Gays mill

The Village of Gays Mills lies in a valley among the steeply chiseled bluffs of the Ocooch Mountains located in the heart of the region known as the Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin. Gays Mills is famous for its apple orchards, which flourish in the temperate valley of the Kickapoo in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. Visit in the spring to see the trees blossom into white and pink and come back with family in the fall for the apple festival and to taste the deliciousness yourself.

Gays Mills, Wisconsin, is a charming village celebrated for its picturesque apple orchards and vibrant annual Apple Festival, which attracts visitors each fall to enjoy the harvest and local festivities. Nestled in the scenic Kickapoo River Valley, the town offers a quaint, rural experience with a rich agricultural heritage. Gays Mills is a village in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States.

The population was at the census. Welcome to Gays Mills! Down in the valley, along the Kickapoo River, where WI and WI meet, sits the Village of Gays Mills. Known far and wide for its apples and subsequent Apple Festival, Gays Mills is a quaint and unique place to visit. In James B. Gay, a native of Indiana, built a dam and a sawmill on the Kickapoo River, which proved to be a flourishing success.

When his health started to fail, James convinced his brothers John and Thomas to move to the area. In John Gay built the first flour mill south of the saw mill. In the years between and , many families moved into the community, which came to be known as Gays Mills in honor of the founder and his brothers. Gays Mills nearly flooded off the map twice in the past few years.

Normally the Kickapoo River runs its course but in the river flooded, reaching record levels of almost 20 feet. All was quiet until August, Extensive rain in the areas upstream from Gays Mills caused flash flooding and overnight the town filled with water. Homes and businesses filled with water and many people lost everything.

The river crested just below the record level of , and 75 homes were damaged. Then in June Gays Mills was dealt another blow. This time, the river broke its previous record and crested at During both the and floods, the water on Main Street submerged cars. It is held the last full weekend in September. Gays Mills Apple Festival.

The exhibit won first prize, then went on to capture first honors in a national apple-show in New York. This experience prompted the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society to urge a project of 'trial orchards' around the state to interest growers in commercial production.

village of gays mills

The Society examined a site on High Ridge and planted five acres with five recommended varieties. By the orchard had grown so vigorously that an organization was formed in Gays Mills to promote the selling of orchards. Today more than a thousand acres here produce apples national known for their color and flavor. Erected ". For more information on Gays Mills, Wisconsin, visit Wikipedia.

Or, visit the Village of Gays Mills website at www. Gays Mills, Wisconsin Crawford County. Above: Gays Mills, Wisconsin. Above: Gays Mills welcome sign. Above: Downtown Gays Mills flooded in both and Toggle navigation.