Ice Skating on Lake Montesian circa 1966. In the 1950s the Wisconsin Highway Commission built a new highway across the old mill bed to improve Wisconsin Highway 69 at Monticello. The commission also ran a highway through the old Lake Staedtler bed to extend Wisconsin Highway 39. This left swampy land beside the highways that soon filled in with grass and weeds. Concerned towns people made plans for the improvement of the “once lake region” by designing for a park and a new lake. People in the community donated over $8,000 for the lake project. On July 24, 1966 at the Monticello Homecoming Celebration the name of the new man-made lake was announced, “Lake Montesian.” Delbert Ott, who resided near the lakeshore, was awarded the prize for coming up with the name. For more, go to 

www.monticellohistoricalsociety.org.