Published August 5, 1982 in the Banner Journal of Black River Falls, WI

The following article was reprinted from an article in The La Crosse Tribune, Tuesday August 3 edition.

Land which once was a favorite resting place for pioneers was turned over today to the Gateway Area Council of Boy Scouts by the state Department of Transportation.

The seven wooded acres in Jackson County along old Highway 54 and the Black River will be open to scouts and nonprofit organizations on request, according to Creed Wood, scout executive.

The land near the town of Irving, five miles south of Black River Falls, was donated to the state in 1952 by Thelma (Hoffman) Grogan and her brother, Duane Hoffman of Black River Falls. The highway was rerouted in 1965 and the wayside was closed in 1980 by the state.

The brother and sister then asked the land be turned over to the Boy Scouts and the state agreed.

Hoffman, 78, said the land has a colorful past and is of special significance to his family.

Back in the 1860's, Hoffman said, the site was well known to pioneers.

Trudging alon on foot or horseback, most pioneers traveling between Sparta and Black River Falls ended up at this site for a drink at its spring.

The site soon became a favorite meeting and picnic place. It was also a popular stop for thirsty farmers who had dropped their broken plows off at the blacksmith's shop in the town of Irving.

Farmers who owned land on both sides of the Black River were given crossing rights, rights which are still part of the deed today. With their cattle and horses, the farmers would cross the river at this shallow point to the grazing fields - or what was then called the bottomlands - on the east side.

By the early 1900's, travel between Sparta and Black River Falls had become so heavy in the area that a decision was made to turn the well-traveled path into a road. A contract for the work went to Peter Hoffman, Duane's father.

The elder Hoffman hired temporary workers. When he tried to fire one of them, the worker pulled out a gun and shot, killing the elder Hoffman, his son said.

The shooting upset area folks enough that the Jackson County Board decided to put a marker on the site honoring Peter Hoffman. The granite rock, pulled from the bottom of the nearby Black River, is still in place.

The Boy Scouts will name the site the Hoffman Pioneer Park. A gateway to the camp is being erected today.

The site is expected to become a primary overnight stop for scouts on Black River canoe trips, Wood said.