Pewits Nest State Natural Area
| Pewits Nest State Natural Area | |
| Wisconsin State Natural Area | |
|
The Gorge at Pewit's nest
|
|
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Sauk |
| Location | Baraboo |
| - elevation | 892 ft (272 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Management | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources |
  Location of Pewits Nest State Natural Area in Wisconsin
|
|
Pewits Nest State Natural Area is a nature reserve of Wisconsin, USA, that includes a deep gorge formed during the retreat of the last glacier. Pewits Nest is outside of Baraboo in Sauk County. At one time a waterwheel and mill were located on the site and "an individual lived in the solid sandstone, like a gnome in a cavern."[2] The name of the site was a result of early settlers calling it "Peewit's Nest" after the abode, ten feet above a deep pool of water, resembling the nest of a phoebe (or peewit, an earlier name for this bird).[2][3]
The water-wheel once turned lathes for repairing or manufacturing equipment, but no evidence of it remains. Pewits Nest is owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and was designated a State Natural Area in 1985.[2]
Prehistory
When Glacial Lake Baraboo drained, Skillet Creek cut a narrow canyon through the Cambrian sandstone, forming a number of potholes and waterfalls.[2] The creek that runs through the cliff is Skillet Creek. The layers of Cambrian sandstone show that finer-grained sediment was laid down by the Cambrian seas, Sandstones are found in layers. Forest cover includes red cedar, white pine, red pine, and yellow birch.
Description
The area includes red cedar, white pine, hemlock, and yellow birch trees as well as Skillet Creek, shaded cliffs, and a northern dry-mesic forest.[2] It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) off U.S. Highway 12 and County W in southwest Baraboo.
