The lost tent colony of Madison

Did you know that hundreds of students & their family members camped along the shore of Lake Mendota every year, for 50 years, to attend summer sessions at UW Madison?

Tent Colony Woods provided affordable housing for many from 1912- 1962. Summer residents erected tents & shanties, students studied in makeshift study halls (the only structures with power) and families swam, fished and boated. Each year, the Colony elected officials, including a mayor, clerk, constable, sanitary commissioner, postmaster, newspaper editor and several aldermen.

What a neat experience this must have been for families. Hike the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to see the remnants of Tent Colony Woods or read more here.