balustrades were replaced with poured concrete walls sometime before 2008.)

 

Other Notes:

 

 

Image Matches

A possible "woman, with harpsichord Silently playing" on the south side of the Pabst Theater.

 

 
Pabst Theatre: Milwaukee ~ WI ~ Details