Ripon, Wisconsin
2023
Recently a social media friend of mine - another photographer who lives halfway across the globe from me - discovered that Ripon, Wisconsin is a place of connection for us. This small-world moment gave me the urge to go back and look at photos I took in Ripon in 2023 when my Mister and I took a weekend getaway there.
Ripon is a small town of about 7000 residents about an hour away from Green Bay. The populations swells another thousand during the school year when students from Ripon College are in town.
If you watched the Mr. Selfridge series on PBS, you might know that H. Gordon Selfridge was born in Ripon. If you’re a film buff - you probably know that Marcus Cinemas were founded in Ripon.
I recall asking a server at one of the restaurants we enjoyed - a college-aged woman from Chicago - how she found her way to Ripon. She was drawn to it because of its reputation for being the Stars Hollow of the midwest. For those of you not in the know, Stars Hollow is the fictional, picturesque small town in Gilmore Girls, a CW comedy-drama from the aughts. Indeed, many of the old storefronts that sit down the hill from Ripon College are picturesque right down to the strings of Edison lights that crisscross Watson street. We stayed at a boutique hotel called The Mapes that only offered suites. It was as cute as the Dragonfly Inn, but without the witty banter.
Conservatives in Wisconsin like to remind people that the Republican Party was founded in Ripon. That doesn’t seem like anything worth bragging about these days.
Have you ever explored Ripon, Wisconsin? Tell me about it in the comments.
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Interesting to see how Ripon looks through your lens! Thanks for posting this!
I don't think I've ever been to Ripon. Their cookies were good, though. Did not know that about Marcus. Too bad about the witty banter.