Canfield Day
Canfield Capers
When? April 9. 2024 at 7 pm
Where? Sauk County History Center, 900 Second Avenue, Baraboo
2024 Canfield Award: Steve Argo
Canfield Day will be celebrated this year at the Sauk County History Center, 900 Second Avenue in Baraboo on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 starting at 7 pm. Each year this award is given to a local individual who has contributed to the field of local history displaying the same passion as William Canfield. The evening will conclude with cake and refreshments.
A presentation on some of Canfield’s adventures will be given followed by the presentation of the 2024 William H. Canfield History Award. Since 2001, Canfield Day has been held on or near the birthday of William H. Canfield who was born on April 9, 1819 in upstate New York and died in 1913. During his 93 years, Canfield had many adventures, starting with his trip from New York to Wisconsin in hopes of finding a new home as a 23-year-old with his wife, Cordelia. After their arrival in the Baraboo Valley in 1842 they met the few people who were here. This included colorful characters like Abe Woods, a larger-than-life figure who had a quarrel with Canfield over the lack of an invitation to a social gathering. Canfield kept a journal most of his life which helped him tell the history of the area in the newspaper and in booklets that he published. Canfield also met hundreds of people through his work as a surveyor which took him across Sauk County and he started publishing their stories. Thanks to his printed works we have rich resources about Sauk County’s history.
Steve Argo of Wisconsin Dells has been chosen as the recipient of the 2024 William H. Canfield History Award. The award was started in 2002 and is presented each year to honor the work of a person who displays the same passion for local history as William Canfield, Sauk County’s first historian. Argo has B.A. in History from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas and an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He taught American History and Government at the Baraboo High School from 2001 to 2023 and has also taught in the UW system. With a passion for local veterans and those fallen in war, Argo has pursued projects that honor military personnel and their stories.
In 2018 the Tuscania Memorial in Baraboo was dedicated to commemorate an almost forgotten story of courage, heroism, and sacrifice from World War One. Argo was the leader of the multi-year project that resulted in a bronze sculpture by Homer Daehn along with interpretive panels. Argo has also worked tirelessly on other projects honoring veterans including upgrades to the Baraboo Veterans Memorial which will happen this year. Argo is married to Kari Nelson and also volunteers at the Baraboo Food Pantry. The Sauk County Historical Society looks forward to honoring Argo on Canfield Day, April 9 at 7 pm at the Sauk County History Center.
