Christmas Gift: Help Identify this part of Devil's Lake

Hello Everyone,

My dad is an art collector/dealer that deals a lot with Wisconsin artists. He bought me artwork, as he always does, for Christmas, and as usual its just beautiful. He came across a etching by Leonard (Leo) Pescheret, an artist out of Milwaukee, WI. Its a view of Devil's Lake, WI and he gave it to me because of my history climbing there.

This etching is likely from around 1930 or in the 1930s but possibly as early as 1910, and the treescape has definitely changed, but it reminds me of an area of the CCC Trail looking towards the West Bluff 500ft Boulder Field/Talus area. Is this from around Brinton's Buttress or Gill's Buttress?

I'm sure someone will know immediately, and I hope you enjoy this etching. Please don't mind the round dark spot on the painting, as its the reflection of the camera.

Honestly the contours of the hills in the background make it look like the artist was facing south-southwest and perhaps somewhere near Balanced Rock. But you could be right in regards to it being from Gills or Brintons... but then the contours of the hills would be less emphasized as they are here.

Thanks Andy. I'm still curious what others think, or if they appreciate the work.

Looks more like from the West Bluff to me. Isn't that the lake in the middle?

I'm pretty sure that's the lake, but would the other shore be so hilly looking? My initial guess was actually West Bluff, North Woods, by Divergent Crack, but I couldn't remember what the view of the lake looked like... That rock looks familiar.

Yeah, taking a second look it does look more like West Bluff. I think that may be the thawing glacier in the middle... glaciers were around in the 30's right?

Looks to be taken from west bluff. You see the east bluff outline,and the 'foothills' to the far right is the morraine down below the south bluffs. The high point coincides with where it would be on east bluff. ,, reversed angle of slope would be needed for west bluff. The 'point' that defines the north end of the south shore beach/picnic area can be seen at lower end of east bluff to the right. Probably from up near Prospect Point or there abouts on West Bluff.

View is definitely from the West Bluff, somewhere towards the South end.

It looks to me like the view from above Misery Rocks. Or maybe lower on the hill, above Pork Chop.

Jay could be correct because those areas are near or along the old West Bluff Trail. The current viewpoints were not all that obvious or near old trails back 80 years ago.

Yeah, I could see the artist taking the old West Bluff trail up and stopping at the first good view, which would be above Misery.

Maybe we need to find out how fit Leonard Pescheret was, and how likely he would have been to continue up the hill in search of a better view.

My 2cents, I think its of the west bluff, looking from east bluff, look at the photos in the guide book, the east bluff is long and flat across the top,off above RR tracks, and a steeper drop off on the east side, by RR, vs the west bluff

Hey Alex, I think it's the other way around. Look at the right side of the bluff in the distance of the etching. If that was the West Bluff, then the right side would be the North Shore area, which in reality looks really flat. I think the right side of the bluff in the etching looks more like the valley between the East Bluff and the South Bluff, where the South Shore beach would be. You can even see the South Bluff in the etching as a collection of faint hills.

I agree it seems to view the morraine area between the south and east bluffs, aka the small 'foothills' near the lake on right side. There was much more going on in those days at the north end, and trails up over the West bluff were much more in use. South end had all those cottages where people would start up the West Bluff trail from that end.