SHERWOOD — A magnificent slab of dolomitic limestone has been newly installed as a bridge in the waterfall area on the Lime Kiln Trail at High Cliff State Park, thanks to the efforts of several Kaukauna companies.
The work is part of a multi-year project is sponsored by the Friends of High Cliff State Park to improve park visitor experience.
The group posted photos of the work on its Facebook page HERE.
The project restores the unique features and natural beauty of the Lime Kiln Trail with increased safety and recreational opportunities.
The project also will protect the unique geology of the globally significant Niagara Escarpment and its rare and endangered animal and plant communities.
The massive stone put in place last week measures approximately 11 feet long, over four feet wide, and 9 inches thick, and weighs in excess of 7,000 pounds.
The stone slab was quarried from the Niagara Escarpment in Door County, and was provided by Jeff Stodola, former resident of Sherwood and owner of Peninsula Stone, with office locations in Kaukauna and Sturgeon Bay.
The highly technical installation of the stone slab was performed by Milbach Construction Services, Company, Kaukauna, with crane expertise from Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental, Kaukauna.
High Cliff State Park staff and Friends of High Cliff State Park members planned and coordinated the bridge project.
The project is made possible through generous donor support, including the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
Sediment deposited in tropical, inland seas over 430 million years ago during the Silurian Period of Geologic Time hardened to form the backbone of the Niagara Escarpment, a unique, globally significant geologic formation that passes through the length of High Cliff State Park, up through Door County and eventually ends near Niagra Falls.
The Lime Kiln Trail provides the opportunity for park visitors to intimately experience the wonder and beauty of the Niagara Escarpment, the plant and animal communities that live there, and unspoiled Lake Winnebago shoreline.
Replacement of two aging stairs integral to the Lime Kiln Trail is currently underway. The upper leg of the trail is closed until spring 2026 while construction occurs.
Milbach Construction is the contractor for the project; P&D Metal Works, Neenah, is performing metal fabrication.
The lower leg of the trail along Lake Winnebago remains open to the public (with periodic construction interruptions) and connects to the Redbird Trail at the stairs near the Family Campground until those stairs are replaced in late winter.
