This Saturday, thousands of eager Badgers will gather in the stands of the venerable Camp Randall for our last home football game of the season.
On their way to the game, many will pass underneath the Camp Randall Memorial Arch, the grandest entrance to the stadium, as well as an important historical icon.
The arch was dedicated in 1912 as a memorial to the 70,000 soldiers who trained on the grounds between 1861 and 1865, when the land was occupied by barracks, parade grounds and a prisoners’ encampment. The statues on either side of the arch represent a young enlistee on his way to fight in the Civil War, and opposite him stands his veteran self, 50 years later.
Take a look at what the area used to look like more than 100 years ago with the photos below:
Wisconsin Historical Society / Marissa Haegele
