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Argyle is Village of 857 people nestled in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, a hilly land untouched by glaciers. It was founded in 1844 , named after by the Duke of Argyll of Scotland.   Scottish settlers took a liking to this part of Wisconsin, the large hills probably reminded them of the Scottish Highlands.   We saw a historic marker attesting this fact not far from Argyle.

Running through the heart is the Pecatonica River. This provides a scenic backdrop upon entering town.  It is now spring thaw, and the water flowed over the spillway from the dam.  On a rock nearby is a plaque giving a brief history of Argyle.  Read here to learn more about Argyle businesses and events.

This beautiful view is not just for looks, this is a fully operational power plant, providing most of the electrical needs for the village.  They so kindly provided info to visitors like us. The red brick building was formerly a grist mill.

No visit to Argyle is complete without going to the Argyle Legion Community Park, dedicated to soldiers of Argyle in 2008.

We head downtown just beyond the power plant..

For enthusiasts of the fiber arts, the Argyle Fiber Mill features locally- sourced wool, within 50 miles of Argyle. They make the yarn on site.

We also saw two murals on buildings.

This is historic Partridge Hall, a center for social functions in Argyle since 1878. They serve food Friday through Sunday.

Liked this cute stone building housing the Argyle Dental Office. I am not sure if it is historic or not.

We soon come upon the former Waddington Hall, now the city Municipal building, police and Public Library. it was built in 1924, commisioned by James Seymor Waddington.

Waddington also founded the Argyle State bank, the building now houses apartments.

Argyle’s most distinguished past resident was “Fighting Bob” La Follette.  He spent the second half of his childhood here. The Argyle Historic Society is in the process of restoring the site of his boyhood home, the Saxton House.  Contributions are welcome!  The Wisconsin Historic Society Museum in Madison has a display featuring this distinguished Wisconsin politician.

All this exploring led us to lunch at Irma’s Kitchen, established in 1976 by Irma Collins and recommended to us by local residents.  The lunch crowd was arriving, we enjoyed the fish fry, yum!  Wish we had room for their famous pie, perhaps on our next visit.

Our last stop in Argyle was the Toy Train Barn Museum, a lot of fun!

We had a great time in Argyle, and plan on returning on June 28, 2014 for their 75 Annual Fish Fry festival. You will enjoy the friendly atmosphere in this village on the Pecatonica River.