“Mound Builders of North America” coming to Cozy Theater March 5
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Wayne May, publisher of “Ancient American” magazine, will be doing a presentation March 5 at the Colfax Municipal Building on “Mound Builders of North America.”
May will be talking about the history of Indian burial grounds from New York to Wisconsin.
“Ancient American” has been a quarterly publication for the last 29 years and has been in continuous print since 1993.
May lives in rural Colfax.
The magazine “is my main vocation for all these many years,” May said.
“I am self-taught, considered to be an avocational archaeologist. My college major was Political Science and a minor in Sociology from Wisconsin State University in Whitewater, finishing in 1970,” he said.
May married Kristine Meyer of Fort Atkinson in January of 1971, and they have seven children and 22 grandchildren.
May’s interest in archaeology began in 1957 in Wakanda Park in Menomonie.
In the summer of 1957, when May was between third grade and fourth grade, Native American burial grounds were excavated in Wakanda Park. At the time, Menomonie was getting ready to build a new dam on the Red Cedar River by the bridge that connected Menomonie proper and North Menomonie, he said.
“I was able to watch most of that dig performed by Milwaukee archaeologists. I would climb up into the trees surrounding the dig site and watched like a bird from the sky. It was awesome,” May said.
“The impact on me is obvious. Archaeology became my passion from then on,” he said, noting that the artifacts from Wakanda are in the Milwaukee Public Museum, although he believes they should be here in Dunn County.
May’s father, Douglas May, was well-known in Dunn County as a used car dealer and a Chrysler Plymouth dealer. After he sold his car business, Douglas May spent his last years at Knapp Mobile Homes.
“I had lots of exposure to many people in the area as I worked at the garage early on, washing cars mostly. Our family came to Dunn County just as the Civil War began,” May said, adding that he is the fifth generation of his family to live in Dunn County.
The Mays’ closest daughter lives in Eau Claire, and their other six children are scattered from New York to Washington.
Troy Knutson, a member of the Colfax Municipal Building Restoration Group, asked May if he would present a lecture, and May agreed to speak on the topic of Mound Builders in North America.
“It is the topic I have been studying for many years,” May said.
May says there is a bigger ancient history in North America that has been passed over by our schools.
Back again
Knutson says CMBRG members are hoping, now that the COVID-19 numbers seem to be declining, to “get back into the swing of things” by having programs and events at the Colfax Municipal Building again.
The “$22 for 22 Steps” fund-raiser is still collecting funds, he noted.
The “22 steps” refers to the steps going from the third floor of the municipal building by the stage to the ground floor by the clerk’s office.
The steps will have to be removed to complete the elevator project.
To date, “$22 for 22 Steps” has raised about $15,000.
Anyone who would like to donate can stop by the Colfax Public Library or text the word “donate” to 1-715-768-6086 and follow the steps to a secure donation site.
People can also mail their donations to the Village of Colfax, P.O. Box 417, Colfax WI 54730. Be sure to write “elevator fund” in the memo line.
Leads
Knutson noted that people can follow what is going on at the Colfax Municipal Building by following the CMBRG and Colfax Public Library Facebook pages.
“We are also looking for leads on programs or ideas of what people are interested in. Feel free to e-mail or call me if you have any ideas or leads,” he said.
You can e-mail Knutson at HYPERLINK “mailto:knutson.troy@yahoo.com”knutson.troy@yahoo.com or call him at 715-829-2991.
A freewill offering at the March 5 presentation will go towards the Colfax Municipal Building elevator fund.
To date, through the efforts of the Colfax Municipal Building Restoration Group, the Colfax Elevator Commission and the Colfax Commercial Club, a little over $100,000 has been raised for the project to install elevator access to all three floors of the building, put restrooms on all three floors, and to remodel the basement into a usable space.
The presentation will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 5, in the auditorium at the Colfax Municipal Building on Main Street in Colfax, also known as “The Cozy Theater.”
