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These images were made June 8, 2021, during a visit to Tower Hill State Park, located along the Lower Wisconsin Riverway in Iowa County, Wisconsin. The park lies within the Driftless Area, a region of the American Midwest that remained ice-free through three successive ice ages.
Tower Hill State Park features the reconstructed Helena Shot Tower, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original shot tower was built in 1832 atop a sandstone cliff with a 60-foot drop manufactured lead shot until 1860. The shot tower was significant in the settlement and prosperity of southwestern Wisconsin, which was known for lead-mining.
Shot towers harness the effects of surface tension on liquids in free-fall. Lead droplets poured through a strainer at the top of a tower or shaft become spherical as they fall and cool in this shape during their descent. The pellets are caught in a water basin to finish cooling.
The tower's smelting house contains exhibits about the construction and use of the shot tower. Other historic structures in the park include a pavilion and a gazebo. The park has 2 miles of trails.
Photos by Kerry G. Hill, 2021. © All rights reserved. Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.