05/21/2026
Visit Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters Historic Site, Portage, WI, for "Becoming Wisconsin" - an America 250 event! Preserving and operating this historic site has been a cherished part of the Wisconsin Society DAR mission with support from donors and volunteers since 1939.
On Sunday, June 7, Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters Historic Site in Portage will present “Becoming Wisconsin: A Revolutionary Path,” sharing pivotal moments and lives that shaped the state’s early history.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors are invited to move among five “stations” to hear stories of “Rivers and Lakes,” “Patriot Memorial Garden,” “A Fur Trader and His Family,” “The Arrival of Fort Winnebago” and “Frontier Life.” The stories will explore ties to America’s 250th anniversary.
Free tours of the log cabin and Garrison School, which recently underwent a flooring restoration, will be offered until 3:30 p.m. Refreshments will be available from the Screamin’ Zeman food truck.
Historical interpreters and presenters include Reed Perkins, Wisconsin historian, genealogist and author; Scott Dyer, a social studies instructor at Eleva-Strum High School in Trempeleau County; Ella Alreuter, a member of the WauBun Chapter, NSDAR; Paul Wolter, executive director of the Sauk County Historical Society; and Cliff Nieuwenhuis, a Revolutionary War re-enactor and historical interpreter.
“We are excited to host this event during our nation’s 250th year,” said Site Curator Mitzi Schwertfeger. “Although Fort Winnebago was not built until the early 19th century, its people and traditions have direct ties back to the American Revolution. This program will be fun and educational for the entire family. Please join us as we tell the stories of the men and women who made Wisconsin — and America.”
Located at 1824 State Road 33 in Portage, Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters Historic Site overlooks the point where Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette left the Fox River to portage to the Wisconsin River in 1673. It includes the Surgeons Quarters log cabin where U.S. Army surgeons resided from 1834-54 and the Garrison School, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1850. The cabin has been listed on the Register of Historic Places since 1970.
Owned by the Wisconsin Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters Historic Site is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday through mid-October.
For more information about the historic site or the June 7 America 250 event, email [email protected], visit www.fortwinnebagosurgeonsquarters.org or call (608) 742-2949.
