Paradise Springs Nature Trail

 Over the years, Paradise Springs has been owned by many different people. One owner was a millionaire who built a horse track, fishing hole, and an elaborate spring house over beautiful Paradise Springs. Hike this trail to find out about the many people who once lived at this beautiful place. Louis J. Petit, a multimillionaire dubbed the “Salt King,” built the track in the 1920s. Petit, who made his fortune in the salt mine business, was by far the wealthiest owner of Paradise Springs. The track was abandoned in 1932 when Petit died and has since grown wild with trees and shrubs. Petit’s grandson, August J. Pabst, who became a beer executive, inherited the property from Petit. Most spring houses served a purely functional purpose—to protect the springs and to allow access to the water. The spring house here was beautiful as well as functional. Mr. Petit built this spring house in the early 1930s with a wooden-and-copper dome roof and colorful fieldstone walls, no doubt one of the most elaborate spring houses ever built in Wisconsin. Though the roof is gone, the beauty of this spring house remains. Since the late 1800s, people have enjoyed the pure spring water of Paradise Springs. Early owners called it Minnehaha and Eagle Rock Springs.  This flat, asphalt-covered 1/2-mile trail accommodates people with disabilities. Accessible versions of this brochure are available at the Visitor Center on State Highway 59 west of Eagle.